#hit me up with em

[spacebubblehomebase]

PAUSE!!! I HAVE A-

VERY, VERY SERIOUS QUESTION!!! What song fits all of DC's Robins??? I mean, not just one of them. Robins as in ALL of them. What song describes them all so well, I'll be daydreaming about it 24/7??? I desperately need something to vibe to. I wanna feel the legacy passed from a hero to another. Their fights, their flights, and the hope that they bring to Gotham. I want song recs that will immediately make me think about their bond and how each of them carries the name. The feeling of camaraderie and the struggles that they went through to be able to fly. I NEED it!

(And P.S. Yes. Ya'll are now obligated to do it as you've read through everything. Red Hood will vouch for me. XD Say hi, Red Hood! =D)

-Bubbly💙

[bacchuschucklefuck]

class swap design masterpost for convenience (from top to bottom: bard!riz, cleric!gorgug, sorcerer!kristen, barbarian!fig, artificer!adaine, and rogue!fabian)

[goldiipond]

my dearest friends the three shadows[relation withheld]

[soft5ku11]

Can we see some more Professor Maple shenanigans? I love his character design and the concept you've built him around, I'd love to see him get into trouble because of his unique abilities. Or maybe show him some love with some belly rubs 🥰

THANK YOU! I'm so glad people seem to like him - I don't have much right now but I do have this very rough sketch I started last night that I can share.

Because Austin can expand and contract his entire body, naturally, that can lead to one wrong thought becoming the catalyst of him growing HUGE. And I don't just mean fat...

[rathayibacter]

been thinking about the parallels between ttrpgs and poetry lately, synthesizing some stuff i've been sitting on with both. i don't remember where i heard this from, but i really like the idea of defining poetry as writing that can't be edited down any more; if you made even one cut, one word replacement, you'd lose something. even the repetitions and redundancies are there to communicate something, because if they weren't they'd be removed. 

its not true, of course, but i don't think it has to be. as a lens to examine poetry i think it's fun, and as a goal when writing poetry it's helped me on more than one occasion. any claim to Fundamental Truth beyond that line doesn't matter much in my opinion. what i like about this isn't that it makes for poetry where you have to read a certain meaning out of every single line to "get it", its actually kinda the opposite! by assuming there's meaning baked into every detail, you can get meaning out of any detail you decide to focus on, and can narrow your focus as much or as little as you like. my favorite poetry is messy, colorful, and dense; you're not gonna get a single clean reading out of it because doing that requires ignoring all the fun little twists and turns, all the intersecting ideas that led it to this point.

and so that brings us to ttrpgs! role-playing games are a fascinating thing because they can really only get us halfway; even the most strict and detailed game has an innate fuzziness that comes from the peculiarities of how we play tabletop games. your mechanics are only airtight if everyone knows, understands, and remembers them, and those are three tall orders for any game, no matter how simple or intuitive it may present as. and that's not even a bad thing! interpretation isn't just "what percentage of the rules are the players getting wrong", its an adaptation of the rules as written to the game as played. even forgotten rules are part of this, cuz anything that's able to be forgotten (and again, that's potentially anything) probably was forgotten cuz it wasn't terribly relevant to the table forgetting it. 

so, as we write games and cast them into the world, fully aware that the thing that'll arrive at people's tables will never match what we had in our heads, what should we do? obviously some of this is just practical; don't bog players down with unnecessary busywork or minute exceptions to memorize, don't build a house of cards that stops working if any one part is missing or changed, you can use stuff like cheat sheets, examples of play, indexes, and asides to make it easier to learn, reference, and remember how to play.

but i promised you poetry, and poetry we shall have! so here's my big guiding principle for writing ttrpgs: only include it if it sings. every part of the game should be special, so that no matter what part or parts of the game a particular table winds up using, the game still shines through. by tangling the spirit of the game up in every line, every rule, every tiny little piece, everyone who engages with it can get tangled up in it too, and can fill in the spaces between in whatever way resonates most with them.

in more practical terms, this is "don't write anything that's less interesting than what the players will make up at the table", ie assume players will fill any missing spaces to the table's preferences, so only close those gaps if you've got something fun to say. don't fill space out of obligation, don't bog yourself down in the stuff that doesn't matter. this doesn't mean never add a polearms list because there's a million polearms lists out there already, but it does mean don't add a polearms list unless you're burning with passion to add it, and excited for people to share in that passion. if you don't, don't worry about it. they can figure it out. the table can always replace your good ideas with ones they like more, and they can always fill in the gaps when they come up, but it's not always easy to recover from a wall of bland filler or an ocean of lifeless cliches.

