#I tried to pick a variety of genres/lengths/writing styles

[vixstarria]

Bloodbang Chronicles - Chapter 3 - Fuckface

Chapter summary: Throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks, as the wall throws shit back at you, a.k.a. negotiating deals with fey

Chapter word count: 2,300

Previous chapter | Series masterlist | AO3 | Overall masterlist

Series summary:

Five years have passed since the confrontation with the Netherbrain. Astarion and his warlock lover, Asmodea, are living it up in Baldur’s Gate, running a cabaret. Their life of decadence and debauchery seems idyllic, until Asmodea’s patron disrupts it with a proposal. One that seems too good to be true. One they cannot refuse.

Pairing: Astarion x Original Female Character

Genre: Humor / adventure / smut (not all in this chapter), with all the usual Astarion-related elements along the way, without getting too heavy

Rating: Explicit

Asmodea paced the length of her and Astarion’s bedroom. The sun was high and Astarion had retired down to the theatre for the time being, overseeing a rehearsal. She would be undisturbed.

Negotiating something serious with a fey was turning out to be only marginally more constructive than, say, playing chess with a pigeon, and twice as taxing on her sanity and patience. At least the pigeon wouldn’t have been deliberate in the chaos it produced.

What made matters worse was the fact she had no one to turn to for advice on what a warlock contract with their patron might even look like. Wyll would have been no help, despite his own past dealings - Mizora was a cambion. Infernal contracts were meticulous and precise, if riddled with intentional loopholes and fine print aimed to benefit the demonic party.

The fey (or at least minor fey, which she assumed her patron to be), on the other hand, were resistant to even setting anything out in writing, instead relying on ‘mutual understandings’, vague promises and blatant temper tantrums when they didn’t get what they wanted, or found themselves needing to uphold their end of a bargain.

Astarion could have helped. Hells, he should have been her first point of call for this, and she would still seek his counsel, later. But for now, she simply didn’t want to get his hopes up until she discerned whether what her patron offered was actually realistic, or whether they were simply pulling her leg.

“Let’s start again from the beginning, we’re completely off track,” she sighed, continuing to pace. “Yes, the entertainment clause can stay.”

Five years ago

Shit and fuck and bollocks and piss and-

She paced the length of her prison cell, on the verge of tearing her hair out in rage and frustration. Better anger than anguish, she told herself. She would not break down into panic and pathetic, useless sobs. She would not.

Think!

“You can’t keep me here, I’m innocent!” she cried out at the warden. “Whoever it is you were after, it’s not me!”

She couldn’t believe it. She’s changed her name, her hair, her style of dress, she’d covered her face and ears with a multitude of piercings, lost her original accent, adopted entirely new mannerisms. She had nothing in common with the woman she was ten years ago. And yet…

“Multiple eyewitness accounts. Matching distinguishing features. Incriminating evidence found on your person and in your bag of holding. Take this journal, for example,” the warden listed, lazily, flipping through her journal with indifference.

“Tchotchkes I’ve picked up on my journeys and made up stories, all of it!” She cursed at herself inwardly as she tried to argue. “No one benefits from me being here! I am a travelling bard. An entertainer! Why, I was just on my way to a child’s birthday party, in fact. Think of the kids’ poor disappointed little faces when I don’t show up.”

“Entertaining children’s parties dressed as a strumpet?” the warden remarked without looking up. “Please.”

“Hmm, trumpet?” she pretended not to hear. “No, I don’t play the trumpet. But I am most proficient in flutes of all varieties,” she said, gripping the bars of her cell and dropping her voice an octave. “Would you like me to show you?”

The warden did not deign to look at or respond to her.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

“I can help you, for a price.”

The voice sounded directly within her mind, startling her. If the warden had heard anything, he made no indication of it. No, the words were for her, and her only.

It was so storybook she would have laughed at the cliche absurdity of the sudden appearance of this deus in cranium, if not for her growing panic at her situation. She tensed, her mind recalling tales of desperate unfortunates signing their souls away in deals with devils.

“Not a devil,” the voice protested. She couldn’t pinpoint its age or gender. It simply… was. 

“What do you want?” She directed her thoughts at the voice, hoping they would be heard.

“Let’s make a bargain.”

“…What kind of bargain?”

“I’m bored.” The intruder now sounded distinctly sulky.“Make me laugh, and I will help you in return.”

“…You want me to entertain you..?” At this point she was willing to try anything.

“Yes! But first let’s get you out of here.”

Something changed then, as she gained the distinct impression that if she should like to turn into mist and re-appear anywhere she could see, she would, if she only willed it.

“Use the spell and it will seal the deal. Up to you!”

It made no sense. Was the creature paying it forward for her to provide amusement later..? She wasn’t about to enter any kind of long term arrangement with a mysterious voice that happened to barge, uninvited, into her head.

“There are anti-magic wards here, it’s not that simple.”

“It won’t stop my magic. Try it!”

She had never done anything like this before. She could do a few tricks here and there, but nothing as complex as teleporting herself through bars. The knowledge of how to accomplish it had simply appeared in her mind. All she had to do was accept and embrace it.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she blinked and appeared directly behind the warden, where he sat at his desk. This wasn’t at all where she had intended to teleport to.

Perhaps sensing a shift in the air, or hearing her breathing, the warden lifted his head in confusion, and turned around. They stared at one another in wide-eyed shock for a few moments, before she grabbed her lute from the adjacent evidence shelf, and smashed the warden’s head with it, dazing him. Miraculously, the instrument survived.

She heard some distant crashing sounds, and everything around her shook with tremors. Was there an earthquake..? Well, all the more reason to get out of this building.

She grabbed her journal, stuffing it back into the bag of holding and bolted for the exit.

Her newfound patron laughed in delight.

"Perfect! You’re mine now. I’m going to call you ‘Asmodea’. You can’t use any other name anymore."

She didn’t feel like arguing that point. She had been continually changing names for the past decade anyway. Hells, she didn’t feel like arguing any points - none of it mattered, she would get out of this inane ‘deal’ as soon as she managed to flee Baldur’s Gate.

The first and only thing Asmodea saw on emerging from the watchhouse was a massive purple tentacle.

Some days later

The diminutive creature glared at Asmodea, hatred painted on its face, pure malice in its eyes.

“BAAAAAAA!” it snarled at her.

Was it… pretending to be a sheep..? Asmodea cocked an eyebrow at the redcap.

“Baaaa!” she responded, putting forth her best lamb impression.

The creature inside her head emitted a gleeful, childish giggle. Pleasing it truly carried benefits, Asmodea had discovered earlier this week. Immediately, she felt somewhat rejuvenated. She thought she could even attempt casting some spells again, if she needed, despite having just come out of a fight.

Her patron’s laughter was echoed by an equally giddy chortle from the fanged jackass standing behind her.

I’m surrounded by idiots, she thought, and exchanged another round of baa’s with the redcap.

Still, the fey had proved to be too useful to discard now. As had the vampire.

Her patron and the vampire were uncannily similar in their levels of morality and maturity. Earlier, they were equally disappointed to see her refuse to let an unfortunate gnome the party came across fly off the blade of a windmill. Likewise, they were both delighted to see Asmodea throwing dung at goblins, the following day.

Astarion appeared to be more reliable in critical situations, however.

The entire goblin camp was on their heels as they ran from the ruined temple the goblins had claimed as their base.

“Is this part of your plan?!” Wyll shouted from across the camp where he sought cover behind a pillar.

“I told you I was winging it!” Asmodea yelled back.

She deduced by the cleric’s swearing that Shadowheart had missed with yet another guiding bolt. At least it made the goblins temporarily scatter in panic.

She, Shadowheart and Wyll were holding on by the skin of their teeth, drained dry of their magic at this point. The damned druid had disappeared somewhere along the way. Astarion was the only one still capable of dealing any damage, as he continued to shoot at the goblins following them.

The elf was following her closely. He seemed to have been tailing her ever since the night his vampirism was revealed.

As for her patron, for once the creature was nowhere to be found, despite her needing its help.

It was not the best time for Asmodea to realise that she actually had no idea how to address her patron or what their name was.

“Hey, you!” She tried to direct her thoughts at it.“Faerie! Pixie!”

Silence.

“My invisible friend? Buddy..?”

Nothing.

“Patron?? Maestro?! Sensei???”

She could almost hear the crickets. Meanwhile, an array of goblin arrows grazed the top of the partially collapsed wall she and Astarion had ducked behind.

“OI, FUCKFACE!”

“What?”

“Oh, THAT’S what you’ll respond to?? A little help?!”

“I grow weary of you now”, the fey creature responded. “Fend for yourself.”

“Useless, all of you,” hissed Astarion, nocking another arrow. “Can’t you do anything?!”

Asmodea cursed and dug through her bag, looking for anything that might be of use - scroll, potion, explosive... Alas, nothing but rusty goblin scimitars, a few shields they may as well throw into their campfire later, and some herbs she didn’t actually know what to do with. Until, that is, her hand happened to stop on an item she had completely forgotten about.

“Oh!” she cried out in surprise. “Do you think that verbose ogre will really come to our aid?”

“Just blow the damned horn!” snapped Astarion.

“I don’t know why you insist on that stupid name you gave me, but fine. I get to keep using the one I have for you, too, though.” Asmodea continued to haggle with her patron. “I am NOT calling you ‘Master’.”

