#very time consuming!!! Regardless I hope you like this one! Im replying this game for the first time on Survival Difficulty because

[crimescrimson]

The Evil Within & Favourite Bosses: Laura | The Keeper | Haunted Joseph | The Shade | The Amalgam

[fourteenacross]

i loved ur hamilton/ghostbusters fic so much im forreal considering consuming (listening?) amnesty content Just to read ur fic. yeah

Sorry, I know this ask is a month old, but I’m cleaning out the old inbox and have meant to reply to it for a while, I just have quar brain!

But that’s all to say, oh man, please do? Constant desperation for more folks to talk about this rarepair with aside, I just do genuinely love Amnesty as a campaign. It has some issues with pacing in the last couple arcs, but I love the characters and the world and I think it was a worthy successor to Balance.

If you are just fully unfamiliar with The Adventure Zone as a show, it’s a podcast (so yes, listening 😂) where three brothers and their dad play tabletop games together. The first campaign (or season, I guess!) is called “Balance,” and they spend it playing a very epic, engaging game of Dungeons and Dragons that starts off very classic fantasy D&D and morphs into something much more sprawling and beautiful. It’s honestly one of my favorite pieces of media ever.

The second campaign/season is called “Amnesty,” and that’s obvs the one that has bit me, creatively, and refused to let me go, even as the open canon sort of made my ship less plausible. In this one, they play a game called Monster of the Week, set in contemporary West Virginia in a world where cryptids are real and have made their way to Earth through a connection with another planet called Sylvain. The connection with Sylvain is also allowing other, more monstrous creatures into the world, though they don’t seem to originate in Sylvain, and our heroes are tasked with fighting them to protect the clueless townfolk from getting hurt, while also protecting the Sylvan refugees from being discovered by the townfolk.

Dunno if that sounds at all appealing to you! I feel like you could probably manage to make your way through the first few just from knowing the above plus the background info that Barclay is Bigfoot and Indrid is the Mothman and the majority of these cryptid refugees live at an inn called Amnesty Lodge, where Barclay is the cook (and general manager in my mind because Griffin did not give us NEARLY enough details on how the Lodge works as a public-facing business, something I complain about seventeen times a day as I work on these stories, and Mama seems ill-suited to run a regular business) when he’s not helping the heroes of the story hunt down monsters. The canon was open when I started the series, however, so at about the halfway point, the stories become episode responses and get a little more particular.

Regardless, I hope it’s clear that I’m SUPER flattered that you would even CONSIDER doing that just to read some things that I wrote! 😊😊😊 I know I’ve been jumping around a lot in the past five or so years, and while I do low-key intend to post at least a few most ghosthunters stories, my brain is definitely tied up a lot in these characters and my original writing right now. But the thought that people enjoyed my other stuff enough to read in a random strange fandom just to continue reading my writing is just incredibly humbling. Thank you so much 💜💜💜

[mynopoly]

S’vana: A New Friend

"...'ey G'veena." S'vana called out to the other Demon Hunter that she had accompanied. Other than the sound of crackling flames that came from the campfire, her words were met with silence until it was broken by a deep sigh.

"What?" The other Demon Hunter rasped out, her gaze focused on the campfire in front of her.

Frowning slightly at the sigh, she hugged her knees close. "When...When d'ya think it'll be safe fer' us t' uh...walk 'round without bein' chased?" She asked quietly, already knowing the answer to it. Part of her hoped that G'veena's answer would prove her thoughts wrong. She really hoped it did.

There was a pause before another could be heard amongst the crackling flames. "Never." She bluntly stated.

"...N...Neva'? Are...Are ya' sure 'bout tha'?" She asked, doubting her fellow demon hunter's words. Let her be wrong. For once in her life, let her be wrong. "Wha' if ya' know...They decided t' sto--"

The Kaldorei shoved a piece of firewood into place, interrupting the Blood Elf's words followed by an annoyed grunt. "They won't. I've been doing this for over six thousand years and they still continue to chase after me the second they pick up my trail."

"...F-five thousands year?" Surprised by that number, S'vana frowned even more. "...Wha' if ya' know...they--"

"They won't." G'veena rasped out, sounding a bit irritated at the younger hunter's questions. "The only way to stop a Warden from chasing you is to kill them. Even if you manage to do that, I'm fairly certain that their spirit will chase after you instead, making them more annoying than they already are."

