#(I'm not going to use the feature to find out whether or not they're real accounts)

[bluefeatheredvelociraptor]

So, this is Tumblr now? Some sort of P*rn Hub redux? OnlyFans wannabe? TikTok impersonator?

Shame on you, Tumblr

(Yeah, I know this feature isn't new, I've just been ignoring it since it was added. Honestly don't get why this feature was even added. Why is every app trying so hard to be a TikTok wannabe? This sucks)

[captainsophiestark]

The Richmond Vampire

Damon Salvatore x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: TVD/TO

Summary: Damon's come to retrieve his SO for involvement in some Mystic Falls drama, but unfortunately for him, they're not willing to miss their favorite class at Whitmore, which just so happens to be covering vampires.

Word Count: 1,699

Category: Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Hey! Babe!"

I stopped short of the door to my lecture hall, letting my classmates go ahead at the sound of my boyfriend's voice from behind me. I turned to find none other than Damon Salvatore heading towards me, weaving through the undergrads with incredible impatience.

"Hey yourself!" I called out to him with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Damon huffed at the last college student in his way as they wandered past, before turning his attention to me.

"I need your help. We've got... business we need to take care of."

The smile immediately dropped off my face. I'd been dating Damon long enough to know that 'business' was code for some supernatural problem that had somehow managed to follow us out of Mystic Falls. I shook my head.

"No. No way, Day. I have class."

"Oh, come on," he said, rolling his eyes a little before taking a step closer to me, into my space. One of his hands came up to play with the ends of my hair. "Don't tell me I'm gonna have to convince you to cut class with me."

He lowered his voice, teasing and flirting at the same time, but I just put a hand on his chest to stop him moving any further.

"You know I love you, and if it was you in trouble, I'd drop everything to help you in a second. But I'm not missing my favorite class, especially not the lecture I've been waiting for this whole semester, just to involve myself in the latest Scooby Gang drama. Whatever it is, it can wait, like, two hours."

Damon opened his mouth to continue making his case, but I just gave him a smile and a wink, then pulled out of his grasp. I slipped through the door of the classroom before he could stop me and headed for a seat near the front. When I sat down, I wasn't surprised to see Damon following right behind me, settling a moment later in the seat next to mine. I turned to him with a grin.

"Last chance to leave before class starts. I can call you when it's over."

He turned to me with a fake smile I knew well.

"Nope. If you won't leave, I might as well stay here with you. Then we can leave even faster once it's over."

My smile only widened. "Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Damon raised an eyebrow at me, but I was able to avoid answering him as our instructor began class, drawing my attention back to the front. Still, Damon didn't have to wait long to see what I was talking about.

"Alright, everybody, it's time for our much-awaited, headlining lecture for myths and folklore. Today... we're talking about vampires."

Damon didn't even bother to hide a snort, but I just grinned. Despite dating a real vampire, their place in mythology, folklore, and other storytelling had never lost its appeal for me. I loved reading and studying about them in all forms, and I'd taken this class largely for this part of the course. Having a real life vampire sitting next to me for the whole thing could only enhance the experience, as far as I was concerned.

"Everyone's heard a vampire story at least once in their life," the professor continued at the front of the class. "Whether it was Dracula, Anne Rice, or just second-hand knowledge of Twilight, as creatures, they're ingrained in our cultural conscious.

"However, not all vampires are the same. Stakes, crosses, cutting off the heads, garlic. Even whether or not sunlight will kill them, although sparkling is a bit of an outlier. Each myth of the vampire, or a vamprie-adjacent creature, has a slightly different description of exactly what makes a vampire. We even have our own local variety, with the myth of the Richmond Vampire existing for just over a hundred years now."

I leaned over to Damon, getting close enough to whisper in his ear.

"How many of these myths do you think you're responsible for?" I asked.

"All of them," he deadpanned, without even glancing over at me. "Except Edward."

Now it was my turn to snort. Luckily, my professor didn't notice.

"Today begins the unit of our class where we look at the permiation of the folklore not just of vampires, but of all the undead creatures that stalk the night. Is it simply a fascination with death that has led to most cultures telling a tale about some kind of undead creature, or is there something more? Something beyond the legends?"

"What do you think she'd do if you turned in a paper theorizing the vampire myths were mostly created and spread by this group of really old assholes we know?"

"Shh."

"Oh, so you're allowed to make little comments to me but I'm not allowed to make them to you?"

"Yes. That way I can make sure I don't miss anything I want to hear."

I didn't need to look at Damon to know he was rolling his eyes.

My professor continued her lecture, digging in a little on some specific examples of the vampire myth. I took dutiful notes, mostly blocking out the comments from my boyfriend, and eventually he settled for just doodling his own, much more sarcastic notes in the margins of mine. I smiled as he drew a particularly cartoonish fanged vampire. That'd make studying a little more fun in a couple weeks.

Damon managed to sit through the whole hour and a half class with me, all in all with much more patience than I'd been expecting. I should've known he was just waiting for his moment.

After class was dismissed, I quickly packed up, ready to head off with Damon to handle whatever ridiculous drama he'd wanted me to get involved with in the first place. When I stood with my bag, however, I found him heading for my professor at the front of the room. I frowned.

I walked quickly to catch up to Damon, hearing the tail end of his sentence as he shook my professor's hand.

"...incredibly interesting lecture to get to sit in on," Damon said, his voice dripping with charm and a fake smile plastered on his face. "Really, it was outstanding. The vampire myth is just so interesting."

I barely managed to stop myself from laughing out loud. For anyone who didn't know Damon, they'd likely be swayed by his apparently genuine interest, rapt attention, and dazzling smile. I'd seen him flip the switch to manipulative people-person enough that it didn't convince me anymore, although my teacher sure seemed to be falling for it.

"I'm glad you agree. It really is a most fascinating topic. You'd be welcome to sit in on future lectures, if you'd like."

"Thank you! I just might have to take you up on that. You know, I had a friend once who swore she saw a vampire in some small town bar around here."

My professor laughed. "I've heard of small town Bigfoot and Mothman sightings, but small town vampire sightings might be a new one."

"Right? I mean, I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but it's a little unbelievable to think a vamprie could be standing right in front of you, isn't it?"

I stepped up to Damon's side and discreetly elbowed him as my professor laughed. He just grinned at me in response.

"Well, it was almost as much of a pleasure talking to you as it was listening to your lecture," Damon said, holding out his hand again for a fairwell shake. My professor took it, and I caught the glint in Damon's eye as he shot the man a wolfish smile. "Take care. Don't let the vampires get you."

He chuckled again, giving both of us a smile as Damon finally dropped his hand.

"I promise, I won't."

Damon hummed and smirked while I fought through the most forced smile of my life as I hustled Damon out of the room, just barely managing to maintain a casual facade. The minute we cleared the classroom door, I turned to my boyfriend with a scowl.

"You laid that on a little thick," I said. Damon just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You're the one who insisted on sitting through that class. I just decided to engage with the lecturer and the content a little more."

I snorted. "Yeah, sure. I take it you enjoyed yourself then?"

Damon grinned. "Very much."

"Should I be changing your name in my contacts to 'The Richmond Vampire'?"

Damon smirked. "That wasn't very subtle."

"Neither was a single word you said to my professor."

He huffed a laugh. "True. Then sure, if you really want to. Just don't ask me to help you test which vampire myths are true and which aren't. You already know real vampires burn in the sun."

"I promise not to use you as a vampire lab rat as long as you promise not to take a bite out of my folklore professor."

"Hmm..."

"Damon."

"Fine. I promise not to bite your folklore professor. At least not this semester."

I rolled my eyes, but decided to let that one pass without comment, at least for now. Damon gave me his real smile as he took my hand, and I sighed as I leaned into him, the two of us heading for the doors to the building together.

"So am I going to be hearing about your vampire mythology theories for the next few weeks?" he mused as we walked. I hummed.

"Probably, yeah. It's part of being there for each other, right? I get involved in your little brother's teen drama, you listen to me talk about vampires like they're not real, and like the Mikaelsons had nothing to do with the global spread of the myth."

"Sounds like a match made in heaven."

"I'll say."

Damon and I shared a smile, and as we reached the doors, he paused long enough to pull me to him for a long kiss. I smiled into it as one of his hands tangled in my hair. Damon could be absolutely ridiculous sometimes, but so could I. At the end of the day, we made a pretty damn good couple as a result of it.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

Another week chock full of Japanese ql. I am officially dropping a currently airing show from QL Corner--let us never speak of it again. Of the other six shows still airing now, five are streaming weekly on Gaga and the other is available via fansub.

Takara's Treasure

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite things airing—it gets better every week, and it's been good from the start! This story is a great example of the way tension and depth of feeling in a great romance can build. I was delighted to have Takara confirm Taishin's confession and coax him into dating this early on because it means we are going to actually spend some time with them figuring out how to work as a couple. And I don't expect it will be smooth sailing, because these two have some incompatible issues that are going to exacerbate each other.

Cosmetic Playlover

This show is gorgeous, but it all feels pretty empty. Thank you to @usertoxicyaoi for confirming that the show is racing through the plot so it can cover the whole arc of the manga. I'm glad to understand why it's doing this, but it doesn't help with my total emotional disconnect from the story, because the show is rushing through and not letting us actually experience this relationship. They tell us they like each other, then that they're in love, then that they're established and struggling, but I can't feel it because they haven't brought us along for any of that. This week featured an interesting plot about their professional growth and how it challenges their relationship, but I was frustrated because I have no investment in said relationship to give the plot stakes. I may just have to accept that this one will stay a treat for the eyes but lacking in depth for me.

I Hear the Sunspot

We back! After a bit of a miscalibrated installment last week, this episode felt more characteristic and we finally got our boys back on track. Maya was less egregiously mean to people this week and her interference was treated as more comedic than sinister, which is a much better fit for the tone of this show. And once Kohei got around her, he finally talked properly with Taichi and asked him to stay on as his notetaker, reaffirming their friendship in the process. Despite Maya's efforts to convince him otherwise, Kohei has not wavered and his firm declaration that he doesn't want anyone but Taichi taking his notes or eating his food had me gasping. For his part, Taichi is getting better at keeping his cool and finding words when Kohei lets his feelings slip, and he's clearly thinking a lot about his own feelings and whether their connection is really about friendship.

Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko

Oh man, this show has really gotten itself into a muddle. We finally got a kiss, but it hardly felt like a triumph. This episode was a bit of a return to form, with Ayaka back to her relentless pursuit of Hiroko, but the way the story diverged to change the conflict midstream has mucked it all up. For the first half the conflict was about Hiroko believing Ayaka is straight, and then suddenly it was about a different work-related closet trauma that did not connect to that. Now it’s touching on both but in a way that makes Hiroko seem inconsistent, because now that she knows Ayaka is a lesbian it doesn't track that she would continue to patronize and dismiss her, and it also sucks that Ayaka is harassing Hiroko at work despite knowing she doesn't want to be out. It feels like the story is invalidating Hiroko’s fears about being out in a way we know is not consistent with reality. This would all work better if the backstory had been about Hiroko falling for a woman who succumbed to comphet and we kept up the misunderstanding and comedy about Ayaka being straight. As it is, I feel like our heroine no longer makes sense and our couple still hasn't formed a real connection, and with only one episode to go it’s unlikely they’ll land the plane.

Mr. Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

I just love everything about this show and its mature perspective on relationships. In the aftermath of Ishida's hasty confession (and his attempt to walk it back, which I love that Mitsuya did not fall for), we take a beat for Mitsuya to consider the two men circling him and what he wants from his life. I loved that he took the time he needed to process and end his relationship with Noguchi on his own terms this time, and to consider whether he has the desire and the energy to try again with someone new. When he said he has his home and his work and his Frito and that's enough for him, I felt that. But Ishida has already gotten to him, and as Shige wisely pointed out, Mitsuya must care about him quite a bit to be considering this deeply before making a move. I'm not sure he's ready to dive in, but he doesn't have much will to fight it, either. You can go here for the files to watch this episode, with big thanks to @isaksbestpillow and @nicks-den.

Tagging @bengiyo to add this week's anime update.

[olomaya]

Shhh!! It's a Library (mod)

27 Sept Update: Found a better shushing sound so I replaced with that. Also added ITUNs for the non computer interactions. Thanks to @cs2te for the Brazilian Portuguese translation! Redownload (if you want these updates) at the link below.

(Note: This mod uses the Ticket Machine animations for the kiosk. If you don't have it, you can download it here. Honestly, it's not that important and without it, your Sim will just stand in front of the machine for a second, that's it)

I'm officially in my Streets era. I'm building out all the community lots in my town so you're going to be seeing a lot of community/town related stuff from me for the next few months. My Sims are trying to be outside!

First up! This is a small library mod that allows you to search for books at the library using this gorgeous kiosk object from @aroundthesims. If the book is in the library, it tells you where they are by panning the camera to the bookshelf that has the book and putting a blue outline around it for 10 Sim minutes. Pretty simple. 

Features:

Browse Catalog… pulls up all books in the library

Search by… Category | Title | Author - pulls up any book that matches your search entry

Request a Book to Order -  allows you to add more books to the library. 

You can only order the types of books that are allowed in community libraries so no books that are destroyed after you finish reading them (e.g. recipes, song compositions) and no academic textbooks.

You can order written books, including articles, as well as books from other worlds (e.g. Shang Simla, etc) though for the latter, there is a §35 “overseas shipping cost” added to order these books. 

Once you order a book, the mod will check whether the library has enough money to purchase it and then place the order. 

Ordered books are added to the library at 8am the next day and you’ll receive a notification that the books have been added.

Library Funding

In order to pay for the books ordered, library kiosks have a budget. Every kiosk, upon creation, comes with a §250 budget.

The library budget is the total amount of funds in all kiosks on the lot. Costs are deducted from individual kiosks even if that specific kiosk doesn't have enough money for the book so long as the library budget has enough money.

Support your Local Library

Sims can donate books (up to 3 books at a time) to the library using the book donation bin. The bin must be placed on the library lot (either outside or inside) and you need to have books in your inventory. Your Sim will get 500 Lifetime Happiness points for every book donated. (this is related to another mod that I’m working on. More on that at a later date!)

There is also a computer interaction that lets you donate money to the library. Sims that donate §2500 or more will get a 4-hour charitable moodlet. Donations are added to the library budget.

Finally, Bookworms and Proper Sims can shush other Sims at the library. Once shushed, all Sims in the same room doing social interactions or playing music instruments will stop. (You'll find, like in real life, people quickly go back to doing what they're doing so it's kind of useless but it was a low lift so I kept it in). If someone can think of a good "shushing" sound from the game, let me know!

Credits/Thanks: Both credit and huge thanks go to @aroundthesims for creating this beautiful library set and the kiosk which I used as the main object. I did recategorize it to Misc Electronics instead of Sculptures. If you already have it in your game, you may need to remove it or you can just change the script to “Sims3.Gameplay.Objects.olomaya.LibraryStuff.Kiosk”.  The donation bin is from Sketchfab created by TheLatestShit (that’s their name, thank you TLS!) and can be found in Misc Storage.

Read through everything below the cut before downloading please! Important instructions below!

Important things to note:

The kiosk must be placed on a counter. If it’s not, your sim will reset because they can only interact with it if it’s on a counter. If you are having issues with resetting, place it on an EA-made counter to confirm it’s not this issue first before you reach out for support. You can use OSMP counters provided they are cloned from a counter and place the kiosk on there and put it wherever you want (like I’ve done in my photo. the kiosk is actually on an OSMP counter, not the white table).

Pulling up the entire library catalog, depending on how many books you have on the lot, can take a few (or several) seconds. Or maybe it won’t, I play on a brick laptop so it does for me

Keyword searches are case sensitive so “raymundo” yields no results, but “Raymundo” will bring up the 85 copies of that 🤬 book that your library probably has

The search will only check books that are in bookshelves, it will ignore library books that have been taken out of the bookshelf and are being read or lying around.

Book requests and financial donations can only be made at public libraries and not privately-owned libraries. So if a Sim in your town owns the lot, these options won’t come up (it should be the owners’ responsibility to buy books). You can still donate books though.

You can have multiple kiosks on the lot. If you delete a kiosk, its funds (if it has any) will be transferred to any of the other kiosks on the lot so you don’t lose the money. 

There is a debug interaction on the kiosk that allows you to check the library budget.

You can order one book at a time but there’s no limit to how many you can do in a day but once the books are delivered the next morning, the mod will check whether the library has enough money and will only order the books there is money for

Download HERE | alt: HERE

@simstifulccfinds @kpccfinds @katsujiiccfinds @pis3update @wanderingsimsfinds

[stargazer-sims]

Blossoming

Natsuki: You think those people over there are staring at us? I feel like they're staring at us.

Caroline: Let's give them a little wave. Let them know we're royalty. Like, 'Yes, hello loyal subjects. Emperor and Empress passing through your midst'.

Natsuki: No, don't draw more attention to us. I really think they're staring. I hate when people do that.

Caroline: If they are staring, it's probably the kimonos. After all, it's not as if everybody walks around like this every day.

Natsuki: I think western people think we do.

Caroline: *giggling* I'm a westerner.

Natsuki: Yeah, but you're Japanese too, so it doesn't count. But do they, though? Think that we always dress like this, I mean.

Caroline: I think some do, but they're probably otaku. You know, living in their parents' basement, hardly ever going out, and consuming too much manga and anime. Oh, and eating instant noodles and writing cringey self-insert fan fiction.

Natsuki: *laughing* You know you basically just described me, right? Except I was obsessed with western stuff. That's how I learned English, sitting in my room for days on end and obsessively watching the same shows over and over again with the subtitles on.

Caroline: Did you write cringey fan fiction too?

Natsuki: Would you judge me if I did?

Caroline: I could hardly do that, could I? Because, like... there might be some embarrassing little Sugar Valentine fanfics featuring a girl called Sayuri who may or may not be a fictional version of me.

Natsuki: My self-insert character was called Nate. He was a science-fiction badass, basically. Had a lot of adventures with the team from Stargate.

Caroline: If you ever came to Canada, would you want English-speaking people to call you Nate?

Natsuki: You know how easily I blush. What do you think? Although, it would be kind of cool to have an English name like yours. Is Sayuri your real name, or one you made up, or...?

Caroline: Caroline is my real name. Sayuri was my birth name, but my parents and I legally changed it when they adopted me, 'cause I wasn't using it anyway.

Natsuki: What do you mean?

Caroline: The staff at the hospital started calling me Caroline right after the accident because they didn't know my name and I couldn't tell them because I didn't speak any English at the time. I think it must've been fate that Victor was my nurse because he speaks Japanese, and he found out my name was Sayuri. He asked me whether I wanted people to call me that or if I wanted to be called Caroline, and I picked Caroline because... I don't know. Sayuri had seen too much and she was scared, and I guess I thought Caroline would be a brave new person.

Natsuki: If you ask me, you made the right choice. Caroline is a brave person.

Caroline: Thanks.

Natsuki: I don't know if I'd turn out even half as good as you if I'd been through what you went through.

Caroline: I think you would, if you had the right people around you. If I didn't have Yuri and Victor and everyone else who helped me, I wouldn't have turned out to be the way I am.

Natsuki: Yeah, well I wouldn't have turned out all that great, in that case. My parents don't even want me to learn how to take care of myself and be on my own. They can't even cope with the idea of teaching me how to use the washing machine. Imagine how they'd handle it if they had to coach me through some kind of trauma.

Caroline: They'd find strength they didn't know they had.

Natsuki: I doubt it. Sometimes I think they're still in some weird kind of denial about my disability. Like, they acknowledge I'm blind, but they don't want to help me do anything about it, 'cause I guess it's less stressful to keep me at home and just do mostly everything for me.

