#yes i’ll share it someday but i want to finish the other campaigns first

[stone-stars]

so… i made a list of the first use of every song* in campaign 1 of naddpod, with timestamps. if you're wondering, it's 190 unique songs! * disclaimer: this list doesn't include royalty free songs, only emily's, and it's entirely possible i missed one or two.

i've put the list under the cut, separated by episode! timestamps include ads for eps 1-48, and are from the ad free version for eps 49-100.

(disclaimer that i determined the names of songs by cross-referencing what they were credited as across episodes, so some may be inaccurate. i noted those down in the list)

13 - City in the Clouds, 18:04 13 - Beverly's House, 38:15 13 - The Widow, 53:56

14 - Court of the Boy King, 18:57 14 - The Twinkling Lights of Galaderon, 1:24:27

15 - A Bastard No More, 24:29 * 15 - The Ruins of Cragwater, 2:04:02 * (note: "A Bastard No More" is called "Hardwon Takes the Wheel" after c1e70)

16 - Duergar Drudgery, 4:26 16 - Spooky Shafts, 6:23 16 - Heed the Mushroom's Call, 21:10 16 - Schubert's Song, 25:47 16 - Jolene the Green, 31:30 16 - Farewell to Fungen, 34:39 16 - The Mithril Miner's Shuffle, 38:57 16 - The Mithril's Run Dry, 52:46

17 - The Depths of the Dungeon, 1:11:14 17 - Conspiracy in the Clouds, 1:14:23

18 - The Revenant's Fate, 24:35 18 - A Fate Refused, 25:59 18 - Escape the Boy King's Brunch, 1:31:31

19 - The Purge, 12:13 19 - The Valiant Ol' Cobb, 51:37 19 - At the Last Minute, a First, 1:29:29 19 - Skybound, 1:32:28

20 - The Blows of a Friend, And Not a Foe, 1:03:09 20 - Forsaken, 1:07:20 20 - Apotheosis, 1:08:23 20 - A Haven Away From Home, 1:12:17

21 - Betrayal Below, 19:10 21 - The Gunslinger's Girl, 39:10 21 - A Sign from Melora, 1:04:57 21 - Friend Turned Foe, 1:06:02 21 - Sumpin's a Mess Out West, 1:39:31

22 - Slumber in the Stump, 45:03 22 - The Sultan of Stone, 1:41:25 22 - Block Hop, 1:42:37

23 - The Mountain Meets the Sky, 42:33 23 - Trust the Gust, 1:01:00 23 - The Titan of Air, 1:12:09

24 - Sumpin's Asunder Down Under, 37:53 24 - Baptised, 43:39 24 - Steed of the Sea, 51:12 24 - Cetacean Farewell, 1:13:37 24 - Into the Flame, 1:16:25

25 - The Golden Sword, 55:14 25 - Cured by the Light, 1:00:21 25 - Hospitably Hostile, 1:05:28 25 - Mee Maw's Burden, 1:21:18

26 - The Grand Maw Tree, 9:51 26 - Into the Fog, 55:16 26 - A Hospitable Farewell, 1:01:11 26 - Befuddled and Befogged, 1:05:19 26 - Hazy Daze, 1:09:59

27 - Snake Skirmish, 4:38 27 - Greener Shades, 1:10:49 27 - Moonshine's Stump, 1:14:50 27 - Unknown Tome, 1:27:06

28 - Balnor's Bad Dream, 28:01 28 - Blessings of the Elementals, 1:14:35 * 28 - Elemental Energy, 1:17:39 * * (note: the two songs credited here are actually "Elemental Energy" and "Calling in a Favor", so the second song may be either name)

29 - The Prodigal Sister, 58:37 29 - A Rare Appearance, 1:01:26 29 - Oh, Melora!, 1:02:53 29 - A Tale's End, 1:08:30

31 - A Giant Among Men, 17:47 31 - Back Against the Wall, 28:04

32 - Behold! Treasure, 10:31 32 - Akarot's Letter, 23:50 32 - Shock at the Dock, 37:25 32 - Invisible But Not Invincible, 43:48 32 - Escape from Smuggler's Bounty, 48:56

33 - Tonathan Tinkle, 6:51 33 - Uku's Gift, 1:20:31

34 - Frostwind, 37:04 34 - A Humble Shopkeeper, 47:08 34 - Vinril's Gems, 1:05:26

35 - Balnor the Brave, 1:08:16

37 - Descending, 20:58 37 - A Tempting Offer, 41:40 37 - Desecrated, 51:28

39 - Incriminated, 33:37

41 - Tower of the Winter Wolves, 20:35 41 - Tundra Trudge, 1:26:39 41 - Valley of the Frigid Death, 1:20:03 * * (note: this song is used in ep 38 at 53:45, but not credited)

42 - Prey Don't Stand a Prayer, 42:37 * 42 - Yanoba, 1:10:39 * (note: this song is also used in ep 38 at 1:07:13, but not credited)

45 - The Eye of Akarot, 14:33 45 - Bash at the Gash, 34:43 45 - The Bronzebeard Legacy, 45:15 45 - Kingshammer, 1:45:59 45 - A Sight For Sore Eyes, 1:49:15

46 - Fantastic & Fuddling, 40:32 * 46 - A Soft Landing, 57:53 * 46 - A Humble Farmer, 1:07:22 * 46 - The Court of the Bear Prince, 1:18:46 46 - Wooded Wonders, 1:45:23 * * (note: the four starred songs names are inconsistently used. I tried to go with the names they're most often known by across this arc and other campaigns but it changes. The big thing here is that the song at 1:07:22 is not called “A Humble Farmer” again, but when it’s used later in c1 it’s credited as “Wooded Wonders”, and then in c2/3 it’s “Fantastic & Fuddling”. However, both of those names are more consistently used for the songs I have them labeled as now. The song at 40:32 is called “Fantastic & Fuddling” throughout the Feywild arc, and the song at 1:45:23 is called “Wooded Wonders” in every campaign except HBS, where it’s “A Humble Farmer” Basically— “Fantastic & Fuddling” means the song at 40:32 and “Wooded Wonders” usually means the song at 1:45:23, but this isn’t always the case, and the song at 1:07:22 may be called either.)

