#I'd have to dig the files up to post them again

[one-of-many-journeys]

Day 13 (2/2)

Plainsong

Pressing on toward the broken defensive cordon, the reverence and care with which the Utaru treated this cave was clear. I can't imagine how the Nora would react if All-Mother mountain opened up and started spewing out an army of crazed machines.

The mountain trail was lined with verdant pillars and arches, flowerbeds and baskets, decorated with pottery and woven vases.

Together, we fought off the Scroungers and Clawstriders guarding the cave entrance. There were only a few survivors from the original cordon posting, exhausted and demoralised as they watched more machines pour from the Cauldron and head for Plainsong.

More fighting further up the mountain. For a singer, Zo was a formidable fighter, and fast. I could barely keep up with her.

Rain started up as we reached the end of the trail. The watchtowers over the mountain pass were all empty, the flowers trampled in the stampede. There didn't seem to be many machines still emerging from the Cauldron. Had Hephaestus exhausted its first wave of weapons?

There was no one left alive at the cave entrance. The grounds were littered with corpses and machine carcasses, the grass burnt away in seething puddles of acid.

Climbing through the broken gates, we entered the cave. The first length of the caverns seemed natural, with woven Utaru lamps lighting up its dark corners. The true nature of the formation soon became clear as I spotted triangular metal panels mingled with the rockface, sure signs of a Cauldron ahead.

We soon came to the Cauldron door. More lamps sat beside it, though I suspected that very few Utaru had ever ventured so deep. Apparently, watching the passage and return of the Land Gods directly is forbidden. Lest anyone start digging into the mechanisms behind the ritual, I suspect. Again, a Nora attitude: some things are not for us to know.

I wanted to shake of my companions if I could. Or maybe I didn't—maybe I just said what I knew I had to say. Blanket disclaimer: danger and faith-shattering truths ahead. Proceed with caution, and I'd advise not at all. They weren't shaken.

Zo insisted on accompanying us to understand our mission and how it could help her people. I could respect that. Apart from treating my injuries when I was on death's door, which was service enough, she's been a great help in getting me an audience with her tribe's leaders, and now all the way here, to their most sacred place. She's strong, and Varl trusts her, so I'll have to trust her too.

I gave Zo one of my spare Focuses, loaded with all my backed-up data. If I keep handing them out like this, I should probably start scrubbing my more personal files—not that Varl or Zo will be able to find them. I warned Zo for the shock as best I could, but of course she was still alarmed by the floating lights now covering the Cauldron door. Varl stepped in to take her through the basics of operating the Focus. Good thing, too. He has a lot more patience than I do.

I overrode the door and faced the inside of the Cauldron. I knew I wouldn't be able to traverse it as quickly as I'd like, because I couldn't rely on Varl and Zo to make the jumps and maneuvers that come naturally to me. It was going to be Firebreak all over again, an exercise in bridge-making. I wasn't too bitter; it was nice having backup. Hephaestus is only getting stronger, and it's only a matter of time before it comes up with something too strong for me to face alone...

Something like those intruders at Latopolis.

My body still ached from my encounter with Erik, the guts of a mountainside and gallons of river water. The experience shook me more than I want to admit. I can't let myself get caught in another trap with no one there to pull me out of it. If I die, there'll be no one left to carry on my mission.

Inside, Hephaestus was quick to dispatch more of its Apex machines. A trio of Leaplashes hopped out to face us, which I took down at spearpoint after detonating their acid canisters and catching them all in a series of corrosive explosions.

Varl and Zo asked me plenty of questions as we journeyed through, and though I expected to be annoyed, I actually didn't mind. Part of me shared in their wonder; they echoed the memory of my awe when I first entered Cauldron Sigma in the sacred lands. Back then, the existence of the machines themselves was still a mystery to be solved.

I told Varl and Zo a little of the other Cauldrons I had delved back east as we journeyed on.

It wasn't long before we came across clear evidence of Hephaestus' presence. Just like in the Firebreak facility, its thick purple tendrils wound through the Cauldron's corridors, spreading orders between its many chambers.

As predicted, we soon made it to an impassable gap, and I had to climb up and around, locking the Cauldron's mechanisms into position with a few well-placed arrows and abandoned storage crates. Having Varl and Zo there came in useful for activating certain mechanisms from below.

After climbing to what felt like the interior of the mountain's very summit, I finally got around to the adjacent landing, overrode the node and bridged the gap for Varl and Zo.

Churning magma down below, just like in Thunder's Drum. I hoped this wasn't another unstable volcano. Either way, Hephaestus was working this Cauldron overtime. Already I could notice the cracks showing, wear clear on the equipment as Hephaestus struggled to keep up repairs with the speed of production. If I didn't shut this place down soon, it wouldn't just be the Utaru in danger.

To get the others across to the core, I made a further run of risky jumps and swings, much to Zo's alarm. Varl's known me long enough not to gasp in fear as I leap out into open air. It would have been a really embarrassing time to die.

Finally, we came to the core, and to the final awful surprise Hephaestus had in store for the Utaru. Though the signal was meant for Hades alone, the collateral spread to Hephaestus still gave it a clear capacity for human-like cruelty. Just as it had taunted Ourea as she approached Cyan, enslaved in Thunder's Drum, now it taunted the Utaru.

Under the protective light dome of the core, Hephaestus' hijacked mechanical arms turned the Land God Fa into a hunter-killer, soon to be set upon the people of Plainsong. Once Zo got over the initial shock of seeing what she thought was a god lying there, injected with poison and coated in black armour, she came to the same conclusion that I had.

I was glad not to have to fight her on it. We had no choice but to destroy Fa.

If it returned from its sacred cave and turned its fury on the Utaru, the Chorus would take its attack as the will of life itself. The tribe would splinter, and many would lay themselves down in Fa's path to die gladly.

I felt bad for Zo, even though I didn't really understand her connection to the machine. Once I was sure I had her on side, I set some traps around the Plowhorn, then overrode the light shield, letting Fa loose into the chamber.

Using acid traps and a few arrows, I corroded the Plowhorn, coating it in acid that ate away at its thick, dark armour. I targeted the two mine launchers on its sides and the blaze sack on its back, grappling and launching off the pillars around the chamber to glide out of firing range. Hephaestus had armed the machine with a deadly flame thrower, able to spray at close range and lob fireballs from a distance.

It was a tough fight, especially when Hephaestus sent in a pair of Longlegs and a heap of Scroungers. It was a foolish fight too, with my body still wounded and well out of practice. Varl and Zo concentrated on the smaller machines whilst I picked away at the Plowhorn. My armour took a singeing from the Plowhorn's flames, and a couple of its mines came dangerously close to catching me in their blasts. I kept the smaller machines off me when Varl and Zo were overrun, detonating the Longlegs' power cells to keep them still long enough for the others to strike them down.

I tore off both the Plowhorn's mines and unloaded their ammo stocks into its body, eventually detonating its blaze sac and disabling its reserves of flaming ammunition. It had to resort to desperate measures after that, charging at me with its horns forward, swiping at me with its hefty tail. With some more acid canister explosions and a final few blows from its second mine launcher, Fa finally went down.

[themalhambird]

Hiii - coming from your post about the WIP Game/Ask Game, and as a fan of both Adar and Celebrimbor, I'd love to read about your "Kidnap is quicker than Siege" AU, the title and premise sound incredibly interesting! :D <3

Have our first Brimby POV! (and possibly the opening scene...)

Sulphur. Shadow. Flame.

Celebrimbor, Lord of Eregion, readied himself for bed in the hope that the ritual of preparing himself to sleep would summon an ability to lay himself down and do it. He changed into a nightrobe, pulled cold water over his face-

And pulled on his dressing gown, rather than climb between the sheets, ignoring his bed in favour of collapsing at his writing desk and picking up the ring he'd confiscated in wake of Mirdania's earlier accident.

A small thing. Well crafted, but that was a given- any smith who worked in the great forge with regularity was a Master of their craft, and Mirdania as competent as any.

If she had been hurt-

She hadn't been. She had been- shocked, yes, badly frightened, and that was a kind of hurt,  but it could have been-

No, it couldn't. "There is not," Celebrimbor muttered, "a balrog in your forge. If there was a balrog in your forge, we would all be dead."

He stood up again, scooping the ring off the table and dropping it into his dressing gown pocket before crossing to the window, pushing it open and letting cool air and the smell of rain rush into the little chamber. He closed his eyes.

Sulphur. Shadow. Flame. The reek of death, Mirdania said-

He's at Mithlum, still a child more or less, and Uncle Mauklaüre is having nightmares again, his screams weaving echoes of brimstone and a whipcrack like thunder, Fëanor going up in smoke and breaking down to ash.

He's on the battlefield and it's a cacophony of panic and frenzy worse even than when the dragon came- Uncle Ma- Lord Maehdros and his forces should be here, they're supposed to be here, and  that, that giant, wreathed in flame...he needs to bring the ballista to bear, he designed the machinery for dragon hide but Aüle and Nienna, it's heading for the King and--

Fingon's dead. Celebrimbor is in Gondolin and-

He snapped his eyes open and found that his nails were digging little crescent indentations into his palms. The wind had picked up, and the rain was being blown in; his face was wet and his dressing gown and his hair were both a little misted with damp.

