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demigoddessqueens · 2 years

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VM suddenly finding out an androgynous Reader is female after they've been traveling with them for a while? Reader is cis, but heavily prefers the look and feel of mens' clothes over womens'. The only reason they find out is bc Reader eventually trusts them enough to shed a couple layers during resting periods.

I love this idea! I feel like that it would be a literal and figurative way of letting walls down!

Grog - at first he’s confused until you explain it. “It just feels more like me sometimes Grog. Plus it’s better whenever it’s cold.” It takes some getting used to on his part but every so often you catch him staring like “you’re so pretty, could wear anything and it looks good on you”

Vax’ildan - he ever thought much of it at first, but when he starts to see the layers shed it strikes him. You trust them, him. It makes for a vulnerable conversation about protection and trust, and the rogue appreciates that you trust him

Pike - kind of similar reaction to Grog’s but she’s understanding. Being a cleric and all, she knows her armor is meant to protect her just as you sought comfort in your clothes. Needless to say, she would have a total “whoa 😳” moment when she saw you completely

Vex’ahlia - she gets it. Sometimes she’s had to dress a certain way, and at times even she finds such clothing convenient. But when two and two add up, she’s reassured that you think that of the others and her in such high regard to reveal your secret

Keyleth - she’s surprised because that was the farthest thing she expected. Can’t help but ask a lot of questions that you have patience for, recalling some past travels of your own. In a way, it helps you both open up to one another without the underlying fears holding you back

Scanlan - what the heck??? It’s not a first for him 👀 but still, it’s within the own party! Because he’s himself, he’s consistently flirting but when he sees that it’s off-putting, or you’re just not reacting, it’s a wake-up call. Pretty soon the gnome bard makes attempts to be more genuine with you, and hear your story and everything

Percy - he’s sympathetic and understanding without it being said. He’s hidden behind a mask before (albeit his motive was revenge and your reasons are your own) so he knows exactly what it feels like, and there’s a rapport you naturally form with him

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lazaruspiss · 9 months

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going thru some idea notes that i havent gotten around to doing anything with. below is one of em.

been having D&D brain lately. i have a notes doc of just some "the robins make d&d characters" thoughts, though i havent thought of anything for jason yet. kinda just want an excuse to make some D&D OC designs tbh.

duke - DM who gets real into it, just having the time of his life whenever the party starts infighting

dick - human paladin who wants to... do paladin stuff? (gets called boring, gets an offer to rethink his character)

jason - (im sure hed love this kind of nerd shit but cant for the life of me guess at what kind of character he'd come up with. maybe he'd ask duke if they could secretly make him a twist villain at the end. ideas ideas...)

tim - elf cleric because he doesn't trust anyone else to remember what a healer does. character motivation? his character thinks your characters are too stupid to survive without him.

steph - orc barbarian who wants to prove her strength by slaying the strongest beasts the world has to offer, namely: a dragon.

damian - androgynous half tiefling rogue on a hunt for the human parent that theyve never met. (not very subtle, but dick glares and no one says anything about it)

and maybe design character dice sets, for funsies

#let dami have his secret-not so secret gender crisis and daddy issues in peace smh #robins d&d au

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dungeonsandblorbos · 1 year

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Campaign Intros: Curse of Strahd

so we're calling this campaign Curse of Strahd, which is an actual dnd 5e adventure book, but what we're actually playing is probably at least 80% homebrew. my husband, the DM, wasn't satisfied with the real book, as its worldbuilding wasn't deep or horrifying or dangerous enough for his gothic horror purposes. so he significantly expanded the lore, made Strahd a whole lot more powerful (as he should be), and even made his own maps and other Dark Lords! he's done an absolutely incredible job and i cannot heap enough praise on him. like, we're only 13 sessions in and this is his first time DMing, but he really makes this campaign something special <3

~anyway~

the setting

if you're familiar with Curse of Strahd as written, you've probably got a decent understanding of the basic setting already. i'm sure there's some major differences, but you'd have to ask my husband what they are lol

for those unfamiliar with Curse of Strahd, it takes place in the country of Barovia, a gloomy gothic nation banished from the material plane about four hundred years ago. now, it exists as its own little demi-plane in the Shadowfell, surrounded by deadly mists. somewhere in those mists are a few paths out to Faerun, but only a select few can walk them. everyone else, even those who wander in by mistake, are trapped. the sun does not shine here. there are no songbirds, only crows and ravens and owls. the dead do not like to stay dead. and it's all ruled over by the undying dread king Strahd von Zarovich, who is charming and cunning and ruthless and bored

the party

Cerris Tempescu: my PC! you know him, you met him here. a human tempest cleric who's basically what would happen if Clark Kent were a classic gothic hero (and also the most bottom to ever bottom). he's depressed. he's a himbo. he has something of a hero complex. he's my sweet baby boy and i love him and want him to eventually get a happily ever after, but first he's gotta suffer a whole bunch

Shalden Broadfist: a (purple) half-orc paladin devoted to the Smiling God, a big desert worm with a very neutral morality. Shalden is charming in a mostly awkward sort of way, and also something of a himbo. waaaaay more chill about the atrocities they've witnessed (and accidentally contributed to) than Cerris. looks good in an apron. can breathe fire. also very good at getting possessed

Valessha: an androgynous (purple) moon elf knowlege cleric. was naturally the smart one of the party . . . until they got yanked into a bag of holding by the Bag Man, where they've since been stuck.

Important NPCs

Ireena Kolyana: the one, the only, Ireena Kolyana. a beautiful and fiery young noblewoman who's handy with a sword and crossbow and throwing knives. headstrong, confident, and intelligent. she likes purple wildflowers, somewhat masculine clothing, and teasing Cerris, among other things

Ismark the Lesser: Ireena's older brother, and the current mayor of Barovia Village. when we first meet him, he's tired. like, only in his 30s and he's already gone silver tired. when we meet him again, he's got a shotgun and he's out for blood and vengeance against the people he feels were responsible for what happened to his sister (read: us!)

Arrigal: one of Strahd's . . . what's the word? henchmen? servants? lackeys? whatever else he is, Arrigal is a smarmy prick. blessed by Strahd with the ability to traverse the mists, he has personally lured many heroes (including our party) from Faerun to their deaths in Barovia, all for his master's entertainment

Luvash: Arrigal's younger but larger brother. big and strong and kind, but not stupid, although i'm sure his brother thinks he is. big dad energy

Madame Eva: a wise old woman cursed with nigh eternal unlife by her half-brother, Strahd. using her deck of tarokka cards, she can read your future—for a price. not money, no, she has no use for that, but a particularly interesting artifact or trinket will do

[redacted]: a horrifying eldritch family who lives in a cute little blue farmhouse surrounded by impossibly vast fields of "corn" and "scarecrows." there's a father who's very tall, a mother who's an excellent baker, and a child who likes to draw. their faces are obscured by a whirling static of color, and their voices have a lovely southern (US) drawl. their diet seems to consist exclusively of baked goods, candy, and other sweets. sometimes their movement sounds odd, like a bug's chitinous carapace rubbing against itself as it moves. sometimes their disembodied voices hover around you speaking in unison. sometimes they paralyze you and prop you up at their dinner table like a doll

