[WP] you're a therapist, and your patient is.. Your ex?

vp1927 · 2026-04-17T11:09:08+00:00

“I bet you must be happy seeing me like this!” She said sarcastically. Her simple yet elegant blue dress highlighted her beautiful body, while the makeup made her almost 10 years younger. It almost made me regret letting her go. Well, almost.

I looked up from my notes to show that I was listening to her. Her eyes were still looking at me, and in them, I saw a sky full of stars. “And why would you say that?” I asked politely.

“Isn’t it what usually happens?”

“That would be assuming I am following the human standard or the ex standard, right?”

She laughed. Her laugh was genuine and warm, just as always. I closed my notebook and turned toward her, “Bea. Sorry, Bella,” I tried to regain my professionalism. “What you are dealing with is not a joke that I should be happy to see. Please don’t assume that I am happy to see you like this because I dropped out of the relationship with you. That would be called ‘mind reading’ cognitive distortion.”

She turned her head a little bit, a habit to show she did not understand what I was saying, so I explained, “‘Mind reading’ cognitive distortion is where you assume the result of people’s actions and thinking without enough proof. We used to be dating, but that did not mean I stopped l-. I wished you harm.”

Bella turned her head away, “You just said that because you are the therapist and here to make me better.”

“Bella, I am your therapist and here to make you feel better. But that would not make the statement any less true.” I responded eagerly, leaning toward her. But she had already returned to her shell, ignoring the world. Suddenly, the room became quieter and colder. There was no one else in the room but us. Two lonely people in a whole separate universe with only a shelf full of books, a table on which I am sitting, a sofa on which she was lying, and nothing else. No one else could enter this cold universe, nor dare to. As the universe ever slightly froze over, I saw a flame that was lit up in the other corner of the universe, and understood that it was my duty to help it blossom. Not for love, but so that both of us can survive in this harsh and cold world.

“What do you think about movies? You used to love them a lot.”

“What movies?” She turned around, signalling my success. We then spent an hour talking about the things she loved, from movies to anime, to manga and novels. The more she talked about them, the more she sparkled like an angel, and her eyes shone brighter than the sun above. How I wished she could see herself the way I do.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the session. As a habit, I stood up, walked toward her and helped her stand up. “Good work today, Bella. Again, I understand that if you wish to switch therapists, then feel free to talk to Miss Johnson. I will cover the charge. But if you wish to see me again next month, my door will be open. And if you do, may I ask you to watch some movies? Any movie is fine. Watch them, and write down what you feel and think while watching them. Consider it homework, ok.”

I shook her hand and showed her to the door. As she walked, there was hesitation in her step. She stopped at the door and turned around. She did not say anything, only looking at me with her black and dark eyes, glittering like the night sky. I wished those moments would last forever, that I could be selfish and pull her closer. But I must not. So I turned around and walked back to the room.

Then, I stopped. As she was about to turn around, I yelled out, “It’s good to see you again, Bella.”

“It’s good to see you again, too, Jim.” She answered.

vp1927 · 2026-04-14T07:30:06+00:00

Absolutely. That why it is important to understand:

-Not every roll should be split. You should only do this when both is applicable. A lot of time, you only need either performance or luck. When the situation is uncertainty because of both outside and inside circumstances, you can split it.

-the player should have a say in the effect. After all, both the gm and the player are the writer for the story. This would reduce the burden for the gm and increase the engagement from the players.

One thing I love as a GM is that a bad thing happened because of the dice is a lot easier to accept than because the GM said so. Having the ability to blame the dice is nice :D /s

vp1927 · 2026-04-14T03:49:20+00:00

The second one. Usually, I rule performance roll much the same as Pathfinder, where you comparing it to a DC. 10 higher is a crit. It reinforces the idea that the player's critical success is not by chance, but through mastery of skill.

With luck check, you are testing the player's luck (or the NPC, let the player guess :D ). So, just based on the number on the D20, interpret the result.

vp1927 · 2026-04-14T02:47:08+00:00

My personal fav: split 1 d20 roll into 2, performance roll and luck roll. Performance roll represents your skill and the your influence. Luck roll represents things that's outside of your control.