47 - Puzzled, 8:40 47 - Mysterious Yet Familiar, 1:08:07 47 - Queen Cirilla, 1:14:02 47 - Frozen in Time, 1:16:35

49 - Gnome Man's Land, 1:03:54

50 - Rolling Deep, 13:10 50 - Neath a Ceiling of Stars, 30:36 50 - Sea Beast, 53:38 50 - Great Crone of the Sea, 1:11:05

51 - Alanis, 3:34 51 - The Nannerfly Effect, 14:35 * 51 - When You Wish Upon A Stone, 20:26 51 - Only the Ocean to Console Him, 45:27 * (note: throughout the Feywild, this song is called “The Nannerfly Effect”, and then later goes on to be credited as various versions of "wish stones")

54 - The Autumn Court, 3:35

55 - The Witch's Den, 58:57

56 - An Innocent Flirtation, 48:02 56 - Goblin Dirigible, 1:04:27 56 - Crash Landing, 1:15:21

57 - Tower in the Distance, 13:18 57 - Angels and Devils, 16:58 57 - King Lestibourne, 1:02:39 57 - All I Need is One Thread to Spin a Web, 1:09:20 57 - Kiss of Life, 1:45:12

58 - Flying Through the Night, 25:18 58 - Bittersweet Sixteen, 59:34 58 - A Hard Goodbye, 1:26:52

59 - Shadowfell, 2:49 59 - Into the Mist, 5:34 59 - Grimhawk, 53:33 59 - Langston, 1:05:56

60 - Deadeye, 6:30 60 - The Fat Monk, 25:13

61 - The Red Fen, 20:54 61 - The Montgomerys, 40:11 61 - Growing Pains, 1:16:21 * 61 - Gutless, 1:29:37 * (note: “Growing Pains” is credited as “Drained” here, but the name changes later and is used consistently)

63 - Montgomery Manor, 1:14:22 63 - Shadowfell Sneak, 1:17:34 63 - Two for Tea, 1:21:08

66 - Unholy Pilgrimage, 22:22

67 - Bastard's Fate, 1:22:05 67 - Bastard's Cove, 1:30:06

70 - Lucanus Aer'Tea, 1:27:08 70 - A Miracle Child, 1:44:43 70 - The Thinking Cap, 1:49:53

71 - The Whisperwood, 27:30 71 - Gladeholm, 29:41 71 - The University, 56:36 71 - Qwiksus, 1:10:04 71 - A Wizard Tournament, 1:30:24 71 - Star Spawn, 2:10:23

73 - Summoning, 11:28 73 - Secret Basement, 32:21 73 - The Objective, 1:31:50 73 - Pandemonium, 1:34:22 73 - Lilith La Trix, 1:37:55

75 - Kingsguard, 22:17 75 - Speaking Stump, 27:19 75 - Irondeep, 1:18:40 - (note: these three songs are only used in this ep in c1)

76 - The Mindflayer's Lair, 59:48 76 - The Multiverse, 1:13:57 76 - Alone, 1:19:50 76 - The Vast Expanse, 1:22:21 76 - Into the Planar Pool, 1:27:28

77 - Deal with a Devil, 21:42 * 77 - Buzzer's Cutters, 25:28 77 - The Posse, 1:07:48 77 - The Bronze Bastard, 1:35:51 * (note: this song is also frequently called “Soul Coins”)

79 - Lust, 14:52 79 - The River Styx, 24:46 79 - Fierna, 32:36 79 - A Risky Gamble, 51:42 79 - The Honey Trap, 55:40

82 - The Seventh Circle of Hell, 14:58 82 - Demigod, 28:55

83 - Ilsed's Secret, 42:05

84 - Hellfire Crown, 1:26:11 86 - Torn Apart, 46:42 * * (note: technically "Torn Apart" is a part of “Hellfire Crown” and plays in ep 84 at 1:17:32, but the two have different instrumentation and “Torn Apart” is credited as such later, so I've split them)

91 - I Just Want to Know You're Taken Care Of, 21:37 91 - The Pact, 47:25 91 - Forest, 1:07:14

92 - Enlightened, 15:26 * * (note: this song isn't credited in this ep, its first credit as "Enlightened" is in ep96 at 36:47)

95 - Hole in the Sky, 1:01:12 95 - Pure Gold, 1:34:39

96 - The Glittering Lady, 15:51

97 - Fabric of Fate, 9:44 * 97 - Selfless, 12:48 97 - A Glittering Reunion, 22:18 * (note: this song is later called "Melora's Boon" in c3)

100 (pt. 1) - The Writing on the Wall, 28:55 100 (pt. 1) - Paradise, 46:04 100 (pt. 1) - A Memory, 1:03:17 100 (pt. 2) - One Big Bed, 1:46:57

[anchanted-one]

Eternal War 29. Growing Pains

Four months later.

Senya was a master of the sword of the Zakuulan school. She had beaten countless opponents over the years, and some had called her the greatest blademaster of the age. But now she sparred with the Jedi Battlemaster Arro Silver. His skill was unparalleled. Even her own teacher Shoyisa, the Unrelenting Master of the Blade, would be no match for him. Her respect for him grew with each exchange, and she began to allow that this man really had beaten Valkorion in fair combat. Thrice, if you counted the times he beat the Sith Emperor who was an avatar of Valkorion. Lana hadn't been lying. Or exaggerating. His rispostes were perfect, his reflexes lightning-fast, his attacks nigh-unstoppable.

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And what was more important, people respected him for his abilities. His accomplishments. Jedi and Sith, Imperial and Republic, there was no difference. Senya had seen a lot of these men and women before, and she could tell just how much their morale had lifted just by seeing their old hero again. And that had been before this duel. They had realized that the stories simply could not match the man himself. Even the exiles and rebels from Zakuul were now firm believers.

Lana had been right, so right. It wasn't just his skill that was important, it was his effect as a symbol. He brought hope to a fight most had given up on winning.

Arro pivoted, abruptly changing the angle of his attack at the last possible second, then scored five more hits on her arms and chest before he finally knocked her training saber out of her hand.

"I yield," she said, panting. Laughing. How long since she had been pushed so hard like this? Senya thought that he could defeat Darth Prowle at her best, even as he was now. How good would he be at *his* best?

As their audience burst into applause, she regarded the Jedi, who seemed to be fighting off the pain again. "I dearly hope we never have to fight for keeps, someday, Commander," she addressed him. "I've never been at such a disadvantage before."

"I'll say!" Vortena chimed in. "You looked like you were trying to paddle a ship in the rapids with only your hand!" She fought the impulse to glare at him. She had to admit, he was probably right.

"Beautiful Display, Battlemaster!" the Sith Lord Darth Sapphirus rumbled. "Truly magnificent!"

"Thank you, Lord Sapphirus," Arro acknowledged.

 Senya took a few sips from the bottle Lem had offered her, watching for a while as the throng of admirers congratulated him on his skill. She was starting to have a great feeling about their chances.

*

It took a while before the crowd melted away, going back to their own business. Lana, TeeSeven, Theron Shan and Hylo Wisz were some of the few other than Koth who remained. In her typical fashion, Lana managed to look only professionally pleased rather than exultant as someone might expect of someone who had just seen how awesome her husband was. 

"That went even better than I had hoped!" She beamed. "I never expected Darth Sapphirus of all people to cheer that hard!" TeeSeven trilled an excited agreement, saying how wonderful it had been to watch him spar again.

"That makes me wonder how you failed to beat Arcann on Asylum," Koth said. "Senya did say that he's far stronger than her but less skilled. But you should have been able to take him."

"It's the carbon poisoning," Lana said. "It still affects him. The pain spiked just as he was about to finish off Arcann." 

"What...? Oh Hell! Dammit!" Now that she mentioned it, the reason was obvious! "But that's a huge liability, what if it happens again? You inspired a lot of people today, but if your body fails you again, Arcann will kill you. And the same people will end up *losing* all that hope!" 

"It worries me as well," Lana said. "I don't like having to just pray that nothing happens when you face Arcann the next time."

