Suit Up
The following morning, everyone arose from their slumber and headed down to the dining room for breakfast; courtesy the establishment's kitchen staff (Lynn Sr. volunteering as one of them.) Meanwhile, the Loud Sisters all gathered inside of Lori's room and gazed at their reflections in the mirror with great sorrow. "I literally don't know which is worse, the fact that we were wearing trackers...or the hideous state of our hair" groaned Lori, as she touched the bare patch on her head; "I look like I got hit with a with a buzz saw blade!"
The rest of the Loud Sisters grumbled in agreement while gazing at their own reflections. "I just spent two hours the other day brushing my hair too" whined Lola, "and now, it's ruined...all because of Lisa and her stupid chip!" Upon mentioning this, the other nine sisters each cast ice-cold glares towards the young lady in question; who was in the midst of storing away the tools she used last night.
"There is no point in you all scorning me anymore, Sisters" Lisa sighed dejectedly, "Mother and Father have given me enough of an earful last night." Unfortunately for the wee "genius," the other Loud Sisters felt she hadn't been punished enough. But there was little they could do about it now.
As of today, their main focus was to serve out the "punishment" their parents placed upon them last night; which was to take part in a Dungeons & Dragons gaming session. Of course, with Friday night's session being a bust; the girls had to join in tomorrow night. But until that time, they would be joining everyone at the table for breakfast; hoping there wouldn't be any bad blood between them and everyone else in the building.
At the same time, they were equally worried about going out in public with half their heads shaved off. The one who didn't seem all that worried about it was Lincoln, who was bunking with Clyde in his room. "Siblings, I believe we are left with three choices" Lisa interjected, "we either go and face everyone looking as we do, go into the dressing rooms and try and find wigs/proper headwear to cover our heads or..."
Before mentioning the third option, Lisa reached inside of her sweater and revealed a small bottle. On the paper, everyone could see the words "experimental hair growth serum" in bold lettering on the paper. Upon seeing the bottle, everyone (quite understandably) went ballistic.
"After what we've just learned last night, you think we'll trust your science gizmos and whatever again" screeched Lola, "no thanks, Lil' Einstein!" Rather than listen to their complaints; Lisa simply took the eye drop nozzle out of the bottle, collected a small amount of the serum and dripped a small bit of it atop Leni's head. After that, all seemed quiet...too quiet for the girls' liking.
"Looks like your serum's a dud, Poindexter" Lynn groaned, "anymore bright ideas in that head of yours?" Lisa said nothing in reply, as she proceeded to countdown from three on her fingers. When she reached the end, there was a light rumble and then...POOF!
In an instant, a thick head of hair popped up atop Leni's head; almost knocking off her sunglasses. When she took a look at herself in the mirror, Leni let out a near ear-shattering squeal. "OM GOSH, GUYS; my hair's back" she cried with delight, "and it looks prettier than ever!"
Sadly, the others didn't appear so easily convinced. "Just wait; any second now, something bad is going to happen" Lynn murmured, "maybe hair will start sprouting off every part of her body." Lisa sighed at her elder sister's speculative nature and assured her that the serum did no such thing to organic creatures...anymore. "I mean...when I tested the first batch, it was on Cliff" she murmured, "which resulted in mine and Lily's bedroom being filled to bursting with cat fur."
This reveal caused the family to exclaim "oh" in unison; as they recalled a time, months ago where every trashcan was "mysteriously" filled with excessive amounts of Cliff's fur. "It did take me a while to perfect the formula...twice as long to clean up the large amounts of fur in our home" Lisa muttered, "but in the end, I've perfected it." Upon looking at Leni's restored mane of blonde locks, they realized she was telling the truth and wanted some as well.
After a while, the bottle was almost empty and everyone's hair was fully restored. That is, the girls' hair was restored; realizing that Lincoln might still have a bald spot of his own. "Let us go meet with him in the dining room" Lisa stated, "the sooner we join everyone else, the sooner this weekend will be finished and we can return home."
With this said, everyone brushed their newly formed hair clean and headed down for breakfast.
(Line Break)
Moments later, the girls finally joined everyone else in the dining hall and were surprised to see them out of their secondary attire from last night. "It's super weird to wake up see everyone look so...normal this morning" Lynn quipped, "figured you guys slept in those costumes." Several of the adults chuckled heartily at the statement and said she wasn't too far off.
"Sometimes, we do sleep in our costumes, helps us remain in character" Rita stated, "but others choose to wait until after dinner to get dressed, specifically those of us who wear wigs and fake beards." As if on cue, Lincoln and his group of pals returned from the breakfast buffet table and took their seats.
As the girls ate in silence, they slightly listened in on everyone else's conversations. While some of said conversations consisted of typical things; questions about how everyone slept, plans for the week ahead and general silly stories. Other conversations were about random topics about the night's upcoming D&D session.
Through the latter discussions; the girls all felt, understandably confused and began to wonder if this was all just a dream. But then, Mrs. Bernardo suddenly burst into the dining hall (still dressed in her Crier's garb) and proceeded to blow a small tune from a long horn. "Morning announcements; due to yesterday evening's unforeseen intrusions, the gaming session has been rescheduled for this evening" she exclaimed dramatically, "may the Fates be kind to all our adventurers, when that time arrives."
Alas, Mrs. Bernardo's message almost went unheard; due to the sounds of her horn echoing loudly off the walls. At the same time, the noise almost caused the other diners to nearly go deaf. Upon recovering, everyone glared daggers at the doorway where Mrs. Bernardo stood earlier.
"Wow, someone is really committed to their role" Lynn grumbled while chewing on some scrambled eggs, "good thing the rest of you isn't like that." After taking a sip of her OJ, Margot turned too her friend and simply shook her head. "Don't be so sure about that, girlfriend" she stated, "after a while, some of us really get invested into both the game and our characters."
This statement caused both Lori and Lynn to roll her eyes sarcastically in disbelief. Even now, they still questioned how so many people they knew could get roped into this game; let alone become so invested in it. Somehow, in that moment; Margot could sense her friend's disbelief and came up with an idea.
"Maybe you'll feel differently after breakfast" she said coyly, "once we get you and your sisters suited up." This statement not only caused Lynn to suddenly stop eating but the rest of her sisters as well. "Suited up, you make it sound like we're going to war" Lynn murmured, "not that I'm complaining, I LOVE me a good tussle!"
Everyone sweated nervously at the young jock's words and then, Mrs. Johnson stepped in and informed her that the fighting will only occur within the game. "What she means is before you play with us, we have to help you create your characters" she explained, "that also means you will need the proper outfits to wear, while playing said characters; just like the rest of us." In an instant, the prospect of dressing up in costume created mixed reactions amongst the Loud Sisters.
