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newtkive · 3 months

Text

pixels [ newt x reader - modern text au ]

ch. 2 - drama queen core

summary: minho's drama finally catches up with him, but newt becomes a hero.

warnings: strong language, mutual pining, none really.

➥ m.list

__

THE GLADE

[ 12:08 PM ]

y/n: gm pookies

newt: it’s the afternoon.

y/n: yeah well

ur east coast

newt: so are you y/n

y/n: FINE BAD MORNING THEN ARE U HAPPY?

minho: drama queen is awake

newt: you’re the drama queen min let’s be fr

minho: u want me to die be honest

newt: see .

tommy: hey guys :3 been waiting for you all

y/n: awwww tommy <3 gm

tommy: morning sweetums

minho: ew stop

newt: how did you sleep?

tommy: good! used my new heated pillow

newt: not you

minho: not you

tommy: wtf

WHO THEN?? THERES LIKE 7 OTHER PPL IN HERE

minho: he means y/n

and there’s 4 other people not including newt and y/n dumbass

y/n: oh

why just me????

newt: cuz you stayed up til 6 am

y/n: ..

how do you know that

newt: i saw you were active on discord

gally: doesn’t that mean you were awake too then

newt: ok and?

minho: thats crazy newt

newt: no it isn’t

i just casually saw it

y/n: hehe

im ok i need to sleep more. sims 4 was really consuming me

why were you awake??

newt: up for work

minho: you get on discord before work?

chronically online..

newt: can you choke and pass out and hit your head please

minho: THE WAY U WANT ME DEAD IS INSANE

y/n: he’s gotta check on his discord hoes before hitting the grind

newt: there are no discord hoes

unless you count thomas

and i don’t

tommy: well why not

newt: because you disgust me

tommy: love u too :3<3

minho: y’all about to kiss aren’t you

newt: never say that shit again im outside your door with a b*mb

minho: why censor it

just blow me up it’s my grandmas house anyway. u want to jump her that bad????

gally: blow that bitch up i say

y/n: HELLO???!,!!

gally: minho not grandma

she loves me cuz im so tall

minho: tall people always gotta remind you they’re tall 😒

like we get it bigfoot

gally: shut up tinkerbell

y/n: you’re somewhat tall minho

minho: any man under 6’0 is considered short

y/n: yeah but newt is 6 ft trapped in a 5’10 body so not totally true

newt: what does that even mean

minho: give me a break

i can tell you exactly what that means

she wanna hit

newt: stop

tommy: don’t get his hopes up

newt: dude

stfu

y/n: what newt said

gally: can we appreciate the only one actually over 6 ft here

minho: no.

tommy: im the same height as newt!!!!

y/n: yea but ur like 3 ft trapped in a 5’10 body tommy not the same

tommy: oh ..

minho: kind of real

newt: can someone kick gally i’m tired of seeing his fucking name on my phone

gally: then turn your phone off don’t you have old ladies to tend to at the library

newt: yeah and they all love me

y/n: so real

if i was old i’d go in there and imagine you’re my young boyfriend and cling to everything u say

tommy: true im the old ladies

y/n: LMAO

minho: write a fanfic y/n why don’t you

newt: yeah you both are old and not beating the dementia allegations

y/n: IM THE YOUNGEST HERE

ur just mad you’re old as dirt

tommy: youth has left you newt and it has turn you bitter in your old age.

minho: thomas knows big words who knew

newt: which word in that sentence was big??

y/n: shut up minho

minho: wtf did i do

y/n: idk but i imagine you sitting there typing on your little phone and i got pissed

minho: WHAT???!.‘wKWHFO

newt: LMAOOOOOOOOOOO

yeah chubby little fingers hitting the wrong letters on his iphone 8

minho: im leaving

tommy: dont leave i forgive you for what you said

minho: i don’t give a damn

y’all mad y’all are all fake im the realest i’ve been prophesizing and reading scriptures 7000 years before y’all fake asses were born be so for real right now

y/n: not reading that

congrats

or sorry for what happened idk

about to drink my coffee in a wine glass

tommy: just drink wine

newt: it’s noon tommy??

tommy: ok and?

newt: explains a lot

minho: no coffee for me this new year only water and pussy juice fr fr

[ newt removed minho from the group ]

tommy: woah

y/n: woah..

newt: i can’t take it anymore

alby: How did you get that access..?

newt: don’t worry about it

in times of need i have to step in like that

y/n: hi alby!

alby: Hey y/n!

tommy: you’re such a hero newt

gally: that was deserved

who wants to play minecraft rn

y/n: me!!

alby: I’ll play, I’m off work today.

y/n: let’s go to the desert i want a camel

gally: alright but then the caves after i wanna mine

newt: if you mine with her you gotta bring extra food and storage when she dies so you can pick up the fallen items

gally: i forget you’re her designated babysitter

y/n: oh please no he isn’t

and i’ll bring my own food

newt: you always say that and then leave it in the stove oven

y/n: WELL I WONT THIS TIME

newt: sure ok

i’ll get on after work

[ alby added minho to the group ]

minho: when i get you.

newt: why did you add him back alby

alby: He was harassing me.

newt: be a man and take it

gally: im leaving

[ gally left the group ]

minho: im going to throw up and die

newt: im staying out of this

minho: (guy who caused it) im staying out of this

y/n: why does gally alwyas leave 😔

newt: why question a gift from the heavens

tommy: get online y/n gally is attacking my dirt house w a pickaxe :((((

y/n: NO IM COMING

minho: im coming to your work newt

newt: okay im locking the door early then

minho: i’ll smash through the glass idc

newt: i’m leaving my shift is over at 1 today.

minho: i’ll use life360 on you

newt: i deleted that app

minho: i’ll stand in the middle of the street

newt: ok let me position my car in front of you

just come to my apartment and we can play w them on pc and xbox

minho: …. fine but i hate your guts

newt: fine

y/n: HURRY GALLY IS ATTACKING MY SHED NOOOOWWW

newt: i’ll just rebuild it

minho: i’ll set it on fire just wait

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sydsaint · 13 days

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A little taste of what's to come with our fav GM Reader and her boys. <3

Summary: GM reader flexes her hard-earned experience and the benefits that come with it to Ava at a draft meeting. But offering Ava some wisdom isn't the only thing that she's got on the agenda.

"Your boys lost the match fair and square, Pearce." You smile across the table at your fellow general manager. "Which means that Smackdown gets first dibs at the NXT roster, courtesy of Ava, of course." You turn in your chair to face Ava sitting a few seats away from you.

Ava flashes a friendly smile at you. This is her first WWE draft meeting, so she's still in the feeling-out process of everything. "I'm just happy to be here." She admits.

"And we're happy to have you here." Pearce nods. "But back to business. YN, do you have a pick from the NXT roster to kick the night off?" He turns back to you.

"I do, yes." You grin and twirl your pen in your hand before pulling open the vanilla folder in front of you. "Smackdown will be taking Carmelo Hayes as our first pick from NXT." You inform the room.

A knowing scoff escapes Pearce's lips. He taps his pen against his palm and nods at you. "Excellent choice, YN." He compliments you. "Your eye for talent never ceases to amaze me." He adds knowingly.

"What can I say, Adam? I can't help but have good taste." You laugh and wink at him playfully.

The meeting drags on for a few more hours while you and Pearce go back and forth on draft picks. Ava chimes in when one of you has a question about the NXT roster, but otherwise stays silent and soaks in all the information she can get. Ava especially keeps a keen eye on you. She aspires to be like you one day. A strong woman that commands authority and understands the inner-workings of the company like the back of your hand.

