#who knew that if you played a long campaign in the background while doing a boring task

[luna-the-cretar]

So I like to find Ancient Cities and rebuild them when I have the time. Very slow and tedious, but can be rewarding by the end (my fav version is the first one, since that one was entirely done minus the skulk removal. Unfortunately it’s incredibly laggy bc switch🙃).

Anyway, I’ve been slowly working on Ancient City #3 while listening to CoS, and here’s what I got so far!

Purple: End Quarter (one more pic not shown bc mobile only allows 10 images)

Blue: Frozen Quarter

Red: Red Quarter

Pink: Mushroom Quarter

It’s not much, but I’m proud of how much progress I’ve made in a week or so of near-constant building

[rosemaryhoney27]

Cat Conspiracy

The Cat Conspiracy

Damian Wayne had tracked assassins across continents, dismantled crime syndicates before breakfast, and fought rogue AI while still managing to ace his Latin homework.

But nothing—nothing—had prepared him for Danny Fenton.

Specifically, Danny Fenton and his suspicious pattern of visiting pet stores all over Gotham, emerging each time with an armful of cats.

Damian narrowed his eyes from the rooftop across the street as Danny exited The Purring Palace with five cats in various shades of tabby draped across his arms, a smug little smile on his face.

Damian’s voice was a low growl in the comms. “Grayson. I’ve got eyes on Fenton again. He’s acquired more felines. That’s the third pet store this week. Something is afoot.”

Across the city, Dick let out an exaggerated groan. “Maybe he just likes cats?”

“No one likes cats that much. Not without a nefarious purpose,” Damian replied, dead serious.

“Damian, buddy, you live with eight trained attack bats and a demon dog. Let the kid have some cats.”

“I will not rest until I uncover his scheme.”

Meanwhile, Danny Fenton was indeed up to something.

He wasn't robbing banks or raising a ghost army or even stealing Gotham's supply of tuna fish. His plan was, in fact, adorably petty.

“Here you go, Mr. Meowser,” he whispered as he tucked the newest stray into a box carefully prepared with toys, a mini litter pan, and an engraved name tag. “You’re going to love your new home. It has three fireplaces, heated floors, and a man who pretends to hate you but secretly buys you imported kibble.”

He grinned as the box closed.

Operation: Furry Revenge was going purrfectly.

After all, if Vlad Masters—billionaire fruit loop, obsessed with power, and frequent thorn in Danny’s ghostly side—was too busy dealing with the ever-growing clowder of feline freeloaders mysteriously showing up at his mansion, then he’d have zero time for evil schemes.

Better yet, Vlad hadn’t sent a ghost assassin after him in weeks. The last thing he’d screamed over the phone was, “Daniel, I am not a cat café!”—right before the line went dead and the sound of a kitten meowing played faintly in the background.

Success.

Vlad was unraveling.

He now owned no less than thirty-two cats, each with names like “Princess Fuzzums,” “Waffle,” and “Mr. Stabby.”

They appeared out of nowhere.

Well, not nowhere. Always in tidy, clearly handmade boxes, addressed to him, complete with vet records and gourmet food recommendations.

He’d tried to be mad. He’d tried to find the source. But the cats... they purred.

One had curled up on his chest and started kneading at his robe while purring like a chainsaw, and now she had a bed on his desk and he dictated business emails around her nap schedule.

He was losing the war, and the worst part? He was starting to like it.

Damian had enough.

He dropped down from a rooftop like an avenging shadow as Danny exited yet another pet store with a fluffy ginger kitten perched on his head like a crown.

“I knew it.”

Danny screamed and nearly dropped the kitten. “What the hell?! Do you practice dramatic entrances?”

“You’ve been acquiring cats for a dark purpose,” Damian said, voice cold and accusatory. “I demand to know what you’re planning.”

Danny blinked at him. Then grinned.

“Would you believe me if I said it was a long-term plan to neutralize a billionaire supervillain through the power of feline responsibility?”

Damian stared.

Danny kept going. “I call it Operation: Claw and Order. My target now owns thirty-two cats. That’s roughly thirty-one more than he emotionally admits to loving.”

“…You’re weaponizing cats.”

“Yes,” Danny said, very proud.

Damian folded his arms. “…Interesting. I approve.”

Danny blinked. “Wait, what?”

“I would’ve used snakes, but your method is arguably more insidious. If you require assistance in continuing this campaign, I can connect you with Selina Kyle. She has... resources.”

Danny cackled. “Oh my god, is this what friendship feels like?”

“No,” Damian said immediately. “…But I’ll help deliver the next batch.”

And just like that, Gotham’s weirdest alliance was born: the half-ghost boy with a vengeance plan powered by kittens, and the Bat’s youngest, most terrifying son.

Vlad never knew what hit him.

But his cats were very well-fed.

[sir3n-s]

Steve knew that one day he wouldn't be able to refuse to play dnd. 

Especially since he was now dating a dragons master or whatever it's called. He can't keep up with all the names. 

And don't get him wrong Eddie is great and dnd sounds sort of interesting but he's been against playing for so long he doesn't want to give up the act. 

But he if was going to give up the act he was going to get something in return. 

The kids were all gathered at Steve's house for a movie night. 

They had 2 different kinds of movie night, one where they all actually watched movies and the other where the movie was just there for background noise while everyone either talked or worked on something.

Tonight Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin were making character sheets for Eddie's new campaign while trying to get Steve to join as well. 

"Just play one campaign" Dustin whined for the 20th time that night. And probably the 100th time in his life. 

"Are you ever going to let this go?" 

"No! You have to play one now that you're dating Eddie. Aren't couples supposed to try out each other's hobbies?" He got him there.

"He's got a point Stevie," Eddie says finally engaging in the conversation after being glued to the TV. Despite the volume being low he was still watching it with intense interest. 

"You're right, couples should try each other's hobbies" Steve agreed. 

"Uh oh," Robin says without looking up from the puzzle she was going with Nancy, knowing what he was going to say next since he ran his plan through her first.

"I will play a campaign but!" He says before the kids could get too excited, "you all have to play basketball with me" 

They all groaned. Except Lucas who was completely fine with this arrangement.

-

It was Saturday and they were all at basketball court in the park. Most of them were wearing their gym clothes. 

Except for Lucas and Steve who actually had basketball jerseys. 

Max and el were also playing since they wanted to join despite the fact they won't play dnd either. 

And who was he to say no to them? The more the merrier.

Robin and Nancy were sitting at the bench in the shade, Robin saying she refuses to play a sport because she's too clumsy and Nancy saying Robin shouldn't have to sit alone. But Steve knows they just want to talk shit about them. 

He wasnt going to stop them, he knew it was a lost cause to try to get them to join as well. 

The only rule they had before playing was that Steve and Lucas couldn't be on the same team, 'it wouldn't be fair' Dustin said and everyone else agreed. Even Robin and Nancy. 

So they ended up being the team captainsin on each team. 

Steve's team was Max, Mike, and El while Lucas had Will, Dustin, and Eddie. 

And it was going well! Better than Steve thought it would. Especially with how unathletic most of them were. 

Steves team was winng, and despite Dustin whinning about how it was because Steve was older and had more experience he hasn't even made all the points. 

He did score the first point but El scored the last 2. 

It's was 3 to 1. The only point they had was from Lucas. Eddie couldn't throw for shit, Dustin kept dropping the ball, and Will was actually doing pretty well but was kinda being ignored because Lucas and Dustin wouldn't stop arguing.

He can tell eddie was getting annoyed with having to constantly break up their fights.

Their team only needed one more point to win and Mike had the ball.

"Pass it to me!" He yells towards Mike and he does pass it to him. Just way too hard. 

Because it goes past his hands and right towardd his face. Smacking him hard in the nose and knocking him over. 

He hears everyone gasp as he groans on the ground.

He heard the tapping of people feet on concrete, and on grass, get close to him. 

"Holy fuck are you okay?" Despite his eyes being closed he can easily tell that's Eddie's voice.

"Damn Mike why did you throw it so hard" he hears max says. He also hears a light punch but doesn't comment on it this time.

"I didnt mean to!" 

"I'm okay" Steve says while getting up, grabbing his nose when he felt something on his lip. Blood, of course.

"That would've been a great throw if I was a little bit farther from you," he says towards Mike as Eddie helps him off the floor and leads him to the bench despite saying he was okay to keep playing.

Everyone gather arounds him as El hands him some of the napkins she keeps in her pocket.

"If this is how you all act everytime someone gets hurt it's going to get extremely annoying as we keep playing" Everyone makes weird faces, except for Robin who was grinning.

And Nancy because Robin definitely told her. 

He smiles. "You guys are going to want me to play more than one campaign, so you will all be playing more games of basketball."

While Lucas smiled, everyone else groaned.

[hyunjincanraptoo]

Mother may I have some prompt number 5

Nooo, don't call me mother haha I would be a terrible one. Sorry it took so long, I hope you like it 💜

Word count: 1.3k

Warnings: a lot of drinking, angstish, mostly fluff, pairing model!reader x jealous!hyunjin. DON'T GET TATTOOS WHEN YOU'RE DRUNK!!!

Alexa, play Tattoos Together by Lauv

5. Tattoos together

The venue was fancy, like really fancy— crystal chandeliers, mirrored walls, the echoing click of Jimmy Choos on the marble.

Hyunjin hated it.

He adjusted the collar of his blazer, already regretting saying yes to tonight. He wasn’t on the schedule, hadn’t even walked a show this week. But you were there. And you looked like every designer’s fever dream.

In black silk and red lips, you were radiant but also  paired up with a model type who clearly didn’t understand the concept of personal space. Your assigned partner for the campaign, you had explained. Just for the night.

Still, the man kept hovering too close, whispering something into your ear that made you roll your eyes but also, smile.

Hyunjin stood at the bar.

“Another gin, please”, he muttered.

The bartender, used to broken hearts, handed it over without saying a single word. Hyunjin took the glass in one hand, jaw tight, and threw it back like it was water.

He didn’t even flinch at the burn.

When he looked back toward the center of the room, the man had a hand at your waist casually— too casual for his liking

He ordered the third drink. He downed the drink all at once.

You weren’t flirting. Hyunjin knew you, knew the way your posture stiffened when you were annoyed, the way you didn’t laugh with your eyes when you weren't truly comfortable. But the guy wasn’t reading that. 

Or worse, he was, and didn’t care.

He clenched his fists tight, refusing to get into a fight and ruin your night.

The fourth drink came— vodka this time.

A soft jazz melody played in the background, while conversations in French, Korean, and English faded into a far hum, like they were happening across the street, not around him

He lost count around the fifth drink.

By the time someone clicked a photo of you and your partner in front of the press wall, Hyunjin had sunk into the bar stool, glass twirling in his hand, eyes narrowed like he could burn the man down with a stare.

You met his eyes for a moment, just a second.

He looked away first.

Somewhere between the sixth and seventh glass, he stopped feeling his limbs.

Somewhere between one photo and the next, the jealousy turned into something uglier.

At some point, Hyunjin slipped out. Silent. Sloppy. Not waiting for you. Not trusting himself to look at you without saying something he'd regret.

✧˖*°࿐

You found him behind the venue, slouched in a shadowed alleyway like a missing line in a love poem.

He didn’t see you at first.

Or maybe he did and just ignored

His back was against the wall, one hand dragging over his face, the other still curled around the glass. His blazer hung open, shirt tousled at the hem, and he looked like he’d aged ten years in the past hour.

“Hyun”,  you said gently, stepping into the alley.

He flinched.

Just barely. A shoulder twitch. A muscle jerk. But you felt it like a slap in the face.

You stopped, throat tightening as if he had choked you

“Don’t” he muttered, voice hoarse, “Don’t pretend like he wasn’t all over you”

You frowned, “And don’t pretend like I wanted him to be”

He didn’t answer. Just stared at the ground like it would give him the right answer.

You stepped closer without touching him yet.

“You think I’d let someone touch me like that if it wasn't you?”, you asked quietly, “You think I’d look at anyone the way I look at you?”

He didn't answer 

You reached for him and this time, when he tried to pull away, you didn’t let him.

You grabbed his wrist. Shoved him back against the wall and pinned him there with your body and a fire in your eyes he hadn’t seen before

Hyunjin stared at you, lips parted, breath shallow. “What are you doing?”

You leaned in close, voice steady despite the pounding in your chest, “"Reminding you, I'm completely out of his league, and you're a fucking idiot for thinking I would be”

He blinked, surprised.

Then, suddenly, the corner of his mouth curled smugly.

“You wanna prove it?”, he whispered.

Your brows lifted, “Try me” 

He grinned, drunk, slightly heartbroken and desperately yours, “Let’s get a tattoo”

You blinked, “What?!”