Some of them (like Lynn, Lana, Lucy and Lisa) felt a sensation of dread flow through them; while others like Luna and Luan welcomed the idea of a new look. But for Lori, Leni and Lola; this news caused them to think one unanimous thought..."MAKEOVERS!" Once again, both the room and the ears of everyone within rang loudly from the loud echoes that reverberated off the walls.
When the noises died down; Lynn Sr. informed the girls that there would indeed be "makeovers" in store for them...once they've all finished eating, that is. "Oh, right; totes sorry about that everybody" Leni said with a shy giggle, "I just get excited about dressing up." With that business settled, everyone returned to their meals and earlier discussions.
(Line Break)
After everyone had eaten their fill and the tables had been cleared, everyone suddenly placed large books in front of the Loud Girls. "AW! Daddy, I thought you said we were going to dress up for our game" whined Lola, "you didn't say anything about having to read stuff!" After Lincoln took a moment to remind her sister of her new love of reading, he opened up the book to a chapter with many unique creatures.
"This isn't really a 'textbook' textbook, Sis" he explained, "at least, not a school kind...this is a characters guide." Upon mentioning this, Lincoln began to explain how every new player chooses a character to play as from this book. "You can be anyone of these you want" he said happily, "you can be an Elf, a Dwarf, a Centaur, a Goblin...anything."
Their interests piqued, both Lana and Lola began scanning the book for what they wanted to play as. After a minute of searching, they each let out a gasp and proclaimed "I WANT THIS ONE!" When everyone looked at the book, they saw that the twins were pointing to what looked like some sort of feline humanoid creature.
"Cool, the Tabaxi; that's a unique creature to pick" Clyde stated, "they're agile, can run up to thirty feet, they're stealthy...and they have night vision!" Upon hearing these traits, Lana couldn't help but beam with excitement. "Sounds like the kind of stuff Cliff would have, if he were human" she stated, "that's definitely mine!"
Upon hearing this, Lola quickly began to argue with her sister; demanding that she should play a Tabaxi. "Just look at how beautiful their fur is and how elegant their bodies look" she swooned with delight, "if anything, this thing was made for me!" In an instant, everyone feared that a vicious fight would break out between the two of them and tried to help stop them.
"Now, girls...calm down" Rita said warily, "you can both play as this sort of creature...but one of you might have to play as a male." Upon hearing this, the twins ceased their bickering and turned up towards their mother. "Wait...can we really play as different genders" questioned Lola, "I thought all of us had to be girls."
There was a lighthearted chuckle amongst the crowd and Pop-Pop volunteered to help put their fears to rest. "Quite the contrary, dearies; a player can be whatever gender they want in the game" he explained, "one time, Scoots played a session against me and some pals and she played as a male orc barbarian." After taking a moment to push the image of a male scoots out of their heads, the girls reached their decision; both of them would be Tabaxis but Lana would play as a male.
With the twins' characters chosen, the rest of the Loud Girls began seeking out things they wanted to be. Almost immediately, Luna chose to go with a human; mainly because she didn't want to endure too much makeup work. For Lori, she chose to be an elf; after seeing how cute Bobby looked as one.
Upon looking over the book herself for a moment, when her turn came; Lynn saw something that almost made her eyes pop from her head. It had the head, trunk and tusks of an African Bull Elephant. But it had a human-like body, stood over six and a half feet in height and their limbs appeared as thick as tree trunks.
"Dude...that is the single sickest-looking critter I've ever seen in my life" Lynn gasped in awe, "what the heck is it and give one to me now!" Lynn Sr. chuckled heartily at her and began to tell her about the creature known as the Loxodon. "These babies are a sort of elephant humanoid creature that live in massive jungle cities of stone."
As her dad continued, Lynn found herself becoming entranced with the nature of these "Loxodons." They lived a sort of Matriarchal form of government, had strong warriors within both genders and were known to be quite spiritual creatures. She was particularly intrigued by the bonuses a Loxodon has.
"Not only are these guys strong enough to lift pretty heavy loads, their skin is also pretty tough too" Lincoln added, "they can survive arctic temperatures, have a strong armor class and when they charge at you...well, you best get out of the way of their tusks!" After hearing all this, Lynn began scratching her chin in contemplation and looked down at the Loxodon's picture. In an instant, her imagination blended some of her likeness with that of the creature; which caused Lynn to smile wide.
"A race of tough cookies that's super tough, super strong and has a government all about girl power...sign me up" she decreed, "but do I have to wear the trunk?" Lincoln chuckled slightly at his elder sister and assured her they would work something out. Next, he turned his attention towards Lucy; who mentioned how she wished to be a sort of demonic creature.
"Tell me, Lincoln; are there any vampires, zombies or werewolves in this" she inquired, "if so, I'd like to be one of those." With a soft frown, Lincoln shook his head and said such creatures were only used as enemies in the game. "However, there is the possibility of your character earning vampire or werewolf abilities in the game" he said suddenly, "but that only happens if you find yourself bitten by either one."
Despite the technicality, Lucy held onto the hope that she could become her desired creature and began searching for something else. Then, at that moment; she spotted something in the book that almost caused her bangs to stand up on end. At first glance, it looked like some sort of human-raven hybrid.
But then, Lucy noticed that the creature didn't have any wings; just typical human-like arms. The only difference was that instead of fingernails, the creature possessed sharp talons at the ends of their fingertips. They also had bird-like feet, shabby looking clothes and long beaks protruding out from their hoods.
When Lincoln saw what she was looking at, he decided to give her the "deets" on the creature. "That there is called a Kenku, a sort of human-bird hybrid" he explained, "they're incredibly fast, they're stealthy and have excellent slight of hand skills...if that's what you want them to do." Feeling mildly intrigued, Lucy asked to learn other kinds of facts about Kenku.
"Sadly, they're so mysterious that very little is known about them" Rusty stated, "but one of the strangest facts about them is their skill at mimicry." Upon hearing this, Lana asked if that meant they copied people like parrots do. "Well...kind of but not exactly" Lincoln replied, "Kenku just mimic whatever voices or sounds they hear...like if someone's hammering nearby, they'll copy that sound right down to the letter."
In spite of this reveal, it didn't diminish Lucy's interest in this creature and decided to make it her character of choice. "Next up, why don't we go with Luan" Rita suggested, "what would you like to be, sweetheart?" For a few moments, the young comedienne began looking at the creature guide in silence.
For a moment, she almost considered going the same route Luna did in choosing a human character. But then, she saw something that made her bust a gut. "What is it, Luan" questioned Lincoln, "what's so funny?"