Strahd: the man, the myth, the legend. Strahd is tall, dark, and handsome, with a rich voice and surprisingly warm hands. he is elegant, suave, charismatic, bold, intelligent, and many other nice sounding things; but he has been around for a long time, and he has seen many things, and he is bored of it all. despite the incredible power he already possesses, he hungers for more. has a self-professed fondness for religious men, having flirted with both Cerris and Shalden on numerous occasions

the plot . . . so far

after being lured into Barovia by Arrigal, our party finds themselves doing what they can to help the folks of Barovia village. they clear out a haunted and cursed old manor, putting the ghosts there to rest. they help bury Ireena and Ismark's father so Strahd's minions will stop messing with it. they promise a pastor to help him return his vampire spawn son to genuine life

and when they learn that Ireena is believed to be the reincarnation of Strahd's one true love Tatyana, that as a result, he has been trying to capture her and make her his bride for years, they agree to escort her to the temple in Valaki, the last stronghold against Strahd's power

upon arriving in Valaki, they are tasked with finding a missing holy relic as payment for sheltering Ireena. after losing Valessha to the Bag Man, going on a side quest to help Luvash recover his daughter from a family of hags, and playing out the beginning of a sweet little romantic comedy between Cerris and Ireena, they do find it and return it. but it quickly becomes apparent that something is deeply wrong here in Valaki

indeed, it turns out that the whole ordeal was something of a setup. more than a handful of NPCs thought to be good people—or, at least, neutral ones—are revealed to be working with Strahd to bring down Valaki and help him free himself from the confines of Barovia

you see, the curse that ties Strahd to this land and prevents him from leaving is not really a curse on him, but upon his bloodline. as the only surviving member of the von Zaroviches, unable to have children as a side effect of being undead, it remains effective. but if, say, he were to have a little niece or nephew running around, he just might be able to place them on the throne and pass along the curse, leaving himself free to return to Faerun and his conquest

but how could Strahd aquire a niece or nephew when his only sibling, Sergei, has been dead for four hundred years?

well, it should be noted Tatyana was not really Strahd's lover. he did ask her to be his, once, but she refused—and shortly thereafter, fell in love with and married his brother. when the pair died tragically, Tatyana was pregnant; and so the unfinished soul of her unborn child lingered, attached to her own soul as she reincarnated again and again and again over four hundred years. a particularly powerful fertility spell—say, one fueled by the very holy relic our party retrieved—could feasibly impregnate a reincarnation of Tatyana with the ghost of Sergei's child

so, of course, that's what Strahd's minions do. they put Ireena in a deep trance, kidnap her, and, armed with the very holy relic our party unwittingly retrieved for them, perform a ritual for a powerful fertility spell that presumably sticks a ghost baby in her womb without her knowledge or consent. and then she's whisked away to Strahd's castle, the city of Valaki is conquered, and our heroes are publicly blamed for it all

with nothing else to do, they turn to the cryptic reading Madame Eva gave them, hoping it holds the secret to defeating Strahd—and that they can decipher it before it's too late

#campaign intros #curse of strahd #curse of strahd homebrew #dnd 5e #Cerris Tempescu #ttrpg stories #dnd 5e oc #curse of strahd pc #*slaps roof of car*#this bad boy can fit so many dead doves inside it #but would you expect anything else of a gothic horror campaign?#also yes there is a wonderfully complicated and ridiculous love dodecahedron going on here and someday i will map it out for y'all #cw forced pregnancy

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the-kaedageist · 4 years

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“I can’t keep kissing strangers and pretending that they’re you.” [what else could this be but widomauk?] xoxo

God, what a beast you spawned with this prompt. I haven’t even written Widomauk before!

Widomauk, #31: “I can’t keep kissing strangers and pretending that they’re you.” (1,928 words because WHAT)

The tavern was in a secluded part of Rosohna two blocks away from the Xhorhaus, sheltered in between a blacksmith’s shop and a large building that looked like it fulfilled some sort of need for municipal bureaucracy. Mollymauk located it at the end of his first two weeks of returning to the loving arms of the Nein, noting its presence on some sort of errand he was running with Beau, and within three days he found himself sitting at the counter, halfway to the bottom of a bottle of wine and trying not to think about red hair and blue eyes.

The first thing Molly had noticed was that Caleb was different. The whole group was, of course; they fit together like a puzzle, the sharp edges sanded down. The Nein felt like a family, and Molly wasn’t sure that there was still a place for him among their ranks, not anymore. Caleb’s changes weren’t even the most profound – that award obviously went to Veth, with her mischievous halfling smile and her avoidance of alcohol – but it was the change that went straight to Molly’s gut. Caleb smiled more. He was clean and had grown his hair long. He was as handsome as Molly had suspected, so long ago. However, past Caleb had been too much of a mess to be worth pining after.

This time, Molly was drinking his weight in wine, glancing around the bar looking for someone to take him home and distract him.

It wasn’t just Caleb, of course. It was resurrection – the last thing he’d wanted – and the avalanche of memories that had returned with the reawakening of his body. It was being whisked halfway across the continent by Caleb’s magic to a city shrouded in darkness, the Nein’s new home, brought to a house filled with memories of him and a hot tub named with his initials.

It was realizing the person they remembered wasn’t quite the person he was, and worrying what they would do about that once they figured it out.

Thankfully, before Mollymauk could get too maudlin, a handsome drow entered the tavern. He was a tall man with the muscles of a soldier, distracting Molly away from his existential angst with a coy look. He took his wine and his low spirits and joined the man at his table, and banished all thought of existential despair – and attractive redheads – from his mind for the rest of the evening.

A week later, he was back. He didn’t drink as much, that time – Jester had teased him a bit about having to cure his hangover, and Molly didn’t want to risk the group thinking he hadn’t grown along with them. Another drow caught his eye this time, with an androgynous haircut and elegantly bejeweled ears, and Molly distracted himself quite heartily with them, not stumbling back home to the Xhorhaus until the early hours of the morning.

Caleb was waiting up, sitting out in the front of the house, his profile lit gently by the string of lights from Caduceus’s tree.

“Beau was worried,” Caleb said, his face unreadable.

“I’m fine.” Molly brushed past him and into the house, which was quiet and dark. Soft footfalls signaled that Caleb was following, and a moment later, three globes of light swirled in the air around him, lighting the downstairs interior.

“You keep leaving,” Caleb said stubbornly. “You didn’t even tell us where you were going.”

“I can take care of myself,” Molly told him, not appreciating the reminder that the rest of the team was now double his strength. He quickly climbed the stairs to the “guest room” which had become his own before Caleb could continue his scolding and was unconscious only a few seconds before his head hit the pillow.

The third time, he didn’t have the opportunity to pick up anyone.

“So this is where you go,” said a familiar accented voice as Molly glanced forlornly into his stein of ale. A moment later, Caleb seated himself heavily beside him, his hair gleaming almost too-bright in the candlelight. Molly looked away, catching the eye of the bugbear who was bartending. The bugbear, who had heard a bit too much about Caleb to make Molly completely comfortable, raised his eyebrows and brought Caleb some of the same ale without being asked.

“This is where I go,” Molly said awkwardly as Caleb took a sip of ale.

They drank comfortably in silence for a few moments, giving Molly time to study Caleb out of the corner of his eye. Caleb was comfortable, now, clever and confident and far more alive. He still wore trauma like a second skin, but it was also clear that being with the Nein had started him along the path of slowly healing. Molly wanted to watch him constantly, cataloguing all the ways he was different – and he wished he’d been present to watch the transformation in real time. Instead, he was still the same shitty charlatan, low-level and up to his ears in lies and bullshit memories.

It wasn’t until he’d finished his first ale and started on a second that Caleb turned to speak. “What is wrong, Mollymauk?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t send Caduceus out to fetch me,” Molly said, staring into his stein. “Isn’t that his role in the group? He sorts the rest of you out?”

“We are all capable of sorting the others out,” Caleb said, a hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth. “We just, most of the time, choose not to.”

Molly didn’t want to think about the fact that he’d died and been replaced by a competent cleric who was clutch in battle. He drained his ale to the bottom of his stein and held it up. The bugbear bartender, by now a dear friend, gladly filled it back up and took the proffered coin.

“Are you going to tell me?” Caleb asked. The strangeness of it – Caleb trying to help, Caleb here next to him, dressed in Xhorhasian fine clothing with his hair drawn back into a soft ponytail, Caleb’s body thrumming with power even beneath the surface – struck Molly all at once, and he took in a deep breath for courage.

It would be so easy, to turn around and look Caleb deep in the eyes and be honest. To tell him he was feeling out of place, broken into tiny pieces, empty once more. To flat-out admit that he didn’t know if he was really the person the Nein had remembered for all this time.

Instead, he chose the easy way out, because it was what Mollymauk Tealeaf did. Oh, he put on a good show, putting on a saucy pout and trying to slur his words more than necessary, but he still made a choice not to confront the real elephant in the room.