Likely, what Mirdania had seen was an- an echo. A balrog had fallen near or at  Khazad-dûm- fragments of its broken Song might ripple out, drawn to sources of extreme heat- like a forge only rarely left to go dark. A remnant, unpleasant but not dangerous, more frightening than harmful. At Gondolin, Celebrimbor had worked tirelessly to try and find some technique or other, some trick to working metal so that it could withstand what neither Fëanor nor Fingon had been able to withstand- Ectheillon had some luck with the prototype, or at least it hadn't hurt- Celebrimbor had given Idril his notes to gift to Ereinion, thanks for the aid he and Cirdan were giving to the survivors of the City's fall. They were filed somewhere in Lindon's extensive libraries, no doubt. Perhaps Celebrimbor should ask for them back. But then he would have to explain to the King why he wanted them, and that would require explaining Annatar's thrice bedamned attempts at forging Nine Rings for Men, and although Gil-galad hadn't explicitly forbidden the making of Rings for Men he would understand, even if Celebrimbor did not confess, that the continuing of ring-craft in this manner could only follow on from the making of the seven, which he had forbidden-

With a snort, Cemebrimbor wheeled away from the window and back to his writing desk. He pulled a spare scrap of paper towards him, snatched up his quill and wrote

Galadriel-

Intercede with Ereinon for me, cousin, I've committed a flagrant act of treason! As you've some not insignificant experience In disobeying our High King's direct instruction, do you think I ought to grovel do you think, or will a bottle of first age whisky be sufficient? Or perhaps you might help me avoid the sacrifice of either my dignity or my good alcohol, and come to Ost in Edhil yourself with my notes from Gondolin, neglecting to tell His Majesty about the latter if not the former...

Snorting again, with far more amusement this time, Celebrimbor tossed the pen down. The exercise in nonsense had relieved his spirits somewhat- really, he was being ridiculous. Nightmares better left in the first age brought back by worry and over- tiredness. Most likely, what Mirdania had glimpsed in the unseen realm was some kind of minor fire-spirit, nothing more. In the morning, he would take the ring to the forge and  see for himself.  When it was clear what was there- if anything- it might be dealt with, but otherwise-

His ear flicked. Was that a thud, on the stairs? Annatar perhaps, wishing to discuss the accident, to badger about helping with the rings again, leveraging the incident with Mirdania to do so...

Celebrimbor sighed, flipped the lid of his desk open, and pulled out not a first age wine or whisky, but his bottle of Narvi's best Dwarvish moonshine.

[lizardywizard]

i really liked your addition to the tech literacy post, it felt very poetic (and also true)

Thank you!

It's funny, but I was terrified of computers when I was young. I had a fear of tech in general- cassette players, radios, TVs. To my tiny mind they seemed inscrutable; even when you had a cassette or a record that theoretically allowed you to play the same thing in the same way, the sound would sometimes skip, distort, or fill with static. It was such a small thing, but that unpredictability made them seem alien yet alive. I was having analogue-horror fears long before analogue horror was a genre.

When I was 10 or so, I got an Amiga 1200. I didn't want to mess with the computer at first, but I loved to read instruction manuals. I remember sitting with the manuals for the machine and its programs, each about an inch thick, and having the realisation that it wasn't some black box of a beast that wanted to prey on me, to trick me into making some mistake so it could jumpscare me; it was just a very, very complex series of 0s and 1s. We'd created computers to help us, and as long as you knew how to tell them exactly what to do, they would do it.

The Amiga's time passed, and Windows PCs took its place in the ecosystem. I never got great at coding, but I did teach myself HTML, mostly by pulling apart the code of other websites. I got used to digging around in the settings of applications and making them work for me, editing config files and registry keys, tweaking the BIOS. There was something exhilarating about being a "power user" of sorts, knowing what things did and how to manipulate them. It was also a very convenient skill to have: that combination of curiosity and having an idea of where to start out looking, even if I'd never touched a particular program before. The computer had gone from being a minefield, to being a plaything, to being a useful extension of my memory and abilities.

But with every major update, Microsoft's noose seemed to tighten. They took away more and more of the power to tweak the backend, or locked it behind more expensive "professional" editions priced for businesses. Search slowed to a crawl and became useless. To get features that were standard to older editions, I'd have to install third-party hacks.

At the same time, there were more and more ads. Not just the ads in your browser (which had always been scammy and rigged with malware, and I'd been using adblockers for a while at this point), but in the OS itself. I'd set my default browser to Firefox like I always did, and the computer would wheedle at me- "but Edge is better! Don't you want to use Edge?" (Edge is not better. Currently, Firefox and its forks are the only browser whose makers even remotely care about privacy.) I'd uninstall the games that bombarded my eyes every time I opened the Start menu, and a forced update would bring them right back, waking both me and my computer from sleep at 3am no matter how many registry settings I changed. The word no disappeared; now it's "remind me later", that horrible little henchman of the uninformed lack-of-consent that lines these companies' coffers.

And don't even get me started on AI: again, enforced, unless you know how to block it or turn it off. And they don't make that easy.

Anyway, now I use Linux. But I can't be smug and smarmy and just-use-Linux about it, because kids can't "just use Linux". Kids today might not even get a real computer; they get a phone, an iPad, and those don't teach you how to pick things apart. Yes, you can root your phone and get better access to its features, but if you didn't already know that, how would you find out? Back in the day, computers would tell you how to unlock the advanced settings, remove the training leash- but the people who make them make money from not doing that, from deceiving you for as long as possible.

The modern computer has become the thing I was scared of as a kid: an alien black box that wants to trick you. If I'd been a kid growing up today, I don't know if I ever would have seen the same value in computing as I do now. And that's really saddening.

[5dtetris-revisited]

@blackwaves tyyy <3 i'm so willing to talk about gavotte but we'll see how much i end up saying about the other two </3

Gavotte

first off the title took me so fucking long to pick. so gavotte is a style of solitaire but it's also a form of like pretty whimsical group dance and. i maybe can't explain how i interpret the dance and i don't remember the rules of gavotte solitaire now i just remember that it fit so well with what i was looking for when i was title-hunting. so essentially source trust me bro.

but the story itself is aromantic college-era lowkey fuckboy CXS and how all of That intersects with the ql/xss/dy/lg/cxs friend group dynamics and also is just a general dissection of what it's like to be a specific type of alloaro at an age where casual fun and permanent pairing are merging into one thing for everyone you know.

the first scene is just a little childhood 'kids assuming you can't speak to someone of the opposite gender without being in love with them' re: cxs and ql, BUT scene 2 is so fucking fun to me. it's just XSS and CXS riffing off each other re: why CXS doesn't have a romantic partner but with Underlying Tension and. i like it a lot. i would post a snippet but it's like pretty much only dialogue rn; i've gone hella bare-bones with just getting words in the document. again.

X

this. is not called X. that time i said my laptop ate my only attempt at writing fanfic and i was taking it as an omen to never write fanfic? it was this one. X is the placeholder title i slapped on the temp files for quick saving when i was digging through every nook and cranny of my storage to recover as much of it as i could. and i got a fair amount of it? but not a late enough version -- what i recovered is all either readable text pre-revision or insane strings of symbols with random later passages mixed in incoherently.

Anyway. great example of woobification crimes probably. it's whump. just straight whump. LG migraine from Hell whump. just wanted to make him suffer, no other reason. pre-laptop crash on unsaved file, it was a good start at 3k words and counting. of just LG having a terrible time. so fun to write <3 so lame to semi-lose. i'd just gotten to the banter </3

(L)

i mixed up files names (gee i wonder why) and it turns out this is literally the same thing as the lovecraftian one just not the actual story (bg notes etc) and ofc i mixed them up bc none of it has a name yet and my placeholders are a mess T-T. but the entire premise of that one is just what if a high school rugby team had to face The Horrors-- and it's a humiliating cross between like haikyuu-style sports drama and cosmic horror. because i always thought haikyuu could use a little more cosmic horror :D this story's been stuck in the beginning stages for like 5 years though i'm just not willing to let go of it

hope this satisfies o7 i do still kind of think X was an omen--

wip game

[a-babe-without-a-name]

sorry if this is intrusive im just curious and u dont have to answer but what do you do for work?

I don't mind. I don't know if y'all can tell, but I'm a very open person. Probably more so than I should be on the internet. Anyways, as of today I have three jobs. But! I'm very excited that today is my last day of having three jobs, and tomorrow I'll be back down to two.

Job #1 is as a Gallery Assistant at a community art gallery. I started working here the summer before senior year of college. I was very lucky and got the job through the art department at my school (which I was heavily involved in even though I was only minoring in studio art). I love it here, it's the reason I didn't move after graduation and It's the reason I'll probably stay in my town for a good while.

I've met so many incredibly people, I've been given a lot of opportunities to learn and grow and I've been out right told by the co-curators they want me to take over for them when they retire. Which is crazy to think about. Art has always been a part of my life, but I never saw a career in gallery art. I want to work in film, and that still is my long term goal, but being able to work in any creative field is a gift that I'll never turn down.

I'm very grateful to work here and they even gave me another position as Artist Coordinator for the Art Fair & Festival we host every year. It's a huge event, this year we had about 340 applications and we invited about 220 out of those. COVID killed the numbers a few years ago, but when I was digging around in the files we've had almost 500-600 applications a year before, which is crazy and I hope to get us up to those numbers again. We actually just sent out acceptance emails yesterday, meaning we also sent out rejection emails and oh boy can some people be nasty when they get turned down. Luckily, though, most were very understanding and asked for feedback on their submission as opposed to being mean, which was nice.

The only down side about the gallery is, because it's non-profit, the lack of hours. On an average week I work about 8 hours, during the winter slow season post Christmas I work about 4 hours a week. There a times when I get more hours, if we have events happening or if we have shows that need to go up/come down I get to work on that. And then around the Art Fair I work alot. Still, it's not enough to pay bills on it's own.

Which brings me to my second job, retail *sigh*. I don't hate it as much as I used to (thanks meds for mellowing me out haha), but it's necessary for me to be able to pay rent and all that. I was recently promoted to manager, which was the best possible thing for me. I got a significant pay raise, benefits, and the most important part FULL TIME HOURS. I'm guaranteed at least like 32-36 hours a week, something like that, but normally I have more. Is it going to be hard for me to sacrifice 40 hours of my week working at an outlet mall catering to entitled tourists? 100%. Does it kill my soul to be making a billion dollar company more and more money every day? You betcha. But, a gals gotta do what a gals gotta do. Luckily, we had a transfer from a California location and they are SO COOL. Transmasc, neon orange hair, cool clothes. Very much my kind of person, and we clicked very quickly. I work for a brand that you'd expect to have alot more alternative people working at, but that is NOT the case. So it's nice to finally have someone that GETS IT.