With all the willpower she could muster, the comedienne pointed to a picture in the book; one that showed what looked like (in her head) a giant medieval version of a Ninja Turtle. "Oh, that's a Tortle" Clyde said suddenly, "as you can see, they are a race of turtle-like creatures, they're known to be quite strong...but at the same time, peaceful." After hearing the description, several of the Loud Sisters proclaimed that the "Tortle" looked and sounded like an average tortoise.
"Actually, ladies; a Tortle is capable of much more" Mrs. Johnson stated, "their shells are thicker, which grants them a slight armor bonus; they have excellent survival skills and can hold their breath underwater for an hour at a time...despite them not being natural swimmers." While some of the creature's stats didn't seem all that impressive (to some others,) Luan still found it unique and decided to go with it as her character race. "Excellent...now, all that remains is for Leni and Lisa to choose their races" Principal Huggins exclaimed, "see anything you like, ladies?"
At first, Lisa felt the urge to try and persuade her parents to exempt her from having to play the game; still viewing it as something "beneath her." But then, she gazed down at the creatures guide and saw something that almost made her glasses slip off her face. "By Newton's Apple, I was not expecting this" she cried with shock, "dear Brother...why did you not tell me earlier that automatons exist within this game's world?!"
Confused, Lincoln borrowed the book from her and looked tried to seek out the "automaton" in question. When he found it, Lincoln chuckled slightly and shook his head at Lisa. "I'm afraid you're only half right, Sis" he said softly, "but that's not a 'robot' in a typical sense, what you're looking at is a Warforged."
Now, despite her age; Lisa often prided herself on her genius intellect. There was little next to nothing that her IQ level couldn't comprehend. Yet when it came to things like keeping secrets, social interactions and in this case, imaginative roleplay; there was (as she put it) not enough room in her brain to understand such things.
As such, Lisa tilted her head sideways in confusion; almost in the same exact manner a dog would. As if sensing her confusion, Lincoln explained that Warforged is sort of like a robot (or an Automaton in Lisa's language.) But there were many things that made them different from the typical machine men in science fiction media.
"For starters, Warforged are made up of a mix of metal and wood" Lincoln stated, "the wood, as you can see, serves as the Warforge's muscle structure, while the metal makes up its face and mild body coverage." The second aspect of the race in question was something that almost made Lisa burst with uproarious laughter.
"With all due respect, I've tried to enter into this with as open of a mind my own mind would allow" she sniggered, "but how can you expect me that these 'Warforged' are beings powered by magic?" There was an understandable groan of mild annoyance from both the young and old players, upon hearing this. Then, Lincoln did his best to explain this element of the race to his sister.
"Let me put it to you this way, Lisa" he began, "a Warforged is a sort of...living machine, it gains its sentience through a means of arcane energies." Again and again, Lincoln tried to help Lisa understand the nature of the Warforged. But like a book nerd viewing a film adaptation of their favorite story, she couldn't help but pick apart the pieces she found "illogical."
By the end of breakfast, however; Lisa had finally decided to throw caution to the wind and go along with the creature choice. Now, the only one who had yet to find her character was Leni; who was gazing at the book as if it were written in a dead language. When she came up with an idea, what she said was "I want to be the Game Master; to which her parents said that the position was already filled.
To help ease the confusion, Lincoln presented Leni a list of races that had yet to be chosen (at least, amongst her other sisters.) This seemed to be a great deal of help for her and Leni happily thanked Lincoln for his kindness with a hug. "Okay, let's see; which one of these thingies should I play as" she murmured while skimming over the paper, "I think I'll piiiiiick...this one!"
Upon making her declaration, Leni jabbed her finger lightly atop of a collection of beings with various skin colors. Some of them had skin tones as red as blood while others had pigmentations that were light and beautiful blues or snow whites. "OM GOSH! Check this out" Leni squealed with delight, "I had no idea Aladdin's friend, Genie was in this game!"
When the other girls looked at the image, they shouted mixed exclamations of either shock or amazement. "Wow, Leni wasn't kiddin'" Luna murmured, "I had no idea you could be a Genie in this game," Upon hearing this, Lincoln took the book from the girls and explained everything he could about the Genie race (or as the book also called them, Djinn.)
"Long story short, they're kind of like the guys you've seen in the movies" he stated, "but not all of them grant wishes, despite possessing mystical powers" After tagging in, Lynn Sr. added that djinn also possessed knowledge in both magic and combat. This all seemed to spark Leni's enthusiasm even higher and thus resulted in her choosing the Djinn as her character.
Meanwhile, everyone else mentally questioned if the girl understood what she had just agreed to. "Okay, then; that takes care of that" Mrs. Johnson stated, "now that everyone's picked a race for the character, it's time for classes." This statement caused many of the Loud Sisters to groan loudly...with the exception of Lisa, of course.
"Hold on, girls; Mrs. Johnson doesn't mean school classes" Rita assured, "she means it's time to pick your characters' professions/skills." There was a soft murmur of understanding amongst the girls, as Principal Huggins presented the class selection sheet before them. "Now, the game allows you all to pick one or two classes for your characters" he explained, "try your best to vary each of your choices, if you can."
Everyone nodded in understanding and they began to look over the sheet, starting with Lori. "OOOH! How about this one, Mage" she exclaimed, "not only will I get to use magic but I get to wear a super chic robe." The moment these words passed her lips, Lori suddenly started blinking in confusion.
"Did I literally just say that out loud" she thought to herself worriedly, "oh, God...I'm becoming one of them!" Much to her relief, however; no one seemed to notice what she had said and chose instead to focus on the paper. "Obviously I'm going for the big guns" Lynn chuckled, "Barbarian/Fighter for me, baby!"
Next came Luan, who decided to follow in her beau's footsteps and chose a Bard as he first of two classes. "For my second one, I think I'll pick...a rogue" she stated, "but I plan on stealing laughs than purses, during the game." The crowd (sans Benny) groaned at Luan's poor attempt at a joke, while the girl in question simply chuckled aloud to herself.
The next to choose their classes was Lucy; who, after seeing that the mage was taken already, decided to go with Witch. "I know the class' real name is Warlock...but I'm a girl and since Warlocks are in tune with mystical forces the moment they are born, I decided to go with that and make it a female version" Lucy murmured with a soft smile, "after all I feel like I've been in tune with such forces the moment I was born as well." This statement was so bizarre coming from one so young that it caused several people to question Lucy's family what she was talking about.
"My sister thinks she's able to speak with the dead" Lynn murmured with an eye roll, "just one of her weird quirks...it's best not to question it."