Instead, he steeled himself and said, “I can’t keep kissing strangers and pretending that they’re you.”

He watched the gears turn behind Caleb’s gaze. This was it. Caleb would give him a look of disgust or sadness and leave him to his own pity party. Caleb, whose boundaries were practically an armored bastion, would never let this sort of comment pass.

Caleb was staring at him, mouth agape. He shook himself slightly. “You’ve been…kissing strangers, pretending that they’re me?”

It wasn’t a lie, but the dumbfoundedness seemed a bit over the top. Caleb was stupidly hot. Was it that hard to believe? “It’s been difficult. You don’t really look like a drow.”

Caleb wheezed a bit beside him, and it took Molly a minute to realize he was laughing.

He didn’t even think he’d seen Caleb laugh, before.

“I’m sorry,” Caleb said, waving a hand in his direction. “I’m not laughing at you. I just…yes, I can imagine I do not look like a drow.” He met Molly’s gaze with some intensity, surprising him. “I’m also sorry you have felt the need to…play make-believe.”

Something bitter twisted inside Molly, his expression growing sour. “You don’t have to patronize me,” he muttered, dragging his gaze away. He took one last gulp from his ale and set it down. “I’m sorry you drew the short straw and came to fetch me. I’ll let you finish your drink in peace.” He started towards the door, fully intending to stumble out into the night and go find another tavern to drink in. Maybe he’d go dancing.

A hand caught his around the wrist, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to find Caleb watching him. “I did not draw the short straw,” Caleb said, his voice quiet but intense. “You mean a lot to all of us, Mollymauk. I have been worried about you. I have been through much, but I have never been dead and brought back to a world changed.”

Molly didn’t meet his eyes. “It sucks,” he said.

“I dreamed of you,” Caleb said conversationally. “For months, afterwards. You haunted all of us, but me, especially.” He gently tugged Molly back in to sit on the barstool on his other side, facing him. “I never—I was not in a place, where I could have—but I think I knew.” Despite the incoherence of his words, there was a confidence in his shoulders as he leaned over and pressed his hand to Mollymauk’s heart. It was beating so intensely that Molly was sure that Caleb could feel it through all the layers of clothing. “There was a connection, between us.”

“There was,” Molly said faintly. Gods, how the tables had turned.

Caleb gave him a wry smile. “I spent months thinking how to give back the gift you gave me,” he said. “Now, we have gifted it back ten times over. We have all grown and changed, surpassed the people we were originally and become something more. And you are one of us, as you always have been. You will have your chance to grow into us too.”

Caleb grasped Molly’s face between his own and Molly’s mouth went dry. For a moment, he thought Caleb was going to kiss him, and those blue eyes did stray momentarily to Molly’s mouth as though he was thinking about it. Instead, Caleb leaned over and pressed his lips to the center of Molly’s forehead, a parody of a moment long ago, in a mineshaft in the Marrow Valley with flames all around them.

“You’re one of us,” Caleb said, “And I don’t know the person you’ll become, but I am interested to find out.”

Molly felt his eyes fill with tears, unbidden and unwanted. He quickly blinked them away.

Caleb released his face, leaning back on his stool and studying him. “If you are still looking for people to kiss,” he continued slowly, as though he couldn’t quite believe the words were leaving his mouth, “I do not think you will need to pretend, any longer.”

Mollymauk stared at him, barely able to hear the sounds of the other patrons of the tavern over the hammering of his heartbeat.

He swallowed hard. “Well then, Mr. Caleb,” he said, the old playful nickname tasting almost foreign on his tongue. He leaned forward on the barstool, knocking their knees together and slowly leaning his forehead against Caleb’s to give him time to move away if he chose. Caleb watched him with wide eyes, but didn’t flinch. Instead, he glanced back down at Molly’s mouth, licking his lips.

“Yes, Mr. Mollymauk?” he asked, a bit of a waver in his voice.

“You talk too much,” Mollymauk said right before he kissed him firmly.

Give me a dialogue prompt!

#widomauk #cr fanfic #critical role fanfic #caleb widogast #mollymauk tealeaf #my fics #writing #memes #asks #ariadne-mouse

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kaypeace21 · 5 years

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I have a question but I just want to say first that I love your theories. They’re very well thought-out and interesting. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you could explain how Mike is queer-coded? I’ve seen you mention it and I’ve seen others talk about his attraction to androgynous El, but is there more? Thanks!

ALOT MORE! I talked about it here in the past- but without getting too much into s3 (since I’ve already talked about s3 byler extensively).I’ll just have links for everything I noticed in s3 at the bottom of this post. In regards to s1 and 2, Mike was heavily coded as queer. But most significantly this was done in s1- arguably he was more queer coded than Will ever was. I won’t get into all the details (we’d be here all day) but the highlights, at the top of my head are-

- Mike in his his basement has a red heart being propelled by a rainbow.

- 4 separate characters said El looked like a boy, but Mike doesn’t care! Even one of the men thought El might be the missing ‘Byers boy’. When El loses her wig , Troy said “she doesn’t even look like a girl” to the cops. But Mike just calls her “really pretty”

-Nancy says “I thought you were acting weird, but I thought it was because of Will” And Mike responds “I thought you were acting weird too I thought it was because of Steve … Do you like Jonathan now”?” Nancy: “No, do you like Eleven?”. They literally compared the explicit love triangle between Steve/Nancy/Jonathan to the Will-Mike-El dynamic!

- Mike literally uses gender inclusive pronouns when talking about crushes using the word “someone” (3 times), and embarrassing himself because he can’t articulate the difference between friendship and romance. When he could of simply given the 80s heteronormative answer of ‘when a boy likes a girl’.

Mike: “ you go to school dances with someone.

You know someone that you like”

El: “a friend?”

Mike: ‘not a friend uh … uh someone like a” (gives up and kisses her)

-Mike’s mom said “ What’s been going on with Will, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you. I just … want you to feel like you can talk to me. I never want you to feel like you have to HIDE anything from me” (she even emphasizes the word ‘hide” (which is heavily queer coded)

- when Will ‘dies’, “we can be heroes” by David bowie (a bisexual singer) plays, “And we kiss as though nothing could fall and the shame” is the lyric that plays when Mike returns to his house and cries in his mother’s arms over the ‘death’ of Will. Do I have to explain how ‘kissing and shame’ are queer-coded . And how such a lyric is oddly romantic- if we’re supposed to see their bond as nothing but platonic XD

-his dad jokes “Absolutely not” *turns to wife* “our son with a girl?”.

- when Lucas makes fun of his crush on EL, Lucas gets down on one knee and says “ I love you so much, will you marry me?” and literally 1s later, we’re introduced to the bullies and the idea (for the first time) that Will is ‘gay’, and Mike is in the forefront of the scene and unlike his friends he is THE ONLY ONE physically assaulted (like a gay-bashing) . They leave Lucas and Dustin unharmed. Even though Lucas just proposed to another guy- which should have gotten him a beating by the homophobic bullies.

It’s supposed to subconsciously hint Mike is queer like Will, and likes Will. The first interaction with the bullies, they mention Will being ‘gay’ right after they mention Mike’s crush on androgynous El and have a guy propose to Mike. Mike says to “ignore them” ( the homophobic remarks) but is assaulted anyways. And when asked what happed he doesn’t want to tell El the details cause he’s ashamed .

2nd time the bullies talk about Will, Mike is once again in the forefront, unlike his straight friends who are in the background . But this time Mike initiates the confrontation), as the bullies say Will is “flying in fairyland with all the other little fairies. All happy and gay”. Mike was literally on the verge or tears at this comment (despite being happy a few moments earlier , telling the others to ‘act sad’ because they’d look suspicious other wise). But this is the comment where Mike snaps and pushes Troy back (because he took it personally/wanted to defend Will).

