USA People! Buy NOTHING Feb 28 2025. Not Anything. 24 Hours. No Spending. Buy The Day Before Or After

I’m running a pre-bought campaign in a sci-fi setting

Totally not-shady NPC: I’ll need you to retrieve my secret cargo from the abandoned spaceship, but it’s very private, so don’t look inside–

Player: Is it a girl in a box?

NPC: …What?

Player: This is a sci-fi story, and there’s a box you don’t want us to look into. There’s only ever one way that ends, and it’s always with a girl stuffed into a box.

Other Player: Hey, we don’t even know how big it is. It could just be a cigar box.

First Player: Okay, you’re right. It could be a bunch of sex toys. How big is the box?

NPC: It’s… uh… six feet long by three feet wide by three feet deep…

First Player: Ugh. Okay, fine. Somebody pack a crowbar and a spare set of women’s clothing. We need to go get this girl out of her box.

First post here: Sharing a short story about one of the villains from my D&D game named The Ocelot! Hope people enjoy it and any feedback is welcomed.

Ling ran. With her daughter Tai held tightly against her chest, she sprinted as fast as her feet could carry the two of them, under twisted vines and over gnarled roots. She had long since forgotten where she was running to, or how long she had been running through the labyrinthine Khu-Rung jungle, or even most of the people she had left behind. And yet she dared not stop; not to rest, not to assess her surroundings, nor to look back for the others who had started running with her. All of this was because of the one thing she couldn’t forget: what - or rather who - she was running from.

The being she ran from was only known as ‘The Ocelot.’ Nobody could agree on what exactly The Ocelot looked like, since nobody had seen it yet and lived to tell their story. It was said that, if you were close enough to see it, it was close enough to kill you. Why it killed was also little more than speculation. The only thing people knew about it was that it had a humanoid form, because only humanoid footprints were left at the scene of its slaughters. It was for this reason that inhabitants of Khu-Rung were strongly encouraged to travel in groups whenever possible. If The Ocelot was sensible or at least logical, a big enough group would convince it to not attack and look for an easier quarry. If it wasn’t, well, at least you weren’t forced to die alone.

Were it not for Tai, perhaps Ling would have stayed to try and protect her fellow travelers. As a lifelong nomad, she was raised to value the people she traveled with, and to stand up to them knowing they would do the same for her. Perhaps standing up to The Ocelot might not have accomplished much, but she would have died feeling less guilty than she currently did.

And yet, Ling still ran. For all the remorse she had over leaving behind the other travelers, she knew deep down that protecting her daughter was her top priority. Tai was old enough to walk, but certainly not old enough to even attempt to run away on her own. To Ling, her child was more precious than anything else in the world, so when The Ocelot appeared she reacted accordingly. Tai’s father Mingze offered to try and create a diversion to buy the two some time, and while Ling didn’t necessarily agree with the plan she was too panicked to really object. She hoped that her comrades would forgive her in the next life, whatever it looked like - she didn’t bother to consider if they would be the first to survive one of these encounters. But before she could stop to request their forgiveness, she needed to get to safety, even if she couldn’t picture in her mind what safety looked like or which way it was. So, Ling ran.

After some considerable length of time, perhaps hours or even a day, Ling felt her legs ever so slightly begin to fail her. She was still keeping as fast a pace as she could manage, but fatigue was catching up with her. She was tripping over roots and stumbling into deep patches of mud. While she knew how to steady herself without too much delay, she was still slowing down, and the noise behind her was enough to tell her that The Ocelot was gaining on her. Crushed foliage, booming stomps, and a cacophony of animals prey and predator alike running away in distress. Somewhat slow, yet consistent and with no signs of slowing down, like a trained hunter waiting for their prey to tire themselves out of putting up a fight. As much as Ling dreaded it, she knew she would have to make a choice soo-

- “Mama? Mama!”