Caroline: But you want to do stuff, right?

Natsuki: Yeah, of course.

Caroline: And if you could be independent, what would you do?

Natsuki: Come to Canada to see you. Find a way to finish my education and maybe get a job, if anyone would hire me.

Caroline: Would you really travel halfway around the world to see me?

Natsuki: Maybe it seems like a lot, but I would. Like, I know we just met and everything, but I already feel like things are different with you than they've ever been with anybody else. I usually don't do long-term commitments, but I think I could with you.

Caroline: My dads would probably like to hear you say that, 'cause my cousin Kinai told them that you're a... a serial romantic, I think he put it.

Natsuki: Kinai Okamoto is your cousin?

Caroline: Cousin, or uncle. Depends on who you ask.

Natsuki: Ugh... that asshole. I know him from school. He used to hide my stuff, and then other people would laugh at me when there was only one outside shoe in my cubby, or no pencils or whatever. Then Kinai would be like, 'Oh Natsuki, are you looking for this?' But honestly... he's not lying about the serial romantic thing.

Caroline: Oh.

Natsuki: I'm sorry. I know it's stupid, but those girls were paying attention to me in a way that wasn't hurting me, and... I don't know. At least sex is something I can do just like a normal person.

Caroline: I see.

Natsuki: Are you mad?

Caroline: Maybe I should be, but I'm not, and I don't think I'd be mad about it in the future if you'd promise you wouldn't do that any more.

Natsuki: If I'm with you, you mean?

Caroline: Yeah. I'd have no business making you promise anything if we weren't together.

Natsuki: So, does that mean you want us to be together?

Caroline: I'd like that, but I think we should just be friends for now. We can see how it goes.

Natsuki: That's fair. I like you a lot, and I'd rather be your friend and wait to see what happens in the future than to mess it up by moving too fast and maybe doing something we'd regret.

Caroline: Are you gonna be okay with being long-distance friends?

Natsuki: If that's our only choice for now, I'll have to be. You?

Caroline: Same.

Natsuki: It won't be forever, though. I was serious when I said I'd like to come and see you.

Caroline: I believe you.

Natsuki: I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm gonna get out from under my parents' roof somehow, and when I'm ready, I'll be getting on a plane.

Caroline: *smiling* I'll be waiting.

[childrensward]

Making Accessible Interaction Banners - a Guide by Binoo "ChildrensWard"

Interaction or "DNI" (do not interact) banners are a staple of the age regression community, but too often are they made without taking accessibility in mind, whether it's because they're unreadable, have excessive eye strain, or aren't marked with alt text.

Therefore, in the hopes that I can help people out with this, I decided to write a mini guide on how to make your banners accessible for as many people as possible!

Under the "read more" cut, this guide will cover the following:

Fonts, and how to choose the best ones

Text, and what your interaction banners should say

Colour contrast, and why it's important in making your graphics accessible

Eye strain, and why it generally should be avoided

Alt text and image descriptions, and how to write them

And an example of an interaction banner I made using the criteria I've written in this guide!

So, without further adieu, let's get into the real meat of this guide!

Fonts

Fonts are easily the most important thing about an interaction banner! It's how you're going to best convey the contents of your banner in a way that's readable to the viewer. Here's a quick and firty rundown of the different kinds of fonts, as well as which ones you should (and shouldn't!) use for your banner:

Body Copy fonts are your basic Sans and Sans Serif style fonts that you'll most often find on books and websites, because they're some of the easiest fonts to read in smaller text (10-14pt) due to their lack of details. Examples of Body Copy fonts include PT Serif, Arial, Comic Sans, Roboto, and Helvetica Now.

Display fonts are often used for headers and subheaders and include features such as being thick, having unconventional letters, and, on occasion, being in all caps. However, these fonts should not be used for body or small text, as they will be very hard to read. Examples of Display fonts include Futura PT, Elephant, Noto Serif Display, and Shoreditch.

Script and decorative fonts are subtypes of display fonts, with the former having a handwritten quality to them, while the latter are considered to be the fun display fonts. However, you should be very careful with using either of these fonts- not only can they be hard to read on their own, but neither should be used specifically for body or small text in any circumstance. For the sake of readability and accessibility, however, I'd be more inclined to avoid using these fonts.

Text

Aside from the fonts that your text will be written in, the text itself is also a mandatory aspect of your banners. After all, it's what banners are entirely based on, and it's the very thing that tells you who can and can't interact with your posts.

However, there's something important to keep in mind, and that is how much text you're trying to cram into your banner because you're trying so desperately to fit your entire DNI criteria onto it.

What I think is important when it comes to making your banners is to keep any text you have on there as short as possible. If you bombard your banner with all this specific criteria, then you're more likely to make your readers confused, whether or not they happen to be a screen reader user.

When making your banners, ask yourself the following questions when deciding on your criteria:

How likely is it for someone interacting with the age regression or similar communities to fit this criteria? Have I come across a good number of people who fit this criteria that makes it worth mentioning?

Is this criteria at all relevant to the content I'm presenting? Do I need things like inter-community discourse terms from other communities on my banner if I'm making content specifically for age regression?

Is there any "unspoken" criteria that everyone agrees upon that doesn't need to be included? These might include nazis, racists and white supremacists, homophobes and transphobes, ableists and eugenicists, misogynists, anti-choice, etc.

If your answers show that the specific criteria is not relevant, then it's best to leave it out to keep the information on your banner more clear and concise.

Colour Contrast

While colour contrast is something often talked about in web development circles, it's also an important skill to learn when making any sort of graphic design- which is what interaction banners essentially are. Without taking colour contrast into mind, you're left with a banner that may not be easy for most people to read; let alone those with low vision or blindness. We also need to think about things like people who may be using old or outdated monitors, people reading on smaller screens (like a smart phone), and bad lighting and glare. As Contrast Rebellion puts it: aesthetics are important, but aren't the ultimate goal of design.

Okay, so you've understood the reason why colour contrast is important, but how do you put it into action? How do you know your colours of choice are readable?

Well lucky for us, there's many resources out there that help us in choosing the right colours! Here are a few of my favourites:

CSUN: Color Contrast - An introduction article on colour contrast, why it's important, and some examples of good and bad colour contrast choices.

Random A11y - If you don't have any colour combinations in mind, Random A11y is here to help! With it's vast amount of randomly generated colour contrast combinations, you'll have plenty of options to work with. Don't like the combination you're given? Just click on the "new colours" tab to generate a new palette!

Colour Contrast Analyzer - This is a free program for Windows and Mac that helps you with colour checking with a variety of different features; including multiple ways to select colours (CSS color formats, RGB slider, colour picker tool), and a colour blindness simulator.

Accessible Colors - If you don't want to or can't download the program above, then this website works just as fine with checking colours, too! Just enter in the hex codes of your colours, the font size and weight, and which level of conformance you'd like your colours to pass.

Eye strain

A bit of a sore topic for some, but I feel I must put it bluntly for people to understand: making your colours easy on the eyes of the viewer should be your top priority over your aesthetic. Some people, like myself, have certain health conditions that are triggered by eye strain, and by continuing to slap extremely contrasted rainbows on your banners, you're continuing to put disabled people through worsening symptoms, all because you feel the need to retain your aesthetic.

Many of the same resources shared in the Colour Contrast section can also help you to rule out any eye-straining palettes. Also, a general rule of thumb to keep in mind is: if a colour palette is eye straining enough to cause you some mild problems, then it's enough to cause someone with a disability more severe symptoms.

Alt text and image descriptions

I think a lot of us find writing alt text to be daunting- I know I did for a long while, which is why I never wrote any for my posts until recently. But really, once you get the hang of it, it can be very simple and easy to write! Even so, people who don't know how exactly to write alt text often fumble with this- either writing too much or too little, not being clear enough, or just copying the image caption and calling it a day.

Here's some tips and tricks on writing better alt text:

Alt text generally follows the Object-action-context rule. In the words of Alex Chen at Medium: The object is the main focus. The action describes what's happening, usually what the object is doing. The context describes the surrounding environment.

Be specific and concise, and even consider the content of the post or webpage it's on as well. You'll also want to consider the function or purpose of the image, and what you want your viewers to gain from it.

Keep your alt text short, as long descriptions with too much flowery language and filler words can be distracting when using a screen-reader. Generally, most screen-readers will cut off alt text at around 125 characters.

Avoid using "image of..." or "picture of...," as HTML codes will already identify your images as such. However, in this case, mentioning what type of image it is can add context.

Always check for spelling mistakes, as this can affect the user experience, causing interruptions and confusion.

Not related to interaction banners specifically, but avoid including alt text for decorative images that are used to make your post prettier. In this case, insert the word "null" in your alt text fields.

Image descriptions are a little different in the fact that they're allowed to be more descriptive than alt text, considering screen readers won't be able to cut off any alt text at 125 characters. Even so, it's still best to keep your image descriptions as short as possible to save from redundancy and confusion.

Please remember that writing alt text and image descriptions can take a lot of practice and trial-and-error, so don't give up if you can't get it right the first time! Write and rewrite it as much as you need to, or even consider changing your interaction banner altogether if you think it can't be described in words concisely.

An example

Taking what we've learned above, let's take this banner I made just for this post as an example of these characteristics put into action.

In this example, I have chosen the hex colour #4D0000 for my text colour, and the colours #B5F3DC and #E3B158 for my background. According to CCA, the contrast ratios for my colours of choice are 12.8:1 and 7.9:1 respectfully, which both meet the minimum contrasts of 1.4.3 for AA and 1.4.6 for AAA.

I have chosen the font FS Lola Bold, which is a type of display font that's best for headers and subheaders, but not so much any body or small text. I don't have to worry about this though, because I don't have any small text in my banner.

I've also kept my criteria to a simple "No DDLG/CGL interaction," because I feel that this is the most relevant information regarding the content of my blog and the posts I make. Short and simple, yet specific to who I don't want interacting with me. I also like the idea of my favourite fictional characters protecting my blog, which is why I've included another short sentence for it!