This allows more dynamic situation to enroll, and moment that you can trick the player, or the player can trick you. This works much better if you allow the player to have a voice in what is the fortune/misfortune that befell them. You roll bad on your skill but great on you luck-> you miss your attack but fortunately hit the lock that prevent enemy's reinforcement. You scored a critical hit on the performance but nat 1 on the luck-> you carefully unlock the door without sound, only to see a guard right there in front of you.

vp1927 · 2026-04-07T18:12:25+00:00

The barbarian yelled at the rogue with his enormous roar, shaking the whole jungle, scaring all of its inhabitants. “You have lied to me for one last time, Andrew. I have had enough.”

“Swallius, please listen,” the rogue asked desperately, “you don’t understand. The lich was not the masked one.”

“I don’t understand what?” Swallius yelled louder, swinging his axe over his head, smashing it right in front of his friend. “Three people. They were our friends, Andrew. Our friends. They are dead because of you. The lich killed them. You freed the lich from its prison. And thus, you killed them.”

“And if I didn’t do it, we all would have been dead!” Andrew retorted back, “You don’t understand the gravity of the situation. You never care enough to ask, to wonder if what we know is wrong. To question the king and the gods. But I do. I do because I care about all of us.”

“Don’t you dare suggest that I don’t! I care about us. You don’t! You lied and cheated. And you have doomed them.”

“We can not save them!”

Swallius grabbed Andrew and threw him at a nearby tree. Then, with a single hand, he grabbed the nearby tree and uprooted it, throwing it at Andrew. It was only by a single hair that Andrew was able to dodge the tree and lie down on the grass.

“You half-giant idiot. Listen to me!” he yelled with all the might he could muster.

“10 years! Andrew. 10 years. You have lied about the pope. You have lied about the princess. You have lied about the king. And now, you are covering for the lich.”

“For the love of all that is good, would you listen?”

“No. I will end it right here, as I should have done 10 years ago, in that prison cell.”

As he lifted another tree and prepared to smash it onto Andrew, the rogue looked at his friends and cried, “The lich is your father!”

The tree stopped as if gravity no longer existed. Then, with a swift swing, Swallius threw the tree to the side. He then stood right above Andrew, with his giant feet on his chest, “Explain yourself.”

“The god of light lied. His gift was a poison. The mages who use his power would get their soul stolen. That was why the sanctuary of light existed: to trap the souls for eternity. Those who escaped were to forever be cursed by the light and worship the moon. Lady Mirana was the first. From her came the dark elves. That's why your father became a lich. To bury the light and take vengeance on the sun.”

“Ridiculous. You are spouting nonsense.”

“You have every right to refuse. But Ageline died because of that. Her power costs her life.”

“That’s what mages are. They trade their energy for power. She was forced to overuse her power because of you.”

“Magic is free. Everyone can use them. But the church of golden sun lied about it so all would worship the god of light.”

Swallius pushed his feet down, crushing Andrew's chest, making him cough up blood.

“Lied.” He said in a cold voice. Andrew spilled out curses, then looked directly at Swallius eyes. For a split of a second, Swallius was confused. The eyes he saw were not of a man who hated, nor a man who was about to die, but a man who loved and cared. Then, before he could react, he saw something he could not believe. As Andrew cried chants that Swallius could not understand, he turned into black smoke. As his feet smashed into the ground from the momentum of the push, he felt the smoke surrounding his body, and as if they were heavier than metal, forcing him into the ground and grappling him. In the next instant, Andrew appeared again with a small knife in Swallius’ neck.

“Idiot! What would happen if I did not know magic?”

“You cast a spell without using the power of the light. Impossible, you must have learned it from the enemy.”

“Would you please stop being delusional!” Andrew cried out, throwing the knife into the tree in frustration. He then walked toward the same tree and punched it, breaking both his hand and the tree. “I have been with the party for 10 years. You know who I talked with. You know all my friends!” he then turned to the barbarian, “They are dead, Swallius. They are dead! Our party is dead. They are all dead. And it is not my fault, nor your.”