“Right now. Matching ones”

“You’re not serious”

“Dead serious. Prove I’m the only one that gets to stay on your skin forever”

That made you pause

“You’re being ridiculous”

“And you love me anyway”

“Yeah”, you murmured, “I do”

He leaned forward, forehead pressed to yours, breathing exhaling alcohol, “Then let’s make it permanent”

“Guess I'll need some drinks first”

✧˖*°࿐

The tattoo studio was tucked into the corner of a street you couldn’t pronounce, the kind of place that looked like it specialized in regrets. 

 Inside, a man with a bleached buzzed hair and a septum piercing barely acknowledged you when you stumbled in, breathless from laughing too hard at nothing.

Hyunjin went straight to the counter, “We want… tattoos”, he declared, slapping a crumpled napkin down.

The artist blinked. Took one look at you both— your smeared makeup, his flushed cheeks, the way your hands were laced together like you couldn’t stand to be apart for even a second— and shrugged.

“D'accord”, he muttered, “Petit?”

“Yes”, Hyunjin said confidently, “Petit. Tiny. Forever”

You giggled into his shoulder, “This is a terrible idea. Your manager is going to kill you”

He waved the napkin like a flag of pride, “This is art, baby”

The sketch was anything but art— two stick figures. One with big round eyes, long black hair and arms swinging wildly in the air, clearly Hyunjin. The other with a huge pink mass in one hand, and a little heart over her— or better, your— head.

“She’s holding strawberry ice cream”, Hyunjin explained to the artist, “Because she’s sweet. And because of my song, you know… ice eso cream, ice as a cream …”

You crackled when he started to sing

“You’re so drunk”, you murmured, resting your head against his arm.

He kissed the top of your head, “Drunk in love.”

 “Cute”, the artist said in accented English, “You sit”

The process was a blur of laughter, ink, and Hyunjin whispering ‘ouch’ dramatically every two seconds just to see you laugh.

 You watched each other get marked with tiny, silly figures forever on your wrists.

Sloopy? Yes. But also perfect.

“You two are… romantique”,  the artist said, shaking his head with a smile. 

You left the studio grinning, tattoos on your wrists, hands locked as Paris slept around you. 

✧˖*°࿐

The first thing Hyunjin felt when he woke up was thirst. The second was regret.

He blinked at the morning light, then slowly, painfully rolled over.

You were still asleep, curled in the duvet, your cheek squished into the pillow, arm stretched out— exposed tattooed wrist 

Hyunjin sat up too fast. Instant headache.

Then he looked down at his own wrist.

And screamed.

“WHAT THE…?!”

You groaned into the pillow, “Oh my God, what now…”

He held out his arm like it was a cursed artifact, “WHY IS THERE A STICK FIGURE OF ME SCREAMING ON MY SKIN?!!”

You blinked at it, “Because you said that’s how you feel when you are around me. Loud and chaotic”

He gaped, “I LOOK LIKE A BALLOON WITH LIMBS, YN!!!”

You snorted, “Well mine has an ice cream as big as my head. It’s giving… preschool”

He stared at you in horror, “Where did my artistic ability go last night?!”

You sat up, smiling, “Left your body after drink number five, babe”

There was a long pause.

Then Hyunjin groaned, collapsed back into the pillows, and let out the most dramatic whimper ever

You laughed, leaned over, and kissed his temple, “It’s terrible”, you whispered, “But this is us”

He turned to look at you, smiling despite the whole situation, “It is kinda cute, though”, he mumbled.

You kissed him again. And again.

Until the regret faded into softness and chaos— permanent, like the ink on your skin.

If you enjoyed it please consider liking and reblogging. Feedbacks and loves notes are very much appreciated 😊

Taglist: @hyyunjinnn , @jehhskz , @mbioooo0000 , @nightmarenyxx , @rozsdascsaptelep, @thatonegirlonhere , @notmedina127, @sweetlifeofjoy , @jeonginsleftcheek , @yelhsaa, @my-neurodivergent-world , @hyunles , @lexlikesbts , @imagine-all-the-imagines , @mysterysold , @teenagepeterpan , @hangonhyunjin , @yxna-bliss

[chrattvibe]

៹After hours. Coworker!matt x coworker!reader.

7:23 PM

Matt wasn’t sure when it had gotten so late. His laptop said one thing, but his body said another. His eyes were burning from staring at spreadsheets, his back was stiff, and he’d only just wrapped up two calls that had been waiting for hours. When he finally saved the last file and closed his laptop, it felt like something heavy slid off his shoulders. He rubbed his face with both hands and only then noticed how quiet the office had become.

He turned off the light, shrugged on his jacket, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and stepped into the hallway.

That’s when he heard it.

Soft music, playing faintly from one of the desks in the open area. At first, he thought someone had left their speakers on. He walked a little further—and there she was.

Her.

Sitting in front of her laptop, the screen lighting up her face. No headphones this time. The music was coming straight from her speaker: mellow pop, calm and melodic, slowly filling the empty corners of the room.

She looked up when she heard him and quickly turned it down, a little startled.

"Oh, sorry." She smiled shyly. "I thought everyone had already left."

Matt gave a tired smile and walked over slowly, his steps muffled on the carpet.

"Me too. Just finished. I don’t think I’ve stopped since lunch."

She raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Still juggling three spreadsheets at once?"

He chuckled.

"Yeah, kinda. Plus two phone calls from people who seem to think the world ends if I don’t reply before six."

"Fair enough," she gave him a little smile, angling her body slightly toward him without taking her eyes off the screen. "I got caught up too. I sat down to organize some old campaigns. Just noticed the time."

Matt looked at her for a moment. That kind of late-evening feeling: the kind that only exists inside an office full of cold lights, silent furniture, and windows that reflect how tired you are.

"Still got a lot left to do? Do you want a coffee or somethin'?" he asked, dropping his bag beside her desk like he wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon.

"Nah, it's alright. I’m almost done. But thank you."

He nodded. He really should go—but instead, he pulled up a chair and slid it next to her desk.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked, in that tone that didn’t really sound like a question.

She glanced sideways at him, a small smile forming.

"You don’t have to stay, y'know?"

"Oh, I know," he said, already sitting. "But I wanna know who thought that awful beige color was a good idea for the May campaign. Was that you?”

They hadn’t always joked like this. But ever since that night at Matt’s place, something unspoken had started to settle between them. Now there was a quiet comfort in the way they teased each other. Like they both knew it was safe to do it. Expected, even.

She laughed, shaking her head, rolling her eyes. "Here we go."

And just like that—it started.

At first, they talked about work. Little things. Presentations. Emails they were sick of. Then the conversation shifted without them noticing: shows, music, random stuff. The music from her laptop kept playing quietly in the background, filling the space with no real urgency. Her voice had that light, almost cheerful tone, and she typed less and less. Eventually, the laptop was pushed aside, and she turned fully toward him, getting comfortable in her chair.

They stayed like that. Talking.

Time slipped past without asking.

Until a notification made her glance at her phone. Her eyes widened. She stood up quickly.

"Shit, I need to go or I’ll miss my train," she said, scrambling to pack up in a rush that didn’t quite suit her.

Matt gave her a half smile, not thrilled about having to call it a night. He stood up too, slower.

"I can drive you home if you want."

She looked at him while still gathering her things—surprised, maybe unsure.

"You don’t have to. You’ve had a long day. It’s kinda late—"

"That’s exactly why I should," he cut in, slipping her backpack over his shoulder to help her—and maybe, just maybe, to make her stay a little longer. "No way I’m letting you chase down trains at this hour."

She didn’t protest. Just lowered her eyes for a second and when she looked back up, there was a small smile—one of those that shows up when something unexpected doesn’t feel bad at all.

They turned off the last few lights and double-checked everything before leaving. Their steps were quiet as they walked out of the common area together.

When they reached the elevator, she glanced sideways at him. The silence between them still felt easy. Comfortable, even. That didn’t happen often—with anyone. But neither of them said it out loud.

The ride home was quiet in the best way. Matt’s car smelled like his cologne and generic car freshener. The stereo was on but barely audible. Their voices filled the space instead, like neither of them wanted to break the rhythm of the conversation that had started back in the office.

When he pulled up in front of her place, she unbuckled her seatbelt and looked out the window.

The house was a little worn, but well-kept. Charming. The porch was neat. There were a few flowers by the door. It looked like one of those houses you see in old movies.

"Nice place," Matt said, half smiling.

She turned slightly and smiled back.

"Thank you. And… thanks for the ride. I would've been on that train forever."

"Of course, anytime." he said, letting his hands drop from the wheel into his lap.

She hesitated for a second before opening the door.

"I’d invite you in… but the place is a mess. Didn’t get a chance to clean."

It didn’t sound like an excuse. More like a half-invitation, with the real intention pretty clear.

"I owe you one," she added, with a soft smile—maybe a little hopeful.

Matt caught that. His smile tugged to one side.

"Then invite me over for dinner sometime. That’ll make us even. And you can give me the full house tour."

This time, she didn’t even try to hide her smile. He got it. They were on the same page.

"Deal."

—chrattvibe.

masterlist.

taglist.

[meanbossart]

Lore Ask Compilation: "Every Other Question Is About The Drow's Dick" edition

Oh I LOVE Minthara, her dialogue is absolutely fascinating and in my opinion some of the best written In the game. Experiencing her in my Evil Durge playthrough without having been spoiled to her companion scenes prior was great - the amount of depth they managed to add to her, without it at all feeling forced or rushed, and considering how much less time she gets to develop at our side is really well done. While nearly everyone's quests had me immersed, she was one of the few characters who really made me pause and think about the things she had to say to me, what she truly meant by them, and what they meant for me as an avatar doing an evil run.

We have a lot of characters in this game that are meant to be full of wisdom and experience, who are meant to be the ones who say the right thing at the right time that inspires us to make the correct choices, but I don't think either Halsin or Jaheira (and I love Jaheira) made me feel like I knew so little about life quite as Minthara did.

And, of course, she's absolutely hysterical. 10/10 I wish she had a proper companion quest past being rescued but I understand why she doesn't.

[MORE ASKS UNDER THE CUT]

It doesn't connect to the urethra since the slit in on top, so he nuts and pisses normal.

Also you 100% are not sorry, stop lying to me.

Man, I thought a lot about this one because I play so fast and loose with the content the game gives us that I'm positive there must be SOMETHING I'm completely disregarding, but I couldn't think of anything! I've chosen to pick slightly less obvious interpretations to some lines and text but nothing that completely deviates from canon, I don't think. If anyone has noticed something I neglected to mention, feel free to let me know - not because I want to revise it, but just because I'm curious!

For the second part of the question, not really. Larian did a great job of giving us plenty of room to play around in the dark urge's background, I think I'm yet to see something that I find to truly "not fit" in the ample freedom they've given us. I have my preferences, of course - I'm shocked to find that most dark urge's are NOT big hulking beasts, for example - in fact that seems to be the minority by far, but I realize that I have my... Uh... Biases.

You can see a cute little divot through the fabric if you look closely LOL

And nah, I think his penis has seen enough sharp points for a lifetime.

Well.

Unless someone decided to add some bite-marks to it.

HMMM, I... Don't think so.

He didn't cry as a baby, he didn't cry as a child (and this isn't something I just decided on now - this is a major reason why his foster drow mother even kept him around) he didn't really cry growing up or at any point during the campaign. I think he is capable of it - sadness in him just tends to be far more confusing a feeling than anything else.

He will have emotional moments in ANE, whether or not that will culminate in crying is something you will have to wait to find out LOL

Astarion has noticed this and just took it as a character trait - the drow doesn't cry, he just gets confused, angry, frustrated or simply bottles it up. While he can be demanding of his emotional maturity, he isn't going to try and dictate how he should experience his own feelings. If it did happen it would definitely catch him majorly off-guard, perhaps even shift the perception he has of him to a certain extent.

Oh my god you just know they All managed to be utterly quiet about it for as long as humanly (and unhumanly) possible until like, I don't even know, halfway through the Shadow-cursed lands where one day Karlach finally turns back to the group around the campfire after a half-nude drow has strut past and she's like "SO

"DOES ANYONE KNOWS WHY HIS DICK HAS A SNATCH"

And Wyll is like :0... Karlach you can't just ask people that.

And then she pointedly turns to Astarion and starts trying to interrogate him on how it works while Gale covers his ears and Shadowheart is like:

This is gonna blow you guys backwards but he does not do those things in front of people and thinks its rude if you do.

HMMM Mostly physically but it's a little subtle. He really enjoys interacting with Astarion's (and previously Orin's) hands - kissing, holding, caressing. Touching hair and faces as well. He can engage in more overt physical affection but usually Astarion has to be the one to initiate.

A disarmingly earnest proclamation of love and adoration here and there as well - he isn't shy in the slightest to tell people how he feels about them, he just isn't constantly reminding them of it unless inspiration strikes.

Most of all I think he expects his loved-ones to see his care for them in his tendency to go out of his way to help them achieve their goals.