After the meeting finally comes to an end, both you and Pearce are feeling satisfied with your respective picks. The two of you shake hands and part ways until the next executive meeting or PLE show. You are just about shoot the boys a text that you're finished up with your meeting when Ava approaches.

"YN! Hey, again." Ava cracks a friendly and eager smile as she walks over to you.

"Hmm?" You glance up from your phone. "Oh, Ava! What's up, girl?" You greet her.

Ava bounces on her heels nervously and smiles at you. "Sorry to bother you." She bites the inside of her cheek. "But I was hoping that we could talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." You nod and pocket your phone. "I've got some time before my date gets here."

Ava nods and the two of you move to a more comfortable spot to chat for a bit. You both take a seat out in the outdoor lounge and take advantage of the warm sun still hanging in the sky.

"You were great earlier." Ava starts the conversation. "I mean. It's so cool how you manage to control the narative when you're negotiating with Pearce." She gushes. "That's what I want."

"Thanks, Ava." You giggle at her awe of you. "You did good for your first draft meeting too." You offer her an encouraging smile. "I know you haven't been in charge of the NXT roster for long. But you seem to have a good handle on it. Your knoledge of everyone really helped Pearce and I out with our picks." You assure her.

The smile on Ava's face grows wider at your encouraging words. "Thanks, YN. That really means a lot." She blushes.

"Of course!" You nod. "You've got a bright future kid." You knock into her shoulder playfully.

You and Ava chat for a while about work. You offer her some tips about things that you had to learn the hard way in order to move up in the business. Ava soaks up the information and doesn't hesitate to ask questions, which you like.

"Hey, I actually have another question for you." Ava prepares to drop another ask on you. Not that you mind. "If you don't mind, that is." She adds.

"Ask away." You smile at her.

Ava picks at her nails for a second before nervously meeting your gaze. "Are the rumors true about you, LA Knight, Grayson Waller, and Austin Theory?" She asks you sheepishly.

A laugh falls from your lips upon hearing Ava's question. "Well it's no secret that Knight and I have a special relationship." You half-answer her. "But when it comes to Theory and Waller? Well, some things are better left to the imagination, don't you think, Ava?" You tease her and your phone buzzes in your pocket.

You take out your phone and quickly read the new message. Ava watches you curiously as you rise to your feet and pocket your phone before pulling down your sunglasses.

"You're doing great as the GM of NXT." You praise Ava one last time. "But don't ever forget that being the GM comes with it's own special perks." You grin at her as a fast-sounding car whips into the parking lot.

Ava watches you gesture for her to follow you as the luxury car sounds closer and closer. She follows you out to the front of the building where she spots the luxury car she heard now sitting still. LA Knight leans against the drivers-side door and nods to Ava when he sees her.

"You out here picking up strays now, darlin?" Knight peers at you over the rim of his aviators.

"Just giving a newbie some tips from a pro." You grin back at him. "You ready to go? The boys are starting the party without us from the text I just got from the pretty boy." You add.

Knight chuckles and walks around the car to get the door for you. "The party don't really start until you get there, sweetheart. You know that."

"Take care Ava!" You offer Ava one last wave. "Shoot me a message if you ever need anything, alright, girl?" You add.

"Yeah! Okay!" Ava nods, her eyes sparkling with awe as you dissapear into the car.

Knight walks back around the car and pulls his glasses down to get a good look at Ava. "You have a nice rest of your day, sweetheart." He shoots a wink at her before pushing his glasses back up and disapearing into the car as well.

Ava watches the car speed out of the parking lot and shakes her head. Oh yeah. She's definetly got a new role model to look up to.

In the car you laugh with Knight regarding your little display. "Oh her face was so cute." You giggle.

"She did looked pretty shocked, yeah." Knight agrees. "How'd the meeting go with Pearce?" He asks you.

You smile to yourself and look at Knight knowingly. "It went great. Smackdown is about to become the A-show again. Trust me on that, babe." You laugh to yourself. "Because I've got Carmelo Hayes in my office on Friday night. And he's all mine to work with."

"Hayes, huh?" Knight glances over at you for a brief second. "You ain't looking to add another boytoy to the roster, are you?" He asks you.

"We'll see." You shrug, plans for new rivalries and storylines already forming in your head.

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tinyfantasminha · 6 months

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Jumping on the Jack R outrage bandwagon

What also gets me about Jack getting another R card, is this also means Savanaclaw is the only dorm now to not have a Halloween SSR card. And this is just my prediction, but given the way that Jack's card is the only one that doesn't have ribbons or strings attached to the side, he's probably going to be pretty important to the story, aka with the puppet theme and likely people being controlled, it feels like he's not going to be controlled and making him Very Important for the story line

Anyways Justice for Jack

So far, I noticed that ALL the halloween events had at least one dorm leader SSR; Vil for SM, Riddle for EH, Malleus, Idia and Azul for GM and now Kalim for PL; Which makes it highly likely that Leona will be 2024's halloween SSR! It will happen, it's only a matter of time (that rules out Jack and Ruggie as possible halloween SSRs for next year tho 💔)

NO LISTEN I'VE BEEN THINKING THE SAME. ABOUT HOW JACK'S OUTFIT SEEMS DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHERS

Out of the R cards, Lilia, Trey and Jade all have loose ribbons on their sides. Now look at Jack; his ribbons aren't loose, but rather...

...They are tied to his cuffs and connected to his back. Why only he has ribbons tied that way?? And something that particularly makes me uneasy is why he has ribbons tied to his knees. Doesn't that seem oddly restricting? Especially for THE most athletic and physically strong character?

Notice that it's a single ribbon, tying his knees together. All of the ribbons on his cuffs and knees seem to be of enough length to make him move comfortably at least, but wouldn't that prove to be a hassle for his movements in case of an emergency? He can't properly run with his legs tied like that. He can't properly fight using fists with his arms tied like that.

Considering the boys did not choose their outfits (it magically appears on their bodies once they enter inside playful land) it's almost as if... That was purely intentional on Fellow's part. As if he's wary of Jack and is very much conscious about how he could use his raw strength to break out, and the ribbons tying up his limbs is to ensure that he will stay contained and restricted like a dog on a leash.

Nothing is confirmed yet but I sure hope those ribbons will have a bigger role in the plot and aren't there just for aesthetics 😭 If those ribbons really will be like strings that holds a puppet together, I can imagine that Lilia's, Trey's and Jade's ribbons will be holding them up like they're puppets and Jack's ribbons will be for restricting him.

Ok as much as I'd love for Jack to be important in the story I don't think that's going to happen since he's merely a R card AGAIN and much less will be of more importance than the others 😭 Whatever predicament happens to Jack will likely happen to the R characters (and SRs?) as well, like being restricted or controlled. The SSRs are supposed to be the protagonists of the story after all. BUT I still hope there's a small scene that shows his ribbons restricting him and proves that the placement of HIS ribbons especially aren't just for show 😳😳😳

#twisted wonderland #playful land #twst event #jack howl #lilia vanrouge #jade leech #trey clover #fellow honest #you know smth that seems different in the outfits of this event #is that FINALLY everyone has a single individual outfit for themselves only and not an outfit themed after a dorm #first halloween event every dorm wears the same thing #and glomas the outfits are slightly different but still has somewhat the same motiff for every dorm #im LOVING that in this event everyone has individuality and outfits that fits their characters and not their dorms #like ace and trey and cater look so vastly different its so refreshing #which makes me hope that every character R and SR will at least have their own moment to shine in this event #answered ask

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anim-ttrpgs · 7 months

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Investigators’ Truth in Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

We have mentioned before on this blog when talking about Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy that in Eureka roleplay is mechanics-driven and mechanics are roleplay-driven, but what does that mean?