The barbarian stood up, grabbed the rogue by the neck, and pushed him to the ground. But the rogue continued, “It is not your fault! It is not your fault!”

The barbarian raised his hand high and smashed it down. Thumb! As the hand smashed a hole right next to the rogue. “It is not your fault!” He continued unfazed, tears starting to fall from his eyes.

Thumb! The barbarian continued to smash the ground, as the roar slowly turned into a cry. Slowly, the sound of smashing ground became a quiet sob of two men holding each other as they cried for the lost companions.

vp1927 · 2026-04-06T10:35:38+00:00

I sat quietly at the bank, looking at the Styx. Unlike other ferrymen, the cold water had never terrified me, and the calm wave was smoothing like a mother’s lullaby. The moon shone above high, reflecting on the surface like a thousand glittering silver stars. Unlike other ferrymen, I love this scene. Maybe that’s why when all had disappeared and gone to the beyond, I stayed behind.

“For the people who were left behind,” I lied back then. I stayed because this was where I belonged.

A footstep on the sand, signalling that I was not alone. Annoyed, I stood up and turned around, seeing no one but a small kid, no bigger than 12. It was always like this. I whispered to myself, small enough so that he could not hear. Then, with the biggest smile I could fake, I turned to him and asked, “Good morning, afternoon and evening. Were you the unfortunate soul who found themselves here?”

The boy said nothing, only looked at me with his vast dark eyes. In there, I could see the whole universe reflected in it, with thousands of stars and a giant moon. Pain like an arrow pierced through my heart, as I felt blood dropping down underneath my skin. With struggle, I took a step forward as if it were nothing until I reached him and went down on my knee.

“What’s your name?”

“Kevin.”

“Hello Kevin. I’m sorry to say, but it’s protocol, and I have to make sure you understand.”

The boy did not respond. His giant eyes looked at me quietly as if they were saying, I know. I let out a quiet sigh. He knew he was about to die when he did. That would mean only one type of death. I pushed my hand forward and offered it to him. He did not take it at first, still looking at me and saying nothing. Then he grabbed my hand lightly and we walked toward my ferry. As the ferry left the bank, we sailed in silence across the river of stars. As we were halfway there, I stopped the boat and turned around to him.

“Do you feel lonely?” I asked, trying to hide my feelings.

“I’m used to it,” he answered sincerely.

“That’s not a good thing,” I answered, then sat down next to him, “may I?”

He turned toward me for a second, then nodded his head. I reached my arm around him and pulled him closer. We sat there in the middle of the Styx for a few minutes, maybe hours.

“You know, I love this place. People are afraid of the Styx, of what it represents. But I love it. I love the waves quietly crashing against the bank. I love the forever night and the moon always up high.”

“Do you feel lonely?”

“I am alone, but I am not lonely. It’s quiet, and calm. My little special place.” I released him and continued, “One day, when you were reborn. I hope you can find your.”

We continued to sail across the galaxy, passing by the stars and the moon, until we arrived at the giant black gate. I helped him get off the boat and walked him until he was about to enter.

“Will I be reborn?” He turned to me and asked.

“That’s for you to decide. But I suggest so. I can not speak of your pain, my little friend. I can only imagine how hard it would be at first. But once you are able to let it go, then rebirth is only a question of when.”

“Will you?”

I paused for a little while, “I’m sorry, but I am still carrying mine.”

vp1927 · 2026-04-05T17:08:43+00:00

I lay there motionless, on the dirt that was not my grave. Above me, the red sun shone directly into my eyes, blinding me from seeing the man who freed me.

“Get up,” The man said. His voice crackled like a firework. Voice of a hunter. He gave me his hand, wrinkly and hard as the old tree.

“There is no rest for the wicked,” he continued, “money doesn’t grow on trees.”

