#it delivers the experience that I want

[dare-to-dm]

I’ve been seeing more posts along the lines of “dear god, please play a ttrpg other than d&d” lately, and I can get behind that, in the general sense that I’m anti-monopoly.  I’ve  also seen plenty of posts lamenting groups who extensively homebrew D&D or use house rules to get the experience they want rather than using another system that’s more specifically designed to deliver that experience.  And again, that’s logical and not something I would argue with.

But in the midst of all this criticism for D&D, I just want to remind folks that there are a lot of things it does very well as a game, and if you’re consistently having a great time, there’s no reason to feel like you have to try new systems.  Like, I’ve been playing some version of D&D/Pathfinder since 2000, and honestly I don’t really feel like I’ve been missing out.  I’ve tried other TTRPGs occasionally, but so far Pathfinder has genuinely been my favorite and I always go back to it.  And some of my most memorable campaigns have involved extensive homebrewing, but I feel like the core of what makes the game fun for me always shone through.  Here are some things D&D is really good at that I personally don’t get tired of:

High action storytelling

Zero to hero adventuring where power advancement is itself a goal

Fun character building/customization that’s generally balanced

Empowering hero fantasy

High stakes drama

The dice significantly alter the outcome of events and no character is immune to failure

Having an extensive monster manual with a wide variety of fantastical opponents with their own lore

Having the rules as a referee for a large variety of situations

Long campaigns that bring you and your friends together for the same narrative over the course of months or even years

Tactical combat with a large variety of options and a robust enough rule-set to feel fair and skill based

A number of classes that cater to players with various preferences for flavor and complexity

Mechanics that encourage teamwork/cooperation

Mechanics that are largely separate from setting/lore, so you can use the premade settings if you want to, but you never need to

Having a large community to interact with outside of just your table

Probably a ton of other things that I’m forgetting

Like, there are a lot things D&D is genuinely bad at, and you should probably play a different game if that’s what you’re going for.  But the things that it’s good at are really fun and awesome and I feel like I could play this game for the rest of my life and never exhaust the possibilities. 

#basically I just really love D&D #Pathfinder is my favorite but I've had more fun with every version of D&D that I've played than with any other system #it delivers the experience that I want #D&D #Dnd #Pathfinder #Dare Original

[kaltacore]

i know many people are afraid of being rude and roleplaying as someone besides people pleaser (which is not not-understandable tho. especially for the first time players) but i think bg3 is the game that tries to motivate you not to be agreeable and obedient all the time. usually in rpg games with approval systems there are one or two characters who will approve of you being an asshole mostly for the sake of it but that's it. also actively challenging character's beliefs in most cases will just gain you a whole lot of disapproval and no actual change. meanwhile in bg3 there are many characters who will approve of you losing it in some situations and disapprove if you act too gullible and let everyone use you.

also following someone else's orders and desires every time won't get you far. if you'll blindly support your companions' initial goals (and they're very insistent and defensive about it and questioning their ideas may also naturally result in disapproval) it won't automatically get you their best ending and in the most cases it is literally the opposite. shadowheart wants to become dark justiciar real bad but if you support her on that path she'll be claimed by the evil goddess she unconsciously resisted her whole life. astarion wants to get ascended but helping him do it won't drive away his fears and just will lock him in the same cycle his master was trapped in. lae'zel worships vlaakith and is really hesitant to give up her faith and everything she was taught no matter what she's witnessed and not challenging her beliefs will make her just another sacrifice for a tyrant. if you play durge and decide to accept their father (which is also actively encouraged by durge's sidekick and, well, the other present option is an inevitable death) they'll forever lose their freedom and will become their father's dreadful instrument with no will of its own. if you decide to give gortash the netherstones as a goody two shoes you are when he asks he'll fuck you over on principle. this game lacks a truly unique completely evil run for sure. but it does reward your character for questioning other people and standing up for themself and does punish them for being too lenient when they shouldn't be

