#vss365 He hadn't really known what to expect from her home, but it hadn't been this. At work she was so precise. There was so much stuff everywhere. Books spilled off the shelves and piled on the floor, trinkets in every nook. "I wasn't expecting such #chaos." "Chaos? I know where everything is."

Fancy some dungeon tiles for your #ttrpg?

Ways Unseen@ways-unseen.bsky.social · 2d ago

I've got my dungeon map tiles in this 😁 Check it out - some very cool stuff included.

#vss365 "Now why aren't you in the party? Everyone wants to talk to you,"she smiled lazily, the alcohol definitely having an impact. "I don't want to talk to them. If you hadn't noticed, I #tend to push people away." He sat next to her and took the bottle she offered. "Don't, you'll end up like me."

My vote is moon base. What scifi map would you go for? #art #drawing #scifi #maps #kickstarter #ttrpg #writingresources

Ways Unseen@ways-unseen.bsky.social · 3d ago

Thanks to those who have already followed! (And let me know your sci-fi map ideas!!)

#vss365 "I've come to see your new #creation." The lab was silent. He paused in the doorway. Everything was tidy, nothing out on the desks. It felt wrong; she was always in here, pottering about. He went back out and looked out into the quad. There she was, sat alone on a bench. Something was wrong.

Fancy some cool #scifi maps for your #ttrpg? Or perhaps you just love little #art maps? Then I suggest having a look at what you can get from Ways Unseen's kickstarter!

Ways Unseen@ways-unseen.bsky.social · 4d ago

Gonna have another go at this Kickstarter thing the kids are talking about! #tabletopgaming #rpgs #maps www.kickstarter.com/projects/way...

#vss365 It had been days. She knew he said he was going out of town, but she'd heard nothing. What else could she expect? One night and he'd already hit the #brakes. She wasn't prepared when she walked in the room and he was there chatting with the others. Her heart shattered: she meant nothing.

The new expansion for my own solo game - Village Emporium - adds a bunch of cool stuff and folks seem to be enjoying it! There's a new area to forage and a new trader to visit but beware of the Fae folk - a tricksy kind that just might scupper your plans... ways-unseen.com/creations/vi...

#vss365 As the door closed, her smile slipped and she felt herself start to #descend into melancholy within seconds. The chatter of people gave her something to hold on to, an anchor. But it had all been a facade, she'd been hiding behind a mask knowing full well the despair would hit when alone.

#vss365 "You're drunk." "Maybe." "Didn't have you down as an angry drunk." He smirked, annoying her even more. "I'm not. I was angry and now I'm also drunk." "Why?" "Life is one infinite mountain. Just when you think you've reached the #summit of all the rubbish, you see it just keeps bloody going."

#vss365 He'd never seen her teach before. Slipping into the back of the lecture theatre was risky but he only got a couple of raised eyebrows from students. They were all listening, some scribbling furiously as she spoke with a #cadence that pulled you along. He'd never heard her sound so assured.

I drew a series of little towers a while back. Here's one of them....

#vss365 "Everything is set for me to #ascend to the council." He leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "Well, congratulations," she smiled. "You'll be brilliant." He stared at her, the hollow feeling growing. "It'll mean going away." She said nothing. "I don't want it Elle. I want to stay."

#vss365 He wasn't sure when it happened, the #shift in the way he saw her, how he felt. When he'd met her, she'd been this conundrum, another civilian to worry about. But now? When did he become so dependent on her opinion? On her approval? On seeing her smile?

#vss365 He couldn't read her expression as she watched their friends slow dancing. "What's going on?" "Hmm? Oh,"she sighed, clearly deciding whether to answer. "You ever think about the #road not taken? Who you could have been?" "There was only this road." "Yeah, I think you're probably right."

#vss365 "Where's the Doc?" Lamont glanced around as he perched on the wall next to Thos. "Gone." "Already? She must have had one hell of a #tailwind." His laugh trailed off. Thos was staring into the distance, a sour expression on his face. "Oh no, what did you say to her this time?"

#vss365 Her eyes tracked him round the room as he stopped and spoke to everyone. The woman was by his side every step of the way. If only he would #turn and see her, just one look was all she needed; they could speak volumes with just one glance. But he never turned. Until she did, and walked away.

#vss365 She slid down the wall, wrapping her arms round her knees. Her chest was pounding, her heart racing harder than if she'd just finished a #sprint. She screwed her eyes shut, praying for the panic to pass. She didn't he'd followed until she heard his voice at her ear. "You're safe, I promise."

#vss365 He tried the device again, letting his magic loose and then catching it with the gauntlet. Sparks leapt all across the surface. He shook his arm with a hiss. "Ah, I haven't given enough tolerance for #momentum." She muttered as she came up close, taking his hand in hers.

If you want free #fantasy #fiction, episode 13 of Falling is up on substack. Kezia has can get on with looking for the missing angels now that Rafael has retreated. It's just her, Harry and a pile of paperwork, oh and some awkward questions about being an angel. open.substack.com/pub/lexikoni...

Falling - Questions

In which Kezia and Harry face the paperwork of policing and the young PC gives his own insights.

open.substack.com

#vss365 She leaned against the railing, into the #headwind. She'd expected the waves to make her feel queasy but she was surprisingly relaxed. "Why are we taking a ferry when you could have opened a portal?" She peered up at him, squinting against the sun. He shrugged with a smile. "I like boats."

#vss365 "What time do you #depart?" He glanced around her office, surprised she was still working. "Err, in an hour." She wasn't looking at him. His eyes narrowed. "No bags?" Her hands froze midair. "In the car already." He noted the inflection at the end. "You're not going are you?"

#vss365 She pulled back, wrapping her arms around herself. "Maybe I don't want to #conquer my fears. No one ever thinks of that. Just pushing me into situations for my own good." "You want to be afraid?" "No," she snapped. "But maybe I've accepted it. Maybe it's all of you that can't accept me."

#vss365 She slipped out the side door. A sigh of relief shuddered out of her as she felt the #embrace of the cool night. There was a pang of guilt at leaving without a word but they wouldn't miss her or her forced smile. But the thought of walking home was too much, she just stood there: stuck.

#vss365 #Defiance didn't come easy. Rules, were rules, even if they were wrong. Breaking them felt impossible, going against lessons taught. But to stay quiet, to be complicit in silence, went against the most important lesson of them all.

#vss365 "What's with all these questions? Are you trying to lead me into #revealing some key details you think I'm holding back?" The lift carried on upwards. His interrogator was stood at the back, pressing herself into the wall. "I was just trying to talk, to distract myself. I'll shut up."

#vss365 She watched the woman place her hand on his arm #tenderly. It felt as if she was being stabbed over and over again in the chest. Overnight she had become 'the other woman'; it wasn't meant to be like this, his wife had been gone fifteen years, she wasn't supposed to just reappear.

#vss365 "You couldn't wait?" She was in the office, already going through the computer. "I thought we were on a deadline, couldn't wait for you lot to finish #swooning over Gwyneth." Her fingers were hammering the keyboard. "Excuse me?" "I'm done." He frowned, not certain what she was talking about.

#vss365 The door slammed. Elle looked up to see which who it was this time. Rowan walked over to her. "That bloody man." Elle waited; she could have meant one of many. "If I could wipe that #supercilious look off his face." Elle looked away, ah him. Although that wasn't how she'd describe his face.

A pack of little cave maps accompanied by a bunch of tables written by @lexikonical.bsky.social. Currently on sale!

Subterranean Map Pack by Ways Unseen

A collection of hand-drawn cavern location maps

ways-unseen.itch.io