OC Questions I’ve Asked My Friends & TTRPG Players…

GARRETT HAWKE Dragon Age II – Destiny Trailer (2010)

— SHIP QUESTIONS

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet?

What was their first impression of each other?

Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Who felt romantic feelings first?

Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

What would their lives be like if they had never met?

GENERAL

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

What was their first kiss like?

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

What’s their height difference? Age difference?

What’s their relationship with each other’s families? Do they share a friend group?

Who takes the lead in social situations?

Who gets jealous easier?

Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear?

LOVE

Who said “I love you” first?

What are their primary love languages?

Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

Who initiates kisses?

Who’s the big and little spoon?

What are their favorite things to do together?

Who’s better at comforting the other?

Who’s more protective?

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

Who remembers the little things?

DOMESTIC LIFE

If they get married, who proposes?

What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like?

Do they have any pets?

Who’s the stricter parent?

Who worries the most?

Who kills the bugs in the house?

How do they celebrate holidays?

Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Who’s the better cook?

Who likes to dance?

Travel Time in Skyrim

(reposting from my Hero story)

Hires Map | Hires Travel Days Map

I wanted to make a note about Skyrim’s geography. I don’t recall where I found it, but someone else estimated that Skyrim was approximately the size of the country Poland. Early on when I started writing “Hero by Mistake”, I calculated distances between landmarks by road travel, and plugging in the maximum distance a horse could travel in a day whether carrying a person or dragging a cart. I am putting this at 16 travel hours per day for Skyrim’s hardy horses – this is twice the max for Earth’s horses, so we’ll blame this on magic, yes? Heh. I estimated how many travel days it would take to reach any given place, more or less. So, I estimated that horse-travel days by road from Whiterun to Windhelm would be about three (in Polish terms, this would be approximately from Bialystok to Lodz). Windhelm to Riften would be about four days byhorse or cart (approximately Bialystok to Rzeszow). Double that time if you’re walking. I don’t know how accurate my calculations are, but at least they’re more accurate than in-game travel!

An easy guide is using the above map of Skyrim. Diagonally, each grid square is one travel day by horse/cart, 1.5-2 days foot travel. If you want to “push” travel time (say, you need to get somewhere RIGHT NOW, extend beyond the grid square slightly). I tried to account for easier road travel, and more difficult travel across rough terrain.

Travelers might make use of landmarks for camp sites, such as huts and monuments. So for instance, one horse travel day could be between Rorikstead and Swindler’s Den, between Karthwasten and Sky Haven Temple, between Ivarstead and Froki’s Shack, or between Morthal and Meeko’s Shack. These distances would be about 2 days of foot travel at the very least. 

Comparisons

312 kilometers (aka Windhelm to Whiterun)

Horse travel: 3 days, 16 hours per day, 6-7 km/h, 48 hours total

Fit foot travel: 8 days, 8 hours per day, 4-5 km/h, 66 hours total

Child/family/unfit foot travel: 30-50 days, 3-5 hours per day, 2-3 km/h, 104-156 hours total

Example Calculations

Windhelm to Whiterun

Northern Path: Windhelm stables, Nightgate Inn, Lorcius Farm, Whiterun stables - three horse travel days

Southern Path: Windhelm stables, camp across the river from Cronvangr Cave, cross the river at Mixwater Mill, kill bandits at Valtheim Towers and camp there, camp in or near Stormcloak camp, Whiterun stables - four horse travel days

Windhelm to Riften

Windhelm stables, Kynesgrove, camp near Mzulft or Imperial camp, Shor’s Stone, Riften stables - four horse travel days

Whiterun to Solitude

Northern Path (avoiding Labyrinthian): Whiterun stables, Lorcius Farm, Fort Dunstad, Stonehills mine, Morthal, Meeko’s shack, Dragon Bridge, Katla’s Farm (Solitude stables) - seven horse travel days

Western Path: Whiterun stables, Fort Greymoor, Hamvir’s Rest, Labyrinthian, Morthal, Meeko’s shack, Dragon Bridge, Katla’s Farm (Solitude stables) - six horse travel days (not overnighting in Labyrinthian)

Winterhold to Windhelm

Winterhold, camp near Stillborn Cave, camp near Forsaken Cave, Windhelm stables - three horse travel days

Do you ever see something that fills you with so much joy that if you don’t share it with people you’re going to explode? Yeah that’s this

🌺 Cheyenne

If masturbation is witchcraft, then I'm the motherfucking Arch Mage!

Penis Galerion

Zenyatta has an encouraging message for the lgbtq community!

OC questions that helped me with characterization:

On a scale of “is occasionally forced to bathe” to “Instagram model with sponsors to hoe for” how involved is your OC’s Skincare routine?

What are your OC’s food preferences (flavors/textures/spiciness/calories/ when and how they eat) and how did they get that way?

What’s something pointless/petty/unimportant that IRRATIONALLY ANNOYS THE HELL out of your OC?

What’s your OC’s response to being asked for money by a homeless person?

Does your OC get lost easily? What do they do when they do get lost?

What would STOP your OC from Doing The Right Thing in a tense situation?

Realistically, could your OC (in their normal circumstances- i.e. at thier own house/battlecamp/spaceship etc.) keep a small child alive for a week if they had to?  A Dog?  A Houseplant? A rock with a  smiley face painted on?

If your OC had to take the S.A.T. tomorrow with one night to prep, how would they do?  both emotionally and academically.

What would cause your OC to chose to do something petty/pointlessly cruel?

On a scale of “Complete and Justified nervous breakdown” to “Conquer The Entire Galaxy and become an Immortal God-Emperor”, how well would your OC handle being abducted by Aliens?

What song is 100% garunteed to get your OC beyond turnt and will be sung loudly and emabarrasingly, either in public or the shower?

What perfectly-normal-to-them-thing does your OC do that confuses/pisses off/terrifies thier neighbors?

Under what circumstances would your OC appear naked in public?

What thing did your OC’s parents do that your OC wishes they had a better explanation for?

How often does your OC “zone out” or do things on autopilot and how severe have the problems that have arisen from that been?

How strong or weak is your OC’s Impulse control? What’s the worst thing that happened becuase of thier Impulsivity or inability to be so?

How does your OC sabotage themselves? 

What’s the trashiest item in your OC’s wardrobe, when was the last time they wore it and why do they still have it?

How Dehydrated is your OC right now? Are they going to fix this?

What’s your OC smell like?  no, not that “Vanilla and Anxiety” evocative stuff, realistically.  Body odor? what have they been touching all day? When was thier last shower? Did they put on any kind of artificial scent?

dad look at this cool bat i found outside. dad please look at him. dad you're not looking please he's so cool look

Trail cam catching a deer fawn with the zoomies