The short version is that when making your PC, you put things on their character sheet that give bonuses when they act in a way that is consistent with their intended characterization.

One of these elements is called a character’s Truth. Every Eureka PC has a Truth, and they may even have multiple Truths. A Truth can even change as a result of events in the campaign.

A character’s Truth is some strong element of their personality or beliefs that is likely to spur them into action, get them into trouble, or both. It is not necessarily a flaw, but it easily can be, as one of the main purposes of it is to encourage and reward players for letting their characters screw up.

When playing a video game or a TTRPG, it’s often very easy to sit back and think out every problem and approach them perfectly logically, especially when time usually pauses as you discuss the next move among the other players at the table. But if every character in a movie or book or any other story always made the most perfectly logical decision, that would probably be a pretty boring story, and it certainly wouldn’t be a very realistic story. People don't always make the most logical decisions in real life.

However, when playing a game, it can feel like “losing” to intentionally make a character make a decision that you, in your logical detached mind, know will probably not work out well for them in the long run. Eureka argues that this is not “losing”, and that this is actually exactly how Eureka is supposed to go. To encourage this, we added the Truth mechanic.

Like I said before, Truth is not exactly a flaw, just some part of the character’s personality or beliefs that would spur them to action or get them into trouble. It could be a hot temper, a need to always have the last word, an overly competitive nature, a love of violence, or a compulsion to lie, but it could also be a strong desire to selflessly protect others, or the trust that one’s fellow man are inherently good.

Whatever it is, when a character acts within the parameters of their Truth, they get a +1 to the dice roll for whatever it is they’re doing, or whatever dice roll results from them acting in their Truth.

This doesn’t mean that a character acting within their Truth is always the worst course of action on their part, sometimes emotional gut decisions do turn out to be right. Maybe a character whose Truth is somehow based around trusting others is right to lower their weapon, because the monster might be just as scared of them as they are of him, and that +1 Truth Bonus is going to come in handy in the resulting Comfort roll to try and de-escalate the situation—or maybe they’re completely wrong and the monster was just waiting for an opportunity to seize the upper hand, and that +1 Truth Bonus is instead going to be used on an Athletics roll to run like hell.

This also doesn’t mean that a character always has to act within their Truth, no one realistically reacts the exact same way to every situation, and we do not encourage GMs to push or punish players if their characters do not act within their Truth, but Truth helps reward realistic, in-character behavior from the PCs.

In this way, the rules/mechanics of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy are tied directly to the roleplay of the character, and the roleplay of the character is encouraged and supported by the rules/mechanics.

Stay tuned for another post about a way that in-character roleplay and rules/mechanics are intertwined with the Traits system.

You can also pick up a pre-release PDF copy of this game(in a fully playable state) for $5 through our Patreon.

#eureka: investigative urban fantasy #coc #eureka #tabletop #call of cthulhu #monster of the week #motw ttrpg #motw rpg #roleplaying #indie rpg #dnd #rpg #ttrpg

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twstgameplay · 7 months

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Anemone Viru's First SSS for Unified Exams

I got my first SSS in Unified Exams! A big thank you to Mod Zuzu for helping with my Omni Defense team and all of my friends' support cards. I've been stuck at 100k for the past 3 Unified Exams and didn't have much hope for SSS when I saw it was mostly basic exams and one of them was Cosmic basic. Somehow squeezed out 10k more points after the first day.

Since EN now has the Room feature, you can score pretty high relying on well built support cards. And M3 helps a lot with tuning teams.

~ 👑

All buddies are Lv 10 unless stated otherwise.

Fire Basic

Boa Epel Lv 80 10/10 - M HP (Idia)

GM Ace Lv 90 10/10 - S POW (Idia), M HP (Riddle), S HP (Epel)

Lab Idia Lv 77 5/5

Tsum Riddle Lv 80 10/10

Support GM Ace Lv 110 10/10 - S POW (Idia), M HP (Riddle), S HP (Epel)

Boa Epel and GM Ace were lower levels when I got this score. I LB them to try to improve it with a T3-2 but there wasn't enough overkill. It took many attempts for Malleus to get his full heal in before a T4-2 finish.

Water Basic

Dorm Leona Lv 86 10/10 - S POW (Vil)

Dorm Vil Lv 80 9/10 - S HP (Leona)

GM Idia Lv 85 10/10 - M HP (Lilia)

GM Lilia Lv 80 10/10- M POW (Idia) Lv 7

Support Dorm Leona Lv 110 10/10 - S POW (Vil)

I needed both of Kalim's heals in order to end on T4-2 and had to hope that he didn't show up or the Vil's curse misses. It was a struggle to try to find the correct combination of spells to not end early.

Flora Defense

Total HP: 62246

Beans Jade Lv 90 10/6

Lab Kalim Lv 80 5/1 - S HP (Jack)

Lab Jack Lv 80 10/1 - S HP (Jade)

HW Silver Lv 80 10/10 - M HP (Kalim)

Support HW Silver Lv 110 10/10 - M HP (Kalim)

Flora Defense is full of curses so the only card were safe to be cursed is Lab Kalim and Lab Jack if he got cursed on T1 or T2. Finish the exam with Lab Jack's heal which is guaranteed on T5-1 and Bean Jade's flora spell stays unused so I only took weak hits. Once I got a run with all successful heals, I almost had a full HP bar.

Initially I had Beans Floyd but there were too many curses to be reliable and I would have been forced to take a neutral hit. Then I tried Dorm Epel Lv 80 10/10 for his HP and heal. Then I rush to raised Lab Jack because he provides 2 more HP buddies and his heal was stronger than Dorm Epel.

Cosmic Basic

Dorm Rook Lv 85 10/10 - M HP (Epel)

Dorm Leona Lv 86 10/10 - S POW (Vil)

Dorm Epel Lv 80 10/10 - S POW (Vil), S HP (Vil, Rook)

Dorm Vil Lv 80 9/10 - M POW (Epel), S HP (Leona, Rook)

Support Dorm Rook Lv 110 10/10 - M HP (Epel)

I got all 5 duos in and ended on T4-2 with support Rook's duo with his POW UP. I needed both of Azul's heal otherwise I would have ended too early and this team isn't strong enough for a T3-2 overkill.

Omni Defense

Total HP: 75221

Dorm Azul Lv 90 10/10 - M POW (Jade), S HP (Idia)

Beans Jade Lv 90 10/6 - M HP (Idia)

Beans Floyd Lv 85 10/10 - S HP (Jade)

Dorm Trey Lv 92 10/10 - S HP (Idia)

Support Dorm Idia Lv 110 10/10/5 - S HP (Azul, Jade)

Omni did not have any curses so it was safe to bring in a regen spell. I used Dorm Idia M1/M3 and took 2-3 neutral hits and Floyd did not get his final heal in because his Regen did not show up until T3. If Floyd got his healing in earlier or I took one less neutral hit I could have gotten 26k but RNG was not nice.

POW Drain would have been nice to have here because Leona's cosmic spells hurt a lot.

Bonus

Dorm Rook Lv 85 10/10 - M HP (Epel)

GM Idia Lv 85 10/10 - M HP

Dorm Epel Lv 80 10/10 - S HP (Rook)

Boa Epel - M HP (Idia)

Support Dorm Rook Lv 110 10/10 - M HP (Epel)

This team did pretty okay overcoming all the debuffs in Cosmic basic. But I do not recommend it because keeping track of all the POW UPs was very annoying.

#twst #twst brags #anemone viru

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eebideebi · 11 months

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Fallout Companions and the Jobs They'd Have in a Modern AU

Cait: Physical Therapist. I feel like she'd be either a PT/OT or an actual therapist. Specifically for sportspeople. Though this is if Sole meets her post-boxing career. If not, well, she's a Boxer.

