D&D!!

good morning everyone!! it's london =D

yesterday i played D&D with some friends of mine for 7 hours straight! i'm so blessed to have a consistent schedule with them. any players of D&D know that the true enemy is scheduling... >:(

we used to be able to play once a week/every other week, but we've slowed down so it's once a month now. still, that's so much better than other games i've been in! and yes, we have played for longer. i think the longest we've ever played is... maybe 11 hours? we really ARE nerds xD i have so many stories from playing with them. we rotate between several DMs/campaigns, and yesterday we actually touched a game we haven't played since JULY.

i was worried we'd feel out of character or have lost the plot, but we didn't! that game has one of my favorite party dynamics. we have the crass and airheaded barbarian, a monk with no arms, and an ex-vampire who's permanently a bat. and i play Burnadette, who we joke as being basically moana! she's one of my favs. i end up being the voice of reason within the party, but it's always played for laughs and never makes anyone come across as whiny or a fun sucker. it's a dramatic change of pace from my usual, extraordinarily strange characters. which leads me to the story behind the character's creation!

when the DM came up with the game about a year ago and we had to make characters, i was lost on ideas. we were to be pirates, but i didn't want to play a traditional pirate. the only unique take i had in mind were the coconuts from moana, so i asked the DM if i could find some kind of homebrew fruit race to play. and then... it hit me. the Apple Jacks apple came to mind. like, the cereal mascot xD. i had to play him. the DM absolutely HATED the idea, as would everyone upon hearing it because it screams "joke character." at one point the DM referred to him as Johnny Appleseed, and immediately that became his name. the DM told me no, which i completely understood. but i struck up a deal with him that would completely change his mind. Johnny would be a fake out character who dies in the first session, only to be replaced by my most serious and traditional D&D character ever. i can't believe it, but somehow the DM was now EXCITED for Johnny. oh, we totally played up the character for a month or two. everyone was expecting him for months! and the reception, as predicted, was amazingly negative.

we got them so good when the walking and talking apple did in fact die in the first session. we had planned out the character's death in such a convincing way that they didn't even believe it was planned upon explaining everything!

i don't know how to explain it, but Burnadette just has a subtle allure that i really like. she feels very heroic to me. she carries around a wooden head named Francisco, who was once a god but got trapped inside this form. Burnadette is his sole worshipper and together, the two are on an amazing journey to protect magical artifacts from evil hands and slowly build Francisco a new body. while Burnadette does work for him, i like to see the two more like best friends. they have a very strong bond, one that isn't romantic or has a power imbalance or anything. i like being able to promote a strong, non-stereotypical relationship. the DM also really likes Francisco since he very naturally became the DM NPC. Burnadette's life is very indiana jones-like, just out at sea! i love the vibe of collecting magical items and exploring ancient temples. so, yeah... she's in a party full of pirates, but doesn't accept their lifestyle lol

the funny thing is, we still talk about Johnny. because the character never overstayed his welcome, we honestly can't stop joking about him. but that's enough ranting from me, lol. yet, i feel like i only scratched the surface! i've played a lot of games where people's characters and the party dynamics just never click. there's a million ways to play D&D, and as popular as it is, our group never creates characters that are deeply intwined in tons of lore or... i just don't know how to explain it. a lot of games i've been in felt very dramatic or standoffish thanks to the players having the wrong priorities in expectations? here, a new campaign with these guys is like a new cast of characters in a wacky tv show. we still have plenty of serious characters, but they participate in the world and talk with the party. it's one of those things where when you know it, you'll see it.

i hope you guys are ready for more D&D rants from me! B)

do u guys play? what are ur thoughts? let me know and have a great day!