#Company of heroes 2 campaign

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

It’s Wednesday, which means another installment of Wídfara and Guthláf!

Thank you sincerely to the small but lovable group who read these! You’re my heroes!

This week we jump forward about 10 months, where Wíd and Guthláf are thriving as a happy (secret) couple. But when Guthláf gets a chance to fulfill his banner bearer dreams at last, Wíd does not handle it well at all.

Parts 1 , 2 and 3 in case you need a refresh.

Wídfara woke early, as he always did in Guthláf’s room. Sleeping on a stuffed mattress with soft pillows still didn’t feel as natural to him as the thin bedrolls on the ground that he had grown up with out on the plains, and he never used the bed in his own room when he slept alone. But the strange feel of the mattress was only half the challenge to finding rest in Guthláf’s room; the other half was Guthláf himself, who had a tendency to sleep splayed out with limbs in every direction. When Wídfara was a boy, a member of a traveling party that passed through his family’s lands had shown him a drawing of a brightly colored, star-shaped fish that could be found in the waters off Gondor’s coast, and Wídfara thought of that special sea star whenever he looked at Guthláf asleep.

He rolled quietly out of bed now and began to dress himself, taking care not to disturb Guthláf in the process. They were only two days back from a harrowing and exhausting campaign in the West-mark, their éored sent in relief to help manage an unexpected and tenacious conflict that sprang up near the western border with several companies of Dunlendings. They had been lucky to avoid deaths, but there were several serious injuries and Thrymma, their banner bearer, was critically wounded. As so often happened to those with the flag in their hand, he had been a visible and attractive target to enemy archers. Now he clung tenuously to life, the wounds he suffered having become infected or perhaps poisoned by the arrows themselves, and it would soon be Wídfara’s turn to sit watch in his sick room, relieving the man who had spent the last six hours there.

He sat back down to pull on his boots and looked at Guthláf as he did. A tangle of blonde waves fell over Guthláf’s eyes, and his lips were parted ever so slightly, allowing the quiet rhythm of his slow, even breathing to be heard. The fingers of his left hand were curled into his palm, squeezing lightly every so often in keeping with the events of whatever dream was entertaining his resting mind, and Slaga was pressed into the small space between his arm and torso, his furry chin resting on Guthláf’s ribs just below the swath of burn scars that had cut across his chest and stomach since he was just fifteen.

For the thousandth time in the last ten months, Wídfara said a silent prayer of thanks to the gods for having brought them together. However they had ended up here, it had been the singular blessing of Wídfara’s life so far. He had never imagined it would be possible to find one person who represented so much of what he respected and admired in others – kindness, integrity, bravery, dedication – and did it all in such a joyful, easy way. He had only to hear Guthláf’s booming laugh from across a crowded room and his spirit would feel lighter. He needed only to have those pale blue eyes land on him to feel special and wanted. Guthláf even accomplished what Wídfara had once thought to be impossible: to make him feel at home in Edoras, with friends and support and pleasure all around him. They never really talked directly about their own relationship, uncertain even of what to call it in a culture where there was no word for intimacy between men. But Wídfara knew his own heart, and his heart loved Guthláf.

He slowly opened the door a few inches and peered out into the hallway. When he saw that it was empty, he slipped from the room and made his way out of the barracks. No one else knew the true nature of Wídfara and Guthláf’s connection, and they took pains to keep it that way, fearful of how the other men would react. The concealment hadn’t started out difficult for Wídfara; he was well used to the imperative for discretion, and it was in his own nature to keep private those things he most valued and cherished. But as the months drew on and his feelings for Guthláf only became more intense, he found himself often regretting the small gestures and moments that they were forced to sacrifice at the altar of secrecy. A clasped hand while on a walk through the city. An arm draped over a shoulder when they sat side-by-side. A sweet endearment on one of the many occasions when Guthláf’s famous generosity was on display.

At times like those, Wídfara ached to claim Guthláf publicly, and he knew Guthláf felt the same. But without an example to look to, any other pair of men who dared to live openly as they wanted to, the risk of exposure felt far too high.

The morning air on Wídfara’s face was heavy and damp, and an unexpected chill tinged the dampness thanks to a wind coming down from the mountains. It was a miserable day to be out and about, and his intuition told him it wouldn’t get any better. He crossed quickly to the building where the healers worked, ready to start his shift at the vigil for Thrymma and honor the commitment of the Eorlingas. No one suffered alone. Just before he ducked inside, he dropped a few arrowheads on the small plate by the door, his offering for the concern and protection of Béma on behalf of his friend. They clinked lightly against the bridle bit and spearhead that had already been deposited there by others.

Keeping watch over the critically injured was a difficult task in any situation – Wídfara had seen men cry for their mothers, hallucinate frightening visions and endure shocking bodily indignities as a result of serious wounds over the years – but this watch was particularly troubling to his mind. He had always liked Thrymma, a thin slip of a man who was nevertheless shockingly strong and unquestionably tenacious, and Wídfara prayed those traits would save his friend now. But if he was being honest with himself, he knew there was another reason why he was so keen to see Thrymma recover, a reason that shamed him and yet was undeniably true: as long as Thrymma lived, the éored had its banner bearer and Guthláf, no matter how desperately he wanted it, would be kept from the role. Kept from the appalling dangers of being simultaneously the most exposed and the most targeted man on any field of battle. Kept from the risks that Wídfara had simply grown unwilling to see Guthláf incur.

Herubrand stood leaning against the wall outside of Thrymma’s room, his face drawn and somber, when Wídfara arrived. “It won’t be long,” he said quietly. “He had an awful night, and they brought Idafrith to say her last goodbyes. She’s in there now.”

Wídfara’s heart sank. His hopes for Thrymma had been tenuous at best, but he had hung everything on them all the same. He blinked back a tear or two, thanked Herubrand for having covered the small hours of the night and took up the other man’s place just outside the door, preparing to await the inevitable and trying his best to think of Thrymma in happier moments.

His efforts were rendered futile by the groans and cries that occasionally made their way from the room, sounds of grueling pain that swelled his heart with pity. No death could be deemed good but some were easy, and Thrymma’s clearly was not. Alongside the agony of the banner bearer, the sobs of his wife were also clearly audible, and at times Wídfara had to fight back the urge to cover his ears, to shield himself from the emotional hemorrhage spilling out just feet away from him.

At last, after about an hour, Idafrith’s weeping turned suddenly into a long, piercing wail that sent Wídfara’s blood running cold even as he felt grateful that Thrymma’s pain was ended for good. He tolled the bell at the end of the hall to summon those who cared for the dead, and then he went into Thrymma’s room to finish caring for the living. Idafrith cried in his arms until her mother arrived and he was excused to return to regular duties. But the dark, wet stain of her tears lingered on his chest for long minutes after leaving and the sound of her cries in his ears for longer still.

That night, pinned beneath an arm and a leg that had found their way atop him as they slept, Wídfara had his first nightmare about Guthláf’s death.

Amidst his genuine grief and sorrow for Thrymma, Wídfara spent the next few days feeling irrationally irritated. His mood was dark and his thoughts uncharitable, though he tried his best to keep them to himself, aware that he had no fair basis to be unpleasant to anyone else. But everywhere he turned, he found himself running into frustrations and resentments.

Without asking him first, Guthláf had paid Wídfara’s contribution to the collection in support of Thrymma’s widow, knowing that Wídfara couldn’t afford both his share and the weekly payments he sent home to help his parents. Guthláf had meant well but the gesture left Wídfara feeling small, and when they argued about it, Guthláf’s admonition – “your parents can’t eat your pride, Wíd” – had stung more than he realized.

Even worse, at an impromptu gathering of riders to drink to Thrymma’s memory, Guthláf cried, and Wídfara had to watch as Hildred comforted him. They had a clear understanding between them that they would not offer each other even the most benign physical affection in public, afraid that others would see something as normal as a consoling embrace at a memorial and somehow intuit from it all the other embraces of a very different kind that they shared in private. But as Wídfara saw Hildred put an arm around Guthláf’s shoulders, he felt overwhelmed by a painful stab of jealousy, not because he thought Hildred had any competing interest but because Hildred had the freedom to give the consolation that Wídfara himself yearned to provide. He had the luxury to offer a simple kindness without a second thought as to whether it would also lay bare his most deeply held secrets. The unfairness of it burned in Wídfara’s chest.

The funeral itself took place the next morning at the barrows beyond the city gates, and Wídfara steeled himself for another difficult day. Thyrmma’s closest friends and kinsmen carried the bier with his body past a crowd consisting of members of the éored, Freogan and the other novices, and friends and family members of both Thrymma and his wife. The dead man’s sword and banner were laid neatly across his chest, and many hands reached out to briefly clasp his wrists or ankles as he was carried by.

After singing, short speeches and a ritual toast, the éored stood for the customary honoring of the widow of the fallen. Déorwine brought Idafrith forward and intoned the traditional lines, pausing after each sentence so that all members could repeat his words and recognize the particular suffering that she had incurred on behalf of lord and land.

“Idafrith, we thank you for sharing Thrymma with us…We are humbled by the sacrifice that you’ve made…We pledge to you that it was not made in vain…In his life and in his death, he made Rohan a stronger and prouder kingdom.”

Wídfara repeated the words, as he had at other funerals over the years, but for the first time he struggled to find the meaning in them. He stared at Idafrith, her eyes red but spine straight and an unreadable look on her face, and he wondered what she really made of this rite. Did it provide her any true relief to be told that her husband’s death had some purpose? Would she not rather have seen that purpose unfulfilled if it meant that she could keep Thrymma for a little longer?

He took his place in line to offer the widow an individual expression of gratitude and condolences. When he reached the front of the line and spoke his words, she gave him the same response that he heard her give to every other man ahead of him: “He died as he lived, with strength and honor, and I am proud of him in death just as I was in life.”

As they walked slowly back to the barracks after the burial, Wídfara turned her response over and over in his mind. Something in her emotionless tone and her rote, repetitive delivery worked against the substance of what she had said, and he couldn’t help but feel that she didn’t really mean any of it. But when he expressed as much to Guthláf, he got a shocked, indignant reply.

“You suggest that she’s not proud of her husband?”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant only that such pride will be hollow comfort in her long, lonely days ahead, and she might trade all that pride in an instant for more time together.”

“No one questions how painful this is for her. But she can see beyond herself to the greater good that he was helping to secure. He believed some things are worth fighting and dying for, and I’m certain she does, too.” Guthláf stopped and turned toward Wídfara, studying his face closely. “Do you not think so?”

“I don’t know what I think.”