Here's an example of what the image description or alt text for this banner could look like:

[Image description: Banner that reads "Toopy and Binoo protect this blog, no DDLG/CGL interaction!" On it are the titular characters from the show. /End ID]

And if I were to have both alt text alongside an image description, then the alt text could be as simple as what the banner reads, which would be:

"Toopy and Binoo protect this blog, no DDLG/CGL interaction!"

Remember, you don't have to go into every little detail with your image descriptions or alt text, because then it can become very confusing for certain people to decipher! Keep it simple and state the minimum.

Closing words

I think that's everything that I wanted to cover in this post. Of course, there's more to accessible design than just text and fonts alone, but when it comes to interaction banners, it's usually the focal point of the images, which is why it's so vital that people with disabilities can also read your banner- especially when they contain important information about your personal boundaries.

Age regressors often pride themselves for the image we've set up for our community, that it's safe for everyone to join and no one will be judged or excluded for who their are. But the reality is, we still have lots of work to do before we're ever at that place, and making our community more accessible is just one of these steps that we should all be encouraged to take. Besides, what kind of message are we sending if we don't take the steps to make our space as accessible as possible? How do you think it'd feel to realize that a community you wanted to join is actively hostile towards you because of the refusal to learn how to accommodate for them? Especially when we have such a huge demographic of disabled people in the community, we can and should be doing better to accommodate for everyone as much as we possibly can.

Learning accessibility is a skill that requires time and practice, and I don't expect anyone to be perfect at it the first time around. The aim of doing these things isn't to make sure that every single thing is 100% accessible in every single way imaginable and with no mistakes whatsoever; but to instead encourage, develop, and incorporate good accessibility practices into our every day lives.

Thank you for reading,

- Binoo

[genericpuff]

As someone who can't afford to go to animation school n adores your work- are there any advice or tips they taught you could share that transfer to art or comics? I know you talked about learning how to properly reference things which I admit I think I and a lot of other artists struggle with knowing how to do

Ironically enough, as much as I learned that I do NOT have the patience for animating (which is... ironic, considering all the patience that's required to make a comic LMAO) I did still learn a lot from it that I was able to take into comics. Storyboarding was one of the more obvious ones, as storyboards are basically just the "still versions" of an animation before it's been animated, with establishing shots, camera pans, dialogue shots, etc. all of which you'd find utilized in a comic.

Alongside that was learning how to draw consistently. Turnaround sheets are a shared practice in both animation and comics, they're necessary to creating an ongoing project that features the same core cast of characters. Learning how to draw the same characters the exact same way every time in a way that's both consistent and efficient is crucial.

That said, aside from those little starting tips, I do hope that some day you're able to find the means to go to school for animation or whatever it is that you're desiring to go into and learn. Yes, post-secondary schooling is expensive, and there are a lot of risks in pursuing a diploma/degree that can affect your future. That said, as someone who went to a school that literally no longer exists (like fr I don't even know if I can get my transcript anymore so for all I know, the year I spent in animation college only exists in the student loans that I'm still paying off, rip) I still learned and gained so much that I simply wouldn't have in high school or on Youtube. The biggest of which was the environment - being put into an actual dedicated space for learning art, with peers and teachers who were all unified in that space working towards the same goal, made so much more of a difference in my learning than I initially anticipated. I got so much feedback and guidance thanks to my instructors, and it really put me into a space where I was forced to try new things, I couldn't keep relying on the same tricks and comfort zones anymore. If it weren't for my instructors pushing me to step outside of that comfort zone, I never would have learned how to draw from life or use other mediums that subsequently became the foundations of the stuff I make today.

And while a lot of the things they taught I could have learned on Youtube or CTRL+Paint or Draw-a-Box, being in an actual classroom with grades and a schedule to abide by actually kept me moving in a forward direction and gave me so much more help on a personal level than some guy on Youtube could have given me reading from a script or, in this case, some rando on Tumblr responding to anonymous asks LMAO

Obviously, I'm never gonna recommend that anyone put themselves into financial ruin for post-secondary schooling, ESPECIALLY right now with the economy being what it is, but I do hope that if you genuinely want to go to school that you can find the means to do so, whether it's opting for community classes or applying for scholarships/bursaries/grants/etc or even just signing up for a local art class. Do your research on what's available and feasible to you - even art clubs can be super helpful in getting you out there and talking to people! As much as we may all be slaving away over our desks creating our next big piece, art is still a form of community and interpersonal communication - whether it's between you and an audience, or a peer with whom you exchange new ideas and feedback, or a mentor whose skills you hope to inherit and pass on to the next generation.

Until then though, keep creating and keep getting inspired. If you've never drawn from life before, set up a bowl of fruit and draw it as closely as you can to the real thing, or go to the food court and see how quickly you can sketch the people walking by before they're gone. If you've never tried storyboarding before, grab a piece of paper, find a scene from a live action movie you like, and storyboard it as if you were making an animated film. Try things! Fail at it! Try it again! See what happens!

[doumadono]

I just wanna know why so many adult mha smut creators say they age up minors as if it justifies their attraction to them. Would you say it's okay to age up Eri too?

Ah, aging-up fictional characters, my favorite controversial topic! ♥ You know, I was low-key anticipating an anon to drop this kind of question, sooner nor later (what a pity you didn't have balls to come off-anon tho!). I've had my fair share of childish anons before, and trust me, those went straight into the digital dumpster. But hey, this time, I've decided to lay it all out on the table, crystal clear 🙅‍

You know, I've done it all – murder, rape, summoned demons, even glorified Satan and had several children killed in my stories. But guess what? Not a single pair of handcuffs in sight! 😎 And don't get me started on the horror section at any bookstore - it's like a buffet of dreadful deeds.

Let's be real, the purity police can take a hike. There's something oddly fishy about the fact that fanfic, mostly crafted by awesome writers, gets the brunt of the criticism or some ridiculous accusations, especially the smutty bits, while the gruesome stuff gets a free pass 🤷

Look, folks, it's all about context. Fiction is a realm where creativity knows no bounds, right? So, if I want to age-up a character for a mature storyline, I'll go for it 🤷 Look, it's all a part of the creative process. Fiction is like a playground where we can swing from the monkey bars of imagination, right? Aging-up fictional characters is a common practice in creative communities, and it's important to remember that these characters exist solely within the realm of fiction - they are not real, so it doesn't hurt them in any single way. It allows creators to explore different scenarios and relationships without crossing any ethical boundaries :) Also! Aging-up characters isn't some sneaky scheme to write "inappropriate" content about youngsters. It's about taking characters you adore or find fascinating and giving them a new lease on life. It's like those college AU fanfics for characters in their late 30s or kidfic for full-grown adults. It's all about exploring different phases of their lives. So, whether it's smutty or not, the essence remains the same 😎 You see, the whole "aging-up" thing in fanfic/fanart is just common sense. We're not into the whole "let's sexualize kids" scene, so we gracefully turn our characters into adults. It's all about creating content featuring responsible, grown-up folks. And let's get real, if reading about something meant you were all in on it, then every mystery novel reader out there would have to be either an undercover detective nor a murderer 😎 So let's dial down the judgment and just enjoy our creative freedom, shall we?

But you know, trying to equate aging-up with things like grooming/pedophilia is like saying eating a banana is the same as piloting a spaceship because they're both hands-on activities. Let's keep our perspective here, folks, and not get too carried away with the terminology 😂

If you don’t want to read those stories (containing aged-up characters/dark content/smut with aged-up characters) - then don’t read them - problem solved!

Oh, how times have changed, my friend! Back in the day, I used to let all those comments and anonymous hate bring me down. But guess what? I've evolved, and I've got news for the critics: I write what I want to write, and nobody's gonna tell me otherwise. I've got this little thing called free will, and I'm not about to hand it over to anyone who thinks they can dictate what I should or shouldn't put on paper. If that means ruffling a few feathers, so be it. I've shed my tear-soaked days and embraced the fact that I couldn't care less about those sensitive souls who can't handle a bit of fiction. So, to all you "snowflakes" out there, if you're trying to stifle my creativity, good luck, because I'm just going to crank up the heat and write even smuttier storylines with aged-up characters! Thanks for the encouragement, dear Nonnie – you've only fueled my fire! 🔥😎 I might even consider writing some very dark-themed fic with aged-up Eri, why not! 😈

Oh, hey Anon! Quick question for you. Have you ever picked up a Stephen King book? You know, the master of horror and suspense? Well, if you have, you might've noticed that he doesn't shy away from some pretty explicit content, and not just with adults. Sometimes he writes about kids too, and they're sometimes off legal age as well! Surprise, surprise. You can stroll into a bookstore, grab a book off the shelf, and guess what? There's a good chance that some of those books contain content that would make a sailor blush! Yet, the world isn't collapsing because of it. The point is, even in mainstream literature, you'll find situations that might make you raise an eyebrow. So, let's not throw stones at age-up fiction creators when the literary giants sometimes walk on the same edge, right? 😏

In the conclusion, if you've got a problem with aging-up fictional characters, dear Nonnie, you might want to take a chill pill and remember that it's all just a bit of fun in the end ♥ Well, you know what would truly make my day? If you took the liberty to hit that "block" button with glee and gracefully vanished from my interactions. And if, by some chance, you decide to stick around, don't hold your breath for a response. I'll be too busy conjuring up some fiery, smutty tales featuring Bakugo or Shoto or any other character I like to bother with your, shall we say, less-than-enlightening queries. But hey, chin up, pal – here's a little nugget of wisdom from your "older and wiser" friend: go get a life. It's an absolute game-changer 😜 I'm tagging some content creators who write dark fics or use aged-up characters and might face similar anons/anon hate: @mrskokushibo @ectologia @kyojurismo @bakubunny

[666writingcafe]

A Reward (Part Two)

Content Warning: a MC-centered orgy featuring blow jobs

MC

One moment, I'm watching a movie with everyone. The next, I'm back on the bed I was on during Belphie's portion of my chastity test.