Curie: School Nurse. No doubt in my mind. She loves working with kids. Thinks they're the "future we all need". Also thinks they're adorable and the stories they have for her are always really sweet. She's adored by the entire school (which is probably an elementary/middle school) and always gives her patients a lollipop.

Codsworth: Butler/Nanny. That's a given. I mean, he's programmed to be a butler. Think an Alfred type-beat. Loves to cook on the side and his employers always love when he cooks for them.

Danse: OSHA employee/Safety Inspector. Another pretty obvious one. Is really vigorous and the GMs he shakes down always despise getting him for checks. Takes his job very seriously. Post BB (TBD what that translates to in a modern AU), he works as a freelance mechanic. Always some form of grease/oil on his uniform.

Deacon: Makeup Artist, duh. Or a SFX artist. Loves his craft, probably cosplays on the side. I don't have much to say for Deacon, but he probably holds competitions with his fellow artists for "best wig" and things like that. He hoards the entries to those comps.

Dogmeat: Instagram dog. 600k followers, MINIMUM. We love Dogmeat here, he deserves the best. Spends his days chasing ducks and barking at cars, much to Sole's (and DM's follower's) delight.

Hancock: Laid-back Gas Station employee. Sells weed on the side. Always zoinked out of his mind and probably needs a detox. Doesn't do much on the clock, but when his higher-ups come in, he straightens out. Pretends to not see the homeless people swiping ramen/chip packets because "Fuck capitalism. Homies need to eat."

MacCready: The homeless person Hancock refuses to call the cops on (/j). In seriousness, MacCready probably works as a freelance builder. For my Aussies, think a Tradie. Doesn't like his job and wants nothing more than to be a stay-at-home Dad, but needs to work for Duncan's sake. Very dusty, all the time.

Valentine: Grief Counsellor. Helps those who lost loved ones to manage their emotions. Always dreamed of being a detective, but never got the chance. I feel like that helps him connect with his patients as he lost something close to him as well. Maybe worked as a detective in his early days but had to retire after Winter's End?

Piper: English Teacher/assistant. Maybe works at the same school Curie does. Buys weed from Hancock. She wants to be a reporter, but a stable job is more important to her so she can care for Nat. Adores her kids, but despises the workload. Teaches night classes for those who struggle with English.

Preston: Works in the community department of the local government. Organises homeless drives, soup kitchens, etc. Really into charity work and probably volunteers on the side. Aggressively nice to everyone who comes into his office. "HAVE SOME TEA. PLEASE, EAT. EAT."

Strong: Works under MacCready. Demolitions expert. That or a Personal Trainer, for obvious reasons. He'd be really into whatever he does and keeps his head down for the most part. Goes to Piper's night classes.

x6: The manager who hates Danse. Probably works in a government-sanctioned building, so he actually works with Danse a lot. Sits in his office that probably has a catwalk over the actual building and looks down on his peasant employees. Think Lord Farquaad.

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utilitycaster · 5 months

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I've been comparing Burrow's End with Ravening War to myself, where they're both "oh you think it's this kind of story, well it's actually that kind of story". I think Ravening War stuck the landing a lot better because the shorter season made it able to pivot earlier and more effectively.

I guess I'm a little confused here because The Ravening War kept it pretty solidly within the bounds of a pre-established world. It explored a part of that world we hadn't seen; but the idea of a mushroom society was thrown around from quite early on, and the actual genre of the story stayed pretty clearly within the low fantasy as previously established in A Crown of Candy - political intrigue and death cults are solidly part of that.

I'm also, again, saving this for once the season is over, but the thesis of my essay is "D20 does best when they have a strong premise and stick with it (eg: ASOAIF/Game of Thrones but in Candyland; a regency-era romance and comedy of manners in the Feywild; John Hughes movie but it's D&D) and they tend to falter when they try a hard genre pivot."

The way I phrased this in discussion with someone else, which might be indicative particularly given the GMs in question, was that when Critical Role decides to go prestigious they tend to strip things down to something quite spare and limited and be very open with the players and audience about their intentions; and when D20 decides to go prestigious they tend to throw on every possible bell and whistle and introduce a billion twists. I think that's why D20 has been so uneven as of late. It's trying so hard to be clever it forgets to be good, and in the process it also fails to even be clever.

#answered #Anonymous #d20 tag

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wtfcl0ud · 2 months

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mixed cayenne powder chilli flakes onion and garlic powder and black pepper boiled it left it to cool a bit and added some dish soap then added tht to my spray bottle with vinegar and citronella oil and it smells so spicy im sneezing so for the love of fucks sake the stupid fucking geckos must evacuate and stay clear like my gm is gonna come upstairs and rag me out for how strong it smells so surely the geckos too will flee bc i am once again at my wits fucking end

#cloud nonsense

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omegawhiskers · 6 months

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RAW 6/11/23

WAR GAMES

It's the Raw after Crown Jewel and this episode did a good job at establishing matches for Survivor Series. As you can see from the above graphic, each team is missing one person. It's obvious that Drew McIntyre will join The Judgement Day while Randy Orton will join team babyface. Drew's only appearance on this show was driving up to the building, getting out of his car, only to get back in and drive away. I was surprised he never made an appearance again.

The showed opened with Seth Rollins giving props to Sami Zayn for stealing Damian Priest's briefcase. Like a good GM, Adam Pearse took it back. Rollins decides that Sami deserves a shot at his title tonight. Our main event is locked in.

Priest is not happy with the tom foolery that went down at Crown Jewel, but tonight he teams with Finn Balor to face The New Day in what was a short match. Next week, Priest and Balor will defend the titles against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Akira Tozawa was another short bout. The positive is that Tozawa got some offense. Next week it will be Nakamura vs. Otis.

Finally we got a longer match for the number one contender for the Intercontinental Title. The four-way match consisted of The Miz vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ivar vs. Ricochet. This was a pretty exciting match with some neat spots from Ivar and Ricochet. The ending of this was bizarre. Miz pinned Reed, while Ivar pinned Ricochet. The ref counted as Ricochet kicked out, but Reed stayed down for the count. Even though The Miz won, both the ref and commentary were perplexed. They gave the impression that Miz did not win because Ricochet kicked out. Also, The Miz as a babyface is not working. He needs to reinvent himself in some way because this run will get stale pretty fast.

DIY lost to The Creed Brothers in a inferior match compared to last week. Julius and Brutus have been signed to Raw, including Ivy Nile, who was in a Battle Royal for a shot at Rhea Ripley at Survivor Series.

I can't fault this Battle Royale, it was pretty good. Xia Li took out Becky Lynch on the way out. Pearce remove Li from the match as Becky couldn't compete. Niki Cross is still doing the stare thing...I think she needs help...Nile got the spotlight as she was one of the last remaining women in the ring. Zoey Stark won the challenge and will get a shot at Rhea Ripley for the Woman's World Championship at Survivor Series. I liked how this match unitized talent.

Moving into the main event, I really thought Drew or Damian would get involved in this match, but this was just a straight up wrestling match where two men gave a good performance. I think this match may have been roughly 20 minutes. Of course we got a post match brawl with the Judgement Day, Cody and Jey. A furious Pearse came out to break things up and a made a War Games match for Survivor Series. It will be Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins/Sami Zayn/Jey Uso VS. Damien Priest/Finn Balor/JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio.

While this wasn't the best Raw for matches, it did move pieces in the right direction for Survivor Series. I didn't feel any segment was unnecessary, and I liked that Adam Pearse inserted strong authority throughout the show.