Next up was Lisa, who was anxious to see if there were any positions that best suited her natural abilities. "Pray tell, everyone; what is this class here" she asked, "what is an...'Artificer?'" After taking a moment to recover from the shock of Lisa lacking knowledge at something (for once,) Zach approached and decided to explain the class to her.
"As an Artificer myself, I can tell you that the class is perfect for hands-on people like us" he stated, "basically; they're a sort of mechanical life form who are able to create potions through alchemy, infuse ordinary items with magic...they can even create Bags of Holding for themselves or their allies to use." When some of the Loud Sisters asked what a "bag of holding" was, Lincoln replied in describing it as a sort of travel bag. "If you've done a good enough job making it, your bag of holding can hold any item of any size inside" he stated, "it's like having a bottomless purse or shopping bag."
While she wasn't particularly swayed by the "shopping bag" description of it, something about the Bag of Holding's capabilities intrigued Lisa. "And you say that as an 'Artificer,' I can upgrade otherwise useless items" she inquired, "like say...some broken pieces of machinery or a discarded gauntlet from a suit of armor?" Zach simply smiled at her and asked Liam to show something he was hiding behind his cloak.
When Liam revealed this "item" to everyone, the Loud Sisters collectively shrieked in alarm; for the "item" in question resembled what looked like a skeletal arm made of steel. Sensing that his surprise spooked the girls a little, Liam quickly revealed that it was simply a prosthetic arm he wore over his real one. "Neat, huh" he asked, "Zach made it in shop class, before school ended for the summer."
Slowly, the girls' shock gave way to confusion and they asked why he made such a "disturbing" thing. "It's all part of the backstory for Liam's character" Zach replied, "he lost his arm after defending his home from an army of goblin raiders and replaced it with a metal one, thus calling himself Floki Ghost-Hand." In that moment, the girls didn't know whether to feel impressed or disgusted from such a story.
"This Artificer class intrigues me" murmured Lisa, "I would like it to be my Warforge's class, if you please." Lynn and Co. discussed this for a moment and then, they each gave the young lady a small nod in agreement. Following after her, Lana and Lola quickly sought out for their desired classes.
"Ooh! I wanna be one of these guys" Lana exclaimed while pointing at a figure in a green robe, "he has loads of animals with him, which feels like the class was made for me!" Upon seeing what the girl was looking at, Lincoln couldn't help but agree. "Figured you'd be drawn to the druid, Lana" Lincoln stated, "they have communicate with animals, can call upon nature to help defend people and if they're strong enough, they can shapeshift."
When Lana asked what shapeshifting was, Lincoln described it as turning into any kind of animal you can think of. "ANY ANIMAL I CAN THINK OF" the young grease monkey cried with glee, "like...I could become a frog like Hopps or a bat like Fangs?" While everyone did not in agreement to her inquiry, they encouraged Lana to think bigger.
"If your character is a strong enough level, he could become much bigger critters" Liam stated, "not as big as dragons, unfortunately...but you can briefly change into a grizzly and kick all kinds of butt!" If Lana wasn't excited before; by now, she was so overcome with delight that she was positively glowing. At the same time, she reminded everyone that she wanted to be a male Tabaxi druid; so as not to have anyone confuse her or Lola's characters.
Speaking of whom, the time came for the wee pageant princess to choose her class. "Seeing as how princesses aren't classes in this game; I'll need to find something else that best represents me" she murmured, "sassy, wily and yet tough if pushed around!" Upon hearing the girl's words, everyone immediately came to a unanimous decision; Rogue.
"What's a Rogue" questioned Lola, "is it something evil or icky because if it is, I do not want that." Lincoln shook his head slightly, after listening to his sister's concerns and said that despite their rep; rogues weren't quite as "icky" as she believed. "Sure, other players chose to make their rogues evil" he confessed, "but it doesn't mean you have to do the same."
From that point, Lincoln went into deep detail about what rogues were capable of. He explained that while they've been known to be thieves and assassins/killers, they were also spies that helped listen in on the enemy's plans or break into supposedly locked tight buildings. "Wow, I didn't know they were like that" Lola murmured, "so...you're saying my Rogue could be a sassy spy, like Black Widow?"
With a broad smile on his face; Lincoln proclaimed that if Lola played her cards right, her character could become much cooler than Black Widow. "In fact; with your kind of sass, charm and sly thinking...I feel like your character would be more like Catwoman." Some people couldn't help but chuckle at this description, due to fact that Lola's character being a literal cat person.
Regardless, she still loved the idea and chose Rogue as her class. The last one to choose their class was Leni, who appeared to be looking at the book and scrunching up her nose in deep thought. "Quick question, guys" she murmured, "do Clerks do anything important in the game besides sell clothes and stuff?" Everyone suddenly blinked in confusion, wondering where Leni got the idea of clerks from.
"Right here in the book, it says clerks" she stated, "it's that character with the super cute white robes." Principal Huggins took a look at the figure Leni was referring to and soon, everything became much clearer. "Actually, young lady; that is what's known as a Cleric" he said emphatically, "they're like a sort of...priest or monk."
From here; Huggins added that while they possessed some fighting skills, clerics were more widely known for being healers. "Every race has their own kind of cleric" he stated, "but regardless, they are known to be peaceful and only exercise violence when necessary." Somehow, the class description made sense to Leni and it made her feel rather excited to take up the role.
With that settled, the girls were then led into one of the building's dressing rooms; where they would all undergo some quick wardrobe changes and makeup work. The process started at 9 AM and didn't end until it was almost noon. But by the end of it all, everyone was ready and raring to go (sort of.)
(Line Break)
When everyone took a look at themselves in the mirror; there were many shrieks, shouts and squeals of joy. "Check me out, girls; I look super hot like this" beamed Leni, as she ran her hand through her light-blue hair, "my hair looks gorge and just look at my tail!" Not too far away from her, the others felt as equally pleased with their looks as well."
"At first, I was worried the beak would make me look silly" murmured Lucy, "but now that I see myself with it on...I rather like it." Meanwhile, Luna was admiring her new bard outfit in her room; unaware that a small intruder was making its way there. As Luna took a moment to compliment herself on how nice she looked in her purple dress and hood, something leapt into her room and startled her with a loud "rawr!"
Luna suddenly turned around with a fright, poised to strike at the intruder soundly with her lute. Only to be met with nothing but the empty doorway. Then, Luna heard the sounds of wild laughter from somewhere close by.
"I'm over here, Lunes" a voice said suddenly, "behind the right side of your bed!" Careful and ever cautious, Luna approached the bedside and was ready to pounce on whatever (or whoever) was messing with her. But when she looked down, the young rocker was met with a most interesting sight.