"Welcome back," Belphie greets me. He's sitting cross-legged across from me.

"What's going on?" I ask. "This isn't a surprise final, is it?"

"No, no, nothing like that."

"Then what am I doing here?" Belphie sighs.

"We've noticed how tense you've been the last few days and figured it was due to the emotional aftermath of the test."

"I mean, you're not wrong. I know it was designed to push my limits, but damn. It didn't need to be that fucking hard." Belphie chuckles.

"That's why we decided to reward you." That's the second time he's said "we", but the word just now registered in my brain.

"We?" I repeat. Belphie nods his head, smiling. There's no way this is happening right now.

"You mean all of you agreed--"

"Yep," he answers, interrupting my train of thought. "It was surprisingly easy."

"Belphie, I...I don't know what to say."

"Just tell me when you want to begin." I'm completely speechless. The fact that these guys are willing to play out this particular fantasy of mine is something I never thought would actually happen. It's part of why I resisted Asmo's charm for so long; I didn't want him--or anyone else--to think less of me for it.

"Don't overthink it, MC."

"It's not that," I tell him. "It's just...well...why is it happening here?"

"Diavolo was worried that your body couldn't handle the stress of this in the real world, so this is the next best thing."

"But this is only a dream." Belphie rolls his eyes.

"You're forgetting, MC: I can make this feel like reality. That includes leaving evidence that will still be there when you wake up. We're simply taking advantage of the nebulous nature of the dream realm to make this happen for you." I close my eyes, still feeling overwhelmed. Part of me considers having Belphie send me to another part of the dream realm that has rainbows or something less intense than this.

"It's okay," Belphie comforts. "You don't have to worry about a thing. We'll take care of you. I promise." I take a deep breath. The person that I was before the exchange program would have never agreed to do something this slutty. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was afraid of making a fool out of myself.

But I've grown a lot since then, and these guys seem to accept me, flaws and all.

"Okay," I whisper. I feel the bed shift. Moments later, I find myself up against someone's chest as Belphie's lips are on mine. The mystery person's hands reach inside my shirt and lightly slide up my sides, making me shiver.

"Relax," Lucifer whispers, planting a kiss on my temple. "You're allowed to enjoy yourself."

"We don't have to do this if you feel uncomfortable," Belphie adds. Opening my eyes reveals his face inches away from my own. "Just say the word, and we'll stop."

"Please keep going." I sound pathetic. Rather than tease me for it, however, the two men resume their actions. Their hands travel up and down my body as their lips focus on my face and neck. At some point, my shirt disappears. Whether one of them actually took it off or it simply vanished into thin air is anyone's guess.

Lucifer gets off the bed, and Belphie gently pushes me so that I'm lying on my back. Multiple hands and lips immediately begin roaming all over my body, reducing me to pants and soft whines.

"Aaaw," Asmo coos. "You're so adorable, MC."

"We've barely gotten started, and already you're a trembling mess," Satan observes.

"I..." Their constant touching is making me forget what I was even going to say. Something about me not being able to help it?

"Ssh," Simeon whispers. "You don't have to talk, MC. Just focus on us, okay?" I feel like I'm melting.

"Give them a moment," Diavolo instructs, his breath hot on my belly. "They're not used to having this much attention on them. They're probably overwhelmed." Everyone's movements stop as they look at me, waiting for a reaction.

"It's..." I have to really focus to get the words to come out of my mouth. "It's like my brain's turned to jelly."

"Is that a good thing?" Solomon asks.

"I think so. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm just not used to it, that's all."

"If I'd known you'd react like this, I would have made this happen a lot sooner," Belphie chimes in. "It's nice seeing you truly relax, MC."

"So, are you good to continue?" Beel asks. "Or do you need more time to recenter yourself?" I take another deep breath. I have a feeling I'll be doing that quite a bit this evening.

"I'm ready." With that, the men resume their touching, keeping a closer eye on my reactions to make sure I don't become overstimulated again.

"You're doing so well, MC," Barbatos praises. "Such a good little lamb." Hearing the compliment makes me whine.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this to you guys," Belphie states. "Well, Asmo may have known already, but it seems as though our MC has a bit of a praise kink."

"Is that true, MC?" Mammon asks, rubbing his hand up and down my thigh. "Do you like being told how good you are?" I hum affirmatively.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Levi responds. "I have one, too. It helps boost my self-confidence."

"For me, they help me feel valued," I explain quietly. "They assure me that I'm doing the right thing."

"So, does degradation have the opposite effect on you?" Belphie asks.

"I mean, if that's all you're doing, then yes. I'd probably start crying. But if there are praises mixed into it, then it's not so bad."

"So, if I told you to take my dick in your mouth like the good little whore that you are, you wouldn't have a problem with that?"

"Oh, that got their attention," Asmo quips before I have a chance to answer. It makes sense that he picked up on that; he is the Avatar of Lust, after all.

"Then let's put it to the test." The other men move off me, and Belphie repositions the two of us so that my face is level with his crotch. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Satan, Barbatos, Asmo, and Diavolo all exchange knowing glances. They've all witnessed first hand how I react to having a demon dick in my face, and it's not by acting all shy about it.

Belphie makes the clothes on his bottom half disappear with a snap of his fingers, and without hesitation I wrap my mouth around him, gripping both sides of his waist as I begin moving up and down.

"Fuck!" Belphie hisses. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"That was my reaction when they did that to me," Asmo responds. "Really threw me off guard at first. I didn't think they even knew how to give a blowjob, let alone be able to excel at it."

"It appears to become the only thing on their mind," Diavolo adds. "They won't stop until you've cummed completely in your mouth, and even then they might continue sucking."

"Hang on," Mammon chimes in. "You mean to tell me that you two received a blowjob from MC before the rest of us?"

"Make that four," Barbatos answers.

"Four?! Now, that hardly seems fair." I briefly stop what I'm doing to tell Mammon that I'd be more than happy to help even the score, so to speak, making him shut up and allowing me to continue pleasuring Belphie.

The next little bit goes by in a blur as I make good on my promise. Mammon's quite loud, Levi babbles incoherently the whole time, Beel mostly growls, and Lucifer and Solomon groan like the old men that they are.

But the one that stands out to me the most is Simeon. After making 100% sure that he's okay with me doing this to him, I go for it. The noises that consequently come out of his mouth are some of the prettiest I've ever heard. It almost sounds like he's singing.

My jaw aches when I'm finally finished.

"Our turn," Belphie states. The bed creaks as he gets on it, pushing me up against the headrest. He then grabs my legs and spreads them apart before positioning himself between them. The gaspy moan I produce when he begins pleasuring me with his mouth appears to be a kind of siren call, for everyone else resumes touching the rest of my body with their hands and lips.

I don't know how much time passes or how many orgasms I have. And yet I can't find it in me to care that much. There's only one word on my mind as they have their way with me: more.

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan

[level2janitor]

grid-combat sandbox thing!

i get distracted with new projects a lot, but lately my brain's been hyperfocused on one in particular. i wanted to take a crack at combining 4e-style tactical combat with OSR-style sandbox play, which on the surface seem like entirely opposite directions. and they kind of are, but i think i have something

since i started work on it i ended up dropping the words "OSR" and "4e" from my descriptions of it bc i think they end up evoking the wrong image. there's a lot that's core to both playstyles that i'm omitting to make it play nicer with the other playstyle. but it's far along enough now that i can talk about some of the design philosophy and how that manifests.

little to no scaling

the traditional way modern D&D (and to an extent even old-school D&D) handles progression is with big numerical scaling. a level 2 PC has nearly twice as much HP/damage as a level 1 PC. so you scale monsters to match, because the PCs have to get into fights around their level for the game to work.

skeletons are a real danger at 1st-level. they're manageable by 3rd, easy by 5th, and a joke by 7th-level. so you just stop running into skeletons, and when you're nearing the end of that level range any skeleton encounters that do happen will have a lot of skeletons.

this is bad for sandboxes! say i'm preparing a sandbox setting ahead of time and have a dungeon with a bunch of skeletons in it somewhere. i don't know what level the PCs will find it at - depending on whether they go through it as a 2nd-level or 6th-level party, it might be incredibly easy or so dangerous there's little they can do to mitigate that difficulty. or i'll just have to redo my encounter math the moment they find it, and that sucks for both the GM and players.

so, big numerical scaling is out. there's levels, you level up, but most of what you get from that level-up is a new ability. not a big pile of hit points and more damage. there's some scaling, your numbers are like twice as big at 10th-level compared to 1st-level, but it's a small enough range that a hard encounter at 1st-level will stay relevant throughout a whole campaign.

the game's far along enough i can create & fully level a fighter PC, so i made a 1st and 10th-level (max) character and put them side-by-side to get a feel for the scaling.

the warrior class

speaking of, the first class i made is the fighter, obviously. it's always the first thing i want to get right if i'm making a D&D-like system.

this is a good showcase of what each class is going to end up looking like: you start with a few core features & two perks (3 for warrior bc i like them being customizable). warrior perks range from a few unique moves to useful passives that let you resist statuses, strike multiple enemies, move further, equip heavier gear, parry weak attacks, etc.

the two core features, versatile fighter & combat opportunist, are designed to reward you for engaging in core combat mechanics. you get bonuses to attack from high ground, and this increases that bonus. every weapon has a unique special move you can do with it, and this lets you use any weapon you have with no cost to switch.

i've never liked the way most D&D-likes handle weapons, where you design your build around one specific weapon. you invest all your feats into being The Polearm Guy and when you find a cool magic warhammer or dagger you're just like. well i don't want this. it's not a polearm. so this fighter is instead designed to encourage you to carry around a ton of different weapons and use all of them.

exploration & the ranger

i used to hang out in the 5e community a lot, and people hated the 5e ranger. why? cause nobody used the travel rules, and you can't really blame them. the game has rules for how far you can travel each day, for random encounters & whether they ambush you, foraging, encumbrance, different travel speeds.