#cody rhodes #rhea ripley #wwe raw #wwe #jey uso #war games #survivor series #shinsuke nakamura #wrestling #randy orton #drew mcintyre #seth rollins #the new day #the creed brothers #nia jax #becky lynch #finn balor #dominik mysterio #ivy nile

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packernet · 3 months

Photo

New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2024/02/07/twists-and-turns-the-packers-defensive-coordinator-search/

Twists and Turns: The Packers' Defensive Coordinator Search

When the Green Bay Packers began their search for a new defensive coordinator, they quickly identified Ejiro Evero from the Carolina Panthers as a top candidate. Evero had previously worked with the Packers in 2016 and had even interviewed for the same position in 2021, showing mutual interest. It seemed likely that he would be chosen to replace the departed Joe Barry. However, due to his existing contract, the Panthers prevented the Packers from interviewing Evero. With this key option off the table, Green Bay had to explore other possibilities.

In North Carolina, sports betting on the Panthers has gained popularity since North Carolina sports betting apps were introduced. Now fans can easily place bets on Panthers games and player performances using their phones. This increased engagement has made watching Panthers games even more thrilling for local fans. Additionally, it offers more opportunities for analysis and discussions about how well the Panthers defense performs each week.

No stone unturned

According to a report, initially, the team offered Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach Zach Orr an opportunity with Green Bay. Despite being regarded as a rising defensive talent in the league, Orr declined this offer. This was an early setback for the Packers as they highly valued Orr’s experience both as a player and coach of linebackers. His decision to stay with Baltimore forced Green Bay to reevaluate their options.

After ruling out Evero and facing Orr’s lack of interest, the Packers shifted their focus to the college ranks and conducted interviews with several talented defensive minds. Eventually, they settled on Jeff Hafley, former head coach of Boston College. Hafley brings with him a solid defensive background from both the collegiate and NFL levels. He has previously excelled in coordinating defenses at Ohio State and with the San Francisco 49ers. His proven ability to elevate defense played a significant role in his selection for the job.

Defense must improve

Hafley faces pressure to quickly revamp the Packers defense, which ranked 27th in yards allowed last season. The team struggled notably against the run and was unable to generate enough turnovers. However, Hafley’s versatile scheme provides flexibility in countering opposing offenses while making use of dynamic pass rushers like Rashan Gary. Additionally, with Jaire Alexander, an elite cornerback returning from injury, Hafley inherits valuable pieces that can contribute to significant improvement.

The search for a defensive coordinator by the Packers revealed the intricate dynamics involved in hiring coaches within the NFL. Contractual limitations prevented them from securing their top choice in Evero, who likely would have accepted had it not been for Carolina’s interference. An initial offer made to Orr also fell through before identifying Hafley as another promising option worth considering. Although he wasn’t initially their first choice, Hafley now has an opportunity to reshape the Packers defense into an exceptional unit.

The involvement of head coach Matt LaFleur in the hiring process, rather than GM Brian Gutekunst, shows a strong collaboration within the Packers leadership to find the right fit for an important position. This indicates that the organization is dedicated to aligning its vision.

4-3 defense coming to Green Bay

Hafley’s success depends on his ability to swiftly implement his strategies and make the most of the talented players already in Green Bay. He may choose to retain certain assistants, like experienced defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, to facilitate a smooth transition. Additionally, Hafley needs to establish a connection with his star players in order to gain their support. Their skills as playmakers are crucial for executing his game plans.

In general, Green Bay faced obstacles along the way when appointing their new defensive leader. If Hafley can fulfill his considerable potential, despite these challenges, it will be considered a successful search. One that helped elevate the Packers defense back to championship caliber. With Aaron Rodgers still performing at his best, there is a sense of urgency for Hafley’s strategies and play-calling to yield fast results. Only time will reveal if this promising coordinator can deliver on that promise in his first NFL role leading a defense.

There is significant pressure on Hafley and the defensive unit to make rapid progress this season.

Packers supporters are well aware that even slight enhancements to their defense could propel Green Bay into the ranks of legitimate Super Bowl contenders once more. With a history of stumbling in championship games, a capable defense might finally be the key that propels this talented roster towards securing another Lombardi Trophy.

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comphy-and-cozy · 9 months

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congrats on 1k!! can i request a blurb with prompt number 13 with jt compher?? thank youu! 🦋

you know i'll always write my main man xoxo

celebrate 1K with me

Prompt: #13 "I never want to leave."

Pairing: JT Compher x Reader (gn)

Word Count: ~700

Warnings: Alcohol use/mention, more disgusting fluff, very, very brief mention of leaving Colorado anxiety/angst (i'm sorry)

The first vacation after the end of the season is always special, a chance for JT to finally unwind and truly relax without the pressure of training or the remainder of the season waiting around the corner. Though of course it’s not the same as lifting the Stanley Cup, it’s a decent alternative to have uninhibited and uninterrupted time together without even broaching the thought of hockey. This year, you’re in Greece, two weeks spent island hopping and swimming in the sea, and the Mediterranean air has done wonders for both you and your ginger man.

Your last stop is in Santorini, in a romantic suite on the cliffs overlooking Thirasia and the horizon behind it. Your room comes with a private jacuzzi on the porch, something you both have taken advantage of after days full of sightseeing and tourist excursions.

Today in particular, you spent time souvenir shopping before heading to a private wine tasting and tour of a historic vineyard, followed by a five-course meal cooked by a private chef. In short, you’re pretty sure that you’ve died and gone to heaven, hardly believing that this is your life.

You arrived back to your hotel room, tipsy and belly full of one of the most delicious meals you’ve ever had in your life. When JT poured another glass of wine for you, jerking his head toward the patio with a smile, you couldn’t help the butterflies that filled your chest. This time, you actually pinch yourself to make sure that you’re not dreaming.

Both of you are quick to slip into your swimsuits, cranking up the heat of the jacuzzi tub before stepping into the bubbling water. JT’s cheeks are pink—whether from the wine, or the heat, or both, you aren’t sure—and he has a dopey smile on his face as he pulls your body into him, tugging your waist into his lap.

“I love you,” he says, soft before he kisses you.

“I love you too, J,” you reply with a smile. You hand him his wine glass, clinking yours against his before sipping on the Greek wine provided with your suite.

Both of you grow quiet, content to sip your wine and watch the sun sink beneath the horizon. Santorini sunsets are unmatched, you heard, and so far you can’t dispute that statement. Today is no different, the colors lighting the sky on fire and reflecting over the wide expanse of the Mediterranean sea as far as your eyes can see.

It’s peaceful, calming, and you feel a tranquility in your soul, the heat of his body solid behind yours while his arms wrap around you.

“I never want to leave,” he murmurs, pressing an offhanded kiss to your shoulder. “I don’t want to think about what’s next.”

You know what he’s referring to, the strain and stress of finding a new contract, of talking to teams and GMs, of whatever emotions will come when he officially signs somewhere that isn’t Colorado. Then, after that, the discomfort of navigating a new city, of learning new systems, of having to learn how to make new friends when he hasn’t had to make that effort in 7 years. It’s bittersweet; exciting but daunting, refreshing but intimidating. You’d be lying if you weren’t feeling anxious, too, but you ground yourself in his strong arms and the feeling of his lips against your skin.

“I know,” you whisper back, leaning your head against him. “You don’t have to. Not yet. Just stay with me, okay?”

JT smiles again, the worry dissipating from his eyes as he looks at you. You can see the love he has for you in his irises, feeling the warmth melting your heart. “I can do that.”

#jt compher fic #jt compher blurb #jt compher imagine #hockey fic #hockey imagine #nhl imagine #c's 1k celly #asks #fallinallincurls

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theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

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hi! do you have any recommendations for ZOMBIE-based ttrpgs? can include apocalypse survival or casual zombie people living amongst other people, or literally whatever else :P

THEME: Zombies

Evil Risen 2, by Purple Moon Games.