Standing before her, just up to her waist was what looked like a baby red dragon (or more commonly known as a dragon hatchling.) It had yellow spikes behind its head, a matching yellow tusk atop of its snout, tiny wings (ones about as long as a kite's wings) behind its back and a long tail trailing behind it. At the tip of the tail was a spiked point and Luna could also see trails of spikes leading up the tail to the back of its head.
But as surprising as this "creature" was, nothing could've prepared Luna for what would happen next. Not only did the dragon proceed to wave at her casually but it also greeted her with the soft cry of "good morning, Looney Tunes." Upon hearing that nickname, Luna's mind began to buzz with thought.
"There are only four people who call me that" she thought deeply, "aside from the family; there's my bandmates, George and Ruth...also Sam and...oh, no way." With a coy smile on her face, Luna looked down and saw that the "dragon" was actually a child wearing an extremely accurate dragon costume. As for the child in question, she had a rather good idea of who it was.
"Gotta say, lil' dude; you really got me" Luna chuckled heartily, "but c'mon; let me see your real face...Simon." At the mentioning of the name "Simon," the dragon hatchling suddenly grumbled with defeat and pushed its head up; revealing the face of an eight year old boy. He had short and shaggy blonde hair, freckles on the tops of his cheeks, a star-bright smile (despite missing one or two teeth missing) and traces of red eye highlighter beneath both eyes.
"Aw, come on! I really thought I had you" Simon whined in defeat, "how did you know it was me?" After giving the dragon boy a quick hug, Luna revealed that she heard someone giggling in the hallway outside her room. "At first, I thought it was my elder sibs chatting and gigglin'...but I quickly realized that the laughing sounded younger" Luna explained, "after that, I just put the pieces together."
In an instant, Simon's defeated expression faded away and he immediately gave the pixie cut rocker the biggest hug possible. "When Sammy told me you'd be playing with us; I didn't believe her, at first" he stated, "but now that I see you here, I know the game tonight is going to be even more fun!" Luna couldn't help but admire the boy's enthusiasm and revealed that while she never played the game, up until now; she'd try her best to have fun...for his and her family's sake.
For those unaware, Simon is Sam Sharp's younger brother and much like Luna was with Lincoln; the two of them are quite close. When Simon first learned about his sister being bisexual, he not only found it to be brave. But it also inspired him to be himself at any given moment, no matter how odd his quirks might be.
Among these quirks was a love for dressing up and putting on makeup. This was sparked by all the people on the rock n' roll magazines Simon would often see Sam reading. In his head; guys like SMOOCH, The Lavender Fudge Experience, Mick Swagger and others always looked so cool in their outfits and he secretly wanted to look just as impressive.
You would think that his sister and parents would find this sort of thing "off" about him. But nope; just as they happily accepted Luna and Sam's relationship with open arms, so too did they encourage Simon's desire to stand out in the crowd. So, on any rare occasion the girls would want to try on make up; Simon would ask for some small touch ups for himself.
Still, while it was wonderful to see him; Luna wondered why the boy was dressed as a dragon. "You like my costume, I'm a dragon" he said with great delight, "the red eye shadow thing was my idea, thought it'd make me look cooler." Luna chuckled merrily at the boy, shared a quick high five with him and said that he did indeed look cool.
Then, at that moment; Sam passed by the room and spotted them chatting. "Hey, you guys didn't tell me you were having a party in here" she said slyly, "because it's not a party until I break out the tunes." Upon spotting his sister in the doorway, Simon raced up and hugged his small arms slightly around her ankles.
"Luna's gonna be playing with us, Sammy; isn't that awesome" the boy exclaimed, "it'll be like when I used to join my friends for LARPing back in our old neighborhood!" The girls couldn't help but smile at his optimism and Luna hoped that the game will be as fun as Simon said it would be. "If you two don't mind me asking; what are you supposed to be, Si" she asked, "I mean...I know you're a dragon but I didn't know you could play those in the game."
Sam nodded in understanding and explained that her brother was going to be her "partner," during the game. "You're right, Lunes; Simon is a dragon" she stated, "but technically speaking, he's my Familiar." As expected, Luna gave her girl a sort of "merp" face; indicating that she had no idea what she was talking about.
"Whoops! Forgot that you're still a newbie at this" Sam chuckled timidly, "familiars are...well, they're kinda like a magic user's special animal companion." To give her an example, she brought up the idea of black cats people see riding on witches' broomsticks. "For centuries, cats have been considered their familiars" Sam stated, "they help guide their masters, show them if the area's safe or help defend them."
By this point, Luna began to have some understanding on the nature of familiars. Yet, there were two things that she still didn't understand. "First off, how did Simon get roped into this" questioned Luna, "did he intrude on one of your games like I did?"
Sam smiled at her and told Luna that they've been into this game for years. "As Si said earlier; he and his friends used to do loads of LARPing, back in our old stomping grounds" she stated, "one day, I had to baby-sit him; which meant I had to attend one of their games." Feeling curious, Luna asked Sam if she disliked playing with them.
"At first, I thought it was going to feel lame" she confessed, "but when you put on a new outfit or a suit of armor during this kind of thing, it sort of...changes you." After hearing this statement, Luna took a moment to look herself over in the mirror. At first glance, she almost didn't even recognize herself.
From her form fitting purple pants, the long and flowing green skirt that wrapped around her hips, her long-sleeved green bodice, her long black boots and her protective purple leather breastplate; she looked like she was prepping for a concert riot. As Luna continued overlooking her attire, she failed to notice Sam looking at her slyly. "It ain't polite to stare when someone's tryin' on outfits, brah" Luna said with a slight chuckle, "but as long as you're there...be honest, how do I look?"
Sam appeared to be tapping her chin in silent thought, for a moment or so. Then, she approached one of the jewelry boxes and took out to amethyst earrings that hung on chains that measured as long as her ears. Upon collecting them, Sam took off Luna's paperclip earrings and fastened the amethyst ones on gently.
Once she was done, Sam turned Luna towards the mirror to show her what she did. To say that Luna was surprised would be a gross understatement. When she saw the earrings glimmering off her ears and looked over her full look, Luna was beyond mesmerized.
"There you go, Lunes" Sam said proudly, "now...you look as beautiful as you always did on the inside." Upon hearing this, Luna chuckled slightly while shoving Sam by her shoulder; before calling her line "as cheesy as the Great Lakes City Pizza Special." Sam quickly dodged the next shove, took Luna in her arms and nuzzled her cheek against hers lovingly.
"Don't pretend you didn't love my line, Lunes" she said playfully, "I saw you blushing." To drive her point home, a faint blush suddenly appeared on Luna's cheeks and she started to chuckle nervously. "But seriously, hon; you look amazing" Sam said with great love in her voice, "you always do."