Anyways, I just started as manager, and it's fucked up because U had been begging for more hours for months and just not getting it. This is how I ended up with a THIRD job. It's a food service job at a local chain place. Easy enough but pays like shit. I only got it because I needed money and wasn't getting enough hours at my retail. Then 2 days after starting the manager(full time) position at my retail job opened up. It really sucked to tell a place that was already struggling to hire good people and very short staffed that I'd be leaving about a month after starting. But they understood and were very nice about it. Tonight is my last shift there (4:30 - 10:30 PM KILL ME) and I'm glad to not have to work in a kitchen any more, though I'll miss the highschoolers that act like I'm the coolest person ever just because I'm a couple years older, lol. For all the shitty parts about it, It was a pretty fun work place. Lots of just fucking around and joking, very chill, which is only fair when the pay is 14.25 an hour RIP.

Anyways, really long way to say I work in an art gallery, a retail store, and (for one more shift) at a fast food place. I'm excited to be making real money at the retail job, and also devasted that my writing time is going to be SLASHED by like 75%. I'm hoping that writing will come easier when I can spend my free time actually writing instead of worrying about paying rent or putting gas in my car or buying groceries.

This is a boy reason why Chapter 9 of SNTM isn't out. May was packed with job applications, roommates moving in and out, and friends graduating. And June was packed with racing between 3 different jobs.

July will be better. July will be calm and simple and I'll have time to write and everything will be okay.

[roamingtigress]

Sad Puppy, Sad Wet Kitten Poor Dutch went from loving the advanced camera photoshoot in Valentine to unexpectedly getting sad :( Which in turn made me feel a little sad/guilty; here I am a grown-ass woman attached to and feeling emotional about pixels and scripting but here we go. I took him out for a ride with Hosea back to camp . . . Where he got rained on and upset again. Even Hosea wondered why he was upset, my goodness. Once the rain stopped I took them out to the moonshine shack (as there had to be 'shine to make and deliver anyways), he cheered up after coming into Marcel's workshop (!) and had a few swigs of 'shine. I like to give him happiness <3 The coding for this guy seems amazing. It is different than playing my 'legal' vanilla RDO character; in addition to the strange unexpected moments I've pointed out in the previous post, he does have his moods, emotions etc. It's a very cool experience and something I didn't expect; I just thought it was going to be a simple aesthetic change without even the walk (which he has) and unique aiming (that he even has while riding/driving wagons), the boy is keeping me on my feet! And they on Reddit say 'mod menu losers' only push a few buttons here and there 🙃 Nah all I do is load the menu when the game's loading, change the character model to Dutch and then go and do whatever and stuff just unfolds? If I had the capability I'd love to dig around in his file to see what is in there but I enjoy finding out myself. TLDR; quirky complex character is in a different situation but still seemingly complex (and still emotional), in hell of a fun and cool crossover thing Pardon the rambling, just felt the need to share these findings <3

[gstdaisuki]

Part 2: A Discovery with Paul Hutchinson

In the middle of asking some questions via email, Paul discovered the source files for several modules that we had both assumed were lost. This was quite an exciting moment, so I wanted to share it separately.

the previous interview was formatted to remove the interleaved blocks of quoted text. this is presented in a more raw format, as I think that shows the discovery process better.

from anosci, Mar 11, 2024, 7:01PM

I had some more music questions.

The first two X-Men games had 33 and 45 RPM options for all of the music. Do you remember how that made it into the game? Because after hearing your tales of pirate radio and record shop digging, I feel pretty confident that this speed-select design was your idea!

Also, you previously shared the Amiga modules from X-Men 3, before the conversion to Game Gear data. I believe that X-Men 3 was your final Game Gear game. Was the "Amiga -> MIDI data" technique a new process, or did you do that for every preceding Game Gear game?

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 11, 2024, 8:51PM

Yes, the 33/45 rpm option was my idea. :) Ed liked it. He keeps saying we should do a game together again, "before we die". And he said it should have a retro flavour, and have weird dance music in it. Maybe one day we will do that, I am up for it. (I am considering doing a Pico-8 title at some point here.)

Hmm. I don't think X-Men 3 was the only Amiga to MIDI data music I did. However, I don't remember when the cross-over was. I would have to go back and check over everything. I'll have a quick look and let you know if I actually find out, eh.

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 11, 2024, 9:12PM

Ok, so I checked the ASM files. X-Men 1-3 all have music derived from Amiga MOD files. There is text denoting the MOD title, and names of the samples which were used in the MOD. If you are interested in more on that I can dig a bit more, and get you those names. They are samples from records I had at the time (Art Of Noise, Linx, etc.). Obviously, the Game Gear instruments were not the same sound.

from anosci, Mar 11, 2024, 10:12PM

I'm curious, at least! I'd love to hear the original MODs but I assume you were only able to find X-Men 3

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 12, 2024, 9:04AM

Music! …

Ok, this is getting interesting. I see "babybeat" in the list of MODs used in X-Men 1. I found a playlist on YT with 10 tracks. In the menu of the game there are 8 tracks to preview. Track 10 on the playlist is 08 on the menu. Given the heartbeat type sound I hear, that is the most likely candidate for "babybeat". Obviously, since there are 10 tracks in the playlist, and there are 10 references to MOD in the code, all of the tunes in the code were used in the game. Now I am not certain about the connection of this particular tune to "Midnight (Live)" by Orbital. It could be that it is another track that I posted, because I posted quite a few. Hmm. It's what my memory says, but I could be wrong? In any case, it means that "babybeat" as a MOD was transferred from Amiga to PC. There is a chance I have it on the CD from 1999. I just need to find that, again. The MODs do sound quite different from the GG tunes, because it is samples vs sound-chip noises. I just tried to make something that sounded good enough when converted to GG format. There are no samples, for one thing, and the tempo is different. I had made some tunes on my Amiga, and then decided to present them as potential tracks for X-Men 1, and they were accepted (for subsequent X-Men titles I made tracks specifically, as denoted by the titles of the MODs). Normally, Sega would have a musician compose tracks for a game (in MIDI).

In-browser play of X-Men https://archive.org/details/gg_X-Men_1993_Sega Key 1 to start, arrow keys to navigate, and left-CTRL to play tune

Silence = 00

X-Men playlist, 10 tracks, (at 45 RPM?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUmRxFtMhfI&list=PLw5ZGhvK7sSLqfx4HdldmkLPdFpM3pqFY Track 1 = 01 Track 4 = 02 Track 6 = 03 Track 5 = 04 Track 7 = 05 Track 3 = 06 Track 2 = 07 Track 10 = 08

So, Track 8 and Track 9 (in the playlist) are not playable via the GG menu. Hmm. Title Screen and Ending Theme. Maybe we left off the Ending Theme because it was supposed to be a reward for finishing? Unless you just get it anyway, at Game Over (I do not recall). The Title Screen theme is just there. Oh, well.

In X-Men 1 … ;MOD Title is: renaissancegg Samples = adamski2.raw ;chahihat.raw ;ahh.raw ;drum7 ;19hat ;tr909snare ;bassdeep.raw ;minor4 ;MOD Title is: babybeat Samples = shaker ;animate-bass ;aon-bongo1.raw ;GGbdrum.raw ;AoN-drm3.raw ;moog2 ;drumwack.raw ;SoSbass1.raw ;SoSstring2.raw ;SRdrm2.raw ;CHAhihat.raw ;MOD Title is: outgg Samples = drum7 ;BHbass1.raw ;BHbass2.raw ;cymbal-crash ;chahihat.raw ;crash.raw ;jb-hhmed.raw ;hypnobass.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;BHacid2.raw ;BHacid3.raw ;out_there.raw ;MOD Title is: itchgg Samples = linxvox.raw ;AoN-perc1.raw ;AoN-drm5.raw ;AoN-drm3.raw ;dancer-vox.raw ;dancer-synth1.raw ;scratch.raw ;KRAYScratch.raw ;cymbalong.raw ;hihat1 ;organ.raw ;drumanvil.raw ;MOD Title is: fishgg Samples = Freq5.raw ;crash.raw ;DT4AAdrum2.raw ;DT4AAdrum.raw ;Freq1.raw ;SBpiano2.raw ;cymbalong.raw ;model500-cymop.raw ;futuresnare2 ;wavehi.raw ;N-JOImindflux.raw ;MOD Title is: trouzgg Samples = DT4AAdrum.raw ;hihat1 ;DT4AAbass2.raw ;2U-4.raw ;hihatop1 ;DT4AA6.raw ;zoo7.raw ;where'smytrousers.raw ;zoo8.raw ;ere.raw ;yaseenem.raw ;theretheyare.raw ;MOD Title is: joygg Samples = N-JOImf1.raw ;N-JOI-5.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;N-JOI-2.raw ;JBdrum2.raw ;N-JOIrz1.raw ;N-JOIrz2.raw ;N-JOIrz3.raw ;jb-hhmed.raw ;MOD Title is: ramgg Samples = N-JOIph1.raw ;aon-drm5.raw ;model500-cymop.raw ;model500-cymcl.raw ;model500-clap.raw ;drumwack.raw ;2U-6.raw ;hold ;hold (offset tone) ;MOD Title is: turbogg Samples = beep1.raw ;beep2.raw ;beep3.raw ;beep4.raw ;gunshot ;2U-3.raw ;chahihat3.raw ;spliffclap2 ;snare ;stick.raw ;zoo1.raw ;2U-2.raw ;DT4AA6.raw ;MOD Title is: xravegg Samples = EBputv.raw ;JBhitme.raw ;shamen-guitar1.raw ;shamen-guitar2.raw ;SoSbass2.raw ;s&pcots.raw ;mtxpling.raw ;orch.hit ;bassdrum16 ;bassdrum7 ;breaksnareclap ;closehihat ;cymbal-crash ;tap.raw