#also this gave an idea for a totally disastrous goody two shoes playthrough which would be. absolutely disastrous and FUN because of it #the road to hell is paved with hood intentions or so they say #anyway. i think it's really encouraging in terms of roleplay. it's more fun when you play more evil-leaning character #and it doesn't automatically make the whole main cast hate them #and also if you want a good ending for you faves you have to actually listen to them but not only that #you have to analyze them! draw conclusions! decide whether they really need that thing or if they make themselves believe they want it! #that's really cool thing to do i think. knowing how easy it is to get approval in rpgs simply by being agreeable but now it has layers yk #anyway i love characterisation in this game and how it manages to deliver a cool rp experience. yeah #bg3

[wof-reworked]

The way this fandom treats Sunny and Qibli really frustrates me, and I know a lot of the time it's because this fandom (unsurprisingly) skews younger but it really demonstrates to me that people really don't understand what trauma can do and how when people say "traumatized people can act very differently", people don't actually internalize what that means.

#it's old news but it really eats at me #I want to analyze sunny/qibli thru being childhood abuse survivors and I feel like I'm walking on eggshells when I do #also it would involve me talking abt traumatizing experiences in my life and that's wayyy too vulnerable for my dragon book blog #idk if ppl want it I will deliver but for now I'm just gonna be salty #I won't lie it's genuinely one of the reasons I've drifted away from wof #the popularity of evil Qibli aus on tumblr and ignoring Sunny as a main character makes it harder for me to enjoy the tumblr wof fandom

[silentstep]

Why do you dislike the idea of Wen Qing being the top of a ChengQing relationship out of curiosity?

Short answer is that if it wasn't such an overwhelming majority of portrayals, I wouldn't!

slightly longer answer is that the idea that ~all het pairings have to have femdom in order to be acceptably progressive~ cuts off women from being portrayed as fully realized characters. It's a lack of willingness to explore their interiority and to allow them access to the full spectrum of humanity. Male characters are allowed to be messy. Male characters are allowed to pine and fall desperately in love and harbor fears that it's unrequited. Male characters are allowed to feel insecure and uncertain. Male characters are allowed to be loved despite all their flaws and all their mistakes and all their blind spots. Male characters are allowed to change and grow and be forgiven. Female characters have to be perfect angel goddesses who are given out to male characters as rewards to be worshipped. Let female characters down off their pedestals for once, I am begging.

*long sigh*  It’s just like… nowadays we express attraction/affection towards a female character by going WOW STEP ON ME QUEEN!!! and towards a male character by going OH THE THINGS I WANT TO DO TO HIM… >:)  HE’S SO PATHETIC AND WET

and it’s because we don’t want to be sexist and/or degrading!  I absolutely get that!  but when we’re actually writing longform narrative about specific characters, I want to be able to explore the character of the individual and the relationship, instead of just having those two sentiments writ large.  I don’t want to read about generic Character A/Character B.

and like, again, this is a problem I have with the trend, not with any individual fic. I've read and enjoyed individual fics where she's the dominant one who takes Jiang Cheng apart and makes him beg for it. But why is it all I can find? Why is she slotted into the pigeonhole of "Wei Wuxian's mean lesbian bestie, whose own life never gets any focus" in the background of every other fic? Why does she never get teased by her modern AU friends?  When does she get to be impulsive and silly?  Why does she always have to be “too smart” to get involved in shenanigans?  Why does she never get to let her guard down? When does she get to feel safe enough to relax her prickles and expose her vulnerable underbelly? Why does she never get to have vulnerabilities at all? Why does she never get to be soft, why does she never get to be sweet, why does she never get to rest and be taken care of?  Why does she always have to have everything together?  Why does she never get to appreciate or be grateful for someone else's good points, someone else's strength? Why does she have to be good at literally everything, instead of ever getting to let someone else compensate for the things she's not good at? She's lost so much, just as much as any male character in the series; why does she never get to cry and mourn and be held and comforted? Why does she always, always have to be the strong one? When does she get to put that burden down? Why is her canonical moral ambiguity never given space, when Jiang Cheng's is always portrayed as an obstacle between them? Why do her canonical wrongdoings never require forgiveness or atonement? Why doesn't she ever get portrayed as feeling guilty for the atrocities she stood by and let happen— that she outright enabled? Why does she never get to be a person?

tl;dr: every single time the male character gets to be a skrunkly meowmeow, his female love interest should also get the same treatment, dammit.