No one knows where they came from. No one knows who created them. The only thing you know for certain is that they never stay dead for long. Shoot them, burn them, hack them to pieces. It doesn't matter. They always come back, bigger and stronger than before. All you can do is buy yourself some time to escape. Grab your gun. Break out your trusty baseball bat. You're on a mission, and you have one goal: SURVIVE

In this re-imagined second edition, revisit the gripping survival horror of EVIL RISEN like never before. Using a brand-new 2d10 system, create your survivors and explore overrun buildings, cities, and wilderness that will put their Grit, Brawn, and Poise to the test. And it's not just the living dead you have to worry about: Optional rules for lycanthropes, vampires, eldritch horrors, and other monsters lie within!

As a survival game, Evil Risen 2 is concerned with inventory, and your ability to face terrifying situations. Your characters will scavenge for resources, fight off zombies, and try not to freak out and freeze up in the least opportune moment. If you like games like Resident Evil, this game pulls on a lot of similar themes.

The Creeping Rot, by Claymore.

THE CREEPING ROT is a tabletop zombie survival game designed to be played with no game master. As a community of regular people, focus on using dwindling resources to tackle everyday problems, like an empty gas tank or unsettling sounds from the woods. Your focus doesn't need to be on blowing off heads - instead, you must figure out how to conserve your supplies, ensure your safety, and protect your spirit while caring for yourself and your comrades.

If you manage to keep your heads above water, you can undertake projects that will define the identity of your settlement. Your home could be a commune with quiet spaces for meditation, a sustainability-focused outpost with an organized militia, or a welcoming social hub with cozy potlucks and roaring parties, serving as a warm light in the endless dark. As problems pile on, pain, burnout, and poverty creep closer and closer. still, you and your friends will push onward. together, you are strong.

The Creeping Rot abstracts problems as threats to either the group’s Spirit, Safety, or Supply. These three pools must be maintained by the group, and can be managed by sacrificing from a strength in order to shore up a weakness. This game is less focused on the action of fighting off zombie invaders, and more about surviving in a hostile environment when all of your infrastructure has fallen away.

This game comes with two files: the Revised Edition, which has what you need to play the base game, and Drifters & Grifters, a list of strangers who may periodically show up to pose new problems or new solutions to the community.

Zombuddies, by Bruce Wright.

Well, whattaya know, the zombie apocalypse is finally here, and it’s not THAT bad! Sure, there are roaming bands of the living dead everywhere. But the malls are open!!

Well, one mall at least. The ShoppingTowne Mall, advertised as the first 100% Guaranteed zombie-proof mall in the world. Which is good, because if there’s one thing that draws zombies, it’s a shopping mall.You feel an intense need to go there. Almost compelled. Almost as if you have no mind of your own.

You are a zombie.

You shamble forward, arms outstretched, your face a terrifying frozen rictus.You shuffle toward the ShoppingTowne Mall. You and your Zombuddies.

Zombuddies is a wacky rules-light table-top role playing game for a GM and 2-4 player characters. It’s set in a zombie apocalypse where YOU are the zombies!

This is a game for fast-paced mayhem, with quick character creation and simple rules. You’ll be one of four different kinds of zombies, with a dice that is better for one kind of attribute and not so great for others. You’ll also get special abilities that give you advantage in some situtations. As a zombie, you can’t really die, but rather put yourself in greater danger until you fall into a zombie sleep. If you want something that’s easy to teach, with a pre-written premise and a cartoonish feel, Zombuddies might be for you.

Now You Are a Zombie!, by Z Gosck.

Your story so far:You were born, grew up, performed an inconceivable number of profoundly menial tasks, did that one really embarrassing thing that everyone totally remembers and talks about behind your back all the time, and then eventually, died.After that a bunch of other stuff happened, but none of it really concerned you, what with being dead and all. However, after some time, somehow, you came back.

Welcome to Now You Are a Zombie! The game where you get to un-live the experience of being a freshly-reanimated corpse learning to do everything all over again.

In this game you are the zombie, rather than the humans running from them. You’re also not super good at anything, with the best possible outcome being that you perform about as well as a normal human with a hangover. The game mechanics involve assigning different dice to different stats: 1d4, 2d6, and 1d8, with a roll of 4 or higher being a technically success. This is a game for players who like the idea of playing pitiful or hopeless characters, rolling to see what kinds of sad scenarios they’ll all end up in.

Games I’ve recommended in the past

Rotted Capes, by Paradigm Concepts Inc. (Superheroes vs Zombies!)

#dnd #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #zombies #game recommendations #asks

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goaliekisses · 2 years

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The Penguins have to keep Evgeni Malkin, they said.

He’s a franchise icon. Even less than a year removed from ACL surgery, he still put up a point per game. He’ll be even better next season when his knee is stronger.

Plus, he doesn’t get to play with Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. He plays with Kasperi Kapanen and an injured Jason Zucker. He had Rickard Rakell, too, but only for a few games.

The power play was so much better with Malkin on it. It was below average all season and, thanks to Malkin’s inclusion, suddenly became a top-10 unit. This can’t be denied. When he’s playing well, he gives the Penguins a different gear.

If, God forbid, Sidney Crosby gets hurt, you know Malkin will carry the Penguins. He always has.

Plus, he’s still marketable. He’s Geno. He’s the fourth-greatest player in franchise history, which is no small feat when considering the top three are Mario Lemieux, Crosby and Jaromir Jagr. Malkin is on the Penguins’ Mount Rushmore. Such icons are to be treated with respect. The Penguins are all about their stars and are still stinging that Jagr got away once upon a time. Not Geno. He’s earned the right to retire as a Penguin, they said. He’s so smart and so strong that he’ll figure out a way to be productive until he’s 40.

As spring turns into summer, the Penguins are attempting to sign Kris Letang and Malkin. Hextall said this publicly in May, anyway. The GM has spoken with representatives for both Malkin and Letang since then.

The Penguins absolutely want Letang back. He’s 35 and comes with some maddening habits, but he’s held up well physically, and offensive-minded defensemen are more important now than ever. Maybe Letang and the Penguins will come to an agreement and maybe they won’t. If they don’t, it won’t be because the Penguins aren’t sure what Letang still brings to the table. It could be simply that Letang, who has displayed zero interest in giving the Penguins a discount for his services, received more money elsewhere.

Malkin’s situation is a little different. He’s on record as saying he will take less money to stay in Pittsburgh, and he has to.

The Crosby/Malkin era has been nothing short of magnificent. It’s lived up to the considerable hype, and then some. This has been the golden era of Penguins’ hockey. It’s been a blast.

JUST SIGN HIM. bits from an article on the situation

#every day i wake up and pray we’ve signed him and we HAVENT #evgeni malkin #pittsburgh penguins #sidney crosby #kris letang

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nockergeek · 1 year

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Fabula Ultima Worldbuilding

Inspired by @lacklusterhero747, I’ve started up a Fabula Ultima campaign, and last night we did our first bit of communal worldbuilding. For this campaign, I seeded the process with an idea: “a world where people hunt dragons in the matter of whaling”, which, yes, I totally stole the idea from Drifting Dragons. That said, we took it in a very different direction. Also, we started with this map:

Which is basically a map of Venus with water. That’s all we started with. What we ended up with, though, is a world with strong hints to a tragic past and a potential future catastrophe.