Ling stopped dead in her tracks, almost falling over in the process. That was Tai’s voice! She had been so focused on running, it seemed she’d been tuning out everything else in the process. She could now hear her daughter, crying out for her attention in between frightful sobs. Taking a mere moment to center herself, assess her surroundings, and then focus back on Tai, she darted behind a tree while keeping her daughter held in her arms. Probably not enough to hide from The Ocelot for good, but perhaps enough to buy them some time. In as calm of a voice as she could muster, she whispered, “Mama’s here, my little dragon. Everything is going to be okay-”

- “But what about Papa? Where is he, where is everyone else? Where are we?”

“...” Ling wracked her brain to think of something, anything, to reassure Tai (and maybe even herself) that things would be alright; that holding out hope would be worth it and they would survive in the end. The ever-increasing noise signaling The Ocelot’s approach did not do much to calm her nerves. Still, Ling knew she needed to do something and to do it fast; planning was going to take too much time, she had to do the best she could now. So, moving away from the tree, she carried Tai over to a bed of makeshift leaves, branches and vines. As far as she could see it was the best hiding spot possible for someone Tai’s size.

Gently lowering Tai to the ground while doing her best to suppress the tremble in her voice, Ling said, “Papa had to help some of our other friends. He’ll come back for us soon, but for now I need you to make a promise for Mama. Promise me you’ll be brave and wait here until the noise stops, and then start running as fast as you can. There is a monastery where Mama grew up which should be close; I know that they will take you in and help raise you while we’re away. They’ll help you grow big and strong, once you can find them. In return, I’ll promise that me and Papa will make it back to you; okay?”

“...Okay,” Tai stuttered out, holding back her tears to put on her ‘brave face.’ “But, where are you going?”

“I’m going back for Papa,” Ling answered, giving Tai a kiss on the forehead before turning back the way she came. “And I’m going to protect my little dragon.” 

Walking in the direction of the oncoming cacophony, Ling took the remaining time she had to catch her breath and regain her strength. Once she’d regained some semblance of a second wind, she pulled out a khyber knife from its sheath at her back. She dropped down into a combat stance she remembered from her time in the local monastery, hoping she retained enough of her training to put up a fight at least. The noise ceased, giving Ling a moment of pause before she beheld The Ocelot in their entirety for the first time.

It would seem the theories about The Ocelot were rather accurate, Ling noted as she studied her opponent. The Ocelot was indeed humanoid, with the bulky frame and green skin typical of an orc. Their face was covered with ghastly scars, one in particular running from the cheek across the mouth to leave them in a permanent scowl. They wore a cloak made of various animal furs stitched haphazardly together, under which was a tattered robe which was worn and cut to the point of barely holding itself together. The clothing was covered with blood stains, but it did not seem like any of it was theirs. Over their shoulder, they hefted a massive polearm which Ling suspected was much longer than she was tall.

“So, you’ve finally stopped running. Ready to finally accept your inevitable end?” The Ocelot spoke, in a surprisingly calm tone despite their deep grumble of a voice. Their eyes scanned over Ling, though it was difficult to tell what they were looking for. The blank expression on their face betrayed no emotion.

“It’s not inevitable,” Ling countered, as much to herself as to The Ocelot. She didn’t expect to kill this monster that nobody in Khu-Rung had even survived, but if she was going to face it she would do so with confidence. Flipping her knife into a reverse grip, she added, “This is only the end if I say it is; and right now I say I’ve got some fight left in me.’

The Ocelot let out a primal snarl, their gnarled face then twisting into a wicked grin. Drawing their spear, they responded, “Now that’s the spirit.”

Lunging forward, The Ocelot thrusted their spear forward towards Ling’s head. Ling ducked and stepped to the side as the spear lodged itself in a tree trunk. She moved to stab at The Ocelot’s unarmored midsection, but before she could get in range, they had already pulled the spear out and knocked over a tree in the process. How can something so massive be so fast at the same time? Ling thought to herself with a shock. Scrambling to adapt, she opted for a quick slash at The Ocelot’s leg before ducking back to a neutral range, but not before taking a grazing blow to the side for her troubles.

The Ocelot advanced once more, swinging her spear down from over her head in an attempt to crush Ling below it. Ling barely managed to sidestep the attack, this time landing a quick cut above her assailant’s eyes, hoping that the bleeding would obscure their vision. She considered going for another attack, but now that she knew how fast this monster recovered, she leapt back just in time to evade another devastating swing of the spear.