“Well, then, I’ll tell you this. If something should ever happen to me in battle, you need never question how I felt about it. I’ll go to the halls of my fathers with gratitude in my heart. This éored has given me everything I have. A family when that fire took my own. A sense of purpose and meaning for my life.” He glanced around quickly to be sure no one else was watching and then briefly grasped Wídfara’s forearm. “It gave me you. I would accept death on behalf of this éored without hesitation. I would be proud to do it, and I would want you to be proud of me, too.”

Wídfara nodded, eager to end any discussion of potential harm to Guthláf as quickly as possible. They went the rest of the way in silence and each spent the remainder of the day in his own quiet activity, Guthláf taking Slaga for a long walk in the hills and Wídfara tutoring Freogan on the different formations and maneuvers he would need to learn to become a successful rider candidate. The hours of distraction served Wídfara well, and by the time they came together again at the end of the evening, he had nearly succeeded in calming the anxious feeling that had roiled his stomach all day. But when he closed his eyes that night and released his thoughts to the keeping of his subconscious, it tortured him again with images of Guthláf, bloodied and battered, with the king’s banner pooled on the ground beside his lifeless hand.

Four days later, Wídfara’s nightmares started to creep into his waking existence.

Elfhelm asked to speak with Guthláf privately after training that day, and when Guthláf emerged from the marshal’s quarters he was fairly radiating with joy, officially promoted to banner bearer of the king’s éored. To have achieved, at age twenty seven, the one goal that had shaped and directed the entirety of his life was almost more than he could process. He spent a few minutes alone at Thrymma’s grave, sitting amidst the blooming simbelmynë and speaking in a low voice that no one else could hear, and then he threw himself fully into celebration with the entire éored cheering him along.

Wídfara had offered his own smiling congratulations, caught up momentarily in Guthláf’s genuine elation, and he followed along to the tavern where Guthláf was spending himself broke on drinks for every person in sight. But the longer Wídfara sat, the more discomfort he felt and a deep, cold fear crept through his veins. His mind tracked back over all the past banner bearers he had known or heard of, tabulating how few had ever endured long enough to reach peaceful old age. How many lived with horrific and permanent injuries. How many no longer lived, struck down either quickly and mercifully on the battlefield or slowly and painfully in the aftermath.

Across the tavern, Guthláf’s unusually tall frame loomed over the men and women around him, and he seemed even larger with tiny Slaga tucked as usual in the crook of his arm. He looked strong and confident and happy. And yet, to Wídfara’s eyes, he had also never looked so vulnerable. He gulped down his entire mug of ale in one long swallow, hoping it would calm his nerves but knowing that it wouldn’t.

Déorwine walked by on his way to the bar but came to a stop at Wídfara’s side, eyeing his somber face and slumped posture. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is a celebration, Wídfara. Maybe try to look a little less like you’re still at a funeral?”

“Aren’t I, though?” Wídfara heard the bitterness that had overtaken his voice but was powerless to moderate it. “Maybe it’s not today, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time now.”

“Come on, you don’t know that. It’s a perilous job, but he’s a formidable rider.” Déorwine leaned down and put a hand on Wídfara’s shoulder. “This is something he’s always wanted, and it’s an incredible honor. Don’t ruin it for him. You’re his closest friend, and he needs you to be happy on his behalf. And if you can’t be, then maybe it’s best if you go and get some air until you can.” He gave Wídfara a pointed look but also an affectionate slap on the back before taking up his path to the bar again.

Wídfara sat silently for a few more minutes, observing the boisterous activity around him. Guthláf had taught Slaga to growl whenever women touched his arm or crowded in too close to him, using it as a convenient excuse to keep unwanted female attention at bay, and that skill was being vigorously deployed at the moment. The sight of it always made Wídfara laugh, but now even that reliable source of amusement could do nothing to lift his spirits or erase the ever-deepening sense of dread that enveloped him.

He felt Déorwine’s eyes still on him and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Drawing in a long breath, he willed himself to redirect his thoughts, to find even a single way of looking at this turn as the good news that Guthláf felt it to be. But no matter how he tried, his mind returned over and over again to risk and loss and worry. His fears spooled out like thread, stitched into every image or word he could summon and leaving behind ugly, gaping holes where he tried to pull them out. A wave of grief welled up from his chest, strong enough that it threatened to choke him if he kept sitting there. Instead, he hurriedly pushed his way up from the table and out a side door into the dark of the evening.

He wandered aimlessly for a time before finding himself near the stables, and he decided to take Cypren for a late night ride. He forwent a bridle or saddle, riding as he had done as a young man before he could afford either, and spent several long hours out in the fields and meadows beyond the city gates. As he brooded on his fears, he found that they were soon joined by both anger and resentment. Guthláf was the most important thing in his life, by a wide margin, but it felt now like he was choosing other things over him. And it hurt.

He eventually headed back into the city, knowing the guards at the gates would not be willing to admit him again if he tarried too long. He passed no one on the streets, but when he turned into the stable, Guthláf was waiting in front of Cypren’s empty stall.

“I was wondering where you’d gotten to.”

“I’m sorry,” said Wídfara as he dismounted and guided Cypren into his enclosure. “I just needed to get out of there before I brought down the mood of the whole tavern.”

“And why would you have done that?”

Wídfara closed the stall door with much more force than necessary, loudly rattling its iron fittings and latches. “Because I find it hard to celebrate you deciding to throw your life away so casually.”

A long moment of silence followed as Guthláf eyed Wídfara carefully, and when he spoke, it was with gentle firmness. “I’m not throwing my life away, let alone doing so casually. I’ve worked for this job since I was a boy, and I know I can do it well. It’s a significant honor. Can you not see any happiness in that?”

“I don’t need you to earn honors. I wouldn’t care if you were never more than a simple stablehand. And honors won’t do either of us any good if they just get you killed.”

“I have no intention of getting killed.” His words came quickly, defensively. But then he paused for a moment and summoned a smile, a change of tactics. “Besides, you should have more confidence in my skill than that. Surely I can escape with only a light maiming.”

“I don’t find that funny,” Wídfara snapped.

Guthláf’s smile faded, and he sighed. “I’m sorry, Wíd. I only meant to lighten the mood, not to upset you. Or upset you further, I guess I should say. But my point is, you don’t know what will happen. You’re making assumptions – very ungenerous ones, I might add – that I just don’t understand. You’ve known I wanted this almost since the day we met, and you’ve never spoken like this before.”

“I didn’t need to speak of it before because the job wasn’t yours then. But everything is different now.” Tears sprang to Wídfara’s eyes, and he brushed a furious hand across his face to wipe them away. “Now it’s real. And now when you risk your life, you’re risking the life of someone I love.”

His words hung in the air, both of them instantly aware that this was the first time either of them had given voice to that feeling. Guthláf reached for his hand, but Wídfara snatched it back, buzzing with distressed indignation. “Tell Elfhelm you don’t accept the job,” he said. “The one you have is dangerous enough as it is. I don’t need you to make it so much worse. I won’t have it.”

“You won’t have it?” Guthláf rarely showed anger, but a spark of it flickered across his face now. “You don’t get to make that decision for me.”

Even in the depth of his own anger, a small voice in Wídfara’s mind called out to him. This doesn’t need to happen this way. Don’t hurt the one person in the world that you least want to see in pain. But, almost against his will, he doubled down instead, unable to pull himself back from the precipice where he stood. He straightened up to his full height and looked Guthláf squarely in the eye. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t do this.”

“If you loved me, you wouldn’t try to change who I am,” he shot back. “You wouldn’t try to deny me something I’ve always dreamed of. Something that I’ve always been very open about. Loving someone doesn’t mean you get to control them, Wídfara.”

It had been so long since Wídfara had heard Guthláf use his full name that it sounded strange and jarring to his ear now, and it felt like a further breach between them. His stomach lurched as he heard his own next words come out.

“Well if there’s no way around this, then maybe we just shouldn’t be together.”

Guthláf flinched as though he had just been struck, caught off guard by an opponent he never saw coming. “You cannot mean that,” he said, barely audible even in the quiet of the empty stable.

The wounded look on his face nearly killed Wídfara, and the little voice in his own mind screamed at him now to take it back. Take it all back. Say whatever he had to say to make it so that his words had never been spoken. But he had no idea how to do that. Instead he stood, helpless and silent, as his heart broke in his chest.

Guthláf stared hard at him for a long minute, waiting for some word or sign that didn’t come. His chin trembled and his breath came in ragged gasps, but then he swallowed hard and turned on his heel. “If that’s what you want,” were the last words Wídfara heard as Guthláf walked into the night.

@emmanuellececchi @hobbitwrangler @konartiste @dreambigdreamz @sotwk

Dividers by @quillofspirit ♥️

Link to part 5!

And just because, here’s another glimpse of my best possible attempt at a sketch of each of the boys, Wíd on the left (he needs a moment of happiness!) and Guthláf on the right (looking serious because he’s got his Battle Face on and is already covered in dirt):

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (March 17-23, 2024)

Mere days to go before a new Godzilla movie... didn't we just do this?

Before we welcome that latest entry, let's look back on one that just commemorated its golden anniversary. With Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla turning 50 on March 21, every member of Toho's Big Five has now hit the half-century mark. The company didn't mark the day itself with much; as has become typical, the celebration of Mechagodzilla (and presumably King Caesar) will be spread throughout the year. I wrote a bit about the magnificent machine, who I consider the best Godzilla antagonist, here. The film itself is one of Teruyoshi Nakano's masterpieces, an onslaught of animated rays and gorgeous explosions. The humans are forgettable, but they keep the pace brisk—and the alien commander Mugal is almost as devilish a villain as Mechagodzilla itself, especially in the English dub. Speaking of that dub, you can watch a video breaking down the entire voice cast here, thanks to the tireless work of the Save All Dubs! group.

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #6 finally gets to the good stuff, with Lex Luthor piloting Mechagodzilla and commanding an army of Titans to raze Metropolis while the heroes counter with not one but two giant robots. It doesn't quite measure up to the Godzilla: Rulers of Earth finale, but like that double-sized issue, it required two artists (Christian Duce joined by Tom Derenick) to draw all those characters, and the results are impressive. The story hasn't grown any more complex, but I'm at least interested to see how it all wraps up.

In other Godzilla comic news, a Godziban manga by Sakuju Koizumi has started up, hosted by Telemaga, a tokusatsu-focused Kodansha site. The first installment was pretty short, so I'm guessing these'll be updated weekly. It isn't the first comic version of Godziban, as one called Godziman ran during the 1st Season, but this one's actually illustrated.

Tokyo's Ikebukuro district made Godzilla the honorary chief of police on March 16 to take part in a parade promoting traffic safety. The stunt made international headlines and generated no small amount of angst over Cop Godzilla. I think Gamera would've been better-suited to this campaign myself.

