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moog-rt · 8 months

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ᴄʏʙᴇʀʙᴜʟʟʏ [ʀɪꜱᴇ!ᴅᴏɴɴɪᴇ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ] ᴘᴛ. 5

Links to parts: one two three four five

Summary:

Fate brought you and that purple-clad turtle together in the form of endless battles of code. You were a purple dragon recruit, and he was your target. He plays your games as you tease him with the slim possibility of victory.

You may just let him win if you are feeling particularly merciful.

Notes:

enemies to lovers; slow burn; takes place after the movie; reader is a 'villain'

Word Count: 3351

If you’d prefer to read it on Ao3, here’s the link:

ᴄʏʙᴇʀʙᴜʟʟʏ [ʀɪꜱᴇ!ᴅᴏɴɴɪᴇ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ]

Otherwise, enjoy!

♡ ♡ ♡

Your hands were shoved deep into your jacket pockets as you trudged your way to the coffee shop just down the road from campus. If the crunch of fallen leaves beneath your boots hadn’t been indicator enough, the biting cold morning air was telling that autumn had arrived in full swing.

The bell above the entryway rang as you opened the door to the cafe and got in line to order. The warm atmosphere was much needed as you could finally take out your hands and rub them on your chilled cheeks. Your nose felt like ice.

After paying, you scoured the main room for a seat. Practically every table was occupied by people your age with their noses in laptops and textbooks.

With autumn comes midterms…

You slipped into a seat at a table that someone else had just relinquished and brushed off the leftover crumbs. The tabletop itself was a small circle but it sat two people, which was all that mattered. You got your laptop and notes set up as you waited for your order to be called. With how little sleep you were getting recently, it would be near impossible to start studying without some caffeine. It felt like your brain was packed with cotton balls.

You were in the middle of sighing and rubbing the sleep from your eyes when your name was finally called out. It was hard for you to care as the seat screeched out as you stood to go get your drink. However, many eyes bore into you for the disruption as you shuffled over to the counter.

“Here you are,” the barista said sweetly.

Fingers brushing against each other as you took the warm beverage from her grasp, you met her gaze and smiled back.

“Thank you,” you hummed.

As soon as you sat down and took your first sip, you could feel life rushing back into your veins. It was like all the clouds filling your brain had finally dissipated. The steam that escaped from the cup helped to thaw your nose.

You put on your headphones–opting for your own choice of music over the playlist the cafe employees were playing–and got to work as you waited for your friend to arrive. As was your routine for the past couple of weeks. Stay up late making deals with your archnemesis, peel yourself out of bed bright and early to go to this cafe, study with April until your brains felt like they were sufficiently rotted away, and scurry to class together. Sometimes you liked to sprinkle in a Purple Dragon meeting here and there.

Ever since your first deal had been made, you had offered more, and Von Ryan had reluctantly agreed. Several rounds of a variety of games stole away the majority of your nights. They were fun, but on top of classwork and purple dragon assignments, you were being zapped of your life force.

You found that you also had to fight a lot harder to actually win. You hadn’t expected your opponent to kick your ass at games as much as he did.

Your ego took quite a few blows as a result.

To make matters worse, it felt like none of your jokes ever landed with the guy. You knew they were funny. At least some of them were. He was just too stubborn to admit it!

“So serious…” you murmured to yourself, mindlessly scrolling through a study guide your professor had emailed the class.

“Yeah, I swear they’re tryna kill us.”

You jumped slightly and took off your headphones as you looked up from your screen. Before you stood a heaving April, a sheen of sweat decorating her forehead.

“God, it’s hot in here,” she said as she shrugged her jacket off and sat down across from you.

“Girl, are you alright? Did you run here from the gym or something?” You started moving your belongings so that she had more room on her side of the table to put her belongings. “I thought you were free before this.”

“I was .” She waved her hand at you while she caught her breath. “But my pals called me up to help out with something…This morning was just a bit of a rush…” She released a breathy laugh, shaking her head.

Your eyes squinted as you grinned at her. “Sounds like a fun way to start your day.”

She let out an incredulous laugh in response.

“Don’t even get me started.” She unpacked her study materials, brushed her bangs from her face, and placed her palms on the table as she looked back at you. “Alright, I’m gonna grab something to drink and then we can dig into things. That sound good? You want anything?”

“Ready when you are,” you said, lifting your drink to show her you were taken care of.

It didn’t take long before she joined you again, opening up her laptop and flipping through her pages of biology notes.

“So what did you need to help your friends with so early in the morning?” you asked, tilting your head and shooting her a curious look.

“Hm?” Her eyes shot up to meet yours before darting off to the side. “Uh… They got themselves into trouble as they usually do, so they called me up for help since they’re kind of a man down, so to speak.”

Your eyebrows furrowed.

“You live a wild life, April. I’m jealous,” you said.

“Be careful what you wish for,” she scoffed. “Now, enough stalling. We gotta get to work.”

You threw your head back and groaned dramatically.

“If I must!”

The next hour or so was filled with the silence of reading, frequent buzzing of notifications, and the occasional exchange of questions regarding subject materials. Every now and then, however, your questions would go unanswered as your friend was too distracted by her phone to hear you. After the fifth time of speaking to a wall paired with April’s solemn expression, your curiosity had finally eaten away at you.

“Everything alright? Who are you texting?” you asked as you rested your chin in your palm.

“Mm…” Your friend didn’t look away from her phone until she had finished typing. “Oh, um, just a friend… Donnie, actually.”

“Oh! How has he been?”

She sighed and placed her phone down whilst rubbing at her face.

“Better. He’s been better.”

You bit the inside of your cheek and dropped your gaze before April continued.

“Poor guy has been holed up in his room for the past month. He’s barely sleeping. It seems like he only eats if someone tears him away from his computer and forces him to… He’s just not taking care of himself.” She shook her head. “Worse is he’s not really letting us help him either… God, it just sucks having to watch your friends fall apart, you know?”

You were quiet. You watched her as she let her head fall into her hands. You found it more comfortable to look out the window instead.

“I’m sorry,” you said, fiddling with your jacket sleeve.

“Nah.” April raised her head, shaking it and offering you a soft smile. “It’s not like you could have done anything. We just gotta wait for him to either talk to us or power through it, I guess.” “I– Still.” You looked back at her, swallowing. “I’m really sorry. …That sounds difficult.”

And you were sorry. Sorry that you hadn’t dug into his connections sooner. Sorry that it was having a negative effect on April.

Sorry that you failed to consider the consequences of what you were doing.

Yes, you began offering him deals to help him out, but even then, it was mostly self-serving. Because you were getting bored? Because it gave you some new form of entertainment? Because you didn’t want April to be mad at you if she found out?

You could have stopped altogether. Should have . After the first deal. After you finished your first assignment.

But you didn’t.

And now the results of your actions were smacking you in the face.

“Anyways, let’s get started!” April said, clapping her hands together.

You nodded.

The chatter from the other tables combined with the cafe music and ringing from the entry bell served as white noise for you and April to find a rhythm to work to. The two of you began discussing the semester-long project for your bio class. April pulled up the rubric, and you began brainstorming possible subjects and hypotheses you could address. Planning away until it was time to head to class, you wrapped up the study session with a rough proposal.

Your routine from then on had been altered.

You continued to meet with April in the mornings. However, when you didn’t have a meeting with the purple dragons to stay up-to-date on plans, your nights were filled with studying and essays and projects. You made more time to play games with your friends, too. Your bedroom was filled with laughter and shouts and gory sound effects from the assortment of games you’d play with them.

The Purple Dragons’ interests had long since shifted from Donnie to various tech companies. The most recent discussions had been surrounding TCRI. The facility was rumored to have technology that seemed to not even be of this planet. The possible technological advancements the group could gain from them far outweighed that of the mutant turtle.

You had finally released your hold on Othello Von Ryan.

Only on nights like this, where you and April had plans to meet up and do school work, was there a chance that you would interact with him.

Every other minute, you checked your phone for an update on April’s arrival. You had gone down to the lobby of your apartment building to wait for her. It was the first time she was meeting at your place, and you knew that the process to get up there was a bit of a hassle.