The patron’s unceremonious moniker stuck after the group finally made it out of the goblin camp. ‘Fuckface’ didn’t seem to mind being addressed as such. Perhaps because Asmodea had no idea what the fey actually looked like, so it hardly constituted a true insult. Or, perhaps they just thought it was funny.

“Fine, I will follow your instructions when they make sense or when I don’t have a valid reason not to, but you will also listen and leave me alone when I ask. …Is it possible to still have a word that you’ll hear in case of emergency..? …No, I’m still not calling you ‘Master’, pick something else.”

Asmodea felt her patron silently resurfacing in her mind as she observed the happenings taking place across the camp grounds.

She watched, with a tinge of jealousy, as Astarion went through the motions of downplaying and dismissing the advances of two drunk tieflings. His rakish smile slipped off his face the moment their backs were turned, and his eyes immediately flicked towards hers, making contact from across the camp. Ah, there was another smile again. An insufferably knowing one this time.

“I like the vampling,” Fuckface remarked, unbidden.

“You know, I think I kind of like him too,” Asmodea thought to herself and incidentally to her patron, picking up a bottle of wine and making her way towards the elf, trying to avoid being dragged into any further awkward conversations. Having survived a near brush with death seemed to have made her companions remarkably horny. “Now be a dear and piss off for the night, or I’ll spend all day tomorrow talking weave theory with Gale.”

“Of course I’m going to let Astarion know, that’s not even negotiable!”

“Let Astarion know what?”

Asmodea whipped around, startled, to discover Astarion at the bedroom’s entrance, leaning against the doorframe. Gods, did he have to move so silently?

“Oh just patron nonsense,” she said, trying not to look or sound guilty. “I’ll tell you later.” She tried to swiftly change the topic as Astarion frowned. “Sorry, I thought you’d be downstairs for a while and drew the curtains open. Let me-”

Astarion waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s fine, I don’t need to come in right now.” He stayed at the open door, gazing at her. “Just stay where you are, you’re so beautiful in the sunlight…” he murmured wistfully.

The sun’s rays didn’t reach the door, not directly, but the room was still brightly illuminated.

“You’re awfully close to the light,” she observed, tilting her head.

“Hmm?” Astarion snapped back to the present moment. “Oh, make no mistake, it feels like I’m standing next to a burning furnace, and it’s getting hotter by the second.” He reached out cautiously with his hand, slowly bringing it further into the room. “Aurelia’s told me we gradually gain some resistance as we age.” The tips of his fingernails began to singe and he jerked his hand back, with a hiss drawn through his teeth, and stepped back deeper into the hallway. “Perhaps in another 50 years I’ll be able to tolerate a few more seconds of that.”

Asmodea hurried to the windows to draw the curtains shut, mentally kicking herself.

“Anyway, we’re adding some final touches to a new act and wanted your thoughts,” said Astarion. “Come down when you’re ready,” he added, before leaving.

“I’ll get changed and will be right there,” she called out after him, wondering what else he had overheard.

She sighed. The entire morning wasted, they were still basically at square one.

Part 4

Tags:

@littleenglishfangirl @something-pithy @darlingxdragon @tallymonster @tragedybunny

@spunky-89 @acourtofpenandpaper @yoonshope @lariatbunny @whiskeyskin

@spacebarbarianweird @brabblesblog @littlejuicebox @icybluepenguin @snowfolly

@wingsy-keeper-of-songs @asterordinary @mj-bites @bardic-inspo

[kiserusmoke]

KBTBB FIC RECS PLZ I NEED MORE IM ON BREAK AND I NEED TO DESTROY MY LIFE WITH THESE BABIES

I’m not sure what type of fics you like/what characters you like, so I’m going to share some of my current faves (all by my friends ironically)

((I’M SORRY FOR BLOWING UP YOUR NOTIFICATIONS WITH TAGS GUYS RIP))

Serious Fics/Drabbles:

99 Reasons Why I’ll Never Be Good Enough For You by my wife friend @catchthespade  

I think this idea is really original, and of course the writing is phenomenal. Anything with Eisuke’s inner dialogue and the Bidders teaming up is A+ in my book. I’m also a sucker for angst, and this is some angst 

if i missed you, would you hold it against me also by @catchthespade

I literally almost cried reading this, and I rarely cry. I love the direction this fic went in; the last scene nearly killed me. The way Spade writes this is like a dream, and it felt so melancholy and surreal. You can really feel Eisuke’s struggle with the loss of his best friend and love, along with the uncertainty of suddenly being thrusted into the role of a father.

Your Influence; KBTBB AU by my fave friend @maidofstars

It’s a triple espresso fic (ShuichixMCxHikaru in case you didn’t know) that left me s h o o k. I love the idea of the whole angel/devil dynamic, and the way she writes Shuichi gave me confidence to write Shuichi too if I’m totally honest. I love. I live for this AU and w o w I am in love. 

Letter two hundred and sixteen by my sunshine friend @bolt8826

More Eisuke angst because I like to suffer, but her writing is so g o o d holy shit. I love the concept of this series, and Eisuke seems so… human here. It’s not often that people explore his vulnerable side, but this series does just that. Also the imagery of Eisuke having 215 letters on his desk makes me cry so I want everyone else to cry, too. 

Unbelievably Happy (Fluff) ♡ by my queen friend @oh-heaux

I may be biased since I requested this drabble, but it’s honestly so great. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and I’m glad that Shuichi is getting more recognition as a multi-facated character here. Ciara is the queen of smut fics, but I like seeing this new side to her writing. Highly recommend this - and all - of her writing.

Shitposting/Funny Headcanons:

KBTBB - At the Beach by @catchthespade

I laughed my ass off, and I love how detailed Spade gets with her shitposts :’) she even included visuals, and it’s truly a gift.

KBTBB: Your fave is problematic also by @catchthespade

Words don’t even do this justice, just look at it please omg. I didn’t realize at first that Eisuke’s first point was a video, and it made this entire post 100x funnier once I watched it tbh

The Bidders and Karaoke: headcannon by @bolt8826

The v i s u a l s I get with this are hilarious. Eisuke is so extra, and I was in tears by the time I got to Baba’s part. I love how she gives examples of what they’d pick too ihifdl,c

The Bidders + MC on a Roller Coaster by @maidofstars

This is still one of my favorite headcanons to date oh my g o d. It’s perfect for summer because who doesn’t like to go to amusement parks over summer break? :’) 

[onetine]

since today has been a Day, and because I recently hit my reading goal of the year of reading 100 books*, I thought it might be fun to do five books I've given five stars this year! These aren't in any particular order and I tried to pick a variety of genres.

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama - A manga series about a young girl who wants to become a witch. Similar to Little Witch Academia with it's magical quasi-European setting and focus on the the importance of friendship, but not nearly as goofy/slapstick. I've read up to volume 3, but holy fuck the art in this is jaw droppingly good and I love the fresh take on magic.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado - this is the one non-fiction, and only audiobook, I've read this year. It's a poetic memoir about an abusive queer relationship. This was brutal and raw and you could tell that she was really flexing her writing skills in this one. Many of the reviews compare it to a horror story, and that really is a very apt comparison with the buildup and dread you feel whenever her ex-partner shows up. The audiobook is read by the author, and while I'm really not an audiobook person, I think with her very lyrical writing style it made the book more powerful and I would highly recommend that version.

Grim Shadows by Jenn Bennett - a historical/paranormal romance set in the 1920s in San Francisco about a curator/heiress who is "cursed" by shadow creatures and a (very Rick O'Connell flavored) archeologist/grave digger. I went into this very blind since it was only a buck or two at half price books and the synopsis sounded interesting, and I had SUCH a fun time reading it. Was it groundbreaking? Nah. But still a fun adventure

Our Bloody Pearl by DN Bryn - I'm trying to think of a way to say this that doesn't make it sound judgey, but this felt like it was written by a person who lives on Tumblr? It's a rather quick story about a NB siren (who is very much Not Human, not just a human with a tail) learning how to be themselves after losing use of their tail with the help of a pirate (who is also disabled). Basically everyone in the book is queer and almost all of them have some sort of physical or mental disability. The care and heart put into the very LGBTQA+ world-building reminds me a lot of Becky Chambers, only without the quiet meandering that their writing tends to have.

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells - murderbot!!! Truly a millennial icon. This is a rather beloved series, and I honestly didn't realize that I only read the first novella last year, so the list it goes. I still haven't read anything past this one, but I'm hoping to before the end of the year. I've heard mixed reviews about the full length novel, so I've been holding off until I know I'm in a sci-fi mood.

hmu if you ever want to chat about books! I'm technically on goodreads and storygraph, but I only use those to track my rating and finish date. You're more then welcome to friend me on there, but don't expect reviews since the bulk of my reading tracking happens in a spreadsheet.

*this may seem like a large number, but for context I read a fair amount of manga and romance. The longest book I've read this year is Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray (3.5/5 stars. Fun YA sci fi about a prototype robot and a child soldier. Didn't hold my interest enough to continue the series) which was only 503 pages. Also fun fact the shortest book I've read this year is the Shivering by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (4/5 stars. a short story about two Nigerian immigrants connecting over a tragedy. It isn't a feeling that I really had any context for, but Chimamanda's writing it always such a quick punch that it felt really poignant) which was 32 pages.