#littledust is out there doing yeoman's work though #I'm sorry I recognize that this is less diplomatic than it should be but like #this is. a nerve #I could copy out this whole rant for Royai fics #let! male love interests! be cool and admirable sometimes! otherwise why are you inflicting them on female characters you like! #as an afab person: it is EXHAUSTING to feel pressured to keep up the ~mean tough person who takes no guff and delivers hard truths!!!~ armor #and I don't want that for the characters I love. not in the relationships that I want for them. #whenever I see people say ''haha THIS is 'boys will be boys''' on videos of people having fun and being weird and living in the moment #I get so mad! why are you /gendering/ the human experience of being impulsive and whimsical? #anonymous #answered ask #no good things for the poor sad cultivators

[tautozhone]

can argue to death with me about how age restrictions on youtube are necessary but i will be DAMNED before i say Hinds Hall deserved to be age restricted. average american child on youtube can listen to H*rbu D*rbu (censoring in hopes to avoid algorithm engagement with the song) which is IOF praising genocidal propaganda, and- big fucking shocker- its not age restricted. i’m 100% sure the only reason Hind’s Hall was restricted was to deliberately suppress and avoid the spread of the song.

#tauto talks #i know damn well that it doesn’t matter that it’s songs in different languages shit in arabic is not free from age restrictions just because #it would not take a kid much leg work for someone to find an english translation if they wanted it #pop culture has an inseparable impact on the public perception of so fucking much and it sucks to say but i bet some people hadn’t had #everything delivered in a way that made them care #macklemore has a weird history of social activism in his music i apologize every day for making fun of him in highschool for thrift shop #like his song kevin does a lot to tackle americas overprescription to addiction to jail or death pipeline #it is sympathetic to the experience of an addict in ways a lot of people generally in society are not #this song did a bit to turn perspective to industries at fault and not the individual suffering #so watching hinds hall be age restricted? feels deliberate. as every move of suppression has felt #feeling particularly full of grief and hate today because i graduate soon #i can only think of every writer like me who did not get to see the stage like i will and it aches #stories the world will never see because it removed the chance #it’s almost like the youth of america are some of the most vibrant and opinionated and energetic parts of the population. youth affords time #change spreading like wildfire cannot be put out as fast as it grows #keep burning #free palestine #palestine #gaza genocide #free gaza #eyes on rafah #eyes on sudan #eyes on congo #eyes on darfur #liberate the world #hoping a swift but painful death to colonization

[girlbob-boypants]

This is to say there's a lot of "self identity vs perceived identity" stuff that goes on in Warframe and its interesting to think about

#girlbob.txt #warframe #whoever is in the writing room constantly wanting to speak about identity in this scifi game #I hope you know you deliver one hell of an experience to trans people

[essektheylyss]

Not to be a damaged Californian but it's wild to me that in other places you can just like. go to a river or a lake. and hang out there. and swim around. and that's just allowed and encouraged. What the fuck.

#i know we have the ocean but you gotta understand that you don't really go to the ocean in California. you go to the beach. #and when you are in the ocean it is usually a fight all the way. it's freezing and salty and will bowl you over. #to be clear i love that but also like. sometimes i just want a swimming pool experience but not at a fucking pool. #i have been in a california freshwater body twice in my whole life. #if you had lake access you were rich enough to own and haul a boat. #like that was so foreign that I told my dad at like 15 that I was gonna buy him a boat when i sold my first book. this was a PIPE DREAM. #(i do intend to deliver on that promise if i ever sell a fucking book btw. i will do it. #my dad is great and he deserves a boat on which to fish!!!)