"...Oh. Okay..." Saddened by that answer, S'vana buried her face in her knees and sighed heavily into them. Feeling her anxiety start to well up, her desire to consume sweets grew. It was the only way for her to bring her anxiety down. Slipping her hand into one of the pouches on her belt, her hand grabbed at nothing. Oh yeah...She ran out of candy a couple of days ago. Getting more would be difficult, especially in Outland. Sighing again, she just hugged her knees tight.

G'veena's ears flickered at the other's sighs, her head turning slightly to cast a quick glance towards them. How did this one manage to succeed among all others? She wondered. More importantly, why did a cretin like her decide to become one in the first place? She stared at them for a long moment, contemplating whether or not to ask before taking in a deep breath. "I have a question for you if you care to answer, seeing as how I've answered yours."

"...Mh?" S'vana lifted her head up slightly and turned her head towards G'veena. "Uh...Sure. Ask away."

She stared up at S'vana for a long moment before flat out asking. "Why did someone like you decide to become a Demon Hunter?"

If she still had eyelids, she'd be blinking at the Kaldorei's question. "Oh...I uh...um..."

"Are you a child being called upon during the middle of class? Or are you an adult that knows how to properly speak?" Well, S'vana had a long ways to go to be able to speak 'properly.' Taking into consideration the amount of time that she's known them, it would take a spell or a miracle for that to happen. Neither of them were something that the Kaldorei wanted to put effort into doing.

Frowning at what she assumed to be an insult, S'vana just responded with a slight nod, "I'm an adult..." Taking in a deep breath, she hid her face in her knees again. "...Ya' 'eard 'bout my people's lands gettin' messed up real bad yea'?"

G'veena nodded.

"Well...m' folks...died durin' tha' attack an' I uh...realized a lot of things afta' things started t' settle." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing, "...There was nothin' tha' I could've done at all durin' tha'...I was jus' a lass tha' knew 'ow t' fish well an' stuff...Not a lass tha' knew 'ow t' 'old a blade t' protect 'er family." She sighed again, "...So I uh...decided t' go with th' Prince when 'e told everyone tha' 'e'd be goin' with Illidan t' 'elp...ya' know...find a way t' 'elp keep our addiction at bay before it took ova' us."

"And what caused you to believe that you'd be fit to become a Demon Hunter?" G'veena asked, showing mild interest for once in her life. Very mild interest. It was more than what she gave to others.

"...When I arrived at th' temple with anotha' group, I saw all these demon 'unta's talkin' 'bout stuff an' ova'eard some of them talkin' 'bout wha' they did before. Seems like th' general consensus is tha' they wanted t' get back at th' ones tha' messed up their lives. Now th' uh...Legion didn't mess up my life as much. Th' Scourge was responsible fer' all of it. I jus'...wanted t' ya' know...be able t' do somethin'. A way fer' me t' prove t' people tha' I ain't a dumb lass tha' jus' knows 'ow t' catch fish. Tha' an'...I know m' folks were 'appy with whateva' path I decided fer' myself back before our Kingdom got messed up. I thought I'd make them 'appier by doin' somethin' tha'd show t' them tha' I did somethin' fer' th' benefit of all of us even if it messed me up fer' life because of it. I 'ad nothin' t' lose t' be 'onest. I eitha' poke out m' eyes an' eat a demon or...I go back 'ome, return' t' m' ol' life, an' try t' 'elp rebuild. All of tha' while knowin' I 'ad th' chance t' do somethin' uh...different. Sorry if I'm ramblin' too much." She mumbled out.

Admittedly, G'veena's interest in them grew after hearing their story. Slowly sitting up, she leaned forward in her seat and rested one arm atop her knee, her gaze never breaking away from the other. Their words struck a chord in her heart, much more than she ever expected from someone like them. "I see. How did you defeat your demon when you summoned it? Yours is an observer correct? It had to have a vast collection of spells to use against you, yes?"

Hearing the Kaldorei's response, she turned her head back towards them. Realizing that they were sitting up with their full attention focused on her, she stared at them in surprise. Maybe this one doesn't hate her after all...The thought appeared in her mind. "Uh...Yea', 'e's one of th' big floatin' eyeball demons. I call 'im 'Z' cuz uh...it's easier fer' me t' say." An awkward laugh leaves her lips. "As t' 'ow I defeated 'im...Uh, as soon as 'e popped up I made a deal with 'im. If I beat 'im in this game then 'e can 'ave m' body fer' free. If I won though, I get t' eat 'is 'eart."

G'veena stared back at S'vana in faint surprise, "A game? You not only convinced an observer to play a game but you bested them in it? Which game?"