Naming of samples … Adamski, CHA = Crown Heights Affair, AoN = Art Of Noise, BH = Bassheads, JB = James Brown, Linx (David Grant), KRAYScratch is a sample from "The Krays" film ("Stop all that scratchin', you're making me bloody itch!", "Where's my trousers?" is another sample from same, I think), N-Joi, Model 500, Shamen, SoS = S.O.S. Band, zoo = "Zoo Rave" compilation CD, 2U = 2Unlimited, DT4AA = "Don't Techno For An Answer" compilation CD

Bassheads - Is There Anybody Out There Adamski - NRG Model 500 - Sound Of Stereo

In X-Men 2 … ;MOD Title is: level1b Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;MOD Title is: level1 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;aon-vox6.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;MOD Title is: level2 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level3 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level4 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level5 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level6 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level7 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level8 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level9 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;808synth.raw ;amaski1.raw ;N-JOIph1.raw ;BHacid1.raw ;MOD Title is: level10 Samples = bassdrum28 ;animate-bass ;koto ;closedhi ;hihat-2ud2 ;snare25

In X-Men 3 … ;MOD Title is: x3l1 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;BHbass2.raw ;amaski1.raw ;eurostring.raw ;MOD Title is: x3l2 Samples = akaiclosedhh ;bassdrum7 ;snare1 ;hihat-2ud2 ;BHbass2.raw ;amaski1.raw ;eurostring.raw ;MOD Title is: x3l3 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;polysynth ;strings6 ;tubestring ;tricky.raw ;MOD Title is: x3l4 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;shamen-keys.raw ;tttt-bass1.raw ;goodpling ;inner ;funbass ;MOD Title is: x3l5 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;animate-bass ;sequencer ;pizza2 ;N-JOIph1.raw ;tricky.raw ;MOD Title is: x3l6 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;bassguitar.funk ;digdug ;exbells ;reflex ;MOD Title is: x3l7 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;polysynth ;strings6 ;bell11 ;digdug ;growl2 ;MOD Title is: x3l8 Samples = 909.ophi ;drum7 ;comadrum ;cymbal1 ;comasynth1 ;comasynth2 ;ex800bass ;hitbass ;MOD Title is: x3l9 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;dang ;dbassic.raw ;dbassic2.raw ;d-50.res1 ;d-50.res2 ;d-50.res3 ;d-50.res4 ;d-50.res5 ;junob3 ;sequencer ;synth1 ;MOD Title is: x3l10 Samples = 909.ophi ;hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;koto07 ;bass37 ;Sample10_04 ;perco ;hitbass ;licks ;MOD Title is: x3l11 Samples = hip.snare ;breakdrum ;cymbal1 ;strings3majfl ;sinecz ;shamus ;pling ;tinewave ;synbrass

Probably more info than was necessary, eh. But I learned something! :D

from anosci, Mar 12, 2024, 4:57PM

this is interesting!

First of all, it's rare that game music has titles! They're not quite matched up with the order of the songs in the sound test, but that's still neat to know.

plus it confirms my interpretation that these were rave / dance inspired tunes!

I could believe that 08 in the sound test menu is "babybeat". It has a pretty soft melody, befitting of the title and theme, I think.

This also paints an interesting picture. Tell me if this lines up with your memories:

You had to write the music for Spiderman vs The Kingpin, so you hunkered down and used whatever tools you had.

Then when you learned you had to do the music for X-Men as well, you wanted something easier to work with, 

so you proposed converting the MODs you'd already written.

...and then you stuck with that process for the next two games

>  Unless you just get it anyway, at Game Over (I do not recall).

I checked, and you get the the (presumed?) "babybeat" track at Game Over

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 12, 2024, 8:41PM

Yes, that's about it, as best as I can remember. I got pretty used to ProTracker.

Yes, at Game Over.

I listened to both tracks to try and compare. It's difficult, because the tempo is very different, the waveforms are very different, and the instruments are totally different. I really need to find that disc, because if I can hear my original MOD it will help clarify if my memory is correct.

from anosci, Mar 13, 2024, 12:31PM

I suppose the obvious follow-up question would be: do you remember how you wrote the tunes for Spiderman vs. The Kingpin?

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 13, 2024, 3:07PM

Joergen Bech wrote the sound subroutines, we worked together at Inner Prise (I think he is Swedish). I am pretty sure that the music was just composed using those subroutines. As in, just typing it all up, into the assembler file. It was a bit laborious to say the least. There are no other tools to write the music. I looked at the code, and there is no mention of anything other than the code itself. Less than ideal, eh. But then, I am the type of programmer that will convert a C64 loading screen to an Amstrad loading screen, by typing in all the numbers defining each pixel (and getting it right). I did that for Druid (or Druid II, I forget which). Just brute forced it. I got Firebird to provide a print out of all the numbers for the C64 screen, and I converted them myself, and typed in the Amstrad equivalent. I think I got 250 quid for that, it was not fun, but maybe worth the cash, eh.

For Chakan, there was a composer who provided MIDI files. I wrote a conversion program to convert the MIDI into the format that the sound subroutines could use. Much easier, and I did not have to come up with the music myself.

Then for X-Men I added a MOD to MIDI converter, I think. Then ran that through the MIDI to sound subroutine format.

I am looking through the code some more ...

Breaking news ... I just found a bunch of MOD files inside the Sega > TC > Prog folder. OMG! Stand by for those ... (BabyBeat!)

from anosci, Mar 13, 2024, 6:17PM

Typing music straight into an ASM file was shockingly common back then, so I believe it.

> I just found a bunch of MOD files inside the Sega > TC > Prog folder.

!!!!

excitedly but patiently waiting to hear these!

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 13, 2024, 7:43PM

Hallelujah! :D

Okay, we have the original pre-conversion MOD files for X-Men 1 & 2. They are not the original MOD files. These have been modified to fit the conversion process, in order to get a decent sounding composition on the Game Gear. I have removed some samples from being played, even though they are probably still included in the sample set. I have substituted some samples for others, in order to get a better result. However, you do get a decent idea of how it all worked. This might be as close as we can get, but I will keep looking, eh. I also included some MODs that were in the same folder, but are not mine. A couple from the "Jesus On E's" Amiga demo, as well as the "Coma" demo. Figured you might find them interesting too. I might have borrowed samples from those MODs to make my own.

I have to say I was quite emotional when I saw those MODs in the Turbo-C++ folder. Never expected them to be there this whole time. Hearing "Babybeat" again after all these years. Man. Thanks for getting me to look into all this, I would not have known they were there otherwise. Cheers! :)

3 attachments:

Xmen-Extras.7z

Xmen2MODs.7z

XmenMODs.7z

from anosci, Mar 13, 2024, 9:52PM

I cross-referenced the songs with the titles as they appear in smspower.com (here and here)

X-Men baby    -> Mandripoor fishgg  -> Brood Cave itchgg  -> The Savage Land joygg   -> Boss outgg   -> Morlock Tunnel ramgg   -> Game Over renaiss -> The Hellfire Club trouzgg -> Avalon turbogg -> Ending xravegg -> Title

X-Men 2 level1 -> Arctic level1b-> The Danger Room level2 -> The Hellfire Club level3 -> Genosha level4 -> Avalon level5 -> Egyptian Base Part 1 level6 -> Egyptian Base Part 2 level7 -> Stryfe's Moon Base level8 -> Boss level9 -> Ending level10-> Title

critically speaking, I think most of these start with a solid idea that then gets a bit buried. but it's an amazing piece of context. a lot of the rave timbre was lost in the gamegear conversion. it's amazing to hear it put back, so to speak!

I can see why you fondly remembered babybeat. I think that might be your strongest tune here. that and "OUTGG" (or at least, those two are my favorites)

I love seeing that you got something cool out of my barrage of questions and curiosity, too :)

digging around some more... "JOYGG" is an odd one: the pitch bends didn't transfer to the Game Gear. though I'm not sure my own playback is accurate... there's a lot of out-of-key samples that sound fine after the Game Gear conversion. Strange.

comparing babybeat to orbital's "Midnight (Live)"... the two have a similar push-pull rhythm rhythm in the bass, but I wouldn't call them the same. 

though I could easily imagine the similarities causing a fan of one song to raise their eyebrow at the other. 

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 14, 2024, 8:26AM

Cool.

Yeah, the "missing link" MODs do not sound as good as either the originals, or the final GG version.

Oh, and I actually wrote a Pro-Tracker to GG format conversion program (DOS), no in-between conversion. I think there was, at some point, a dual set up, but I decided to make it simpler. The dual set up would have been a legacy from when I had to write a MIDI to GG format, for Chakan. I only have the final set of tools in my Turbo-C++ directory, none of the tools I used previously.

I agree with your assessment of the tune similarity. I think at some point I got it into my head they were more similar, and then that just became what I remembered. I am getting older too, so that is a factor. I am only human after all.

from anosci, Mar 14, 2024, 7:02PM

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, right? ;)

from Paul Hutchinson, Mar 14, 2024, 8:39PM

Well, I am kind of big on telling the truth, tbh. I do acknowledge that I can (and do) get things wrong though. I remember when I was a kid, I swore that the words on a TV advert were "It's full of peppery goodness", when in fact, it was "It's full of Cadbury goodness" (the ad was for Cadbury's Finger of Fudge). I really believed that was what it said, and it did not matter what everyone else said it was. I was honest about my position, I was just completely and totally wrong. :D

[sharkys-failboat-clips]

hey, i'm sharky! welcome to my clip dump. the dedicated blog, anyway. i'm one of failboat's moderators, and i've been in his community for, as of writing this, over 6 years. which is more than a third of my life. which... doesn't really sound like something to be proud of lmao. anyway, i've witnessed a lot of weird and funny moments over that time, and i figured someone oughta make clips of those moments. so that's what i'm doing now! and why you're reading this post!

by the way, this is one of those things where i see other people doing something and i'm like "i wanna do that too!". so don't be surprised if i suddenly stop uploading clips. frankly i'd be shocked if i end up keeping this going for a while lol

submitting clips

look, i have a busy life, what with school and prepping for college, and there's probably MONTHS worth of content to look through. that's why i need YOUR help to find good clips! now, i'm only looking for the best stuff, not just something mildly interesting. i hope you don't mind me being picky. ...then again, i tend to laugh a lot at this guy's content. but anyway!