[yashley]

what’s so interesting to me about imogen meeting birdie, is that it could be her own vicarious reunion with her own estranged mother. her delving into birdie’s mind and being standoffish because imogen has seen all of the wrong birdie has done, but also how birdie shirks genuine acknowledgement/accountability, and it’s like imogen is steeling herself against this, frankly put, great disappointment of a possible reunion with her mother. and while it’s a great disappointment, the pessimist in imogen towards humanity truly hardens because. It’s Not A Disappointment, Is It? this is how people are, this is how everyone is, (until, until, until..) and imogen stands there looking at this absent mother who is rationalizing every mistake and it’s another brick in her wall. imogen is concerned for fearne, and she’s terrified of the answers given that also apply to her and yet she stands her ground, she pushes back. she toughens herself up. the quiet, wavering girl in episode 1 is already a strong determined woman who will insist she’ll figure it out. she’ll do it. she’s strong. and it’s so so rewarding for imogen to finally acknowledge those small victories in the past amounted to foundational strengths.

that being said, what I wouldn’t give for liliana to take one look at her girl, throw her arms around her, and envelope imogen in an overwhelming wave of love. and imogen just stands there with tears down her face and arms at her side, realizing the wall was never going to keep liliana out. hearing her mother’s thoughts for the first time and it’s just a stumbling, sobbing outpour of love for her. and all of the disappointments of the world disappear in her mother’s arms.

#critical role #it would be SUCH a feint for matt to defy imogen's bad experiences with the world and actually deliver this loving person #you want imogen to experience joy and loving happiness and protection so bad it makes you look stupid #when imogen said I"LL FIND THE ANSWERS like ok i put them deep down my pocket i think

[oh-gh0st]

OK SONIC OC TIME (putting as a read more since it'll get long <3)

so as a lot of u know (about 50% of u at least) i have two main sonic ocs that i posted about a lot

Phantom (top) and Ghost (bottom)! these two were (and still are) very special to me especially phantom since she was the first oc i made when getting back into the fandom (plus she's self-shipped with Rouge... the thieves.... my ladies <3) and ghost is the persona i think i would have in the sonic universe ^-^ you can read more about them on their toyhou.se's! (ghost's is outdated tho... need to fix that) https://toyhou.se/12423400.phantom-the-raccoon

https://toyhou.se/14189793.ghost-the-bat onto more non-canon ocs and one-off ocs: phantoms extended family! from left to right: Kurse - Spectra - Shade - Specter (L) and Wraith (R)

again mainly story ocs for the side-story that included phantom in the sonic universe, i kinda dropped the idea once i fell out of the phantom but maybe ill pick it back up. maybe...

these two aren't related BUT im really proud of them regardless Nova is (obviously) based on my birds and the Riders games and my kind-of-hidden obsession over space. she got redesigned twice before i was happy with her design (the one im showing you), and tbh it was probably a good thing that i waited a year to do so LMFAO Roxanne was sort of a "oc im making for funsies but i got too invested" oc, and was meant to be in a trio band with two other bandmates (I've finished one so far, her name's Skylar and that right doodle went crazy on twitter when i first posted it)

these next ones are also other ones i did for funsies, so i wont put much besides little information or just their names: Nebulus the unicorn (Sonic and the Secret Rings inspired)

Nitre the ghost-cat (one i did for funsies, honestly LOVE their design still it SLAPS.) they have a zombie pomeranian friend named Candy that i've yet to design also...)

Coco the lop-eared bunny (one i did for funsies)

Both unnamed (did this as apart of that "give me 3 emojis to make an oc" trend a while back and i still liked how these came out

And lastly the most recent one, Miss Muffy! (sadly the last one i did before i fell out of sonic)

soo yaaaa those were my sonic occs i hope u guys liked theeemmm ^-^ obv it wasn't all of the ocs i made considering i have a lot still as wips and stuff that i don't feel confident in showing but i hope this list was a good way to see all the different designs i did!! ok bye now

( ill drop my AF and toyhou.se for people who want to know more about some of these oc's since they're a bit better at giving lore n stuff: ) https://artfight.net/~oh_gh0st https://toyhou.se/oh_gh0st

#ghosts rambles #ghost's doodles #ghost's ocs #excuse the different image sizes/resolutions. im so sorry #but i know u guys wanted to see them. and i will deliver #plus u guys get to see the design range that i can do ^-^ that im personally proud of ngl even tho its not much #i do try branching out best way i can in my ocs #and i do like to experiment #i just need to work on body types. that's a big step im taking this year and sadly right after i got out of sonic #and i KNOW those body types have potential #so i might experiment with body types in oso-san or other fandoms if i get into something new #OK ENOUGH RAMBLING EMJOY MY BOOGERS <33