The framing of Mike once again being in the front and snapping at the homophobic remarks (these gifs don’t do it justice, just rewatch the scene -Mike eyes water at the remarks). Then the last time the bullies appear , Mike jumps off the cliff and “flies like a fairy” (like Troy said) thanks to El . Troy at the police station even uses the word “fly” not levitate.

- Mike proclaiming “I’m the only one who cares about Will!” Seems like something a kid with a crush might say ( because obviously his other friends care about Will). But he thinks he cares the most.

-Mike sneaking out to find Will, as Steve sneaks in to Nancy’s. They both even make eye contact (and pretend not to have seen each other).

- they share dinosaur toys , in s1 and 2 they appear to be the only ones with dinosaur toys.

- The s1 mom hug scene where Mike feels he lost Will is paralleled in s3 - signifying how he lost him a 2nd time.

- Mike in the 1st ep being the one to insist on looking for Will in the rain (callback to s3). But he never went looking for El when he saw her through his window? Even when Mike saw Will’s dead body, the second he heard his voice he convinced his friends to help rescue him!

- You remember the binder (from s1) that Mike keeps, filled with 100s of Will’s drawings, and how he caresses the drawing after thinking Will was dead. That’s totes platonic.

- Will in all 3 seasons identifies as a wizard. But in s2 Mike (the paladin) says Will is a cleric. Meaning this reflects how Mike actually feels about Will. In d&d, they have similar moral values, powers, and generally need and depend on each other in the lore of d&d. Paladins have similar healing powers to clerics, but clerics have stronger healing abilities - which is interesting since Mike has always been viewed as the protector. But to Mike Will has helped him (maybe deal with the loss of El and other trauma) , just by being there. And if Mike says Will is a cleric,despite Will still identifying as a wizard in s3, it shows how deeply Mike actually feels about Will. It shows he views Will as one of the only people who understands him and views him as a healing presence and his moral compass.

“ strength of conviction gave many paladins a sense of common fellowship but did not always endear them to others. In many cases, paladins did not get along quite as well with other non-paladin adventurers, with the exception of clerics with similar beliefs.”

“A Paladin tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous Paladin is fallible. Sometimes the heat of emotion causes a Paladin to transgress his or her oath (of honesty, courage, compassion, honor ,and duty). A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric who shares his or her faith or from another paladin of the same order. After a rite of confession and forgiveness, the paladin starts fresh.

-Mike stands next to Will under the rainbow poster

- Mike forces Will to dance with a girl, but you literally see Mike’s shocked expression like ‘what,why’d I do that ?’ And after this, they show Dustin looking sad about Max/Lucas dancing and then they have Mike get into the frame (next to Dustin) and look sad when Will/girl are dancing in the same exact frame as Max/Lucas. As they switch between these 2 shots.

- All the mileven byler parallels or byler scenes were almost ALL initiated by Mike. If the parallels were meant to show a one sided love triangle (on Mike’s end). They would of made Will the instigator not Mike! Parallels can be watched here , start at 6:50)

-Mike initiated the “crazy together’ line- and in s3 he said ‘blank makes you crazy’. So subconsciously he knew the line had romantic connotations.

-Mike initiating the hand hold (with a zoom in shot) and in the show this is only done for romantic pairings. Also Mike being the one to initiate the ‘arm thing’ which is generally romantic. But in s3 , Lucas also does this, saying “I am spending quality time with my girlfriend’

-Mike saying, asking him to be his friend was the “best thing I’ve ever done”

-Mike constantly following Will around, asking if he’s okay or biking to his house to check on him. In s3 running out to chase Will to the garage and apologizing, and running into a storm to apologize a 2nd time.

YOU SEE A PATTERN! Mike is whipped! And is the one constantly chasing and pursuing Will, not the other way around! Before s3, people always portrayed Will as the (stereotypical- problematic trope of ) a sad-pinning-gay in a one sided love with Mike. It’s like people didn’t even watch the show (and just assigned tropes/stereotypes they wanted, that weren’t actually there). Will (probably too shy or scared to- because of homophobic taunts) never initiated a single byler moment- it was ALWAYS Mike!!! If people were actually objective, they would of thought it was Mike who was the one pinning! I talked about it here.

We literally only saw Will pine or be jealous in s3 when Mike was in a relationship with El/when they fought.

The cannon Spotify playlists

called ‘Mike’s basement beats’- These are character playlists that Spotify and St worked on together after s2.

-his first song is “small town boy” an 80s LGBT anthem about living in a small town and being queer and bullied. Every band member was openly gay.

-his 11th song is ‘don’t you want me’ from a “celebrate your gay pride” album

I’m not repeating my literal essays so here are the links to pretty much all my s3 byler meta. (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

- brief s3 mentions) it’s implied Will and Mike go on movie double dates all the time (right after he makes out with El). He celebrates the holidays (generally associated with introducing s.os) with Will/El. The breakup with El is treated comedically - and all Mike does is complain and burp on the couch. The byler breakup is serious (with the backdrop of rain)while Mike was visibly upset he hurt Will and apologized twice almost immediately . Running to the garage and then into the rain and banging on his door (s2 callback). The “it was the best thing I’ve ever done “ shed scene was shot purposely more romantic than the pool shed scene of “you’re the most important thing in the world to me”. The fact he think “blank makes you crazy”,and he used a similar line on Will in s2. The fact that Mike equates falling in love with girls as a part of growing up and his love for El as something “old people” say. While his affections for Will , he believes are childish (like d&d) and something he has to grow out of. The “I love her” scene was treated comedically. The last Mike/Will exchange vs Mike having his eyes open and not kissing El back . Not remembering he said “I love her”, and dismissing it as something he said in the heat of the moment. Mike looking back at the Byers house , then flashing to Will crying, than flashing back to Mike hugging his mom. Then those scenes having a monologue about not wanting feelings to change but how it’s inevitable.

Also we see in s3 (in El’s room) the return of the heart being propelled by a rainbow.

No hate, but I’m honestly flabbergasted when people think Mike is straight when he’s literally MORE queer coded than Will. Is it just my autistic brain seeing things as obvious, that others easily miss- or just people refuse to see it … or heteronormativity getting in the way?

gif credit : (not sure about the first 2, tell me if they’re yours so I can give credit), last 3 by eggogorgon , the last gif by cath-avery

#byler #byeler #mike wheeler

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clericbyers · 5 years

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gay will, comphet + mike, and growing up

this turned out to be LONG but here’s something I’ve been thinking about concerning Will, Mike, Castle Byers, D&D, and the end of ST3.

I don’t think Will realizes his feelings for Mike aren’t friendship until that argument in 3x03. Or rather, it’s a special friendship, he obviously knows he feels differently but I don’t think he realizes what that different is until Mike throws it in his face. He goes on dates with Mike in the theater, comes home and professes he’s not gonna fall in love. Love is a grown up thing, he’s seen love hurt his mother repeatedly and complicate his friendships with Mike (and Lucas when he also refuses to play D&D). He doesn’t want to grow up and fall in love because then he has to face what love is for himself and in turn, realize the feelings, the close unique friendship he has with Mike is in fact love.

While I don’t believe Mike knows Will is gay and was being homophobic, he most definitely points out a major difference between himself and Will: Will has shown no interest in girls unlike everyone else in the party. Will isn’t following the path to growing up like everyone else. He’s not getting a girlfriend to fall in love with and grow old together with. He’s not pulling away from the games they both use to hide in fantasy and escape the real world. Mike wants Will to grow up with him but poor traumatized Will can’t. He can’t face the next stage in his growing up story because it’s a deviant path that may cause him to lose his friends. He’s always had a different path and the Upside Down and his shadow walking powers (going between the Upside Down and our world without traveling through portal) proved that his childhood was never going to be the same as his friends.

