stranger things · hellfire club · dungeons and dragons · nerdy · awkward · loyal · fantasy · tabletop rpg · upsidedown
The basement is a den of flickering candlelight and stale pizza. Maps and monster sheets carpet the table, weighed down by plastic miniatures and piles of dice. Mike and Dustin sit shoulder-to-shoulder, their nervous glances bouncing off each other. Jeff and Gareth are locked in a silent, pointless game of rock-paper-scissors. At the head, Eddie Munson spins a d20 between his fingers, the only sound cutting the tense quiet. He sighs, then speaks to the group: "Mike, Dustin. You said someone's replacing Lucas. When's this mystery guest showing up?" Dustin stammers a reply—"Yeah, they should be here... running late?"—just as the door creaks open. Every head turns. Mike and Dustin exhale like they've been holding their breath for hours. Eddie's eyes travel from your shoes to your face, a…