[jamespottersmixtape]

pray that I keep this momentum going for planning. currently outlining chapter 3 I’m jumping around inside the walls

#they haven’t even kissed yet this is so foreign to me #usually they’re jumping on each other within 1k words #I told myself I wanted angst so I’m delivering #to the best of my mediocre ability #gonna write rosekiller at a christmas party this will be…an experience #okay time to shut up pls ignore me <3

[dreadfutures]

I say this as someone with mental disabilities, sometimes you just gotta take the L and do it. Maybe it'll cost you and send you into negative spoons but sometimes you gotta. We have a human debt we owe to one another and we have to fight for each other.

Disabilities make things hard to do safely, without pain, etc. Where you can, seek accomodations, ask for help, live your life, and do good in the world in the ways you can.

What we can't do with our disabilities? We can't sit here and wallow and use them as a shield.

#this is a separate issue from activism fatigue #this is a separate issue from curating your fandom experience #this is specifically about using anxiety depression social awkwardness whatever disability as a reason to never do anything #if you cant call then email #if you cant write the email use the gd scripts and buttons people have made for this very purpose #at some point you just need to admit you dont want to help and dont view it as important enough #and in that case? take the moral L and just be quiet instead of bemoaning how your disability means you can't do anything #honestly it's insulting to disabled activists physical or otherwise who find ways to help make our movements run #to be deleted #like full disclosure ive chickened out of going to protests! #i try to find other ways to support things #if i cant or decide not to do something #or i ask for help #idk man #sometimes walking in person to deliver a negotiation letter to your Boss is as scary as jumping in front of a bullet #i know!!!! #but it's gotta happen!!! and if you're not with us who is???? and if you're not with us who will be there with you???

[emdotcom]

I changed my mind. Hater behavior is undeserved, when it comes to works, & idgaf about holding creators accountable when their games are mid, anymore.

#em.txt #now i only care about how you treat your workers tbh #so there are still series i hate. but now I don't want to be mean to people who put time & effort into making shit #this is about post shift 2. people were too fuckin mean to Rjac for a game he made for free #& as a bitch who loves that game a lot i see your criticisms i understand. but you're not gonna be mean to him abt this #that fucking teen that held that interview & told him he needed to be held accountable for his mistakes. god #he made this shit for free across four years. what can happen in four years? what did he work through? #to deliver you a free game. even if you don't fucking like the game if you invite a creator on to talk about their works #you don't fucking talk to them the way uyeah did. shit was cruel & uncalled for. #this game is fucking good but it's forever going to be burried as a game that's complicated with weird tutorials #ps2 is fun. you should try it. if you don't get it -- ask. I'll answer any question at any time #i will vc you i will write a text doc -- whatever you want. more people need to experience this fucking game #it's compelling in a way few games are to me. #i can homestly only compare it to rain world but not for a reason that's overt & easy to explain. more in how it feels to play #rather than what you do. #man. idk. i gotta learn how to talk about shit i love without being mean now #this started because i was talking mad shit to my friends & it asked me to stop because i was downtalking something she loved a lot #& i realized this isn't fun for people. i thought we were having fun but tbh? I'm just a mean negative bitch #& that's not fun. that's mean. #i have to redo this character arc from when i was 13 because i guess I didn't learn it the first time around #cynicism doesn't make you funny or cool. it makes you mean & unfun to be around. finding kind things to say is tougher. #if you can present your criticism nicely then maybe you can criticize too #but that alone does not a good critique make & it definitely don't make you fun at parties #listen. i am still gonna be a bitch. but i am going to be less of one.