When Mike asks if Will thought they were never gonna get girlfriends and simply continue playing games, he’s not just saying “did you think we were never gonna grow up,” he’s also saying that the we, the party, is supposed to move on from each other. Will suddenly realizes that Mike implies them not being together, not even just romantically but even as the close friends they are. I think it’s also important to see how Mike views romance too. His parents argue all the time, his dad essentially does nothing to help and his mom doesn’t even love Ted anymore (I mean she was completely ready to cheat on Ted with Billy, that’s basically the final straw). Karen is only in this marriage for her children. Mike sees no love there. He sees his sister sneaking boys into her room, forbidden teenage romance with spicy parental rebellion mixed in. Further forbidden love in a way with Nancy—the popular pretty girl with an image to maintain—falling for the “creep with the camera”. Mike knows all of this and mind you in s1, El looked a lot like a boy, so many people thought she was a boy with her androgynous looks. Mike still liked her anyway. Thought she was pretty with and without the wig. Looking like a girl and looking like a boy. She was forbidden (pre)teen romance with spicy parental rebellion mixed in. She was the weirdo with powers, powers to help get Will back. She fits right in to what Mike expects love to be like while also helping him save his best friend and in turn keep caring for and loving him. Will means a lot to Mike, maybe more than he realizes, but El is there to help him have Will and the next step of his romantic/teen life.

Back to Will and Mike’s garage argument though. Mike implying that he expected everyone to move on from each other kills every single possibility in Will’s mind that Mike might possibly, just maybe, be open to Will. And Will says, “yeah I guess I did,” which is heart breaking because he thought it would be them against the world, he thought he would never have to face the truth of his feelings but he has to now. Because Mike has brutally forced him to. “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls,” burns like nothing else. It is Mike’s fault.

So Will escapes to Castle Byers, which is his safe haven, a place to escape from the crushing weight of the real world. A place built after Lonnie left, a place full of pictures of his friends, of the people he loves, the people who protect him and saved him twice. And the ghostbusters picture hurts the most because that was the night Mike said they would go crazy together. And Will, poor traumatized and scared Will, was so stupid to think that meant something. To think he meant something more to Mike, who tossed “crazy together” away because growing up doesn’t include that. Being in love with each other is crazy, it’s not the proper path. And Mike, whether suppressing his feelings and being swayed by comp het or genuinely not having any romantic feelings for Will, is not willing to venture the deviant path with Will anymore. Not when he has safety with El. Will falls apart in the storm using the bat Lonnie had that symbolizes trying to “straighten” Will out. Will is trying to destroy his crush, his feelings for Mike. He’s calling himself stupid, calling Mike stupid, calling their friendship stupid. He’s not gonna fall in love, he’s not gonna let that stupid emotion ruin his life.

I also think Will refusing to talk about things with Lucas is because they really do have more important things at the moment. For Will to address the issue means confessing his secret about his sexuality, which could ruin his friendships and the party itself. They don’t have the time for that, Will has to put aside his feelings to keep the group together and defeat the part of the Mind Flayer still in this realm.

By the end when the Byers move out, Will has accepted his crush on Mike, which is part of the changes that are happening to the Party. I don’t know yet if the acceptance means he’s able to get over it or not; season 4 will let us know as distance often helps with getting over things like heartbreak and s4 is supposed to have a more Will centric storyline given he’s split from the others now. Mike might be realizing his own feelings here at the end (what with his utterly awkward confusion about El kissing him as if they were back together) but Will has already decided that it’s not gonna be a thing. He lets Mike have his safety in El and if he ever wants to take the deviant path, keep playing games, they can do so on Mike’s terms.

The games thing I wanna point out as important too. We know Mike and Will use D&D to hide from the issues in their life. Mike hides from the bullying he faces and his arguing parents, Will hides from bullying and facing his sexuality issues. D&D then comes to life when the Upside Down steals Will both in body and in mind. The game is real, there’s no escaping it. Mike and Will both take on their paladin and cleric roles in subtle but also obvious ways throughout s1 and s2. When Mike attempts to stop being a paladin, he “ruins the party”. When he gets his shit together and starts being a better leader and more understanding of his party’s importance, he slips back into his D&D role. Mike is the Dungeon Master too, he creates the story, the campaign, the world the Party lives in. Will draws it out and brings it to life (literally if you wanna say he created the monsters of the Upside Down). When Mike stops crafting, Will picks up the pieces. But D&D is a group game, you need a full party to survive. Fighting the Mind Flayer requires everyone. When everyone gathers at the mall, the campaign truly begins because now everyone is playing. The Mind Flayer in this world is dead but El’s powers are depleted, Will’s powers have yet to come to full fruition, and the Russians (as we learn) have at least one demogorgon. The campaign is still going on.

When Mike talks to El after the chat with Will, he says when she visits they’ll hang out and he includes Will and says they will play games and then he stops himself and says he sounds like he’s 7. Mike is trying so hard to be grown with El, but he associates games and youth with Will. He wants to play games with Will, he wants that—whatever that is—with Will but he can’t let himself have it because he’s not a kid anymore. If anything, Mike is so confused at the end while Will and El are both at comfort concerning their love lives. Will has accepted his feelings and moving away/on (he confidently flirts with Mike with the conversation about not joining another party) El has accepted she loves Mike too (she kisses him happily and is no longer mad at him for being an asshole), but Mike is discombobulated (shy and kinda flustered by will’s lingering gaze while confused by El’s kiss after he doesn’t remember saying he loves her).

Back to Will to close this out. Will may never find another party, he’ll never stop loving Mike, but he’s not going to be a love sick fool anymore. And maybe that is Will’s next step in growing up, accepting his sexuality and letting himself move on from childish infatuation—because Mike saved him repeatedly and kept taking care of him and staying close and touching him and god, it would be impossible for Will not to love him—to honest deep emotion, understanding that Mike isn’t at that stage yet, may never be, but he won’t tether his relationship with Mike to unrequited love. Hopefully in season 4 we get Will coming out to his folks, maybe having a high school romance of his own, before the inevitability that is the Upside Down reaches him in his new town.

#will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #byler #byeler #gay will byers #st3 #st spoilers #yams speaks #yams writes #just me being introspective #i still dont know if mike has his own sexuality issues #but just gnna say that bisexuality in a main character would be nice #esp when the issue is normal vs sin bc then what is mike if hes both?#anyway i love will #otp: palaric

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bubblelliot · 4 years

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Here's my second character! I will also present their teammates a bit since the crew is much more like a family this time! (Might also add pics of the others in following posts and MAYBE of his animals too)

Særos Sandiel and The zookeepers

(This art is a picrew which I do not have the rights on, here is the link to it: https://picrew.me/image_maker/62745)

The name of the team mostly comes from a joke saying that "Mama Lyræ is our zookeeper and that we are the Zookeepers to a ton of pets. Also, Yarina can shapeshift into beasts sooooooo yeah.

Technicalities:

Særos is my very first character played in D&D. We actually started playing on the other game I talked about last time, but we switched to D&D. His character sheet is actually available on DND beyond, but I'm still gonna give details here.

Those are his attributes. (He actually got an additional point of charisma after I wrote this and was too lazy to take another screenshot sorry x) )

He is recorded as a high Elf, but is actually of two different bloodlines. He is VERY young for an elf, but his exact age is unknown (well yes but know, you'll see). He has 5 wizard and 2 cleric levels, making him currently level 7.

Equipment:

I am NOT gonna go through everything Særos has, cause that would be VERY long. He has a heavy armor, he has a staff of healing and a shortsword, but he mostly uses his magic. He also has, in his spellbook, a collection of dried flowers.

Familiars:

Særos has a TON of pets he acquired through the different quests the party went on. The first one is a frog named Lepiota he found wounded and saved. He then bought an old black cat he named Persephone (even if the cat is a male 😂). Finally, he also bought two ferrets (fluffy noodles ❤️❤️) which he named Elton and Freddy (this one was as a reference to one of our former player who really loves Elton John and Freddy Mercury). He loves them with all his heart and will absolutely kill anyone who tries to hurt his babies.