She tried and failed to hide the note of anguish she felt at the thought. Not for the first time, he felt envious of the Outlander, to have managed to so firmly earn the love of this ice-cold woman. While he was certain she could have just as easily fallen in love with someone else, Koth doubted she'd ever turn the galaxy upside down trying to save them the way she had Arro. For the first few months he had thought that she was lying about Arro, that she simply wanted to save her love. Over time, he had come to accept that Lana was too pragmatic to go that far out of the way even for someone she loved. 

But he had still wondered on occasion, as recently as their escape from Zakuul. Arro had shown his nobility, but Lana still had had to lend a shoulder for him to lean on from time to time just to walk; he'd been that weak. He had certainly never put on the display he had today. 

He had come to share Lana's faith in Arro's skills and presence. He had even come to ardently admire the heroism that had led Arro to risk his own life to save so many Zakuulans within hours of his escape. He hadn't realized until much later just how much of a risk it had been. Koth felt certain that even he himself couldn't have made the call that Arro had. 

"It's certainly a problem," Arro said. "But I won't be facing Arcann again for some time now. I will work with Oggurobb and Sana-Re, maybe even visit the Shrine of Healing on Voss. But we needn't worry ourselves sick right now. We move a step at a time."

Their collective relief was so clear that a dead man could have felt it.

*

Later that day, Arro stood in the War Room along with Lana, Theron, Koth, Senya, Hylo and Admiral Aygo. The day’s reports from their allies and teams across the Galaxy.

“Choza Raabat from Alderaan,” the Ithorian on the other end of the transmission reported. “I am pleased to report that we have finished stockpiling supplies. We will be ready to storm the bunker at your signal.”

“Veeroa Denz here,” said the Nautolan woman. “The teams on Nar Shadda are standing by.”

“Hemdil Tre from Hoth. We on Hoth are ready.”

“This is Leyta reporting from Tatooine. We are ready to begin.”

“Rokuss speaks. We Gormak are are ready to strike alongside our Voss brethren.”

“K’korohl here, from Belsavis. A day or a year, we will be ready when you give the word.”

“Excellent.” Arro approved. “I promise, it won’t be a year—a month at most. Once we begin, things will get intense, so remember to eat your vitamins, everybody!”

They all chuckled politely as they disconnected.

The reports were good beyond all expectations: teams on Coruscant, Corellia, Dromund Kaas, Begeren, Dromund Fels, and hundreds of worlds—Republic and Sith—had gathered all the necessary supplies and would continue training. When they received the word, all teams would mobilize at once. In a series of coordinated strikes unprecedented in their scale, these teams would attack the Shield Bunkers protecting every last one of the Star Fortresses, heralding the start of the Alliance’s major offensive against the tyranny of Zakuul.

Up until now, they had been playing a game of cat-and-mouse, small-scale sabotage and infiltrations, testing Zakuul’s defenses and their own new technology developed by Oggurobb. There had been a few defeats, but the shadow campaign Lana and Theron had helped Arro concoct had been overwhelmingly successful.

“Well,” Theron shook his head in wonder. “It’s all coming together! And so quickly too!”

“It was thanks to the intel Lana secured for us,” Aygo grinned. “We never would have gotten this far without it!”

“But it’s not just the intel,” Lana said. “Imagine us having gained the resources to tackle all those Fortresses in a single Operation! This is beyond what I had hoped for!”

“All that’s left is for Jorgan and Havoc to identify where on Zakuul our first strike should land,” Arro said. “When we finally strike, we need to hit as hard as possible.”

“And that’s yet another thing I can’t believe,” Senya said. “That your actions at the reactor could cause such a stir. For an Outlander, you have gathered a decent following on Zakuul as well!”

“That was only because Vaylin was the one who caused that incident,” Theron said. “In one move she showed that she was a danger, and the Outlander a friend.”

“Yep!” Koth said proudly. “It’s like I always said; it’s destiny, plain and simple! It was meant to be! We’re gonna win this.”

*

Above the skies of Zakuul, hundreds of rows of Eternal Warships were on display in impressive fashion. They seemed to be a cloud around the outer Atmosphere of Zakuul—around the Spire of the Golden Heavens, daunting in their size and a loud statement of invincibility. 

Vaylin stepped out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, Akahte on her heel. They strode together down the corridor, a dozen Knights standing guard on each side.

Arcann wasn’t happy. He never was anymore. His forces forever seemed on the back foot nowadays, the Outlander’s Alliance running circles around his people. “You return empty-handed, again!”

“I missed you,” Vaylin smiled. Her voice was playful, but her fury was bubbling just beneath the surface.

“The Outlander, the Gravestone, where are they?”

“Patrols in five sectors report no sign of either!” Vaylin sang. “Perhaps they’re just figments of our imagination!”

Arcann paced and seethed before his throne. “Someone knows the truth!” After thinking for a few minutes, he stopped pacing, and sat down very determinedly on the Throne.

“I know that look,” Vaylin teased. “You’re about to order something wonderful!”

“Choose one heavily populated planet in each of the five sectors. Take the fleet to each of them and commence orbital bombardment.”

“For how long?”

“Til’ they’re dust. Someone knows, someone will talk. But only if they are given reason to.”

Akahte could see the cruel delight on Vaylin’s face as they left to carry out Arcann’s order. She wanted this. But just as they prepared to board the shuttle, Vaylin stopped with sudden hesitation, and indicated that Akahte halt as well.

“Yes, Vaylin?”

“You don’t have to come with me,” Vaylin said softly. “This isn’t the path you hoped I would take.”

“Maybe not, but if you’re decided, then I set my opinions aside. I live only for you now. I will do whatever you ask of me.”

“Then I ask that you remain here,” Vaylin said. She sounded… sad. Conflicted. “I can no longer be the girl you deserve, and it would pain me for you to witness just how different I am from her.”

Akahte felt cold. “As you wish, Vaylin. But remember that I will always love you, always be proud of you. And if you end up thinking that this is the wrong path after all, you can change it—now, or in the future—and I will be waiting for you. I will always continue to hope”

Vaylin gave a soft gasp and pulled Akahte in a passionate kiss that Akahte eagerly returned. They broke apart, both trembling slightly, both with tears unexpectedly rolling down their cheeks.

Face flushed, Vaylin whispered. “This is the only path I have left to take. All others have been closed to me. I am a monster.” Glutton. Chimaera. “No matter how much I change, I will always revert at the end of the day.”

“You give yourself too little credit,” Akahte reassured her. “One day, you will see yourself the way I do—that every breath you take is in defiance to the man who tried to make you into that monster. That you are a wondrous, incredible young woman, strong—and in more than just in the Force. I will wait for you here on Zakuul. I will be here when you are ready to try again… and Vaylin? I love you so much!”

[skeletonscribbles]

what did it cost?

this took...longer than expected, but finally! she produces some content!

this is partially self-indulgent and partially for the @fyeahreddie “heat” prompt. I took some artistic liberties and used “heat” as “heat of the moment”. if you’re feeling like that phrase pops up Too Much in this, that’s why.

anyways. here you go, Marvel friends. enjoy my non-crossover crossover :) (and if you want it on Ao3, it’s here.)

title: what did it cost? rating: G af word count: 2500 warnings: MAJOR Avengers: Infinity War spoilers summary:  “You would punch Thanos for me?” “I would,” Richie confirmed, finally looking up. His eyes were a little watery, which made Eddie smile. “At the expense of the universe, I would punch Thanos every time. For you.”