You kept your eyes peeled for her after receiving a text saying she was just down the block. You noticed her burgundy space buns through the glass doors before anything else, but upon closer inspection, you caught sight of another figure following her to the doors. You thought for a moment that they’d walk through together, but she spun around and began shoving the person in the oversized hoodie out of frame.

All you could see now was April aggressively pointing in the direction she had come. The hood popped back into view, peering in and looking directly at you before turning away dejectedly. You leaned slightly to the side to see if you could catch a glimpse of them, but they had already walked far enough away that you couldn’t see.

You stood up to greet April as she came inside.

“Were you being harassed?” you asked, shooting her a concerned look.

“Hah, it depends on your definition of harassment! That was Donnie. He has been begging to tag along and just will not take no for an answer,” April said. You raised your eyebrows.

“ That was Donnie?” you asked with a high-pitched tone. April shook her head and chuckled.

“Yeah, don’t think too much about his fashion sense. I swear he scrambled out after me as fast as he could. Threw on whatever was closest to him,” she explained, waving her hand around.

“He wasn’t wearing anything while you were with him?” you questioned. “Are you guys…like…?”

It took April a moment to catch on to what you were trying to suggest. Her eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead and her eyes were wide as saucers as she whipped around to face you.

“Oh my god , no!” She waved both her hands in front of her, shaking her head vigorously. “He–uh–just wasn’t dressed for the weather! We weren’t doing anything crazy. Ugh, I don’t even want to think about that.”

April looked like she was about to hurl. She may have been dry-heaving a little bit, too.

“Oh! That makes total sense!” Your face burned as you looked away and laughed awkwardly. “Sorry, my mind jumped straight there…”

The two of you laughed it off on the elevator ride to one of the upper floors of the building. With a quiet chime, the doors opened up straight into your home.

It was designed to be fairly open and modern. Wide, white marble tiles spread across the floors, and the walls across from you were filled with large windows that framed the city almost perfectly. A sleek set of stairs wrapped around the edge of the area, leading to the upper level of the penthouse.

“What on Earth…” April gawked.

“My, uh, my room’s upstairs,” you said, looking away awkwardly.

“Nuh-uh, you did not tell me y’all had money! An apartment should not have an upstairs. This is wild!” she said as she followed you up the stairs.

“Both of my parents are fairly successful business people…” you explained as you opened the door for her to enter your room.

It was bright from the various LED lights and signs that you had strewn about to decorate. The gradient colors bounced across your walls and furniture. April wandered over to the edge of your room that looked over the city.

“Gosh, what I wouldn’t give to live in a place like this,” she said, throwing her bag on the floor next to your bed. “Totally unreal.”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind a roommate,” you chuckled. “It would be nice to get a bit of that college experience everyone loves to talk about.”

“Oh, I feel you. I’m living off-campus, too. Really feels like I’m missing out sometimes,” April said, plopping down on your bed. “Though I don’t think you’d be able to decorate your room like this if you were living in a dorm.”

“You’re totally right. I don’t think I’d be able to live without my decor,” you joked, taking a seat at your desk.

“It reminds me a lot of how Donnie decorates.”

You turned to her with a smile.

“Oh, really? He’s a big fan of LEDs, too?”

“That and the color purple, mostly,” she chuckled. “The guy knows what he wants.”

While you were on the topic, you had been wondering…

“How has he been recently?” you asked. “I remember the last time we chatted, you said he wasn’t doing so hot.”

“ So much better. Everything seems to have gone back to normal for now. He’s getting out a lot more than he was, and I think his eye bags are almost gone!” She grinned.

“I’m glad to hear that!” You smiled in return.

You really were. It had been weighing on your mind quite a bit ever since she had told you. You wish you could go back in time and leave him alone rather than torment him for your own amusement, but obviously, that wasn’t an option. Knowing that he had relative peace of mind now made you feel a little bit better.

You and April eventually turned the conversation back to your classes and got to work on your project. You had turned in the final draft of your proposal a couple days ago and were starting on the actual data collection. Together you dug through previously published papers that could provide additional information for you to work with.

You would take breaks every once in a while to grab snacks or watch stupid videos on social media. It wasn’t uncommon for one of you to become sidetracked, which would inevitably lead the other astray shortly after.

At some point, your little siblings had barged in, somehow sensing that there was a new presence in the house. They had a field day with April, and luckily she didn’t seem to mind them at all. Eventually, you had to boot them out of the room so you could keep getting work done.

When it seemed like you had gotten sufficient materials to use for your project, April suggested giving Donnie a call just to double-check that you guys weren’t missing anything. He answered almost immediately.

“You are conversing with Donatello,” his voice sang through.

“Hey, D,” April greeted. “We were just doing some work for our big bio project. Are you free to look over some of the notes and sources we’ve collected?”

“April, you know I am always available if data collection and scientific articles are involved.”

April rolled her eyes dramatically, and you both chuckled quietly so he wouldn’t hear. April proceeded to list off all the information you had gathered so far and summarized the experimental design you had decided on. He hummed along as he listened, providing some feedback here and there regarding what you two could focus more on or different articles you could reference.

“I’ll send you links to a few that I think will be particularly helpful. As a whole, however, it seems you have done quite a good job. The information you have accumulated thus far is reputable and will certainly validate your study,” Donnie stated. “Consider me impressed.”

“I’d hope so! We’ve put a lot of time into this,” you laughed. It was the first thing you said since the call started.

“Ah, there is my favorite disciple!” he began.

“Boy, if you don’t knock that shit off, I swear!” April huffed.

“You know, I was going to grace you with my presence tonight, however, April here told me I was unwelcome,” he spat.

The two proceeded to get themselves into a silly argument over he-said-she-said. You watched quietly with a soft smile gracing your lips. You wanted to join in the argument for fun, teasing and joking where you could, but it felt so wrong to do. Knowing the role you played in his life, whether he knew it was you or not, made you feel like a fraud for acting friendly with him.

Eventually, April and Donnie’s little squabble subsided, and you said your goodbyes. You and April added the articles Donnie sent over and called it a night. After walking her back down to the lobby, you returned to your room to vegetate.

You lied on your bed, watching the gradient lights change as they danced across your ceiling. You had wired all of the lighting to be in sync, alternating between various shades of blue, purple, and pink. You would switch up the color combinations if you got bored or if you needed something to fit the mood of the night a bit better.

April said Donnie’s setup was similar. If you two actually knew each other–as friends rather than opponents–you were sure that you’d have a field day chatting to him about the things he’s created. Judging by the blueprints you had stolen, your silly little light fixtures were probably child’s play for someone as technologically advanced as him.

You may not be friends, and the chances of you becoming friends were probably slim to none, but at the end of the day, you felt grateful to know that someone like him actually existed. Your world was beyond that of 9-5 office jobs, school, and circuitry. There were still mysterious people like him, part turtle and part… something else that you weren’t sure of.

Your world wasn’t as boring as you had feared, and you felt lucky to know that.

An alarm began sounding from your phone, causing you to jump. Scrambling across your bed, you picked up the device to see what was happening.

Apparently, there was an attack on the Purple Dragon’s network.

You looked over at your desktop. You hesitated for a moment before crawling over and sitting down at it. It didn’t take long for you to negate the attack and reinforce some of the security on the network as well as the servers.

Tracing back the IP of the attacker through various VPNs, it was no surprise to see that it was Donnie on the other end. Your heart jumped at the opportunity. It wouldn’t be so bad for you to make another offer to him if he was the one initiating, would it?

♡ ♡ ♡

#tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #donatello x reader #donnie x reader #donatello #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt donnie x reader #rottmnt x reader #rise!donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt april o'neil #april o'neil #rottmnt april

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commandershepardvasfuckit · 2 months

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Huh, suddenly there’s a lot of new people here

Previously I was the person that did elaborate character letters for the Dragon Age Characters

Then lotsssss of Mass Effect meta analysis stuff and fic (will always be around lol, I get distracted)

Currently I’m in bg3 hell and Halsin brain rot.