Allies:

Særos' main ally is, obviously, his twin, Edran. They are very similar, but Særos is usually pretty well kept with his short hair always brushed and his braids made every morning, whereas Edran is a bit shorter, more immature, usually pretty dirty with blood all over their clothes (which are poofy dressed he hides poison in 😂) and messy hair. There is also Lyræ. She is a paladin coming from far away lands. She is a human with elf ancestors and dragon blood. She has a wife and children and thus, she is pretty much the mom of the group. (The DM literally gave her two custom attacks she can use in RP: the flick of anger that gives 1pt of bludgeoning + 1pt of psychic damage and the disapproving look that gives 2pts of psychic damage everytime she does it + makes the target intimidated). Then, there is Finian, a human assassin. Finian and Særos are pretty neutral about each other, but Edran is in absolute admiration of him, so Særos is grateful that Finian doesn't just shatter his sibling's trust. The last member, who was actually someone that was rescued by the party, is Yarina. She is a very shy aasimar and is pretty much the definition of being pure EXCEPT she is obsessed with daggers (no joke, she has 23 of them). They were recently joined by a rogue elf called Adressin who actually attacked them at first.

Appearance:

This picrew is already pretty accurate. Særos (as well as Edran actually) has blond almost white hair, but it's actually fluffier than on the picture. He has two braids, one in front of each ear, a few freckles and red-pink eyes. He is very pale, quite small and very frail. He looks pretty androgynous and rather young, though he usually passes as a bit older since he is an elf.

Backstory and campaign:

So the campaign isn't really a big story like in Rhodrag's case, so I'll tell the party's story, but not the quests.

The twins' first memory is waking up in a bed, only knowing their name. They meet with the lovely wood elf lady who save them, and learn they were found in the sand by a nearby river. For that reason, they are given the last name "Sandiel".

They live a relatively normal life with her, for around 10 years, until they are attacked by drows. Their adopted mother successfully hides them by using magic and they learn they are wanted because they are part drow and part high-elf, meaning pretty much every every elven races will want to kill them. The woman successfully protects the twins. She is taken out of the house and, to this day, the twins don't know what happened of her, whether she was killed or taken.

They left and reached a nearby city. There, they survived by stealing and being street entertainers (for example, even if he has no rogue level, Særos is proefficient in stealth, sleight of hands, deception, etc. He also is proefficient in performance. He learned to sing, the art of divination and a bit of magic.)

One night though, Særos came back to their hiding place to find his sibling dead. All he could understand was that they died of both malnutrition and hypothermia.

Out of desperation, he tried every spell he knew, but nothing happened. He tried reanimation, but it had been to long. Out of despair, he prayed any god possible to help him, saying he couldn't live in this unfair world without Edran.

A god did answer. He is actually a god from the other game we started the campaign in before switching to DND.

He is called Nuodai the Trickster.

He offered a deal to Særos: he would bring back Edran and even guarantee him power and success, and in exchange, when Særos would be powerful enough, the Trickster would take his elven traits which hold part of his powers, as well as 200 years of his life. Out of desperation, Særos accepted.

He woke up the next morning. His sibling was by his side, clearly not dead, but not entirely alive. They were now a revived.

Things went on, Edran not knowing, and Særos eventually stopped thinking about the deal, only happy to have his twin back. They moved from the city, trying to reach a bigger one, and were, once again, attacked by drows. He used a spell to put his twin in safety and attacked the drows, but was, if course, neutralized.

He was taken and they made him a slave while they tried to capture Edran to kill them together.

Fast forward, Edran is taken into an underdark prison. He meets again with his brother and both if them are beaten up. They successfully defend though and they are thrown in a cell as it is decided they're are to be executed the next day. This is where they meet Lyræ and Finian.

They plan to escape as well as a few other NPCs. They are able to leave the cell and steal a bit of stuff while a vrock attacks the guards. They escape and reach a teleporter. There, Særos successfully brings everyone back to the surface. Newly free, they all start to look for a village. After properly introducing each others, they finally reach a tiny elf village. The twins stay as stealthy as possible but end up being noticed and attacked by guards. They then have a choice: they could be changed into simple would elves or they have to leave. Særos knows it's not gonna work on Edran, and bargains to be able to stay. At first, the headmaster threatens to kill him for that, but he ends up agreeing to let them in the city, guarded, until the night falls.

They then shop and leave the city.

They end up in a forrest Særos realizes is corrupted. There, they were attacked by a HUGE snake touched by the corruption. At first, everyone tries to kill it except Edran and quickly, Særos and Finian join them. Særos finally cuts the tip of it's tail where the corruption was and Edran and Finian calm it.

Lyræ is terrified of it and finally lets them all know that her best friend was killed by a giant snake who ate her alive. (This is freaking terrifying yo.)

In the end, a fight starts and Særos, enraged, leaves everyone and runs towards the center of the corruption. There he is attacked by corrupted elves and tree creatures we happily called Groots. Edran joins him and Særos basically rages (he used they most powerful spell he had and literally exploded them.

Edran, while attacking, starts gaining weird memories.

Fast forward to the end of the quest, Særos is happily searching for animals and flowers when he and Edran hear strange noises coming from a tree. Edran climbs it and a wood elf girl falls from the tree, before Edran jumps on her from the too of the tree.

The team introduced themselves to her and she happily talks to them. So yeah, that's how we met Nayhru.

The team reaches a weird village and after the whole snake incident, leaves the party for a while, promising to find them again soon and assuring she would always be closer than they think.

They reach the village which reveals to be a village of gnomes and there they meet with a gnome (who's player inspired the names of my furrets x) ) and a Goliath travelling together. They all find the village empty before being attacked by a troll and... Metal gnomes?

They kill them, uneager to die, and search the village. They find flowers in the middle of the village and Særos takes one for his collection. Særos and Edran are attacked by an ooze and at some point, the ooze attacks Edran just before being killed by Nayrhu. At that moment, Edran starts turning into a robot as well, with the corruption growing from their arm. Særos tries to cut off the arm, but us unable and the corruption takes Edran's whole body.

They leave the village and are able to find a Druid eager to help them make a cure for Edran and the gnomes, but he needs Elder sage. He describes it and Særos shows his flower to the Druid, who confirms it is Elder sage. They go back to the village to get flowers, cane back and turned Edran back into a flesh being.

And that's when they remembered dying and being brought back to life. Edran and Særos cried in each other's arms and then continued on.

They got in a cavern near the village from where the trolls always came. There, the found a girl, chained, with glowing wings. They freed her and she introduced herself as Yarina. (Fun fact: Yarina's player is my SO, and both Yarina and Særos have the spell suggestion, so when the crew found a the boss hiding something, we just made it run away. Nice. )

The team found a clockwork dragon and helped it. They then left again. Finian had to leave a couple times, and at some point, the team realized that, even if they are young, the twins were actually a lot older than they thought: They assumed Edran's death happened when they were around 13 and that it had been around 6 years, meaning Særos was actually around 19.

They were reunited with Lyræ and began other quests. In one of them, the team encountered a wishing fountain that filled any wish you had under certain conditions. Særos asked to know his whole story, from the lives of his parents up to now. The fountain gave him a magic book that tells his story and updates. It has no name so Særos just calls it The story book.

Some time passed and the team continued on. They were traveling to the capital until one night, Nayrhu and Edran caught a thief about to steal their stuff. They quickly stopped him and realized he was very young. Instead of kicking his butt, they woke up the whole team and decided together to bring him to the capital and help him make money to survive there. And that's how they met Adressin.

The zookeepers reached the capital where they are supposed to find Finian who joined outlaws he met in another quest.

Before finding Finian, they decided to do a few quests to earn money with Adressin.

Everyone through the day kept noticing Særos bring super bold, a lot bolder than he usually is, for example, telling Yarina who was wearing a magic dress that she looked "Incredibly beautiful" as if she was "made if pure light". No one really thought anything of it though and just shoved it away.

One night, they decided a drinking contest was a good idea and everyone joined except Adressin. The next morning, everyone was doing good, maybe a tad nauseous, except for Lyræ and Særos who were absolutely fucked up. They both used spells to heal their hangover, but Særos remained mildly unwell, choosing to go on their quest anyways.

Symptoms were the following:

-A headache that was mostly located to the top front of his head

-His low back itching and hurting a LOT

-His eyes feeling dry

No one really knew what was going on, some didn't even really notice.