i wont tell you that if you follow this One Weird Trick then your game will be good. i don't know what a good game is. or rather, i know exactly what i think a good game is, and have no idea what you think it is, and have less than no faith that anyone could ever determine what a Truly Good Game is. but just like the quippy little definition of poetry at the top, universal truth isn't really what i'm after when i employ this. i'm trying to make something that satisfies the little itch in my brain, that sings to me as i make it and keeps singing even after i let it go. moreover, i'm trying to make something that doesn't waste my time as a writer, and doesn't waste yours as a reader or player or fellow designer. 

will this make sure players remember all the rules when they're playing? no, absolutely not. i wouldn't want them to, even if i could force it! but maybe, hopefully, what this does do is lodge one of those little razor-sharp slivers of text in their brains, and it'll sing to them just like it sang to me. not the same song, not the same tune, but just as beautifully.

[simptasia]

LOST: Season One

[extrajigs]

Finally updated most of my OC refs for artfight! Woo! Hope to get more done this year and bring home the gold!

[gayvecchio]

Frannie, you are in over your head. Meaning? Meaning, guys like him don't marry girls like you. That's fairy tale. And girls like you get hurt, and guys like him don't even know it, and that's life.

[knockknockitsnickels]

I've been thinking about the debate about whether Slay the Princess is a horror game (my answer is "yes") and about how imo Fury is one of the more thematically horrifying routes.

While I was never really scared of her during my playthrough, her whole existence became more upsetting the more I thought about it. I think Fury's route is one of the only times the game fully realizes the horror potential in us (the player) being able to somewhat control the Princess through our perception of her. Whether you got to Fury via Adversary or Tower, it's clear that Fury liked the way she was before, and we took her identity away from her either because we thought it was funny, or because we didn't like how she was.

I doubt everyone's going to have the same interpretation of her chapter (my Fury is going to be different from your Fury, after all) but for me, the whole route made me question my feelings towards Tower, who was originally one of my least favorite princesses. What right did I have to do this to her, just because I didn't like how she was acting? I've turned her into something she hates.

[bielbunny]

Let the intrusive thoughts win and gave the sona a funky lil' guy idle

lemme at 'em!! lemme at 'em!! lemme at 'em!!

[thylionheart]

I have a theory… that Hecate MIGHT be on the side of Chronos. Or at least on the side of the next turn-over of power. For fighting against the Titans, there is an odd quantity of titans in the crossroads crew, namely Selene (I know if we’re going to have a witch season with Hecate, we HAVE to also have the moon herself. And gameplay-wise, mechanically, she needed to be distinct from Artemis). (And Hecate isn’t a titan in the myths, so this is an oddly intentional change to her character!)* But Selene says something after like the third or fourth bottle of nectar gifted to her, something along the lines of, “Ah, this custom of gift-giving, maybe there is something worth saving from the Olympians.”

I’m sorry WAT 👀 I know we’re supposed to be focusing on the health of the Underworld, but Olympus is actively burning, what did you mean by that, ma’am???

And we still don’t know- I’m pretty sure?- HOW Chronos was re-materialized. He would have needed help from a chthonic god/being for sure, right? My theories on the Egyptian connection and Hecate equating to Isis and Chronos to Osiris aside…., Hecate laments that she couldn’t have stopped Chronos taking Melinoë’s family. She says SHE was the one tasked with protecting the underworld. If Chronos broke through and Hecate was the door… I’d at least like to go over the security footage again. Hecate carries so much guilt over what happened to Mel’s family, and SO insistent that I’m NOT your mother, and I wonder if there is a weightier reason behind it. She’s so triggered when Hades passes on his gratitude to her, like pls don’t. I don’t deserve your thanks, I failed you.

I don’t think the majority of the Crossroads crew would be in on it. Moros is obviously genuinely worried for his sisters after Chronos kidnaps them. Nemesis maybe, but I wonder if she would be so willing to go along with this plan if she truly believes Chronos deserves divine retribution for what he has done. And she never holds back from sharing her honest thoughts. But on my post about everything coming out of Odysseus’s mouth being a lie, someone mentioned that he could be in a lying-as-default mode in order to protect someone’s secret. 👀 And people have mentioned how fucked over by the gods Odysseus was in life. Is it a little odd he is so ready to lend his strengths to them now? He’s not like Heracles, he doesn’t HAVE TO be here, what does he gain from all this?