Here's the trailer for Season 2 of Chibi Godzilla Raids Again, revealing Gabara, Gigan, and Titanosaurus's designs. Looks as funny as the first one. Maaya Uchida, who sang the ending songs in SSSS.Gridman and SSSS.Dynazenon, will voice Chibi Minilla. It's gone weirdly neglected by English Godzilla social media accounts, but X user @MakoMattari translated it.

The Music Box Theatre in Chicago has a Godzilla program for the ages scheduled for June 7-13, in honor of his 70th birthday. There's not a weak day on the schedule, but the clear highlight is a 24-hour marathon of the entire Showa series on the 8th, which I don't think has ever been attempted before.

G-Fest has also started announcing guests: Ayako Fujitani (Asagi in the Heisei Gamera trilogy) and Rie Ota (Baragon in GMK), both first-timers. Frankly, they could carry the con themselves if they have to; not sure who I'm more excited to meet!

[chalkrevelations]

if you don't want to talk about this further, just ignore this of course, but have you seen pond's fucking instagram post about build? (without saying his name of course) i know automatic translations can be wonky, but overall, he is making it all about himself and his feelings, STILL "both sides" the whole thing, and throws in a "watch the new ep of our show" (you know... the one they took away from build) at the end. the audacity that man has is just beyond comprehension. i truly hope karma will do its thing and ruin the company and that man's life.

Hi, Anon. I. Hm.

I went back and forth a couple of times on whether I actually did want to respond to this. I have a lot of feelings and opinions about Pond and about BOC under his direction that I’ve rarely spoken about so publicly (although I have some suspicions, for Reasons, that some things I’ve said in semi-private spaces have been spread further than those spaces). I'm very aware that I'm at a cultural and linguistic disadvantage when I try to evaluate anything about Pond or BOC and that I'm therefore working with limited information. But I don’t think it’s a big secret I’m not a fan of Pond’s. From what I’ve seen, I think his behavior has been deeply problematic and unethical, and not just in relationship to Build’s situation - although the way he’s tried to portray himself as peacemaker during this whole debacle with Poi has certainly only exacerbated my negative impression. The best I can give him is that maybe he’s unaware of his own unctuous self-centeredness? So, while it would be gross and skeevy that he would 1) make something as serious as this all about himself and his own feelings, and 2) use it as a mercenary chance to flog his latest BOC property despite the fact that property no longer has anything to do with Build, I wouldn't be surprised by it.

Personally, I'm sorry that I gave him and his company the benefit of the doubt for as long as I did. Like many other people, I bought into the “big happy family” fan service for a while, before eventually accepting that it was just as much fan service as any branded pair, so, mea culpa on that front, right? But I think too many people didn’t and haven’t realized or accepted that, and that Build in particular has paid an out-sized price for it - including when people have put the blame on him for the cracks in the facade, especially in misplaced anger and outrage over the “leaked” DMs that threatened the happy found-family narrative BOC was selling and that fans want(ed) to believe.

I think Pond and BOC have been very good at manipulating fan sentiment into believing their self-imposed Hero Edit and self-promotion as industry disrupter, despite evidence to the contrary that goes back as far as the filming of KPTS, when Poi and Yok got away with sexually and otherwise harassing multiple cast members, including a teenaged Barcode. It extends through leveraging Barcode’s and other cast members' emotional response to Jeff’s departure to provide a show for a live concert audience, and forward to a reality show in which a bunch of young wannabe actors were pressured into exposing their worst moments, on television, for prurient viewer interest. Setting up Apo, of all people, to hawk skin lightener was a terrible thing to do and makes everyone involved a worse human being.

So, no, I wouldn't find this latest skeevy behavior surprising. I don’t know what Build’s hopes and plans are, as far as regaining a domestic career, and he's always seemed, publicly at least, to be far more forgiving of Pond than I would be in his position. I don't know if that's personal, cultural, or professionally rooted. But I personally hope Build has enough resources to allow him to avoid getting involved with Pond again, given the way Pond and BOC have treated him – from folding to a ginned-up harassment campaign so that Build was kept out of the public eye precisely when VP was airing/trending (funny, that), through leaving him to twist in the wind from the time of Poi’s first salvo of plagiarism accusations - which BOC apparently couldn’t be bothered to respond to, even though it was one of their properties at issue - to Pond standing around for a year and a half with his hands in the air like a bystander while Nong Poi publicly curbstomped someone who Pond claimed was a friend and part of his work "family," before sad-facing for the press about how hurtful it was that Build decided to leave the “family” that had publicly damnatio memoriae’d him.

Anyway, that's really more time and emotional spoons than I want to spend on Pond or his company - tbqh, they're one reason I'm semi-hiatusing at this point - so I'm likely done talking about them after this. But as usual, once I start, I talk forever, so here this is.

[satoshi-mochida]

Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo ‘Hiyori Chapter’ demo launches today - Gematsu

Dank Hearts will release a demo for multi-ending escape adventure game Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo for PC via Steam featuring the game’s “Hiyori” chapter today at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET, the company announced.

Get the latest details below.

Welcome to Noise Scramble City—a maze-like metropolis reminiscent of Tokyo. Six young individuals awaken downtown in a mental prison of their own making with no memory of their arrival. Now they must solve intricate mysteries to piece together fragments of their pasts and ultimately escape this enigmatic alternate reality.

In the demo, play as Hiyori, a popular content creator with a habit of telling white lies to garner attention. Connect Hiyori’s past traumas with her deceitful tendencies across abstract, story-rich puzzles filled with narrative-rich tidbits weaved into every brainteaser.

Today marks the beginning of the “Be Part of Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo” Campaign event. Participants who complete the demo and submit feedback will have their names included in the end credits of the full release. This campaign runs until December 20, 2024 JST, be sure to join through the entry form!

Explore each stage to gather clues needed for escape and awaken the memories of the youths. By uncovering their pasts, you’ll gain hints to solve the mysteries ahead. This close integration of story and puzzle-solving elements is the game’s most captivating feature.

Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo is due out for PC via Steam in 2025.

Get the newest trailer and a narrative sneak peek below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Trailer #2

Narrative Sneak Peek

Story: An Escape from the Labyrinthine City, “Noise Scramble City” In a city both similar to and distinct from Tokyo, there lies the labyrinthine “Noise Scramble City,” a place where people’s traumas have taken shape as prisons. Six young people, mysteriously transported here and stripped of their memories, find themselves trapped. To escape this maze-like city, they must gather fragments of their lost memories scattered among the streets, recall their past traumas, and overcome them. Through this journey, they gradually uncover the secrets of this world and the core of the story. Will they solve the mysteries surrounding the events that befell them and find their way back?

Six Youths Bearing Hidden Traumas

Six young individuals are transported to “Noise Scramble City,” each carrying a unique trauma they cannot share with anyone. Zena Yugamizora, Age 15. Main Protagonist. A tokusatsu fan and tsundere. (Likes Action Movies [Tokusatsu] and tsundere) “I should be able to make it… just like a hero!”

Itsuki Hozuki, Age 16. A boy tormented by feelings of jealousy.

“Annoying! You’re getting on my nerves. Are you gonna make me a hamburger or what?”

Honoka Kirishima, Age 16. A Pretentious but paranoid girl

“In the end, it’s someone else’s problem. To doubt and be doubted—that’s what it means to be human.”

Kaito Shimizu, Age 17. A boy with no self-esteem.

“Shunned for this face, called a germ—a scarred shadow.”

Hiyori Endo, Age 17. A lying, manipulative streamer (video content creator) girl.

“Hyper powerfully doing my best! Rolling the camera—!”

Soto Ochibana, Age 15. Overly generous and honest boy.

“If you’re going to do it, then I’ll lend my hands.”

Specter, the witty city watcher.

“If you really think that, then how about do something about it.”

Clues Lie Within Their Own “Traumas”

The labyrinthine city is filled with numerous rooms, each one twisted in appearance, embodying the traumas carried by each character.

Explore each stage to gather clues needed for escape and awaken the memories of the youths. By uncovering their pasts, you’ll gain hints to solve the mysteries ahead. This close integration of story and puzzle-solving elements is the game’s most captivating feature. —Search for fragments of “Noise” to recall the traumas that serve as vital clues.

—A dial of some sort? What could this be…

—A mystery that looks like a streaming screen scrambled with hate…?

[mulberry-leaves-yearn-for-envy]

Prompt Submission by @yiling-laozu-is-loml

Canon divergence, Wei Wuxian is an information dealer. Nie Mingjue is sent to kill him or bring him to heel for sunshot's sake

CANON SOURCE: Please only use novel and donghua as source material and avoid everything that has to do with untamed/cql. For appearances and outfits, please refer to the donghua.

Bottom Wei Wuxian only please! the number of children they have depends on you but I'd love it if they had at least 2!

Canon Divergent; a few months after Sunshot Campaign begins, the alliance receives news about a man called "Yiling Laozu". They have no information about him except for the fact he's usually seen in yiling, has no clan affiliation, appears to be a cultivator and sells intelligence to the highest bidder (they also assume he's an expert infiltrator because his intelligence is so detailed that he either has moles everywhere or spends time undercover, spoiler, its both). He's also known to have no love for clans and their politics and as such, is dangerous and detrimental for the fate of sunshot campaign. Nie Mingjue himself is dispatched to either kill him and end his network of informants or somehow ensure he's loyal to sunshot and will be helpful in ending the war in their favour.

What follows is a slow burn journey of meeting a mysterious man named 'Wei Wuxian' who claims to have been kicked out by Baoshan Sanren for practising demonic cultivation as a hobby (its true). Wei Wuxian claims to know how to find the renowned Yiling Laozu but it will take long. The journey is a patchwork of nighthunts, helping the needy and poor (fuck your clan rules, I am helping them so you can either be helpful or fuck off - Wei Wuxian to Nie Mingjue), solving various riddles and decoding talismanic hints left by the information dealer.

They grow closer, share a bit about themselves and their family, Wei Wuxian learns that not all people in clans are bad and the clans arent inherently evil, Nie Mingjue learns the same of demonic cultivation and from hints about the Yiling Laozu fellow, discovers that he may not be the villain people make him out to be. Why else would he be protected by prostitutes, street children, beggars and rogue cultivators if he was so evil?

Perceptions change, tides of war shift as Yiling Laozu remains missing and unhelpful to even the rich bitches and Wei Wuxian falls in love with Nie Mingjue just as the other does for him. When proposed out of nowhere, Wei Wuxian has no choice but to surrender the truth about his identity to test for loyalty or meet his end mercifully. That just prompts Nie Mingjue more and they soon elope in a small town, spend two weeks in newly wedded bliss, enjoying each other's company, sex and taking small nighthunts free of charge.