I write fic, character analysis/headcanons, and getting back into character handwriting and dusting off my calligraphy supplies

Also recently getting better about screenshots

Im usually down to chat headcanons and am pretty friendly (though I’m also bad about notifications so sorry if I missing something, it’s not on purpose!)

Nice to see new faces!

Headcanons/character analysis:

Halsin bear day

Werebear!Halsin

Halsin animal traits

Bg3 companions’ handwriting

Halsin sexy consent thoughts

VERY NSFW Halsin sex headcanons

Halsin blowjob headcanons

Smut (and other fic):

Fluff and dirty talk after final battle (Halsin/Tav)

Halsin teaches Tav how to blow him

Lovey dovey bondage and oral (Halsin/Tav)

Bear instincts smut (Halsin/Tav)

Rewrite for “at my age” conversation with Halsin (elven Tav)

Musing about Halsin morning sex

Original writing

The Dragon King’s Pet (nsfw, dead dove do not eat) 1, 2, 3, 4

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noir-drabbles · 21 days

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Drafts 1

Summary: Just an unfinished solo writing thing while playing Iron Valley. Basically it was just me testing out what it is I wanted, trying to create my own setting and characters, but then my brain got bored of it. So, I figured I may as well dump it here.

(I said I was going to start dumping my drafts here and I am going to commit to it. Drafts will be half actual prose writing and rambles on the side because I want people to enjoy the ideas and characters I have in my head. Hope this is fun!)

(Oh yeah, here's the link to the game I was playing. Lot of reading but it's easy to start and understand. Really does test out one's creative muscles.)

Today’s Spring pick for the Luminariae Post is as follows:

When a new branch grows, I always worry for what it may carry. The bark upon the trunk is many years old and yet it still insists on growing new leaves, new buds, and new fruits. A large and wise old tree, and yet it didn’t know age. It didn’t know where it should draw its limits. It simply grew and produced, as it always has, even when the threat of disease was always there.

But I’m not scornful. I’ll simply grab my polished clippers and snap off whatever rot has caught onto the leaves, onto the branches. I’ll eat the fruit it gives me, and carve a flute out of the wood I snipped off.

I’ve been there when you were young, when each new leaf would make me dance in the mud because I keep forgetting not to over water you. When your fruits would spawn out of seemingly nowhere, like your love for the world could not be contained, so you had to give it back as much and as fast as you could.

You’ve long outgrown me. I can’t even climb up to the very top of you as I once used to with my own little sister. You could still support me, but the youth in your new branches are not what they used to be. And yet, you still try and grow just as much fruit as you can, even when it’s no longer anything anyone can eat.

You’re just an old fool. You and I are two of a kind. And that it why you will always be one of my dearest friends.

And every day, I thank you for being who you are.

– Carmen

Heyo, author Noir here. So, the idea I had for this little segment is that every start of the new season, the Luminariae Post would post a submission that was sent to them by one of the residents in this small town of Arbor Hills. Typically they pick submissions that have something to do with the current season, or just a general connection to nature that can be connected to said season. It's also meant for the regular folk to take a peek into a small part of that resident that wrote the piece. Just fluff writing things.

Oh, and Carmen is a big ol dragon man, the one that basically provides the Reader with a house and a job, a nice bouncing point since the Reader starts off with literally nothing, not even clothes. He's a nice man, good roommate and clearly misses having other people live in his house. There's this big tree that the whole town pays their respects towards because of the sheer size and reach of its roots. In fact, most of the plants and trees you find often end up connecting their roots to that big tree, as it provides nutrients to said plants, leading to them weathering even the toughest of disasters. Rumor has it that Carmen was the one that planted that tree when it was a sapling, but that's just a rumor.

Spring 2

Time: [0/4]

| Forecast: Sunny | Luck: Neutral | Lucky Color: Lemon |

“Did you hear? Apparently our dear local baker has been in need of a new recipe to put as a potential special.”

“Oh? Which one? Is it that sweetie Ivory or that nutty Obsidian?”

“Don’t be mean Martha. But it is nutty Obsidian. Apparently he’s going a little crazy from lack of inspiration and just wants something new to really make his day pop from grays to happy pinks.”

“Hehehe, well in that case, you think he’ll want to try out some of my homemade cookies? Maybe that’ll perk him right up and get his head out of the pizza oven ashes?”

“Bleh, if you want to kill him… But yes, let’s. I’ll be the merciful one and bring him some of my delicious tea.”

“Let’s poison him together, Lily.”

The idea I had here is basically a cutscene being played out every day, where a couple of characters do something or have a conversation that implies a very long request. The town bulletin is still a thing, but those quests will end up being pretty short. The short requests do change often, I'd say once every two days, while the longer requests are more persistent, changing once every five days. Obsidian is basically this mad scientist-like baker that loves to go crazy with the designs and flavors of his baked goods. And, well, he's prone to losing inspiration and just wants something to get that flow going. He's a pretty intense cosmic star dude, the kind of energy that easy to be overwhelmed with. He has a sister named Ivory who helps out in the bakery, but is mostly found working with wood as the local carpenter. She's not gentle, she has that quiet intensity about her, and is just as wacky with her woods craft. She will get the request done, and will probably add some else to it. A weird feature that you probably won't notice until you accidentally activate it. Like a table that can convert itself into a suit of wood armor. You never know with these two.

Oh, and I have no clue who Martha and Lily are. Just that they're best friends who love to gossip, and were once very competitive rivals in school before someone tried to accuse them of cheating so they'd be unable to participate in theater. Yeah, those two were theater kids, and their rivalry, for the most part, was a fun exaggerated thing on their part that got a liiiiittle too real, but they're good now. They're middle-aged and married to their respective spouses.

“You doing alright?”

You snapped out of your reverie by a rumbling voice that’s not quite meant to overpower the general noise, so much as it should rumble underneath one’s feet.

You didn’t look at Carmen. You looked at his horns instead, all scratched up and chipped at in all their ridged and curling glory. It’s hard to look at him in the eyes. They aren’t particularly piercing, they’re just filled with a love for the world around him. A gentle and boundless love that he’s willing to share with you, a fellow roommate but a stranger still.

It’s… a lot. Too much. But it’s fine. He’s good and nice. He makes you all those warm and filling meals, and lets you take up a room in his house. You had nowhere else to go, but he gave you a hand anyway.

So, are you doing alright? He did ask.

You hummed out a yes. Because words would be too much in all this noise. The sensation of your throat rumbling, of moving your lips and making a conscious effort not to stutter. You’re already a little on edge as is.

“Hmm,” he copied your tone, though you didn’t know if that meant he believed you or not, “I know there’s a lot of little noises, but a small outing like this is good. It is something to get used to, that’s for certain.”

It’s… yeah, he’s right. It is a lot. Carmen’s farm isn’t exactly all the quiet either, with all the cows, chickens and bees he has, but there’s a different quality to the noise of people. It’s a… a rhythm, of sorts. The livestock back home are always keeping out a listening ear to the nature around them, so their own noises follow that beat, usually. But people… don’t really care, nor can they truly listen.

The rhythm isn’t bad, in the sense that it’s wrong and that people should pay more attention. It’s just… different. Absorbed in their own little pocket of time. And those pockets just, overlap in your ears.

You’ll probably get used to it, in the same way you got used to Carmen when you first woke up to his face looming right over under the arbor. It was an adjustment. The man’s over seven feet tall with a broad frame to fit, built over the years from heavy farm work. But, you suppose that’s the average height of all dragons. Well, his specific branch of dragon anyway. You don’t know any other dragon.

You nodded and let your eyes wander over the sparse crowd around you, to the area you’re both sitting on a bench in.

The village’s center, built around a pretty fountain that’s filled with little seashells, all in various pastel colors of white, blue and pink. One little kid in white sandals had to lay her belly on the ledge of the fountain just to reach in and drop her shell. Her little transparent wings fluttered with her excitement, dropping flecks of pink dust here and there.

A water spout spat right up her nose and the little fairy girl snorted then gave a big powerful sneeze. She launched herself right into the air. Luckily, before you or Carmen could rush right over, her father was right there to catch her.