Here's how you can submit:

the "Submit a clip" button at the top of this blog

under this post via reblogs/replies (you cannot attach video files this way; links are not clickable in replies)

you can TRY sending an ask? i believe in order to send a link with an ask you need to break it up. generally they do not work

eventually i want to have a video on the channel dedicated to submissions. will update on that later

if you post your own clips, please let me know if you're ok with me uploading them! and whether or not you want credit for making the clip

Submissions must include either:

an already clipped video file with a link to the source (be sure it's high quality and shows nothing other than the video itself! i dont want to see video UI or any amount of the rest of the page. just to save me some time lol)

a link to the source with the clip timestamped (either in the post or linked to that spot) and a description of the clip

a link to a clip made using youtube's tool with a description of the clip

you can optionally include a title with your submission but be aware i may not use that title

Clips may be sourced from:

vods on stream storage or unlisted streams (PREFERRED)

videos from the main channel or dinghy (most of these are edited streams, if the moment can be found in a vod use the vod only unless the editing enhances the bit)

videos not on any of failboat's channels but that he appears in

i'd prefer that sources be only from within the past ~5 years. i'd rather not dig up anything too old and potentially cringe-worthy i hope you understand lol

this info is absolutely subject to change. if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Links

The clip channel

My main blog -> @pankomako

[theorphaninthetardis]

Chapter Twelve

Peter pulls over at the top of the hill, and lets the Time Lord and his companions out of his car. Sophie turns back and leans on the windowsill of the open window, "Thank you, Mr. Warmsly," she smiles. He smiles back at her, then notices something over the hill, and races off.

The Doctor checks the wind direction, and pulls his gadget out of his pocket, turning around in a circle scanning the area. Ace looks in the direction that the Range Rover pulled off in, and her eyes widen, "Professor?"

The Doctor ignores her, focussing intently on his device, "Yes. The transmission's definitely coming from over there."

Sophie rolls her eyes, "Doctor!" she says, and twists him around, while Ace points down the hillside.

"It's a missile convoy."

The Gallifreyan groans, "A nuclear missile convoy."

"How do you know?"

"It has a graveyard stench."

The Doctor sets off down the hill, and they are right on his tail. He has no hesitation, as he ducks under the military barrier. Ace follows right after him, but Sophie hesitates on the other side of the barrier, "I'm all for breaking the law, but is breaking onto a military site really the smartest idea? They're likely to just shoot us."

The Doctor tosses her a look, and she sighs, ducking under the barrier as well. A few more explosions go off, and the Time Lord presses them all up against the side of one of the large trucks.

"Didn't sound like a shell. More like a couple of rockets," Ace says, as the Doctor steps away.

"Close," he responds, and digs into his pockets. "What we need is something to help us." He starts to pull out random devices, toys, and bits of paraphernalia, all of which he deposits into Sophie's hands. "Wait a minute," he says, and then takes his hat off, dumping a couple small leather wallets into his hands, "Ah yes, of course! I never thought I'd need these again."

He passes one of the passes to Ace, who immediately flips it open, "Who's Elizabeth Shaw? I don't even look like her."

The Doctor's hands are full with everything from within his pockets, and his pass is clamped firmly in his teeth, "Oh, never mind. Just think like a physicist," he murmurs.

"And what about Sophie?" Ace asks.

"Don't worry about me, Ace. I'm covered," she responds, and pulls a slightly different wallet out of her back pocket. "Shall we?" she asks the Doctor.

He sets off toward the Mobile Command Post, leaving his companions to trail after him.

***

The Doctor forces his way into the Mobile Command Centre, practically throwing his and Ace's passes at the uniformed woman. Sophie casually flips her Torchwood pass open, and hands it to her as well. The Time Lord strolls over to the wall, looking at all of the dials spread across it. "Now, what seems to be the problem?" he asks.

The woman looks taken aback, "Excuse me?"

"Well, you've had an explosion in your electronics, haven't you?"

"An electro-magnetic pulse effect." Ace states.

Sophie leans against the table, and grabs the nearest file. The woman swats it out her hands, "Make yourself at home."

The Doctor ignores her, "Caused by?" he addresses Ace.

"A nuclear explosion, usually."

The woman shoots a glare in the Time Lord's genuine direction, "I think I would have noticed a nuclear explosion."

"Yes, well, they are conspicuous."

"Okay," Sophie says, pushing herself onto her feet, "If there is no nuke, what caused your tech to fry up?"

"Exactly," the Doctor nods.

"All systems failures were the result of a minor technical difficulty," she replies. Then she holds up the Doctor and Ace's UNIT passes, "I don't know where you two got these from, but I intend to find out." She nods at her subordinate in the room, "Show those two out," she nods at the Doctor and Ace, "But she can stay, I have a few questions."

Sophie stands up a little straighter and squares her shoulders, as the Doctor and Ace are ushered to the door, "I'd just like to say three things," the Time Lord says, and then without waiting for a response, proudly proclaims, "Yeti, Autons, Daleks. Cybermen and Silurians!"

He is then forced out of the Mobile Command. The woman turns her attention to Sophie, who simply meets her eyes, "You're with Torchwood?"

"Yes, ma'am, Torchwood Three, Cardiff Division."

"Then what are you doing here?"

She leans forward, "Same as UNIT, I'm sure. I was sent to check out the weird energy signatures this place is giving off. Wasn't told I'd be working with amateurs, but I'm always willing to give it a shot." She's doing her best to summon Jack's usual confidence and swagger, hoping to pull it off.

The woman makes a face like she's sucking on a lemon, "Certainly sounds like Torchwood. I should have been briefed that one of you pompous know-it-alls would be here."

"Looks like we were both left in the dark, Brigadier. You can blame your superiors when you get the chance."

"No, get out. I'll find you later. I need to speak with my people."

Sophie rolls her eyes, but pushes herself off the table, "Yeah, fine. Just be quick about it. I know that you all are a little slow on the uptake, but this is a time sensitive issue." She turns on her heel, and exits the building, letting all of the tension out of her shoulders.

She steps out and is greeted by questioning looks on both the Doctor's and Ace's faces. "Your pass was different," Ace accuses.

Sophie nods, and takes a few steps forward, "Yep. A different top-secret organisation formed to protect the UK from alien invasions. And I can't tell you anything else, as it personally affects the Doctor's future. Anyway, I got in, so you're welcome."

"Right," the Doctor says, "But I have a feeling Ace and I will be accepted as well."

"Well, I mean yeah, you are on UNIT's payroll after all. Just give them a few minutes."

The trio stand around just outside of the command post, until the woman steps out of the building, and offers them a ride.

***

The Range Rover sets off down the road, the Doctor once again in the passenger seat, while Ace and Sophie are relegated to the back. "We could have walked to the hotel, you know," the Doctor tells the UNIT officer.

"No problem. I thought you'd like to see Vortigern's Lake."

"Vortigern," the Doctor nods, "That's an interesting name."

"Yeah, fascinating," Ace agrees, not having any inkling as to why.

"Speaking of names," Sophie starts, "What's yours?"

"Brigadier Winifred Bambera."

"There are many secrets in names," he muses, "Vortigern is old British for High King."

"Your convoy's stranded by the lake of the High King," Ace laughs.

As Ace makes the comment, the vehicle rolls to a stop at a large building, and the Doctor steps out, offering the Brigadier some thanks. The Time Lord sets off into the hotel, and the other two trail after him. Inside the main building is a bar area, where a woman is reading from a braille book, and a man is clearing some glasses off a table. Looking around the pub, Sophie can't help but think about the last time she was in a small pub, in the Welsh countryside. Shaking her head to try and rid the thoughts, she follows the Time Lord toward the bar. "What do you have?" the Doctor asks, taking a seat on one of the bar stools. Sophie takes a seat on his left, while Ace takes a seat on his right.

"What we have, sir," the man says, stepping behind the bar, "is possibly the finest beer in the area, even if I do say so myself. Perhaps the best in the country."

"Really?" Sophie asks.

"He makes it himself in a converted barn at the end of the garden," a woman of Asian descent says, coming up and leaning on the bar on the opposite side of Ace.

The man looks proud, "It's in the CAMRA guide. We call it Arthur's Ale."

The new woman smiles, "Vodka and coke, Pat."

"Glass of water, please. Ace?"

"Oh, vodka and–" The Doctor shoots her a look, and she sighs, "Lemonade, please."

The man turns to Sophie. "I'll have a Scotch, neat." The Doctor shoots her a look as well, but she ignores him, turning instead to the newcomer, "I'm Sophie, this is the Doctor, and that's–"

"Ace," she says. "I'm Shou Yuing."

"There we are, sir. Seven pounds, please."

Ace's eyes widen, "How much?"

"Man," Sophie mutters, "that's pretty cheap."

The Time Lord shakes his head, and dumps a bag on the counter, digging through the metal pieces. He hands the man some coins, while Shou picks up the piece on the bartop that is wriggling about. The Doctor taps her hand, "Do you mind? It's a very valuable piece of coinage."

Hello Sweeties,

Happy Doctor Who Day! 61 Years of our favourite Timey Wimey Show. 

[timbrrwolfe]

Ok, as promised I'll do a quick list with summaries of each character build I have in mind to at least try in BG3.

Established characters

Rachel from Animorphs

Basically the idea is that she got plucked from the ending of the series (iykyk) and landed on the nautiloid, trading one mind controlling slug enemy for another. I just feel like there's a lot of meat to dig into mashing Animorphs together with the story of BG3. So much so that I considered and dismissed making her playthrough a Dark Urge one, but honestly? I've been reconsidering that lately. We'll see whenever I end up getting around to playing as her. She'll be a Circle of the Moon Druid, natch. But I may also dip a few levels into Barbarian. Just for flavor.