Married, they make their way back to aid the war effort after a solemn promise from his husband that they'll protect innocents and not misplace his trust, inventions and talents. The sunshot is won years earlier thanks to wwx's moles and cultivation genius (The winning war part should also be a slow-ish burn please and not just instant win after Wei Wuxian joins their efforts!) and they live happily ever after with their adopted and biological kids, renowned as ever. Wei Wuxian is the most popular war hero and figurehead for kids (he's so badass, multi-talented, breaks rules but is a good guy) and so he leads nighthunts comprised of juniors from various clans. All's well that ends well.

Do Not Wants: Nie Mingjue to have been in a past serious relationship, still having sex with someone else in the fic, children from other partners (aka Wei Wuxian is the only real serious commitment), miscarriage and unhappy ending. If you put Jiang Clan in the fic, please ensure they either have bare-minimum interactions with Wei Wuxian, are operating in the background and have no plot-related things OR outright Jiang clan bashing. I dont want JC/WWX reconciliation, nor do I wanna see Jiang clan positively please.

If its possible to be informed when this prompt is taken, I'll be grateful. I am SolnyshkaFedya on twitter, discord, retrospring, and insta and yiling-laozu-is-loml on tumblr :D

[bks-blogs]

Jan 2nd-3rd 101 Dalmatian Street Trending Party!!🥳🎉🎊🚂🐕

#101dalmatianstreet #save101dalmatianstreet #disney #disneyplus #101dalmatians #101dsseason2 #101trendingparty

CALLING ALL FANS IN THE 101 DALMATIAN STREET COMMUNITY!📢📢

It's that time again! We're gonna be hosting our 11th Annual 101DS Twitter Trending Party on January 2nd-3rd! 48-hours of non-stop 101DS fan-content waiting to be tweeted!🥳🎉🎊

HERE ARE THE TIPS & GUIDELINES BELOW:��️⬇️⬇️

Our primary mission is the same as always: Get #101DalmatianStreet and #Save101DalmatianStreet trending on Twitter. Use #101TrendingParty to promote the event if you need to in order to build up the hype.

During the 48-hour event, tell users to watch my campaign video "Save 101 Dalmatian Street" to help it garner more views, so they can know what we're doing to support the show on Disney+.

We're going to spread the word through a LOT of Social/Art websites listed below when promoting the event!

We're going to be promoting the event though our DeviantArt, Furaffinity, YouTube, Steam, Discord, Twitch, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky.app, Tiktok, Newgrounds, especially here on Tumblr!

Customize your social/art accounts with the use of promotional banners and make promotional animated GIF's, Posters and videos telling users to support the show on Disney+!

Tweet, Re-tweet and Quote-tweet 101DS fan-content you make, whether it's artwork, fanfics, comics, episode reviews, gifs, memes, and so much more! The more 101DS content, the better!

Appealing other fanbases is important when growing the 101DS community. We'll need to make a lot of 101DS artwork featuring crossovers from other franchises.

That includes popular ones like MLP, Zootopia, Pokemon, Splatoon, The Amazing Digital Circius, Bluey, Adventure Time, and more!

These are the recommended hashtags when posting 101DS fan-content during the Jan 2-3 trending party: #101DalmatianStreet #Save101DalmatianStreet #Disney #DisneyPlus #101TrendingParty.

Other hashtags like #101DSSeason2, #101DS, #101Dalmatians, and such are totally optional for how you want to post it.

DO NOT BY ANY CIRCUMSTANCES post these kinds of content (NSFW, sexualized artwork, severe blood/gore, fetish artwork).

(Some light fetish like weight gain are alright, as long as it's appropriate)

As this is a puppy-friendly event, we should not set a bad example for the fandom by creating such content, as it alienates fans and newcomers.

For those who feel they are unable to attend the 48-hour trending party due to real life circumstances like work, family, finances, vacation plans, you can draft schedules of your posts of 101DS content ahead of the event. Keep that in mind.

During the 48-hour trending event, tell users to help with the fandom's efforts in supporting 101DS by telling people to binge-watch the show on the Disney+ streaming service and make it trend on the app. Disney+.

Use the "Tag People" feature or simply tag through a regular tweet, to tag the companies behind 101 Dalmatian Street including DisneyUK, @AtomicCartoons, Gigglebug and Passion Animation to let them hear our voices and strong passion for the show! And tag Disney+ as well!

You can also tag the people who had worked on the show, ranging from artists, directors, music composers, voice actors, producers, and writers. Some of them include @brinnyart! Let them hear your voices, to let them know you want to support the show and for their potential Season 2. The people behind 101DS also deserve a chance!

And that's all for the rules and guides!

As part of the fandom, our efforts to bolster the show's popularity requires teamwork. That's why in we need to come together to ensure that with our fan-driven efforts to make 101 Dalmatian Street popular on the Internet and Disneyplus, by making this trending party a guaruntee success. In this fandom, we are EVERYDAY heroes, working day and night pushing the show's name out to more new people who have never heard of the series!🥳🎉

LET THE PROMOTIONS BEGIN!!🚂🛤️

@atomiccartoons @disneytva @mandareeboo @msitubeatz @adrigummi @alioks-blog @aapaperbag @carlycmarathecat @cadpig101 @doglover502 @egonoidea @fenrisarts @ghostindeedee @higburger @incorrect101dalmatians @jayofthetrees @julie-ghouls @kit-c0re @notsoblackandwhite101 @polarpace @rahitoshi @rainbowchromatic @stoatfloat @straysketches @themilesfox @t00nified @versailercat @xfangheartx @yatesmal91 @brinnyart @samtheangelfox @cachicabra @chelledoggo @dramatic-disraeli @derektahki @aquarellewolf-blog @hyperaura @deadyoung45 @steelsponge @avalanchesparkgrenade @101dalmatianstreet @natedraws @retroartpup @julie-ghouls @mariakarmakova @mnmarsart @ratrrriot @marylikesstuff @marieecarlat @ninjaaa-go @pawreadingpup @sk4w-ro4r @aquarellewolf-blog @mel-toons

[good-rwbyaus]

I learned today that Tumblr posts are limited to only 100 inline links. I also learned that if I keep doing this I will probably vomit blood.

I think what I'll do later is just dedicated mod posts for the AUs, though Mod Green will probably need 1 or 2 or 3 posts lol.

I've been skipping one / two-liners mostly. But if you really want to seek them, you can use the mod's personal tag to search for them.

Currently, the post range of this post is March 24th 2021 to November 15th 2019.

Mod Green

Ozcury AU - Mercury's training Ruby.

Ozcury AU - Fight at Haven with Oz-Mercury in the middle.

Crack/Reference to unknown?!Adam is a total fanboy of Summer Rose and discovers he just maimed her stepdaughter.

DevilMayCry!AU - Distant cousin Dante drops by for a visit to the Schnees.

Ozcury AU - Instead of Oscar's head, Ozpin ends up in Mercury's!

AU where Raven isn't a coward - which makes her into an overly enthusiastic mom

Weapon Souls AU - Crescent Rose is Ruby's twin.

Konosuba!AU Aqua Weiss + Megumin Ruby

Weapon Souls AU - Crocea Mors acting as Jaune's mom much to his annoyance.

Konosuba!AU Darkness!Pyrrha explaining why she likes Jaune.

Weapon Souls AU - ModAsk: Huntsmen weapons have human forms a la Soul Eater

Jaune gets no respect AU (Dangerfield AU?)

Ruby unintentionally steals Emerald and Mercury through sincere kidness

AU where armor does what it's supposed to do. And why Jaune is seen is a tough guy.

GrimmPyrrhaAU! - A clone of Pyrrha that sorta ends up defecting.

AU where the filler villain adam is cut out

SaturdayMorningCartoonVillain!Salem AU - Ozpin suffers.

Ben10!Mercury AU

Ironwood calls for backup for Mantle. Master Chief, Duke Nukem, and Doomguy show.

Nicholas Schnee is still alive. Visit Vytal to see the grandkids.

Bluby x Jaune shipping

Bluby x Jaune shipping

AU where the heroes save the world by wearing the tingle outfit from BoTW.

AU where Watts has a crippling Pokemon Go addiction.

Jaune is recruited to teach Ruby to dance for her wedding!

Emerald Schnee AU!

Tyrian developed a fear of Ruby after she maimed him. Discovers her again at the Rally.

Mr. Taurus Grinch Song.

Aura-amp AU! Ruby and Weiss get an unfortunate speed boost.

Conspiracy!Raven meets Penny

ModsInRemnantAU!

Mod Yellow

All of Yellow's most recent posts till 2019-ish.

Mod Lilac

The Things Jaune Arc (and the rest of Team Remnant) are not allowed to do at Beacon Academy (post-saving the world)

Evil Ozpin AU - Picking the Kids Up

The Vytal Campaign (RWBY is a DND campaign)! - Salem and Ozpin play out the Lost Fable.

MetalDong69 - Crack!AU where Salem gives up her plans for consquest because she got addicted to FortKnight. Ironwood is her greatest online rival.

Blake's Book Trade - Blake never becomes a Huntress and becomes a bookstore owner instead.

Medical Intern AU - Jaune never becomes a Hunter and becomes an medical intern instead. (pt 1b)

Crack!Like an Oz (to the beat of Like a Boss)

Becoming AU - Ruby mistakenly believed to be a secret professor at Beacon - Pyrrha's perspective

Rising Snow AU - Pieces 12-14 - Where Whitley had been keeping the company viable since he was young - Meeting "Acacia"

Becoming AU - Ruby being made an offer she can't refuse - aka Weapon / Weapon Maintenance Club.

Crack!Glynda Runs an OnlyFans account???? - not as nsft as it sounds.

JAUNE IM GOING TO KILL YOU - Jaune's semblance is to make other people turn into harem protagonists. Blake suffers.

Someone asks a stupid question while Salem is trying to ask Jinn her questions.

Rising Snow AU - Pieces 10-11

Destiny AU - Epilogue: Oscar

Becoming AU - Perspective: Yang's POV on Ruby being mistaken for a Professor.

Becoming AU - Perspective: Weiss

Becoming AU - Start - Crack(taken Seriously)!Ruby is mistaken for a Beacon professor and Ozpin just rolls with it.Uncle Crow AU - Pt 2

Uncle Crow AU - Pt 1

Rising Snow AU - 7-9

Rising Snow AU - Crack!Beginning: Whitley is the sole reason why the SDC is up and running.

Of Caerbannog - Crack!Why you don't piss off Velvet Scarlatina

Team STRQ - Loudly observing at two girls' competing affections for the same guy is bad for your health.

FullmetalAlchemistAU! Reenactment of the Chimera scene. (I'm sorry.)

Actors and Actresses AU - convincing - blake convincing yang.