Of course, Chronos, like any villain, is always saying, why are you fighting me? I’m bringing a golden age. You think the world was better under the rule of the gods? And…. If it wasn’t for the baby eating thing…. I’d hear him out.

*I was wrong abt this lol

[majimassqueaktoy]

Majima meets the girl - Yakuza 0

[ndostairlyrium]

some mindless sketches of the primroses 🌸

[synthshenanigans]

These songs have been killing me so far like. Starting with the CJPH. Especially Don't Take it Personally AND its demo. Multiple Fine, I'm Fine references. Then the Heal remake. A real genuine [Synth Shenanigans] return. like help i cant handle all this

[burning-academia-if]

Also setting up the itch post for Zoe's short story and what the hell do you mean we hit 100 reviews??

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

sorry im coping with aus again oopsie daisy. anyway here's my take on a fantasy au

it all started with me rewatching the D&D movie and thinking "hm. what (broad) classes would the neighbors have?"

and after much thinking i came to the conclusion: Barnaby = Bard / Eddie = Paladin / Sally = Sorcerer / Julie = fighter / Frank = monk / Howdy = Artificer / Poppy = Healer / Wally = 'Wizard'

those seem fitting! BUT i don't like restrictions or rules so in this very light worldbuilding for a casual (strongly glaring at myself here) CASUAL au, it's only dnd-esque. not actually dnd yk yk

in my head, they're not technically puppets for this au. they're flesh and blood, they've got bones, etc. they're actual Creatures, though they still look like Them! Julie's still pink w/ candy-corn-horns! Frank is still a gray tube! Barnaby is a big blue dog! they're just... not puppets. it's the same for the other beings in this fantasy world - they all keep the style, but they're all flesh n' blood if that makes sense. a cartoony fantasy world

so they have their little found family adventuring group titled, of course, The Neighborhood. because when they were first forming, Wally went "oh! are we a neighborhood? i've always wanted neighbors!" and it Stuck. so they all lovingly refer to each other as neighbors, even though the closest they get to being actual neighbors is pitching their tents next to each other & staying at an Inn in neighboring rooms

like your classic group of adventurers, they're almost constantly on the move. the longest they stay in one place is a couple of months - the rest of the time they're wandering! they take quests, get roped into general Shenanigans, etc. they adventure! and get into a lot of battles of varying severity

so Barnaby is still kiiiiind of a bard? best i can describe him is jack-of-all-trades moral support! he provides battle music, keeps the mood light, and stands off to the side to offer quips and tips. he prefers not to fight, and only Gets Involved when the others need Backup. even then, he usually takes the role of defending his neighbors. he has a good eye for whether or not physical support is needed - he never needs to be asked when there's a legitimate need for him! unless he's thoroughly distracted from the goings-on. he does have magic, but it's more for show / defense-based

Eddie's still pretty classically a paladin. healing powers, armor, there to be on the front lines and Protect! the group's sword and shield! he technically serves a god but he forgot who <3 he just makes the occasional general offering and mumbles some vague prayer. he's super friendly! super helpful! super willing to dive into the line of fire! Will disregard his own safety without a second thought! his magic is pretty much restricted to healing, and it's weak healing at that (maybe because he can't properly serve his god...), so it's mostly good for quick mid-battle heals and little wounds. temporary fixes!

Sally has innate fire/light magic, and she's very showy with it! she puts Flair and Pizazz into all of her casts and is very dramatic on the battlefield - she manages to turn her fights into a performance. She tag-teams keeping the Neighborhood entertained with Barnaby. he handles the humor/lightheartedness, she handles the escapism/encouragement. she writes scripts & stories in her off-time, and often reads them (or spins a new one) after dinner. when they have weeks / month breaks in one spot, sometimes she'll recruit local thespians to create a play

Frank is all about that hand-to-hand combat babey! he wants to feel bones break under his fists! he wants those split knuckles! he very often starts fights, and even more often finishes them - what he lacks in raw power he makes up for in vicious tenacity. he just Keeps On Going! he seconds as the group's Knowledge Guy. while his hobby is studying insects, he also catalogues/studies monsters and enemies and terrain so that the Neighborhood can always be prepared. the only time he stays out of fights is when he's researching or note-taking. he tries to micromanage the battle from afar anyway

Julie is like... put a druid, a fighter, and a barbarian in a blender. she's got a big sword! she's got seemingly endless energy in battle! she can talk to plants, especially flowers! her flora magic is very minor, so it's not like she's making giant roots burst out of the ground and strangle people. but plants can give her information, and if she asks nicely and they feel like it, sometimes they'll help her out. in battle she's a force to be reckoned with! nothing will stop her and her sword! she's usually the second (closely following Frank, with Eddie hot on her heels) Neighbor charging into battle - but she's the one with the stellar war cry! & where Sally and Barnaby tend to the Neighborhood's emotional wellbeing & entertainment, Julie keeps things fresh with Physical Activities during their downtime!