“I still don’t fucking understand this game.”

Bill sat back in his chair in a huff, crossing his arms and looking thoroughly sour. They were three hours into a knockoff game of Dungeons and Dragons that they were using as a joke predictor for Avengers: Infinity War , and Bill’s characters were dropping like flies.

“You’re just mad because you lost Loki in the first five minutes,” Ben pointed out, nudging Bill’s knee under the table fondly. “We all told you that trying to covertly stab Thanos was stupid.”

“He was the only character I actually wanted to play,” Bill grumbled, “and like half of my other ones are immediate toast. There’s really only like a 20% chance when push comes to shove that I actually get to keep Vision.”

“I get it, bud. I’m still kinda mad we sent Valkyrie and Korg off early, too.” Bev patted Bill’s shoulder sympathetically. “I really wanted to play her.”

“I really wanted to play Korg,” Richie cut in, eyeing Bill narrowly, “but SOMEone--”

“Enough.” Mike, their long-suffering DM, was somehow still patient even through the chaos and absurdity of the last few hours. “It is how it is. It’s not like this is the way things are actually going to go down in the movie.”

“I fucking hope not,” Bill said, eyes flashing dangerously. “This is a shitshow.”

“Thanos still has two stones to get,” Mike reminded them, “so things could turn around if you keep him away from them.”

Richie stared blankly back at him. “Isn’t the Time Stone at Thanos’ base right now? With Thanos? Things are looking bleak, my guy.”

“The stone is still in my posession.” Ben was looking thoughtful. “Mike, can I roll for clairvoyance, but instead of having a sensor, can I like...see the future? You know, because I have the Time Stone?”

Mike grinned excitedly. “I kinda hoped you would ask. Yeah, sure, Benny boy, rev it up.”

Ben carefully picked up a die, rolled it, and then let it come down on the table. It was a nat-16, and Mike peered thoughtfully down at it.

“Okay, not perfect, but...you can look at my whole manual except the last five pages, and you can’t tell anyone else what any of it says. Cool?”

“I’ll take it,” Ben said, making grabby hands for Mike’s painstakingly put together campaign notes. Beside him, Bill rolled his eyes.

“Can we speed this up so we can get back to the Earth plotline? I’ve got a Cap I’ve barely gotten to use yet.”

“You can hang out with me for a while if you want,” Stan called from the other group. Despite having a healthy interest in both Dungeons and Dragons and Marvel, once they’d started divvying up the characters and Richie had grabbed Starlord, he’d opted out, claiming he was “too old for this”.

“No, I wanna see if they screw this up,” Bill decided, leaning his elbows on the table.

“Same,” echoed Bev. “Who’s there again? It’s you, Ben as Doctor Strange, Rich as Starlord, Drax, and Tony, and Eddie as Spidey, Mantis, and Nebula, yeah?”

“Yes,” Mike confirmed, “so, basically, Richie and Eddie versus Thanos, with a guest appearance by Ben. Ben, how’s that reading coming?”

“Getting there,” Ben replied distractedly, flipping back and forth between two pages with a slight frown.

“Okay. Richie, Eddie, you ready to move forward? Got a plan?”

“Ready,” Eddie said firmly, looking over at Richie with a shy smile. Eddie had been relatively quiet all day, partially because he hadn’t gotten to play Richie’s love interest because Bev had snatched up Gamora almost immediately (and then Bev had fallen into a Thanos trap and gotten her killed, which he was pretty salty about) and partially because he loved to listen to Richie through games like these. He was such a natural storyteller. They were all dying for him to actually run a campaign instead of just dicking around with characters, but he claimed that he was too lazy to put in the work of putting one together. Only Eddie and Stan knew better; knew that he was too afraid of disappointing them to be able to write anything at all, knew that it was often a chore for Richie to get out of bed, much less write a whole campaign.

Someday, maybe.

“Yeah, Spaghetti Man, we got this. Let’s kick this purple asshole in the nuts.” Richie leaned back in his chair, an easy smile on his face. “Tony Stark surprise attacks from above.”

“Roll for stealth. How much damage you can do will depend on how this roll turns out.” Mike moved towards Ben so they could share his notes while Ben finished reading, and the fight proceeded. Richie and Eddie had put together a really impressive plan, which culminated in Eddie’s Mantis putting Thanos to sleep so that the rest of them could pull the Infinity Gauntlet off of Thanos’ arm. It should have worked easily and seamlessly, but then Eddie’s mouth got ahead of his mind in his excitement.

“Mike. New thing. Nebula taunts Thanos about Gamora.”

Mike tutted, shaking his head. “Nebula hasn’t been told any details about what’s happened to Gamora.”

“Nebula can infer,” Eddie insisted. “And she does, to make Thanos suffer more.”

“Roll,” Mike said, gesturing broadly with his hand. Eddie quickly grabbed the dice and rolled a nat-10. “Okay, so it’s not a taunt, per-se, but Nebula says out loud that Thanos has killed Gamora. Reminder that this is the first time any of the rest of the Guardians have heard about this. Mantis, Drax, Starlord, do you do anything?”

“Mantis does not,” Eddie said confidently. “She’s a little busy.”

Richie didn’t answer right away. He was staring at Eddie with an expression that was bordering on anguish.

“Drax? Starlord? Anything in the heat of the moment?” Mike waved his arms in front of Richie’s face. “Earth to Rich?”

“Heat of the moment…” Richie muttered, eyes never leaving Eddie’s face. “Yes. Starlord punches Thanos in the face.”

The entire group sat still for a moment, too stunned to move, and then erupted into chaos.

“He does WHAT now?!?”

“Oh, I’m so glad I’m not a part of this particular plotline, they’re fuckin’ done now…”

“Richie, no!” Eddie’s eyes were frantic. “You can’t! You’ll undo everything!”

Ben stood up and looked around, and the rest of the table fell silent, waiting for him to dispense his newly-acquired wisdom. They were not expecting anything like the words that came out of his mouth.

“Let him do it.”

“We’ll die!” Eddie protested loudly. “Richie--”

“Let him,” Ben insisted, meeting Eddie’s gaze with a solid, zen look of his own, and Eddie knew he was defeated.

“Will you roll, Richie?” Mike asked gently, trying to get Richie’s attention. Richie was STILL staring at Eddie. It was unclear whether or not he’d been cognizant of any of the commotion that had ensued around his decision. “You gonna go through with this heat of the moment kamikaze?”

Slowly and deliberately, Richie nodded. “I’ll roll for damage.”

Mike passed him the die, and he blew on it quickly for luck, shook it once, and then let go.

The roll was a five. Eddie dug his fingers into his thighs to keep himself from trying to flip the table.

“My shit decision’s starting to look pretty good right now,” Bill murmured as Mike sighed and took his notes back from Ben.