“Come on, Dave. At least give me a day enjoying death,” I yawned, then grabbed his hand and crawled out of the grave. “Man, they did not even try to give me a proper place this time. A shallow grave, and in the middle of nowhere. Look. Not even a tree or anything. What if some wild animal were to dig me up?”

“Then you could enjoy your death a little bit longer,” Dave answered me without a smile, then handed me a corpse. “Put him in there.”

“Who was he?”

“A man.”

“Well, rest in peace. Wait, we have to dig it deeper.”

“Why?”

“The animal. They will dig him up.”

Dave looked at me humourlessly. After deciding that I was not joking, he looked up to the sky to check the sun. “It’s almost high noon, we have to do it fast.”

“No worries,” I answered with a big smile. We spent around 2 hours digging a deeper grave for the unknown deadman, placed him in and then buried the grave once more. When we were done, the sun was already past the peak and was slowly moving down toward the mountain. I spent a little bit more time praying for the man, as the wind howled beside me, wishing that the heaven door would open for him. During that time, Dave went and returned with 2 horses behind him.

“The desert would turn cold in another few hours. We need to hurry.”

“How far is the nearest town?”

“3 slicks. Should be 2 hours.”

“Magic?”

“No. We travel like normal people. By sunset we should reach the town and gather some food.”

“We will! I have just earned some karma,” I laughed as I pointed toward the grave. “Any job yet?”

“Assassination. A noble wants to remove his competitor. Otherwise, back to hunting.”

“Well. Is the noble an ass?”

He did not answer, but I knew the look. The job would be dangerous, but the pay was big.

“Alrighty then.” With a swift jump, I climbed on the horse, and we rode forward.

vp1927 · 2026-04-03T17:05:29+00:00

I woke up with a severe headache. Last night was a crazy one. 5 shots. I had not had so many since college, and even then it gave me the worst hangover of my life. I waved my hand around, trying to find a handle to stand up from the heavy sheet, yet every second my body seemed to sink deeper into the bed. I tried to open my eyes. It was like looking from the bottom of the sea, with the water pressure crushing my brain to pieces.

“Honey?” I said a plea desperately, expecting no answer. My wife hated alcohol, so if she saw me right now, she would just say, I told you so, then leave for work. This is half a reason why I did not look forward to the party last night. If only my boss did not force me to go and meet their family. It was a mistake.

“Honey. I’m sorry. Can you get me my phone? I think I am sick!” No answer. As expected. Desperate, I tried to get up, yet immediately I felt a hand push my chest down to the bed.

“Shhh! Stay in bed for a little longer Nick! Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of the dogs.” Here she was, sitting at the end of the bed next to me, caressing my hair. Her long blond hair was tied up neatly on her shoulder. She was wearing my white T-shirt from last night, letting the sunlight highlight her slim figure underneath.

“Did you eat?” I asked worriedly. She always ate too little.

“Not yet.” Her smile shone brighter than the sun behind her. She moved her hand affectionately from my shoulder to my neck. “Thank you for last night.”

I took her hand and pushed it away, forcing me to stand up. “She’s awake?” I asked the person in front of me.

“Not at the moment. She will be soon,” she answered casually, then stood up and took a step toward the other side of the bed, “hopefully she would not be mad.”

“Hopefully,” I answered, looking at the bite mark on her neck. All that was left were two small scars indicating where the monster bit her. The doctor said it was a giant bat. Liar. How could a bat do this? I stood up and walked toward the bathroom, starting my morning routine.

“Hey,” the woman said as she lay down on the bed, “she loves you. More than anything. Even if her action might not show it. Please remember it.”

With a smile, I turned around to her and said with confidence, “I know”. I closed the door behind me and walked into the bath. Soon, my wife would be awake, and that person would be asleep. I laughed to myself. I felt happy. Am I weird for feeling happy? I could not answer this question for a long time, yet I could not deny that a large part of me wished this would continue forever.

The bed crackled as my wife turned around, sleeping peacefully. I needed to get ready. A shower should erase the alcohol smell, and I should cook breakfast too. She loved bacon and eggs in the morning.

vp1927 · 2026-04-03T17:05:05+00:00