[kuiperblog]

DRPGs: function over form

I have an odd affection for DRPGs, or “Dungeon-crawling Role-Playing Games,” which are sometimes referred to as “Wizardly clones” in the same way that early FPS games were called “Doom Clones.”

Legend of Grimrock is an indie game that I’ve found is closest to actually emulating the feel of the original Wizardry games from an aesthetic perspective while updating them for modern graphics; most of the examples from recent history are Japanese and feature anime-style character designs, with Etrian Odyssey being perhaps the best-known (and best-selling).

I describe my affection for DRPGs as “odd,” because few other games have the ability to thoroughly captivate me for the time I’m playing, only for me to completely forget everything about them when I’m done playing them.

For example, I recently noticed that Demon Gaze 2 was on sale for 75% off in the Playstation store. I’m keen to try it out, since I enjoyed the first Demon Gaze game so much that I took the time to 100% (I earned the “platinum trophy” so that anyone on my Playstation Network friends list can see the evidence of my achievement). This is a task that reportedly takes around 50 hours. I say “reportedly” because it’s based on other people’s reports of how long it took for them to “platinum” the game; I can’t really recall from memory how much time I spent playing that game, or really anything else about it for that matter.

I cannot express how weird it is for me to not have a memory of have any specific memories of playing a video game, especially one that I spent that amount of time playing. I can still vividly remember a specific game of Dota 2 that I played over half a decade ago. I could talk for paragraphs about an indie puzzle game that I played for 2 hours in 2012. You could ask me to talk about any of the N64 games I played as a middle schooler and I could probably recall many specific memories from the time I spent with those games.

And yet, when it comes to Demon Gaze, I remember nothing. Not the characters, not the plot, not any of the specific milieus or setpieces. And, truthfully, it’s probably because caring about any of these things is never really something that the game asked of me in the first place. I earnestly tried to remember anything I could about Demon Gaze, and here is a full, comprehensive list of what I came up with:

There’s an NPC whose character trait is that she’s always sleepy. I think she lived in the basement of...something. I think your “home base” was an inn, and she lived in the inn’s basement, and you would sometimes have to talk to her to do certain things or something.

One of the levels had plants and was mostly green. Maybe multiple levels, actually. I want to assume this meant there was a hedge maze, but I’m not actually remembering a hedge maze; I’m just assuming that a dungeon-crawling game plus a green area must mean there was a hedge maze.

One of the levels involved climbing a tall tower, or maybe descending into a deep pit. There was definitely verticality involved, and the map was cylindrical.

I think the main character used swords. But maybe they didn’t. I’m pretty sure that you could dual-wield at a certain point in the game. (I think part of what made the main character so strong was the fact that they could equip an artifact that let them dual-wield?)

That is truthfully and honestly the full extent of what I remembered about the game before I started writing this post and digging up screenshots which reminded me of the main character’s heterochromia. When grabbing screenshots for this post, I found one that showed a character’s class as being “Paladin,” and my reaction was not, “Oh yeah, Paladin was totally a character class in this game,” but “Oh yeah, Paladin totally sounds like a character class that could plausibly be in this game.”

Normally, I’d have memories of specific boss battles, or setpieces, or characters, or story moments. But in place of those, I have memories of looking at Google Sheets that people had made to list all of the items that dropped from certain areas, and ranked them to let you know which items were the best. I could more vividly tell you the decor of the room I was in when I unlocked the platinum trophy than the final boss I beat (or item I obtained) to unlock it. (Being a game for a portable system like the Vita, I actually have memories of many locations and “setpieces” associated with that game; just not locations in the game.)

DRPGs are, maybe more than any genre, a game that is experienced through a layer of abstraction, and I think this is best illustrated by the Etrian Odyssey, which lives in the DS family of systems, which are notable for having two screens (as is suggested by the name “Dual Screen”). Here’s a screenshot that shows what the game displays on both screens when you’re dungeon crawling:

On the top screen, you see the environment you’re exploring in all its 3D-rendered detail. On the bottom screen, you have a map of the area you’re navigating, with the arrow in the middle indicating your current position and orientation. And for the vast, vast majority of dungeon crawling, my attention is focused solely on the bottom screen.

This is, I gather, how most people play DRPGs. Etrian Odyssey puts even more of the focus on the bottom screen by forcing you to draw the map as you walk (hence the bevy of icons and paintbrushes it offers you when filling in the grid). If you try to play by looking at the environment, you’ll quickly realize how much of the area is just copy-pasted assets that are difficult to navigate by. The map isn’t just a “guide;” the game feels less like a first-person dungeon crawler and more like game with a top-down POV where your avatar is represented by that arrow on the map. If you watch gameplay videos and only pay attention to the top screen, you’ll be blown away by how fast it seems like people are moving, but it makes a lot more sense when you realize that people are only paying attention to the map: people will see, “okay, I want to walk north 5 tiles, turn 90 degrees left, then walk west 2 tiles,” and then just input that series of actions faster than the walking animation can actually play out on screen.

I’m half convinced that the reason Etrian Odyssey took off more than any other DRPG is that, due to being on the DS, it has an entire screen dedicated to the map, whereas in a game like Demon Gaze, your screen is mostly taken up with what amounts to decorative filler while the part of your brain that’s focused on gameplay has to focus on a mini-map in the corner of the screen:

So, perhaps you can understand how it is that I played this game for 50 hours, yet have no recollection of the scene/location depicted in this screenshot. It’s because close to 100% of my focus was on the mini-map. I experienced most of this game as an abstraction.

There’s a real sense in which DRPG players (I’m talking about myself here) want everything in the game to be an abstraction. The ideal length for a combat animation is “as long as it takes for me to read how much damage the attack did, so please just advance the battle as fast as I’m pressing the X button.”

Video games are inherently abstractions of real things, like the way that adding the pyramids to my build queue in Civilization V is an abstraction of what it’s actually like to build the pyramids in ancient Egypt, or left clicking in Counter-Strike is an abstraction of what it’s like to fire a gun, but they usually try to call back to the things that they’re abstractions of. Civilization gives you an inspiring quote from some historian describing the pyramids, and Counter-Strike tries to have animations and sounds that somewhat reflect the behavior of real guns. But in DRPGs, I don’t want the combat to be the simulation of my character swinging a sword on an enemy. All I care about is watching the numbers flash on screen, and the reward isn’t “you’ve triumphed over this vile forest-dwelling enemy,” it’s “the number on your exp meter went up.”

While games like World of Warcraft eventually become like this for a lot of people (a game with a hundred buttons that is all about managing cooldowns), you at least start from a place of walking your avatar around the world and performing actions that make your wizard look as though you’re casting a spell.  But most DRPGs start from the position of “all you care about is the numbers, right?” The game is an abstraction unto itself.  It is a game that is made for people who like looking at spreadsheets (and I most definitely spent a decent chunk of time looking at spreadsheets).

Maybe that’s why they can get away with having character designs often clash with the art style of the environment and enemies, and sometimes with the art style of other party members. Several of the character portraits in the above screenshot seem like they were drawn by different people, and there are some moments that, when you look at them in a screenshot gallery, make you think that the characters just don’t belong in the world they’re inhabiting. And while the game is sometimes visually non-cohesive in a way that becomes really obvious if you pay attention, the truth is that when you’re actually playing the game, you’re not really paying attention to all that.

For another example of this, I like to turn to Stranger of Sword City, which has a really cool aesthetic that hits you from the moment you pick up the box (or look at the title screen):

The original release of the game, on Xbox 360, was remarkably consistent with this specific style. But the Playstation Vita version of the game (which was later ported to PC)  gives you an updated character creator and your options include, well, a variety of options drawn in a variety of different styles.

I just looked at the screenshots on the Steam store page for the Stranger of Sword City and, well:

Yes, that is a Prinny in the bottom left corner. Yes, Nippon Ichi did publish this game, why do you ask?

I think one of the reasons I don’t tremendously mind the aesthetic choice (or is it a lack of choice?) in a lot of DRPGs like this to randomly have anime-style characters (even when they might be dissonant with the rest of what’s on screen) that I don’t necessarily need my paladin’s look to really communicate that they’re a holy warrior or whatever; I really just want them to be eye candy that I can appreciate in the moments when I’m distracted from the numbers. But in the end, it doesn’t actually matter that much, because, well...

DRPGs feel like they are all about function over form. (The “looking at the mini-map and not the 3D environment” is a microcosm of a playstyle that’s encouraged by a design philosophy that seems to apply to nearly everything in a “good” DRPG.) This puts them in stark contrast to, say, Persona, which involves a ton of dungeon crawling, but relies heavily on the style (which includes the battle music, the stylish combat animations, and the quips that your characters make in battle) to make that part of the game interesting.

When you down all of the enemies in Persona, part of the “reward” for that comes from getting to deal a bunch of damage to all of the enemies, but a huge part of the reward also comes from the feeling of visceral pleasure that comes in the moment when Akihiko senpai says “I’ve been waiting for this!” and you smile and agree and say, “Me too, Aki. Now give me that shot that’s so iconic it became a meme template.”