but most people who play 5e don't want that kind of experience, and 5e half-commits to it by leaving these rules scattered through the dungeon master's guide and making them too tedious. everything's measured in real numbers - miles, minutes, pounds. you track weight with pounds instead of item slots. of course nobody wants to track encumbrance when they have to stop the game to ask the GM how many pounds the macguffin weighs. nobody wants to dig through the DMG looking for the rule that tells you how many miles you can move. it just gets in the way and stops the game, so nobody does.

all of this screws over the ranger class which gives you bonuses to things like travel speed, not being ambushed while traveling, finding more rations, and tracking. people disliked the ranger so much that a supplement came out that replaced all of their exploration features with naturey combat features and some skill boosts, and since then that's the actual ranger when anyone wants to play one.

with that context, here's the exploration features my game's ranger gets.

the feature on the left is inherent while the right two are perks. there's combat features, but they're not part of the point i wanted to make.

the ranger needs to feel useful, and for that, the exploration needs to be front and center. so what better game than one designed for sandboxes?

i don't want this to be the kind of big-damn-heroes game where you skip to the next setpiece because the travel is boring. the travel is the game. that's where the OSR influence comes in.

you track rations. it's important - if a place is far from civilization, it feels like it because there's nowhere safe nearby to restock rations.

you track encumbrance. deciding how much space to spend on arrows and rations, and how much to spend on treasure, means more decision-making.

you do hexcrawling, you track time, and you care how many days a journey takes because the world changes as time passes. enemies & other factions progress their schemes, new developments come up. so sometimes you go, wow, good thing we have a ranger - we can move 3 hexes today instead of 2!

the ranger is better at foraging rations so you can venture further into the wilderness, better at moving your party faster, better at keeping watch. i want that to matter! i can envision it being so satisfying to play a ranger and constantly come in handy. and i want parties without a ranger to wish they had one in a way that isn't just tedious.

so hopefully that gives you a good idea of the sandboxy direction for this game. will be posting about it more as i make progress, and gonna continue to support iron halberd in between this sort of thing

[teh-nos]

My Next Attempt At Long Fic (by which I mean more than 10000 words and it has chapters) Should Be...

Poll and the (actually quite long) gist of each option below le cut:

The Sylki Con Artists AU

This one I have a wee bit written of already but I go back and forth on this one because it's Alternative Universe - Modern Setting and I feel like there's already a lot of those (which I also complain about a lot), and I have to justify it to myself as an experiment in whether I can do a Sylki Modern AU that doesn't just end up as "two people called Loki and Sylvie do normal stuff together". That's why they are con artists in this! Because 1) MISCHIEF (or crime, or whatever) and 2) if they have the same 'job' for similar reasons and I go on about them being similar a lot then that's maybe as close as reality can get to selfcest. (The selfcest is not just a feature of sylki, I feel it is THE feature and to admit to being Bad At Shipping (again) I'm just not that interested in it if they're different people who aren't even aliens. The same alien.) (You can tell me they are gods all you want but I've seen enough Doctor Who to know that must be A LIE so I reject it as such.)

The plot is that they meet in a bar one night and shag (obviously!) and then the reader discovers that Loki is trying to buy a painting from an old woman (planning on ripping off both her and his own buyer) and Sylvie is an artist who is selling a forged painting to some posh twat on the internet who she knows is trying to rip off her fake old lady persona on the deal but she's selling him a fake painting anyway so at least he deserves to be conned. They meet up a few times before finally realising that they are in fact conning each other under fake names on the internet, and then I have to try and fix it when they inevitably get mad at each other because of it. Also, Thor works in a shop because the brodinsons are Downwardly Mobile (dad spent all their inheritance, oh no!) Plotwise Loki is going to actually need Sylvie's painting for reasons I have not yet entirely worked out so one way or another they will have to eventually forgive each other for being con artists as they themselves are and for having attempted to con each other.

Ideally I will be able to make this one funny in some way, as I think the concept can get absurd enough to make a rom-com out of it.

2. The Jotun Heat Fic (also sylki)

I was into this one for about a day and now I have second thoughts because I am not sure I care enough about Frost Giant Biology to have to write an entire fic about it. It would continue my tradition (I did it once, that's enough for it to be a tradition) of turning a tiny ficlet into a much longer thing. This one: The Opposite of Heat, in which Loki and Sylvie go into whatever the Jotun equivalent of the fandom fave 'mating cycles/in heat' trope is, having never done so before because (see if you can guess...) they've never previously spent enough time around another Jotun for the hormones to kick in properly. They have no idea this can happen, and what starts out as Fun Porno-Fic Times soon gets a bit worrying and then I suppose they have to Investigate and that's the bit I fear might end up boring me.

This is set in an AU where S2!Loki did not instantly demand that Sylvie help him with his cop friends' problems and instead just went to live in Oklahoma with her, so the other/'real' plot is them getting used to living together and the weird-but-sexy medical issue bringing them into conflict because of course the first place Loki wants to go for help is the TVA (this not unreasonable of him, as they have a lot of info in their archives and he has no other friends anyway), which Sylvie is not keen on as she would rather just avoid them for the rest of forever. Gosh, I hope nobody goes to the TVA for help behind anyone else's back!

I need a way to make this one stay interesting once it gets to the Find Out What Is Happening part and also it needs to not just immediately end with a sensible solution like just going to Jotunheim and asking someone there for a talk about the frost-birds and the frost-bees.

Also I think they should fuck in that McDonalds. Just because.

3. Jotunheim Rejects The Guy Who Cannot Possibly Be Its Rightful King, Because I'm Annoying Like That AU (not thorki)

Speaking of going to Jotunheim, you know all those fics where Loki goes to be the Rightful King Of Frostland, as Odin apparently planned all along? That but it doesn't work, because I am not at all convinced he can have been Laufey's heir (who the fuck infanticides their only male heir?!) and even if he was well it'd just look awful, wouldn't it? Crusty Old Odin, worst friend to Jotunheim for several years running, sends back your kingdom's heir having raised him as one of his own family. (I hope at least one of you is thinking "US-Backed Puppet Ruler Who Will Do Whatever The CIA Tells Them To" because I did too! Ooh, geopolitical barely-subtext!)

The problem with this one for me is it requires a fairly large cast of Original Jotun Characters, and I still fear writing OCs because of the constant 'Mary-Sue' complaints in my fannish youth. Also I would Controversially (LOL not really) make some of them women, including Angrboda the ambitious would-be consort and Laufey's tragically spurned lover who on finding out that her long-dead son is not dead makes the most of it by insisting everyone call her 'My Lady, the King's Mother' (yes, I stole that from History but I do that sort of thing now, for the LOLs). So I have a bit of an idea what happens in this one, though I'd need to think of more political type plot stuff and also I just finished writing a multichapter fic that involved the Jotun succession so maybe I'd be overdoing it if I did this one now as well.

The other problem is Jotuns are too fucking tall. I mean really. This doesn't seem to bother anyone else but they are Too Fucking Tall to interact with the shorter characters, to the point that it just seems accidentally comedic to me. Just imagine the totally-not-a-puppet king of Jotunheim sitting on a massive throne, swinging his wee legs in the air. And I don't know how to work around that other than just saying "they are Less Fucking Tall in this fic" and I don't know if that would just annoy people. Also it does feel a bit incendiary to go against the general fandom insistence that Loki Is Totally The Rightful King Of Jotunheim. Though I suppose in this he is, it's just that he attempts to become so in the sort of circumstances that make everyone start saying things like "are we really that keen on our monarchy?" or at least "surely there's a cousin or an uncle we could give the crown to instead? yeah, even a woman would do. no, she doesn't have to be alive if there are only dead ones available."

(It was a mistake to let me read books about the Wars of the Roses, wasn't it?)

Oh and this isn't a thorki fic, but Thor is going to go to Jotunheim with his bro to help him settle in and also he will be going back to rescue him from it at the end. Bros before snows!!!!

[commaclear]

My Favorite Online Tools for Writers

Tried super hard to avoid paywalls here! So almost everything here is completely free, and I have the two with paid versions marked, but even the free versions of those have the features and usability, I believe you're just limited by number of creations so they're actually good trials for the tools and you can download everything you make for free, whether or not you buy the paid version

Also disclaimer: I have no idea if any of these sites are 'problematic' because I pretty much live under a rock. Don't @ me with admonishments, we're all just doing our best to live these days.

Write Or Die! (The Sequel)

This is the ultimate writer's block killer. It will shoot your writer's block dead. Basically you set a timer and you have to keep writing for the entire time, or there are consequences. It sounds terrible, yes, I know. And it is. But sometimes we fight terrorists with nukes... Seriously, I've been using write or die for years, and though unfortunately the old site is gone, this successor site is carrying on the masochistic spirit!

Campfire | Worldbuilding and Writing (Paid version available)

Campfire is a godsend for worldbuilding addicts. Just go look at everything they offer, go look at the endless possibilities to procrastinate on actually writing. You can make entire encyclopedias and species lists and build WHOLE LANGUAGES and religions and philosophies and maps and- *hyperventilating* Ahem. They also have character sheets and a word processor and normal stuff too.

Inkarnate Fantasy Map Maker (Paid version available)

This place lets you make the most beautiful detailed maps ever. World maps. City maps. Regions, zones, small areas... It's so wonderful and I love it with my whole heart. I love seeing the maps of the little places in my head coming to life. I'm pretty sure they also added sci-fi stuff, so it's not just fantasy anymore, but do not quote me on that.

Free Minimalist Moodboard/Reference Sheet Tool

If you love making Pinterest moodboards for your characters or places, but you get super easily distracted by internet shinys, this is absolutely the tool for you. Just download the pictures you want, and drag and drop! It's also great for reference sheets if you're the visual type who needs specific images in front of them to describe places and characters consistently. Free to download, super simple and straightforward.