Actors and Actresses AU - first interview with lisa - weiss

Scatter - Summer kills Salem. It doesn't take. - incomplete

House!AU - Dr. Arc - incorrect quotes style

AccidentalMastermindAU!Salem - the Rainforests of Vacuo

Be Careful Who You Blackmail AU - Jaune and Cardin have a heart to heart in Forever Fall.

big brother jaune to Oscar and Whitley AU

Other - Submission

Planeswarden AU - watcher-servant

DevilMayCry AU! Dante and Winter cousins that don't get along - random-reborn

Aura-Amp AU! Jaune accidentally brings Blake's clone to life. - pandemic-smiles

[schifty-al]

So I've connected two mental points and I'm gonna put them out here despite whether or not anyone else comprehending anything I have to say.

While I was 8 hours into a 9 hour day my boss reminded me not to work so hard after staging everything I could possibly need before leaving for the day. After some peace and quiet for awhile I realized I felt a familiar feeling that I'm going to struggle to explain.

"I'm just some guy, but literally no one else I know could possibly do what I'm doing. It has to be me; somebody else might fuck it up."

I realized I've had that feeling multiple times before. The moment that stands out the most from my memory is the earliest when I use to play Star Wars battlefront almost 2 decades ago on Xbox. I would constantly play as a basic grunt pushing forward barely surviving the onslaught between me and my objective. Thinking, "I'm just some guy, but I'm gonna be the hero that wins this battle and saves as many of my comrades as I can cause I'm the only one who can."

Then I was doing the same thing in Conker live and reloaded multiplayer PvE campaign. Playing a grunt that pushed through the impossible to achieve the objective and save who I can.

Fast-forward to Mass Effect 2, Mordin Solus, "Had to be me, someone else might've gotten it wrong." Etched itself into my brain.

Thinking about how even with some help I'm the one who processed probably 7000 out of 9000 packages my tiny little post office scanned today. How my decision not to stay home is one of the major factors a Canadian company that only exists because of the exploitation of indentured servants and blatantly lying to their customers is still turning a profit.

If I just stopped working harder than most humans can comprehend would that make a difference, would it help, or would it just piss off tens of thousands of people and make no difference by the end of the week?

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

Hey I’m a 23 year old superhero fan, is it wrong to say I found a lot of modern legacy characters from the 2010’s such as Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, Riri Williams as….boring?

Maybe i chemically mess up, but a lot of these legacy characters feel…safe I want to say? They never cause huge issues or conflicts themselves. Feel like 98% of the hero community easily accepts them and kisses their asses.

I’m been thinking making a Indian teen boy legacy character that becomes the Henry Ford to Tony Stark’s Thomas Edison.

Is something wrong with me? Idk, I just want something else besides the McDonald’s dc and marvel gives me.

Nah, there's nothing wrong with you. Comics just suck shit these days. Writing is all about presenting the right "representation", so minority characters are supposed to be liked by everyone because not liking them means you're racist, blah blah blah.

Remember that god awful Lady Thor comic where the bad guys were all spouting reddit-tier misogyny that sounded like it was ripped directly from a "and the whole bus clapped" tumblr post from 2013?

Comic book writing has gotten even worse since then.

If you want a recommendation for good comics, I'd suggest giving Eric July's The Rippaverse a try. It's a new comic universe built from the ground up to be like comics of old, where story and characters take center stage and politics and agenda pushing is left out completely.

There are already two comics out Isom #1 and Isom #2, written by Eric July, the latter of which is just wrapping up its pre-order campaign. They have three other books in the works too. Alphacore, written by Chuck Dixon who used to write The Punisher for Marvel and created the Batman villain Bane, and Yaira, written by The Soska Sisters, who make low budget horror movies and wrote a Black Widow series where Black Widow destroyed a child trafficking ring. Those will be released by the end of this year if all goes well. There's also an unannounced book also being written by Chuck Dixon that's probably going to be released next year, along with Isom #3.

You could also search the #IronAge tag on twitter. That has a lot of independent comics and other writing projects from people who don't like the modern woke comic industry and want to try and present something better than the current Marvel/DC/Image offerings.

[rpgsandbox]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/streetsofperil/streets-of-peril

Streets of Peril

A complete sword & sorcery TTRPG with a Renaissance setting and intuitive d6 dice pool system.

Streets of Peril is a complete sword and sorcery TTRPG. The game focuses on player-driven stories and features an innovative advancement system which rewards characters for pursuing their ambitions. The world is gritty and dangerous. Heroes are expected to set aside their differences and unite against the enemies of humanity.

While characters may explore strange places and ancient ruins, most stories revolve around urban environments. Streets of Peril can easily accommodate stories focused on mystery, politics, and horror. Characters are expected to shape the world around them, forever altering their city-state and the lands beyond. 

United by Magnus the Butcher, the Cimbrian people defeated their elven oppressors and founded a powerful empire. The elves have since vanished and faded into memory while the Cimbrian Empire has grown increasingly more fractured.  The proud nation which conquered the land and its abominations is now little more than a confederation of powerful city-states with little love for the descendants of Magnus.

Noble houses, trade guilds, mercenary companies, dark cults, and criminal societies compete for control of the city-states. These factions scheme against one another, employing violence when political maneuvering fails. While mankind quarrels in the pursuit of petty ambitions, an older enemy lurks in the darkness.

Elves and other malevolent forces abhor humanity. These eldritch things mindlessly devour mankind or carefully plot its destruction. Few recognize these supernatural terrors as anything more than fiction. Faced with forgotten horrors, most men are driven to despair and madness. Some heroes rise to the challenge, dispatching the supernatural with blade and blackpowder. 

Streets of Peril utilizes the Perilous D6 (PD6) dice pool system.  The use of dice colors helps to elegantly convey a character's competency or an item's effectiveness. White dice succeed on a result of 4+, red on a 3+, and black on a 2+. We are so confident that you will love Streets of Peril's mechanics that we are offering the PD6 rules system for free while the campaign is active.

The combat rules are inspired by historical European martial arts while remaining simple and intuitive.  Weapons and armor behave in a satisfying manner, reflecting their actual qualities. Exploding dice allow for fast and deadly combat encounters. 

Players assume the roles of brave landsknechts and suave swashbucklers. Characters may choose from one of the following classes:

Brute - Powerful fighter who relies upon athleticism, strength, and toughness to overcome enemies. Subclasses include the berserker, brawler, folk hero, and thug.

Cultist - Divine instrument of their patron, capable of commanding powerful magic. Subclasses include the priest, templar, and zealot.

Duelist - Skilled fencer who has learned secret swordplay techniques. Subclasses represent various schools of fencing influenced by actual historical martial arts.

Engineer - Brilliant inventor with access to weird science. An engineer's inventions are equal parts magic and science. 

Magister - Arcane practitioner capable of manipulating magic into spells. Subclasses include the alchemist, necromancer, seer, and wizard.

Man-at-arms - Professional soldier trained to coordinate with comrades and improve their performance.  Subclasses include the shock trooper, skirmisher and vanguard.

Scoundrel - Suave trickster with a diverse skillset. Subclasses include the assassin, burglar, highwayman, and rake.

Wayfarer - Talented marksman with varied survival skills. Subclasses include the explorer, scout, shadow stalker, and trophy hunter.

Characters declare ambitions upon creation and gain experience while pursuing or achieving these ambitions. A common ambition held by the party encourages the characters to cooperate. Streets of Peril  campaigns are driven by the players and stories are shaped as characters alter their world.

Experience is spent like currency, allowing players to develop their characters in a number of different ways between gaming sessions. Characters can advance existing skills, learn new skills, or acquire special abilities by spending experience. This allows for a great deal character customization.

Elemental forces govern the universe and these energies can be harnessed in a variety of ways.  The most dangerous arcane practice is spellcraft and it involves manipulating magic through sheer willpower. Casting spells is unpredictable and sometimes results in paranormal phenomenon known as aetheric manifestations. Examples of these manifestations include: raining frogs, spontaneous combustion, summoning demons, and miraculous healing.

Magic can also manifest in more predictable and controlled ways. This is often done by binding magic to items or through the brewing of potions. Witch finders who must battle rogue sorcerers and horrible monsters often collect potent magical devices to assist with their work. Miracles function similarly to spells though are borrowed by the cultist's patron and come with certain religious obligations. 

Finkelstein's Laboratory is a free starting adventure presented within the book. A nod to Mary Shelley's writing, the adventure features weird science and a flesh golem. This adventure is a great introduction to Streets of Peril and should hopefully inspire readers to devise adventures of their own.

We are already working on Streets of Peril's first supplement, Storms over Sturmburgh. This supplement will focus on a coastal Cimbrian city-state, thoroughly detailing its factions, key personalities, and important sites. The supplement will also include rules for naval battles and an expanded bestiary of maritime monsters. We hope to complete this supplement before 2024.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Mon, July 10 2023 3:00 PM BST

Website: [Broken Blade Publishing] [facebook] [twitter] [instagram]

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Movie 2: Super Hero (1/5)

Finally, finally, it's time to talk about Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. I've been waiting a long time to do this. First I had to wait for the movie to come out, then I had to wait a while for the rest of the fandom to go see it so I wouldn't spoil anything, then I had to wait for the DVD release so I could take screenshots, and by the time I was ready to do that, I was waist-deep in the 2023 Dragon Ball Apocrypha Liveblog. So the DVD has been sitting on my table for months waiting for me to get to this point, and now I'm finally here.

It's probably just as well, since blogging about the other stuff has helped me figure out how to tackle this movie. Like a rhinocerous sandwich, this thing is pretty big and dense, and I'm not really sure where to begin, and now Tumblr only lets me put 30 images in each post, so I have to think ahead a little. So I'm going to split this up into five installments and hopefully that will give me the room I need.

Super Hero opens with a flashback/recap focusing on the Red Ribbon Army. Real quick: the Red Ribbon Army was a mercenary group that dominated much of the world, until their hunt for the Dragon Balls put them into conflict with Son Goku, who destroyed their headquarters in Age 750. Seventeen years later, the Red Ribbon scientist Dr. Gero launched a campaign of revenge, using several cyborgs and androids of his own design. Gero failed, but his final experiment, Cell, managed to travel back in time from the future, where he nearly destroyed the whole world before Goku's son Gohan defeated him.

If you're a Dragon Ball fan, you probably already knew all of that, but what this movie reveals is that the Red Ribbon Army still lives on through its parent organization, the Red Pharmaceutical Company. When Commander Red died, his son Magenta inherited control over RPC, and he's been building up funds ever since, hoping to restore the Red Ribbon Army to its former glory. From behind the scenes, it was RPC that financed Dr. Gero's cybernetics research, but with Gero's death, there was really nothing more Magenta could do.