I probably would not have made it through dozens of hours of crawling through Tartarus in Persona 3 if Mass Destruction weren’t such a banger of a battle theme. But I spent just as much (if not more) time dungeon crawling in Demon Gaze despite not having Lotus Juice’s rap verses soothing my ears during those battles, which I guess maybe stands as a testament to how good Demon Gaze was at making the game fun?

Ultimately, the abstraction that every RPG leveling system gets toward is “your character gets stronger.” Maybe DRPGs are better than any other genre at removing any abstractions that would serve as a barrier between you and that goal.  And the best DRPGs also give you formidable challenges that give you ample reason to want to become stronger: games like Etrian Odyssey are notorious for their difficulty. I feel the difficulty is a bit overhyped; much like my feelings on Dark Souls, Etrian Odyssey only really feels “hard” when compared with other games where the player is never put plausibly close to a failure state whereas Dark Souls and EO actually punish the player for making mistakes, and EO also has the “X-factor” of having enough variance (due to things like random crits) that you actually do want to give yourself a decent margin for error. Which is to say, EO is one of the RPGs where you actually care a lot about having a team that’s strong enough to kill a boss in 8 turns instead of 10 turns, since that’s 20% fewer chances for an unfortunate event to send you back to home base. Powering up your team in EO feels important and significant way more than it does in a lot of other JRPGs.

There is a very real sense in which the entire point of the obligatory spreadsheet companion is to aid you in your quest to become the strongest you can be by breaking the game somehow. The thing I do remember about Demon Gaze (not concretely, but in the abstract) was that there were some item/class combinations that were wildly better than the alternatives. Some might deride this as poor balance, but in my eyes, “breaking” a game in that way is really more akin to “solving” it, in the same way that one might “solve” a puzzle. I did it: I found right combination of skills and items to trivialize the game’s difficulty! Huzzah! In a “well-balanced” game where all items and classes were all carefully tuned to be equally viable, such a thing would not be possible. Thus, what others might consider “poor balance” in some DRPGs is actually an essential and core part of what compels me to spend time with those games.

I feel like these factors and more make DRPGs somewhat unique in a way that probably contributes to them reviewing poorly. For example, if you look among discussions on DRPG forums about recommended games, there seems to be universal consensus that Stranger of Sword City is a great game (with many praising it as the best DRPG they’ve ever played), but on OpenCritic, only 45% of critics recommend it, and I think all of this is perfectly encapsulated by a 6/10 review from TheSixthAxis:

Stranger of Sword City excels at one thing, and really flounders at the others. It’s a rewarding experience if you’re a fan of challenging RPGs and gameplay depth. If you’re a fan of well-written dialogue, engaging music or proper difficulty curves though…well….there are a lot of other video games out there that may suit you better.

And that’s the kind of thing that makes me want to locate a guide, crack open a spreadsheet, and start a new save file.

Anyway, the Stranger of Sword City is on sale for 80% on Steam right now. That’s $4, for a game that I paid $40 for when it first came out on Vita! I’m tempted to buy it again, just for the convenience of being able to play it on my monitor without having to dig around to locate my old Vita TV.

[consistentsquash]

10 HP Femslash recs!

Celebrating Pride Month with a femslash rec list!

AO3 collection for the list

Rec Selection Criteria

Main pairing is femslash according to the Category from the Author. But a lot of these fics have gender identity and queer themes.

No A/B/O, noncon. We have one dubcon fic.

Short reads < 30000 words

No repeat authors or pairings

No repeats from older lists.

Tried to pick for variety.

Variety was harder to pick in f/f fics. Maybe it’s just my reading. I found a meta about it which was pretty interesting. 8 Hypotheses for why f/f stories are more conservative than other types of fanfic

There’s just a smaller group of fics to pick from. We have around 10 M/M only completed fics for 1 F/F only completed fic in HP slash on AO3 when I checked on June 1, 2021.

Rec lists are subjective based on my reading.

Independent Love Song

by writcraft (2018)

Genre - Romance, Relationship, Happy ending, Genderfluid character, Queer Themes, Matchmaking

Pairing - Ginny/Millicent

Length - 6200 words

Blurb - Hermione sets up Ginny with Millicent. It’s attraction at first sight. Millie is a tailor. Ginny goes to get her dress made for Hermione’s and Ron’s wedding. Ginny figures out her attraction to Millie and accepts she is gay. The smut is sweet and good. They are so accepting of each other about what they want in sex. It’s a soft fic and the happy ending is real!

She’s finally seeing the world in all the right colours, and they’re bigger, bolder, brighter and more beautiful than she ever expected.

Rec note - writcraft has more femslash. Definitely check out their AO3 page if you like their writing style! In a previous rare pair long read rec list, I recommended their WLW Big Bang femslash fic Play Me Like A Love Song. Check out more femslash fics on The Unusual Careers Fest AO3 collection this fic got written for.

Growing Teeth

by earlybloomingparentheses (2019)

Genre - Gender Identity, Gender queer, Genderbending Metamorphagus

Pairing - Fleur/Tonks

Length - 2600 words

Blurb - Fleur shaves her head after the war. Bill and she had a breakup. Tonks uses her Metamorphagus powers to change her body to fit her better. They get each other. Like other fics from earlybloomingparentheses, this one covers a lot of story without a lot of words. I really like Fleur’s characterization here! Tonks and Remus have a good friendship. It’s a nice fic where Remus and Tonks are alive after the war. Tonks and Fleur get it on. The smut scene can be YMMV. I think it fits the characterizations in the context of the fic. A short fic. But it definitely packs a punch!

Rec note - Check out more Fleur/Tonks fics on Flonks Fest AO3 collection. I recced another fic from earlybloomingparantheses, Crooked Neighbors which was my pick for 2020 on the 21 years rec list!

Unladylike

by Delphi (2004)

Genre - First time, Loss of virginity, Bathroom sex

Pairing - Minerva/Rolanda

Length - 3000 words

Minerva sees Rolanda in the bathroom after Quidditch practice. Minnie has a good eye!

There’s a certain boyishness about her, strangely elusive—small things that Minerva wouldn’t find at all appealing on a real boy, but on Rolanda are strangely charming. Her walk is just one more thing that makes Minerva…consider.

Really sweet fic. I loved the classic Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch locker room sparks. Minerva plays Keeper for Gryffindors. Rolanda is playing as Slytherin Chaser. Minerva discovers exactly why she wasn’t feeling it when she was kissing boys! Hot and sweet with a happy ending. I really loved Minerva’s observations about Rolanda.

Rec note - Just fyi. Minerva is in 6th year. Rolanda is in 4th year. Everything is consensual and it’s just teenagers having sex. But adding a YMMV just in case.

The Dressing Room, A Play in Three Acts, with Chorus

by PurpleFluffyCat (2020)

Genre - Romance, Courtship, Matchmaking, Happy ending

Pairing - Minerva/Hermione

Length - 9900 words

Absolutely beautiful, fun and clever fic! Madam Malkin and her Magic Dressing Room Mirror are matchmakers. This fic is poignant, sharp and gentle in all the right places. I really loved how the development of Hermione and Minerva’s relationship is done right along the observations about their characters and the other customers who are visiting the shop. This is one of those fics which uses a lot of internal dialogue and makes it work beautifully. I really liked the snippets from Malkin about her customers and how she thinks about her job. The details about their world are so rich without getting in the way of the plot itself. Really good fic with a happy ending.

A dressing room is a tiny auditorium of the absurd – with just you, your reflection, your thoughts – and whatever disruption you’ve chosen to throw into the mix, courtesy of me. It’s theatre at its barest; most joyous; most poignant. The unguarded moments that let ideas take flight, new realities dawn and the truth break free.

Rec note - I really loved Horace/Filius the background pairing here. The writing style just makes them shine! Whimsical and soft. These days I don’t really need to advertise; Horace and Filius do it for me.

From the Tents of Kedar

by rinsbane (2006)

Genre - Friends with Benefits, Kink, Happy ending

Pairing - Pansy/Millicent

Length - 10300 words

Blurb - This is just a beautiful and complicated fic. It’s definitely not an easy fic to read. Pansy’s sexuality and her emotional needs are complex. She doesn’t really admit it to herself. But it shows in the people she gets attracted to.

The one who drives Pansy wild, though, is Snape. She doesn’t understand this. Everything in her rebels at the thought of giving herself over to a man made strong by his centuries of dominion, but from the first moment she realizes Snape’s effect on her, she is powerless to stop it.

After the war, Snape is gone. Pansy starts sleeping with Fleur. It is violent and messy. Fleur takes. She takes and takes, and never gives back. Perhaps this is because she gives so much to her mauled husband – he was once beautiful, you know.

Then she ends up with Millicent who’s again a dressmaker. Wait! This is the third fic on the list with a dressmaker character. Second fic with Millie as a dressmaker. I got off track. Coming back to the fic!

There’s something relaxing about Millicent’s company, Pansy finds as the weeks go by, particularly if Fleur has been around. Maybe it’s the way she always has a glass of Snape’s water on hand for Pansy.

I really love how Pansy is finally getting what she wants without toxicity. Millie is strong and supportive and exactly the kind of person Pansy needs! I really loved Pansy’s characterization here. She’s so human. Her relationships with Narcissa, Snape, Fleur and Millie are complex and beautiful.