He went with them to the Shadow-cursed lands but I never helped him fix the curse, so he stayed behind when the gang went onwards to the city. DU Drow didn't really like him so it was good-riddance as far as he was concerned.

If he had come along and propositioned him during act 3 - uh, you know the really mean rejection line you have as a choice during that dialogue? Yeah, that one lmao.

Alas, DU drow is just monogamous. He could entertain group-sex with a partner for fun at the most, but not ever a third person in the relationship. And In my personal interpretation (but by all means - everyone else have fun with their poly arrangements!) of Astarion and his delivery of the "this is about Halsin" line, I also thought he was lying about being comfortable with it, so I write him as monogamous as well.

Nothing. Nada. Not a thing. Say what you'd like about Bhaal but he sure knows how sculpt them out of his murder-meat.

(Thank you!!!)

[disarmd]

Yesss I've been waiting for this opportunity! 😂 I'd love directors commentary on the scene at McLaren manor at the start of chapter three of In Absentia! I feel like there's just SO much there in terms of characterization and relationship dynamics 🧡

[director's commentary] ooooooh, thanks for this prompt, nonnie, i'd love to!!! i ended up having so much to say about this... i literally typed for longer than the original scene. soooo, great choice!

A dinner party at McLaren Manner, the precise navigation of friendly and career development. People were glad to see Lando and spoke to him more than folks usually did when Daniel brought him to events.

with this i was just trying to show that lando had been making friends in the background. fun to write in the slice-of-life short scenes style, because inherently there's less need for connectivity between scenes. which is not to say that i didn't still spend a lot of time moving things around and trying to figure out the right sequence of events to build the narrative. i'd originally planned on this scene happening earlier, so it would be closer to daniel's big battle adventure in the first chapter, but then i needed more to have developed between lando and daniel so the next scene after this one of them at home would have more of an earned kindness. anyway, daniel doesn't see every moment of lando's life, and off screen lando is often inexplicably charming people. i think of irl lando and how genuinely glad everyone seemed to be for him when he got his first win, and imagine this world's version of that where he just manages to be very well liked despite not trying for that in any competent way.

They’d been rehashing the latest campaign — two steps back from where they wanted, needed, to be — when Zak turned to Lando and said, “I bet you were worried about Daniel when he was gone for so long. You must have wondered if he was actually coming back.”

It was passive aggressive, though Daniel wasn’t sure if everyone else at the table would be able to tell. The siege had taken too long and returned little yield. No one had been glad with the results when they got back.

not that i was trying very very hard to weave canon into the story, but a little daniel at mclaren throw back when he was getting blamed for the car not being fast.

“Why would I worry about Daniel?” Lando asked, that careless way he went on talking for too long. “He owns me until he dies. Best case scenario for me.”

He was truly such a blister, such a wretched annoyance in his every waking breath, but Daniel smiled, because he knew that to be true. And he knew the desperate way Lando’d fucked himself to orgasm on Daniel’s cock when Daniel returned. Both things were true.

the way daniel can kind of fracture his relationship with lando into different parts because he's fractured himself into different parts. like who he was when he was young and people hurt him badly, and who he learned to be, and how that meant hurting other people instead. he sees himself as coming to the end of his life and how he's become neither of those things, so now he mostly feels like nothing. but then he's got moments of being both those other selves, and then obviously all the times when he's triggered in other parts of the story and feels like he's back there living it.

He leaned toward Lando and said, quietly, but not so quietly that no one could hear: “Your mouth’s as leaky as your cunt.”

Lando nuzzled into his hand, putting on a pretty tilt to his head, looking up at Daniel through his eyelashes. He seemed to understand the thin ground on which he tread. When Daniel shoved, he went to his knees beneath the table. He warmed Daniel’s cock while the rest of them played cards.

didn't say anything here, because daniel's not thinking about it, he's just focusing on what he needs to do, which is show dominance over lando to reestablish the power imbalance and charm the table to gain social capital for professional purposes. but at the end of the next scene, daniel acknowledges that this was difficult for him. he has a really difficult time feeling like he's being forced to do anything sexual (which sometimes we saw him doing to himself in a way that was obviously bad for lando, worse for lando, but also not good for daniel). and having to perform like this - which is mentioned in the scene where he plays the lute where he allows himself to remember the ways he'd been horrifically trained to perform - is far more difficult for daniel than anyone in the room understands. but also, you know, it's the unhinged porn verse, and i think the interplay between lando and daniel is sort of hot, like the ways lando shows agency and then the times he chooses to let daniel have power. like obviously daniel has legitimate power over lando because he literally owns him, but in the non diegetic bdsm way, i was also playing around with those moments of actual "submission", which can only happen if lando chooses to give it. like obviously they have to do something because of the outside threat against further harm coming to lando, for sure, but probably daniel as well, so it's not literally consensual. but lando chooses to make it easier for daniel, to immediately cooperate, to show deference. daniel doesn't notice, because he's mostly dissociating, but i think lando also rubs his calves a little under the table, a touch that was just for them, which daniel would have liked if he'd noticed.

Daniel played hard then folded when he knew he was going to win, even though he could ill afford to lose the coin. He needed Zak to put him on another campaign. He’d already run through the little he’d taken home last time, and was not entirely confident he could pay all his debts next month.

He cursed his poor luck and got them all laughing. He said Zak would have to send him out to find more coin to barter next time, and ignored the stare Zak had fixed on Lando.

and like in the same way this lando is liked, wanted to show this daniel having irl daniel's social skills, his ability to read a room and seduce an entire group of men. that balance between how he fits the masculine ideal, his objectively strong physical capabilities, and then also the way's he can be visibly and, i think, invisibly vulnerable. in this, daniel needing something (money), which gives men power over him. and then the compounding impact of the power men had over him when he was a trainee when he was young. i feel like daniel would have a sense of the threat other men would be to lando in a way that men who hadn't had his experience wouldn't notice. like he's "ignoring" the stare in that he's not challenging zak on it while he's fawning, but he clocks it for sure. and then i wanted it to feel more intense after reading the next scene, where daniel tells lando that zak's expecting to own him again shortly, just as soon as daniel dies.

anyway, that's the end of the scene, but as if i haven't talked enough already, but part of the thing i had trouble deciding when i was planning the build of the story was where to put all this relative to lando asking to get fucked in the pussy. because, this was the start of the turning point where other types of power start balancing out a little in their relationship and they become something closer to partners.

the other way to sequence the events would have been to have lando ask for daniel to fuck his cunt after this conversation, where that bond of a level of something closer to trust has started to form. which would have also moved it closer in the general direction of consensual (obviously, daniel literally owns him, it's factually non con, but you know what i mean. within the context).

but i ended up not doing that - as you know from having read the story, haha. part of the specific tone i was trying to do for this story was to have things happen that were objectively wrong. and not to dodge away from the premise (sex slaves) and have the story try to convince you that it's conforming to a real world standard of ethics.

plus, i think for lando the trust required to ask daniel to fuck his cunt (something he thought was going to happen on his 25th birthday anyway) is significantly less that what it took for him to become financially transparent. ... more financially transparent, anyway. the bag of money he brings daniel in the next part is not the only he had squirrelled away.

(and are lando's chicken races unrealistically profitable? you just have to understand that he's effectively swindling every single person every step of the way. he's getting money or trade or exchange of favour from absolutely everyone. this lando has, through necessity, become much better at lying than our lando.)

Anyway, if you read all this you’re a hero and I love you.

[knottyk]

Caught in the Act

Pairings: Eddie x Henderson!Fem!Reader

Word count: 1.3k

Summary: Eddie cancels the campaign and Dustin, along with Mike and Lucas, wants to know what is so important to tear the strict Dungeon Master away from his beloved club. 

Warnings: implied sexual themes, profanity, um idk let me know if i missed anything lol

edit: crying over how sweet everyone is! And my first post to reach 1k notes accckkkkk!!

The campaign that was originally set for tonight had been pushed for whatever reason and the gang had nowhere else to go. They had already let their parents know that they’ll be out late so why waste the chance for some late night exploring? 

“What if we go to The Hideout. It’s a popular hang out spot now, right?” Lucas kicked a pebble from under his sneakers.

“I bet Eddie’s there. Think of it.” Dustin nodded as he tried to convince the other two. “He never moves the meetings for anything or anyone. Gives us shit for not attending and suddenly he’s not free tonight? I call bull.” 

“We’ll catch him in the act. Then he won’t have anything on us next time.” Lucas agreed as his palm met Dustin’s and they chuckled in excitement.

“And what if he’s not there?” They both turned to Mike who had his hands stuffed in his pockets, shrugging.

“Then he’s not there! We’ll just come back to your place and, I don’t know, do something. Besides, I’ll need a ride home from Y/N. She’s doing some project with Nancy.”

With a half-assed back up plan, the trio set off towards the infamous pub in their Hellfire shirts. The place was littered with people both young and old.

They walked into the place with heads held high as people they recognised from school watched them tread like they owned the place. In addition to being a school night, they were also freshmen. What better way to earn the cool points by being seen at a place as intimidating as The Hideout.

“Let’s just see if he’s here and get outta here.” Mike slightly yelled over the loud music playing in the background, lungs already clouded by the nearby smoke by several lit cigarettes. 

They quickly scanned the place but it didn’t take long to spot the messy mop of hair that stood out in all of Hawkins. 

“Eddie! You lying son of a bitch!” Dustin yelled as they jogged toward the bar, laughing. “We got you!”

At first, Eddie was confused as to why he’s hearing the freshman’s voice at a place he never expected to but his emotion was quickly replaced with an obvious panic as he turned to address the boys without fully turning his body away from the bar.

With a tight lipped smile, he spoke. “Henderson, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in bed in like, what? Twenty minutes?”

He looked at his wristwatch as he fixed a few strands of hair stuck to his face and mouth, his bangs slightly stuck to his forehead with sweat.

“Aren’t we supposed to be doing the campaign?” They crossed their arms as they examine him with shit eating grins etched on their faces. They caught him. 

“Well, things happen and you know… things happened.” 

As Eddie somewhat explained, Dustin’s eyes linger on the pair of legs dangling over Eddie’s hips. He couldn’t see anything else as the person ducked behind Eddie’s broad back. He tried peering over but Eddie was quick to block him.

Though Dustin quickly realised that he didn’t need to see who it was to know. It was those pristine white sneakers he loathed seeing resting in the shoe racks by the front door. He’d always wanted to smear the underside of his shoes on your white ones just so it wasn’t so clean. 

Though he knew you’d kill him because they were your favorite pair. The one you always wore with the stupidly coordinated outfits to school as his friends snickered at him about you being neat and presentable while he was the other way around. 

The type to be recognised from a crowd of people. The type to be lined up with the likes of Nancy Wheeler and Chrissy Cunningham. The good, perfect girls of Hawkins High.

“Y/N?” He blurted out and despite the loud music, you heard him clearly. Mike and Lucas shifted their gaze between Dustin, Eddie and eventually, you. 

Over Eddie’s shoulder, you waved. “Dustin! Funny seeing you here.” 

Eddie finally parted with the bar and stepped to the side with his hand on his nape while you jump off from the counter, smoothing over your skirt that rode up your leg. 

“What the hell, Y/N? Aren’t you supposed to be with Nancy?” Dustin was frantic. 

Tonight was all about catching their strict dungeon master knee deep in his hypocritical bullshit but what he found was like stepping on a lego or cow shit. Either way, he was disgusted by the idea of whatever you and eddie were doing when they arrived or even before they arrived.

“Look, I think we’re all somewhere we’re not supposed be tonight.” You put a hand on his shoulder as you looked Mike and Lucas in the eye.

Their eyes darted everywhere else except yours. Maybe it was the fact that they know they’re not supposed to be in an adult-only place or the fact that your bra was peeking from your unbuttoned shirt that was now all scrunched up. Who knows?

“You’re not telling on me are you, Dusty?” You ask your brother who had is mouth agape. 

“I mean, The Hideout is not really the place mom would be thrilled to see you in either. You and I would be in great trouble and you can kiss that free trip to Utah goodbye.” You nod slowly as you laid out the facts. “Think about it.” 

You promised to be Dustin’s ride to Utah during the spring break in exchange for him covering for your ass from the many times he caught your bedroom empty and windows opened during unholy hours of the night. He didn’t question it then.

Dustin peered behind you and saw Eddie leaning on the bar where you sat earlier. His lips curved in what looked to be an apologetic smile. Upon seeing Dustin’s  face, he let out a two finger salute. 

Eddie had thought of the many ways he’d let the secret loose on your little brother but this was not one of the ideal scenarios. Somehow, he felt bad for the way it turned out but glad that the cat’s out of the bag. 

Dustin sighs and nods. 

“Good.” You take off his cap and shuffle his curly hair, earning a groan. “Be home by 10.”

“Eleven.” He bargained, sizing up to you.

Considering tonight’s events, you thought of letting him off easy. 

“And lunch is on you for a month.” 