“You land the punch, but it doesn’t do anything but snap him out of Mantis’ sleep. He gets the gauntlet back and easily begins to defeat your team. He goes after Tony Stark specifically because he sees him as the biggest threat.” Mike pulled his chair back a little bit and took a deep breath. “Things aren’t looking good, and I think we should break there. Take ten minutes.”

“Cool,” agreed Bill and Bev in unison. Bev stood and began walking towards the back door, presumably to go out and smoke, and Bill headed for the study, where Stan was waiting to hear about what had just happened. Mike collected his notes and walked towards the front door, maybe to review, maybe to get some fresh are, or maybe just to scream out into the street in frustration about how ridiculous his friends were. None of them knew for sure.

“We can still win, right Ben?” Eddie was still too jarred by Richie’s rash decision to feel like he was able to speak to him, so he turned desperately to Ben. “You saw outcomes where we could all live, right?”

“I dunno about all ,” Ben answered carefully, backing towards the back door, “but there’s hope.”

“Ben--” Eddie tried again, but Ben had sped up his retreat.

“There’s hope!” he called again, and then Eddie heard the back door slam.

Slowly, he turned back towards Richie, who was studying his hands with an uncharacteristic amount of focus.

“Care to explain?” Eddie asked quietly, drawing out each syllable in an attempt to convey his dissatisfaction.

Richie didn’t meet his eyes. “No.”

“No?” Eddie nudged his leg to try and get him to look up. “Just an impulse decision, then? I mean, dude, it was just Gamora--”

“I was thinking about you,” Richie muttered, nudging Eddie’s leg back but still not making eye contact. “The whole thing just...made me think about you.”

Eddie had no idea what to make of that.

“I don’t get the connection,” he finally said, tired of trying to puzzle things out by himself.

“Because you’re like, my Gamora,” Richie continued reluctantly, pulling at the beginnings of a tear in the left knee of his jeans. “Not like. Green. But. You’re both strong, bad at dancing, and laugh at my jokes even when it pains you to.”

“Gamora laughs at your jokes?” Eddie asked teasingly, trying to ignore the fact that his insides were blooming in a way that made him feel like a flower moving towards sunlight.

“Starlord’s jokes. You know.” Richie stomped lightly on Eddie’s foot in mock-exasperation. “Anyway, I was thinking about what I’d do in the heat of the moment if I found out you were dead. You know, a little light thinking.”

Eddie gave up on stopping the blooming feeling. He was a whole-ass flower, and Richie was the sun. “You would punch Thanos for me?”

“I would,” Richie confirmed, finally looking up. His eyes were a little watery, which made Eddie smile. “At the expense of the universe, I would punch Thanos every time. For you.”

“You can’t go around making stupid decisions for me,” Eddie chided, but it was obvious he didn’t mean it; his hands and body were moving forward almost robotically to wind around Richie. “Especially with the universe at stake.”

Richie watched Eddie curiously, hands moving reflexively down to grab him for support when he climbed on to Richie’s lap. “You really don’t know me at all, huh?”

“I know you,” Eddie insisted, looking down at Richie’s slight frown and mirroring it.

“I’m always gonna be the ‘punch Thanos’ guy, Eddie,” Richie said simply. “Stupid decisions in the heat of the moment are my thing, especially when there’s feelings involved.”

“Feelings?” Eddie asked, not sure whether or not he was teasing. It came out a little strangled due to his indecision, and he pulled back a little bit, embarrassed.

Richie took a moment, composed himself, and then looked back up, sliding his hand along Eddie’s jaw and gently moving his face so that they were making eye contact.

“I love you,” Richie said, so quietly Eddie wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it at first. “Of course I would punch Thanos for you. I love you.”

Eddie was no longer a flower; he was a cherry tree in bloom, and flowers were opening up through his face, his chest, his arms.

I love you.

“Was this...is this...a stupid decision in the heat of the moment kind of thing?” Eddie asked after  a few silent, explosive seconds.

“I dunno if this qualifies as heat of the moment,” Richie replied carefully, “and it really wasn’t intended to be stupid. That doesn’t mean that it’s not, but.”

“It’s not,” Eddie confirmed, leaning down and brushing his lips against Richie’s. “It’s not.”

Richie reflexively kissed back, closing his eyes and sinking back in his chair. Both of them knew that there was an implicit promise in Eddie’s actions. It would take him a while to respond the way he wanted to - years of self-hatred and his mother’s conditioning meant that he was still in the beginning stages of learning not to bite back soft, affectionate words - but in not running away, in staying and holding on to Richie the way that he was, there was an understanding.

“Seems to me you shouldn’t be rewarding the man who killed the universe.” They broke apart upon hearing Bill’s voice, and turned to see him watching them from the kitchen with a strange, contorted look on his face. Beside him, Stan was picking at a fingernail, obviously uncomfortable.

“Just making the most of the time we have left,” Eddie responded neatly, sliding off of Richie’s lap and back into his own seat. “Are we ready to start again?”

“We’re picking up in Wakanda.” Mike had reentered quietly enough that none of them had noticed he’d come back, and his emergence sent a ripple of surprise through the room. “We need a break from space. Bill, are you ready?”

“To fucking die?” Bill grinned. “Sure, why not. Let’s go out with some style, though, yeah? Bev, you ready to have Shuuri yank this Infinity Stone out of Vision’s head?”

“One minute!” Bev called from the back porch.

“See?” Richie said, gesturing broadly, “there’s still stuff to be done. Game’s not over. Not a decision with terrible repercussions at the end of the day.”

“No, it was,” Bill disagreed, moving back to his seat, “no matter what you’re trying to tell yourself.”

Eddie slid his hand into Richie’s under the table, and held his gaze as Bev and Ben finally reappeared, looking suspiciously windblown.

“It wasn’t,” Eddie whispered to him. “It wasn’t.”

“I know,” Richie whispered back. “Bill doesn’t fucking understand this game.”

“Or Dungeons and Dragons, for that matter,” Eddie said, grinning, and they both fell into peals of laughter, much to the confusion of the rest of the table.

If Eddie had to give up the universe for that specific heat of the moment decision again, he knew in that instant that he would do it - as many times as he had to, or maybe even as many times as he could.

A single I love you from Richie Tozier was maybe, probably, definitely more powerful than any Infinity Stone.

[strahd-von-asthmavich]

The Dread Lands of Ravenloft - Mod Van Richten’s New England In-Table Campaign [Session 3]

Session Highlights

Sure enough, the adventurers will get to Vallaki in one piece!

For whatever reason, whenever I try to add new links to the highlight page on the blog, it doesn’t want to work within the first few minutes that I try to establish the link. Eventually, the link will work properly with some tweaking, though. Sorry about that technical difficulty.

Side note: Any art that I share of NPCs within these highlight posts is my (Mod Van Richten’s) original and fan art. Any art that I use for my players that wasn’t created by myself but by other artists online is kept private and within our friend circle.