Poppy is a powerful healer! she draws on an individual's energy (often taps into her own as well) to convert it into healing power. it's draining but it's damn good healing! she also takes the role of the Neighborhood's cook (the others still like to help, especially Frank who is essentially her sous-chef) and makes sure they're all healthy. she hangs back during battles, waiting to (and hoping that she doesn't have to) heal a wounded Neighbor. if one of them is badly hit, she forces herself to run into battle and drag them to safety before working on their injury. she has a tiny bit of illusion magic, which she'll cast from afar to assist her Neighbors. she tries not to use it outside of emergencies - it takes a lot of energy, which she tries to conserve just in case.

Howdy has Zero Magic! none! four hands and none of them are magical! however, he's a damn good inventor & a whiz at potion making. he can Use magical items like there's no tomorrow - he just can't wield it himself. he supplies the group with potions, helpful items, all sorts of goodies - given that they can trade for it with anything he'd accept in-canon. the only exception is when they're mid-battle - he hands stuff out when needed without haggle. he supplies the group with their cash when they're not getting it from looting/quests - he has a magic backpack that can unfold into a fully-stocked merchant stall! he sells at towns, on the road, anywhere he can! In battle he hangs back with Poppy and, yes, supplies items, but he also uses ranged attacks - magical weapons that cast for him, magic 'bombs', that sort of thing! but there's a little secret - he's the Neighborhood's secret weapon. he invented fantasy guns! four magic revolvers that, when the 'second safety' is turned off, multiply into a giant clusterfuck of guns (with ammo ranging from magic 'bullets' to essentially rocket launchers). unfortunately he can only use this setting once & for a limited time before the guns overload & have to be manually repaired. so he either uses them off of the first safety (i.e, they're 'normal'), or not at all. you know shit is Really hitting the fan when he joins a fight

and Wally! Wally Wally Wally... you may have noticed that i put his class 'wizard' in quotes. that's because he says he's a wizard, but he's not! he just says he's one due to the automatic stigma and fear of what he really is - a Warlock! his patron is Home, an eldritch horror that many would classify as a demon. they have a very special, codependent pact that neither of them can live without - Wally wears their 'seal' as a house-shaped pendant on a choker (necklace) hidden under his clothes. Home is extraordinarily powerful, but Wally barely taps into that power. he has a grimoire that Home inscribed with a bunch of sigils that convert into spells when drawn & then cast in the air. the only other powers he uses are seeing-in-the-dark, seeing-magic, and opening teleportation doors! Wally can't sleep, but he can doze - though he's never fully unaware of his surroundings (its kind of like how dolphins only sleep with one half of their brain). he still eats with his eyes, which both feeds him & acts as a form of providing daily energy to Home, since Home can't exactly consume souls every day. If Wally uses too much magic, he has to rest inside of Home's house-form, which is the only time he actually fully sleeps. no one knows about Home, or that Wally is lying about his wizard status.

Home is a lovecraftian being with three forms. the first is the lowest power level - a cute one-room house with Eyes! i.e: Home Classic! Wally's pendant unfolds into it, and it's the main way Wally and Home physically interact & communicate. the second is possession - if Wally explicitly allows it, Home can completely take over his body and kind of 'tuck him away' to have a nice deep nap while Home takes the reins (Home can technically force this, but it's very difficult and would not go over well w/ Wally - it would also be an unstable possession). the third is Home's true form - a massive shadowy eldritch monster made of writhing darkness and nightmares that no one in their right mind would look at, let alone fight. Home has very complicated feelings about Wally & the Neighborhood. they are also, quite literally, Wally's heart - which is part of their pact.

i have some scene ideas & little Plot Concepts (most notably the times the Neighborhood learns two Very Big Secrets about Wally, one of which being the warlock/Home reveal).

but yeah that's moooostly it. basic stuff yk, not very in depth! just fun things to feed my maladaptive daydreaming & escapism