“No.” 

“Two months.” 

“No.”

“A week.”

“Fine.”

With that, they hurried out of the bar, pushing one another to get out as fast as they could. You could hear them talk amongst themselves as they ran out. 

“Holy shit, Eddie’s dating your sister.”

“Holy shit, Eddie’s dating my sister.”

“Wait, does that mean she’s the hot girlfriend Eddie was talking about.”

The gushing drowned out and you face Eddie who was sipping at his canned beer. 

“We scarred him.” He chuckled. “I’m never gonna hear the end of this.”

“You talk about me?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, is that bad?”

You nodded as you caged him with your arms at either side of the counter. 

“Looks like you got it bad, Munson.” 

You catch his lips with yours, slick with a tinge of bitterness from the beer but it drowns in the sweet taste of Eddie’s soft lips. His bottom lip caught in between your teeth as he let out a groan, hands smoothing over the arch of your back. 

Like no one was watching, you guide Eddie’s hands further past what is considered appropriate in a public setting.

He jerks his hand away while looking around, checking for any watchful eyes as the scene unfolded. You cup his cheek and put his hand back on the curve of your ass, skirt starting to ride up your leg once more as you spread them slightly to make way for Eddie in between.

“I have to go back on stage in five.” He whispers, hot breath fanning your face. 

“Then, I guess we’d have to be quick.”

You don’t know how you’ll face your brother over breakfast tomorrow like nothing happened the night before. But you let the thoughts of tomorrow fly over your head as you were already pulling Eddie to one of the empty bathroom stalls. 

masterlist

a/n: haha omg i was washing the dishes when i thought of this. when i tell you i stopped my chores to write this asap. i'd forget in a second if i didn't <3

[writing-for-me-at-this-point]

Roman Numerals I-V | Simon “Ghost” Riley | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

Sum. Roman Numerals I to V about being with Simon “Ghost” Riley. He doesn’t imagine himself being in love, and yet when he his, it’s more soothing than expected. And even then, his mind can’t rest, but he now has family to help him along the way.

Warnings. mentions depersonalization/derealization, PTSD, alcohol, smoking,

Word Count. 1088 words

Reader. fem!reader

A.N. getting back into writing yall- hoorah. Dont be afraid to load up the inbox with MWII. i havent touched the COD games in like...3 years and i wanted to get into this one so bad... i am so happy these boys are getting their love yall- i will  be making some roman numerals for Soap lmao. I kept mixing up NewSoap with OldSoap and i was so mad i had to rewrite it. anyways. enjoy! i will replay the campaign now and cry at the gym now lmao

     i. In terms of a relationship, Simon wants a civilian, while Ghost needs someone with a military background. If you knew Simon before you met “Ghost”, you’d have met as children, aware of his situation with his family but never allowed to be involved. He gets very attached to the few good things life has given him, and he wouldn’t just throw it away because he had his job take most of his time away. If you had met Ghost first? “Ghost” would have in turn met “Fawn,” with the team's support following behind whoever needed her closely, it would take about a few months before names would be exchanged, and a good year before faces are revealed in a more intimate manner.

Simon “Ghost” Riley

     ii. Simon is softer than many would expect, often touching you with the back of his hand in fear of his grip, he prefers for you to lay on top of him with your whole body weight rather than the opposite, and unless others are present, his voice is softer- more tired, vulnerable. But when others are around, like Soap, or Price, he's noticeably softer, but not enough to hurt his pride or self image. Everyone in the situation knows Soap and Price don’t care, and are happy for Simon, but they also accept he’s a rather stubborn man.

     iii. His love language is definitely physical touch, on the highest end, with acts of service as a close second, and quality time as a third. He’s had a… scarcity in positive physical touch growing up, and the military didn’t do anything to help that craving, so he does get a bit choked up when he’s held for long periods of time. You learn not to mention it, let him tear up in peace, shakey sighs leaving him when your nails start to scratch his scalp and play with his hair. 

     Keeping him in mind when out and about leaves him weak in the knees, buying him paint for his face when you see it, patching up balaclavas that he gets attached to rather than replacing them, grabbing him tea when you get your own coffee/hot cocoa/tea. Even just being around him is enough. 

     He’s not a man of many words when he’s in his moments, and sometimes just having you near keeps him sane. You notice how his dry humor evaporates to nothing, he isn’t quippy,3 but follows you from room to room like a shadow. He stares, watching you cook and hum to yourself, curling up on the couch behind you as you iron with the TV on, sitting on the carpet floor with his head on your thigh, reading aloud. Those moments keep him sane, his mind running wild with his heart pounding in his ears, and seeing you… live, so close to him brings him back to Earth.

      iv. He’s often gone for months on end, usually around three months on average, before coming home for a while, to start up again. He gives you a burner, and usually wants you to travel as he’s gone. A secure channel and consistent movement allows for better safety, and more frequent comms. They’re usually short, you hear the others in the back. Laughing, shouting, hollering, crying. It depends on how the mission goes, who's back, who's lost. Ghost always comes back, and Simon seems to lose a bit of himself, faded eyes and a hollow look to him, but he manages to somehow pull himself back. But there are times where he can’t seem to, where he’s lost. He’s grateful you never leave him in these moments, even though he thinks you should, that there's something better out there for you.

     v. He often talks with Soap一 Johnny when he’s home, at the bar on a quiet night, in their homes on the rooftops, a bottle of Scotch between them. Maybe Bourbon. Depends on how Johnny boy feels that night. It’s their usual banter, throwing how they’ve saved each other in their faces, a quick jab at the other in the side, sometimes escalating to a grappling session. 

     Simon wonders if this is what it’s supposed to be when you have a brother, and though Johnny is the older one, he still can't help but baby him in a way. He’s seen how brothers act, on the TV, siblings on the school grounds, and in public. He was envious of them then, those secret chats they have in the early mornings, the silly banter that creates inside jokes no one else could ever understand, the meaningless bickering that only led to a stronger bond. He wanted that.

     So here he is, on the roof of Soaps home, a chill in the autumn air that keeps the men awake. Scotch again for tonight, and Simon hums as his throat burns with another sip from his glass, and he wonders if you’re asleep in the guest bedroom you’re both to share, or maybe you’re having your own quality time with Johnny's wife. He wouldn’t be surprised if he and Johnny found you both asleep in a bed together, TV playing with snacks and your own drinks/smokes of choice by the side of the bed.

     He smiles at the thought, seeing and feeling everyone in the home happy, and yet- he can’t help but feel his heartache as his mind wanders into darkness again. And he ends up begging Johnny, for him and his wife, to take care of you if anything is to happen to him.

          “Don’t say that, brother. You’re not going anywhere.” John tries to smile, to bring the mood back up, and not allow Simon to fall into his own mind again.

          “Just… just promise me, Johnny. That’s all I need to hear right now.” He gulps down the rest of his drink, looking ahead for a second, slowly turning as he waits for a response.

          “I promise. But, you need to promise me one thing as well.”

          “What.”

          “Promise me… promise us you’ll do what you can to stay here. Stay with us. As long as you can.” He can only glance at the Brit, unable to meet Simon's eyes for this moment, not wanting to scare him away with too much emotion. 

          “We all need you here, Simon.” Soap is quick to grab the bottle, refilling the glass, tipping it over to ask if Ghost wants more. He’s met with a glass, and he fills it, the roles reversed as he awaits his response now.

          “I promise.”

[grilledcheesehasfeelings]

Winter in Hawkins has been brutal this year, snow was falling heavy, there was not a single soul who should be out in these conditions, which is why when Steve hears a knock  on his front door he’s confused and also a tad panicked. A number of horrible thoughts plague his head as he rushes to open the door.

Swinging the door open the young man takes a shocked step back, “Erica??” 

“Yeah it’s me dipshit, now can I come in or what? People are going to be pretty upset to find an incredibly wholesome child frozen on the Harrington front steps.”

Gathering his senses after a moment, Steve quickly ushers one of his adopted kids into the house. Taking her jacket and stowing her boots with the other shoes, he also grabs a blanket from the storage bench, and leads Erica to the living room. “You know we have to talk about this Sinclair right? What the hell were you doing out in a storm like this? Do your folks know where you are? Also why the hell are you here?” The questions just kept coming pouring out of a very protective and concerned Steve.

Erica avoids eye contact with him and stares out the floor, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It is a look that makes Steve’s stomach twist. Baby Sinclair was always so confident and sure of herself, there was something clearly bothering her. He finally stops verbally vomiting questions and just waits for her to start talking.

“My parents got stuck in the city due to the weather, and Lucas is bunking with the other dorks who are doing a new campaign that Dustin came up with, they didn’t even invite me to play which is bullshit by the way, I’m the most  strategic player they know. And and I didn’t want to be alone Steve, this was the only place I could think of going to.” She finished her story  going quiet and her eyes started glistening with unshed tears.

“Hey hey it’s okay. Listen Erica first off those little shits suck for not including you and they should know better, secondly I hate being alone too, stresses me the hell out and if you hadn’t shown up tonight I definitely would be hating life right now.” Erica nods slowly, grateful she made the decision to bike here. 

Steve gets a little more information about the situation and decides to make a couple of calls as Erica gets changed into warmer clothes. He’s steeping two mugs of tea while talking to Mrs. Sinclair after he got the number to their hotel room. Steve assures the mom that Erica is safe and very welcome to spend the night. Even fibs saying he picked Erica up so the kid didn’t get an earful when she got home. The next call he makes is to Karen Wheeler’s house. Once he’s on the phone with Mike he makes the kid gather the rest of the party up to the phone, and gives a very intense lecture on including the younger girl, and the responsibility of taking care of our own. Steve takes pleasure in Max yelling at Lucas in the background. He knew there was a reason she was one of his favorites. 

Erica was on the couch now wearing older sweatpants from Steve’s freshman year probably, they were still big on her but a way better option than her half solid jeans she biked in. Also wearing Steve’s swim team sweatshirt. Steve’s eyes crinkled in a smile, it was always nice to be able to spend one on one time with any of the kids, he likes that he gets to see more of their genuine personalities.

Spending time with Erica was easy and funny, she actually reminded Steve a lot of Robin. The way Erica was able to completely dunk on Steve and have it mean she loves him was verrry Robin. They talked about school, her friends, and a long list of embarrassing secrets about Lucas that Steve mentally stores to use next time Erica gets ditched. 

Even though it’s easy to talk to Erica, Steve can see how tired she looks. It’s the same tired he sees in all of them, the same tired he gets after a few nights of nightmare fueled insomnia. Luckily he knows how to help, if it was anyone other than Erica he’d have to think harder, not for her though.

After a long while of talking they decide to put a movie in and just relax while staying as warm as possible. Halfway through The Princess Bride Steve offers her a huge bowl of Rocky Road. “I know it’s stupidly cold out, but if I recall correctly I have a pretty huge ice cream debt that I haven’t able to make a payment on in a long time.” He hands her the bowl and a spoon.

Erica takes the offering, a sad smile creeping on her face. “Y’know ever since Starcourt I thought that was as bad as it was ever going to get for us. Not many 10 year olds get to say they saved their friends, the world, from Russian scientists. And then spring break happened Steve, Max and Eddie almost didn’t make it out, you and Hopper have irreparable brain injuries, and Lucas and I were almost got by racist townies. I’m just so tired, and yet I haven’t been able to really sleep in months. None of us have.” Tears flowing steady now as she lets a heavy weight off her chest.

Steve grabs her small shoulders, “No one should have ever gone what we have all gone through. But here we are still standing, still breathing against every damn odd. All of us nerds, freaks, fallen cool kids, we saved the fucking world. A couple of times actually. But we did it. And honestly Erica I’d go through it another hundred times if it meant I get to have this weird little family. I love you Rick, and I promise one  day we won’t be plagued by shadows, monsters, and alternate dimensions.”

Erica smiled at the nickname solely reserved for Steve. If Erica could pin point the night where sleeping came a tiny bit easier it would surely be this sleepover. In her heart Erica knew that she’d brave any winter storm for her favorite adopted brother.

