#I'm so unreliable orz

[merakiui]

Since you don’t mind being asked for recommendations, do you have any horror or thriller book recommendations to give? I just thought that you must have read a lot to nail the terrifying atmosphere in your fics so well.

Aaaa thank you for saying so!!! I'm glad my fics have scary atmosphere. As for horror/thriller recs, here are a few that I have read and enjoyed!

Definitely the Red Eye series. I can't recommend it enough. orz but my personal favorites from the series would be:

✧ Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell (also the prequel Charlotte Says) - these are amazing. I can't recommend Alex Bell's work enough. I reread Frozen Charlotte every year because it's such a delicious horror story. I may be biased because of the Victorian charm it has, especially in the prequel, but overall it's really enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

✧ Flesh & Blood by Simon Cheshire - THE ENDING. OHHHHH, IT GUTTED ME IN THE BEST WAY. I loved the suspicion in this one. So tangible.

✧ Sleepless by Lou Morgan - this one was great! The concept of wealthy uni students getting their hands on "study aid" drugs and then losing their minds as a result was so fascinating to read about. It's been a while since I've read it, so I can't remember if it was truly horrifying. Moreso unsettling.

✧ Savage Island by Bryony Pearce (also the sequel Cruel Castle) - THIS STORY. OMG IT GUTTED ME IN THE WORST WAY. I had to take a walk after I read the last chapter in Savage Island. Savage Island is such a brutal horror. It made me squirm. It was just so !!!!!!!!!! Cruel Castle was also an enjoyable sequel filled with lots of tension.

✧ Whiteout by Gabriel Dylan - I love novels that confine the characters to a bleak backdrop, especially when it's in the middle of winter. Stuck in a ski resort that's been snowed in... aaaaa what a yummy premise. From beginning to end, I was on the edge of my seat.

As for things outside of the Red Eye:

✧ The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - a gothic classic!!! I love the haunting imagery. It sticks with me.

✧ The Brothers Grimm fairy tales - I can't recommend just a single fairy tale because I think all of them are wonderful. So creepy. orz

✧ The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe - AAAAAA I LOVE TELL-TALE HEART!!!!!! One of my favorite works by Poe. The unreliable narrator, the tension, the suspense, the breakdown at the end when he tears up the floorboards........ so good.

There is so much more I want to recommend, but I can't remember the titles of everything. T_T my brain is scrambled egg,,,, but one day I will create a reading list/favorite fiction list and share it for more recs!!! >w<

[gallus-rising]

UGGGGH FINE. Give me your best mouth washing pitch I’m intrigued

OH BOY ok i'll try my best. this is kinda rambly and all over the place. i'm trying very hard not to spoil

first off here's the game blurb

The five crew members of the Tulpar are stranded in the empty reaches of space, shrouded in perpetual sunset. God is not watching.

and here's the top review on Steam which i think captures the Vibes really well

This feels like a trolley problem but there is no lever and there is no alternate track. you are simply watching a group of people suffer

game is first person PSX psychological horror in space, and i mean some real psychological horror shit. Pony Express long haul ship Tulpar gets stranded in space after an act of sabotage. you will run out of food several months before air. no one is coming. you bonce back and forth between Jimmy, co-pilot suddenly turned leader after a devastating ship failure, and Curly, former pilot turned crispy meat man after a devastating ship failure. the psycho-sexual tension between them is radical

the reason the game is called Mouthwashing is because it's revealed early on that the ship's highly important cargo? the thing you are under absolutely no circumstances to touch? something that needs a full 5 man crew monitoring it 'round the clock for a full year?? mouthwash. tons and tons and tons of mouthwash. this is the only thing the crew has to possibly supplement their diet, which i feel like really sets the tone. from there things go from bad to worse to worse to catastrophe to worse. just. the whole domino effect of how things collapse is one of the best i've ever seen

the characters aren't bad people (mostly >.>), they're just perfectly normal dudes just trying their best. the game then goes on to show what happens when a group of perfectly normal dudes are pushed to the absolute brink. what if you were trapped in an elevator with your coworkers who you only vaguely get along with. hell is other people. but also hell is yourself and how you're treating those other people. also i can't call them out for obvious spoiler reasons but multiple instances of characters just causally dropping a line that had me like. "oh. oh shit. OOOOOHHHH SHIT!!!!!" love it when something like that happens

people smarter than me are dissecting the Imagery and Symbolism in the game like crazy holy shit

ok i think that's as much plot stuff as i can get into without major spoilers (tho since i'm Mouthwashing Posting non-stop everyone here has already seen plenty of spoilers lol, but i feel like this game has a lot of stuff that makes fuck all sense outta context) ok gameplay stuff now