Abrascus Barbarian (3) Path of the Ancestral Guardian Race: Tortle Background: Haunted One

Direthorn Rogue (3) Swashbuckler Race: Drow Background: Urchin

Flopsy Barbarian (3) Path of Wild Magic Race: Rabbit Man Background: Experiment

Mangus Monk (3) Way of the Open Hand Race: Half Elf Background: Urchin

Neracahne Wizard (3) School of Evocation Race: Eladrin Background: Noble

Nyra Rogue (3) Phantom Race: Fairy Background: Noble

We resume in the middle of their long rest under the cut:

At the start of their rest, the adventurers find out that Adelaide is a half elf, since she needs to sleep during the rest. After being forced to talk about himself, Escher tells the party that he used to be a noble when living in the Material Plane, and he went to school for wizardry. Mangus situates his bed roll right next to Adelaide. After his trance, Escher can’t help but glare at how close Mangus is to his daughter while they’re all sleeping.

Neracahne finishes her trance around the same time, as well as Direthorn, and Neracahne decides that she wants to talk to Escher while the others are still sleeping. Although Direthorn is keeping watch and up in a tree, they have an ear horn of hearing to overhear the conversation between them.

Escher vents to Neracahne about how invasive everyone was the night before, and he makes a promise to her that they will pay if they do anything to harm his daughter. He seems to warm up to her more than he did the others, given her approach to him.

The adventurers all had wonderful dreams the night before. However, when Direthorn woke up, they felt so sad. The only thing that will make them feel better is pie. Meanwhile, Flopsy, not only wants them, but he needs them and needs to make sure he’ll always have more. Direthorn was trying to steal Nyra’s pie when they were promptly tackled by Flopsy.

The two of them keep fighting over it, until Flopsy eventually gets his hands on it and immediately eats it. The two of them remembered that Granny, who’d given them the pies, lives in a mill on the way to Vallaki. Well, they are on their way to Vallaki. So, they all insist that they need to go there first.

When they get to the mill, the others immediately are suspicious. Meanwhile, Direthorn and Flopsy just want more pies. Direthorn even breaks through the window to get inside. Granny’s daughters are inside, named Stella and Ophelia.

Mangus notices a letter on the table, and he picks it up to read it. It reads:

Transcript: Vasili, my Dear Friend, Yes, of course I would be more than willing to help you with such a horrible problem! I can only imagine what those poor dears in Vallaki are going through. You know very well that I’ve had my own bad encounters with witches... encounters that have left their marks on my very soul. Children, orphaned or not, should never have to face such evil. If you find a way to get the little ones at St. Andral’s Orphanage safely out of Vallaki, I’ll be happy to house them in my windmill. There’s not much room here, true. But we have beds and pies to go round. Sincerely, Granny

While there, Direthorn and Flopsy buy the freshest pies they had, just as Granny arrives. She tells them that if they bring the children to her (twelve in total), she’ll give him a lifetime supply of pies. After all, he’s so desperate for them. He agrees to help her.

The only one that really notices something’s wrong is Nyra. Although she doesn’t get anything that tips her off to anything, she notices some suspicious looking barrels in the makeshift kitchen.

Flopsy is desperate to get to Vallaki quickly, so he insists that they all should travel through the woods. Originally, it was just him and Direthorn going through, while the others planned on going on the main road. But Ismark warns the others that it’s too dangerous to travel through the woods alone. So, the others follow behind.

Along the way, they come across a strange little graveyard with five headstones. Two wights have claimed this area as their territory, but Flopsy and Mangus manage to not trigger combat with the two of them. When they stray too long, they nearly get the five zombies buried in these graves to attack them. The party leaves well before they’re ready, though.

They manage to get to Vallaki in the late afternoon, and they are eager to get to Vasili’s. Before they enter town, they have to pass through customs, telling the guards their names, the weapons on their person, why they’re there, and how long they thing they’ll be here. After customs, the guards tell them the three rules:

Never say Strahd’s name.

If you’re staying for a week, you must attend the festival.

Don’t cause trouble.

Adelaide and Ireena are both awestruck at the sight of the town. Neither of them have ever been to a place like this before. While they’re walking, they find Rictavio’s carnival wagon parked near the stockade. Direthorn finds out that there’s an owlbear in the wagon and is curious about it but decides getting it riled up isn’t a good idea. While exploring, however, they find a weird looking box underneath the front seat. In the box they find a strange book, and they open it.

The beginning of the book reads:

“I, Strahd, Lord of Barovia, well aware certain events of my reign have been desperately misunderstood by those who are better at garbling history than recording it, hereby set down exact records of those events, that the truth may at last be known.”

Then, Abrascus, Direthorn, Flopsy, Ismark, Mangus, Neracahne, and Nyra are all suddenly taken into the world of this book. It’s like in Blue’s Clues, but with extra spookiness. They find themselves in a sunny courtyard, after being in this land with no sun for several days. Ismark, who has never been out in the sun in his entire life, absolutely hates the feeling that sunlight initially gives him.

There’s a twelve-year-old boy watching them. They find out that this boy is a younger Strahd von Zarovich, and through that, they realize that they’re in what they assume is Strahd’s journal.

Strahd thinks that this strange group of adventurers are his imaginary friends. He tells them all about how someday he’s going to be a general in his father’s army, with Rahadin training him. He also tells them about his baby brother Sturm, who’s going to serve his own purpose while Strahd becomes a conqueror.

Direthorn and Strahd have a friendly duel to try and prove how good of a fighter he is, but Strahd loses miserably. He gets frustrated. How is he ever going to get better at fighting? So, Direthorn gives him some pointers. They help him with footing and different stances. With that extra knowledge, Strahd now has advantage for when he now duels with Flopsy. With that advantage, Strahd manages to beat him. Soon after, Rahadin calls Strahd away for more training, and the party ends up back in the present with these parting words that echo through their minds:

“I am the Ancient. I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past, yet that past is now filled only with regret.”

Direthorn is now attuned to this strange book. Once per day, they can attempt to decipher more of it with four consecutive, successful checks with either Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Investigation).

After they return to the present, and the others in their group are confused as to what happened, they meet the owner of this wagon: An eccentric and weaselly looking man named Rictavio. He wears a large burgundy hat on top of his head, presumably to cover his receding hairline. He’s a fast talker with a strange accent (A/N: I’m from New Jersey, and my players fell in love with my accent like the silly New Englanders they are, so I went ham with Rictavio’s voice). Rictavio tells them that they can keep the book they found in his wagon, since he couldn’t get it to work the way Direthorn did. The first page was already deciphered, he said, which is probably how they were able to get through so quickly this time around. It’s not going to be that easy with the book from now on, which is why Direthorn is now attuned to it.

They’re soon encountered by yet another person, who is the burgomaster of Vallaki: Baron Vargas Vallakovich. He welcomes them to the town, excited to see new faces in his town. He invites them to dinner for the next night, and they agree to come.

Finally, they head over to Vasili’s manor. Upon arrival, Escher’s personality shifts from his usual self to that of an obedient servant. Ireena is enamored with the sight of the manor, as well as Adelaide. Soon, Vasili comes out from his ostentatious library to see them, and the two ladies are both so excited to see him. Vasili tells the adventurers that they can stay in his guest house, and Nyra is quick to remind him that Ireena needs a chaperone while here. At that, Vasili appoints Adelaide.