[nectar-cellar]

Does Mortimer know about Vlad? If so , what does he plan to do about it?

i am delighted to receive your inquiry anon...

allow me to tell you about the alternate universe that exists only in my mind...

bella disappeared (ALIENS?), came back with no memory of her past, and then took a long journey from strangetown to pleasantview to bridgeport where mortimer now lives and works, and where cassandra attends college. on bella's road trip to bridgeport, she drove thru moonlight falls where she met vlad and told him about her odd predicament.

so vlad vaguely knows about her piece of shit husband but bella didn't tell mortimer about vlad. pardon my language 💋

if mortimer knew about vlad, he would feel angry, possessive, and vengeful. he would probably try hard to prevent bella from leaving him, not because he loves her, but for his own ego. he'd be more upset at bella than vlad.

as a general rule, vlad prefers to stay out of human affairs that don't concern him. but if bella really wanted it, vlad could surely find a way to give ole morty a big scare, for funsies.

thank you for the question!

some more thoughts about my version of the goth family below the cut

mortimer is a successful cutthroat entertainment lawyer in the city which is how he made all his $$$. he first met bella when she was an up and coming fashion model from a working class background, while he was already established in his career. even though she didn't know it, bella had a promising career as a model which could have led to further tv appearances and business ventures. he saw her potential star quality and he convinced her to drop out of the spotlight to be a stay at home wife and mother instead, out in the pleasantview suburbs. naive, starstruck, and still unsure of her place in this glamorous new world, bella fell for his charming facade and the picture-perfect life he promised her. as their marriage went on, she started to realize who he truly was, and as a result she grew resentful of him and felt trapped in a gilded cage. although some part of her enjoyed motherhood, another part of her felt like this choice had been made for her by her husband's wishes, and wasn't something she might have chosen for herself if she could have a do-over.

BELLA worked as a model for a short time when she was quite young and she is only really known in niche fashion and social media circles. you can still find grainy photos and videos of her runway work and her magazine campaigns on the internet if you search for them. she is remembered for her great runway walk and her timeless, elegant beauty. her striking appearance and her mystique (what happened to this rising star? why did she disappear from the fashion world and the public eye?) has contributed to her small cult following.

MORTIMER had already been seeing DINA CALIENTE on the side for a while so bella's disappearance wasn't that hard for him to deal with, although it was great for his social image to play the heartbroken husband. his wife hated him and she was getting old anyways, he had to find excitement and romance elsewhere.

CASSANDRA has fond memories of her mother. as a teen, bella often took her out to the city to go shopping, to the spa and the salon, and out to lunch with her fun and fabulous friends while her father was at work. they bonded over fashion, which mortimer never particularly cared about or understood. to cassandra, bella was the cool fun parent, while mortimer was the strict fun-police. even though her parents doted on her and gave her everything she wanted, cassandra always thought something between her parents wasn't quite right. bella's disappearance has left a hole in cassandra's heart that feels like it will never heal.

and during all this, alexander is too young to really know what's going on, nor does he have as close a bond with bella as cassandra does.

so yeah <3 goth family drama!

[mariacallous]

Maybe it’s the sourpuss attitude. Maybe it’s the sincerity with which he campaigns for the countryside, rather than just shouting “cows” joyfully when confronted by them. Maybe it’s a general diminishment of interest in British royalty. Maybe it’s the gold state coach and cloak at a time when millions of UK adults are unable to afford essential hygiene products.

But today, as King Charles III is crowned in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, the response of the internet’s meme-makers will feel muted in comparison to the one enjoyed by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who was a meme queen we all stanned.

On the face of it, King Charles should be an ideal candidate for memedom. He has unnervingly red, rotund, sausage fingers. He has a cartoonish visage, lampooned for years by cartoonists and eBay sellers, with jug-handle ears and a hangdog, sullen expression. He has an unnerving, innocent, naive approach to life that leads him to say outlandish things, which often come back to bite him. He once, reportedly, shrieked when he first saw plastic wrap.

Charles’ 1989 declaration that he was so infatuated with Camilla, who will become queen this Saturday, that he wanted to be reincarnated as a tampon so he could forever live inside her, has big dril energy.

Yet none of that has cut through to make Charles a perennial internet fave. Even attempts at internet traffic-catching roundups of the best King Charles memes are … underwhelming, and often not really about the man himself.

“He's not publicly weird enough to be endearing, but he’s also not like a patriarch because he's too weird to give off being normal,” says Hussein Kesvani, a journalist and podcaster specializing in digital culture. “When it comes to being popular online, especially cross-audiences, you need to have a malleable weirdness that makes you endearing as a subject or a feature.”

Perhaps the tally of “good-weird” when it comes to evaluating Charles’s suitability for memedom is outweighed by the tally of “bad-weird.” He has always been portrayed as problematic compared to his ex-wife, Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash. He has been willing to intervene in politics in a way that unelected members of the royal family have tried to avoid. He has an unfortunate habit of accepting cash donations in suitcases and grocery bags from Middle Eastern sheikhs.

And perhaps he’s suffering from the problem likely to blight his reign: He spent much of his life playing second fiddle to Queen Elizabeth, living in her shadow and being unable to develop much of a kingly standing of his own in the public’s eyes. “The queen was around for a very long time,” says Jeremy Blackburn, an assistant professor in computer science at Binghamton University and cofounder of the iDRAMA Lab, which looks at memes on the web. “So there was a long history that people had to draw from there.”

While Queen Elizabeth II was seen as a grandmother figure to the world, an innocent, sweet old lady, like Angela Lansbury but with palaces, Charles has long been seen—likely incorrectly—as waiting for his mother to give him his time to shine.

To be memeable, royals have to be likable, which is where the previous queen excelled—mostly. “Usually, they have to do something [to become a meme],” says Blackburn. “What is Charles known for? He’s known for the Diana thing. That’s not a positive meme. Then he was in the background for a lot of time. His kids are around now and seem to be more likable and interesting than him. The guy is not an interesting fellow. And the country’s not in good shape.”

The public knew the queen—at least the concept of her. She was canny enough not to give much away about her views in public, allowing the world to project onto her whatever they wanted, sometimes literally, which made her ripe for internet ribbing. Part of her success was that she was an older woman who sometimes was quirky.

The problem is that the public knows Charles—or at least think they do—based on his years of waiting in the wings. While the queen came fully formed as monarch at age 25, Charles is trying to adopt the role of king after decades spent as a comparatively outspoken campaigner. We know what he likes and definitely know what he doesn’t, which makes it harder for people to accept him as a blank canvas. “I don’t think the new guy is very endearing,” says Blackburn. “What are you going to say about him? His mom was queen for basically as long as everybody was alive, and now he’s prancing around like he [has been king for just as long].”

Gender also likely plays a role. That he’s a man hinders people’s ability to think of him positively in the same way they did the queen, says Alex Turvy, a meme researcher at Tulane University in New Orleans. “He's a reminder of the literal patriarchy,” he says. “Seeing that face, for some reason, sort of reminds you of the ugliness of colonialism, and the state hoarding all of this wealth.”

[chaoticjingyi]

Just finished twelve moons and a fortnight. It took almost a week and a lot of emotions. Beware of spoilers!! This is essentially a live blogging of it

I AM BACK ! and more prepared to read this than ever. I think I went long enough that I only remember 3 or 4 major bits from this (meishan yu, the amalgamation of all the dead from lotus pier before the sunshot campaign began and wei ying seeing them as acting sect leader, lxc healing a-Qing [which still hurts my soul,,,,its taking from. His life force :((] and if im not wrong, copious letters)

The rest though may be the same as if I was to Iread it for the first time and im looking forward to it.

I have my notes app on the side while I read this bc I am a serial binge reader and need sth to hold onto my thoughts before j forget them, it has happened way too many times ans I end an incoherent mess at every fix when this happens. BUT!! I want to really show how much I love this and I like being detailed. So if this end up crossing the character limit i am not sorry.

Buckle up for the torrent of enthusiasm bc

Here we go !

"crash of someone falling headlong into his room and stumbling over Suibian; he left his sword on the floor with the all the rest of his belongings, which proceed to trip up his mysterious guest three more times before he finally falls against Wei Wuxian’s bed" the mental image here is so funny twin jade of lan sect, stoic man tripping over a sword qjfjskfks aahh but wangxian are so adorable

"he and Wei Wuxian once spent a whole day trying to see which of them could best imitate the contemptuous flapping of Madam Yu’s skirts while Jiang Yanli laughed at them from her desk, only to be scolded and sent to bed early by Jiang Fengmian for skipping their meditation hour. " am I going to end up crying during work hours? Lets hope not, though I won't be surprised if so. Memories of the siblings Yunmeng days always make me emo

"Who’s going to teach him about romance if not Zizhen?”

“I always thought it would be Jin Guangyao.” 

>emotional damage meme starts playing in the background of my head<

" I could have perished at your hands, or Wen Ning’s at your command, and still kissed your fingers on Chenqing as I died. " thats a raw fucking line op holy fuck

DASHIXONG 😭😭😭

Jiang cheng gave him Yanli's clarity bell i -🥺 and ofc he is allergic to emotional convos and tells him to shut up ajfjjwgj

"But—Zhenhong, that was Uncle Jiang’s throne, and Madam Yu’s, and—”

Zhenhong blinks—half out of astonishment and half in what looks like understanding, though Wei Wuxian can’t imagine what there is to understand"

*inhale * FUCK Its a trying effort here to keep my eyes dry I keep tearing up every 5 minutes

"do you think Jiang-zongzhu and Yu-furen could have stood it?”

“I—”

“And it was not the idea of a supervisory office that made her attack that Wang woman, either.”

“Wh-What?”

“You were hers , da-shixiong. ”

This entire conversation has made me scream inside my head and brought a raging melancholy I stopped breathing for a second.

"What will a mother not say out of worry, when she fears for the lives of her children?” barks the deputy. “Mine has said worse, I assure you! She could have kept you with her to fight, she knew your brother would meet Jiang-zongzhu and Jiang-guniang within hours of his departure—there was no need for you to go with him! She sent you away for your sake just as much as for Sect Leader’s, and I wonder how with your wit you took so long to realize it!”

Me:

The art at the end of  chapter 3 is adorable!!!

"Everything was peaceful and sedate and perfect, and then Lan Jingyi grew old enough to venture out of his parents’ quarters by himself. 

The Cloud Recesses never recovered. "

Every day I am reminded of my love for lan jingyi <3 (hence the username :3)

Reading Ouyang Zizhen's letter and he is so sweet. I love he

"I think Xian-gege knows,” Sizhui says at last. “He was thinking about it before Hanguang-jun and Zewu-jun took him to the discussion conference, I could tell. But when I found him at the Guanyin temple, he looked like—like everything made sense. Like he understood something he didn’t before.”

He knows but I don't know if the boys are ready for this knowledge,,,

JIN LING!!!! I am delighted at the junior quartets friendship. Also remembered both the clothes and what happens when a-qung wakes up and im looking forward to it.

"His stomach growls, and he claps his hands over it in embarrassment before Hanguang-jun produces a second bowl and sets them both down on the table along with two pairs of chopsticks. “You too, Jingyi. Eat.” 1. I KNOW its because of wei yings letter. 2. Dad wangji!!!! My heart is warm, my crops are watered and my skin is clear

"for upon receiving your last letter I thought of how ill he was when I found him hidden in the Demon-Slaughtering Cave, and how long it took him to reach a normal height for his age—his growth was stunted for years after that, and nearly prevented his forming a golden core. Rest assured that I will make sure he is fed and well-rested, Wei Ying, for your sake and mine as well as his—he will eat at least once a day with me in the jingshi from now on, unless he grows so tired of it that even his filial tenderness can no longer bear my company. "

This>🥺< is literally my face right now. I may look incredibly ugly but I 🥺😭😭 AHH *Clutches hand at chest* my heart

" I was so happy that it felt as if my heart would break"

I am going to save this for days where I don't have the words. I have felt it before but never had such clear words for it and hhhhh your writing is incredible

"But for now all I can do is pray that Lotus Pier does not go the same way as everything else I have ever tried to protect" actually I think you just like making us sad

The way you capture every characters voice and essence through the letters (in general too but thus isn't abt that) is so good and I am filled with awe and an urge to re read everything though I only have the first volume at home

"kind as well as beautiful, so if someday you wish to marry—you might as well begin here as somewhere else, right? You’ll find someone to match you, sweetheart, someone as brave and good and wise as you are" I am going to go INSANE, xie lian grant me patience for this foolish man. And well. Lwj WILL indeed marry someone from Yunmeng. It IS you wei ying you fool

"“If his first set of standards was because he thought shijie was the best girl in the world, and he wanted a wife like her,” he says at last, “then—Zhenhong, doesn’t it make sense that this set of standards describes someone he already knows? And it’s not Yu-furen, because Yu-furen never—” Wait WAIT IS IT WEN QING

"She sits there for nearly an hour gazing at him in confusion and a little pity, because he wears the same lost look on his face as Daozhang did, right down to the melancholy turn of his mouth and the swollen eyelids that tell of recent tears (because her Daozhang used to cry, and cry often, even though he no longer had eyes to cry with). " EMOTIONAL DAMAGE part 2, electric boogaloo

Lan xichen makes my heart hurt in 7 different ways, 🌊🐴man

(I can now add pics bc tumblr :D )

"Jin Ling worries his lip for a moment and then runs to join them, propriety be hanged. They’ve only got two weeks, and it’s not as if anyone here is going to tell tales to his Uncle Jiang. He flings his arms around Jingyi, and then Sizhui, and then around all three of them before one of the older Jin disciples clears her throat. " they own my heart, im telling u

Drunk jiang cheng made me sad again :( he does deserve to be happy !!! 😭😭😭

Oh boys,,,,, if it is who I think it is u can't help Jiang cheng. The person may be dead already

“He’ll have to visit me every month,” he mutters at last. “You—you have to share him, okay? He’s mine too.”