Chuckling, her fairy father said, “I got a precious gift from the heavens!”

“No!” She yelled, raising her arms high like claws, “I am your worst nightmare! I eat your dreams and your banana splits!”

He gasped, “A monster! Oh no!”

She kicked her feet and lost a sandal in her giggles.

You jumped when Carmen gave chuckles of his own. The sheer volume of his voice never ceases to surprise you, that his happiness can be something so… loud? Strong? It’s solid. Which is kind of dumb now that you think about it. You’ve seen him lift an entire tree trunk with his arms and shoulder alone. It shouldn’t be shocking at all to find that his laugh has just as much power behind it.

But it is, because he would always bend down just so people could hear him. He didn’t like raising his voice just as much as he hated going into the details of his private life.

And with a flinch, Carmen realized as much. He looked to the side, scratched the back of his neck, and sighed out, “Sorry.”

Did you look bug-eyed? You probably did.

You shook your head at Carmen. He doesn’t need to apologize to you. It’s not his fault that you’re easily startled. Besides, he’s the one going out of his way to get you situated in this place. He didn’t have to do it, but he did anyway.

He nodded to you then hovered a hand right over your shoulder. He stopped, waited, and when you shifted closer, he patted you. The weight and strength of his bones alone almost made your joint creak.

“I’ll be going on ahead. I need to buy some things for the gardening day this week.” Carmen reached into his pocket and took out a few notes that you don’t really need. He pays you plenty for your services, but saying no to him–especially when he wants to spoil or be nice–just leaves a sour taste in your mouth. He stuffed them in your hands. “Go around, explore. Or relax by the community garden if you’d like. I’ll be by Peach’s place for the most part. I won’t go home unless you want to, okay?”

Ah, here it is, the big send off. You can’t really complain since you asked for this kind of time for yourself, but augh… It’s difficult all the same. You’ve been here for the better part of one year and you’ve yet to make a single friend. You haven’t really been trying, to be perfectly honest. Whenever you go out into the village on your moped, you’re strictly in working mode, schedule and time all planned out. Whenever people would try and talk to you during those hours, you get antsy and anxious.

You hate being off schedule. On top of that, if you weren’t working, you were around Carmen all the time. He’s a friendly and well known face. It’s only natural for people to gravitate towards him rather than you, especially when you would rather hide in his shadow than look at anyone.

You weren’t trying to make friends. Everything was just too unfamiliar for you to do that, or even think of it. And nobody pushed you to do that. In a way, you’re grateful for that, that the people here left you alone for the most part. A nice respect of your time and attention. They made attempts to talk to you, certainly, but that was about where the pushiness ended.

And, now, you’re calmer-ish. You can take the time and try.

You can go anywhere and make a friend.

…

Augh, you still can’t talk. Words just really don’t want to come out.

Well, baby steps, baby steps.

Carmen has since left you to yourself, with money in your hands. A nice sizable amount. Can’t buy a microwave with it, but you can grab a while feast of pastries if you wanted to.

…you know what? That sounds like a good idea. Having something to munch on while trying to make a friend would help calm you down some. Besides, a lot of people frequent the bakery. Surely you’ll be able to find someone who wants to befriend you.

That and you’ve heard of the gossip between those two women over there. Apparently the local baker needs some help. You don’t have any ideas, but maybe you’ll come up with something by the time you get there?

The crowd didn’t really get any thinner as you walked down the white stone path. Lots of people were gathered in small packs, but they were polite enough to shift slightly out of your way. You followed the scent of bread and soon enough found yourself inside the cozy atmosphere of a bakery.

Honestly, it seemed more like a home than it did a bakery, which makes sense since it looked like a store/home hybrid from the outside. But, rather than a home that seeks to hide emptiness with store bought furniture the owner vaguely likes, each table, chair and even the frame of the mirrors in this place were clearly handmade.

It was small though, and all the furniture had people either gathering or sitting on it. There wasn’t anywhere you could just pick and sit down for an hour or two while you mindlessly pick at your pastry and watch the people go by.

A healthy routine makes for a good base for potential friendships. At least that’s how Carmen puts it. You’re not sure if it’s true, but you may as well try, right?

You walk to the back of the line and wait. At the front, behind the register was someone that you can only describe as a galactic black hole. The white light that makes up what you think is hair slowly swirls around in a clock-wise motion, collecting light like a vent does smoke as it slowly gathers in some dark center you can’t make out. The white light hair fades into a dark shadow dappled with white little star pinpricks, doing nothing to to take away from the bright eyes that look around this way and that.

This person had no mouth to speak of as he nodded and packaged a new box of pan dulce. It’s interesting to you, watching the way their body never quite stabilized into something truly solid, but it was enough for his clothes to hang on. He didn’t have a uniform, it was just a set of comfy billowing clothes that had little tears and big patches over what was probably holes.

His form stretched up, bending in ways a shadow would as he gave the box to the person waiting in line.

“You wanted a surprise and a surprise is what you’ll get!”

Aaaand this is where I lost my steam, and I had a pretty good pace going too.

Reader is basically this dryad person that was born from the big tree(of which I have yet to name, eh) and as such, has little to no knowledge of many things beyond the general basics. Socializing is obviously not their thing. Many of the towns people just think they're a traveler from afar that suffers from amnesia, but since nobody witnesses the Reader coming out of the tree, it can't really be disputed that they're not a traveler.

There's a biblically accurate angel just, hanging out in Arbor Hills. He's the current master carpenter and boss of Ivory. He spends most of his time sleeping, and in the rare times one manages to make a request to him, you can be sure that whatever furniture he makes will never break, and will even have a little buff to them.

The angel's name is Peach, because someone called him "an absolute peach." With the last name Angel for the sake of simplicity. No matter how you poke and prod at him, you can't get details about his past, you'll just get references about how empty of an existence he was living before coming here. Now he can dream all he likes.

There's a tradition at the start of a new year to share stories you may have or have written. Arbor Hills is all about communal story crafting, so often the whole town will come together to either craft a new fairy tale, or add on to another existing tale. The only rule is that it has to have at least one true event in there, or be based on a true event. So you could have witnessed a bug trip over grass and flip itself over and craft a tale about a malicious weed that seeks to grow and prank all the bugs that nipped at it. That kind of thing. So, one of the Promises is to get ideas and make a story before Spring 1 rolls around. There are usually two groups, one group that's full of people that have written their stories on their own, and the other group that shares their ideas for a group story making session. Perfection is not expected. Just have fun. And if you don't want to make a story, just be a listening ear.

There's also another tradition where, after reaching a certain age, kiddos go to the community garden to pick out a seed they like and plant it somewhere in the town. This tradition does stretch out beyond just for the kids, you can do this as a new adult, or when you reach a huge milestone in your life. Don't worry about having to take incredible care of it, these seeds are magical and are often deeply connected to you. They grow as you grow, and if they get sick, you can be assured that they'll be taken care of by the garden spirits of the forest.

There aren't many dragons to be found. There be different types of dragons, but their lifespan varies quite a bit between them.

Same for the dryad. There's nobody else quite like you, and if there is, they're usually no bigger than the size of your palm. Tiny, squeaky things.

I know I have more things sitting in the brain, but I need to prodded at to really remember. So, if you want to poke at my brain, be my guest!

#noir-drabbles #noir-drabbles exclusive #oc #reader insert #original character #drabble #iron valley #iron valley rpg #arbor hills #noir.ah #solo rpg #solo ttrpg #noir.drafts #drafts

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asimplearchivist · 3 months

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(This has been sitting in my drafts long enough…my fear of mischaracterizing Astarion is lesser than the agitation of seeing this beast among my WIPs. @fangswbenefits I’m affectionately blaming you for giving me pale elf brain rot🫣)

Okay guys this may be a very niche concept that will appeal to maybe like two people total but it hasn’t left my mind since I mentioned the idea to a buddy of mine who convinced me to play bg3…(Cullen and Astarion have a lot of similarities, which I would love to elaborate on later, but…) hear me out—it could be a very interesting dynamic to play with in a crossover.