Rec note - Rinsbane’s writing is tight and layered. I absolutely love the writing style and how it brings out Pansy’s character here. It’s not easy reading. But it’s an amazing fic.

Imperius

by Snegurochka (2006)

Genre - Smut, Bittersweet ending, Dub-con

Pairing - Narcissa/Rosmerta

Length - 8700 words

Blurb - Narcissa goes with Draco to Madam Rosmerta’s to help Draco with his task during HBP. She thinks that she is having sex with Rosmerta because Rosmerta is using the Imperius Curse on her. But is that what’s going on? A beautiful fic around Narcissa’s repressed desires and hot, hot smut set in war time. Everything is tense and complicated. Narcissa’s life during HBP was pretty bad in canon with her worries. This fic gets that intensity and doubles it with her own characterization as somebody who’s got desires of her own.

She didn’t know her own body anymore; it had betrayed her. It was as traitorous as her husband, her sister, and her son, demanding things of her she was not prepared to give – things that had too high a price.

Rec note - A tense and gripping fic! I really love Snegurochka’s darker fics.

One and Two Are One

by pauraque (2019)

Genre - Time travel, self cest, happy ending

Pairing - Hermione/Hermione

Length - 2500 words

Blurb - A fun fic about Hermione discovering her own body and trying out how to pleasure herself. Come on! We were all thinking about how to get the best mileage out of a Time-Turner!

Once she is given the Time-Turner, Hermione is able to last about two weeks without thinking about a certain way that an irresponsible sort of person might use it, if one were so inclined.

Rec note - This fic is a gift to society. That’s all.

Ombra Mai Fu

by tetley (2011)

Genre - Slowburn, romance, pining, happy ending, queer themes

Pairing - Minerva/Elphinstone

Length - 17000 words

Blurb - Ombra mai fu, Being the Beginning of the Very True Story of Minerva McGonagall and Elphinstone Urquart is the full title!

Opera fic!

This is such a clever fic! Absolutely brilliant in how it tricks the reader about what the plot is going to be. I won’t say a lot to avoid spoilers.

Minerva is the secretary for Elphinstone who is working at the Ministry of Magic. She made the decision to be her own woman instead of marrying somebody like her family wanted. Elphinstone’s a good boss. Also a total mystery. Elphinstone’s background is really interesting when described from Minerva’s POV.

No, as things were, Elphinstone was happiest living the quiet life of a bachelor with a place in society. If that meant renouncing twosomeness, well, then so be it. Countless people had managed before, and so had Elphinstone.

The characterizations for both Elphinstone and Minerva are spot on in the context of the fic. I really loved Elphinstone’s characterization especially. Instead of the standard boss/secretary romance fic what we get is a beautiful Daddy Long Legs type fic where the boss sends Minerva to Salem to get a Transfiguration degree. This is Elphinstone’s fic. Minerva is a great supporting character. Their relationship is just poignant and beautiful. So much history and respect for each other.

“Deal,” Elphinstone said, and they toasted the beginning of what would be a long night of quietly-spoken words, many pauses, and soft laughs here or there. Because that was the thing about stories like theirs when they were told to an understanding soul – the telling somehow made you see the humour in them when the experiencing had made you see little but sadness.

I actually want to say a lot more about the fic. But the author does a great job with the suspense. I don’t want to mess it with spoilers.

Source - I got a rec for this amazing fic from /u/beta_reader!

Rec note - hands down the best Fixit for the Pottermore Minerva Mcgonagall backstory I have read. Beautiful writing start to end! I really really love how the fic is so gentle and soft. Seriously happy ending! I am so much in love with this fic. Reading this and Homily this week finally got me to build the rec list!!!

Homily

by eldritcher (2021)

Genre - Mourning, Smut, Gender Identity, Hopeful ending

c/w - Alzheimer’s, menopause.

Pairing - Hermione/Delphi

Length - 17000 words

Blurb - Widow Hermione comes to Hogwarts to be the new Caretaker. She’s working for the new Headmaster, Delphi. Hermione is hitting menopause in this fic. Her headspace is really not that great here. She is mourning her mother and Ron. The Headmaster and the Caretaker have their hands full with a sentient Hogwarts which is going senile.

Womanhood has its seasons. Death was the spirit of a crone that lived in an elder tree. The first woman was an elm, and Embla was her name. The Castle wants and ails, and seeks mastery while binding her masters to her. The women of Homer were not the women of Euripides. Menopause has left me changed. It is not an ending. It is merely a season’s turn.

This fic has internal, relationship and external conflicts. The internal conflict is Hermione’s struggle with menopause, her grief for her Mum’s suffering with Alzheimer’s and eventual death, her grief for Ron’s death and how she feels guilty about her mistake which she thinks is the reason Ron died. The relationship part is about how she isn’t really 100% in love with Delphi. She’s a great supportive lover when it comes to being there for Delphi especially when Delphi is discussing her gender identity with her family. It just isn’t a love story. The external problems are about how Hogwarts Castle is going senile.

This is not penance. This is togetherness. We, and the senile Castle we keep.

It just is the kind of crazy ambitious scope that I don’t see in F/F a lot in my reading! Trope inversions of M/M everywhere. You know Hermione being Harry’s supportive straight friend? It’s the other way around in this one. You know how M/M fics love that fuck or die plot? This fic does that where Hermione and Delphi have to sleep with each other the first time because it’s required to keep the Castle going. The supporting cast is pretty big and the relationships between Delphi and her family is really interesting. I liked Snape’s character in this fic a lot. It’s pretty experimental and doesn’t always go where the reader wants. But the sum of the parts is haunting and unique in a way I haven’t seen in other F/F fics I read.

Rec note - I picked this fic because of how it has a bunch of unique subjects I haven’t really read before in HP slash fics especially like menopause, Alzheimer’s and a senile castle. This is technically a sequel fic. But its pretty standalone. A serious fic which can get uncomfortable sometimes. It’s a muted kind of intense. Definitely sticky with a first-person POV, present tense and eldritcher’s typical layered writing.

Subversive

by kelly_chambliss (2014)

Genre - Cross-cultural, OFC, Original Female Goblin Character

Pairing - Griselda/OFC

Length - 8300 words

Source - I got a rec for this amazing fic from /u/beta_reader!

Blurb - Just because you are on /r/hpslash doesn’t mean you can’t have Goblins! Absolutely amazing world building take on Goblin-Wizard relations in just around 8000 words. This should be an impossible thing to do. But this fic does it really well! It takes a deep dive into some of the longstanding difficulties between Goblins and Wizard cooperation. Griselda and Vala are appointed liaisons by their respective groups.

We first met in the Year of the 84th Treaty, or in human terms, 1895. In that year, goblins and magical humans tried yet again (for the eighty-fourth time in the modern era, to be exact) to find a way to live together, if not in mutual understanding, then at least in mutual financial benefit.

Vala goes into my memorable OCs right next to Odile Lalique in When the Rose and the Fire Are One and Jonathan in Consanguinity. The other two are Snarry fics. Not femslash!

Vala is a Goblin. It shines in her characterization here. How she thinks about things and how she deals with people. The relationship Griselda and Vala build is based on trust and respect. It is a fic that covers a lot of ground without a lot of words.

Now, speech, as any thoughtful being knows, is a dangerous thing. Words are as powerful as money, a fact that too many goblins and humans alike ignore to their peril. With speech comes knowledge, persuasion, conversation, even understanding. Not to mention lies.

Rec note - I really loved what the fic had to say about gender roles in the two societies. As an outsider things that are just taken as normal in a society can look weird! There’s definitely a lot about the biology of the two species as well. But what really stands out is the cultural and social differences between their species. It’s got a Star Trek vibe to it from that angle! An amazing fic to end the list with! kelly_chambliss has a ton of great femslash and female character centric fics. Definitely check their AO3 page! They are one of the absolute best in my reading experience for female character centric fics!

other rec lists

[thelibraryiscool]

Odds for the end of year book asks? Thank you!

1. How many books did you read this year?

*goes to add them up on my list* not counting ones I didn’t like but yes counting plays, it’s a slightly underwhelming 82 so far

3. What were your top five books of the year?

that’s really difficult… maybe Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, Jeanette Winterson’s Written on the Body, Tom Stoppard’s Coast of Utopia, Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, and…. a tie between like ten others? Perhaps Love’s Labours Lost, or To Say Nothing of the Dog, or Grossman’s Life and Fate

5. What genre did you read the most of?

Probably just fiction? Realism? A fair number of historical novels, for something more specific. And a good amount of detective stories

7.What was your average Goodreads rating?

Don’t have a goodreads, sorry. It’d probably be a low 4. something? out of 5

9. Did you get into any new genres?

Not as such. I don’t tend to pick books based on genre really. I suppose I have gotten more interested in the gothic novel, and in the essay/essay collection

11.What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

Given my reading habits, that’s inevitably gonna be most of them, but to name something I haven’t mentioned before, and thinking of ‘a while’ as not too long ago… I really enjoyed Patti Smith’s Just Kids. I’d been meaning to get to it forever, and it’s a lovely read, bringing the place and people of the New York of that time to life in a really enchanting way.