And that's what I really love about this shot of Magenta looking at a scale model of the old RR HQ. His father ran the Army from the real thing, but Magenta can't build a new one because Goku would just wreck it like he did before, and he can't beat Goku because Dr. Gero was the only one smart enough to build android warriors to kill that guy, and Gero's dead now. Magenta ought to be satisfied running the RPC, but what he really wants to do is rule the world, and he can't. Without Gero, the closest he can come to that dream is hanging around in this private little war museum he seems to have, and he probably can't even show it to anyone since it would expose the RPC's secret.

But then Magenta learned of Dr. Gero's grandson, Hedo. The movie opens with Magenta's right-hand-man, Carmine, giving a briefing on Hedo, so I assume Carmine was the one who discovered him. Better throw up the Carmine screenshot...

Man, these look great. Unfortunately only the bad guys seem to get them. Would have been neat if they made one for Goku or whatever. Yeah, everyone knows who Goku is, but who cares? I want to see an obnoxious still with his name in big letters.

This movie is chocked full with little gags and Easter eggs and such, so there's a lot to cover. Part of the reason for this is that the first twenty minutes of the movie is really heavy on exposition. The plot isn't all that complicated. The bad guys want to make some evil robots to kill the good guys, but to get there we have to explain who the bad guys are and how they joined forces, which takes a while. So there's a lot of visual things happening while they talk. For example, in this scene where Carmine has an overproduced powerpoint presentation playing while he explains who Dr. Hedo is. While he talks, Magenta has some sort of difficulty with hot beverages.

And while Carmine's video plays, we see Dr. Gero's family tree, including his wife, Vomi, and his son, Gevo. This is the first direct appearance of either character, although we've known about Gevo for some time. Several years ago, Akira Toriyama did an interview where he explained that Dr. Gero had a son in the Red Ribbon Army, and that son was killed during the battle with Goku, and so Gero modeled Android 16 after him. In the video game Dragon Ball Fighterz, we meet Android 21, who looks a lot like the image of Vomi in Carmine's video. I forget how and when these details were established, but the idea seems to be that Gero modeled #21 after his wife.

So does this mean Hedo is the son of Gevo? No, Gero had a second son, and that was Hedo's father. Hedo's parents died during his childhood, and he then went on to become a great scholar, earning his doctorate by age 14.

Today, Dr. Hedo is 24, and he's in prison, because he's a little too smart for his own good. Recently, he dug up some corpses and turned them into primitive androids, then he got them jobs at a convenience store to earn money for Hedo's research. I'm not exactly sure which laws were broken here, but it was enough to put him in jail. In the dub, Magenta observes that Hedo would have made more money with less fuss if he had simply robbed the store.

But Magenta doesn't care if Hedo is a little goofy. His talent for cybernetics is even greater than Dr. Gero's, which is pretty scary considering how close Gero came to destroying the Earth. Magenta needs those talents if he's ever going to bring back the Red Ribbon Army, so he waits three months for Hedo to get released from prison, then swings by to offer him a lift. To Magent's surprise, Hedo already knows who he is and has a pretty good guess as to what he wants.

This is because Hedo's been tracking Carmine with a surveillance device. It looks similar to the ones Dr. Gero used to study the Z-Fighters and collect genetic samples for Cell's creation. The difference is that Hedo claims it's a cyborg he built from a live bee. Maybe I shouldn't take this too literally, but it sure sounds like Hedo vivisected a bee in his prison cell and installed cameras and robot parts into its body. And for all I know, Gero did the same thing to make all of his spy robots, but I always assumed they were purely mechanical. Anyway, Carmine's been monitoring Hedo for a while now, driving by the prison yard whenever Hedo's out there, and Carmine's limo has a dome in the roof for his pompadour, so it was conspicuous enough for Hedo to notice. He built the bee, then had it trail Carmine until he found out who he was working for.

And the bee also gives us a great shot from behind Magenta's desk, where he has two framed photos. One is his dad, Commander Red, while the other is Colonel Violet. So we pretty much have to assume Violet is his mom, right? Kind of wild that Red and Violet were a thing, considering that one of the last times we saw Violet was when she looted the Red Ribbon vault during Goku's attack on their HQ. And she even did it in full view of the security cameras, probably knowing that Red would be watching.

So I wonder what Magenta and Violet's relationship must have been like? Is she still alive? Does Magenta know about her betrayal? How could he not? And considering how devoted he is to his father's dreams, how could he let her treason slide? Or maybe he recognizes that Red was a bad leader, and he means to succeed where Red failed. It's interesting stuff, that's all I'm trying to say.

Anyway, Hedo isn't too impressed with Magenta, but he has snacks, so Hedo gets in the car. Magenta asks if he got picked on during his prison sentence, and Hedo says everyone who gave him a trouble would always meet with "mysterious deaths". That column of black smoke behind them is the prison, by the way. The other inmates (and probably some guards) were chewing out Hedo as he left, so Hedo tossed a bomb inside as a final parting shot.

Magenta tries to sweet-talk Hedo by explaining their family connections. Gero once worked for Red, then Magenta inherited the RPC and continued to fund Gero's research. But Hedo isn't moved, since he never met his grandfather, and Hedo's parents hated Gero for his association with the Red Ribbon.

More importantly (to Hedo), he finds the Red Ribbon Army unappealing, because they resemble villains, while Hedo is a connoisseur of superheroes. That's why he's wearing the purple bodysuit, by the way. From what I can tell, Hedo's a fan of a TV show or something that features a character in a similar outfit.

So if Hedo's all into heroes, why did he... you know... desecrate those graves? I'm pretty sure that contradiction is the point of the character. He likes certain genres of entertainment, and he likes and identifies with heroic characters and their exploits, but he seems pretty much devoid of morals himself. He's like a Star Wars fan who loves the Jedi but has no qualms about harassing people who liked Episode VIII. He's one of those... oh, what's the word?

Asshole. Yeah, Hedo's an asshole.

So now Magenta has to convince Hedo that he's not an asshole, which is pretty stupid since they're clearly both assholes. Hedo just wants Magenta to pretend his asshole-ery is the same flavor as his own. So Magneta weaves this whole tale of how he wants to use his power and wealth to improve the world and stamp out evil. While he says all of this, Carmine cuts off the car ahead of him for driving too slow. But it's not just any civilian he did this to...

It's Janet! We'll meet Janet later on, but she gets a cameo here at the start of the movie, which is awesome to spot when you rewatch it. Fuck you, Carmine, for passing on the right and scaring Janet. Carmine doesn't had a big impact on the movie's plot, but he does generate nuclear heel heat simply because the things he does are very obnoxious. One thing I have to respect is that he's the one bad guy who doesn't try to rationalize or disguise his villainy. Carmine's a prick and he doesn't care who knows it.

For example, even after Magenta explains how he's a "champion of justice", and raises his offer to one billion zeni per android, Hedo still isn't convinced, so Carmine brandishes a gun just to make it clear that they won't take 'no' for an answer. Magenta may haggle, but Carmine is too direct for that.

So Hedo accepts Magenta's offer, but not because of the gun, since he enhanced his body to make it bulletproof some time ago. Also, his cyber-bee is armed with a toxic venom so deadly that it can kill any biological life with a single sting. So Carmine's threats are useless. Hedo is only taking the job because he's fascinated by the challenge of creating the ultimate android with an unlimited budget.

So he asks for background on Magneta's enemy, and Magenta explains that it wasn't Mr. Satan who defeated Cell at the Cell Games. He's part of the "organization", but the real ringleader is Bulma of the Capsule Corporation. Magenta says that her confederates appear to be aliens, which explains how Capsule Corp. got the technology for miniaturization and spaceflight. I'm not sure how much of this Magenta actually believes, and how much is a spin he's putting on things to make Dragon Team look like a gang of villains.

Magenta says that Capsule Corp is collaborating with aliens to pacify the Earth, then subjugate it for colonization. Hedo finds this hard to believe, until Magenta shows him footage of Future Trunks killing Mecha-Frieza. I'm not sure how he could have gotten that footage, unless it was recorded by Gero's spy robots.

In this twisted scenario, Gero created Cell to take the fight to Bulma's "organization", but he just couldn't get the job done. 17 and 18 turned against Gero, and Dragon Team was just too powerful that day. Hedo asks if Bulma is an alien, and Magenta's like "sure, why not?"

Then Hedo eats his Oreo all weird. Like, who does this? He takes apart the cookie, which is pretty standard, then he uses the one side to scrape the cream off the other, and he eats this part. Why? You already had a cookie with cream filling on it! This is just a duplication of effort!

The absolute best way to eat an Oreo is to dunk it in milk until it gets so soggy that it almost falls apart. When I was a kid I designed a device that would allow you to immerse the entire cookie in milk for maximum sogification without having to get your fingers wet. In hindsight, this was a stupid idea, because you can just do that with a spoon.

All this talk of alien conspiracies and Cell's heroic last stand get Hedo fired up, and he pulls up the hood of his costume and declares that the world needs a hero to design the ultimate android. I mean, he just got done saying he didn't buy into Magenta's good guy bit, but he does buy into his own good guy bit, and Magenta's story seems to suit this. For Hedo, it's less about being a hero and more about playing a hero. Magenta has created the role, and Hedo is eager to fill it.

And they finally arrive at a Red Ribbon base out in the middle of nowhere. Then the movie flashes forward to six months later, so I guess this a good place to sign off. Next time, we'll get into Piccolo and Gohan, and see what they're up to.

[bohemian-nights]

Life

Word Count: 2,559

Pairing: Daemon Targaryen x Nettles

Warnings ⚠️: Spoilers for Fire & Blood; age gap relationship

Description: Life as always marched on. Just as sure as the season.

AN: This story takes place from 135 AC onward following the events of the Dance. I’ve also aged up Nettles a smidge and basically kept Daemon’s show age for reasons.

Chapter 1: The Visitor, Chapter 2: An Impossible Truth, Chapter 3: Spring, Chapter 4: Birth

————————————🐑—————————————

142 AC-Mountains of the Moon

Spring had come and gone. The seeds had long been planted. Birth had given way to life. Sprouting to a fine bloom. Giving way to summer. Life as always marched on. Just as sure as the season. Though a new beat reign. The page that marked the change turned to begin a new chapter. One of adventure. Of growth. Of exploration. Of enjoying the fruits of one’s labor. A ripe harvest. A sweet bounty. 

“This is the last one Daemon.” The man paid her no mind as he rocked the babe in his hands. Nettles barely was able to hold the boy before he was swept into his father’s arms. Daenerys, Addam, and Baela who had made the trek from Driftmark with little Laena, stood crowding him. Cooing over the newest edition to their family. A new brother.

Addam especially was overjoyed at the prospect of no longer living in “a den full of girls.” He loved his sisters dearly, but he would have a playmate now. A brother to join him in on his adventures. Of course, the little babe in his father's hold had some growing to do before the two could embark upon them.