Harry Dresden of Dresden Files

I just finished reading White Knight, and the iteration somewhere among that and Proven Guilty is the one I've put a build together for so far. Which is only really relevant insofar as that he also gets a small multiclass bump for flavor. Iykyk. Again. I actually specifically jotted down the build ideas for him because I wanted to compare it to where he's at by the time the series ends. Obviously a wizard, and if you've read the books you can imagine what kind of spells he'll be using. Lots of fire. Shield. Some Thunderwave here and there. Probably Gust of Wind. I actually might need to skim what I've already read to get refreshed on all the magic he uses. I waffled about the school for a bit but it'll probably end up being Evocation. If not, then Transmutation. Probably. But Evocation's likely where I'll land.

Alex Verus by Benedict Jacka

This one's actually pretty similar to Dresden. Except British. And he's not much for magic outside of his divination magic (so, naturally, he'll be a Divination School Wizard). Which basically means I'll have to figure out spell choices that are within his limited scope of combat. Stuff like Blur/Haste (because he's technically reacting to things seconds in the future, so he's better at dodging), Fog Cloud (as that's a prepared item he keeps on hand), and I don't even know what else off the top of my head. But once I knock out the library books I have out I'll probably be getting back to this series so hopefully that'll help me figure it out.

Zuko from ATLA

Pretty simple. But maybe surprisingly not Monk. Rather, Fighter or even Ranger, for Two Weapon Fighting so ya boy can have his scimitars. And then probably the rest in Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer (this is what I said it was spoken for in my last post). Because of course. Cheating a bit to mention two other builds that are related. I'll likely do a proper Four Elements Monk playthrough as Korra, rather than Aang. And I'm considering trying to do specifically an Airbender build with mostly monk and maybe a level of Wizard to shore up some Airbender-y abilities that aren't present as Monk. Or just make them Githyanki to take advantage of some racial features for the same purpose. Gotta think on it more.

Jedi/Sith from Star Wars

Gonna put these two together as well since I haven't dug too deep into it. But the Jedi build will likely be Fighter/Cleric, or just Paladin. Dueling fighting style, regardless. Sith will likely be similar, except Warlock over Cleric/Paladin. Or just a different flavor of Cleric or Paladin. Again, I'd have to actually take time to flesh it out more and figure it out.

I think that's about it for established characters, off the top of my head. So onto

OCs

Gladiator Pit Wizard

A build I came up with a while back that I don't know if I ever intended to play so much as use for a story that kind of bloomed from it. A couple levels in Fighter, probably more levels in Wizard (Abjuration School, both because the first spell he cast - by accident - was Shield, and because as a battle mage having extra shielding is generally a smart move.) Basically the plan is for him to be fairly tanky while still being able to deal a good amount of damage. Might also be some spice thrown in the build here or there, tied to the story I may or may not ever write. Maybe a dip into a level of another class. Or a cute feat choice. We'll see.

Pseudo Vampire

As far as I know you can't make a vampire in BG3. At least not without mods (which I don't really intend to get into until I'm bored with the vanilla game. Which. Could be a while.) So instead, when I had a dream featuring a vampire that I then wanted to make in the game, I looked into what I could do about it. The answer, it turns out, was a School of Necromancy Wizard. And some levels in Ranger. Either Beastmaster for some familiar summoning, or Gloomstalker for some shadowy stealth shenanigans. Probably the latter, since I can just use Find Familiar anyway unless I want a Wolf or something. And shadowy shenanigans are about the right level of drama for her. Because she's the first evil character I have in mind (an itch that I've had more as I've done my current playthrough). Though her particular brand of evil is more megalomania "I'm the best and the world is my playground and everybody is my toy. And if some toys break, oh well."

Jaded Tiefling

I'm actually not sure what the build is gonna be here. Probably yet another melee + magic multiclass. The idea behind this character is she ran into trouble as a child due to prejudice/fear/hatred based on the fact that she looked like a demon. Nobody came to her aid and nobody helped her. So she had to help herself. Because of that, her mindset is now of the "if you're not strong enough to save yourself, then perish" variety. So she'll likely be another evil one, in that she won't be saving anyone, just looking out for herself. Of course there's a situation very early in the game that is a bit of a dilemma between her credo and her history, so that'll be interesting to sort out with her. Obviously still gotta hash this one out a bunch. She basically came into existence when I was like "Ok but /who/ would I do an evil playthrough with" when the itch started for that.

Bardbarian

He's a Barbarian. He's a Bard. He's a bardbarian. Half-orc whose tribe figured out how to use magic to bolster their martial prowess. He uses a drum and probably sings in some capacity. Also uses a club or some other blunt weapon both to fight and to beat his drum to call up the magic.

The Halberd Soldier

This one is actually a character I made for a campaign that I played about half a session of once many years ago. (I was very bad about getting dragged into a session by my cousin, taking forever to build a character, and then maybe playing one day and then never returning for that campaign). Basically all three of us were soldiers in some army and I don't even remember what the story was supposed to be. So all I have as far as defining characteristics for her are like. Uses polearms Violently protective of other women ... And honestly that's about it. Obviously gonna start her as a fighter, but the goal is to get the Polearm Master feat and maybe pick up some levels in Paladin or something for extra damage. That said she's very much on the backburner until that feat is actually fixed from its current bugged state in BG3 (unless they fixed it in the latest patch, I didn't look too closely).

It Me

Once upon a time I took an inventory to determine what I would be in DnD. Unsurprising, based on the whole Christian upbringing thing (a rocky relationship but still one I hold to) I scored Cleric the most overall. Then some friends also took the inventory. And then we did a one shot. And then another, like a year or two later. I ended up going with Light Domain over Life Domain because it felt a bit more fitting. Also because AoE Fire and Radiant damage. But that one shot was at like level 6, and I also scored pretty high in Druid, with a couple classes tying for third, so I might do a little multiclass if I make this one in BG3

And then there's

The Incredibly Basic Ideas

which is basically just

Storm Surge (Storm Sorc/Cleric nutty lightning damage build)

Transmutation Wizard

Beastmaster Ranger

Some kind of build that's all about shoving enemies around and maybe having setups that do bonus damage from that

Amoral Merc who will basically throw in with the highest bidder, as another flavor of a likely evil playthrough.

Probably a couple monks

Probably a couple bards

and other sort of more generic ideas that I haven't gotten any further than that with.

[therobotmonster]

Okay, that post had thousands of notes and you didn't link to the actual evidence, so I had to go digging:

So, what we've got here is this background:

From their next game which is apparently hollow-knight-esq, and its being said that it's swiped from this:

It's an underground ice cave with generic "tribal" banners.

I mean, they probably took inspiration, the game is a Hollow-Knight alike, after all. At most you could call it an homage. But plagiarism? I don't think it comes within arm's reach of that, not without more points of connection.

I've personally busted on them for not making their designs very distinct, but here's the deal, any time there's an IP lawsuit, more than just the case in question is at state. Precedent is at stake. And that precedent rarely shakes out in favor of the average artist.

If stuff with this level of similarity gets determined to be infringement, lots of homage and parody is suddenly on the chopping block, and a lot of fair use too.

Expys are a long-standing tradition, and because of the inherent stupidity of "Pokemon with guns", they have a strong argument for the intent to parody.

But lets talk about the fakemon situations.

Here we've got Arsox and Flairees, a fakemon from Pokémon Sage.

So we've got fire-ungulates, a wooly ram and what appears to be a goat. A similar critter with a similar element is not enough to draw a connection, nor is a color shcheme, as russet-brown, cream, and orange is a basic fire colorscheme.

The two animals have entirely different distinctive features. Arsox leans heavy on the wool-as-fire thing, and has huge horns. Flairees has a lot of actual fur, and it's distinctive traits are the helmet and the fire mane and tail. Similar foreheads, but again, they might have seen this, they might have come up with it entirely independently.

If I have 20 fan artists the job of doing a fire type sheep or goat pokemon, I bet I'd get at least 2 or 3 that would be similar enough to either of these to raise an eyebrow.

pyroaura98's Mega Delphox is pretty eyebrow raising, at first. But I'm not super into pokemon, don't know much past gen 3, so I looked up actual Delphox.

So.

Delphox is a girl fox with a design that evokes a witch (baggy sleeves, 'skirt', magic wand, the ear-flames are kinda like flowing hair).

I mean, it is possible someone at that japanese game studio saw that particular piece of Mega Delphox art and either intentionally swiped it or did so subconsciously.

None of us were in the room. But it's also entirely possible that two different artists were looking to do a spin on Delphox, one intending to make a Mega form, the other looking to file off serial numbers while keeping it an expy, and came to the same very obvious decisions:

Swap the colors around. Intensify the saturation. Witch her up.

There's only so many ways to make her witchier, and one of those is a giant hat.

However, one of the previous accusations of ripoffery, a fakemon by Pupeh on Twitter/X, and Hangyu, was similarly damning... until it was shown that Hangyu was in a trailer 2 years ago, and Pupeh made theirs in the last year.

Thing is, the process of creativity to create a transformative idea is the exact same one that makes "original" ideas. Both are only slightly divorced from the process of plagiarism. New ideas are the novel assemblage of old ones filtered through our perspective and experience.

If the idea is insufficiently novel compared to the one it's drawn from, it's plagiarism, if it's sufficiently novel we call it transformative, and the less we're aware of the influence, the more original we consider it. And the thing is, we associate certain ideas with each other, and those associations form webs and chains. If you've got two people with similar interests and similar tastes working on similar ideas, they're going to follow similar paths of association.

DC's Swamp Thing and Man-Thing never became a point of legal contention because they were both riffing on the Heap. A whole lot of the franchises you know and love have just as naked lifts as what Palworld's got going.

I'm not here to defend Palworld. I think they flew too close to the sun in several areas. I'm just very concerned that this is not very strong evidence of actual plagiarism, and if that's where the line is, a whole lot of parody, fair use, and homage is on the chopping block.