13. What were your least favorite books of the year?

That’s so much harder, because I don’t write them down on my list! I remember I tried reading the Phryne Fisher novels because I love the show, and found the writing style so bad I couldn’t get through it. I also had to read Chaucer’s Tale of Good Women for a class, and while it’s still Chaucer and has some things going for it, I don’t want him touching Dido or Cleopatra with a ten foot pole. Also, although I liked it enough to note it down, Dissolution by CJ Sansom had some tropes re: historical religion & attitudes that I didn’t love, and featured a few moments of wild historical inaccuracy of the less-fun-more-annoying variety

15. Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them?

I don’t believe so, because I tend to read most contemporary books with a bit of a delay (so many books, so little time. But I really want to read On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and Frankissstein soon, at least!) Having now looked through a list of award winners, I’ve definitely been meaning to read Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise and Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights, as well.

17. Answered here. But I’ve also remembered that I hadn’t anticipated that the writing in How Green Was My Valley would be quite as beautiful as it was.

19. Did you use your library?

My various university libraries, all the time. Also the Archive online library, which is a real treasure

21. Did you participate in or watch any booklr, booktube, or book twitter drama?

Nope. I have been proudly drama free online since the original SKAM show finished up.

23. What’s the fastest time it took you to read a book?This question makes no sense because book lengths vary wildly. So idk, just the other day I read Chekhov’s The Three Sisters, and that only took a couple hours?

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

That’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. I’d like to get to more of the very long novels I keep putting off reading (maybe finally do Notre Dame de Paris, or finish Andrei Bely’s Petersburg), and also to make time for more critical literature in fields that interest me. To read more in French. Perhaps to tackle Benjamin’s Arcades Project, which I know is everything I love in one neat 1000 page meandering package, but which I worry I may never surface from once I dive in. thanks for the ask!

[tamashley4888-blog]

Extra Synthetic Bamboo! The Biggest Preset Sounds In Pop Music

Pop music, whereas a worldwide phenomenon, is regional in its definition. I like you Pam. I am solely 31 however I can't ever recall a time that I ever favored what was "cool." I believe the final time I did it was 1998; I was 12. My father raised me on 60s rock so for me, rock is dead. If it wasn't for Queens of the Stone Age and Primus placing out new CDs this 12 months, I would have no motive to enter a music shop. I feel pretty fortunate that they are even putting out new music. When folks laud 21 Pilots as Modern rock, it makes me want to puke. If their music helped you in any method, that is nice. However there isn't any guitar of their band. That is not rock!!!!! Please put them in the category that they're, pop. The bass guitar is a stringed instrument related in look and construction to an electrical guitar, however with an extended neck and scale length, and 4 to six strings. The bass guitar is a transposing instrument, performed primarily with the fingers or thumb, by plucking, slapping, popping, dylanhuggins0.wikidot.com strumming, tapping, thumping, or pilarstable4051.hatenadiary.com choosing with a plectrum. It's often a solo instrument in jazz, jazz fusion, Latin, funk, progressive rock and other rock and metallic kinds. Learning to play the bass each much as difficult as learning how you can play the six string guitar. In case you're not sure about your musical skills, the bass guitar is the right instrument to get began with. With an everyday guitar, players usually need to memorize lengthy chords. On a bass guitar, nonetheless, you possibly can play more songs with simply single notes. This makes it easier for new gamers.

One might argue that most present pop music is extra by-product than in earlier many years, and is created using familiar songwriting techniques, tried-and-true devices and sonic textures, and a wholesome amount of references to already current genres and songs. Due to this, I try to usually replace the Encyclopedia of Every Music I've Ever Listened To" that I keep stored in my head, by listening to as much new music as doable, even if I end up touring down a path that introduces me to some art that I personally don't ever grow to like. I'm a DJ (mostly weddings and company parties) and my motto is to play what my audience desires to hear. That moment, I cannot attempt to train or moderately drive my so-known as knowledgeable views on good music onto anybody. We are here to rejoice so I'll play all the hits everyone is aware of and loves (and I love as nicely !). But I need to confess I've a hard time with this decade's popular music, there may be so much great stuff out there at this time however it's so scattered and fragmented far and wide. Individuals only seem to know random stuff they picked up by way of spotify, youtube or different streaming websites. So to play new music everyone knows, offers a slightly restricted repertoire to choose from.

The previous few decades have seen hip-hop grow from underground phenomenon to niche market to omnipresent juggernaut, listened to across the globe and influencing music of each genre. The place once rap could have been too outré for Executives to tune in, it has now permeated culture to such a degree that, for all intents and functions, rap music is pop music. And while Executives might have little knowledge of or curiosity in previous-college rhymes, artists like Kanye West or Drake could also be simply too popular to disregard. So at what point on the timeline of human existence does music develop into pop"? Pop, in any case, originated as shorthand for well-liked music", the sounds that were being dug by whatever technology in whichever society. The broadside ballads in style in Tudor and Stuart occasions are typically referred to by historians as early pop music". These bawdy, comical and mawkish songs of the streets and taverns have been pedaled on sheet music by road distributors, and proved widespread with landed gentry as a lot as serfs in the fields. In Victorian occasions, audiences would take pleasure in concerts by the German-born composer Sir Julius Benedict, www.magicaudiotools.Com billed because the London Popular Live shows, while the time period pop music" was in use at the very least one hundred years in the past.When asked which decade has the worst music, their responses fanned out in broadly chronological order, with the 2010s getting forty two% of the vote, the 2000s getting 15%, and the 1990s, 1980s and Nineteen Seventies coming in pretty equally with thirteen%, 14% and 12%. This may lead an off-the-cuff reader to conclude that the people polled had been all of a certain age, nevertheless it appears to be an evenly held opinion. Of individuals aged 18-29, 39% voted for the 2010s, whereas the determine for the over 30s was 43%, which indicates most of the fun is in digging up previous songs, somewhat than keeping up with the new.Most bass players stand while playing, using a strap over the shoulder to carry the instrument, though sitting can also be accepted, notably in large ensemble settings, corresponding to jazz massive bands or in acoustic genres resembling people music Some bassists, reminiscent of Jah Wobble , alternate between standing or seated enjoying. It is a matter of the participant's preference as to which place provides the best ease of playing and what a bandleader expects. When sitting, proper-handed players can balance the instrument on the correct thigh or like classical guitar players, the left. When sitting, no strap is required. Balancing the bass on the left thigh usually positions it in such a method that it mimics the standing place, permitting for less distinction between the standing and sitting positions. Balancing the bass on the precise thigh offers higher entry to the neck and fretboard in its entirety, particularly the lower-pitched frets.These aren't questions that Taryn Southern is anxious with. Southern is an online character who you may know from her YouTube channel or when she was a contestant on American Idol. Lately, Southern is all in favour of emerging tech, which has led to her present project: recording a pop album. Those two issues do not sound like they might be associated, however her album has a twist: as a substitute of writing all the songs herself, Southern used artificial intelligence to assist generate percussion, melodies, and chords. This makes it one of many first albums of its kind, a collaboration of types between AI and human.Shock-pop bombshell Gloria Trevi went full Rebel Lady after her controversial televised debut of Dr. Psiquiatra" on Mexican variety present Siempre en Domingo. The track that made Ms. Treviño a famous person follows a girl who is taken to the asylum and put below the care of an older man who ogles at her legs. This risqué song, in addition to her headbanging single Pelo Suelto," heralded the arrival of a different kind of Mexican pop star, à la Madonna - wild, outspoken, however completely charming - during a time when feminine singers have been anticipated to be wholesome like Lucerito, or elegant like Daniela Romo. However more troubling than her songs was her relationship to then-manager Sergio Andrade, who was discovered to have led a teenage intercourse abuse cult disguised as a talent college for women. I.R.

[xmanicpanicx]

5 common pieces of writing advice that aren’t totally true

Writing advice is everywhere. We hear it in grade school. We hear it in high school. Some of us hear it in college. It’s online. It’s in books. But how much of it is legit? Honestly, a lot of it depends on you — what you like, your style, what your target audience wants. I’ve waded through a lot of writing advice from basically every avenue, and I’ve tried desperately to suss out what works and what doesn’t. I give careful consideration to every bit of writing advice I come across, and it’s extremely rare for me to dismiss any writing advice outright. However, there are some commonly-circulated pieces of writing advice that I can’t completely get behind. They’re right, but they’re also not. That is to say, they should be practiced in moderation. Here are five common pieces of writing advice that are only partly true.

1. Replace “said”/don’t replace “said”

I’ve seen entire charts devoted to alternatives for the word “said” as a dialogue tag. Exclaimed. Chimed. Cried. Intoned. Dictated. Proclaimed. I’ve also seen words for laughter used to replace “said” — giggled, sniggered, guffawed. Which doesn’t really make sense unless your character is talk-laughing. Or laugh-talking. Of course that happens in real life, but usually only when something is hilarious and not passably funny. Plus, different types of laughter. Have you ever heard anyone actually say something when they sniggered, for instance? It’s all too much, really. “Said” is just fine as a dialogue tag. The human brain hardly even processes dialogue tags because it’s so focused on the actual dialogue. That’s why you usually don’t have to replace “said.”

However! You can’t abuse “said” either. Here’s a cringy example featuring “said” abuse.

“Have you been using my shaving cream again?” he said.

“Yes, I have,” she said.

“How many times have I told you to use your own shaving cream?” he said.