“Of course he’s yours too,” Sizhui soothes him, sounding suspiciously near tears himself. “You’re his nephew, he’s never going to leave you. Don’t cry, A-Ling. Don’t cry.”

Each word brings me closer to crying aaaaaaahhhh

Lan wangji's letters to wei ying are going to make me swoon oh my goodness. They're in LOVE ND THEY ARE SOULMATES

Wait wei ying is chronically ill and didn't tell anyone? And he ???? Has been since he was summoned????????? and he didn't ask for help??? What is Going On

...And a little bun has been adopted, my heart really cannot take this

"So she smothered,” says Wei Wuxian, stricken. Jin Guangyao, Jin Guangyao—why does it always come back to you in the end? Is there anyone you did not hurt? Nie Mingjue, my shijie, Jin Zixuan, Jin Ling, Lan Xichen, Lan Zhan—even this poor woman, A-Xin, who died and left her son motherless just as your mother left you." hhhhhhhhh

I love that they'll build a women's shelter, and the soul calming ceremonies written a little while back

"Miles away, in the Cloud Recesses, the third disciple class (including a certain young romantic from Ouyang, who is still a year behind his three best friends in the second group) gets a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of Hanguang-jun blushing over his morning letters and kissing the pages they were written on until his lips go numb.

(Lan Qiren doesn’t break his jade token. He doesn’t. ) " ah wht a blessed sight, i wish I was there

Junior break!!!! !They're adorable. No I will not stop saying that. Them having a picnic and letter meeting at the rabbit field os the cutest thing aaa♡♡♡♡♡♡

"As it happens, however, his lunch isn’t the only thing waiting in his rooms. 

A second plate has been laid out across from his, and two cups of tea are already steaming beside the incense burner—and someone is sitting in Lan Wangji’s place at the table, dressed in mourning white without a single ornament in his hair or even a sword at his waist. The man almost looks like a ghost of Lan Wangji’s younger self, in the days after Wei Ying’s death at the Nightless City and his own forced confinement away from the rest of the clan—but then he turns his face towards the door, and Lan Wangji nearly bites his tongue at the realization that it isn’t a ghost at all.

“Xiongzhang,” he chokes, nearly weeping in relief as his brother’s thin hands rise to clasp his own. “It’s good to see you.”

Screaming and nearly crying again </3

"at last my brother lost his patience and silenced him so forcefully that even the two disciples standing near him found themselves unable to talk for the next twenty minutes. Jingyi was in the room at the time, and he has still not recovered from the shock; Sizhui, on the other hand, is steadfastly refusing to believe that it ever happened at all. "Holy shit I love this. Lxc hath become a parent

I really like Healer Pan

Wei yings more serious letters always leave me feeling stricken with sorrow and yet I keep on hoping hr will realize. He does have a home. With lwj as well as lotus pier

Chapter 11 and holy shit you were not kidding Hanguang-jun is SMOOTH!!!!!

"Don’t let him shirk his duties, or I’ll tell Li Shuai about the time you tried to propose to her with Farmer Tang’s ghoul when we were eighteen.

    In distress, as usual, 

        Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin. "

I cannot stop laughing ajfjskfjsjgj

"That settles it, my Lan Zhan. I’ll make you all the soup and seed-cake you want, but stop asking for the porridge.”

“Mn, all right.” 

His face is pink again, and this time he’s not sure it’s only because of the congee. " they are SO domestic and this is too cute

“You gave up your life for our son,” Lan Wangji tells him, pressing his chin to the top of Wei Ying’s head. “I could do no less.”

Oh my god. .. oh my god

Story time with wen ning! :D

And the aforementioned trunk of clothes appears!

LMAO HOLY SHIT I FRGIT ABT THE RULE WALL  ! lxc is wonderful

"The elders used that one on my younger brother sixteen years ago,” Lan Xichen says grimly. “He was judged for injuring thirty-three clan members after Wei Wuxian was killed, and this was the punishment. But they knew I would speak out against such a harsh sentence, even if it meant I had to take Wangji and A-Yuan and secede from the clan—so they drugged me the night before the trial to ensure that I would sleep straight through it, and then they decided Wangji’s fate in my absence and held me down on the floor in the hanshi with all their spiritual power so that I could not interfere until the beating was over.” my reaction is the same as the kids,,, DAMN

Also no wonder they danced around that fire they were getting rid of some stuff

“I’ve also defaced the wall of sect rules,” Lan Xichen says cheerfully. “And now there are only about two thousand laws left, so perhaps you and the council would like to spend a few hours contemplating the alterations in the morning.” this may  be one of my favorite chapters i can't stop re reading it and am v much invested here

"It occurs to him then that despite the presence of the disciples—all of whom, if he remembers correctly, are still younger than eighteen—the most helpless cultivator among them might as well be himself." HHH HOLY SHIT

"don’t you dare write me directly unless it’s an emergency, you hear? I might have a dying brother on my hands, to say nothing of a twice-orphaned baby, because if Wei Wuxian decides to leave us all because of a night-hunt I doubt Hanguang-jun will wait even a day before following him. Damn them both, to hell and back—I’ll drag them both back to life and murder them again if they even think about it, but I suppose the healers and I ought to try saving them first. " Iam going to go feral actually. I'll go outside and scream towards a lake,  theres one like a bus ride away, I will go insane. I am having si many emotions i can't name em

I may not have much to say at the hunt this time bc im very drawn in and it must me speechless. But the feeling translated and carried over si well. The pacing incredible

"He pauses, wondering what else might be left to ask, and then—

Was it Yu Ziyuan?

The beast responds to that question by reaching forward and striking him across the face. It doesn’t seem angry, exactly, but the unspoken reply was very clearly a negative one; the cloud of resentful energy looks offended on Madam Yu’s behalf" it has been months, but this scene and what followed throughout the chapter have  remained clear in my head ever since the first time reading this. Legitimately unforgettable

"The ghosts come to a halt, then, standing right in front of Lan Wangji’s ward with pensive looks on their faces. Some have clear death-wounds in their chests, and one of the boys wears a gown covered with dull black blood from the cruel gash in his throat—but all of them are looking straight at Li Shuai, and their lips shape her name with open wistfulness; some of the older ones call her A-Shuai, and the children call her Li-shijie, and then they nod once in Lan Wangji’s direction before stepping closer to the ward and disappearing into it. 

He feels their spiritual energy pouring into the seals before he sees it in the ward, reeling back at the sudden shock of ninety-one ghostly golden cores taking up arms beside his—ready to defend their sect in death as they could not do in life, and then he finally understands why the land-eater went unnoticed for so long. The ghosts must have been suppressing it until its power surpassed theirs, and then they sought out Wang Hai for help when they could do nothing more—but for them to have taken shape like this, in something resembling their living selves even though their bodies must long since have rotted away—it should have been beyond them to do such a thing, unless…"

I am both in awe and full of wonder and feel as though I'm there. Words do not begin to describe the intense experience it is to read this

Now to the note on ch 18": If you're reading this as a completed work, stop here and take a break if you need one! The night-hunt arc is officially complete, and the recovery arc picks up in chapter 19. :)" ill take your advice this once bc I have to sleep at a reasonable hour

Started chapter 19 and I am shaking. Oh dear

"He took wei ying from him" NOOOO MY HEART 

"“Oh, he’ll like it well enough,” the other man grumbles, shoving the finished dinner tray towards him and then pushing him out the door. “Make sure you eat some of it, too, or I’ll have two sick people on my hands instead of one.” as always showing care with food <3

Lan Xichen’s letter to mingjue is utterly heartbreaking, and so is the whipping, no matter how many times I've read it

LXC joins the shipping !!!!

'"Wei Wuxian finds his gaze fixed on his brother’s left hand, and on the faint sparks rising from the serpent-shaped ring glinting there. 

“Di-di,” he gasps, trying to fight against the fire in his knees as Jiang Cheng pushes Lan Zhan away and attempts to lift him up. “Don’t whip me anymore, I didn’t mean to—I won’t make trouble for our family again, not as long as I live, please— ”

An utterly stricken look crosses Jiang Cheng’s face, and he stuffs his hand into the pocket of his robes"

FUCK!!! AAHHHHH!!!!! MY HEART!!

Nie huaisang having a tiger is one of the best things in my life now. Good for him good for him

"Wouldn’t you have learned about it anyway, Nie-xiong? Wei Wuxian thinks wryly, as they walk over the high stone gate that separates the training field from the living quarters. You managed to find out the truth about Jin Guangyao and Qin Su, when the only person alive who knew aside from Lianfang-zun was Qin-furen’s maid Bicao. Is there a secret under the sun that you couldn’t bring to the light if you waited for it long enough?"

Okay tbh you'd find me hard pressed to say a mdzs character im not fond of, and ofc the Nies are also some of my favorites. And thi makes me think so much. Because after all is said nd done, after nhs exposed jgy and his schemes and wit came to light, we do know he is clever but he is then also under constant suspicion and scrutiny. And yes he may scheme but didn't he only do tht to avenge his brother? I do believe he is done with it. And yet I also believe he is also very up to date with news and gossip and going-ons. It brings me to mind, how much does he know, and how much of that weighs on him? He doesn't have much family left, most of his friends from his youth have grown apart or may have died at the war. Anyways im very emotional about nie huaisang

''realizes exactly why Nie Huaisang called out in fear on that night in the Guanyin temple, and why he had refused to let Jin Guangyao leave the place alive. 

The very last mystery, a voice in the back of his mind seems to say, solved by the simple fact that Nie Huaisang’s loyalty ran deeper than any of us ever knew. "

Many scenes here just make me go "Holy fucking shit man"

"the knowledge that Jin Guangyao’s death was an act of love as well as an act of hate,"

"As for the kisses you owe to me, my heart, you must tell our little son that he is lucky to be receiving them in my place. Such tender gifts are rarer than gold and dearer than the stars, and I will count myself blessed if you deign to give me another. "💘💘💙💙💙💙

"I was used to kissing you whenever the mood struck me while we were still together in Yunmeng, after all, and breaking the habit has been most difficult. I even kissed A-Hong once without thinking about it, and this morning I almost kissed the top of Nie-xiong’s head after breakfast. He took it as a slight to his small stature, though, so he chased me all the way back to my rooms and told me he would feed me to A-Yong if I dared to do it again. " screaming again. They're so married already. And nhs forehead kiss abjdsr that's adorably funny

"Shufu always suspected them, Lan Wangji repeats to himself. The next several years—

“Xiongzhang,” he ventures at last. “The trial they tampered with, was it—”

WAS IT HIS MOM'S???????

[lxc, on the podium: and in conclusion, i will make a-qing a wonderful father and will protect her all my life

lwj, supportive but confused: i agree, brother, but where are the elders?

lxc: in a better place now. sit down immediately]

Some of ur notes are really making me laugh a lot akxksfkskf

Nie Shiyong!!!!! I totally forgot abt her!!! One line and I already lover her

"Nie Huaisang closes his eyes and puts his head in his hands. 

“When he brought you back, he brought you back wrong. ”

I, too, am putting my head on my hands. Jesus

“to know the beast is to know the girl, and to know the girl is to know the beast. As a maiden, she is bloodthirstier than most men, and as a tigress, she is gentler than even a house cat." Tbh that's a mood

Ah yes, the qinghe robes

“I was promised a hundred, in your letter,” he whispers, lifting his beloved’s arm again and kissing the heart of his palm. “Will you deny me, my heart?”  this was so sweet !!!!!!

The family having a meal together 😭😭😭💙💙💙 and the yearning keeps strong ah Lan zhan hang in there

"Xiao-Yu refuses to take the bee back as they walk to the the city gates to summon their carriage, content merely to watch Sizhui pretend to play with it until the black-painted conveyance comes rolling up the road—which is when the baby falls fast asleep, right before A-Yuan tucks the doll safely under his arm and sits on the bench opposite him to stare in utter adoration" my heart is full and soft. This is absolutely precious

:And Lan Wangji obeys and lowers his head, nearly sobbing aloud as Wei Ying fastens the necklace just below the fall of his hair—because it feels like a moment of marriage, somehow, as if this oath to return to his heart was the first of their bows before heaven." I should really stop (mentally) screaming everytime something gay or cute or emotional happens, I already get daily headaches. But alas I carry much emotion with me

Yes it was extremely gay and extremely tender and I love them. Jiang cheng pls stop being an angry grape and jealous brother wwx won't abandon you after getting married

Holy shit was madam yu betrothed to zhao zhuliu?