Headcanons under the cut:

I’m not usually one for crossovers unless they’re in self-contained within a fandom (like Pokémon or Dragon Age, for example—there’s a phenomenal fic called The Half-Life of Element Zero by @unhealthynpcobsession which is a DAI/MEA crossover and safely one of the only “cross-fandom” crossovers I genuinely enjoy and adore bc the story and concepts are contextually sound and professionally orchestrated), but I feel like the sheer numbers of DAI fanfiction that explore the concept of the Breach opening up portals into other worlds (namely our modern Earth, thus the Modern Girl in Thedas trope, my beloved) could include adjacent worlds. I believe I have seen Skyrim before, so why not Baldur’s Gate 3? (Now keep in mind I know next to nothing about BG3 bc I am newly introduced to its lore and everything but) I think one could easily get away with having Astarion somehow slip through the Breach, along with the Sole Survivor at the Conclave.

(Holy shit why did this turn out so fucking long?)

The Survivor wakes—chained, cold, and aching—in the cells beneath the chantry, interrogated by Cassandra and Leliana, and denies her involvement with the Temple’s destruction. Forced to cooperate with the Survivor due to their dire need for the Mark and its potential use related to the Rifts, Cassandra casts a scowl at Leliana. “I will escort the prisoner if you will deal with the pale elf.”

Leliana only responds mildly, “I will continue to deal with him as I have been for the last three days—as well as nurse the migraine that he has caused.”

The Survivor doesn’t meet this esteemed “pale elf” until the battle at the Temple, and she only sees him from afar—he accompanied Leliana’s men to deal with the array of Shades and Wraiths that speckled the cratered grounds while the rest picked away at gargantuan Pride. She notices he is masterfully skilled with his weapons, perhaps even peculiarly so—she also notices that he has far greater strength, agility, and stamina than the average elf, easily surpassing the abilities of his peers.

She doesn’t see him again until well after the dust has settled—the Breach has been patched, Haven is able to reassess themselves, and the new Inquisition begins to construct their foundation. The newly named Herald of Andraste attempts to escape it all, fleeing into the grounds beyond Haven’s gates under the guise of fulfilling favors and errands for the various supervisors in the village, and stumbles across an abandoned cabin in the forest—at least she thought it was abandoned, at first.

She’s rummaging through the things there, finds the passed healer’s notes, but the lightest creak of displaced wood behind her tips her off to the presence of another. She whirls, hand already flying to her weapon, and backs up against the table, sending things clattering to the floor. The pale elf stands there, smirking at her startle.

“Act all the victim when you intrude on my space,” he croons, tilting his head and tutting at her, “my, how manners seem hard to come by around here.”

“You’re that—” She stops, hesitates, starts again. “Sister Leliana mentioned you. You’re the only other one who survived the blast.”

“That is comparatively the least of my problems and only the beginning of my present predicament, yes.” His eyes—as brilliant a crimson as the blood that still crusts the wounds that litter her bruised, battered, borderline broken body—scan her form from top to bottom, pause on her bandaged hand, and return to meet her uneasy gaze with a considerate one of his own. “Although I’m afraid I can confidently say that I ended up with the better of the lots drawn between the two of us.” His expression relaxes, just a little, a thready furrow forming between his silverite brows. “Does that hurt?”

She clenches her fist and clenches her teeth. “It’s dismissible.”

“Considering I heard tell that it is in the process of consuming you, I would disagree—but, I digress!” He flashes her a toothy smirk. “I am just grateful that there are no longer demons spewing out of that torn arsehole in the sky.”

She stares at him for a long moment, uncertain what to say in response. She’s exhausted, sore, and reeling from the last week of utter unfortunate bullshit that had befallen her.

“You’re…rather tall, for an elf,” she finally says lamely.

His brows arch into his forehead in clear surprise before he tips his head back and laughs. It exposes his teeth, and…no, those were not fangs. It must have been a trick of the firelight.

“It does seem that my kindred, however distantly related they are, do not possess as generous of traits as I,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “All so thin and lithe and…well, diminutive…it’s truly a marvel how they’re able to get anything done without breaking their hollow little bones. It’s little wonder that they seem so afraid of everyone else around here.”

She frowns, echoing, “‘Distantly related’?” with some dubiousness.

“Oh, your lovely spymaster didn’t tell you? I’m shocked.” The stranger gestures to himself with his arms extended to either side. “You have my sincerest apologies, my dear, I haven’t even introduced myself—I complain of lack of manners, yet fail to offer them in due turn.” He dips at the waist briefly, eyes glittering through his frosty lashes. “My name is Astarion, and…to put it simply, I am not supposed to be here.”

“I imagine anyone is fortunate to have walked away from all that destruction unscathed,” she responds mildly, narrowing her eyes.

“How cute,” he simpers, straightening and bracing his hands on his hips. “I fail to possess sufficient enough knowledge of magic in order to explain how in the hells this happened, exactly, but I originate from a place called Faerûn—not your delightfully archaic ‘Thedas’.”

He goes on to ramble about his companions, at least two of whom would have been far better suited to hypothesize how to rectify this particular ‘magical’ predicament. He tells her about their unusual circumstances of being thrust together, forced to cooperate and work towards fixing their looming health issues and the threat that faces their world.

She studies him for a long moment after he finishes. “…It sounds as if you and I are trapped in similar problems,” she sighs, rubbing her face. “As incredible as this all sounds, I sincerely doubt such a story could be easily invented on the spot…so you have my sympathies. Do you think that you’ll be able to return home?”

“Sister Leliana introduced me to that lovely gentleman who dresses like a vagrant. Supposedly, he’s the resident authority on this…‘Fade magic’, as it were?” he surmises.

“So I’ve heard,” she responds.

“Yes, well, our conversation was cut rather short at the time due to him being rather persistent in keeping his eye on that little souvenir.”

She flexes her hand and glances away. She’s been doing her damnedest not to dwell on the burning in her palm, thank you very much, and she didn’t particularly want to discuss it, either.

“Nevertheless,” he continues lightly, although his tone tempers into something more neutral, “he promised that he would look into the issue.”

“That’s…that’s good,” she replies quietly. “I hope he finds a way to send you back.”

The pale elf tilts his head at her then, eyes contemplative when she looks back up. He offers her a thin-lipped smile—this one actually reaches his eyes, softening his angular features. “As much as I am grateful not to be in your position, I do apologize. It would seem that the weight of your new moniker is not one to be taken lightly.”

“It is what it is,” she grits out. “They will believe what they wish regardless of my input.”

“That doesn’t make it any easier.” He leans in, holding her stare. “…I think it best to remain nearby, for the time being. Sole survivors of a devastating explosion still under scrutiny by those newly in power ought to stick together, yes?”

She relaxes, just slightly. “As long as you’re not the one who caused all of this.”

His expression sobers enough that it jars her. “I am the least inclined to cause spontaneous combustion among my compatriots,” he tells her, attempting humor, but there’s something in his eyes that contrasts his words entirely—a lingering fear, apprehension, borderline horror, if she has to place a name on it. “But no. I did not. And I think I have a few choice words—and daggers—on reserve for whoever did cause all of this devastation. I never asked to be thrown into the middle of this refuse burn.”

“Neither did I.” She offers him a bow in return and gives him her name. “I would say it’s been pleasant to make your acquaintance, but…I think we both are allowed to say that we would rather not have met at all.”

“Agreed.” He stoops to pick up the papers Adan had sent her to find and hands them to her. “I trust I will see you again soon?”

“You do intend to stay?” she asks, brow furrowing as she tucks them into her pocket.

“I’ve nowhere else to go,” he begins, “and fleeing from an investigation would provide rather damning evidence for the prosecution, even if misused. For now I’ll lend my particular set of skills and…services to this delightful little collection of vagabonds. I think you need all the help you can get, given that poor, overworked general of yours is relying on farmers and pilgrims to become your armed force.”