The world’s technology level is mostly equivalent to the late Renaissance, generally pre-industrial, but with firearms and airships. These airships stay aloft with the aid of floatstone, a substance crafted from crystallized dragon blood and viscera. Floatstone loses its potency over time, leading to increased hunting to keep the technology working. Magic seems tied to the land, with people born in certain areas often imbued with natural magical talent. Other areas

Once we hashed that out, then we started floating ideas for various countries and regions. Everyone got to contribute an idea, we workshopped some of the details, and then we figured out what other gaps we had (while making sure to leave some areas of the map undeveloped for future discovery).

Keeping in mind that we’re leaning into JRPG tropes - it’s the nature of the game, after all - here’s some of the ideas we came up with:

The Kingdom of Nevaria - a mercantile power located at the crossroads of western ocean travel. Technically led by a king, the true power is a council of oligarchs more interested in filling their own coffers than in providing god governance.

The Hundred Kingdoms - a motley collection of city-states, too busy with constant petty squabbling to unify into a single regional power. Fortunately, their location in a gentle, verdant stretch of the main continent provides them with ample food and supplies.

The Shackles - a chain of islands dotted with pirate ports. The pirates mostly target Nevaran ships, actively avoiding the empire to their east. (Yes, we stole the Shackles from Pathfinder. Theft is the oldest GM worldbuilding tool.)

The Maubarran Bonelands - a desolate area dotted with ruins and dominated by a massive central crater. The site of an ancient cataclysm that destroyed the advanced society that was here, the only settlements to be found now are populated by archeologists and treasure seekers.

The Atresian Empire - once a small regional power, their discovery of floatstone catapulted them into prominence a few generations ago. The highly-organized nation quickly militarized and turned expansionist. Lacking any of the inborn magical talent of other lands, they developed some of the most powerful magic academies in the world. Their power is driven by military, academic, and scientific progress, built on the backs of dragon corpses.

Huwen - an older nation currently in transition. The cities and larger settlements are advancing technologically thanks to the import of Atresian technology, while people in the more rural areas still practice their ancient animist lifestyle. The influx of Atresian progress also brings Atresian influence, and the empire may have designs on the island nation.

The Asimi Archipelago - a nation of seafaring people who populate the islands south of Huwen. They draw their magic from the seas and the weather, and try to live in harmony with their environs. They worry that the overhunting of dragons will lead to an imbalance which could trigger a cataclysm, and so they do not participate.

Khotar - a reclusive nation, the remnants of an ancient Maubarran colony. Focused on survival, they have become severely pragmatic and isolated over the centuries. A wall of frozen brutalist fortresses defends their border, while ancient relics have allowed them to create a temperate zone within the interior.

Bellandur - This island ranges from tropical in the north to temperate in the south. On the northern coasts, explorers and fortune-seekers from Nevaria have set up colonies to strike out on their own. Deeper into the island’s jungles and forests, however, is a land of sentient plant-folk unknown to the newcomers.

And with these various places and powers spelled out, we ended up with a map that looks like this:

Our next step is coming up with historical events, mysteries, and threats, but we’ve already got some starts for these. We know there’s an ancient empire that collapsed due to a past catastrophe. We know there’s an empire dead-set on expanding its borders. We know that a magical/ecological collapse may be on the way. Oh, and the dragons? We decided they’re manifestations of the world’s elemental spirit(s), and that possibly the world may unleash massive elder dragons as a response to the increased threat to dragons.

All this worldbuilding was done in a couple of hours between the GM (me) and four players. I’ve already got a lot of ideas in possible campaigns and paths I could take. Feel free to steal anything you want from this. Hell, I might even repurpose this world for a future D&D game.

#fabula ultima #rpgs #TTRPG #worldbuilding

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moregraceful · 1 year

Note

*bangs hands on table like in a Disney movie*

Kaapo and Vitali!! Whatever you got!!

- 💖

since u did not choose a word, i choose seventeen and the puzzle of how kaapo will be act when he is 36. landed on: cranky, full of buried love

;;

Seventeen years in the league. Seventeen years with one team. That’s not small shit, Kaapo knows. He’s watched all his contemporaries retire or drop out. Half of the young guns were gone from the Rags within ten years. Alexis had to retire two years ago and is now back in Montreal coaching peewee hockey. Filip went home to Czechia when he was 30 to start a family. All that’s left from when he was young is K’Andre.

K’Andre’s captain now and he’s well-suited for it. Kaapo loves the guy; he’s done great things for the team.

Kaapo refused an A for ten years straight and now, here he is at 36, starting his eighteenth year being strong-armed by K’Andre into taking it. “You’re old as shit,” K’Andre argues in the GM’s office when they have a leadership meeting. “You have a lot to teach these young kids.”

“No, I don’t,” says Kaapo while the GM and coaching staff laugh at him. “Shut up. Go away. Get out of my face. I am not a leader.”

He comes into training camp with an A on his jersey and K’Andre grinning at him smugly across the locker room. Kaapo flips him off and scares several rookies. K’Andre laughs and makes him take them out to lunch.

Kaapo also comes to training camp to Vitali.

Vitali bounced around the league for a while after his time with the Rangers. Never stayed in any place too long, which Kaapo always thought kind of sucked; he’s a good guy and he’s a hard worker. Kaapo always liked him when they were young though they weren’t close. Vitali is older than Kaapo, 38 to Kaapo’s 36, and it’s a strange kind of homecoming, being signed to a PTO with the organization that drafted him. Everyone knows it’s his last chance in the league, this PTO, and certainly his last year in the league if he does make it.

Vitali grins at Kaapo from across the locker room, but he’s not smug like K’Andre. He’s happy for Kaapo in an uncomplicated way. “Congratulations, Kapeli,” he says, and Kaapo’s been Kaksy for so long to so many stupid rookies that he forgot how nice Kapeli sounds when someone says it right.

Vitali grew into his face in ways Kaapo never really did. His body is beat to hell by twenty years in multiple leagues and it shows in the stress lines on his forehead, the laugh lines around his eyes, his smile that went crooked sometime in his early thirties. His eyes are brighter than they were when he was 25, facing down the end of his contract with the Rangers and an uncertain future in the NHL.

He works hard in training camp and not only gets a one year contract before preseason is up, he gets an A for the road. The rookies look up to him in ways they don’t look up K’Andre and Kaapo, flocking around him like him being the oldest in the room can impart some kind of wisdom that K’Andre doesn’t have and Kaapo doesn’t know. He’s gentle and kind to them and it makes the part of Kaapo’s heart that died the first time he heard slang from a Finnish draft pick he didn’t understand feel a little warmer.

This year’s flock of rookies think Kaapo is grumpy in a funny way. Last year they thought he was boring grumpy and didn’t talk to him; this year they say the most unimaginably youthful slang is six different languages just to see the look on his face and laugh when he swats at them and swears when they scatter.

“Be nice,” chides Vitali during the intermission of their last preseason game, a roadgame in Montreal when Kaapo swears at two of their last remaining rookies who didn’t get sent down to the AHL or back to their juniors teams, a Swiss kid and a kid from Czechia who had bonded over first over being the youngest and then the ones most able to piss Kaapo off. “Don’t hurt them.”

Kaapo levels him with a glare. The rookies, Joel and Miloš, laugh. “Builds character,” Kaapo says. “This is a tough league, they must learn to survive the harsh atmosphere of professional hockey.”

That might have been true eighteen years ago, but it’s less true now and they both know it. Kaapo doesn’t think the league has gotten softer or gentler, but it’s gotten kinder. More respectful. For every grumpy old fuck like Kaapo, and there’s no one like him, there are hundreds of Joels and Milošes each year, pumping each other up, pushing each other forward, refusing to get heartbroken or beaten down when they don’t make it right out of the gate. There’s less fighting these days, less broken noses and missing front teeth. It feels more expansive.