Save The Cat! The Website

If you've never encountered save the cat, I'm about to change your life. Prepare to understand plotting like you never have before. Please just check it out because they'll explain it better than I can. I've linked to their introduction page which is a quick read. If you don't like their pitch, just close the tab. But basically it's the cheat codes to the known universe of plotting your story.

Random Prompt Generator

This is technically for art but...... writing is art, right? It can take a few clicks through this to find some gold, but at the very least, I've found it can really get the creative juices following on a brain dead day. And it's actually wonderful for poetry too.

Free Interactive Storytelling Tool

If you've ever wanted to try out text adventures or visual novels or any kind of interactive storytelling, but been intimidated by all the coding, fear no more! This tool requires absolutely no coding knowledge, and you can actually make really awesome interactive stories entirely your own style!! It's so robust that I actually made a functional (text-based) pokemon riff with an inventory system in it when I was only fourteen. This is seriously awesome for anyone looking to try out of the box storytelling styles! And if you try it out and have questions, absolutely hit up my inbox! I'd love to help!!

Random Name Generator for Real People

Love this one so much. Actual life saver. It has so many nationalities, and then you can click the name and it'll tell you the name's meaning and popularity and what people think of it, etc. AND how to pronounce it. It can even generate short bios for side characters if you're in a pinch.

Random Name Generator for EVERYTHING

This is my go to for naming locations. I hate naming locations. It also has tons of historical/period names fantasy race and sci-fi species specific names! And way more. Seriously there's so much here. Sometimes when I'm having a bad time, I go and read the Elizabethan Era names.... Go find it, really. You'll understand why it cheers me up (I hope).

------

And because I've gone insane from years of just getting "Yeah, it's great!" on everything I write...

Here's the ultimate guide to giving helpful feedback!

Feel free to copy and share it with everyone you know, no need to credit me anywhere, I just made this to be helpful to any writer who is desperate for positive AND helpful feedback! Or helpful to anyone who wants to leave a detailed comment on AO3 and isn't sure what to say

(Apologies for quality it's a screenshot of a PDF)

Add to this post with your own favorite resources!! Let's make a masterlist!!!

[prpfz]

[ Oop—🐇 resubmitting because I forgot the emoji ]

Hello! Mun is 21+ NB looking for 21+ partners for an M×M fandomless OC × OC rp!

Currently looking for a low or semi-low fantasy RP, though the timeline of the RP can be flexible, 1500, 1800, 1999 or 2025, or any time in-between

I'm gonna be real with you, I'm looking for someone to play an asshole against my sweet (with some bite) guy. Whether they're a stoic, standoff-ish loner, or a manipulative villain, thow them my way and let's make something toxic.

NSFW very welcome, as well as 🪦🕊 themes. I'm pretty open to different kinds of taboo themes, but I have a hard no at bathroom stuff and 🐾

FCs are not required, I know I dont have an IRL FC for MC, but I'm not opposed to them!

I'd like to RP on discord, for organization purposes. Tupper or not is also optional!

Please don't interact if you have a history of ghosting. I don't mind if you're not active for a while, but I'd just like to be notified about it.

MC is an experiment (aged 18-early 20s), mystical and magical in nature, a madman's attempt to create man made divinity by infusing the divine into a dying body, giving MC a body that looks like it had been spliced and combined with the parts random divine creatures, a beastly angel (not anthro, just a human with some specific less than human features). He was isolated and chained all his life, no memories of who he used to be at the hubris of the madman, but escaped and is now hiding while trying to explore this new, massive world.

Personally wise, he is somewhat skiddish, afraid, but defensive and will bite if threatened. Yet at the same time, very curious about everything, naive to a fault, with a very pure way of looking at the world. Unfortunately for him, also very easy to manipulate. Very quiet, doesn't talk much at first, but becomes very soft and a bit too trusting and devoted if he gets to know you.

For NSFW purposes, he's more of a bottom sub/sometimes bratty, but can also sometimes be a switch.

I have some plot ideas, but we can also make our own if you have one too, or just kinda go with the flow! (I'm a pretty big go with the flow person lol) Tell me all about your favourite tropes, age gap, height difference, affairs, coming if age, Unlikely Alliences, annoyances/strangers/enemies to lovers, or any darker tropes like stalkholm syndrome, obsession and possession, power imbalance, whatever you feel fits!

I love creating things with other people! I love OOC chatting and plotting, memes and music and whatever!

• Maybe YC was tasked with "getting rid of" the so called monster in the woods, only to find that the "monster" isn't all that monstrous after all.

• Or perhaps MC ends up stumbling into the forest/shed behind YC's house, and now YC has to deal with the new local cryptid.

• Or YC is an older, more experienced creature (Vamp, werewolf, demon, angel, naga, kitsune, something of your own creation—whatever kind!) Taking in MC and showing them how to survive in this world.

• Maybe YC discovers MC and decides to manipulate him for his divine power, getting MC attached in a toxic dependant kind of way.

• Or YC is a holy man finding something beautiful in this "abomination of the divine" and taking him in.

• Or YC saves MC from being attacked/kidnapped/sold and now has this strange, skiddish but greatful guy following him around.

• Or YC is some Royal/Rich guy who ends up buying MC to keep as some kind of a pet to train as he pleases

Or any other kind of character you'd think fit! These are just some ideas! Give me your absolute bastards, your gruff loners, your tired "I'm so over this" guys, your villains, outcasts, royals, holy men, if you've got some guys you think would be fun, throw them my way! Slam 'em down on the table!

So many possibilities! And I'd love to hear your ideas too! Like and I will reach out!

give a like and anon will get back to you

[stampedpub]

Hi! Sorry if you've answered something like this before and I missed it. I was entrusted with my family's stamp collection and would like to improve how it is kept. What recommendations do you have for stamp storage that are both convenient to access the stamps and store the stamps safely?

Hello and thanks for the question! I'm going to do a broad kind of all situations answer in hopes that an aspect will cover your situation and the rest will be helpful to other collectors, but feel free to message back if you need more specific advice.

Stamp storage is one of those everybody has a different opinion things in philately - it's mostly about starting with proper paper storage and working from there to figure out what's the best solution for you, your collection, and your space.

Top tip is to make sure your stamps aren't being kept in a humid or overly hot or cold area - damp can bring mold or disturb the gum on the back of the stamp (or even make your stamps stick together), and extreme variations in temperature can compromise the stamp as well. Many a stamp collection has been lost to basement or garage storage - which reminds me, you'll need to be aware of the pest situation wherever you choose to store it, because they do love to nibble on old paper.

If the stamps in your collection are largely loose in boxes, the next step up would be to get one or more stockbooks to store the stamps in. Stockbooks let you organize your stamps and make it easy to see what you have and what you don't, without having to mess around with mounts or hinges (more on that in a second). They also keep your stamps flat and come with leaves of either some kind of plastic or a wax-paper-like material between each page to keep your stamps from interacting with each other chemically. If you have a stamp store in your area, you can almost certainly purchase stockbooks from them, or you can buy directly online from the various brands (just search for stamp stockbooks). You can also often find new or lightly used stockbooks on sites like ebay - just be sure to check the price against going rates for new stockbooks so you're not overpaying.

Stockbooks are my personal favorite option - they're not super fiddly, you can see your collection at a glance, and you can be as organized as you like, plus they have built in stamp protection features. They also store a lot of stamps for their footprint, and most fit comfortably on a standard bookshelf. The major downside in my experience is that depending on the material the little sleeves are made of, your stamps might slip around a bit.

If your stamps are in stockbooks already and you want to kick it up a notch organizationally, you'll want to invest in a stamp album. Albums are typically organized by subject (for example, you might have an album featuring U.S. stamps from 1900 to 1950) and have spaces reserved for each stamp. You can then adhere the stamps using hinges (which are sort of like light strips of waxed paper with an adhesive that's designed to not damage the stamp) or mounts (which are little plastic windows, sort of? I'll put a picture below).

I believe these days most albums are in binder format so you can add additional pages as needed, but sometimes you can get an actual bound book. You can purchase albums from stamp stores/online providers, but some are available for free to download and print out (including a lot from our parent org, the American Philatelic Society). You can also make your own pages to fit your collection, in a word processor or a graphic design program (or with pencils and pens, the old fashioned way!). Just be aware that if you're making them for anyone but yourself, stamp copyright is real and complicated.

Regardless of whether you go with albums or stockbooks, you'll want to keep them either upright and supported (i.e. on a bookshelf) or flat (like in a desk drawer or a bankers box), and again, nowhere damp or with extreme temperatures. That's more about general book care than the stamps themselves, but it also keeps things from being jostled and your book/album from getting damaged.

There are also a variety of short term solutions for a small collections or portions of, including glassines (which are envelopes made out of that waxy paper), regular envelopes (but make sure the paper's acid-free/archival-ish if the stamps will be in there for any length of time, and regardless it wouldn't be my top recommendation), stock pages (which are individual stockbook pages with sleeves that you can put in a binder or use to send stamps through the mail) and a big favorite with philatelists, cigar boxes. I've also seen people use matchboxes, which is very aesthetic but a little fiddly.

Edit: You can also find a much more in-depth look at stamp storage from the APS here.

I hope that (very long) answer helped, and please feel free to reach out with any more questions!

