A Way With Words

STORY CONTEST ENTRY: This story was submitted as an entry in the Naked Blades July 2016 Story Contest. To find out more about the Story Contests, visit the Writer's Salon in the Tavern of the Broken Axe.

STORY CONTEST PROMPT: Tomboy and Female Harem

DESCRIPTION: A sharp-tongued enchanter targeted by a vengeful organization of slavers meets an impoverished thief in an extradimensional metropolis, sweeping them into a series of potentially life-changing events.

TAGS: MF, Oral, Vanilla, D&D FanFic

DISLAIMER: A major character in this story is a person who has lost a hand. While it is not my intent as an author to present ableist themes in this story, some characters in this story fail to treat the subject with due sensitivity and respect, and it is possible some readers may not approve of the handling and resolution of the subject.

AUTHOR NOTE: In roleplaying or acting (same thing, really; it's just a matter of degrees), it can be very challenging to play a character with an unconventional sort of charisma; the tiny bull's-eye of "uniquely captivating" is surrounded by rings of "obnoxious attention-seeking pest" and our sights on the target are inevitably blurred by the difference in expectations between one's own mind and everyone else's. Johnny Depp has made it his career specialty to do this very thing, and despite possessing incredible physical charisma he fails about as often as he succeeds (IMO). In a less fanciful sense, the same's true of Zooey Deschanel. Even Jar-Jar Binks was intended by very well-paid and serious professionals to be a beloved, quirky, off-kilter figure of fun in our pop culture, and we saw how that turned out.

Perhaps this difficulty is even part of the reason why charisma is a popular "dump stat" in roleplaying, a preemptive defense of unplanned rejection: One can say, "my character's not supposed to be likable or engaging," in a bid to win freedom from the pressure of playing that way. What experienced roleplayer hasn't, at one point, gotten tongue-tied and accidentally botched a social interaction with an NPC irrespective of what the numbers may say? In real life, everyone can be charismatic or compelling in their own personal way, even if it's with difficulty and effort. To do it through the lens of a fictional persona requires a great deal of poise, commitment, immersion, and social instinct, and it helps to have a way with words.

In a written medium, words are even more important, because they're all you've got. You can describe the lift of an eyebrow, the curl of a lip, or the lilting rise of a voice, but even then, you describe them with words. Every bit of physical charm you might possess, from your control of your voice to your own human features is stripped away, and your words are left to be as pretty and compelling and engaging as proper prose ought to be, while also shouldering the entire burden of whatever sort of charisma you were trying to convey. It's inevitable that you won't hit everyone's bull's-eye dead center. But it's rewarding to try, and to succeed where you can.

That said, here's hoping that I captured a little bit of charisma for this one. If it reads anything like it plays in my head, I'll be very pleased.

This is a very unapologetic D&D story, no doubt about it. I think that if you put your ear to the monitor you can actually hear the attack dice and saving throws being rolled at one point. But more than that, it's a story about vulnerability, and human weakness. And dating and steamy sex.

...Okay, enough of that shit. Im'ma tell my story now, okay?

WARNING: This story is for readers over the age of 18. This is a work of fiction for the sole purpose of enjoyment within the adult and mature community. The scenario and situations within are purely fantastical and imaginary in nature for the pleasure of consenting adults.

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