The snarl the Ocelot had previously let out deepened into a low growl, as they eyed Ling with a cold fury. “You’ve lasted longer than most,” The Ocelot noted, briefly lowering their spear in a somewhat taunting gesture. “And if nothing else, I can admire your tenacity. Tell me, what do you keep fighting for when you know you’re going to die?”

“I have someone to protect back home…” Ling answered, choosing her words carefully to suggest that Tai was further away than she was. With a scowl, she continued, “and I have someone to avenge right here!”

The Ocelot responded with a roaring laugh before returning to their combat position, with a look of wild elation on their face. “Hearing my prey say such things never gets old.”

This time, Ling dared to strike before The Ocelot could make a move. Feinting another slash at their legs, she instead narrowly parried The Ocelot’s counter-attack and directed the spear down into the muddy ground. While she had a split second of an opening, she ran her knife into their abdomen and pushed it in as far as she could. The Ocelot released a pained roar, which gave Ling a moment of hope and confidence before the back end of the spear struck her right in the temple. The blow rang in her head with a resounding echo, blurring her vision and leaving her thoroughly disoriented. Stumbling back, she struggled to regain her bearings and reclaim her weapon, only to realize it remained lodged in The Ocelot’s stomach. Rising to their feet, The Ocelot pulled the blade out from her wound without even a flinch, and began stalking over towards Ling.

“I suppose congratulations are in order,” The Ocelot drawled, slowly stepping forwards as Ling clumsily stumbled back to a safe distance. “I genuinely can’t remember the last time someone landed that hard of a hit on me. Certainly wasn’t whoever you wanted to avenge,” punctuated with a grim laugh. “Since you’ve gone through the effort of putting up a real fight, I think I’ll grant you this concession; if you want to say your last words, now’s your chance.”

As her vision still remained blurred, Ling struggled to orient herself in the direction The Ocelot’s voice came from. In lieu of a weapon, she raised her fists and mustered all the venom in her voice she could to spit out, “One day you’ll be where I am now. One day one of your ‘prey’ will bite back a bit too hard, and you’ll be the one left scrambling for your life. And on that day, everything you’ve done to all these innocent people will come back to you tenfold.”

“A bold assumption that anyone in this world is innocent,” The Ocelot mocked. “Still, as far as threats go, I’ve heard far worse.” With that, they charged at Ling with her own knife in their hand, impaling her through the chest and pinning them against a tree. 

While making sure that the blade was well and truly stuck inside of the bark, The Ocelot said to Ling, “I’d love to stay and watch you die, but you’re definitely not the only straggler left from your caravan. So I’ll head back to finish whoever is still there, and if you somehow survive after that I’ll gladly end your suffering.” 

After they turned and walked away, Ling struggled to pull the knife loose, but found she had too little strength left to free herself. Feeling her consciousness fade away, she looked up at the sky as raindrops began to fall on her head. To nobody in particular, or maybe whoever could hear, Ling gasped out, “Tai, my little dragon, the monster is gone. Mama and Papa will have to go too, but that just means you’ll need to be brave for a bit longer. But now, little dragon, I need you to run.”

The last of Ling’s life fleeting away, Ling could see nothing besides the jungle’s foliage, and could feel nothing but the raindrops on her face. She did hear one thing that stood out though, as she took her last breath; the sound of crushed leaves against the ground, getting steadily further and further away from her. And it sounded like running.

@ettawritesnstudies

jentry chau vs the underworld has an insane case of show don't tell in its storytelling and i loooove analyzing it like its my job

so we're never really explicitly told mr cheng's exact age other than gugu alluding to a vague amount of centuries in episode 2

but the snake lady he goes to for help in the flashback, bai suzhen, is a famous folktale from the tang dynasty which is a VERY long time ago, 7th-10th century iirc. that's INSANE

he's been trying to revive xiao lan for 1000+ years. when he said there is no other way, he was serious. he would know

I might've added the BG3 Art Book to my dnd assets stash

It' 100% does not have things like the 5e players' handbook + 5e’s character sheet, several gm guides, critical role's explorer's guide to wildmount, baldur's gate and waterdeep city encounters, 101 potions and their effects, volo's guide to monsters, both of xanathar's guides, a bunch of other encounters, one shots, and class builds

In no way are there any pdf’s relating to any wizard who may or may not be residing on any coast

(Edit that I’ve moved the folder to the new link above! So if you catch a different version of this post that link won’t work anymore!)