[y0d00p]

i'm not tagging this with tboi i'm cringe </3 ramblings about the sins i tried very hard to limit the greed section

the basement et al is a lawless wasteland of eternal torment. death is not final so dying is common and trivial, but it's still deeply unpleasant, to say the least, so effort is still made to avoid it as much as possible lol. is this hell? idk maybe

the sins are manifestations of sin. like little demons of a sort. Player Keeper is strictly an Isaac alter ego and a separate entity from Greed. "Super" sins are basically the same entities? maybe? essentially powered up forms, generally triggered by sin or sin-related activity in excess and can maybe be triggered at will also. idk i kinda go back and forth on whether they're the same or not lol

Ultra is the next advancement. probably. Ultra Greed would not exist without Greed Mode to fuel it, Ultra Pride is just some act of God idk that's literally a self insert I'm not touching that

Oldest to youngest: Greed / Wrath / Lust / Envy / Sloth / Gluttony / Pride

Greed

Siblings? with Envy and Pride

Fueled physically and psychologically by money and is literally dying constantly, necessitating the need for endless search of wealth

Has a lot of influence, makes a lot of money, but is personally a weakling thanks to being drained and dying or dead all the time. Doesn't actually screw people over financially that much unless he knows without a doubt that they probably can't kill him (beggars, mostly)

More of a "bribes and shameless bets" type of greedy than an "evil ceo" or "mob boss" type of greedy, but this attitude shifts as he moves into Super and especially Ultra mode

Made some vague ongoing deal with Satan a long time ago that necessitates him running the Black Market to collect life/blood to pay him back because he doesn't have his own to use. because he's dead

The grind never fucking stops no matter how many times he kills himself. lmao

Keepers (greed heads), hangers, and greedlings are generally mindless monsters driven by instinct, but Greed can kind of see through them. Inert shopkeepers are empty husks that Greed can see and communicate through and maybe he can swap into their bodies idk. this feature may or may not be related to the deal with Satan

Gets along best with Sloth. Gluttony and Lust are tolerable. Wrath, Envy and Pride he could do without. Also friends with Gurdy and gets along ok with the rest of her family

Pride

Siblings? with Greed and Envy

In addition to being the youngest overall, he is also the smallest

Hyperactive zoomer/alpha meme baby

Kinda lives in his own head, clueless to any negative opinion others may have of him, goes through life thinking he's the bee's knees and that everyone else thinks the same, blissfully ignorant to attempts on his life or any of his own mistakes

Nothing bad ever happens to Pride!

Mischievous for fun and entertainment

Gets along best with Envy* and Lust. Doesn't really hate anyone but most monsters tolerate him at best. He has a way of getting on people's nerves to the point of murderous rage and the way he almost always comes out unscathed just makes it worse. Wrath is the most significant example of this

*it's complicated

Envy

Siblings? with Pride and Greed

Absurd 4channer/dril vibes, really fucking mean spirited to just everyone, Real Life Internet Troll, never loses the shit eating grin

Mischievous because he actively wants to cause harm, finds great joy in the suffering of others

Of course, obviously, this persona is masking the most miserable tar pit of jealousy, self hatred, and longing. Probably cries himself to sleep every night

Seemingly besties with Pride. They're often seen together, have similar energy, share memes, do a little trolling, and have a great time, but he actually fucking hates Pride so much and often makes him the target of torment. Pride is always unaffected and like 100% ignorant to it

That said there's also a sort of "only I'm allowed to bully you" attitude going on so like, idk like I said it's complicated

Loves tormenting Greed and Wrath especially because they're easy targets (Greed because he's a weakling and Wrath because he's easy to set off). Also bullies Gluttony. Doesn't really bother Lust or Sloth much because they're hard to bother

Wrath

The most foul-mouthed

Destructive and reckless pyromaniac

Genuinely finds something akin to joy with blowing shit up so that's his main and possibly only hobby. He doesn't go out of his way to hurt anyone, but he also doesn't care if anyone gets hurt

He has endured so many explosions and fire and heat that I think his skin has probably just like melted and fused with the little jumpsuit. That thing cannot come off. He doesn't even feel pain anymore. Throwing him in lava would be a minor inconvenience. He fits right in at the mines/ashpit

Doesn't necessarily look to cause trouble or get into fights with others, he just has a very short fuse and is quick to turn to violence

Zero patience for Pride and Envy. Him and Greed don't get along. Gluttony, Sloth, and Lust are mostly tolerable

Surprisingly gets along fine with the likes of Hornfel, Loki, and Little Horn despite their mischievous natures. Big Horn, honorary big bro to the three demons, also considers Wrath an honorary little bro. Wrath grumbles about it but doesn't argue

Gluttony

One of the most mild mannered, second only to Sloth

The only sin that "needs" to eat food. Always starving, basically dying from hunger at all times, similar to Greed's situation

Usually always has a snack on hand and is not picky, he's got a ruined palate and a stomach of iron and will eat whatever he can get his hands on - actual food, unidentified mushrooms, polyps, rotten meat, dead animals

Will resort to outright unhinged cannibalism of still living monsters if he goes too long without anything else, but it's a rare occurrence. He's generally still seen as pretty "harmless" because he's very easy to appease with anything remotely edible

His metabolism does not match his curse, so despite always starving, he still puts on substantial weight. His brimstone lasers are fueled by the contents of his stomach and are the main thing that keeps him from literally fucking bursting

Generally pretty inoffensive to all the other sins, even if the constant eating and whining for food can be a bit grating. He finds Wrath, and to a lesser extent Envy and Greed, intimidating

Lust

Eternally understimulated and seeks stimulation above all else, at all times. Swallows or injects whatever fucking drugs she finds on the ground to little effect, intentionally walks into spikes and fire and other forms of harm and feels almost no pain, eats whatever slop Gluttony has on hand only for it to taste like bland nothing

Obsessive pursuit of just literally anyone that happens to be around. Pokes rubs grabs clings bites anyone she can get to

Literally no fear. Seeks company and contact from anyone. If she dies, she dies ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

All the sins are victims of her manic affection. Pride matches her energy and they get along the best. Envy stays out of her reach to make her suffer but also because he fears intimacy. Wrath fights her off with deadly force. Greed begrudgingly accepts the attention. Gluttony just worries about her eating his food. Sloth

Sloth

Never feels rested and has no motivation or even desire to like, do, anything. Spends 90% of his time in a deep sleep, can be found passed out in the weirdest places and most uncomfortable positions. Rarely seen moving, but still ends up in new spots from day to day, somehow

Sleeps so deeply at times that he may as well be dead, the wheezing being the only indicator of life. Spends so much time laying perfectly still on the ground that he's kind of just rotting constantly and often crawling with maggots

Doesn't speak, no one's sure if he can't, or just can't be bothered

No strong feelings either way about anything or anyone. Greed and Lust consider him a "friend", he doesn't confirm or deny, but he probably does like them too

[downwithpeople]

x-files roundup

young at heart: BAD. an episode that has a lot of good ideas but winds up being less than the sum of its parts. barnett should be a great creature feature antagonist, but he spends most of the episode literally hiding in shadows with his gross salamander arm kept out of view. he should have had his own delightful b-plot where he's going blind and killing people, but instead we get a lot of dull fbi procedural shit. it's just too boring to be worth watching.

E.B.E: GOOD. one of the strongest episodes of the season. it took us a little while to get there but besides the pilot, this is the first myth arc episode that felt like the writers really knew what they were doing. the atmosphere of paranoia is kicked up a notch and we get the most deep throat lines of any ep to date, though his answers raise just as many questions. scully's skepticism is nuanced, rational and grounded in a cautious pragmatism rather than a vapid contrarianism; once she finds the bug in her pen, she's more concerned about whether or not it's a good idea to kick the hornet's nest rather than questioning the existence of hornets. this is also the first lone gunmen appearance and they steal the scene right off the bat.

miracle man: BAD. an episode about faith that doesn't have anything interesting to say on the subject. samuel indisputably has real magic powers, but there's some half-hearted attempts to cast doubt on the idea. there's a corrupt southern sheriff and a corrupt southern preacher, but the real villain of the episode is a corrupt burn survivor with a walking aid in a reveal that is shockingly trite rather than shocking. mulder hallucinates his sister but as the series rolls on i expect i'm going to find all of the stuff surrounding samantha to be on the level of batman crying about his parents. the agents don't accomplish or learn anything and mulder just kind of throws his hands up at the end of the ep as if to say that's that. there's a great sequence during a sermon and we get some cool catholic scully dialogue.

shapes: BAD. this is the 90s so when native americans appear, we get the most magical ones. mulder is praised by a survivor of wounded knee for being an especially spiritual white man. this is an episode where he's also extremely unlikable, being all too eager to contravene tribal law to do autopsy on a wolfman. there's a bit of creature feature goodness but i just don't think werewolves are that cool; at least when werewolf the apocalypse was (is? i'm not gonna read the new books) extremely weird about native americans, it kind of went somewhere interesting. even without 2025 brain, this is another episode where the agents don't seem to really do anything and the whole mystery kind of self-destructs with little prompting. the good things about this episode: absolutely gorgeous shots of vancouver-as-montana, really great set design for the homes and businesses in the treygo reservation, great selection of first nations guest actors including my man michael horse. his sheriff character repeatedly shutting down mulder for trying to treat him like a tour guide is one of the few writing highlights of the ep.

darkness falls: GOOD. it's tense, it's scary, it's creepy. the horrible primeval fireflies are a toe dipped into more of a cosmic horror story, a force unleashed by accident through human greed that can't be comprehended. i mean, they do comprehend the little bastards, but it doesn't help them none. we get a strong supporting cast and some nasty scenes of people being entombed and eaten alive. we get another iteration of mulder and scully as the idealist/pragmatist, which is when they're always at their best. if i'm gonna deduct points for anything i think it's a real liberal ass episode. the logging companies are bad for destroying the environment, the ecoterrorists are bad for trying to save it and the only good and trustworthy people are the federal law enforcement in the middle of it.

tooms: GOOD. the guy so nice you see him twice! tooms kind of loses his impact for his second go around because the characters are just wise to his tricks; there's inherently less tension when the agents know what's up. what makes up for it is we get more time from tooms' POV and dough hitchinson does his damndest to make him so gross and scary that you can't fathom how anyone can be in the same room as him. we also get some great mulder/scully scenes, particularly the heartfelt conversation in the car. this is also an episode with big ramifications for the overarching plot despite being a MOTW ep. walter skinner makes his debut as the hard-headed assistant director. narratively, he's established as a threat, but he comes across as an eminently reasonable authority with genuine concern for the agents. we also get the cigarette smoking man talking, which i could frankly go without.

i really gotta pack