#whoopsie that's an essay and maybe not exactly what you were asking

[ladytabletop]

Have you ever read an RPG that completely changed the way you think about RPGs or how you play them? If so, which one(s)?

I've talked a little bit about this in the past, but come with me, anon, on a journey through RPGs.

Imagine, if you will, a teenaged LT being invited to play a "game like dungeons and dragons" only to find out it was some dude's really sexist attempt at 3.5.

And then it's 5 years later and some friends in college finally manage to convince you that the game they're starting (Pathfinder) will be fun, you should play. And that's your first real ttrpg experience, and it's a campaign that lasts years, longer than your relationship at that time, and it becomes the most important part of your life for a while, and then you make the jump to 5e which isn't that different, and meantime you've been playing some side games, some shorter stuff, and the math isn't great and yeah the game is held together with homebrew but that's just part of the fun, isn't it? it's just part of how you like to play, writing stuff for this system, and in fact you like it so much that you end up publishing/kickstarting a whole 5e sci fi game, and isn't that neat?

but then 5e really starts to lose favor, or maybe you branching out into indie games just exposes you to a lot more people who hate it, even some people who talk about people who play and write for it like they're stupid or ignorant or part of the corporate missteps made by WotC or like it's unfathomable that people would come to this hobby from the most popular roleplaying game in the world, and that kind of sucks! but you're seeing the holes in the game more and more and you're realizing there's games you've been playing that are also ttrpgs that you never thought of that way, but it seems so obvious in retrospect!

and you start writing for these other games, and you back some kickstarters and find some really awesome discord communities and games that inspire you to write things on your own for the first time in a long time, and you start trying to fill in the gaps in your knowledge so you can keep up with people having academic conversations about games, using terms you don't understand and referencing creators and games and publishers and controversies you've never heard of, and you almost burn out so many times because it's A LOT even if you love it, and reminding yourself that you're not in competition with anyone for creating or knowledge or anything like that becomes part of the daily routine, and you don't have to know everything to keep creating and keep learning and keep playing - that's right, it's about playing! don't forget that! and then you're here.

you're here, and games are so fun and so cool and they're not all going to stick in your soul but so many do, so many teach you something or refresh you in unexpected ways and it's like that all the time.

anyway, in no particular order, games that made me think about RPGs and play and design: DnD 5e, Fiasco, Dread, Monster of the Week, Dream Askew/Dream Apart, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Blades in the Dark, Thousand Year Old Vampire, The Wildsea RPG, Grant Howitt's 1-page rpgs, Artefact, Dogs in the Vineyard, Shadowrun 5e, 10 Candles, Wreck This Deck, Balikbayan Returning Home, Clue, Chess 2, CYOA books, and many many more.

#the lady answers #whoopsie that's an essay and maybe not exactly what you were asking

[gryffvndors]

you hang the moon, i’ll hang the stars [draco malfoy]

request: “163? Draco x Gryffindor!reader please?” -anon

word count: ~1200

a/n: i’m like 87% sure this is NOT what you had in mind when you requested this, anon, but all i’m ever given is a line of dialogue so i just take the story where it wants to go, u feel? i feel. regardless, i hope u all enjoy this and i hope i don’t go too overboard with this reader characterization! i do like to make my characters’ personalities show and sometimes it goes a bit overboard but o well! also i feel like draco is a bit ooc here so whoopsies *shrug emoji* he’s a happy lad rn what can i say his gf is a qt who wants to take over the world, who wouldn’t be happy about that?

163: “i’m sick of being USELESS.”

“First day back to class. First day, and we already have an essay due,” you scowl, plopping down next to your friend Ginny Weasley. “It’s bollocks, that’s what it is. I have far too much to do.”

Ginny snorts, reaching across you to grab a roll. “Like what, invent your own spells?” She pauses. “Nevermind. I forgot you actually do that.”

“Do what?” Harry asks, sitting on Ginny’s other side. He smiles at you, bidding you a brief hello.

“She invents her own spells.”

“That’s very interesting,” Harry raises his brows. “Like what? What kind of spells?”

“Well,” you bristle, clearing your throat. “The spells I am working on are very intricate and difficult. The magic is… special,” you say. “Yes, special. We will… leave it at that.”

Hermione narrows her eyes from her place directly opposite you. “What do you mean, ‘special’?”

“Well-” you begin.

Ginny interrupts you. “She’s trying to create dark magic. Her goal is create a spell so dark, it will be the fourth Unforgivable.”

“When you put it that way, you make me sound evil!” You cry.

“That’s exactly what you told me!” Ginny shoots back.

Harry and Hermione are both staring at you, slack-jawed. Ginny, who has heard your idea multiple times before, is unfazed, and simply spreads butter on her roll as you are silently mocked.

“You can’t be serious,” Hermione says finally. You scowl. Picking up your bag off the ground, you rise to your feet and step away. “Where are you going? We need to talk about this!”

“Hermione’s right,” Harry sighs. “You cannot make an Unforgivable-”

“It’s not like she’s going to succeed anyway,” Ginny snorts. She turns to you. “No offense, but you’re just… incapable. You? Making an Unforgivable? You aren’t even a good student.”