“I’ve been in that thing’s head,” or: how does Marcy view the Core?

In the last episode of Amphibia the Core decides to ram the moon into Amphibia and kill everyone on the planet because it is such a sore loser.

Ramming the moon into Amphibia is sort of an extreme action to me, so I do wonder what would lead it to do that. How lucky is it that Marcy says it for me, then: “Fear. I’ve been in that thing’s head. I know that more than anything, it’s afraid of being destroyed. Of being irrelevant. It will do whatever it takes to defeat us and claim the stones as its own. If that means destroying an entire civilization, then so be it.”

You don’t know how much this line means to me. Marcy of all people saying that the Core is scared, just, wow. But why? Why her? She’s been in its mind but how does she know? The Core would never admit this, the Core would never tell her that, so how does she know that it is scared? (And why does her voice go flat? Why does she look so tired when she says that?)

Well, there’s this word that Marcy uses. “Irrelevant.” “Irrelevant” is an interesting word considering it applies to both Marcy and the Core: “I am scared of being irrelevant.”

And, I gotta say, getting your friend to steal a music box for her birthday present and riding on the pipe dream that it might send you to a place where you’ll never have to grow apart is. Sort of an extreme action to me? You’d have to be really desperate to do that.

Marcy: “I’m sorry. I was so scared about moving away. The thought of losing you was just so big. I was afraid that if we weren’t together, we wouldn’t be friends anymore.”

Do you understand? The Core has Marcy’s actions and thoughts blasted up to eleven, pushed to extremes. “I am scared of being irrelevant. I am desperate. I will do whatever it takes to keep us together, even if it means sending us to another world.”

Because if Anne defeats Andrias the pushover and Sasha defeats Darcy the control freak then does Marcy defeat the Core? Does Marcy understand? She’s been in its mindscape, she’s been in its fantasyland. She’s rejected its fantasy adventure, she knows she’s not it, but does she look at the Core and does she understand, viscerally, what she’s looking at?

Marcy: “You know I bet I can fit in your pocket.”

There’s something to be said about Marcy going “boundaries, Marcy” and then immediately climbing into Andrias’ pocket. Ignoring boundaries like that, like the Core does all the time.

(Edit: Okay I just rewatched “the Beginning of the End” and in the flashback in the beginning Marcy spoils the movie they are watching. And Sasha goes: “Whoa! Spoiler alert!” Then Marcy apologizes, and, notice this, opens her mouth to spoil the other twisty twist right after apologizing.

Again, “boundaries, Marcy,” she thinks. The thought is fresh on her mind she literally said it out loud - and then she gets the bright idea to climb into Andrias’ pocket. No hesitation, no delay.

The Core is a thousand times worse in its actions, make no mistake about that, but on a base level they are the same! And Marcy would recognize that!)

There’s something to be said about Darcy going for the mind pain thing when Andrias is being pissy about his long-dead friend, forcing him to follow its orders.

Marcy: “But forcing them to follow my dreams is wrong. I learned that the hard way.”

There’s something to be said about Marcy using her own selfish wish as Anne’s birthday present and Andrias going “Yes … it’s … everything I’ve ever wanted,” because Mars & Dars both have a tendency to not consider what other people want in favor of what they want.

There’s something to be said about immortality and lasting forever.

Marcy: “What an amazing adventure. Makes you wish it could last forever, huh?”

Actually, let’s go on a tangent. In s3e22 (episode 13a) Mother Olm says this: “These conquerors, with their arrogance and greed, created an unnatural thing that does not sleep and will not die.”

Mother Olm really is hyping the Core up as the spookiest and scariest villain of all time, and for me as an individual I know that’s not true. I don’t view villains as scary, I don’t tend to buy the hype.