As they went on with their first quest, they started noticing weird stuff about Særos' appearance: His hair looked more golden than white, as they used to, there were two bumps appearing on his forehead around the location of his headache, his eyes looked.... Weird...? But no one really saw anything peculiar, his skin, usually also white, now looked kinda pink.

He doesn't really notice the changes and doesn't understand what is happening which utterly FRIGHTENS him, but he hides it. Yarina started understanding what was happening and Edran out all the pieces together and now they know everything.

To be continued...

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transathenacykes · 4 years

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🔥 d&d classes

okay so first off let it just be known that bard stans are so fucking annoying sometimes like you can like bards as a class, but just- just stop playing bards just to fuck everything i’m so tired. i like bards, i love bards, and i get they’re a charisma class, but i think almost the most out of any class, bards get played the One Way: handsome/gorgeous androgynous lute-player and singer who flirts with everything and is generally a charming rogue type, like- okay, i have bad memories about that kind of bard. in one of the first games i ever played, my cousin played one of those kinds of bard and he just hit on everything that moved, and it ended in my dragonborn fighter punching him twice, which was enough to kill him

re: other classes, though, i think not enough people play with the flavor text of monks beyond just punching a lot? like an unarmed strike can be anything, like a knee or elbow or headbutt, but so many monks just go ‘i punch three times’

so many people drop intelligence on barbarians and go for the feral dumbass rage but not enough people consider the absolute incredible fear that can be produced by a barbarian with a high intelligence and low wisdom

there are generally two speeds of cleric i see- ones who did it for healing, and ones who do it to fight? so life, grave, and knowledge clerics are generally supporty types but war, tempest, or light clerics generally focus on damage, but people don’t really go for charisma-based leader of the faith clerics too often. like a cleric who acts as an actual minister of their religion instead of just a single follower, you know?

why isn’t there a plant based druid? just one that’s about honest to god foliage (i designed one)

playing a human fighter is like skipping the character select screen. playing a human fighter is for people who point at Jane Mass Effect and go ‘well that’s the canon one.’ playing a human fighter is for people who play white guys in suits in grand theft auto online. playing a human fighter is for people who like harry potter and maroon five. all these things go double if the human fighter isn’t your first character

the worst player i have ever played alongside played a paladin and soured my thoughts on the entire class. he showed me memes while i was having in character discussions, screamed at the top of his lungs to frighten away some guys we were about to jump, and threatened the enemies i had already convinced to fight with us with death, all because he just didn’t pay attention, and also he only ever healed himself and got mad because he chose to stay behind on a gambling trip and therefore didn’t do anything for a whole session

rangers need to be better, wizards of the coast! just make the revised ranger real

rogues, like bards, tend to only ever get played the one way? like, petty criminal, kind of a bastard, sneaks around, probably works with the Zhentarim, but like, there’s so many good fuckin ways to do a rogue i’m not even going to get into

sorcerers are underpowered, and wild magic is legitimately great, but i tend to only see sorcerers played by players who want the Wacky Option and who don’t want to fuck everything, because they’d just play a bard then? wild magic sorcerers get played by people who make the character an entire joke, but nobody goes for the goal of ‘the character is completely serious, but that makes the inevitable bullshit funnier’

can people play warlocks that aren’t the great old one? hell if i know, that’s the predominant choice (over the fiend, which i think is weird? i’ve only seen a fiend warlock played once- twice if you count an npc- and he dropped out of the campaign after like two sessions)

wizards are always seen as squishy but just like, you can get the tools to fix that so easily, and also, make more disorganized student wizards please

#long post #dnd #dungeons and dragons #hot take alert #anomalouscontributor

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percival-tealeaf · 5 years

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Hey! Been following for a while, do you play dnd or mostly just watch it? If you play, can you tell us about your characters and their adventures they’ve been up to?

Hey! Thanks for the ask! I do quite a bit of both actually. I DM a group who I absolutely adore that is played by a group of four of my best friends that is set in the Critical Role universe. I do prefer to play though and have played through five campaigns two of whom are current and a few one shots. I have like six player characters (not counting the one shot crowd or the planned but not played ones) so I’ll give some highlights of the main six and their campaigns but feel free to ask for more details about any of them because I could talk about them for ages!

To start we have the lovely Aiden NightAngel from the Oddessy of Rock campaign who was my very first real character. She was a half elf rogue who eventually took an oath of vengeance to become a paladin of Thanatos (basically a re-skinned Raven Queen). He was very pale with black hair and hazel eyes and presented as androgynously as possible. She wore black leather armor and a deep green cloak with a comical amount if daggers hidden placed. She and her best friend Emi (Another Thanatos Paladin) got roped into saving the world from a trio of evil undead and otherwise lords who were working to unleash the original evil deity. The world was built in a greek style and was mostly islands so we traveled by boat with a bunch of friendly pirates. We went all the way to level 20 and I have a lot of quotes and fun stories from that game.

Next is Finnan Bellowmend. He was a perky blonde halfling bard with blue eyes and an erie fey charm. He quested to the feywild in a campaign loosely based of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with an evil sorceress and they both avoided fighting almost entirely. We ended up winning that campaign and gaining the patronage of Titania of the summer court by writing and performing her a play. I later reused him because I didn’t have time to create a character and the the earlier adventure became his backstory. He is currently living it up as an NPC with a charming Warlock boyfriend.

Then we have the lovely Arella Stormwind who was a black Aasimar Ranger and happens to be my header for the blog. She was born into a society that decided to have themselves a religious crusade and so everyone different had to be killed or enslaved. After being rescued from that fate by her best friend and constant companion Talynn (also in the header) they decided to run away and join the countries that were fighting to stop their corrupt home. I played her for about half the campaign and then she got a bit too heavy so I switched characters but at the very end she came back and married the love of her life who happened to be Talynn. Best fantasy romance I’ve ever had the pleasure of being part of.

That leads us pretty well into my wonderful Divine Soul sorceress gnome with firey red hair and a passionate personality to match Calli Trueheart who was convinced she was a cleric. She gained her powers around the time she met another of our player characters, a bard named Algernop “nop” Pilfernab God Of Whims and Fancy, he was absolutely convinced that he was a god that just had yet to ascend. Calli was great fun to play but quite flawed mechanically so she did end up being my one and only permanent character death. However as a reward her sacrifice did allow Nop to attain godhood through no merit of his own but as the god of Legends and Rememberance not of Whims and Fancy. Both have featured as a cycle of reincarnations that are inevitable in every game featuring the two of us from now on.

Finally we have my current player characters Oriana who is from an amnesia campaign so all I know about her is that she is an elf and some sort of cleric. Upon figuring out her class, her first act was to throw her holy symbol in a lake. We have had no sessions since then but I am super excited to see how she develops and learn more about her.

Last we have my lovely Firblog Grave cleric of the Wild Mother. She has grey fur except for her lavender hair and her name is Selene Ashflower. She’s a joy to play and among her shenanigans she often trips on acid to contact her deity and has drawn from the Deck of Many things twice both times while high to a surprisingly good result. She also ended up beating a three session dungeon in one go because I took Hallow and our DM forgot that was a thing I could do at my level. I lobe her dearly but she is currently having a faith crisis that will be explored once school is back in session.

Hope that wasn’t too rambly! Thanks for asking about my lovely children and don’t hesitate to ask more about any of them including my campaign or my one shot crew!

#d&d #my pcs #my campaign #alexa monologues #alexa plays d&d #asks #thanks for asking!#arella #aiden #finnan #calli #oriana #Selene

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dilf-nuts-ahoy · 6 years

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This is one of my dungeon and dragons characters, Kaveras. He’s a half elf sorcerer with silver dragon origins.

My dm has been ridiculous and given us all overpowered items. Example: gloves that add a charisma boost to damage rolls, earrings that give two sorcery points, that kind of thing.

I plotted out this awesome backstory, but it’s a campaign where backstory didn’t come into play that much.

So here it is:

Kaveras is a drow tinged half elf with silver dragon magical origins.

