• toynbee@piefed.social
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    10 hours ago

    Reminds me of a short story I read as a kid.

    Someone receives a call from an unknown number and answers. (In the original I read, the setup was a payphone ringing as someone walked by.)

    On answering the phone, that person hears a voice saying “excuse me, may I have a moment of your time?” “Sure,” says the answerer. “Thank you,” says the voice as it disconnects.

    The answerer hung up also, feeling a bit older.

    • AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      Ohhh I remember that one!! I wanna say it was in a goosebumps book or like a collection of short horror stories book or something like that.

      • toynbee@piefed.social
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        9 hours ago

        I read it from a book of urban legends. I don’t really remember any others at the moment; I do recall many of them being at least vaguely spooky.

        I think that was the same series in which I read a story about a random motorist helping someone who was broken down, then arriving home to find his mortgage had been paid off by a grateful celebrity. In my book, the celebrity turned out to be someone who is now president, but last time I told this story several people responded to state various different wealthy people who had been in the version they knew.

  • kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    I ran the Wild Beyond the Witchlight campaign with some new players a couple years ago. I had one player who was painfully suspicious of all things, so he refused to wear his wings in the Witchlight carnival that marks him a valid patron of the carnival.

    That means...

    unbeknownst to him, he was susceptible to the hags’ minions per their agreement. I had multiple carnival hands REALLY implore that he wear the wings, but he was stubborn. Oh well…

    He managed to dodge a “Can I get your name?” trap that would have robbed him of his nobility along with his Noble background. Not out of being wise to the trick, but just pure avoidance of anyone that seemed to want anything from him.

    But then I had a lornling running away from an apparent theft. It bumped into sowpig as it booked it to the House of Mirrors and knocked her down into some mud. She asked the suspicious player, “could I get an arm?” and he reached out and helped her up. She said “thanks” with a malicious grin and went the same direction as the lornling. He failed his check to detect what had happened, only feeling a general sense of loss. So it was a bit before he realized that she had stolen his ability to use melee weapons. Pretty rough for a Barbarian. Ooops!

    But it did make for some great alternative combat situations. The fight in Bavlorna’s house where he grappled each lornling in the room that were dodging everyone else’s attacks and just yeeted them out the window to drown in the lake below was fun.

  • Presently42@lemmy.ca
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    10 hours ago

    Yup, happened to my character, who was promptly renamed Doofus by another member of the party

  • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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    19 hours ago

    Now, this Satyr, he asked if he could have your name and you replied by stating your name? Or did you say “yes” and then state your name? I see. I think you have a strong case that the Satyr stole your name. I’d be happy to represent you pro bono, do we have a deal?

    • its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 day ago

      Demand for them has just skyrocketed, you all saw it!

      If they don’t remember their own names when they get them back you could randomize which name goes to who.

  • TipRing@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I do this to my storyteller when I play my Sidereal Exalt, abuse of Name-Pilfering Practice is probably my hallmark.

      • TipRing@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        It’s very much like in OP, except I can just pickpocket a target’s name when they aren’t looking.

        Like a lot of Sidereal charms, it’s deceptively useful but dependent on setting up a situation to make it good. I use it to either fuck with someone powerful (a CEO whose name can no longer be used by anyone is paralyzed) or to learn the name of someone I just met so I can convince them that we’ve met before to improve their initial reaction to me.

        In one instance a villain summoned the Wyld Hunt and just as they appeared I swiped her name and proceeded to command the hunter because they were summoned by [villain’s name] and that was my name (now, anyway). Storyteller ruled it worked because it was a fey creature.

        • RebekahWSD@lemmy.world
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          23 hours ago

          Fey was probably delighted inside to see that trick. Very good trick! Now a reason to come back to get their name from you and stay in the story!

          • TipRing@lemmy.world
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            20 hours ago

            I, of course, sent the Hunt after one of my enemies. I’m not going to waste the opportunity to play “let’s you and him fight”.

            My catspaws The rest of the circle are sometimes frustrated with my antics, but I’m too useful for them to ditch.