You don't want the level of protectable concept to be as simple as "fire sheep/goat"

Also, semi-related, why do people keep making pokemon fan games?

You know they're going to get shut down the second Nintendo or the Pokemon company hears about it. Your hard work and loving tribute to their franchise will be turned into lost media because you dared to try and give them free advertising.

Because Nintendo hates the idea of fanworks, and they don't seem to keen on fans in general. They made a guy a debtor for essentially life for selling DRM workarounds (EDIT, see below), they will kill youtube channels for playing hacks of their games, they won't take your tribute in the spirit it is offered.

You should be serial-number-filing your mon, Zelda, mario, and Metroid-likes from day one. It will give you a chance to actually build on your work and let your work survive for longer.

Edit: See, sometimes I have to make a point about fact checking by accidentally misremembering what Nintendo did to Gary Bowser, it's "just" a lifelong debt, not a lifelong prison sentence.

Alright, guess this toy's gonna talk about Palworld, because it's seen Discourse™️ start to crop up about how "supporting the game is immoral because it's stealing designs from Pokemon!"

Now look, this toy's not about to sit here and tell you that all of the monster designs in Palworld are completely original and the game isn't, on some level, a bootleg. Obviously a lot of the designs are bootleg pokemon. That's not the point it wants to get at. The point is that it doesn't really matter.

First of all, nobody is being hurt by Palworld having knockoff pokemon among the ranks of its monsters. Game Freak is not some tiny indie developer struggling to make ends meet having their work unfairly co-opted by a big, bad corporation. Pokemon is, in fact, the largest, most profitable media franchise of all time, and Palworld is an indie game. The reason that something like this would hypothetically be scummy/shitty is if someone were taking someone else's work, changing it slightly, claiming it as their own, and thus depriving the original creator of credit/visibility that they should've had. But that literally can't happen here, because everyone already knows what Pokemon is. So unless it gets found that they're stealing designs from fakemon artists or something (there was one alleged instance, but it seems to have just been a coincidence of two different people having the idea of "what if Chimecho but with big, bulky arms?"), Palworld is hurting nobody through having bootleg designs, so the moral argument against the game falls flat.

With that out of the way, there's a much more interesting topic to discuss here: Why is it that when someone's fangame gets C&D'd, everyone immediately jumps to the creator's support, accurately assessing that our copyright system is broken and primarily serves to hurt independent artists, but the moment a developer makes the changes necessary to make sure their fangame doesn't get hit with a C&D (and to allow them to make money off of it), it's suddenly bad and cringe and unoriginal?

The argument that "Palworld is lazy and unoriginal and therefore bad because the monster designs are too similar to Pokemon's designs" is something that this toy would be willing to hear out if Palworld were a turn-based singles-format RPG with similar systems/overall structure to those found in Pokemon games, but, uh. It isn't. It's a third-person shooter with monster-catching mechanics and, like, Factorio-ass automation and base-building, from what this toy can tell. And it doesn't know if the game is good, as someone who has not played it (or even really seen gameplay of it), but it can absolutely tell you that the game's not lazy.

Sure, they could have done more to make the monster designs feel more unique, and that's absolutely a valid criticism for the game. This toy doesn't want to come across like it's saying otherwise. It just wants people to recognize that that's kind of a nitpick when the game is, on a mechanical and genre level, something completely different from anything any Pokemon game ever has been or ever will be, and that nobody would be complaining about laziness or a lack of originality if this came out as a fangame literally just using actual pokemon. In that reality, people would've been popping off at how high-effort it is, actually. And like, even putting money aside, this game literally could not exist as a fangame. A while back, someone uploaded some videos on Youtube showcasing a fangame they were developing that was an FPS where the enemies were pokemon. They got hit with a C&D and their Youtube account was terminated within a couple days of the videos being uploaded. The game was not monetized, and in fact, never even had a download link, to this toy's recollection. Palworld would have suffered the same exact fate if it wasn't its own IP.

[ut-poppy-askblog]

What's the layout of the omega timeline?

Alright so this question made me dig into my files to see if I could find a thing I was making- a map with at least a generous view of the OT as it is now. And I found it!

So what we see here is a fairly underdetailed map of the OT. And there's also a sideview I used in the Underevent 2022 trailer.

Eventually, I want to provide a full index of all the locations within it, but for now I'll give a brief overview off the top of my head.

The OT in Omega Timeline: Poppy's Story is comprised of three islands:

South Island - The first Island to be built, and the second smallest. This is the closest island with generally speaking the most activity in visitors. The Door area exists around this island. And the door area is ever-changing in amounts of doors (those dots there are doors, but even then, there is probably many than I can realistically draw on). Within exist a handful of landmarks such as the Timeline Plaza, Coofus Garden, and a Lake. Admittedly, I haven't come up with a cool name. Mr. Asgore lives here, notably.

North Island - The youngest of the islands, but no less important. In this island, there exist a few foundational buildings such as the Power Plant, a BIG laboratory facility (which is where people like Fling Ding work at, for instance), and a smaller settlement town (which Fling Ding also lives in).

West Island - The second of the islands, but ostensibly the most populated. This is the island where most of the actual, permanent residents of the Omega Timeline live. It's the largest of the islands, with farmland, a great forest expanse (with a few secret locations within), the Mirror lake, the Colliseum, and the NewHomeTown... Town. That's where people the likes of Fasha, Cadence, and Poppy live.

Oh, and let's not forget the Mountain, which on the outside holds the weather facility (that facilitates clouds and weather to the whole Omega Timeline), and within exists an entire underground subsection of the OT population, with likely its own climates and whatnot. (No barrier keeping people inside the mountain, mind you).

Again, admittedly don't recall having tapped into what cool names could be, but if I remember them, I'll eventually add it in the proper post.

All of the islands have everything a city could need (hospitals, schooling facilities, so on and so forth). And all of the locations in the Omega Timeline are kept in place by walls buit around them. These walls tend to have different colors depending from where you're standing.

I'd imagine it might be more varied than this, but again, these are for roughly demonstrating stuff.

But yeah that's a general look at the layout of the OT.

[acefaun]

Hi 🙂 don't worry, you didn't offend me in any way. Are you alright? Who was bothering you?

Are you sure? 😓 No way! I have to fix it! I was stressed and panicked and was ready to insult anyone who crossed my path(man maybe I am like Scorpio... That test result was right...). There has to be something you want asap! I have three fics on my priority list right now but I can make something for you!

I just feel super bad for snapping even though it was meant for someone else that I couldn't deal with at the time. 🥺

See, I find it weird when irl people start getting involved in my online life, especially male dudes. And I know at least two male dudes that found my Tumblr so I keep getting antsy about either of them slipping into my inbox.

But I'd like for my Tumblr to be for me and others who enjoy similar things as me. And I promise the two males I'm referring to aren't in our SCM cult. If they were then I might have a different opinion of them slipping into my inbox as anons.

Besides.... 😣 I low-key like to flirt with my Tumblr girlfriends. I couldn't sanely call you my beautifully beloved anon if I thought you were some irl male that I know.

Other than the male issue... I'm okay. I'm actually great! I'm getting a mini Australian shepherd for my birthday in June! She's going to be so fluffy and she's going to be my best friend in the whole world! I'm working really hard right now to save up enough money for the two of us! She's not with me physically but she's already helping alot with my mental health. The intrusive thoughts that used to be like "I wish I didn't exist" even stopped because doggo has been on my mind! I feel like this is going to be a change for the better in my life.

So, I'm trying to deal with the male intruders. And I'll be keeping my anons on again. And I have a finished fic ready to post today! It was finished last week and I forgot about it after my first day of work. 🙃 But I'll post it today after I eat lunch because I have to dig out the file! A Scorpio comfort fic for someone who needs happiness and reassurance. 💖

[manyblinkinglights]

also I still haven't had time to try anytauring ray either, but now I have a new (and much easier to model/texture) avatar I'm considering: how would you rig a lapras? I want to have the arms rigged to the front flippers, and my first idea was to just shove the humanoid armature into the ground, but I think vrchat doesn't allow that. I'm also not sure how to find best practice for avatars with very short "arms", since being able to grab stuff is so important. (alsothankyouforquadneck!)

I'd also rig a Lapras as an AnyTaur, with the Humanoid standing up and sharing the viewpoint as normal, because you still need the TrailerHitch system to keep the body level behind you. While the Lapras would go into the floor when you crouched too low, the gains you'd get in its body from being an AnyTaur outweigh this imo, especially from an otherwise very not dynamic and difficult to rig avatar. I'd then just rig all four flippers custom, the hind ones would rotate like your Humanoid toes, and the front ones would disregard being legs and rotate like your Humanoid hands. No wizardry because the thing doesn't "walk", yeah... but the hind body would still capture your Hips rotation (direct + inverse), the long neck I'd add my various modern puppeteering advances to so you could use a gesture to puppet it SUPER nicely and reach out and bop people + switch between it rotating like your Humanoid upper body & the whole thing just curving around based on your Head. If you actually HAVE this Lapras model lmk and I'll post my WIP Advanced AnyTaur files for you--it might be a little much to dig into but the pieces should be there for you to understand the subsystems that permit Lots Of Extra Head And Neck Behaviors, and you can then copy them and implement your own (it's NOT THAT BAD if you're just adding cool tricks to the old baserig's Quadneck system!!!!). All you need to learn to do is use offsets (that you hand-calibrate to unfuck) instead of trying to rotate-like various targets directly. For the Lapras in particular, though... I recommend a hybrid system with an optional Final IK assist. You build this on TOP of the constraint rig, and use offsets to allow the Lapras to switch to it. The purpose is to allow the Lapras' head, on gesture, to actually keep its head ON your hand for picking up props and using them. If the hind fins aren't well-served by rotating like Humanoid toes, you can basically try stuff until something looks good, like trying different constraint weights or switching to Thighs, Head, opposite-side Hand, opposite-side Upperarm, BEND, etc, sky's the limit. Again, the Lapras WILL go into the floor somewhat as you deviate from standing height. But imo it will be worth it; also, my Advanced rig (which I don't recommend you USE until it's done lol, because the setup is totally different in Blender and may trip you up) has onboard optional Worldspacing of fully custom animations and poses, so it could be tweaked at the FX level to worldspace when you stand still and thereby not sink into the floor on you. WOW THIS WAS AN ESSAY. I think you could with some SEVERE tweaking add the worldspacing feature to the Lapras but I'm not sure you're up for it, I'm not sure ~I~ am. Well. Okay. Well. I think you could worldspace it via the TrailerHitch and then if you're on Quadneck for the Lapras I THINK the Quadneck is stuck on the TrailerHitch and not your Hips? So you could worldspace the whole thing via the TrailerHitch maybe...? Like when you stopped moving, and this would keep you from sinking into the floor... Let me know if you're serious about the Lapras, if you've successfully rigged a regular AnyTaur you probably CAN tackle the Lapras, and adding worldspacing to it when VelocityX and VelocityZ are both between -.1 and .1. And you can certainly add a couple extra tricks to its Quadneck to allow hand-and-forearm-based puppeteering, and optional Final IK assist! (Both of these are VERY similar, and rely on the same trick with calibrating offsets as your Sources).