“I don’t speak on behalf of the others,” she says, “but I thank you. You’re greatly appreciated.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he purrs. “Now…do go get some rest, my dear. You look positively horrible for someone who has slept for nearly six days.”

His nonchalant sincerity startles a laugh out of her—the first in what felt like an age. He seems pleased to have done so. She departs the cabin feeling slightly less isolated than before.

#astarion ancunin #astarion #dragon age #dai #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #headcanons #mine #reader insert #astarion/reader #astarion ancunin/reader #astarion x reader #astarion ancunin x reader #dragon age inquisition #fisara’s scrawlings #fisara’s codices

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fras-redacted-shapes · 10 months

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The other day I was doing some introspection while doing the dishes (as you do) and I thought it was very funny how as soon as my psychiatrist asked me to be honest with myself regarding distractions and do my best to get rid of them if I can't manage them (starting by removing all clutter from my desk) I immediately started removing everything about online games I was playing at the time.

I hid Warframe and Destiny 2 from my library on the same day, because yes, I simply cannot manage them, I'd end up with perpetual brain rot. You know, that type of fixation where I'd just open the game out of habit and draw, think and play only those. Schedule life around in game events.

Which I mostly overcame because Dragon Age brain rot hit. Which I couldn't overcome nor manage and only got over it because I played Control.

Now it's been two years since playing it for the first time, about a year and a half on medication and like a year of re-learning time management and organizational skills. And I have to admit I still cannot manage the brain rot, but at least I can schedule enough hours per week to work lol

Still, I'm glad it's brain rot for a game like Control because hey, I'm drawing things I've very much had no interest in before, the game's inspirations are so varied it expanded my interests, fandom is small enough I don't get to see the same complaints over and over - the best is I don't get people complaining about the game when I post my fanart :D

(actually the best thing is that it's a single player game, because those shitty F2P mechanic are extremely hostile and toxic to ADHD brains)

May all my unfinished and planned projects for Warframe and Dragon Age rest in peace. Maybe one day I'll pick them back up, just not today.

#the healthiest thing was blocking reddit because people seem to only discuss the same three things over and over #totally not looking forward to the F2P game Remedy is working on #I felt my stomach churn when I saw the announcement #there's a specific combination of elements I know will fuck me up so if it turns out the game combines them #I'm gonna have to block everything about it :(

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bootyshaker900o · 1 year

Text

“Playlists of my unhealthy obsessions/Simping”

These men have caused such a brain rot- that like they are my whole personality. I made a little playlist of songs for them

Dave/William Afton (🧍‍♂️ I have problems)

Jocelyn Flores - XXXTENTACION

Can You Feel My Heart - Bring Me the Horizon

Yandere - Jazmin Bean

Sex, Drugs, Etc. - Beach Weather

R U Mine? - Arctic Monkeys

Play Date - Melanie Martinez

Perverted - Elita

The Neden Game - ICP

Stalker’s Tango - Autoheart

Say My Name - Alex Brightman

Imma Kill You - ICP

Blow My Brains Out - Tikkle Me

CHOKE - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Ryn, Rabinit Run - Flanagan and Allen

Boogie Woogie Wu - ICP

Donnie

Dirty Harry - Gorillaz

Me and Your Mama - Childish Gambino

Hell of a Ride - Bo Burnham

Family Jewels - Marina and the Diamonds

I’m still standing - Elton John

Puppet Boy - DEVO

Afraid - The Neighborhood

Reflections - The Neighborhood

Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys

One day - Lovejoy

The Ending - Hobo Johnson

Trouble - Hazel Bloom

Teen Romance - Lil Peep

Alien Blues - Vundabar

Team - Mag.Lo

Bad - Michael Jackson

Orphan Tears - Your Favorite Martian

Draxum

Problems - Mother Mother

Zydrate Anatomy - Paris Hilton

Toxic - Britney Spears

Liquid Smooth - Mitski

W.D.Y.W.F.M? - The Neighborhood

Trom Cat - Tyler, the Creator

E.T. - Katy Perry, Kanye West

Molly - MSI

Enemy - Imagine Dragons, JID

Never Satisfied - CORPSE

Desire - Meg Myers

Venom - Little Simz

Daddy AF - Slayyter (don’t ask)

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

Such A Whore - JVLA

Six Forty Seven - Instupendo

Silco

Daddy issues - The Neighborhood

Genius- Sia, Diplo, Labrinth, LSD

Same Old Love - Selena Gomez

Guys My Age - HEY VIOLET

Life of the Party - The Weeknd

High Enough - K.Flay

Government Hooker - Lady Gaga

Why don’t U - Father, ABRA

New Americana - Halsey

Do You Even? - Jorge Aguilar II

Sugar Daddy - Qveen Herby

Royals - Lorde

I Feel Like I’m Drowning - Two Feet

New Person, Same Mistakes - Tame Impala

Cold - Maroon 5

Come As You Are - Nirvana

Fantasy - Bazzi

Raph (my sweet baby boy 😭)

Dark Red - Steve Lacy

Somebody To Love - Queen

Careless Whispers - George Michaels

Her - Tyler, The Creator

Are We Still Friends? - Tyler, The Creator

Trumpets - Jason Derulo

Hold On, We’re Going Home - Drake

Rodeo - Lil Nas X

Ms. Jackson - Outkast

EARFQUAKE - Tyler, The Creator

Mine - Bazzi

Die for You - The Weeknd

Love on the Brain - Rihana

Crazy In Love - Beyoncé, JAY-Z

Lucifer

Gooey - Glass Animals

Love Me Dead - Ludo

The Distance - CAKE

Like A Stone - Audioslave

Luxurious- Gwen Stafani

Applause - Lady Gaga

Please Me - Cardi B, Bruno Mars

Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

Alejandro - Lady Gaga

Love Is a Bitch - Two Feet

Aint no Rest for The Wicked - Cage the Elephant

Animal - Sir Chloe

Mr. Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan

Judas - Lady Gaga

Livin La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin

White Flag - Bishop Briggs

River - Bishop Briggs

Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke

Sway - Michael Bublé

Juicy

Monster Energy Gun - KevinKempt

Chop Chop Slide - ICP

Get Low - Lil Jon

Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

Star Shopping - Lil Peep

Never There - CAKE

Shake That - Eminem, Nate Dogg

Everywhere I Go - Hollywood Undead

Revenge - XXXTENTACION

POLTERGEIST! - CORPSE

My Mom - Eminem

Asshole - hooligan chase

Under the Influence - Eminem, D12

Shots - LMFAO

Him and I - G-Eazy, Halsey

The Hills - The Weeknd

my boy - Billie Eilish

Leo

Ain’t Shit - Dojo Cat

Feel Like God - Gazy

Nightmare - Halsey

Good-Old Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen

Mujeriego - Ryan Castro

Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics, Annie Lennox

Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind, and Fire

Pizzazz - Akintoye

Slumber Party - Ashnikko

INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X

Milkshake - BBY KODIE

Bad - Michael Jackson

Pony - Ginuwine

Death of a Bachelor - Panic! At the Disco

Blah Blah Blah - The Oozes

Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic

Joker (Joaquin & Heath’s) (don’t ask- please dont)

Purple Lamborghini- Skrillex, Rick Ross

Fame - David Bowie

Wolf is Sheep’s Clothing - Set It Off

To Catch a Predator- ICP

Back in Black - AC/DC

Tentative - System of a Down

Rainbows and Stuff - ICP

Hokus Pokus - ICP

Murder Go Round - ICP

The Juggla - ICP

HAHA - Lil Darkie

Broken - Lund

I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace

Criminal - Britney Spears

Cradles - Sub Urban

Loki

Mind Games - Sickick

I’m A Slave 4 U - Britney Spears

Who is She? - I Monster

A Pearl - Mitski

Cigarettes Out the Window - TV Girl

Redbone - Childish Gambino

All for Us - Labrinth, Zendaya

Sucker For Pain - Lil Wayne, Imagine Dragons

My Ordinary Life - The Living Tombstone

Bubblegum Bitch - MARINA

I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic! At the Disco

Partition - Beyoncé

Suit and Tie - Justing Timberlake

Jealous - Eyedress

Yellow - Coldplay

My Oh My - Camila Cabello

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theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

Note

hey! love the blog, could you recommend any tactical combat games in the vein of lancer/icon? I'm hopelessly addicted to moving little dudes around on a grid rn

THEME: Tactical Combat Games

Thank you! Here are some games that centre tactics and combat. Enjoy crunching those numbers and moving around those dudes on a grid!