“I-” you stammer. “You - well…” Finally, you stomp your foot and point to each of them in turn. “You’ll see! I’m going to become a legacy. I will be remembered throughout time. You just wait, all of you!” You spin around to the rest of the Great Hall. Most everybody is looking at you. Not in surprise - this isn’t a surprising scene, as it usually goes a lot louder - but they’re still watching. For good measure, you shout, “All of you!”

You storm out of the Great Hall and head immediately for the library.

A few hours later, you’re still researching in the back corner. A book is open on the table before you and you’re scribbling furiously onto a roll of parchment. Somebody sits across from you; you hear the moving of the chair. Without looking up, you mutter, “What? I’m trying to do something.”

“I heard about your scene in the Great Hall.”

At the sound of your boyfriend’s voice, your head whips up. Draco is sitting across from you, frowning. He is wearing his Slytherin uniform, as usual, minus the billowy robes necessary for class.

“What, you weren’t there to witness?” You continue writing, glaring at the words. “Everybody else was.”

“I was busy.”

“Of course you were.”

Draco sighs, moving closer. He peers over your shoulder at the parchment. You let him read it, leaning to the side. When he is finished, he nods and sits back down. “It’s interesting. Why are you writing the essay today? It is due in a week. There isn’t any research you have to do on it.”

“No,” you agree, blowing on the parchment to help the ink dry. “I was researching something else. Decided to take a break and get on the essay. Honestly, ‘What goal are you aiming to achieve by the time you die?’ What is the point of writing this? This has nothing to do with DADA.”

“It is just so the professor can get to know his students, see their writing style. I am… not surprised at your goal,” Draco shifts in his seat, the corners of his mouth turning up. “You have made it very clear, ever since we met, that you aim to be the most powerful witch alive.”

“I don’t even want to be a good student, like Ginny said,” you frown. “I’m sick of being USELESS. I just want to be powerful.”

“You are not useless. Trust me, you are powerful.”

“Not enough power. I will not rest until I create the next Unforgivable. I am thinking of something really terrible. Like… bringing somebody back from the dead, but they are a zombie, and they eat people, or… maybe one that encloses something around the victim and, inside, they drown-”

Draco gently says your name.

You look up.

He’s smiling at you, which isn’t something you see often. He usually doesn’t smile. Draco is usually sneering, most of the time at your friends. ‘Some friends they are,’ you think. ‘Not even supporting me in my quest to become the most powerful dark witch of the generation.’

His hair is a little messy, but only because it’s the end of the day and he’s run his fingers through it so many times. His tie is mostly undone - if you weren’t in the library, you’d maybe think of undoing it all the way and, in the process, getting his shirt off, too, because that’s always fun. Draco is more fun with his shirt off. He turns into Shirtless Draco - a carefree, flirty Draco that you like a lot. Now, though, he’s only Slightly Better Than Normal Draco. Normal Draco is a little uptight - this is a step up.

He reaches across the table and grabs your hand. “I think you need to calm down. I wouldn’t be saying this if you weren’t getting a bit out of hand, you know this. We’ve talked about this - creating Unforgivables, especially when you’re inside of Hogwarts, is sub-optimal. Let’s focus our… ambition, per se, to more cheerful projects. You are a very bright, powerful witch. I think the wizarding world could benefit greatly from your ability when you are creating something meant to inspire, not destroy.”

He gives this a minute to sink in. When it does, you finally nod, sighing.

“I guess I got too confident,” you huff. Draco’s eyes twinkle. You see him try to hide a laugh behind his hand. “Stop laughing at me or I will ignore you and create something even worse than the killing curse, then use it on you and your entire family!”

“Sorry, sorry…” He chuckles again, shaking his head. “I just… I don’t see why you aren’t in Slytherin.”

“Ginny says it’s because I have too much nerve. She says I’m reckless,” you shrug. “I don’t see it. Now, I have to return this book to the restricted section without letting Madame Pince know that I’ve done it. Would you like to help me, or just sit there and watch?”

Draco leans back. He crosses his legs on the table and folds his hands behind his head, against the wall. “Please. I would love to see you achieve this.”

“Careful, Malfoy. Keep talking shit and you won’t be kissing anyone for a week.” At his protest, you let a smirk grow on your face. “Only joking. I couldn’t handle not kissing you for a week. Okay, now I really have to return this, or I’m in deep shit. I’ll be right back. Don’t read my notes, they’re top secret, okay?”

“Okay,” Draco calls. Despite his agreement, you hear shuffling of parchment as you walk away. You roll your eyes. You expected as much.

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy fanfic #draco malfoy one shot #harry potter fanfic #draco malfoy imagine #my writing #you hang the moon i'll hang the stars #liquidmusing #writing #prompt list #im trying to decide whether or not i should do the dishes before going to bed #i probably wont #if my mom kills me tmr thank u all for reading my fics #i leave my blog to my sister who doesnt write but she makes video edits #shes good #anyway bye #mine