OH SHIT

Oh S H I T this is heartbreaking

Damn the amount of harrowing family secrets for each clan ,,,, p a i n

"But the Unclean Realm was only once a second home, because it ceased to be so, after Mingjue was dead. Lan Xichen has not held the place of the sect master's sworn brother for many years, firstly because his sworn brother was gone, and then because he failed him and Huaisang so completely that he did not notice Mingjue’s murder taking place right before his eyes. 

I promised you I would take care of Xiao-Sang, "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH😭😭😭😭

"My heart was broken the day the council refused to use Inquiry as testament for your mother’s trial, and there was nothing I could do "

IT WAS THE TAMPERED TRIAL WASNT IT???? Also, hhhhhhhhhhhhh big oof for lqr. My heart goes out to him too

"To this day, Wangji insists that there is no need for thanks or contrition between sweethearts. 

But in Lan Xichen’s opinion, the old saying holds even truer for brothers, and it always will." This while part,,, i keep saying it but its because it's true. The way emotion is captured through the words is breathtaking and leaves me bereft of words and full of feeling

"Was that at the discussion conference when you woke up with a giant boil on your forehead and screamed so loudly that you woke me up?” Jiang Cheng snorts, swallowing his mouthful of pastry. “Let that morning be forever enshrined in the memory of my disciples, who jumped out of bed and got into emergency formation for a hunt before they figured out what all the wailing was.”

“You’re heartless, Jiang-xiong.”

“But not pimply, though.”

This is amazing ajckskkckskfkej discussing skin care has never been more entertaining

"“Don’t be mean!” Lan Xichen cries, pulling him into his arms. Wei Wuxian feels his mouth drop open, completely forgetting to struggle even when the older man tucks him close to his chest like a mother holding a child that matched her in height, and then he looks toward Jiang Cheng in sheer confusion when Lan Xichen points an accusing finger at him. “Wangji’s head is empty of everything but Wei-gongzi, too. You mustn’t say such things!”

“I know that, Zewu-jun.”

“We all knew that,”

This is delightful and I cannot stop laughing

The lightheartedness of this just,  it makes me very happy. Them re doing the list too !!! Amazing,  *insert lady gaga meme here*

Ofc , all in agreement Lan Xichen is incredibly beautiful. No arguments to be made

Ans lmao the rankings andjmakdka

"ensuring that the walking talismans are fully replenished (so that it can follow Wei Wuxian on its own, rather than either of them having to carry it) and that it is stuffed with plenty of soft pillows and blankets, not to mention their son’s beloved bee. " I keep trying to picture this but I cant. Does it Just float around him? Slide through the floor? I have no clue and will remain figuring this out

HHHH the WEDDING ROBES!!! lovely mental image,  we have been blessed on this fine day

"Lan Wangji found himself wondering where she procured it before noting that the dress was made in the light, layered style of Yunmeng and Baling Ouyang.

Ouyang Zizhen, then, he thinks, hiding a smile at the thought of it. Perhaps he even chose this one for her to wear tonight."

Once again: they're the cutest

HOLY SHIT WHAT A START TO THE BANQUET

"At least—at least it wasn’t the fire.”

Be right back, im gonna go stare at a wall until I get myself together

Also Jin guangshan,,, he can meet me in the fucking pit

"Lan Zhan!” he hears Wei Ying shriek, just as he takes a sip to ensure that the drink will suit his zhiji’s tastes. “That’s honey mead from Baling, not fruit tea! Spit it out, now, or you’ll–”

And then the world goes dark around him, like the feeling of falling into a pleasant dream, right before he wakes up in Wei Ying’s bed the next morning with no memory of how he got there. " im so ready for shenanigans

OH I WAS JOT WRONG! I was thinking about it, and wwxs pains,  and nearing the end of this chapter I was like,  wait isn't he regaining his scars also? And isn't it the wen brand this time? And it’s was and I was essential surprised pikachu

... but WHY are they appearing? If it due to the ritual? To zidian? A mixture of both or sth else,???

(Both regarding wwx being ill and the corpses in the water) The mystery solving here Is so interesting and *chefs kiss* amazing. I love me a good case solving

Im so confused about the dagger

[Post data- I finished the fic and am no longer confused]

"In which Wei Wuxian finally discovers the truth behind his illness, and the reader learns that stiltonbasket has been lying about the title all along." WHAT

"I heard Shijie calling me,” he whispers, swinging Xiao-Yu up into his arms. “She’s outside all by herself, so we have to go and get her.” oh no just what is happening???

Xiao yu had been saying his a-niang had the knife, and they just said the lining of the robr may have been removed with it. Was Wei ying possessed? And why was he drawn away???

HE *WAS* POSSESSED

I wonder of the ghost was mo xuanyu. "“I think it jumped with me,” he says slowly. “The ghost, I mean. It kept saying it was sorry, and that it wouldn’t have doomed me to death if it knew any better.” you know? Thats my current theory

"but if death occurred, it always came exactly twelve moons and a fortnight after the patient was first healed, though I was never able to determine the reason why before I stopped performing the procedure, even for those whose cores I was certain would be sufficient. "

WHAT?  W H A T?

"And then the book falls open to the very last page, displaying a half-finished, familiar array with a tiny caption written underneath it in red ink. 

Yanghua advised me to make a replicable array for the core sacrifice, in case it should be needed again. Despite her urging, however, I only consented to create one for healing with the sacrifice of one’s own golden core, instead of the core of a willing participant. 

Wei Wuxian picks the book up and closes it. 

I didn’t have a choice, a mournful voice echoes in the back of his mind. I was dying, Young Master Wei. "

HO L Y SHIT MO XUANYU HAD IT

I know he wrote a will, but there are 10 chapters left so this mf better not die

This is so intense I can barely pause to write. Holy shit. Empathy

"The array he constructed was half of Wei Ying’s and partly his own invention, and the rest was taken from his memory of the physician’s journal he read in Qinghe" /oh/

"but Mo Xuanyu was certain that his jindan would be more than sufficient to heal him; as long as the core was not wholly used up," then tge passage makes more sense now. If the core is weaker, they will die after twelve moons and a fortnight. His core wouldn't be enough, especially considering that even though Wei ying nonlinear had one, before that he was a genius and remarkably powerful

A mistake. There was an accident which may have been the cause of it all. Oh my goodness

"Not a mistake, Mo Xuanyu tries to say. It was written in the belief that two golden cores would be enough to heal you, and your jindan was not there!"

I am losing my goddamn mind

“Wei Wuxian doesn’t need your core, Lan Wangji,” Jiang Wanyin rasps. “He needs his jindan. He needs mine.”

I mean,  I was thinking the same but im still very anxious about it...

 

“Please,” he sobs, knocking his head against the ground until Lan Wangji can hear the sound of it striking the floor. “I have lived in anguish without a jindan, and I have lived for sixteen years without my brother. I know which between the two is worse, and death would be better than knowing that he suffered and died in such a way, because of me. Please, Lang-furen—I know it will be breaking your healing vows, but this is the only way forth, I pray you—”

Yeah alright now im legit crying,,thank goodness I cried yesterday too or id be sobbing rn

"Brothers, sharing a single core, Lan Wangji thinks dizzily, slumping to the floor. One flesh and two masters of a single jindan, which loves and obeys them both. "

Im speechless once more.

It was a success. I'm so glad. This was a Rollercoaster of emotions

"Rather, he needs what you and Wei-xiong have: a faithful, steady deputy who can handle matters in his stead if necessary, and stand beside him in all things no matter what he must face. Luo Qingyang was once that for Jin Zixuan" MIANMIAN!!!!!!!

Nothing warms my heart more than seeing Jiang cheng and wei wuxian be brothers and being happy

"he is as well and grumpy as ever, which delights Wei Wuxian so much that he pushes him into the lake as a welcome-back present. 

Jiang Cheng yanks Wei Wuxian in after him, and it reminds Wei Wuxian so much of the happy winters of his youth that he bursts into tears" now im emotional again, this is making me wanna see my sister 🥺😭💙

FINALLY !!! BETROTHED!!!!! WWX REALIZED HES IN LOVE!!!

"Lan Zhan would probably rather kiss Jiang Cheng than blame Wei Wuxian for any of his troubles."LMAO

"squeezing poor Xiao-Yu like a laundress wringing out a tablecloth." Poor xiao yu skfwkgkskkgkw

"Not yet,” the baby protests, when Wei Wuxian makes note of his observations to Jiang Cheng. “Xiao-Yu is little! Only Papa can say my big name.” PRECIOUS !!! Did u kidnap my donkey andjsj lmao

The junior's shenanigans will never stop being funny. Lan Qing being exasperated and fond of her boys is super relatable too and brought a smile to my face

I am jittery with excitement as Lan zhan goes to wei ying

[Brief trivia note: the Ouyang cultivator who brought Xiao-Yu gifts is his paternal grandfather; Xiao-Yu's birth father is the young master from Baling who challenged LWJ's choice to adopt Xiao-Yu during the discussion conference.] holy FUCK HOW THE TURN TABLES?!!!! AH?!!!! DUDEE

Wen ning 🥺😭😭😭😭pls come back 😭😭

WA IT WHAT???? "Wen Ning drags in a deep, loud breath, crying Jie, Jie, Jie, and takes another staggering step into his sister’s arms. " im going to have to re read the second half of this chapter aren't i

Did Lan xiyan summon wen qing to her body to cure the plague and her baby? Or is it something else? “It was, I think, only out of desperation that Lang Xiyan managed to find a remedy that would cure the blinding distemper.” my mind is running in circles

THE SERVING GIRL?

/oh/ it *is* wen qing. Im-

You really did that holy shit.  I deeply appreciate tge explanation on the author notes and am happy to see i did understand and realize. I'm gonna have to re re read this a third time to see the foreshadowing again bc its immaculate holy shit.  This is so good

"Upon further reflection, perhaps he ought to think about why A-Hong’s words cheer him as they do. 

But Jiang Cheng is nothing if not a master of dismissing such matters entirely, so he finishes the rest of his dinner in silence and hurries off to bed. " must all Jiang men be fools when it comes to love?

“Whatever you may wish from me, it is yours already,” Lan Zhan says solemnly. “Our marriage bows have nothing to do with it. Have we not lived as zhangfu and xiang-gong these last thirteen months, my heart?" Im going to get cavities.

The wen siblings arrived to gusu!!!!!! 💙💙💙

"Wei Wuxian slumps back onto the floor like a miserable red pancake as he stares up at the rafters. " I too am crying over wen qing.  Also 'miserable red pancake 'ajfjskfkskkf

"Wei Wuxian obeys with his heart in his throat, and blushes so fiercely at the thought of the day to come that Wen Qing giggles herself into a coughing fit. " 🥺🤣🤣🤣

lmao MIANMIAN! Telljng the "are you in love with maiden Luo? " story ajfjamfkskgkskgi prime material always to poke fun at wangxian

THEYRE MARRIED YOUR HONOR 😭🥺🥺💙💙💙💙🥺🥺🥺🥺💙💙💙💙💙💙

"Mm, I know. It’s the same with A-Hua, even though I didn’t give birth to her. She’s mine, the best of me, and she’s going to have everything she could ever want.”

MY HEART!

[a look into the future at Ouyang Zizhen and A-Qing's wedding day! Much baby fluff, feels, and hijinks to follow. <^-^>] !!!!!! IM EXCITED FOR THIS!!

"for the Cloud Recesses loves its troublemakers dearly, and nobody weeps more bitterly than its master when one is finally married away from the sect. " you keep coming out with Bangers for lines these are so good

Aaahhhh my heart!!!!! A single tear of joy dropped from my face as I finished reading sjskciaufis. This was so good !!!!!!! I mm going to go on and read everything in this series of course.  I hope I wasn't too bothersome with my long ass coment, quotes and all

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

@stiltonbasket

[sangre]

OOP IM SAUR SORRY tags did not load for me with my prev ask - 47, 51, 59 for satine, the loveliest rose satine 🥺🌹🎭

sixty-nine more questions for your ttrpg characters! / ask.

weuben!!!!!! (picks you up and spins you) TY TY!!!

47. what could they talk about for hours on end?

presentation! the presentation of something, especially wrt creative projects. the way an artist painted something, the way a musician composed something, the way a stage director asked for things to be done, like... because of his theater background both in the last life and in this one, he is really obsessed with the deliberate composition of things. not necessarily the way something looks per se, but just like. the way someone decided to put something together and show someone else, it's like casting your soul into light.

so like, especially with artists, satine can listen to (and talk about) why he chose to do something for a long time. reasoning, justification, meaning, you know? but this applies to things that aren't art-related too... like, talking about gender! he could probably talk about the fun about gender and what it means to him and how he presents, too. theater!!!! the self! presentation. what we present to the world and what it means to show something that we want to be seen (or better yet, recognized).

51. what element of their backstory are you proudest of?