Flopsy gives Vasili the letter that Granny wrote. Vasili looks so confused at the sight of it, especially when they all begin to insist that they need another wagon. That’s when he’s quick to interject and give them a proposal. He’ll give them another wagon on one condition: They’ll bring two orphans to Granny’s mill to start. If they see that the mill can accommodate for twelve children, they can come back for the rest.

The party is all welcome to browse the library. The books they grabbed depended on their Investigation checks. Anything under a 10 was a children’s picture book. Anything above 15 was a book with valuable information to what they were looking for. The higher the check, the more knowledge the player received. Nat 1 gave them the worst possible option. Here are some book highlights:

Barovian History (400 BC - 600 BC): A chronology of important events and obituaries over that period of two hundred years. BC stands for “Barovian Common.” Through this book, Abrascus found out about a strange man from Strahd’s past named Azalin Rex, who tried to start fights and uprisings with Strahd. There were also some notable figures in the obituary sections that were highlighted: Marina Ulrich, who had been brutally murdered, and Olya, who died of a fever.

A book of Vallakian Ghost Stories

A History Text about Vallaki’s Festivals: Nyra found out that the one festival that was always celebrated was the Festival of the Blazing Sun. It was a festival that commemorated the summer, back when the sun was still shining in Barovia. However, in recent history, there have now been festivals every single week. The only festival that is more than a day is the Festival of the Blazing Sun, which is the festival that is beginning in town in two days.

How Not to Get Killed By Zombies: Flopsy now has meta knowledge about damage immunities and traits that zombies typically have, as well as different zombie encounters told by survivors.

The Devil’s Pies: Nyra found this book. 150 years ago, an elderly woman came to Vallaki peddling pies. After she left, several children went missing, and a lot of the people that ate the pies went crazy. After that, she was barred from ever returning.

What is an Owlbear? - A Conspiracy Booklet: Direthorn now knows that there is at least one person in Barovia that is weirded out by the existence of owlbears and the logistics of them.

Different Children’s Book Highlights:

Don’t Speak of the Devil!: A book with different caricatures of Strahd warns children about how it’s bad to say Strahd’s name.

Your Grown Body And You: Mangus found a puberty book.

And, my favorite, for Mangus’ Nat 1 on trying to find a book about how to talk to women:

One Night in Ravenloft - An Erotic Compendium by Strahd von Zarovich, fifth ed.

Nyra goes to Vasili after finding the book The Devil’s Pies, and she warns him that maybe this isn’t a good idea. Vasili said that he just thought it was only something that happened in the past, since it was 150 years ago, but he concedes and thanks Nyra for warning him.

Also, Adelaide openly looked confused by the book Don’t Speak of the Devil! She asked why “the devil’s” face looked the way it did in the book. It seems like she didn’t understand, but the party assures her that it’s just because Strahd’s evil.

Meanwhile, Flopsy had decided to go to St. Andral’s Orphanage alone. He wants those pies. He gets directions from a villager that leads him directly there. He insists on coming in when the door is answered, and he shows her the letter. The headmistress is offended at being accused of being a witch. With how insistent Flopsy was about needing the children, she is very uncomfortable and slams the door in his face, locking it up tightly.

Flopsy knows he needs to get these children to get more pie, so he breaks down the door with his maul. The children and headmistress are hiding upstairs. He heads up there and breaks down that door. Suddenly, it’s like the mists begin to shroud his will. He feels a strange crown of thorns wrapping around his head, and he blacks out.

When Flopsy comes to, he’s covered in blood, and the headmistress is on the ground dead. The orphans are crying and screaming while cowering away from him. Flopsy doesn’t know what to do, so he walks out and leaves the orphans alone.

He’s very soon approached by the captain of the town guard, with four other guards beside him. This large man has a fiendish arm that makes him look intimidating innately. He’d heard the commotion and was suspicious when he stopped hearing the headmistress’ voice. So, he questions Flopsy as to what happened, since he’s covered in blood.

Flopsy lies and tells the guard captain that two wights attacked the orphanage and Flopsy just tried to save him. Because the man had poor insight to Flopsy’s lies, he lets him go.

The session ends after Flopsy cleans himself up and arrives just in time for dinner to be served at Vasili’s manor.

[aurimeanswind]

Back on the Saddle—Sunday Chats (12-10-17)

Woohoo! Let’s get back on it!

Hey I Stopped Writing

So, as intended, I stopped writing on Wednesday, and I’ve taken a few days off. I think I’ll continue to take some much needed time off, but it’s been an exceptionally weird few days since then.

If you missed it, I wrote this very person feature, finally taking my more personal writings to IrrationalPassions.com, about what the experience for writing 1000 days has been. Check it out here:

http://irrationalpassions.com/feature-learned-lost-pained-in-1000-days-of-writing/

I have been holding off on writing since then and I’ll say, it’s been exceptionally weird. Not writing on Sunday was actually the weirdest thing I think I have done in a really long time. I had that itch, and that craving, and it hasn’t gone away. Making this thing I’ve been doing habitual was always the goal, but to take the time off actually puts it in perspective and lets me appreciate it. That itch to make, and create, and do is still there all these days later, and it’s become a part of me. I don’t see it ever going away.

But also there is so much less stress about. Fighting my procrastinating has always been a struggle for me in all the seven years I’ve been making stuff on the internet, and now I feel like I am in an era after it. But I thought the same with writing, and it resulted in bad habits like not releasing things, not editing things, and not finishing things, so we’ll see if it really pays off. But I’m hopeful. 

I’m also significantly less stressed than I was. There was this pressure to make and do things and be a part of that creation every day, and even with Sunday Chats now, I don’t have to feel that overwhelming pressure anymore, and it’s kind of great. This was the right decision, and I’m really happy to be in a new era of creation for myself.

Thank you to everyone who took a little bit of time out of their day to congratulate me for hitting 1000 days of writing. You all have no idea how much that means to me. To think people are following along this saga with me and watching me create and do things. It honestly moves me to my core. That piece I wrote was very real, very true, and very honest, and it’s one of my proudest writings that has been out there. Thank you all. For reading.

Always.

What I’ve Been Working On

It’s been a minute for a check in with this! So I wanted to give everyone a little preview of the new year. I’m sure I’ll touch on this stuff again soon, but to give you a preview:

I have finished writing a book. The book is entirely about a specific video game from this year, and it’s a collection of essay/article-style writings. I need to find an artist to help me make a cover for it and get it edited, but I’m hoping it’ll be out in early 2018!

I am working on a brand new podcast that I actually want to start. I’ll likely announce it in January as opposed to actually start it then. I’ve had this idea for a very, very long time, but it’s time to put it into action. Once I am cleared of GOTY content, I will be announcing it, and I intend for the first episode to release in February.

Video has been on my mind a lot lately, and I’m excited to get back into it. What exactly I’ll be doing... Well, more Alex Talks, that’s for sure. But I want to change things up. And I want to make it more consumable. I always want to do real, strict video essays, and that’s going to be a new endeavor going forward. We’ll see how it turns out.

There is a TON of great Game of the Year content coming from Irrational Passions, from the written word, to our content, to guest content, and the team has all been exceptional with helping me put this together. It’ll start rolling out at the end of this month, and I can’t wait for you all to see it!