After saying this line, both girls slowly started to lean in; their eyes closing and their lips puckering slightly. But then, their moment was suddenly disturbed by Simon; who was clearing his throat loudly. "I don't usually mind seeing you two get mushy" he said simply, "but is there a particular reason you're here, Sammy...I mean, besides looking at your girlfriend?"
After hearing his question, Sam suddenly pulled away from Luna and immediately began fishing about her cloak for something; all while blushing shyly. Finally, she had found what she wanted and presented Luna with two pieces of paper. One sheet had a list containing a variety of female names.
The other sheet had the words "Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet" in fancy lettering at the top. On the bottom were a bunch of empty slots that said stuff like "strength," "dexterity," "intelligence," "charisma" and a variety of other things." After looking both pages over, Luna looked towards Sam and asked what she had to do with them.
"Oh! The one sheet is to help you find a name you want for your character" she explained, "the Character Sheet is basically your player stats, kind of like what you find on baseball cards." This explanation surprisingly, seemed rather clear to Luna and she quickly began to look for the right name for herself. Finally, after a minute of searching; Luna had thought up an idea and wished to hear her friends' opinion on it.
"Since I'm a bard, which is basically an old timey musician; I want my character to have a musician's name" she stated, "so, I was thinking of...Yoko Spring-Stepper." At first, Simon almost felt the urge to laugh; mostly due to how silly the name "Spring-Stepper" sounded. But Luna explained that her character was a rather agile sort of musician, one that was capable of acrobatic abilities to wow the crowd.
"Oh, wow; I love that description, Lunes" Sam said in awe, "you should definitely make that part of your backstory!" Not needing to be told twice, Luna immediately wrote what she said on the character sheet. While she was writing, Sam said she had to go make sure everything was in order with her costume and said she'd meet her tonight.
"Until then, my fellow bard, I bid thee good day" she said with a dramatic voice, "may your songs be as enchanting as you appear." Just before Luna could make another comment on her "cheesy" dialogue, Sam silenced her with a quick kiss on the lips and fled the room. This sudden gesture left the young rocker turned bard completely silent.
When she managed to snap out of the trance almost a minute later, Luna chuckled softly and rolled her eyes. "Always gotta leave me tongue-tied; eh, Miss Sharp" she thought to herself "but...that's why I love you so much." After that, she smoothed out her clothes and began to finish writing on her character sheet.
(Scene Change; the game room, hours later)
Hours passed and after much time devoted to makeup, hair and costuming; the Loud Girls were ready. At one point, between sessions; they all went into the main hall for lunch. There, they met with Chunk (otherwise known as Stoneback the Solid during game time;) who handed each of them something from a pouch on his belt.
When the girls looked at the items, they each let out gasps of amazement. In their hands were mini figurines made in the likenesses of each of their characters. "Okay, this looks totes adorable" Leni complimented, "but...what are we supposed to do with them?"
Almost immediately, Chunk explained that the figurines were all part of the gameplay. "As your character travels the game's world, you move the figurine 'cross the game map" he stated, "it's kinda like how ya move the pieces on board games, except we ain't goin' 'round in circles." The girls all nodded and murmured in understanding; then, looked back at their figures.
They were amazed by how detailed they all looked. Some of them even had little pointy ears on them, like they did. "You like 'em, painted them meself" Chunk stated, "as for the figures themselves...well, Bobby's aunt knew someone with one of them 3-D printer devices and we asked them to make these for us." Truthfully, the girls were left silent by his story; for none of them could believe that the figures could be made so quickly in such a short period.
"Make sure to keep those in safe places, luvs" Chunk instructed, "they ain't crucial to the game itself...but they're still quite valuable." The Loud Sisters nodded in understanding, thanked him again for his kind gesture and returned to their meal. "I don't know about the rest of you...but I'm actually kind of anxious to start playing" Lana stated, "I wanna see what my guy can do!"
This statement caused the other Loud Sisters to say the same thing; even Lori, much to her surprise, was curious about how the game will go. Then, everyone took a moment to compliment one another on their costumes. "I like your Tabaxi looks, girls" Lynn Sr. stated, "I'm guessing you went with a lioness look, Lola?
The girl in question nodded her head proudly and modeled her Tabaxi Lioness look. "As a young pageant queen, what better creature would suit me than the queen of jungle animals" she chuckled, "I'm particularly fond of how cute my ears look." For Lana, she decided to go for a panther breed of Tabaxi species; mainly because she thought it looked cooler.
"Did you guys pick your names yet" Lincoln asked, "mine is Leoric Strong-Jaw and I'm a Sorcerer/Monk." Upon hearing his description, the girls couldn't help but think that him choosing to be a monk was fitting; considering his desire to be the family "peace-keeper." "Mine is Graim Stone-Shield" Rusty stated, "I'm a combination Rogue/Bard."
The girls smiled at his class choices, realizing that it must've been him that suggested singing Diggy Diggy Hole yesterday. "Zach's name is Jaspur Spirit-Forge and Clyde is known as Beris Storm-Claw" Lincoln explained, "we had to do a lot of research to find the perfect Dwarf names for us." Leni scratched her chin slightly and murmured how the only Dwarf names she knew of were ones like Happy, Dopey, Bashful and so on.
Soon, everyone else began to mention their names and a little of their characters' stories. Sam was known as Lyra Golden-Mane and Simon was known as Xenos. "What name did you pick for yourself, Lori" questioned Bobby, "I'll bet it's something as beautiful as you." At first, the young lady hesitated to speak up; worried that people would mock her choice.
But after realizing that she was already dressed up, Lori realized there was little left for everyone to mock her about now. So, after exchanging a nod with each of them; the Loud Sisters each stood up from their seats and shouted out their character names and classes.
Lori: Ventris Meadowbrook – Elf Mage
Leni: Fatima – Genie Clerk...I-I mean Cleric
Luna: Yoko Spring-Stepper – Human Bard
Luan: Mituna Tengo – Tortle Rogue/Bard
Lynn: Velra – Loxodon Barbarian/Fighter
Lucy: Shadow – Kenku Witch
Lana: Ezra – Tabaxi Ranger/Druid
Lola: Ursa – Tabaxi Rogue
Lisa: Bastion - Warforged Artificer/Fighter (but I shall only use fisticuffs when it is absolutely necessary)
Everyone let out a loud "huzzah," after hearing their names. But there was one among them who didn't quite feel so cheery, little Lily. Though she couldn't speak, everyone could somehow sense what she was thinking; that there might've been no place for a baby to play the game. "Don't be sad, sweetie" Lincoln said "Big Brother has just the thing to help make you smile."