Their youngest, a girl, who Nettles insisted they name after her husband's mother, let us do the name some good, Alyssa sat glued to her side. She had thrown her little arms around her middle after being warned to be gentle with her mother by her father and Shalla before she had left to give the family some privacy. 

Her babe was content enough observing her new sibling from a distance. At a moon shy of her third name day she no doubt wanted to be coddled as the youngest for a little while longer. Alyssa was still attached to her mother's hip. Not that Nettles minded. No, she enjoyed her little company. Her sweetest babe. The last of her woes went away with her birth

Nettles felt her eyes fluttering as she petted the back of Alyssa’s dark coils that twined hers. Her youngest son's birth had been quick. He was out into the world in a matter of hours. Her shortest labor yet and her most uneventful. An easy labor. A summer babe. Her first and her last. She was determined to hold true to her resolve and relish in all that she and her husband had been blessed by the Gods with. 

“He looks like a Jon, wouldn't you agree father?” Dany looked up at her father with a set of hopeful mix-matched eyes while Baela threw her father a smirk and a chortle. Causing the Targaryen man’s violet eyes to narrow briefly at his eldest daughter before reaching out to pat his younger daughter’s honey hand in placation.

Baela knew of his past relationship with a certain Jon in reference to her beloved stepmother. The relationship had improved tremendously, but it was still great fun even at her age to poke at the old dragon that resided within her father. 

The younger girls had innocently conspired to name the babe Jon. Dany was the first to suggest so. The name of a dead family friend who could be depended upon to provide them with entertainment, presents, and sweets. She had enlisted her elder sister to join in on her campaign upon her arrival. Alyssa was at a stage where she naturally followed whatever her elder sister suggested. 

“He looks like a Bran to me father.” Addam countered. He reached out a hand to grab hold of the boy's flailing arms. The boy was obsessed with the heroes of old. His newest interest as of late.  The perfect interest for their most studious boy. 

Serious for a boy of six, but he had grown bold with each name day that passed. Not as his sister who had turned into a little troublemaker with a penchant for mischievous merriment, however, he was opinionated in his own way. Particularly when it came to the subjects he knew best.

“My loves, your father will name him.” Nettles offered her husband a tired smile, one which was returned tenfold. Their eyes met from across the room. Tis what they had long ago agreed upon.  She had named Alyssa and Addam while he had named Daenerys. Their first child. It was only fair that he named their last. 

If it was left up to their children the babe would no doubt find himself left with an ill-suited name. If it was up to Alyssa in particular her younger brother would end up with the name dragon or Sheepstealer. The girl was nearly as fond of her mother’s dragon as her elder sister. 

Over the years and their babes, Sheepstelar had yet to lay so much as a clutch of eggs. It mattered not. Nettles still took to the skies often with Dany in tow or her husband when he felt up to it. Flying around their glen and the valleys that dotted the Mountains of the Moon. Thrilling the Burned Men below that occupied said valleys when they caught glimpses of their Máthair (mother) on her dragon. 

Alyssa on occasion would accompany them. Addam preferred to stay on the ground with his head in his books. Little Lana and her mother were always invited for a ride or two whenever they graced Nettles glen and hearth with their lively presence. The first time that the brave little Velaryon girl took flight with Nettles it had brought a watery smile to her mother's face and a memory.

“My mother would fly us around Driftmark. Sometimes we’d make it all the way to Dragonstone.” A memory of a youth long since passed, but one that would never fade. Sheepstealer served his rider's family and the hill tribes well. The last dragon in the known world.

No dragons hatched upon Dragonstone or Driftmark’s shores nor in the Dragonpit of Kings Landing for the better part of five years. Aegon, the terrified boy king, who had become a rather solemn young man made no effort to save the beastly creatures from extinction or to command that Sheepsteelar, who was on occasion spotted by the smallfolk of the Vale, be brought to him. He remembered his now stepmother Nettles with some fondness. Remembering how and why she had come into their lives in the first place. A power that man mayhaps should have never meddled with. 

Morning had died some years back. Not long after Rhaena had married Garmund Hightower, the small she-dragon had grown sick. Lonely. The last of her kind and gone before she could take flight. 

They were informed of the news by Baela during one of her visits. Her twin was rightfully devastated by the loss. To lose a dragon so hard fought was no small woe. A thought that Nettles did not wish to worry over. Sheepstealer had always been a healthy solitary creature even when he resided upon Dragonstone with other dragons in counting. 

The time of dragons was near an end in Westeros and Rhaena was a causality of this, but there was hope yet. In time, just as in the change of seasons, she had recovered. Life had done her well. It had done them all well. The season had held true. It was a joyous spring. Life abound.

Dany and Addam’s births had marked the first of many. A fact which Baela teased both her father and her sister mercilessly for. “She’s as fertile as you are father.” A smirk was placed on her silver brow. “She’ll soon have as many babes as you’ve given Nettles.” 

 Her last words had caused her stepmother’s brown face to heat up at the insinuation. As if she were a maiden of six and ten. At one and thirty, seven years of marriage, and four children Nettles from time to time still found herself succumbing to moments of shyness.  

It seemed that every time the Lady of Driftmark made the trek to Nettles and her father’s glen or Oldtown to her sister she found them both with child. Neither Garmund nor her father could keep their hands to themselves when it came to their wives. The similarity couldn’t be dismissed much to the irritation of Daemon who was less than fond of the thought of his second child in a constant delicate state at the hands of a Hightower. No matter how estranged their relationship she was still his daughter and old sentiments died hard. 

A reconciliation of sorts between Rhaena and Daemon had occurred. The old dragon had put aside his pride to reach out an olive branch to his second daughter offering at long last his apologies for his poor treatment. A hurt that could have been prevented. 

Time does not heal all wounds, but it does dull aches. Rhaena had made her peace. The girl had moved on long ago from her isolating youth, but the ache of neglect would always remain. Letters between the two were sparse though there was some measure of correspondence for the children’s benefit, with Baela who served as a messenger between the two parties. Despite the strain, Rhaena would not be a stranger to her youngest siblings. She had made it plain that  Nettles and her children were welcome at Hightower whenever they wished. 

Civility was all that could be asked for between father and daughter. The distance would remain a mountain and sea that separated them. The young Targaryen woman was content and fulfilled with her life in Highgarden. Rhaena had a family of her own to care for and care for her. In Garmund Hightower had found a surprisingly happy union. It was more than could be said for her elder twin. 

Alyn Velaryon. The Lord of Driftmark. Baela’s husband. The match had turned out to be less than ideal. The two lived near separate lives. The lord was too busy trying to keep and maintain House Velaryon’s status which was ever-weakening. He was always at sea and made little time for his lady wife and children.

He had once visited his good-fathers and step-good-mothers humble glen. The children loved him. Addam relished in listening to tales from his adventures and the man himself was pleased with his brother's namesake, but his mind was away. Alyn was discouraged from it all.

Driftmark had been made into Baela’s domain in her husband's absence. The Lord and Lady of Driftmark had struck up a bargain and the lady had found her own joy in it thankfully. She had assured Nettles of that. 

“Do not worry mother.” Baela locked their arms together. An impish glint lit up her face as she gazed at the children playing a game of monsters and maidens. The slightly younger woman had taken to calling her mother in good-natured humor from time to time. 

The two walked hand in hand. Taking a stroll around the perimeter of her gardens. It had been a near-perfect spring day some year and a half ago. “Laena keeps me busy and I have my own diversions.” What those diversions were exactly Nettles would not ask nor judge her for them. She could not. They all deserved happiness. 

In the present Nettles let out another yawn. It did not go amiss by her ever-dutiful husband. The children would’ve been ushered out by now for their mother to get some much-needed rest, but their father had a weakness. Them. Baela, however, was just as observant but much less lax and the newborn babe asserted his own interests. With a cry for his breakfasts. 

“Come now children.” She held out a hand for Dany to take. Little Lana had taken her other. “Let us leave father and your mother alone.” Alyssa protested, but she was swayed by the promise of a treat. Trailing after her siblings and niece as they went in search of their sweets. Baela paused at the door. Gifting her old friend and the babe in her father's arms an affectionate glimmer. “He is a bony babe Nettles.” 

Daemon moved to help the babe to latch onto her teat once the children had gone off in search of some amusement. There was plenty of it to be found on what would morph into a warm summer day. “He does look like a Jon husband.” The old dragon let out a laugh. The pale skin around his eyes crinkled to bring attention to the smile lines upon his face. In the way, his wife liked best. He brought down a calloused hand to stroke their son's chubby cheek as he greedily drank his mid-morning meal. He was a hearty little thing. 

The babe looked most like his elder brother when he himself was a babe some odd years ago. Though his hair was more curly than wavy. A head of black curls. His eyes were as dark as his mother's, but there were flecks of lilac in his brown irises if one were to look long enough. 

Daemon let out a sigh as he threw her a cheeky glance. She could tell her husband was contemplating it. He was not truly irritated by the suggestion. He could be swayed. It was not a bad name and did hold some value. The name of a friend. 

Jon. The Vale man. A  sheepherder's son. Who her husband had once been weary. Who he had been jealous of as prideful as he was. He would admit to that now with a belly ache of a laugh. With the man in question nonetheless. He who had viewed him as competition for the lady of his heart. What a difference a season and some years made. His first friend within the Mountains of the Moon. 

Jon. A man who had taken the time to teach him the ways of the Burned men. Who listened to his stories and shared some of his own. Who had become his confidant apart from his little wife. Who would lend his hand when need be for him, for Nettles, and their family. The man had earned his friendship. He would trust him with the safety of his children. As would Jon likewise. With his and Bess’s ever-growing brood. 

The former Rogue Prince counted the dark-haired sheepherder as one of his closest comrades. More of a brother than a friend. If not by blood or name then by deed. They had named Addam after a friend. Why not name his brother for another? 

“I suppose sweet Netty you are right.” The babe began to quit. Having enough of his fill. His dark lashes fluttered closed. Lulled to sleep by his meal. “He does look like a Jon. Issa byka ōñosz.” My little light.  A kiss was placed on her hairline as Nettles began to rest her eyes. Resting her head upon her husband’s shoulder. She felt her own self start to drift into the land of dreams. Her husband stroked her black coils. Gazing down at her and their youngest. His silver brow softened at the sight of the pair. 

Jon. What sort of Jon he was to be remained yet to be seen, but there was plenty of time for himself to figure it out and his parents to watch in anticipation. To the rest of the year. To the rest of the summer. To every season and the many to come. 

Ao3 Link:

[delilah-briarwood]

Commissions

Dealing with complicated circumstances, so I’m opening up commissions again.

Art Commissions

Art Portfolio for reference

Faux Book Covers: £5

Custom logos and icons (i.e company logos or social media icons): £3 each, + £2 for each additional in a similar style.