Vitali just shakes his head and smiles. Shoos Miloš and Joel back to their stalls before Kaapo starts swatting at them like an old grandma with a broom, and sits down next to him. “Good dinner last night,” he says.

They went out to eat with Alexis. K’Andre and Alexis spent most of the time in their own world and Kaapo had felt horrible about it, almost like he did when all of them were young, until Vitali drew him into conversation and kept him there. Kaapo enjoyed the dinner overall in the end and Alexis paid and kissed his cheek when they left, so he couldn’t find it in him to be too mad. He just had to make more of an effort to stay in touch with Alexis so that next time he could steal all of Alexis’s attention for himself.

“Yes,” says Kaapo.

“We should do it again. You and me, I mean. Well, if K’Andre wants to come too. But I enjoyed talking to you all night,” says Vitali and it all comes out slightly garbled in a way that has nothing to do with the language and everything to do with the hopeful expression on his face. “I haven’t been in New York in thirteen years. It’s different now.”

Kaapo looks at him. Vitali looks like he’s trying to be pleasant and confident, but there’s a twitch in the corner of his mouth, like he wants to grin but doesn’t want Kaapo to laugh at him.

Kaapo wouldn’t laugh at him. He had a nice time last night and that was when he was already in a bad mood. He would probably have a great time if he weren’t being grumpy. “It is,” he says. “A lot has changed in the city.”

“There’s a lot more,” says Vitali. He doesn’t fidget, but his hands are flat on his thighs, pressing down on his pads. “It’s the same size but it feels bigger. More alive.”

Kaapo snorts. “If you want a real date, you should just say,” he says. “You look better too. More handsome.”

Vitali smiles, nervous, still hopeful. “Kapeli, can I take you out?” he says.

Kaapo nods. The smile on Vitali’s face is so, so big when it breaks across his face.

Eighteen years in the league, Kaapo muses, and if the sport has sanded down his worse impulses over the years, maybe it’s smoothed him out in better ways too. Maybe he’s more expansive too. Certainly he sees Vitali like he’s a comfort now, instead of just a guy who isn’t Alexis or K’Andre or Filip. He nudges Vitali. “You’re paying though.”

“You name the time and place,” says Vitali. He hasn’t stopped smiling. “It’ll be a good night, I promise.”

Kaapo thinks about the season laid out in front of them, how much possibility that one year can contain.

He grins at Vitali and Vitali’s smile is bright when he looks back at Kaapo, eyes big like he’s been given something that he’s wanted for a long time.

“It better be,” says Kaapo and Vitali laughs, relieved.

#in the tradition of my good friend becs yourblues i have given kaapo some fictional rookies for the sole purpose of narrative parallels #further in the grand tradition of becs i am suddenly and violently protective of these made up rookies who exist to bother kaapo #also if i spent more than an hour on this i would say that vitali and kaapo go through a journey of learning each other in concrete ways #while kaapo contends with how when he was younger his world was bigger and now his world is smaller but more expansive #how he gets to put vitali into that smaller world and how it fills out the edges and corners #and ofc the way him and vitali have at most a year together so how are they going to spend the first/last year before their time is up #unfortunate birdcage fanfictions #grumpy kaapo future fic

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dailycharacteroption · 2 years

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Alternate Class Review: Samurai part 2

Utility and Builds

And now we’ll take a look at the abilities of the samurai as a class.

Like the cavalier they are based upon, the samurai has the ability to challenge a foe, increasing their damage against them but making them vulnerable to attacks from other sources. This reflects the samurai’s traditional focus on singling out another foe to duel. Curiously, however, the text does not mention if the target of their challenge must be able to understand the samurai the way the cavalier version does, so best ask your GM on that one.

They also gain a mount, much like the cavalier, which makes sense as samurai were meant to be mounted combatants firsts, specifically archers. However, don’t expect them to get any of the cavalier’s charging-themed abilities.

They also gain an order like a cavalier, reflecting their devotion. For those seeking an authentic samurai experience, one is expected to take the order of the warrior, the black daimyo, or ronin. The first two reflect the traditional devotion a samurai might have to their lord, the first being more honorable, the other upholding the veneer of honor but being exceedingly brutal and cruel, while being ronin reflects their outcast nature. However, this is a fantasy game, so if you want a samurai devoted to a religion, or a mystic philosophy, or to their friends and allies, then by all means go for it.

The first ability that sets the samurai apart from the cavalier, however, is their resolve. Their determination is so strong it gives them a reserve of energy to push past their limits, most notably by removing debilitating conditions, giving them greater chances to resist attacks on their body and mind, and even help them stay standing and conscious when they would otherwise fall.

Additionally, these samurai learn to perfect and specialize in a traditional samurai weapon, notably katana, longbows, naginata, or wakizashi. They can draw these weapons in swift, fluid motions, deal lethal blows more easily, and even learn techniques that improve their performance with that specific weapon type that are normally associated with the fighter class.

True to their origin as mounted archers, they have a reduced penalty to their accuracy when firing a bow while mounted.

Like the cavalier, samurai also have a banner which they can display, granting the same sort of buffs to allies that can see it.

Not as concerned with guiding other troops, these warriors focus on learning more personal combat techniques.

Eventually, they also learn to use their resolve to ignore pain and reflexively twist to mitigate the impact that a grievous blow would have on their vitals.

While retreat is a tactical move that even these honorable warriors occasionally use, sometimes honor demands facing down a foe no matter what. As such, samurai can choose to make a stand against a foe they have challenged, ignoring fear entirely and resisting debilitation, and even fighting on when others would fall unconscious. However, they can only do so sparingly, and if they are forced to retreat anyway, the act shakes them up, preventing them from challenging foes for at least a day.

Like a cavalier, the samurai also eventually dogs their challenged foe so insistently that they become too focused on them to properly defend themselves against other attacks.

Their banner also improves like that of a cavalier as well.

A master samurai utterly refuses to die, and as long as they have a decent amount of resolve remaining, they can stabilize, even if they can’t keep fighting anymore.

The most skilled samurai can enter a last stand, declaring a special challenge against a truly dangerous foe. In this state, they ignore pain, reducing the harm that foes deal to minimum except against the most grievous wounds, and refusing to fall to weapons or blows other than that wielded by their challenged foe, though spells and supernatural harm could still cut them down. Even still, they fight on even as they are bleeding out till their last breath, but they must keep fighting to maintain this stance.

Of course, there is an alternate capstone from Chronicle of Legends. In the case of the samurai, they improve the range at which others are inspired by their banner, and can rally with it with less effort.

Other, more general capstones they might have include Great Beast, for a mount of truly legendary greatness; Perfect Body, Flawless Mind to improve their bodies and minds to the pinnacle of their species; The Boss, representing them becoming a great general, teacher of their code, or a proper landed noble in their own right; With This Sword could grant them a truly legendary weapon or suit of armor; or the appropriate Won’t Stay Dead, for a samurai that no mortal can truly defeat for long.

Overall, the samurai is much less about supporting allies in melee as the cavalier (but the banner does provide roots of that), but is much more focused on having tools for every combat situation, having superior range and mobility while mounted, excellent offense, and the defensive abilities to tough out most things that foes throw at you. Depending on your choice of order, you may be an impervious tank or a tank that can also bring down deadly blows and support allies as well. Weapon specialization also matters, as that can inform your strategy and feat choice as well, whether you focus on archery, naginata polearm builds, or the katana or wakizashi (or both at once)

In the most optimal scenario, a samurai will be able to pepper foes from afar while mounted until the battle is joined, either staying mounted or dismounting to fight on the ground.

That about does it for today, but tomorrow we’ll cover the handful of archetypes that the samurai got!

#pathfinder #alternate class #samurai #Ultimate Combat

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