Trespasser, by tundalus.

It's clear even from your place of rustic isolation. Hideous beasts run roughshod through the countryside, roving bands of marauders reduce settlements to smoking rubble, wide-eyed prophets babble madly at the sky, and common folk like yourself live in a constant state of terror. Well, you've had just about enough of it. No more tilling the fields in obscurity. Of course, that's all assuming you survive your first day.

Trespasser is a tabletop roleplaying game about peasants-turned-adventurers carving out safe refuge amid the long collapse of their dying world. Designed for player-driven sandbox campaigns of survival and dungeon crawling, Trespasser borrows themes of early tabletop and pairs them with a tactical combat system inspired by 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons.

You’ll get good use out of a number of dice with this game, although most checks will require a d20. Rather than a power fantasy however, this game prioritizes survival: your characters are but mere peasants, trying to make their way in a large, dark fantasy world. It is expected that your character die, and another character will have to replace them. If you admire the principles of old school gaming but also enjoy picking character options and pushing miniatures around a grid, Trespasser might be for you.

Rotted Capes, by Paradigm Concepts, Inc.

The Golden Age of Superheroes has ended, not with a BANG, but with a BITE! The Dead overran the world and humanity's protectors are missing, dead or worst of all, Z'ed!Once dismissed as the B-List Superhero, you are now mankind's last hope for survival in this horrific world where the Super Zombies sit atop the food chain, looking hungrily down upon you.

At its core, Rotted Capes is a roleplaying game of post-apocalyptic survival in a world overrun by zombies with a particular twist; this event has taken place in a typical superhero comic book world and the players take on the roles of superheroes struggling to protect what’s left of humanity.

If you want to crunch numbers, Rotted Capes is the game for you. You have Attributes, Skills and Powers that all add up to give you modifiers on every roll, with special abilities and moves you buy with XP at the beginning of the game. With both regular zombies and zombified super-heroes, you’ll be up against varying levels of difficulty that require teamwork, strategy, and an urge to give in to the flaws that your character carries with them in order to survive. The book itself is a bit difficult to navigate, but once you get used to the system, you’ll have freed up some brain space to figure out where (and when) is the best moment to strike.

Zafir: Tactical Roleplaying Game, by Zafir Games.

Zafir: Tactical Roleplaying Game is a fast-paced, tactical, cover-shooter, tabletop RPG that brings something new to the genre. The setting is inspired by ancient middle-eastern themes and Zoroastrian mythology, with a unique magitech twist, bringing the world into a magical analogue of the industrial revolution. Guns, magic, airships, and energy crystals all coexist in the world of Zafir.

Set just two decades after a massive world war, the nations of Zafir are at an uneasy peace. Banditry and sky-piracy are rampant, and the need for muscle and guns is at an all time high. Will your crew help fight back the tide of outlaws, or become outlaws themselves?

Zafir requires 4 different-coloured six-sided dice for play, each dice representing stats and trackers, as well as a battle map and tokens in order to keep track of what your characters are doing. Characters are broken down into your standard categories of Class, Origin, Attributes, Equipment, Abilities and Proficiencies. Your character also has a Responsibility, which gives your character non-combat skills, and languages, which hint to the complex lore of the setting for this game. The bulk of your tactical play will take place inside Missions, although there will likely also be as many social role-play opportunities as you like in between each mission. With a large world to explore and a wealth of character options, feel free to min and max to your delight!

Gone Rogue, by QuickWit.

The world is in chains, having willfully relinquished control to the automata known as the Legardien. You are members of the Rogue, the last bastion of resistance against our metallic overlords, on your way to their shining capital of Sion. You are desperately outnumbered, outmatched and outgunned, perceived as the enemy by the sheep licking at the Legardien heel. You will enter Sion to overthrow the despotic Legardien from their seat of power and restore the reigns of humanity back to our own hands. No matter the cost. To yourself, or to mankind. The time of peaceful obedience is over, the age of the Legardien at its end. We are the Rogue.

In development since late 2019, Gone Rogue is a tabletop roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of fearless revolutionaries in a futuristic pacifist dystopia. Skilled, audacious and armed with advanced weaponry, you must enter a city unaccepting of your ideals. Your mission, to reclaim mankind’s freedom in an uncompromising battle against an army of autocratic war machines.

Gone Rogue uses a series of archetypes to determine your character’s role in the party, each with starting stats and abilities. Your character will also choose a Suit that will give you traits, upgrades and inventory items. This is a game that cares about inventory, movement, hit points, cover and more, so expect to pull out your grid maps and start crunching some numbers! However, don’t forget that there’s lore and worldbuilding involved as well - at the beginning you will need to answer some questions as a group, about what the resistance looks like, what the characters’ stake is in this fight, and what kinds of NPC’s the party has access to. This game has only a starter kit right now, but as starter kits go, it has more than enough to get you playing!

FIST, by claymorerpgs.

Now: the second half of the twentieth century. The powers that be are locked in a tense nuclear standoff, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Away from the watchful eye of national intelligence, a cadre of exceptional misfits is assembled. These soldiers of fortune are uniquely equipped for covert and unusual operations. In these uncertain times, the line between science and superstition has been broken, and the new arms race is only beginning. You, or your associates, may be faced with weapons, tactics, and actors unlike any you have ever seen. For a price, those exceptional misfits can help.

When you’re all out of options, it’s time to call FIST.

FIST is a tabletop roleplaying game for one referee and two to six players. It draws heavily from Chris P. Wolf and Olivia Gulin's Offworlders and John Harper's World of Dungeons, as well as being inspired by Metal Gear Solid, The A-Team, and Doom Patrol.

Characters take on traits that act as building blocks; each trait gives you a special skill, an item for your inventory, and a stat modification. Character advancement adds on more traits, making for highly customizable characters. FIST also has community-made supplements for additional traits, foes, and missions to give you the experience that works best for your table. When it comes to dice mechanics, the roll instructions are fairly simple. The game is designed for theatre of the mind: the tactics come into play when it comes to how you solve your problems. Thematically, you’re looking at supernatural warfare: think about modern mercenaries going up against strange horrors beyond our mortal ken.

Beacon, by Pirate Gonzalez Games.

BEACON is a high-fantasy TTRPG inspired by LANCER, D&D 4e, and Final Fantasy. BEACON is a tactical, highly-customizable game where you are encouraged to mix features from various classes, like the teleporting Shadow Dancer or un-killable Gravewalker.

Design the details of your setting together (your Reflection), create your character (your Beacon), and get ready to do battle against the cyclical, everchanging threat of the Scourge. Will you and your fellow beacons be able to defeat the Scourge this time, or will you find a way to break the cycle forever?

If you like LANCER and ICON, you will probably like this game. Like both of the aforementioned games, Beacon uses two different systems for narrative vs combat-style play, and also uses d20s and d6s for your character’s roles. The bulk of Beacon revolves around quests, which are the adventures your characters will embark on, each with information and preparation requirements, a number of stages, specific rewards, and downtime between each quest. Highly structured gameplay allows for a wealth of resources for GMs - and with over 400 pages of character options, combat information, NPCs and setting information, Beacon at its playtest stage is a game to be reckoned with. If you’re looking for a tactical RPG with a fantasy element, I highly recommend you check this one out.

The LUMEN System, by Spencer Campbell.

LUMEN is a rules-lite system for making and playing RPGs focused on telling the stories of powerful characters. LUMEN was first developed for the games LIGHT and NOVA, and has been converted to this genre agnostic SRD so that you can use it to make your own games with the same system.

At its core, LUMEN is designed to tell power fantasy stories. The characters played have access to incredible powers, and use those powers relentlessly in pursuit of their objectives. It’s inspiration comes from video game genres such as looter shooters (Destiny), hero shooters (Overwatch), and dungeon crawlers (Diablo).