“I like yours better. It’s foamier and leaves my legs feeling as silky smooth as your close-shaven jaw,” she said.

You see how the “said” becomes grating? You can eliminate dialogue tags when it’s clear who is speaking, but you have a couple other options, too. Some replacement tags are okay because they show the tone of voice the character is using, which often indicates their attitude — whined, asked, shouted, whispered, muttered, murmured. Those are all good. But you could also pair dialogue with action instead of speech tags, like so:

He rounded the corner into their bedroom. “Have you been using my shaving cream again?”

“Yes.” She stretched her legs out on the bed. “I have.”

“How many times have I told you to use your own shaving cream?”

““I like yours better. It’s foamier and leaves my legs feeling as silky smooth as your close-shaven jaw.” She ran her hands down her calves, savouring the feel of her non-prickly legs.

Could I have used a weirder example? Yes, I definitely could have.

2. Pick a genre and stick to it

Yes and no. There are plenty of people who write successfully in multiple genres. However, there is always the chance that if you write contemporary, for example, people may be skeptical about your ability to write fantasy. But don’t let that stop you! Either make a name for yourself in multiple genres or use pseudonyms. One highly-acclaimed author I can think of who writes fantasy and contemporary is Melina Marchetta. No pen name necessary. J.K. Rowling switches from fantasy to write crime novels as Robert Galbraith. I should say, however, that if you plan to write in multiple genres, you should truly love each of them. Don’t write across genres just to show off. It won’t work.

3. “How can you sit down and write unless you have stood up and lived?”/ “Write what you know.”

The first is a quotation from Ernest Hemingway. And he has a point. If you spend all your time writing and not really living life — experiencing different types of relationships with different types of people, traveling, asking questions, reading, observing, moving out of your comfort zone, having all the good and bad emotions  — then you can’t expect to relate to most people. So what would you write about if you didn’t have a way to connect with people? However, don’t wait until retirement, when you feel like you’ve got a fair bit of life under your belt, to start writing. Writing goes alongside living. You’ll learn new things everyday, your writing will improve over months or years, and there will be a noticeable difference between your early works and your later works. And that’s a good thing. You can’t expect each thing you write to be as good as the next. Different levels of skills from different times in your life add interesting variety to your corpus of work.

Then there is the matter of “Write what you know.” Absolutely you should write what you know. But you should also write what you don’t know — and get to know it first. The phrase “write what you know” usually means “write based on your own life experiences,” and this is an important thing to do. Your story and your experiences are worth telling. I’m not saying everyone should go and write an autobiography, but authors insert bits and pieces of their own experiences and feelings into their work, and they should never, ever stop. Also, though, they should write about experiences that they haven’t had. After all, we wouldn’t have fantasy novels if people only wrote what they knew. But it’s more than that. Writing about people who aren’t just like you first forces you to get to know them, and then to put yourself in their shoes. When we try to understand other people, it isn’t just our writing that improves — it’s the world as a whole. So get out there and do some research! 4. Don’t start a sentence with a conjunction

This is really only true for academic writing. Sentences that start with conjunctions seem casual and conversational, but when you’re writing an essay, you want to be professional. In creative writing, however, you can start a sentence with whatever you want. Because your creative writing is a type of conversation with your readers. We often speak and think beginning with conjunctions, so your readers will have no problem with narration and dialogue that follows this pattern. 5. Don’t write sentence fragments

Again, this just applies to academic writing. We think and speak in sentence fragments just like we think and speak starting with conjunctions. Plus, sentence fragments, as long as they are natural and not forced, help to vary your sentence lengths throughout your writing. This is good because it gives your writing a rhythm. When all the sentences are just about the same length, writing begins to sound stilted, robotic, or monotonous. We don’t want that!

What are some other pieces of writing advice you’ve heard that you think are only partly true?

[artificialskyway-archived]

boy with the earring (intro)

✿ member: taehyung x reader

✿ genre: art history au 

✿ length: 1,413

✿ part 2 (the making of) , part 3 (final) [coming soon]

A/N: this is the first part of a three part taehyung story. I have based this three part series off of the famous painting + story of ‘girl with the pearl earring’ by johannes vermeer. Taehyung is the subject of the painting and the reader is the artist. the two characters engage in a love affair that will inevitably end with heartbreak, but they embrace the moment they have for a taste of true love. 

the series will also be set in different time periods. the introduction is set in “present day”; the middle is set in “the past”; the final part is set in “the future”.

I’ve worked on this for a while now, and have hesitated posting this story, but i’m just so in love with this painting and the story that I had to write my own. Taehyung fit the character perfectly, and this photo of him below just spoke wonders to me, it’s so beautiful and reminded me of a modern day version of vermeer’s painting. i know this is probably going to be a big ‘ol mess, but bear with me if you do read it. 

i hope you all enjoy this story, and please leave feedback if you have any~

~admin R, xx

Year: Present day, 3067

City: Iloni, a lively city once known for its love and expression of the arts with extravagant nightlife. The city of Iloni was diverse, housing various restaurants, numerous art galleries, theatres, and all the likes. It was a city that never slept, a city with pride for recognizing the beauty in the world around us and displaying it through everything imaginable from architecture to nature. 

The city of Iloni never imagined that it would see such a dark time, but it did. A once lively city was now so dull and desperate for change. A recession hit the city, bringing it into a downfall. The government banned all types of art, finding no use for it. a waste of money and a reason leading to their downfall. It sold many famous art pieces it had, leased out galleries to business owners and soon enough, the city of Iloni was finally back on its feet. It was an end of an era and the start of a nightmare for many. But this nightmare helped the city, despite ruining many individual’s own purpose and lives in the process.

The once lively city has lacked in free expression and art for over 40 years. The city’s new motto became something that focused more on production and money, finding the arts as a true waste of time. A no good hobby that wasted the city’s time and brought nothing valuable to its progression. The city was grey and everyone became little lifeless robots; true cogs in an artless machine.

But one man still held onto the glimmer of hope that art had to offer. 

Kim Taehyung. 

A man who likes to spend his Tuesday mornings walking from his midtown apartment to his job in downtown, Iloni. He grew up in this lifeless city, never fully agreeing with the belief that art is a waste. 

If it’s such a waste, then what are we? Are we not art? We were created. If it’s such a waste what is this world? Is it not art? The way mother nature grows and blooms in its own beautiful ways. And so, Taehyung felt alone, growing up believing no one else could ever believe the same things he believes.

So, at the ripe age of 34, Taehyung embraced the walks of the city, taking in the architecture and the atmosphere. He saw the world through different eyes. Despite the city’s dullness, he found beauty in it, seeing the hidden beauty of the city. The way people walk, talk, laugh with each other, the way that one building casts a shadow down on the streets, the way the trees overlap and the roots protrude through the ground. 

He believed if he kept his head up, eyes open and heart full, art would never die because at least someone was still appreciating it.

He taught this idea to his children and vowed to teach this to his children’s children. That art never leaves you. It is everywhere and it finds you if you keep you look.

It was a Tuesday morning and Taehyung set off on his morning walk into downtown. The walk wasn’t like anything out of the ordinary, everything was normal as he took the same route that he always takes. 

It wasn’t until he passed the busiest side of Main street when something caught his eye, causing him to stop completely in his tracks. 

The daily newsstand, sitting on Main Street, displaying the morning’s headline in big bold letters. It was then that he felt his world turn grey, making Taehyung freeze for a moment. 

“WHO IS THE BOY WITH THE EARRING?!” The paper read in all capital letters, and overbearring font, followed by a painting of the referred ‘boy with the earring’.

The painting displayed a soft image of this boy in question, decorated in the rags of the riches, and placed in front of a pastel colored, cloud-like background. A background so bright it could pass for the heavens above us all. 

The striking softness of this painting contrasts with the slight sultry stare of the boy, making this portrait so intriguing that, of course, the people wanted answers.

Taehyung’s feet began to slowly move his body towards the newsstand, his breathing matching every slow step. He picks up one of the newspapers and begins to read the first few lines of the article, “World renowned underground artist and art collector of our time, Y/N,  has sadly passed away at the age of 35,” and at the end of that line, Taehyung’s heart drops to the pit of his stomach, his head starts to spin while the busy murmurs of the crowd silence behind him.

This was the first time in years that he’s thought of your name and this was the last way that he would have ever wanted to recall your sweet name again.

He blinks away the tears as they begin to sting and continues reading the next few lines, “In the wake of Y/N’s sudden passing, her husband, Park Jimin, has begun fulfilling his wife’s last wishes. A final release of all the paintings that she has completed during her hiatus. As it turns out, a plethora of beautifully exquisite paintings were in her possession. Y/N held some of the most famous and beloved paintings of our time, and of times before ours. But what is more renowned, is her possession of her own most beautifully intricate paintings the city has seen in decades. Y/N’s wish was made in the hopes that this could be the the starting point for the return of the true, lively city of Iloni as it once was.” 

Taehyung’s heart caught in his throat as images of your face began to fill his mind. Your captivating eyes, your beautiful smile, your soft hair, your wonderful lips; it was all but a faded memory.

The article continued, “And now, Y/N’s paintings are finally being released for public viewing! This wish was made by her as a way to finally break the barrier and oppression of art in Iloni. She hoped that by releasing these the works, it could be the start of a revolution. A wide variety of the hidden paintings cover a range of beautiful topics and styles, but the most breathtaking and memorable one of all? The boy with the earring.” 