Photo Manips: £5-£15 depending on the complexity.

Customised signs (i.e street signs, ‘Safe Zone’ signs etc.) £10

Character Headshots £20

Writing Commissions

100 Word Drabble: £1.50

1k Words: £10 + £5 for every additional thousand.

All commissions can be fandom related or independant. Details on what I will and won’t create under the cut. I have the right to refuse any commissions.

All payments to be made via my ko-fi

Any reblogs or promotion would be deeply appreciated <3

Art

Nothing controversial

Nothing smut related

Nothing for the purpose of bullying or humiliating real life people.

Writing

No smut

Nothing overtly offensive or controversial

Nothing mocking real life events.

Fandoms I’m willing to write for

Original Fiction

Critical Role Campaign One: Vox Machina

Critical Role Campaign Two: The Mighty Nein

The Legend of Vox Machina

Cinderbrush

Vampire the Masquerade

LA by Night

Doctor Who/Torchwood

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Overwatch

DC Comics

Batman/Batfamily

Marvel Comics

MCU

X-Men

Pokemon

The Magicians

Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon

Wicked

Les Miserables

Hadestown

Heathers

Life is Strange

Kingdom Hearts

The Last of Us

Star Wars

When The Night Comes

The Magnus Archives

The Mechanisms

Skulduggery Pleasant

Lockwood & Co.

Pennyworth

Lucifer

The Umbrella Academy

Sherlock

Supernatural

Stranger Things

First Kill

The Witcher

Shadow and Bone (TV)

Six of Crows

Cursed

The Midnight Club

A Series of Unfortunate Events

The Adventure Zone: Balance

The Addams Family/Wednesday

Corpse Bride

Danger Days: True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Deadly Class

Fullmetal Alchemist

Hades

Ghosts (BBC Series)

Heartstopper

House of Anubis

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Heroes of Olympus

Magnus Chase & The Gods of Asgard

Newsies

Peaky Blinders

The Penumbra Podcast (Juno Steel)

Persona 5

My Hero Academia

Overwatch

Dead By Daylight

[noodlesandtoons]

Hello sorry to bother you with this all of sudden ,and this might be coming out of nowhere, and I’m not trying to force you or be pushy but I m trying to get more people into this show with great potential. If your not interested it’s fine but Have you heard of or watched moon girl and devil dinosaur? Season 2 comes out tomorrow February 2. 

The main character i love she gives me autistic vibes I’m autistic. The show has interesting characters, action ,great music, and animation ,good themes and representation, Anime references, it even has an eyecatch season 2 is going to be more story driven if you find that interesting. It also shares the same animation studio as rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles.

It be good if you watch the first 2 season 2 episode when they air so the ratings will be higher. And watch the other season 2 episodes when they air.

I think Disney might be trying to sabotage the show with them probably dropping 14 episodes on Disney + on February 3. They did similar with season 1 and the ratings where low ,please watch season 2 episodes when they air on. But more importantly also watch it on Disney + on feb 3 and when they air it on YouTube. Unfortunately they are dropping 14 episodes on Disney + so watch them all in one day but also when they air the first time.

I’m not just saying only cable just also. I’m saying please support this show. Despite that it still won 5 Emmys. Also if it’s no trouble could if it alright with you spread the word about this show to others you know like either online or irl. Time is limited!

Hello! Thank you for the ask. I had been planning on watching Moon Girl for a while due to how amazing the clips of it I saw were but unfortunately due to current events I will not be watching it. Due to Israel’s current genocide against the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, me and many other people are participating in the BDS movement. A boycott campaign in order to divest funds from Israel. Here’s a link to it.

As people found out more about this many of us, including myself, have canceled our Disney + subscriptions as solidarity to this movement and because Disney is listed as a pressure target. Now recently they have also announced to FULLY boycott any marvel products because currently in the new Captain America 4 movie there is a character named Sabra who is an IDF soldier/terrorist and is essentially a PR Zionist “hero” for Israel. Because of this people have been telling Marvel to take her out COMPLETELY from the movie but they have currently not budged. So BDS has since called to boycott ALL things Marvel until this character is taken out. And that includes comics, movies, merchandise, and of course TV shows. Which means most likely Moon Girl is a part of the boycott list especially considering her show is on Disney + too. So the only way I would be watching this show would be through pirating. After this post I will not be promoting any Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur or any Marvel Content until Marvel removes the character Sabra from Captain America 4. I’m sorry if this isn’t the response you were hoping for but I hope this may lead you to joining this boycott as well and maybe even incline you to start educating yourself more on the genocide that is taking place right now as well as helping in ending Israeli occupation of Palestine.

If you are in the US like me you can actually download the 5 calls app in order to call our congress people and government to call for a permanent ceasefire and to not use our tax money to keep funding this white supremacist settler colony into existence. It even gives you a script on exactly what to say when you call.

I hope this has given you some insight on what’s going on and you can start doing some more research on what’s happening and what you can do about it. It’s never too late to take after Hobie Brown. 🕷️🕸️ 🎸🍉

[nickgerlich]

And Ye Shall Marvel

Show me an effective digital campaign, and I will show you one that has high levels of user engagement. It’s one thing to pull all the levers and be everywhere, but it is quite another when you invite people into the campaign to reach for a little more.

And that is exactly what Coca-Cola is doing with their new Marvel joint promotion. It brings two powerhouse brands together to coincide with the late-July release of yet another Marvel movie. The promo includes special cans and bottles bearing Marvel super hero images, along with scannable QR codes. Once scanned, users are whisked away to AR content to supplement and support the messaging provided on the packaging.

There’s somewhat conflicting information online about exactly how many characters will appear, and where they will appear. It looks like Coca-Cola Classic and Coke Zero will share center stage, although I did read one story implying there could be more. Also, the number of characters ranges from “more than 30” to as high as 38.

That’s a lot of opportunities for engagement!

It’s also a page from an old playbook in the beverage industry, minus the QR and AR aspects. Starting back in the 80s, beverage makers started releasing sets of cans to coincide with a cross-promotion of another brand, or to promote something for which the beverage company had an exclusive affiliation, like the Olympics. As a long-time collector of beverage industry memorabilia, I can attest to how intense things can get trying to find every one of the items in a set. Because an incomplete set is just that: Incomplete. No bueno.

The current promotion will be in more than 50 countries, and already eBay is filled with cans from across the globe. Collectors alone will probably ensure the success of the campaign, but once you factor in the casual consumer just scanning the can they happened to get at the local c-store, this has the potential to be massive in impact. Maybe.

The movie doesn’t come out for another 3 1/2 months, and already supermarket shelves are filled with the initial shipments of Classic and Zero. The cardboard 12-pack packaging reinforces the campaign, and stands out nicely on shelves. Visual appeal is high.

The campaign comes at an important time for Coca-Cola, as well as all soft drink manufacturers, because consumption is down. Per capita consumption peaked around 2000, with about 50 gallons apiece. It has dropped steadily ever since, and now sits at just under 43 gallons per person. Stir in the Ozempic craze, and it is possible that food and beverage makers selling less-than-healthy products may continue to see sales declines.

But that decline started long before silver bullet products like Ozempic were ever available, meaning that changes in consumer behavior have been ongoing. I honestly could not tell you the last time I actually sipped a soft drink, although I still buy—and drain—cans I need for my collection. Can the current promotion reverse this downward spiral? That’s a tough call, because the trend line is clear. Coca-Cola needs it. Oh, and Disney, who owns Marvel, could also use a big boost at the box office. Misery loves company perhaps?

There’s another interesting aspect at play here as well. Quick! Show me a product that used a QR code before COVID. I’ll wait. I might be waiting a while, though, because I bet you can’t think of one. But show me a product available today whose packaging doesn’t contain a QR code, and I bet you would be equally hard-pressed. They became ubiquitous during the pandemic, and marketers and consumers alike finally realized their value.

I use the word “finally” because QR codes have actually been in existence since 1994, although they did not get a bump until about 2010. It’s just that there were still too few people with smartphones then to be able to scan them, and they landed with a thud. Worse yet, you had to download a QR-reader app. At least phone manufacturers finally figured out they could build that into their native camera app, and they could be used in myriad applications.

I saw them in China in 2019 as a payment gateway in restaurants. How many of you have paid your tab with a QR code here in the States? It is starting to gain traction, and I love it, if only because I do not have to surrender my card to a total stranger, who disappears with it for five to ten minutes.

As for marketing engagement, they are the best we’ve got these days. Not too many years ago the best we could do was invite people to visit a website. That took too many steps, though. A scannable code makes it easy, and I suspect that both parties to this promo are going to be exclaiming “Marvelous” before it is all over. One can hope.

Dr “Who’s Your Super Hero?” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[ithinkthiswasabadidea]

SYR character music part 2 electric boogaloo

Oracles - one of my characters in Athcala, Nyjamir (Nej for short), is a lore bard, but their "performance" is reading oracle cards and telling stories, and the part at the end "Oh, child, one day / One day we'll all fade away / And all we'll have to leave behind / Are the songs of a better time" is really similar how my brother (DM) ended the whole campaign, "That is the end of this story. But as a certain bard knows, there are many more to be told."

These Final Hours - in some regards, this applies to every campaign; it's kind of a last stand song, so I have it on every playlist where the character was in some major battle. but in particular, it's for Daelen Willowbrook, my watchers paladin (was a PC, but is now an NPC in my campaign). I'm not gonna copy any lyrics in because I'd have to copy in the whole song, but pre-campaign, Daelen was the leader of a company of soldiers. there was a rift that opened from the Shadowfell and hordes of Shadow creatures started pouring through. his garrison was the closest, so they held the creatures back for 3 days while waiting for reinforcements before being overrun. his husband took a blow meant for him and was killed in the fight. the majority of Grey Company was captured and taken to the Shadowfell as prisoners of war, Daelen included. they eventually all got out, and Daelen has become a sort of folk hero/legend in Thaloran society. so to me, it's kind of the anthem of Grey Company.

(also I need to find the videos I took when I saw Syr earlier this year so I can send them to you)

OOOOHH you saw them live?? I can only imagine how beautiful an experience that must've been 🥰

Oracles is just lovely, and the sentiment about there always being more stories to be told? It's so hopeful to hear at the end of a great one :')

I have a grand old weakness for stories about characters or small company's holding the line as a last defence. Always fucking gets me. If they succeed, it's the greatest victory they'll ever have. If they fail it's a heartbreaking tragedy of futile hope. I love it so, so much

Also can Daelen hang out with Halthorn one day? I think they'd be very good friends with some shared experiences 👀

I'm gonna keep your last message with the other music recs in my inbox so I can come back to it easily and find more inspiration 😊✨️