Letting out an embarrassed laugh, S'vana nods. "...Checkas. Tha' game where ya' get like a uh...chess board but instead of chess pieces, ya' use those small discs instead. Th' goal of it is t' get all of yer' opponents pieces or make it impossible fer' them t' continue."

"...Checkers?" G'veena responded flatly in disbelief. Checkers. She had played this a few times before in the past. "You...bested an observer demon in a game of checkers?"

"...Yep." She gave the Kaldorei a sheepish smile. "Did th' easiest trick in th' book. Lured 'im in an' made 'im think tha' 'e was winnin' before takin' almost all of 'is pieces in one move."

Silence fell upon G'veena after S'vana told her how they won against an observer demon. Checkers...Checkers. This girl. This short, lowborn girl that would be kicked out of any Noble party the moment she speaks bested a demon in a game of checkers. A game.

"...G'veena?" She called out to them, slightly anxious about their silence.

"Checkers...A game that does not require much in mental prowess and you were able to best an observer demon, a demon who should arguably have the highest intelligence out of all the demons in the universe."

"Uh...huh." S'vana nodded, shrinking away slightly. Maybe she's about to get yelled at. Oh no...

After a moment, G'veena's shoulder slowly started to shake before she started to let out what sounded like...genuine laughter?

S'vana's eyes went wide at this, her ears flickering rapidly. "G-G'veena? You...You alright?" She asked, worried that she might've broken them. Or maybe they snapped and this is their way of dealing with it.

Laughing still, G'veena gave a slight nod to S'vana's concerns, one hand lifting up to wave it off. Oh Elune, she never thought she'd be able to laugh like this again, let alone do it because of this low--No, this one wasn't a lowborn. At least not to her anymore. There was much more to this one than she expected. Far much more. After her laughter died down, she lets out a relaxed sigh. "...S'vana Skyspear was it?"

Again, S'vana's eyes remained wide, her ears flickering still as she nods. "A-aye...tha's me."

"You have surprised me this night, very much so. For starters, you managed to make me laugh again after several millennia. Genuine laughter too if I might add. Although I did not express my thoughts vocally, I would like to apologize for them regardless. You are not the fool that I believed you to be. You are far from it. In fact, you have far more wit than half of the hunters that I have met." She praised them with a small smile on her lips.

For the most part, S'vana was speechless. G'veena didn't seem to be the sort of person that would laugh or even apologize for that matter. "Uh...Um...T-thank ya'?" She sheepishly replied.

Snorting softly at that, G'veena nods. "Consider this the highest of compliments that you'll ever receive from me."

"Um...Uh...O-okay?" S'vana asked, not wanting to mess this up. She's going to assume that she's on their good side now. "I still don't think I'm uh...as smart as ya' say I am t' be 'onest..."

"That may be true in some respect, but you underestimate yourself." G'veena replied before laying back down on her bedroll.

"O-Okay?" S'vana replied again. She didn't know what to say other than that. She'll just...go to sleep now. She doesn't want to botch this up.

"Skyspear."

"Y-yea?" S'vana sheepishly responded.

"Where do you plan on going after we return to Azeroth?"

"Oh...Uh...I was thinkin' 'ome but...tha' might be a bad idea afta' wha' ya' said t'night." She frowned at that.

"Do you still wish to continue your training?"

S'vana looked over at G'veena. "...Trainin'? Uh...It's not done?"

The Kaldorei snorted. "Of course not. Do you honestly think that a few months is all it takes to become a Demon Hunter?"

"...Uh...Now tha' ya' mention it...Probably not."

"So, do you still wish to continue your training?" G'veena asked again.

Pausing to think, S'vana took in a deep breath and nodded, "Y-yea, I still want t'. I made it this far. Why wouldn’t I?"

"Starting from tomorrow, you must keep up with me until we reach our destination."

"Okay...Wha's our destination?"

"Feralas. One of my many hiding places in Azeroth."

S'vana slowly nods. Isn't that place in Kalimdor? She's never been there before. "Aight...Wha' 'appens afta' we get there?"

"The rest of your training." G'veena responded. "I'll be turning in for the night now. You should do the same."

Again, S'vana nodded. Taking in a deep breath, she laid down on her bedroll with her eyes closed. Before she fell asleep, she spent the night trying to process what had happened. This demon hunter who she met several days ago has decided to train her. Her of all people. She was certain that they hated her considering their previous attitude towards her. After tonight, that didn't seem to be the case. Admittedly, she felt happy that their attitude changed, even more when they offered her a chance to continue what she has learned. Sighing happily at this, she got as comfortable as she could and waited for sleep to take over.