AHH maybe the doppelganger element... it's been a couple years now that i've wanted to play the second version of someone, whether someone who died or someone who was artificially made (to be in the shape of someone). in 2015 i wrote smth with a friend that was like "guy comes back from the dead and feels like something other than himself, wants so badly to be seen as himself still, knows and is continuously traumatized by the fact that he both is and isn't"

and that's a narrative i've been exploring in characters for a while now, from a ton of different angles. but i don't think i've had a character who actively is the second-following incarnation of someone yet, so i'm excited to have finally followed through on the desire to play someone like that! especially since satine doesn't really have a complex of "please see me as the self i was" and is rather earnestly like, "i am in some ways that person, truly, but please see me as someone with my own life to live" and stuff.

it's a lot of like, navigating the urge to let go of people pleasing in/of making sure she doesn't drive herself crazy trying to perfectly be what everybody wants from her - letting go of trying to be a self that people knew, too, so it's an arc i really love and find personal for many reasons and i'm proud of its execution so far!!! so happy to be playing it in out a longform campaign.

59. what’s an element of their philosophy that you disagree with?

ohhh! well let's see. satine is .. really forgiving. and i don't think i would agree with some of the things she can forgive with enough context. this is super thought-provoking because satine has a gentler perspective of the world than i do, he's more like... lenient about rolling with the punches. i'm more indignant

i guess the obvious answer is "satine can forgive pretty lightly depending on the person, he could even forgive murder if it was explained well enough emotionally" and you look at me and the characters i like and we both laugh but you know, in real life, in practice. G:LSJDKGLSDKSDG:L maybe it's just that satine doesn't hold grudges when people hurt him but i do.

satine also probably doesn't see the point of revenge for any reason and holds no pettiness. there is like negative twelve pettiness in satine's body, he doesn't see the sense in revenge at all. i, revenge arc enjoyer, do. i definitely think it's fun to have a really forgiving character who is learning what is more forgivable, and forming stronger opinions about what to forgive and what not to the longer he lives in the real world. mind you, satine has only been conscious in this life for 3ish years. ;LGJKSHLDGL;F Oh she's got planny of time.

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E114-115 (Nov. 10, 2020)

My wi-fi’s gone distinctly shaky, so it must be that time again! I don’t think I’ve ever watched the pet montage with sound on, and the sheer majesty of Henry snoozing on a Nicolas Cage pillow is somehow ever better with a swelling orchestral score.

This episode’s guests are Liam O’Brien and Taliesin Jaffe!

Brian: “How’s everyone feeling?” Taliesin: “...god.”

There’s a brief discussion about sports. Liam and Taliesin agree that they like the cowboys. Not the Cowboys the sports team, just cowboys.

Taliesin, on episodes featuring him and Liam: “We have a dark sad energy that I think works well together.”

Brian leaps out of his chair. “My pants kind of match the wall!”

Also Brian: “You guys fuck with Barney?”

Okay, okay, okay. First question of the night at 7:09 PM. What was it like to find Vess dead? Liam had a lot of avenues of conversation he was planning with her and was disappointed to lose access to those. Taliesin notes that it’s ten days before they can talk to her again.

Another contemplative digression. Liam: “Google ‘fartiste’.” Lots of talk of sphincters.

Brian asks what it was like to see Molly committing such heinous acts. Taliesin: “I have a nice wall built because I understand the mechanism by which Molly is Molly, and knowing the mechanism, I understand what Matt’s doing. It’s only Molly so far. I always knew that whatever was going on in the background was sinister and a little bit iffy. And, you know, Molly was never actually against a little skullduggery. He’s not a moral person, just, you know. Situationally kind.” Taliesin genuinely isn’t sure how much Lucien knows about Molly’s life, but he looks forward to someday being able to talk about the initial conversation he and Matt had about Molly at a Starbucks by a tattoo parlor.

Brian wonders whether Vess’s death has made Caleb start thinking about how other Assembly members may not be all that untouchable after all. “It’s totally surreal and absurd to him. I still think of them as powerful, though. Story-wise, Caleb thinks of them as dangerous as fuck. All of them.” Getting to know Vess might have helped him figure out what to do next about Trent - now there’s even more uncertainty there.

On potentially having to explain Vess’s disappearance: “Clay’s just gonna peace out. By the time this becomes a problem, he feels this is not his problem. If there’s a good path to everyone working out, sure, but boy it don’t look like it right now.” Caleb’s “just in con-artist mode at the moment.” They’re both more focused on what’s going on at the moment.

“I will actually say, it wasn’t until halfway through that even I noticed [that Clay was being flirted with]. I really appreciate it, just because very, very early on, from the beginning, I was very much like, I’m just going to play him ace. He’s got no interest in this shit. All that energy gets directed into other places. I was like, it’s a shame that it will never come up organically.” He was pleased to have an excuse to bring it up in-game. He does note that because of the costumes “it was like being flirted with by Ganondorf.”

As soon as Laura was actively interested in reading Der Katzenprinz, Liam knew he wanted to put the whole book together. Taliesin: “I can barely take a walk every day. Who the fuck are you?” 

Cosplay of the Week: a fiery Caleb! (lilac.cos on Instagram, photo by fourphotoscosplay on Instagram)

Everyone’s a fan of Dagen Underthorn. Liam: “I love him because of how salt-of-the-earth he is. We’re a bunch of weirdoes.” Taliesin figures he’ll wait for the M9 outside the cave, but “three days, tops.”

“Clay’s seen a lot of things go down when people are mourning. This is a new one, so he’s definitely not sure what to do, and hasn’t really had an opportunity to be like: a little trepidation would be advised, because this could go really poorly, and you’re all a little weird about this. He’s assuming that Molly was another nice guy like the rest of these nice people, but after the Traveler he’s a little more wary of trusting his friends’ judgement on the character of others. It’s a lot like hearing about somebody’s ex and they’re like, oh, they’re coming to visit.”

Why was it so hard for Caleb to walk away from the necromantic emerald? “The first answer is that, Caleb, who is humble in many ways, is also cocky. I’m the best at it, I’m really good. One thread in Caleb’s personality is his hubris. The other answer to it is that Liam thought it was hilarious.” 

Taliesin: “I could’ve possibly stayed a little longer.” Brian: “How much longer?” Taliesin: “Until we had to resurrect someone.”

Brian asks what it was like to have a battle de-escalate to the point of “dinner and friendship”. Taliesin: “It’s been a hard year and I was tired. I don’t want to hurt anything for a while, I just want to have cocoa on graph paper.” Caleb invited the yetis in because “one, that’s amazing. But also they said they would escort us and be our bodyguards for a little bit.” He thought he could entice them to stick around longer, having plied them with cats and pastries.

On Caduceus getting to be a mammoth: “The same way that Caleb is a creature of hubris, Clay is a creature of self-control, and is really invested in his ability to maintain himself and to not get lost in the situation; even in a heightened situation, he’s still very much himself. This was uncomfortable. Eventually, with some hindsight, he’ll enjoy the notion, but at the moment, it’s definitely a lot of, that did not feel okay.”

Fan Art of the Week: the kitties in the kitchen! (kristen_felan on Instagram)

Why was it important to Caleb that Veth stop touting him as a leader? “It’s never really bothered him intensely, but it’s been a thing for a very long time. It wasn’t worth making a thing about it, but it was never true for him. He just doesn’t feel like a leader, he never did. He went from being an A-hole to one of the knights of the round table.”

Who does Clay think needs the most guidance? “Yasha. He’s feeling at least reasonable about everybody. He feels like Jester doesn’t quite have her shit together, but she’s fine, and Fjord’s doing just great. Everyone seems to be coming together. Yasha had a breakthrough but hasn’t really processed yet, so it’s a lot of, like, hey guy, so. You know. Now that we’re feeling more healthy, maybe it’s time to make some healthy decisions?” Liam suspects some of the characters will continue evolving even after the campaign is done. Taliesin: “Life doesn’t have an act structure.”

Taliesin: ���I’m looking forward to playing the Tomb Takers after they TPK us.” Liam: “Dibs on Cree.”

[dmsden]

Distinctive But Not Ridiculous - Bringing your NPCs to life

Hullo, Gentle Readers. This week’s Question from a Denizen comes to us Anonymously, but, apparently, from someone who’s asked questions before. They say, “Hi. I've asked a question or two before and gotten good answers, so I figure I'll ask now. I'm a long term DM, but I still have a major problem with my RP. My NPCs (usually, with one or two major great exceptions) fall on either wacky and ridiculous, or boring as sin. So do you have any tips on keeping npcs colorful, whilst also keeping a (semi)serious tone?”

Well, first, thank you for the compliment. I’m glad you’ve appreciated the advice you’ve gotten from me before! Now, let’s look at your current conundrum.

You want NPCs who are memorable and colorful, but not ridiculous. I think that’s fair. Honestly, I never mind making a ridiculous NPC. They don’t happen too often in my campaign, so I feel like, when they do, they’re going to stand out and be remembered. One of my favorite pairs of NPCs in my campaign are Flishbok and Winther. Flish is a loquacious gnome who does most of the talking for the two, while Winther mostly seems to communicate in grunts. Flish is always attributing deep, pithy statements to Winther and turning to him for affirmation, which generally gets a grunt and a shrug. A typical Flish and Winther moment might go like...

Flish: It’s like you always say, Winther, “Religion might be a crutch, but sometimes people need a crutch to be able to stand up every day. Isn’t that what you say, Winther?”

Winther: *grunts and shrugs*

My players love these two, and they’ve gotten so used to it, that, when I had Winther agree that was what he always said, they immediately knew Winther had been replaced by a changeling assassin and pounced on him.

If you want more serious NPCs, but you want them to be memorable, I recommend trying one of the following tricks:

1. Give them an extremely memorable physical feature, preferably one with a story behind it. The sailor Cheung Po Tsei lost his hand in an attack by sahuagin, and now he has a hook. How did he lose his eye? Well, he was still getting used to the hook, and his eye was itchy... Well, no, but he loves to catch people with that joke. My PCs loved him, and they were devastated when he led a mutiny against them several sessions later.

2. Subvert a trope. Have a halfling be a savage little barbarian instead of a pie-loving stay-at-home. Have a goliath be a bit shy and awkward, especially around a handsome fella. Have a tiefling be a pious paladin. Have a bard be a bit of a prude. Have a paladin who’s a lusty fellow, wooing lads and lasses in every town. Have a hulking half-orc who’s scholarly and prone to collecting flowers and pressing them in a book. People tend to expect certain behaviors from different classes, races, and backgrounds. When you subvert those tropes, it makes the NPC more memorable to your PCs.

3. Give them a very distinctive speech pattern. This can be an accent or a particular voice, but it doesn’t have to be. You could have a character who always refers to themselves in the third person. “Who dares invoke the terrible wrath of Huurgen the Abnormally Furious?” You have a character who speaks as if they’re narrating their own life, because they’re currently writing a book. “I smiled at the devastatingly attractive gnome and asked...who might you be?” You could imitate a celebrity when you play the character. Huurgen, who I mention above, is voiced in my impression of Macho Man Randy Savage...and if you know who that is, I bet you can hear him saying the above line. You could have them punctuate their sentences with modifiers like “Yes, yes.” “No, no.” “Maybe, maybe?” Zikzok the kobold tinker might say things like, “You are looking for something here, yes, yes?” “Must not go to the forbidden temple, no, no!”

4. Briefly change your own appearance while playing them. You could put on a specific hat, or an eyepatch, or put a pipe in your lips. You could squint, pout your lips, widen your eyes, cross your eyes, give yourself an overbite or an underbite... You can use your fingers to quickly rub your hair out so that it sticks up like a crazy fright wig, or you could put on a fright wig. There are lots of minor things you can do or employ to create a distinct “look” for an NPC, even though it’s still you with just a tiny cosmetic change. Even some small things like these can really make a big difference.

5. Give the NPC a distinctive habit or tic. You could shift your eyes around quickly, refuse to make eye-contact with the players, or make too intense eye-contact without blinking. You can drum your fingers, play with your fingers, clean your fingernails with an imaginary knife while looking smug. You can rub your chin while describing how the tiefling strokes spines that jut from their chin. You can constantly polish your glasses while talking to the PCs, or constantly adjust them. Again, these are small things ,but they’re likely to make the PCs remember the NPCs.

6. Save these for important NPCs. Some NPCs will come and go and never be seen again. If the PCs just stop into a chandler shop to buy candles, odds are, it will be a brief encounter without much memorable about it. Do you remember the last person who waited on you at a grocery store or restaurant? A lot of people come and go in our lives without becoming memorable parts of the background tapestry. If your PCs don’t really seem intent on forging a relationship with the chandler, there’s no need to know that he’s Carommay Lampwick, third generation chandler who limps and who keeps a pet skunk. Save your memorable NPCs for people the players are likely to encounter regularly and have meaningful dealings with. It’s okay to let some NPCs fade into the background. Unless you have plots to run regarding Master Lampwick, odds are you can just have him there to sell candles and then never be heard from again.

I hope these tips are helpful, Anonymous. Until next week, may all your 20s be Natural!