#royalgambler

[royalgambler]

You know why Trent Ikithon is a character i truly despise in the best way, what elevates him from being just a horrid villain to someone i find truly heinously bad?

Its that he took the Blumenthal trio and made them into his death squad. Now you may say duh thats what we know about him. But im talking about the implications of him choosing these three

From Calebs lore dump we know choosing people from small towns to go to the academy is rare. Combined with the widespread inequality within the Dwendalian empire we can fairly surmise that getting intp the academy is not solely based on talent but likely factors family connections and monetary worth.

So what this likely means is that the blumenthal trio in comparison to the other students in the academy sere poor and had no ties in the city or society. This means 3 things.

1. The pressure to succeed was astronomically higher on then than it was on other students. Rich kids can afford to fail because they can pay to try new things

2. The trio have no support net to fall on if things get bad outside of each other. Meaning combined with 1. They have to endure any hardship or risk failing.

3. A corollary to 2. But no support means no frame of reference. If you have no one to compare to and no one else is complaining that their teacher beats them, then that must be normal and complaining would just risk having to leave.

And Trent knows these things. They have to do what theyre told because they feel if they fail its their fault. They do what theyre told because who is gonna point out whats wrong and help them during their time of doubt? And he can do all this while framing himself as their benefactor because hes giving them that chance to be somebody they wouldnt have otherwise.

Which means when Caleb sees him again? I bet Trent will welcome him with open arms, wont spitfire, wont even hide what he did but say it was all for his own good. Because he an abuser and a manipulator. Caleb is an asset and in Trent's eyes nothing without him because he'll always be that gullible poor boy to him

[royalgambler]

What i think some people are missing about the delightful interaction between caleb and yasha last session is misinterpreting why caleb went to her for advice.

As funny as it is to imagine Caleb seeing this towering cha 7 fallen angel as a paragon of social grace, he went to her because she isnt. He knows that she is extremely awkward , maybe just as much as him, but he realizes she hasnt upset anyone in the way he has several times.

I only point it out because this is HUGE. Think of all the people youve met who use "Im an introvert" or "shy" or "awkward" as their get out of jail free for being a dick. This moment is important because caleb is realizing its not his being awkward alone thats causing it and hes trying to correct and better himself. And points to Yasha for being supportive of that and doing her best to help cause that shit is hard.

[royalgambler]

Guess who just got a PS4 and two games and still has money left in their bank account as to not be overcome by the insurmountable weight of guilt?!

Its me, Im the guy.

Persona 5 and Digimon Story: CyberSleuth FYI

[royalgambler]

Uploading some fun “logbook” entries for each of my characters in FFXIV sans Humbalaya because Im still figuring him out

[royalgambler]

One of the best things ive ever done to help with my mental state was a simple trick involving one of my repeating sources of self loathing

"I hate my past self"

"I was an idiot"

"How could I do that?"

The trick is to reframe the focus. Yes, im upset with something i used to do, or something I said but my ability to recognize that means Im getting better, Im doing my best.

Getting upset with yourself for something you did is natural and it only has to be the first step. Accepting it happened and then making the active decision to do better totally changes these moments that can spiral real fast otherwise

[royalgambler]

Dming trick

So Ive been gming tabletop games for my friends for around 6 years now and ive learned a few things that can enhance the experience, particularly for groups of players who are very narratively driven and so there were a few things i wanted to throw out that people may not have thought of doing.

This first one can be a mental hurdle for new gms, not because its particularly difficult but feeling out thw balance between narration and player agency can be daunting for new gms afraid of upsetting their players. And that is be your characters intrusive thoughts!

When times are quiet and you want to prime a character with aspects of their backstory or even reflect on whats happening take the time to narrate some thoughts they may be having. Its important that you are just the thoughts, you dont say how they feel about them or how they react, you just act as that fleeting sensation in their mind. Hell prompt an internal dialogue! Let the player be involved and narrate thoughts back.

This can be a great way to allow the player to reveal some backstory to other players in a more natural way than an info dump or the uncomfortablness of making the player feel they HAVE to share for plot reasons. It can make other players really invested to learn more if they just get sneak peeks to grab their interest.

It also can be a great chance for players who want to share or narrate their feelings but may be self concious about taking up time doing so or shy about having to in character share something personal to the group. It creates that opening that your creative but reserved players may crave.

And my final point if all of this still sounds daunting or you dont like being your player's character's "thoughts", dreams are a perfect substitute as they are literally the brain running out of the characters control and you can also include fun trippy imagery this way.

This has become a favourite in my dm tool set because it makes the story your players are telling personal, it can demonstrate their growth and prompt further developments and it can really demonstrate that you as a gm, and the other players at the table are invested and excited for this players story.

[royalgambler]

What are your hidden benign neuroses?

Like people who know me know im anxious have mood swings, an reclusive as fuck. But i know there arw a bunch of tiny things people dont know about because theyre fully mental.

And i dont mean negative things, in talking about things like i have the compulsion to take any group of numbers and make them 9 somehow.

Ex. I order a sandwich at wawa, my number 212

2 and 12

2 and (4x3)

2+3+4=9

And the extension for difficult numbers where i use one positional as an additional number to word with

Ex. On bus 34

3 and 4

4 is in 2nd position

3 4 2

4÷2=2

3^2=9

This is less favored and i hate to resort to it, but its always capped at one use per number

What are some benign weird things you feel compelled to do that no one may notice?

[royalgambler]

SO Ive been playing P5 since I bought it and like I just am nearing the end of the third palace and...just

Ive never had anything live up to my hype before? Like my girlfriend can attest I was thirsting for this game since the vague announcement of it WAY back. And I was sooo pumped, its the reason I bought a PS4 (along with more JRPGS), and I was so ready

But most of the time I get disappointed either by my own hype for something (re: Fallout 4) or the hype thrust onto me (the original ghostbusters). So having something be able to live up to it is so weird?

I mean this game was like tailor made to make me happy. Dysfunctional characters. Devious Chaotic Good Protag. Anti-Establishment Themes. Phantom Thieves. Aesthetic as fuck. Pretty Boys. Pretty Girls. Matt Mercer. Disgruntled Coffee Dad. Living in Shibuya. Going to Shinjuku. BREAKING THE LAW BREAKING THE LAW.

If the anime to understand me is Samurai Flamenco, this is the Game equivalent