What’s on Tap

There are honestly too many games to talk about, so I’ll just focus on the one I played today, which is Pyre. 

I talked about my other games on Friday’s podcast, so listen to that for my full thoughts on things like Wolfenstein 2 and Death of the Outsider. 

Pyre seems very good. I have pretty much just played the content I saw when I played it initially at PAX East 2016, and previewed it there. It was limitlessly impressive then, and continues to impress now. Its blend of visual novel-esque gameplay and weird, sporty-action is awesome, and so unlike anything else out there. As far as games that do new things, it is a standout in a year that is full of things like that. 

I like the characters, I love the art, and I love the world, I’m really stoked to play more!

I’m also probably going to play some of that Monster Hunter World Beta tonight so god wish me luck.

Questions

I’ve been playing some goddamn video games!

It’s been surreal and I’ve wanted to stop and write and I’ve honestly had to force myself not to. I know that may seem counterintuitive to some, but It’s been really helpful to get some distance from this boot-camp style creation process.

But I finished a couple of things last week and I’m excited to continue going through games and finishing them in preparation for GOTY.

WE AER CONFIRMED FOR PHILLY!

The BrO-C is having a holiday get together and y’all should be excited.

I think I have and I haven’t. I think I fall into a lucky category that a wide swath of genres hit with me and resonate with me in a big way. I can sit down and really appreciate the five hour Call of Duty campaigns, but I can also play a Cuphead and get lost in it, and dig into Hearthstone for a few weeks, or lose myself to Animal Crossing Pocket Camp for a week or two on top of that. I love a multitude of genres, but this year has specifically hit with me as two sequels to my two favorite franchises in games were released: Persona and Zelda.

I think there is always a difficulty with representations in games to players. Like, I am also a white dude, and there are a ton of games trying to get to me, but I’m happy to say that this year definitely felt different, and many of my favorite games starred not white dudes. And that’s great! So I think your feelings of games not hitting with you is not alone.

But I think in those circumstance I try and challenge myself to new things even more. Things outside of my comfort zone. For me, the biggest one this year was Doki Doki Literature Club, which made me very uncomfortable, but paid off a lot, and also Wolfenstein 2, which going into I thought I wouldn’t like, and ultimately it didn’t work for me, but I’m glad I tried it.

Lean into your niches for the comfort food, and explore out of them for something that will (hopefully) surprise you. But don’t write of games that you haven’t played just because you didn’t like previous entries. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. Time to look and see!

I mean for me it’s still the jump from SD to HD. But also the jump from 2D and 3D. I want to believe some HDR shit will change my life, but the more I hear about it the more it turns me off, honestly? Like I’m not surrounded by 4K HDR TVs and I don’t want the more placid experience to be “ruined” for me or anything.

OOOOH! 

I love Christmas. Winter is my favorite season.

OMG.

Okay, so like definitely go on a cute walk through a lights-of-some-kind-celebration, so we have the Festival of Lights here in Maryland. Get some scarves and hot cocoa and go nuts!

Fireside cuddling, for sure.

And Gingerbread lattes from starbucks because they’ll make you fat and holiday ready and also taste like Christmas.

More enthusiastic, honestly! I think the biggest thing I took away from my 1000th day of writing was that it... well, it just felt like all the other days, ya know? There was nothing special about the act that day, aside from all the congratulations. The day after, where I didn’t write, that was the weird one. The special one.

Since my hunger for writing has been building a while, I’m excited to do this. To make this tentpole remain so. And I love Sunday Chats so much, so it’s definitely a big boon to it.

I’ve talked a lot about this on shows, but the Game Awards was excellent. A great show all around.

PSX was fine. It was not a press conference, and was more of a panel, what they had said it would be, so I think it was definitely more fun for the folks there. 

The big stickers with me are HD MediEvil, which I am SUPER stoked for. Loved the game from before, and I hope they bring up the second one too since I love it even more, and that new Campo Santo game looks great. From Software can make whatever at this point and I am probably on board. It’s probably Tenchu, apparently, but I’m still in.

I’ve touched on it already, but it’s definitely been a bit of a shock to the system. I love all the questions about it! Makes me think folks really care ;)

JAPAN.

MAKE AND ASSASSIN’S CREED IN NINJA JAPAN.

PLEASE.

But for real probably 1800s London. I didn’t even play that one but it sounds awesome.

Well, I mean I don’t know. I have partially convinced myself that I definitely dont inspire others, even if there is evidence to the contrary, because I mean... it’s just too crazy for me to believe otherwise. Humbling? I guess?

And I have not realized that. I think I touched on this in my 1000 days piece. I think if that was your takeaway, you missed the point. Even when it feels like nothing is impossible, factors come in that will change that perspective. And holding onto that humility will keep you strong in your weakest moments. And somedays, the most impossible will feel so until it isn’t, and the possible will be very much so until it’s suddenly impossible.

Remember that. Because it hurts when that rug is pulled from under you.

47.

YES. VERY EXCITED FOR THIS QUESTION.

Spoilers, we’ve talked extensively about this, but I’m excited to share my answers here.

So.

Here we go.

With some wiggle room.

Earth Kingdom - Ravenclaw

There is this know-it-all cockiness that I think fits across both of them, and I think there is also this tried and true brilliance as well. There is an established empire of the Earth Kingdom, and it lines up with what Ravenclaw’s ideals would have been. There is also a rigidness to their way of movement, and I think it lines up with the rigidness of Rowena’s belief in knowledge. 

Fire Nation - Slytherin

I think this could EASILY be Griffindor as well, I want to say that up front. 

The two have this kind of strength from within that they draw from, that breath that the fire comes from. And I think the kind of natural jealous of the Fire Lord to the Avatar is similar to Salazar’s jealousy of Godric that brought about that divide, and brought about the Fire Nation that we see in The Last Airbender. There is also a great cunning and brilliant there too, and that can’t be undersold. But there is this feeling of inclusiveness that I can’t shake.

Water Nation - Gryffindor

In a similar way, there is this ego and overconfidence that the Northern Water Tribe holds that puts them in this camp. I could see this swapped with the Fire Nation, like before, as I think Gryffindor/Slytherin are the most similar of all the houses. But there is this idiocy and bravery beautifully melded together there, and a fluidity of response to the water bender’s movement that lines up with the bold and headstrong Gryffindors. 

Air Nation - Hufflepuff

The crowd pleasers. The people-loves. The pacifists. It lines up with the feelings I think are true to what Helena had in mind, but there is a self-loyalty there too. This idea of trying to deflect conflict down really resonates with Air Benders I think, and a loyalty to their own ideals. They were monks who rigidly followed that, and I see that very deeply.

Jazz I LOVE this question so damn much. Folks should tweet at her your thoughts too!

I know this was a bit briefer a Sunday Chats, but I have a ton of stuff I still need to do and get done tonight, but thank you so much for reading.

I will keep trucking along and keep making cool things, but please, keep reading, and letting me know what you think.

I’ll keep writing, but beyond that, I’ll keep talking, and podcasting, and tweeting, and making video, and making an argument for games, because really, it’s all I know how to do.

All I ask you to do, is

keep it real.

(And please Buy Okami HD)