Ainsley leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. She looked up with a start when Rob elbowed her.
“It’s your turn, Ainsley.”
“But I’m out of spells, and I’m just a squishy bard. Anyway,” she admitted, “I’ve lost track of the battle.” At Rob’s exasperated look, she added, “I’m sorry, I was just wondering what kind of character Carole King would pick if she played D&D.”
Rob rolled his eyes, but the rest of the group bought in. Guessing how famous people would play the game was one of their favorite pastimes.
“I’m game,” Jenna said. “I’m sure she’d be a bard. But what race?”
“Easy,” Mike replied. “She’d be a Human.”
Rob rolled his eyes again. “You always say that. No imagination. She’d be an Elf. They’re elegant and creative.”
“Nope,” Chandler chimed in. “I bet she’d be Dragonborn. She’d pick a fierce character.”
Lilly stared at him like he had lost his mind. “It’s obvious she’d be a Tabaxi. Remember the cat on the cover of Tapestry?”
“Or how about an Air Genassi? Or a Kobold?” Mike suggested.
“A Kobold? Really?” Lilly scowled. “No way.”
Ainsley laughed at the guesses. “You’re all wrong. Tapestry was her best album. She wove stories. You just know Carole King would be the dungeon master running the game.
That stopped everyone cold. They exchanged questioning glances, then turned to Ainsley in unison.
“You win,” Rob said. “Carole King would absolutely have been the DM.” Ainsley’s smile of triumph faded when he added, “But you still have to play this round. Get your squishy bard self back into the battle.”
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The story behind this story is a little convoluted. The day before I wrote it, I took part in a prompt to create blue-themed images. I went through a number of ideas (You can see what I came up with on my Instagram, but you’ll have to scroll down a bit.) before deciding to create blue-themed Dungeons and Dragons bards.
That evening I was bingeing Gilmore Girls (better late than never) and Carole King appeared in her recurring role as a music (instrument) store owner. One thought led to another, and I began creating Carole King inspired D&D characters (which you can also find on my Instagram page). And then, of course, a story started to form to go with them.
Below, in order, you can see the Elf, Dragonborn, Tabaxi, Air Genassi, Kobold, and dungeon master referred to in the story. All images were created by me.
Oh, and Tapestry is one of my favorite albums (and songs) of all time! You can listen to the album here! Check out the cat on the cover. I’m sure, if Carole King didn’t choose to be a dungeon master she’d be a Tabaxi!
My fav album of all time as well Dasha!
One of the great songwriters of our time. I imagine she would be good at D&D also.