After that, he brought out what looked like a wolf costume but baby-sized; which was just right for Lily. "Since Sam has her brother playing as a familiar, I figured Lily could do the same" he explained, "but I also thought she might like being a wolf...what do you think, Sis?" There was silence after Lincoln made his request and then, Lily suddenly snatched the costume from his hands and began to make soft barking noises.
It wasn't until after she made a wolf's howl that everyone realized just how much she liked the idea of being a wolf. "Looks like we've got our answer, everybody" Lynn Sr. said joyfully, "and with that, the girls are all ready to play with us later." While the near majority of the crowd cheered at this news, some (like Mr. Grouse or Flip) questioned how a baby could play with them.
"As Lori's familiar, she'll be able to 'play' (so to speak) whenever she summons Lily to fight for her" Clyde explains, "of course, she won't actually be fighting; we don't want her hurting her sweet self." This explanation seemed to please everyone, in the end and everything seemed nearly complete. The only thing left to resolve was a name for Lily's character.
"I was thinking the name 'Lupa' would be a good name for her" Lincoln suggested, "it's short yet easy to remember, it's unique and it's the Spanish term for wolf." Everyone took a moment to ponder over the idea and then, the silence was disrupted by Lily joyfully chanting "UPA! UPA! UPA!" With this outcry of joy, everyone's minds were made up and Lupa became Lily's official character name.
After that, Lori and her mother carefully dressed Lily in her frost wolf costume. Despite the little one squirming with anticipation once or twice, the process didn't take long. When everyone saw how the baby looked, several girls were so overcome with joy that they took quick snapshots of her with their phones.
Once dressed, the wee babe began crawling about the floor; barking and yowling like a wolf pup. "Easy does it there, honey" chuckled Lynn Sr., "save that energy for the game."
(Line Break)
The hour was now 6 PM, the game room would've been as dark as the night sky outside; were it not for the torches on the support beams. Nervously, the ten Loud Sisters entered the room; each of them fully dressed in their character costumes and approached the table. Their parents, now wearing their Game Masters robes, stood alongside their fellow council members and gestured for each of them to take their seats.
Without hesitation, the girls did as they were told and sat with everyone else at the game table. After that, no one had dared to speak a word and the girls were starting to worry. At that moment, Rita/Game Mistress Eliana noticed Lynn raising her hand and granted her the floor.
"Not to sound disrespectful or anything, guys" she murmured softly, "but...when are we gonna start the game." With a soft smile on her face, Rita said that everything would begin in mere moments. "But before we begin, you girls need to be properly initiated" Albert (a.k.a. Pop-Pop) stated, "that means, we need to inform you on the rules."
Despite their mild impatience, some of the Loud Sisters agreed that to play along and asked what rules they needed to follow. With this inquiry; the Loud Parents, Albert, Principal Huggins and Mrs. Johnson immediately assumed their roles as the Council of Game Masters. The next moment they spoke, their voices came out in strong and emphatic tones; giving them all the demeanor of figures of great authority.
"Sisters of the House of Loud, we bid thee welcome into our humble castle" Lynn said in his Game Master Acheron voice, "while you are here with us, you shall abide the laws of Castle Greyhawk accordingly!" After this, he gave a nod to Rita/Eliana; which signaled her to reveal what looked like an old scroll. Upon unraveling it, she cleared her throat and began to recite each of "Castle Greyhawk's" bylaws.
"First and foremost; while you are within these walls, you must remain in character" she decreed, "to elaborate; you are to speak as we do or in whatever tongues your characters communicate in." Seeing as how the girls appeared mildly confused by this rule, Lincoln decided to provide a quick explanation for them. "Each race has a different language that they speak in" he stated, "there's Common tongue; which is basically typical English, there's Elvish, Dwarvish and loads of others."
While this info was mildly informative, the girls felt it didn't quite help them understand their father's words. "What he means, babe is that while you're here with us; you have to talk like some of us do" Bobby explained, after noticing Lori's confused expression; "in other words, use the kind of Olde English lingo that we hear in Shakespeare plays." With this reveal, everything became clear to the girls and they nodded in understanding.
"So, wait...you mean we gotta talk like a bunch of Renn Faire nerds while we're here" questioned Lynn, "won't that get annoying?" At that moment, Leni suddenly rose from her seat and did something no one would've ever imagined. After taking a moment to clear her throat, the young lady rose her head high and began to speak in the most eloquent way she knew.
"Do not compose fun of how these merry gentlemen choose to speak, dearest sister" she said firmly, "so long as we are within these walls, we shall adhere to the whims of its occupants; so as to ensure that all bodes well in our revelry!" To say that everyone, even Leni's siblings, were surprised by her words would be the understatement of the millennium. Then, within seconds; the young lady took notice of everyone's staring and blushed shyly.
"Whoops...sorry, everybody" she muttered, "did...did I say something wrong just now, were those not the right words to say?" Upon hearing her words, everyone quickly snapped out of their trance and began clapping wildly; which left Leni utterly flabbergasted. "Not at all, honey...believe me" Rita said with pride, "in fact, you did it just right!"
Eventually, the rest of Leni's sisters recovered from their initial shock and turned towards Leni in confusion. When they managed to find their voices again, all nine of them said only one thing in unified reply; "how did you do that and teach it to me now!" Leni chuckled bashfully at their collective comment and said that she heard a lot of "that kind of stuff" from the Renaissance Faire.
"Once you get the hang of it, it's actually fun to say" she said with a giggle, "makes you sound like royalty, when you speak it." Feeling mildly encouraged by this, the girls each wracked their brains and did their best to think up whatever kind of Olde English dialogue they've heard over the years. When they noticed how hard the girls were thinking, Rita quickly told them to only focus on that when the moment was right.
After that, they moved on to the next bylaw; that they were welcome to think up any imaginative means of attack or defense for their character, as long as it was within their skill level. "Don't go too crazy with your ideas, though" Mrs. Johnson stated, "no Centaurtars, no instant death moves unless you have the right skills and no performing skills outside of your characters class." To elaborate, Clyde said that someone like Leni (who was a cleric) can never use skills reserved for mages or sorcerers.
Not wishing to forget this, Leni took out her phone and wrote it down in her memo app. The Council smiled at her, proud to see that she was being careful in how she played. "The third rule is this; whatever issues or transgressions you have, be they inside or outside these walls; they must remain there" Principal Huggins/Game Master Fastred said firmly, "this game is about the fun and adventure; so, we do not want any outside world issues to affect your gameplay."