Silver dragons are lawful good and the natural enemy of red dragons. Kaveras’ father fought frequently against the nefarious schemes of Xychochitaz and her brood. That great red dragon hired out help from the underdark in the form of Kaveras’ mother, a drow cleric. She and a few of her disciples were to banish Kaveras’ father, but the spell backfired through some unknown providence, and caused Kaveras’ parents to fall in love!

Their passions were completely reciprocal, but their cultures tore them apart. Their eventual child, Kaveras, had a lighter shade of skin than his mother, slightly purple. Silver scales dot his flesh between his neck to his elbows which flash when he casts his frosty spells. He is very much a half elf, for his features resemble the form his father took to copulate his mother, which was a human male.

To keep people around him calm, Kaveras paints his face in order to pass as non-drow. The heavy amount of makeup creates an almost porcelain mask, which he uses to hide his feelings. Kaveras is outwardly serene, even in the face of disaster. Mainly because his makeup makes it look like he’s calm. He’s androgynous and extremely bad at flirting, though he’s quite a looker.

Growing up he freaked people out with his radical appearance as a drow-ish elf. He then isolated himself from most of society in order to stay safe from mobs.

His main motivations deal with finding more about his dragon and elf heritage, ultimately confronting the red dragon and making a stand with his chosen family.

#dnd #characters #painting #sorcerer #Chromatic orb #spells #backstory #dnd 5e

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totallyrhettro · 6 years

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So, I’m off to play dnd today. (aka D&D, aka Dungeons and Dragons). It’s not your usual game, I think. I’m playing a tauric, half rock monster, have human, half dragon, half golem, (bc in dnd you can be many halfs) aberrant-limbed, monster of legend shadow creature. That means he is an eight-legged centaur-ish beast with dragon wings that looks like he is always made of shadow and clay.

Not your usual dnd character.

Sounds complicated, I know, but this is my favorite character I have ever created. Technically he is an adult, but he was ‘created’ using magic (evil wizard!) only three years ago to be the perfect gladiator. While he has killed many, he hates no one. He doesn’t even want to kill, as long as his opponent is willing to surrender. He is an androgynous cleric (literally half male, half female) who identifies as male and likes hugs.

His name is Boulder. I love him.

#not rhink #D&D #thought I'd share #in case any of my followers like the dnd #might delete later #i will still try to post a chapter today #if anyone cares #also #i found a way to make someone half table in dnd #well #half animated table #because 3.0e dnd is supremely broken #or half chair #any piece of furniture that has four or more 'legs'

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vampirepuppygirl · 3 years

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The Chaosward Pantheon

Preface: I'm not using any of the canon gods in d&d for this campaign because it's easier to integrate them into the plot, and I don't have the time nor will to read through every canon god to play them properly, hence why I create my worlds from scratch. I also haven't totally thought of the relationships they all have with each other, but I'll log my ideas about them at least.

Nomimo the Greater

Lawful Good

God of Law, Order, Justice, and Protection.

Nomimo is the ruler of the gods in this pantheon, and oversees everything that happens in the realm. He led the gods in the war against Aphurosce. His symbol is a shield with a greataxe on its face.

Nessiti the Keeper

True Neutral

Goddess of Life, Death, Balance, and Healing.

Nessiti is the ruler of the underworld and the reaper of life. However, she is also the giver of life, and all souls flow through her at the beginning and the end. Her symbol is that of two interconnected spirals, one black and one white; there is a white skull in the largest section of the black spiral and there is a black ankh in the largest section of the white spiral.

Solaris

Chaotic Good

Goddess of the Sun, Light, Love, and the Arts.

Solaris is the sun goddess and is responsible for the sun in the mortal realm, bringing light to all mortal races. Her symbol is that of a sun with 7 rays.

Floros

Chaotic Good

God of Nature, Agriculture, Plants, and Beauty.

Floros is the god of nature, and is the younger sibling of Solaris. They are also the god of beauty, and are androgynous nonbinary. Their symbol is a sunflower with 21 petals.

Wyrondil the Ageless

Neutral Good

God of Time, Knowledge, Magic, and Secrets.

Wyrondil (Uhee-ron-dihl) is the god tasked with all knowledge, and is the one that taught the first mortals how to wield magic. He can change his perceived age at will and frequently does so. His symbol is a scepter with a round jewel, surrounded by the letters of his name, written in celestial, read clockwise from the topmost letter.

Virimut Ironfist

Lawful Neutral

God of War, Strength, Glory, and Conquest

Virimut is the first and only mortal so far to ascend to godhood. The first king of man, he and his armies made peace with the other mortal races and drove out the last of the demons from the realm. Virimut personally slayed many of these demons with nothing but his bare hands, granting him the first surname: Ironfist. His symbol is an upward fist underneath a laurel wreath.

Aura the Smith

Lawful Good

Goddess of Invention, The Forge, Trade, and Wealth.

Aura is the daughter of Nomimo, and is the craftsman for all the gods. Her name is also that of the currency, and clerics of Aura frequently act as bankers throughout the entire realm. Her symbol is an anvil with a scale on top.

Aphurosce

Chaotic Evil

God of Chaos, Creation, Destruction, and Change.

Aphurosce is the primordial god of chaos, that created this universe. Once supreme king of everything, was usurped by Nomimo at the beginning of time and banished to the primordial abyss of the demon realm that lies in the space between realms. He constantly seeks to regain what power he can, but after the extinction of the demons from the mortal plane during the first era by Virimut Ironfist, his existence is little more than legend.

#chaosward #I'm on mobile so I don't know how to add breaks or read mores

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dungeonqueering · 7 years

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The tale of Ashafella, paladin, hater of hats.

I was running a party in a fairly typical Golarion setting of Pathfinder. The party Paladin of Iomedae (who we decided was a trans guy) was an Aasimar born to elven parents named Ashafella. Ash for short.

Ash was not exactly a thinker. His most commonly said phrase was "I kick in the door!"

When the campaign started, Ash identified as female, but was extremely androgynous, bound his breasts, and did male drag.

Eventually, Ash met (and slept with) a barbarian woman. She was TECHNICALLY a re-done Ameiko Kaijutsu, one of Pathfinder's Iconics.

Though it started... Not very romantically, the two just kind of became a thing over the next few months. Eventually, Ash switched to male pronouns.

Now for his hatred of hats.

The first time Ash ever donned a hat, which he was doing to find out what it's magical effect was, it turned him into an ooze temporarily. This freaked him out a lot.

The second time he donned a hat, it was a custom magic item which made all of the fat on one's body form into a fleshy smooth lump. I rolled it off a magic item table I found online.

Anyway, Ash is very very slim, so the only real place he had fat was.... His chest.

Now, Ash bound his breasts, but he didn't hate them. In fact, they were part of him. So he again freaked the fuck out, and destroyed the hat.

The party cleric, who had a tricorne hat, found it torn to shreds the next morning.

Thus Ash destroyed all hats going forward.

Ash's end is somewhat unsatisfying, unfortunately. The campaign just sort of... Died.

The party had gone to a snowy area by magical means, unsure where exactly they were.

They stumbled upon a mountain range and, in it, a woman who had powers over ice. They immediately called her Elsa.

Elsa cast a bolt of energy into Ameiko after warning the party away. The barbarian started to die. Ash's love started to die.

Unsure what to do, they rushed her back to their base of operations, through the dimensional door that brought them here. Due to the properties of the base, they created a room surrounded in fireplaces to hopefully warm Ameiko's frozen heart. And in so doing, they saved her life. But now Ameiko cannot leave this room, or risk dying.

When in private, the lovers spoke. Ameiko told him that, while she loved him, she was afraid for the first time in her life. She was facing mortality, and that made her really have to consider what she wanted to do with whatever amount of life she had left. She pulled out a ring, and told Ash she wanted to spend whatever time she had with him.

Ash agreed to the engagement on the condition that he be allowed to propose to her in some grandiose and very Ash-like manner. She agreed.

And that was the last session that party had. But we still have our character sheets, so the story of Ash won't be over. Someday, maybe with a new party, we will pick up again.

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