[afniel]

I had to think about this one a bit because eeeehh so much of my current fic is filed under 'I have no idea how much of this is for keepsies and how much of it is going to be ruthlessly edited' but I'm pretty sure I'm keeping all the X and Valentina banter, because honestly I could watch them talk all day, so I'll post some of that.

Iiiiiiii have no idea who to even tag. I'm new to Being Writer and I'm not even...sure who else...writes? much?? Also I'm mad tired and can't remember much of anything right this moment. So uh. Consider yourself tagged if you wanna be!

Under a cut because I don't really stop my writing from running as long as it wants to run (you might get that impression from my word counts...) and this wants to run long, so.

"I might sit on the balcony for a few," X said. Valentina gazed at him knowingly. There was really only one reason he would want to deal with stairs again, and she was well aware of his most recent vice, being able to smell the smoke on him from a room away. "V, I gotta know. What are you even getting out of smoking?" X checked his pockets and made his laborious way up through the empty apartment over theirs. It wouldn't be empty forever, but for now, he had free run of it and its second floor patio. "I don't know. It's something to do when I want to be distracted. Glitch likes the smell for some reason. I don't completely hate it." X sat on the edge of the very dilapidated deck chair someone had brought out, and Valentina sat beside him, one knee up and her arms crossed loosely over it. It could almost have been a heavily overcast night on any little surface street; without the usual light pollution and with the further end of the street still unlit, it was a little too uniformly dark, but it was close enough. X pulled a new cigarette from the pack and lit it, drawing in a ventilation system full of smoke before letting his fans blow it away. "I swear, if we find out you're the only reploid in the world who can get addicted to nicotine, I'll cut you off cold turkey myself." Valentina laughed, fanning the smoke away from herself with one hand. "I can't even detect it, so I'd be pretty surprised," X said. "Just let me have this one stupid little self-destructive thing. I swear it's load bearing, even if I'm not sure how." "Well, I can't really hold it against you." Valentina scooted into X's personal space and leaned back onto the chair, arms crossed behind her head, legs crossed at the ankles. "Fuck knows my old job was nothing but catering to vices. I'm like the last person in any position to say shit about it. Just, you know, keep your filters changed and maybe start brushing your teeth, because from hearing about it from humans, you'd be surprised how yellow they'll get." "Really?" X asked, taking another drag. His internal sensors complained about the smoke, and he ignored them. "I guess they would. I could just get new teeth." "Will you?" Valentina asked. "I kinda don't believe that. You've had the same face for ninety years. It's a good face, but you've dinged it up pretty hard lately." "Hammer told me that humans used to tell him that 'chicks dig scars,'" X chuckled, though he couldn't resist feeling at his jawline. He'd really scraped it deeply in the fall, and while it had healed as well as synthetic skin ever did, it was distinctly silvery and not quite its original texture, nor did it really pick up sensation like it had before. He had to cover it with foundation any time he wanted to pass for human now. His elbows and knuckles were largely the same; in the past, his armor had taken the scars for him, but he hadn't even been wearing his jacket when he'd fallen. "Oh, you are not trying to impress me with that. Come on," Valentina laughed. "I mean, okay, yeah, I actually do like scars, but still. Seriously?" "Not that seriously," admitted X with half of a smile. "I earned this face, with all of its lines and scars and everything. I could have a mold cast and get a new one, and it would probably be better than the original, even. Synthetic skin technology has advanced more than a century since I was built. But it wouldn't be my face anymore if I did that, just a face that looks like mine, and I've seen enough of those on other reploids already." "Besides, if you got one advanced enough that you could blush, Mack and Glitch would never leave you alone," Valentina added. "That, too." They already lovingly bullied him enough as it was. He might have had an actual reactor meltdown if they could have coerced that amusing of an involuntary reaction out of him.

The weird little polycule has grown by one, which was kind of already happening slowly in Outcome Unpredictable, but by this point (circa a year and a half after the last chapter of OU, barring any timeline changes) it's an official thing. X ditched normal society and promptly tripped and fell into kitchen table polyamory with a bunch of Mavericks. Why the hell not. Live your best life, man.

Share your writing tag game:

I was tagged by @m34gs in her post HERE. Thanks for the tag! You're so sneaky... tagging me in a writing game as I'm writing your birthday fic. Well, no spoilers for you, friend! Only surprises! Hence my snippet will be from the next chapter in my fic Just a Normal Citizen (Not a Dimension Traveler).

"Their chest tightened. Just how long had they been away? Crowley hadn’t said and the question had slipped Yuu’s mind. Tugging their phone out only told the time in their world, the numbers practically ordering Yuu to bed. The phone from Cater was tucked away in their dorm’s desk drawer, the battery unable to be charged. Slipping their world’s phone back into their pocket, Yuu walked through the empty living room and down the hall to the front foyer. All other problems and questions could be dealt with later."

I tag: @shreedle @a-little-harmed-shinra @someobscurereference and @memoryoflife. Do this if you want! No pressure!

[maxwell-grant]

In light of your latest post - if you had to pick quotations to ascribe to the Shadow the way Al Ewing did for The Immortal Hulk, which do you think would be the most fitting?

Not something I'd given much thought prior, and really I think the quotes depend more on the story proper than the character on their own. But I did some digging around my files, and I think I ended up finding a couple that are not about The Shadow per se, but that I find at least somewhat appropriate to the character or a particular story with him. I’d probably do some more digging to find more varied sources for quotes, but these are the ones that stuck out the most to me as of writing this:

I have seen what no human being has the power of knowing, although they would all be very glad to know—the evil conduct of their neighbors. Had I written a newspaper, how eagerly it would have been read! Instead of which, I wrote directly to the persons themselves, and great alarm arose in all the town I visited. They had so much fear of me, and yet how dearly they loved me - Hans Christian Andersen's "The Shadow"

I want to suppose a certain Shadow, which may go into any place, by sunlight, moonlight, starlight, firelight, candlelight, and be in all homes, and all nooks and corners, and be cognizant of everything, and go everywhere, without the least difficulty… - Charles Dickens' letter to a friend, 1848

Always after a defeat and a respite, the shadow takes another shape and grows again... - J.R.R Tolkien

It was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice - Heart of Darkness

Death isn't cruel – merely terribly, terribly good at his job - Terry Pratchett

I sometimes feel that I'm impersonating the dark unconscious of the whole human race. I know this sounds sick, but I love it - Vincent Price

My brain is the key that sets me free - Harry Houdini

Tales and adventures are the shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes and forgotten - Neil Gaiman

Sometimes when I started writing, characters and things came so fast. I didn't understand where they came from or why. It was so fast, it was hard to get them down. It is almost as though time stands still. - Walter Gibson

I live in positives. Time does not mean anything to me. I can be awake and still think I am talking with Houdini. It is all so real to me. - Walter Gibson

She went straight from fast asleep to instant operation on all six cylinders. She never needed to find herself because she always knew who was doing the looking - Terry Pratchett

I have pasts inside me I did not bury properly - Ijeoma Umebinyuo

We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone. - Orson Welles

I think the world is like a great mirror, and reflects our lives just as we ourselves look upon it. - L.Frank Baum

Seven years ago we all went through the flames; and the happiness of some of us since then is, we think, well worth the pain we endured - Dracula

The panther's eyes flicked away from his, and the panther prowled once more around its cage and turned back and met his eyes again. The panther's eyes were huge and inhumanly yellow, filled with their urgent question, which might have been: Who are you?, or What are you going to do? Who he was and what he was going to do were the same thing, Tom realized - Peter Straub’s Mystery

My impression was that of an immense and overwhelming Power opposed to my volition,—that sense of utter inadequacy to cope with a force beyond man's, which one may feel physically in a storm at sea, in a conflagration, or when confronting some terrible wild beast, or rather, perhaps, the shark of the ocean. Opposed to my will was another will, as far superior to its strength as storm, fire, and shark are superior in material force to the force of man - Edward Bulwer-Lytton's "The House and The Brain"

Nothing now was left but the Shadow, and on that my eyes were intently fixed, till again eyes grew out of the Shadow,—malignant, serpent eyes. If you could fancy some mighty serpent transformed into man, preserving in the human lineaments the old serpent type, you would have a better idea of that countenance than long descriptions can convey — and withal a certain ruthless calm, as if from the consciousness of an immense power - Edward Bulwer-Lytton's "The House and The Brain"

If thine is the glory then Mine must be the shame You want it darker We kill the flame -Leonard Cohen's "You Want It Darker"

I am the rain Falling down to cover you Wish me away But I'm here for your own good I am the storm Sent to wake you from your dream Show me your scorn But you'll thank me in the end - Assemblage 23's "I Am The Rain"

Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light - Dylan Thomas

There is no magic. People can't see me, they simply won't allow themselves to do it. Until it's time, of course. - Terry Pratchett