[obstinaterixatrix]

I haven’t written p5 in 3 years and I haven’t refreshed on the source material in who knows how long but maybe I could actually write that ‘ryuji and yusuke make the logo together in the p4 shadow au context and have a weird tense loaded conversation but ultimately feel closer afterwards’

#orlbs #p5lb #no promises tho prepare for disappointment as I 🎶don’t deliver🎶 #did I ever draft anything for it or was it just one vague tweet years ago #I know I would want ryuji awkwardly sharing his shadow experience in an attempt to make things ‘even’ #it is also almost 4am. I can’t possibly be rational.

[hobbitunderthemountain]

2023 is gonna be the year i start allowing myself to buy 'disability aids'

things that may not seem practical but will greatly improve the ease of which i'm able to tackle everyday tasks

things that i may not have looked into because 'those are for people more sensitive/disabled than I am'

things that make my routines easier to follow or easier to build habits that seemed like monumental tasks

this is the year im gonna actually be gentle with myself

#ok to rb if anyone wants to lol #things i've started doing for example: #buying wide mouth stay cold tumblers without straws = its easier to clean #than say a waterbottle with a straw and a tiny neck AND it means i'll drink more water if i have something on hand easy to wash #or buying more disposable things so i have less dishes #one thing that always piles up faster than anything else are my cats dishes #and i finally realized the other night I can buy disposable ones #i have a pack of biodegradable lil bowls being delivered to my house tomorrow #uhhhh what was the other thing #OH i invested in some ear plugs I heard about for people who are easily overstimulated #that allows you to still hear what's going on around you but filter out a lot of the background noise #like bro i went to a busy bookstore this weekend and walked around w them in and it was like a whole new experience #i feel like there's more i've been kinder and more forgiving of myself buying to help me manage the mess my brain has been

[moodr1ng]

eventually i have to assume im not a good writer or, perhaps, not a writer at all (like, just someone who happens to have written stuff, but not so much someone who does writing as a characteristic), cause i cant find any other way to explain how i cant find anything to write ABOUT. its been months and i cant write anything and its not bc i dont want to or cant bring myself to do it its because i have nothing to say i guess

edit: who tf are you people reblogging this and can you fuck off lol. like how many times are you gonna do this to my personal posts. once again i was venting about suicidal ideation in the tags of this and this is a post about putting myself down as an artist for having deep depressive episodes that keep me from creating. fuck off!!!!!!!

#97 #the more it goes on the more i get myopic about the one novel length thing ive actually like. finished #i keep sitting here and thinking 'i just need to get this thing done edited finished and then i can write something else' #heres the fun part: i cant get this thing done #and it may not actually magically deliver me unto new inspiration #maybe i only had the one whole story in me. #i think im in a depressive phase lol #i just keep opening a word document and trying to write something and i just. do not have a story. #i dont even have a scene. a description. anything. #im all emptied out. i dont have anything left to say. #i dont have any more conversations to hold. i dont do anything. i dont have new thoughts or experiences. #every day is the same day. and i want to give that day a fair shake. and give it a chance to hold something. #but i have this sinking feeling that its too late now and im too deep in whatever this is. #and im waiting for someone to say or do something. to shake me out of it. and its like.. well were all in our own mud holes arent we? #i dont think i have anymore in me. #not just the writing. #not even just the art. #i dont think i have any more in me. i think ive had enough of being alive. now im just here because i cant help it. #anyway!!

[fionnaskyborn]

god's strongest [redacted] hater but i am being respectful about it. as anyone should. cannot fathom the kind of people who will go out of their way to harass others just because of the laws of mileage may vary.

which won't stop me from exploding [redacted] as a construct with my mind every time i come across it which is. almost daily. pain and suffering

#''curate your online experience fi'' if i curate this particular subsection of it i will actively prevent myself from ever witnessing #anything even remotely related to a thing i care about. it's That big of a deal. i can't escape though i wish i could ;w; #i mean i have my personal thoughts on [redacted] but the thing is as much as i would revel in [redacted] enthusiasts hurling over my takes i #really do not want to be lynched online. #it's alright though i'll just seethe in peace until one of my friends acquires enough knowledge on the general topic for me to deliver my #most ''unacceptable'' thoughts without the fear of judgment. no harm done peace and love on planet earth and i love everybody <3 #(except scumbag nazis & fascists obviously) #(but that's a given at all times) #logs #(i guess?)