After saying this, all eyes seem to fall upon Lori and Lynn Jr.; which made them confused. "What...why are you all lookin' at me" Lynn said uneasily, "I'm not the one who lets real world issues disrupt anything, that's more Lori's schtick; whenever she misses a chat with Bobby." Obviously offended by her words, Lori felt the urge to punish her...quite painfully so.
But they immediately froze in their seats, when they heard Lynn Sr. slam the base of his staff upon the ground. "This means, young ladies that whether you're having relationship troubles, if you've lost a game or whatever other kind of stresses you're enduring...keep it outside" he said firmly, "the last thing anyone of us wants is for another all-sister brawl to happen here." There was a soft muttering of agreement from all the other players, which caused the girls to blush with shame.
In the end; each of them vowed to keep game, family and personal affairs separate from each other. They also promised they would try to behave accordingly within Greyhawk's walls (with a strong emphasis on try, for some of them.) With that settled, they moved on to the fourth rule; that they would keep playing until the campaign reached its end.
"We don't know how long it will take to reach that point" Mrs. Johnson/Game Mistress Agathe stated, "but until we do, we follow the quest to the end; understood?" Without pause, the girls all nodded in agreement; while still mentally wondering how long the game could last. "Fifth Rule, there shall be moments where we will all pause for meal breaks or trips to the restroom" Pop-Pop/Game Master Karuk stated, "can't play on an empty stomach, you know."
There was a lighthearted chuckle amongst the other players, even the girls all thought it was a good joke. Then, Lynn Sr. brought out rule six; no needlessly sacrificing other members of your party. "This game is about teamwork as well as fun" he stated, "which means when you come across an obstacle, you must all think of a good way out...no exceptions!"
It was in that moment that a certain child prodigy realized that this particular rule was being directed at her. "Very well, then" Lisa grumbled dejectedly, "I shall try my best not to upstage anyone within my party (even though my intelligence level would surely help us achieve victory much quicker.") Not long after this was said, the wee genius felt thankful that no one could hear her; even with the room's echo.
"Rule No.7; should your character suffer defeat in any way, take it with dignity and honor" Principal Huggins/Game Master Fastred stated, "dishonorable conduct and displays of unsportsmanlike behavior are not welcome in this castle." Realizing that this might be applying to her, Lynn Jr. folded her arms slightly and complied to the ruling. As one final rule; the council proclaimed that until the game was finished, they were in control.
"Think of us as the 'deities' of this game's world, in a sense" chuckled Mrs. Johnson, "we are the ones who dictate the progression of the story, present the challenges and describe the setting...it is up to you girls and your fellow players to decide how to handle whatever comes your way." With this said, the girls unanimously agreed that they had to be ready for whatever their parents or the other Game Masters might throw at them; no matter how eager they might be to end the game quickly. Afterwards, everything seemed to be in order and everyone was ready to start playing.
"Oh...hold on for a moment" Rita/Eliana exclaimed suddenly, "there is one final thing we must bring up." The Loud Sisters resisted every urge to groan or cry out in anguished boredom and instead, chose to ask what the last rule was. "Because there are so many of you, we cannot use your characters all at one time" Principal Huggins/Game Master Fastred replied, "we can only five or six of you at the start of the campaign."
Just as the rest of the girls were prepared to whine about "being left out," Lincoln quickly intervened. "Don't fret, girls; you'll still get to play" he assured them, "you will just have to wait until certain points of the game where you can join in." Though some of them still felt a little bothered by this news, they agreed to be patient and wait for their cues to join in later.
With that matter settled, all that remained was establishing the right party to begin. This group consisted of Lori (with Lily serving as her companion,) Lucy, Lana and Lola. Satisfied; everyone took their seats, once again and the game was now ready to begin. To help set the mood, Chunk turned on a sound system and the room was suddenly filled with Medieval-sounding background music.
As the music played, the Council immediately got into character and gazed at the team of six girls. "The five of you are all travelers, desperately seeking shelter from a great storm" Rita/Game Mistress Eliana said dramatically, "through the raging winds and pouring rain, you trudge ever onward; despite the icy chills flowing through you." The girls didn't understand why...but something in their mother's tone actually caused them to rub their hands upon their arms for warmth.
"After many days of traveling, you notice the faint glow of firelight ahead of you" Lynn Sr./Game Master Acheron stated, "upon drawing closer, you see a sign that reads "Black Wolf's Inn;" which leads you to hope they have lodgings available for each of you." After this, Lily suddenly began to bark softly; immediately getting into her role as a wolf pup. "I suppose we'll head into the inn" murmured Lori uneasily, "I'll bet my character could use a good rest."
After this, everyone closed their eyes and allowed their imaginations to whisk them away to the world of Avalonis; wondering what would be in store for them inside the inn.
(First AN: and so, it begins; what will the realm of Avalonis have in store for our ten young maidens, as we enter the game's world? Will they become as invested in the game as the rest of their family and friends...or will they ruin the merriment for everyone involved? Find out in the next installment of Dungeons, Dragons & Dames.)
(Second AN: The elements about Sam and Simon's characters; such as the latter's love of putting on makeup, him loving Roleplay, the mentions of their "old stomping grounds" and other minor things are all inspired by the works of one of my followers and one of my favorite fanfic writers; Erich Zann III. As such, I would like to thank him for allowing me to use some elements from his work for my interpretations of Sam and Simon.)
(Third AN: The one band name, The Lavender Fudge Experience, comes from the old Cartoon Network series "Whatever Happened to Robot Jones; while the other two are strictly Loud House origin.)
(Fourth AN: the phrase the girls said to Leni "how did you do that and teach it to me now" comes from Star Vs. The Forces of Evil. I figured that it would be the perfect thing for them to say, after Leni spoke so eloquently.)
(Fifth AN: I wanted each of the girls' classes and races to reflect their overall personalities. For example, I felt the Warforged Artificer was a perfect choice for Lisa; considering her love of science and building. As for other choices like Leni's Djinn Cleric...well, the answer there comes two-fold; the first being that she seems to have a natural skill as a caregiver, as seen in One Flu Over the Loud House.
As for the second answer, namely about her being a djinn/genie, is because I felt it was the perfect race that embodied her personality; quirky yet unpredictable. Luan's race of being a Tortle, along with her being a sort of bard/rogue, will give her a sort of trickster-style character. As she said, the creature is like a medieval version of a Ninja Turtle and that is what I want her character to behave like; when she appears in the story.)
(Final AN: Some of you may think that the Council is signaling out some of the Loud Sisters, when presenting the games rules. But in real world campaigns; people who act like how Lynn, Lori, Lisa or even Lola often ruin a game for everyone else in one way or another. So, they wanted to put strong emphasis on not letting business inside or outside of the game to affect the girls' attitudes towards others.)