Crucially, I don’t think Marcy buys into the hype either. Does she hate it for what it has done to her? To everyone? Sure! Why not. But I don’t think Marcy finds the Core scary, she doesn’t buy into its hype, because ‘scary’ is a word used for things you don’t know and she’s literally been in its mind. (And also did slap away Aldrich’s hand and reject the Core’s sick fantasy that was so cool btw.)

Anyway, tangent over, back to “the Hardest Thing”.

Something interesting happens right after Andrias betrays the Core, and the interesting thing in question is that the Core-as-Aldrich says this: “Fools! You cannot stop … a god!”

Considering the Core canonically feels emotions, I’d imagine that it feels quite upset, because in the previous scene Andrias betrayed it and it failed the invasion so epically. (Rest in piss buddy.)

So if we take it saying the above in the context of the Core being upset, there is a certain interpretation I can and will make.

That is, do you think it wants to be a god?

Do you think it wants to be “an unnatural thing that does not sleep and will not die”?

Do you think it wants to be a machine computer? Do you think it wants to be anything but a bunch of losers in a trenchcoat that don’t know everything, that aren’t gods but pitiful mortals like the rest of us, that get scared and frustrated and make mistakes?

Because I am sure it would love to be an emotionless machine and god-emperor. I am sure it would love to be a thing, a machine computer that doesn’t feel fear or uncertainty, only here to conquer and control and restore Amphibia to its former glory. I am sure it would love to be a god, far above mortal things, soaring the skies instead. But the Core isn’t a god. The Core isn’t even a computer. It is very, painfully mortal, and capable of being destroyed.

I am sure it would love Mother Olm hyping it up as a villain like that, cuz it makes it big and it makes it relevant. I am sure it would love to be an object, a great and terrifying thing instead of a person (people?), because why be made of flesh and blood when you could rather be a machine computer?

Now, this analysis is about what Marcy thinks of the Core, so let’s bring it back to Marcy, shall we?

Marcy is an escapist.

Canon gives very little information about her home life which is honestly such a shame, but I can’t imagine that it was the greatest, considering she did what she did.

Marcy: “I started this whole mess because I wanted to escape that reality. But I won’t run away from it anymore!”

In Amphibia Marcy is the chief ranger of the Newtopian Knight Guard, because why be the clumsy klutzy Marcy of Earth, the place where your pain comes from, when you could rather be a super cool ranger/artificer?

Because if Anne defeats Andrias the pushover and Sasha defeats Darcy the control freak then does Marcy defeat the Core the escapist?

…

I guess the Core would be sort of unnerved by Marcy because she can cut through its hype and see it for what it is: A bunch of old amphibians long past their expiration dates, still trying to bring back the nonexistent greatness of a millennia ago. It’s honestly sort of pathetic, that they can’t freakin’ let go. That’s what you get for being the antithesis of change, I guess.

perhaps ripping this one little piece of skin off my lips will at last render them plump and moisturized

aside from the audio sounding a bit too quiet, that might be my favorite halftime show performance even factoring in recency bias.

Does anyone else have this thing happen where you hear about a movie/show/game/book that is universally praised and beloved by everyone, and then ironically get super intimidated to actually watch it because of that universal praise? Because I noticed that that happens sometimes with me, and it's very confusing but also kinda interesting. Things like Gravity Falls, Breaking Bad, Dune, etc. that everyone likes, and as a result, I almost feel nervous about trying them out. Maybe it's a fear that the thing will never be as amazing as the hype around it/the mental picture I've created for it, maybe I just really want the experience of getting into it to be as amazing as everyone says it is, idk for sure. But I did think this was kinda a funny/interesting thing that I do sometimes, and I'm curious if anyone has ever felt a similar kind of intimidation to try a new series or if i'm just kinda weird like that

Ko-fi Full body commission for @theguardiandragon1 , featuring adult Sasha and Anne from "Amphibia". 🐸❤️💙

Thank you so much for commissioning me! 💜

I want you to remember:

The fascists hate you too and they just will pretend otherwise until after they've killed the rest of us, before they turn on you.