The rest of the article goes on to describe in detail the profound beauty and mystery in this painting that had been created by Y/N. The most interesting parts of her painting was the look in his eye, the softness of the image, and the earring, seemingly to be a woman’s earring. Who is the boy? Who is he looking at with such an intense look in his eye? Whose earring is he wearing? 

A rush of emotions begins to fill Taehyung, standing outside on the busy sidewalk of Main street, heartbeat racing. His feet begin to move as he rushes down the street, mind hazing, he’s not really sure of what to do.

He only knows the one place where he wants to be right now and it is not here. Your arms.

Instead, he found himself back at his apartment. He threw his work bag on the floor next to his shoes. Shoulders in a slump and body feeling like it has ran two miles and then some. Sitting on the his reading chair, he eyes the clock ticking away on his wall as the seconds ticked by, trying to hear your voice in his head. 

Hours passed and the sun began to set. He finally moved to take off his suit jacket and headed for his bed. Unbuttoning his white button down, he threw his body across his bed. While his eyes stared up at the ceiling, he let his mind drift off. Remembering ten years ago as if it were yesterday.

Remembering Y/N, as he tried to go back in time to the moments he spent with you.

To many, the boy with the earring, is a revolutionary piece. Marking the start of an art revolution, a rebellion against society, as Y/N had hoped. People were awestruck with the piece and its mysterious meaning, falling in love with its difference.

To Taehyung, the painting marked the first time he didn’t feel alone, the first time someone else believed in the things he believed in, and the first time ever fell in love.

bts masterlist | m.list

[wendyhermansongeller]

Lindsey Stirling explains the magic behind her 'whimsical, different' Christmas album

When violinist Lindsey Stirling decided to release an album of Christmas music, choosing a theme of the most magical time of year seemed a perfect fit for the performer. After all, the lithe viral sensation already has a resume of unforgettable music videos featuring her in a variety of dreamy visual scenarios, with her ethereal violin work all poured over the top. Who would be better to take on the fantasy of the season? Fans seem to agree. Stirling’s album, Warmer in the Winter (which dropped in October) debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Chart, No. 9 on the Digital Albums Chart, and No. 32 on the Top 200 Album Chart; and continues to perform admirably in a year that saw an exorbitant amount of new Christmas releases. Stirling’s careful curation includes 10 holiday classics (both secular and non-secular) as well as three original numbers she penned herself.

It was a labor of love that kept her quite busy — in an already busy 2017 that hasn’t let up even in the final weeks of December. Indeed, Stirling’s schedule is so packed at the end of the year that she almost (just almost) seems to forget that Christmas is just around the corner.

When asked about her Christmas plans, she seemed a little dumbfounded for a second. “Let’s see, what am I doing for Christmas?” Stirling wondered, before joking, “I hope I have plans. Just kidding!” As it turns out, she’ll be wrapping her holiday tour Dec. 23 in her home state of Arizona, and is looking forward to what sounds like very nice plans directly afterward: A big traditional family gathering, plus a well-deserved couple of weeks off.

Before rushing back into her swirl of activity, Stirling took a few minutes to chat with Yahoo Entertainment about the challenges and rewards of recording a Christmas album, as well as her experience on Dancing With the Stars (where she placed as first runner-up even after suffering a painfully debilitating rib injury).

Yahoo: This is your first Christmas album. What put it in your head to approach a full-length holiday release this year?

I wanted to do a Christmas album for years. Every year I do a Christmas song and put it on my YouTube channel, just throw it out there to the world. They’ve always done really well, and fans have always really liked them. So, just the idea of getting to add to people’s Christmas memories with my own music was such an exciting thing. There’s so many Christmas albums that I have that tie me back to my childhood and family traditions; they bring back these very tangible memories. So it was like, it would be really awesome if my rendition of these holiday songs could possibly become a part of other people’s memories, in the ways other artists helped create my memories.

What Christmas albums are your personal favorites? 

Mannheim Steamroller’s albums were my favorites, I loved those as a kid. Still to this day I hear those songs and I get so happy, even though they’re completely dated. I’m like “No, I love them, they’re lit!” Michael Buble as well — you can’t beat Michael Buble. Mariah Carey. And my new favorite from last year was Jordan Smith, from The Voice. He had a killer Christmas album last year that got added to my holiday favorites.

This year had literally dozens of Christmas album releases, from all genres, and from quite a few big names in addition to your own. Were you surprised at how well your album did even in the midst of such unusual holiday competition? 

Yeah, I was talking to my manager just yesterday, “How’s it doing?” — the overall scheme, not just on iTunes — and I was shocked to hear how well it’s done on all the different platforms. Because, yeah. Gwen Stefani, Sia, just to name two, but those are two of the biggest artists out there. So to hear that my little album was doing so well in this sea of new music–that’s really cool!

How challenging was it to narrow down a list of selections for a holiday album? There are hundreds and hundreds of Christmas songs out there to choose from! Did you find it intimidating at all when first facing the task?

It was a whole different type of challenge than writing an original album. I didn’t realize until I started exactly how challenging it would be. It was like, oh my goodness, there’s so many songs … and there’s also so many different types of Christmas “flavor.” Religious, secular, fun…there’s the jolly, and then there’s the emotional. So it was really kind of a fun challenge, and I decided I wanted to fulfill all the different buckets. I wanted songs that make you want to dance, I wanted songs that make you feel classic — the way Frank Sinatra does. And I wanted some songs that felt whimsical and magical. Once I made these buckets, I filled them in, and I picked a couple different songs for each bucket. It was really fun; really different from anything I’d ever done.

But…how did you choose?!

[Laughs] I literally spent a week and a half just sitting on my couch listening to Christmas music. I literally didn’t leave the couch for almost two weeks. Just figuring out playlists and putting together spreadsheets–treating it almost like it was a big math problem.

Given that this was a pretty big and different project overall, what was the most difficult aspect for you personally about creating the album? 

There’s only one track on the album that’s electronic, that has no instrumentation on it, which is really different for me. In the past, all my albums have been completely synthetic — done on the computer, and I play over them. And so it was really cool this time to work with a full orchestra. We went to Capitol Records and recorded some amazing big-band players — trumpet, saxophone, live drums. It was so different, not only the recording process, but also the writing process.

Do you have a favorite song on the record, or one you felt you put a special amount of work into? 

“Angels We Have Heard on High” was one of the more special songs to me. It’s one of my favorite Christmas songs for the meaning behind it, and it’s very close to my heart. So I really wanted that one to be special, and it turned into my favorite on the album, but it took a little bit of work to get it there. I wanted it to be almost like a film score, so you could see something while you listened to it. But in order to make it sound really special, it took quite a bit of time to figure out what exactly it was going to be.

Were there any Christmas songs you wanted to include, but couldn’t make them work for whatever reason? Any runners-up? 

There were plenty that I loved that didn’t make it on, but the one that I tried several times to figure out and it just wasn’t coming to me was “Mary Did You Know.” I originally had it on my “definitely going to be on the album” list, but it wasn’t happening. I couldn’t figure out how to make it my own and make it special. So, that was one of the ones I had to set aside. But instead I ended up writing [original song] “I Saw Three Ships,” which came as a last-minute idea, and it turned into one of my favorites.

Where do you feel you made the greatest creative leap, or pushed the envelope the most, on this record? 

Stylistically, for me, I’ve never done big-band music before. So that was a bit of a risk. Because it’s unlike electronic music — where if you hear it and if you don’t want to use it, it’s pretty much you and a computer and a producer, and you can decide not to use it. Big-band style music, we actually had to get into a room with the arranger, and record with the band–you really have to invest in something like that. You can’t just be like “Well, those three songs, we’re just not going to use them,” after you’ve recorded it and paid all those musicians. It was a big risk because I’ve never done it, but I really wanted to do it because it’s a big side of Christmas music. I’m really glad we did. Violin with trumpet and horns and saxophones–it’s definitely a little different to have a violin featured in that way.

You’re out on the road now and seems like everything is great, but just to put fans’ minds at ease — has your rib injury completely healed? You’re feeling okay and fine? There were so many concerning reports about the severity of it, even though you managed to finish Dancing With the Stars. 

It was quite amazing how quickly it healed! I was in pretty severe pain for about two and a half weeks, and then it began to subside and become more manageable. And now I don’t even think about it. I’m 100% better, which is such a miracle and such a relief, because when the injury happened I honestly wondered if I would have to cancel the beginning of my tour until I got better. It hurt so badly to play, to move. But amazingly enough, nothing got canceled, I made it through Dancing With the Stars somehow, and worked through it. And I feel all better!

Speaking of Dancing With the Stars, you did so well on the show. Any plans to return to reality TV in some form or another?

I’d definitely decided i was done with reality TV forever after America’s Got Talent (in 2010). I was like, “Nope, never going back there.” But Dancing With the Stars was such a different style of reality TV. It was a night and day difference from my experience on America’s Got Talent — just the way you were treated, it’s pretty straightforward, they’re not trying to make you look or act a certain way. You just are who you are and they capture it. I don’t think I’ll be doing any more reality TV now, I think I’m done with it, but I did love doing Dancing With the Stars. I learned so much and had so much fun.