LUMEN uses d6 dice pools, 3 attributes, and a series of classes that give players something unique that sets them apart. While the system relies on players determining how they will go about solving their problems, much of their problems will involve combat. Games can include status affects, health tracks, spells and similar special abilities, and more. LUMEN focuses on fast and lethal combat, so you won’t be moving around on the map, but players will use the tools they have at hand to gain the upper hand in stressful situations, invoke consequences and complications, and look cool while doing it.

Some games that use the LUMEN system include Hedge (Wardens fighting off a Faerie Apocalypse), Blazing Hymn (Mech pilots protecting humanity from monstrous Angels), and Lords of Eternity (Superhuman beings of immense power, duelling with swords).

#dnd #tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #tactical games #crunch #asks

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gaymingbinosaur · 8 months

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Tehehehe, you want a ship? I'll give you one that has been rotting my brain every single day since I though about it. Marcurio from Skyrim and Dorian Pavus.

Okay doing this differently than usual because my writers block is being a pain with plots. Like even fuck it first kiss/meeting love confessions, isn't helping me. Like this is the most infuriating writers block I've had. So, I'm doing some head cannons and hoping, some writing comes out of it. Apologies if this comes off more as a writing exercise, I just didn't want to forget this in my inbox when this is such a good ship dynamic. Though writing this was fun and thank you for the ask it did help get me writing. The frustration is more at my brain. @thevanillahorizon

Well, I think they would bond over magic and dwemer ruins. I think before they are dating that some of the less magically/historically interested friends would try to avoid the two of them together because of how much those two infodump on each other.

I think flirting started more as a joke. Like I see Marcurio or Dorian start flirting as a lol "I know I'm irresistible can't keep your hands off me" if one like accidentally brushed against each other Marcurio maybe even throwing in a you fell for my charms if Dorian fell on top of them. And they just keep to doing this until they actually catch feelings.

Marcurio I think would try to bluster through it, by flirting harder as a joke obviously but then Dorian flirts back and he becomes awkward. Because that is too much to handle for him.

Dorian I never romanced in Dragon Age because I don't really play boy characters that much so this is might be out of character with more knowledge of romance scenes, but I think he would be similar to Marcurio in the he would keep flirting but would try to hint he's being serious. Like move on beyond how amazing he looks and just start making more suggestive comments are comment how attractive Marcurio is.

Also the two of them would obvisouly be sarcastic shits near each other. Like I personally struggle to imagine Marcurio not having a relationship where is primary mode of communication isn't sarcasam. Dorian yeah sure, he's a jokster but I could see him befriending someone who struggles with sarcasam and hold back especially if they are close. But Marcurio may try but would fail.

#skyrim #dragon age #dorian pavus #marcurio #sorry #and i wanted something more but baby steps I guess #later #want to write a fic for them one day so saving this for refrence

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pebsterino · 2 years

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I will be updating my characters from DA and Lara got a new haircut ☺️ I love her so much I’m so happy to be back on dragon age brain rot 😭😭

#Lara hawke #sketch

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booburry · 5 months

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20 questions for fic writers

thank you @silurisanguine for the tag! These are always fun!

1) How many works do you have on AO3

7 and counting.

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

166, 653 with a 15k+ one shot of Dieter & Javi about to get dropped within the next few days...

3) What fandoms do you write for?

In order I started: Dragon Age, Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield, Pedroverse (currently Dieter & Javi G but WIP's for Joel, Marcus P, Din with my brain wanting to also shove Frankie and Ezra into that mix).

I have also been avidly avoiding playing BG3 because I know I will deep dive into that fandom and my current WIP's cannot handle

4) Top five fics by kudos?

To The Mistake's We've Make, Echoes in Time, 'Tis the Season for Cullen Fluff & Smut, Feral, Paradiso: Passion. Pleasure. Play!

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes I worry I do to a fault - like someone will give me a heart? BEST BELIEVE YOU WILL GET ONE TOO! Comments are my life blood and very much the thing that makes me giggle and squirm every time I get an AO3 or Tumblr notif

6) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I am Silvia Gaunt, which is a Aesop Sharp Bodyguard AU...also in WIP status. I literally have the character narrate within the first page how it ends horrible, and I have it truly ending with Aesop weeping with loss.

7) What’s the fic you write with the happiest ending?

uhhhhh, probably the Heiress series with Marcus Pike I have in WIP status, just because Marcus deserves a happy ending (my sweet, soft, babyyyyyy).

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully with everything I have released on AO3 I have not gotten any hate. Back when I wrote on FF.net during the years where I have buried and burned those fics, I got a decent amount of hate for making Bane less of a monster and more of a broken person who had a soft side, and it was truly the thing that had me stop writing. So I am super, duper, gratefully (and always blown away) but the constant love I receive on AO3 and Tumblr

9) Do you write smut?

hahahahahahahahahahaha. Next.

I n all honesty, I think my smut is continuously adding me to some government agency's list. Between that absolutely mind boggling Paradiso one-shot and now this Dieter x Javi piece that is rotting my brain.

Truly - check my temperature or send me to the doctor if I ever release a series or one shot that doesn't have smut. I ain't right.

10) Do you write crossovers?

Not entirely - unless you consider Dieter Bravo (The Bubble) x Javi G (Unbearable Weight) a crossover, but they exist within the same universe in my mind so it never counted. Wouldn't be against a crossover either, just never thought of an idea to do so.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of ha

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes...part of To The Mistakes We've Made was translated into Russian by the lovely @myachanya. (not @'ing you to do it but to call you out and give you so much love and affection my friend!!!)

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not a fic but @5oh5 and I spent an entire afternoon creating the Sam Coe Smut Alphabet and I think if we ever released those transcripts of our tumblr chat during that time, we would get put on a list.

Otherwise, no, but I am not against it. I also frequently talk shop with a select few about my plots in great detail as well as talk about others - I fucking love talking plot points and fic development haha

14) What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Titanic was the first famous ship I remember being an obsession for me, (the dedication I had to rewinding BOTH VHS's...) but 20/10 would not recommend a voyage. Millennium Falcon is always a solid choice but obviously with my current fixation it's all about Razor Crest.

Oh...fandom ship's? I honestly always seek out or write Reader or OC inserts so I truly can't say.

15) What’s the WIP you hope to finish but doubt you ever will?

My Cullen series - I honestly teeter on just abandoning it. I wrote it when I first got back into writing after an almost 10 year solid hiatus and my ability and style has already transformed that if I ever went back, I would have to redo everything I have posted to be happy with it but I absolutely love the story idea so I don't want to completely let go, but I would literally create new WIP's before wanting to write this one again.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I want to say my dialogue - perhaps my descriptions on emotions but I honestly struggle to say any descriptions I provide are a strength, rather middle ground or slightly subpar.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

GRAMMAR FFS. And always insisting every story idea needs to be an expansive 20 to 30 chapter story that doesn't have the plot structured far enough or my ADHD takes me to a new fixation

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I was always able to avoid it because I struggle enough with English being so dyslexic that I don't need to struggle through a language I don't know but then Pedro came in with all of his Spanish self and now I find myself with 4 to 5 tabs open searching words and sentences and searching for lyrics or words being used in sentences by native speakers so I can try to ensure it's all correct because I fucking neeeeeeeeeeed Javi to speak to me in Spanish to me as he loses his mind. I think it's a cardinal sin if I don't.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Christopher Nolan's Batman Universe for Bane - but that was when I was a teenage and will never let that resurface lol

20) Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

This is really hard, almost impossible to choose. Mistakes because it was the first fic that really got a lot of recognition for me, a lot of love given to me. Echoes because it has brought me close to many people and then Double Trouble because I am becoming obsessed with my reader, Dieter & Javi being a throuple and cause it's my current writing obsession and every new thing I release always becomes my favorite.

Tagging some lovelies incase they wish to partake (no pressure): @5oh5, @sp00kymulderr

#20 questions for fic writers #fun tag games

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