for reasons i'd need an entire separate post to explain Mouthwashing is the sort of story that can only be told via a video game. there's a lot of unique things about video games as a media that people are only really starting to dig into, so if you're even a little interested in that i recommend checking out the game on that alone. the story is told non-linearly to excellent effect, and if you're looking for some good unreliable narrator?? OH BOY!!!! 👌👌 i know the term "walking simulator" is typically used derogatorily but i fucking love a good walking sim. it is really, really hard to pull off a horror walking sim imo given the genre is sorta chill by nature, so that's also a feat of it's own. you are watching people suffer, you are undergoing suffering. it is a game that feels like it actively hates you for playing it because by playing it you have let all this happen

the game is about 2-and-a-half hours, only like 13$ on Steam, and will probably go on sale for Halloween. if you wanna watch a playthru tho (like how i discovered it lol) i highly rec Vinny Vinesauce's 👌

hhng i hope this is a suitable pitch and sorry for the ramble orz

[I HOPE IT HURTS]

this game is heavy so if needed spoiler/trigger warnings for:

as graphic violence as you can get with PSX graphics, alcoholism, starvation, some proper fucked up cannibalism, suicide, murder, referenced sexual assault, scopophbia, and the general hopelessness/claustrophobia/agoraphobia/sanity slippage you would expect from a space horror. all subject are handled tastefully imo. but yeah. it's a lot. if any of that seems like it'd be too much but you're still interested def give the playthru a shot

[veliseraptor]

🪐🌵🍄🔪🦷🏜️ 🪲🎨 for the Writers Truth & Dare Ask Game! Hopefully you're having a nice day💜

⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

ooh this is a good one to...remind me of good things going on in my life right now, orz. not the easiest at the moment but

Writing is still going very slowly (more slowly than I would like), but last month I wrote the most in terms of word count that I have so far this year, and almost as much as in December despite the fact that I didn't have as much time off.

I'm really enjoying watching @ameliarating play Baldur's Gate 3 over her shoulder.

I'm planning on starting going swimming once a week, which is going to be a bit of a challenge to start but should be really good for me once I get in the habit.

⇢ share the link to a playlist you love

is it egotistical if I do one of my own? probably! I'm doing it anyway. I'm still very proud of my Exandria Unlimited: Calamity fanmix. I think it is a banger.

⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

while I think to start with Xue Yang hates Song Lan to absolute shreds after Xiao Xingchen dies, over time that changes and he gets increasingly attached to him, even though Song Lan doesn't, you know, have much of a personality at the time. He treats him sort of like he does, though, and by the time Wei Wuxian frees him Xue Yang sort of considers Song Lan his best friend, weirdly. Like, he's a science experiment but he's also a friend. It's the kind of relationship that only works if you're Xue Yang. The weirder thing is that it's not entirely one-sided.

⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

it's not that weird, but there was the time I had someone dig me up the translation of Ovid that existed in the 16th century for Lymond fic so that I could accurately quote what the English translation of a particular line would look like. Or maybe it was even more specific than that and I wanted to know what the Latin would look like, I don't exactly remember. I know it was specific. Most of the weirdly specific things I've researched for fic are Lymond-related and have to do with primary sources I'm borrowing quotations from.

⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

I'm much better at giving advice than taking it - I know all kinds of things I should be doing that would make my life better but actually implementing them is, uh, another story. But I guess if I were to try to think of something that I actually do do that I try to implement in my own life, maybe I'd say it's getting a little bit of an attitude of "do it anyway." It's sort of like the "do it scared" thing but it also includes things like "I'm tired" or "I don't think anyone will like this" or "I don't know if I like this" and sometimes the thing to do is just. Do it anyway.

Maybe this comes out of my knowing that my brain and my emotions are inherently skewed and unreliable and so if I didn't have that attitude it would get in the way of me doing much of anything.

⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

I feel like this is probably a common answer, but definitely I love a comment that does some kind of analysis/commentary on specific aspects of a work. it's not common, or anything, but I thrive on comments that take my work seriously in some way as worth lingering on things like word choice or what a particular excerpt says about characterization, or stuff like that. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

When they settled down at their campsite, Xingchen reached out to grasp Xue Yang’s wrist only for Xue Yang to flinch away.  Both of them froze. Xue Yang’s mouth twisted; Xingchen’s expression betrayed frustration and hurt together.  “Don’t fuss, Daozhang,” Xue Yang said, his voice studiously light. “I’m good.” “You’re still weak,” Xingchen said, at the same time as a-Qing said, “don’t be stupid.”  “I’ll be fine,” Xue Yang said dismissively. “I just need a minute, that’s all.” His body language had gone tense and defensive.

⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

my favorite? my absolute favorite? ever?? I don't even know how to choose. I guess if I'm picking one out of the many, many works of fanart that I love (seriously, there's so many), I might have to go with this commission I got from @yutaan. I love the joy of it, the expressions, and I'm a huge fan of papercraft as a medium - the variety of textures and patterns is a particular treat. It's really a lovely piece and the fact that it was made for me just makes it even more special.

[writers truth & dare ask game]

[codeadleaves]

Happy fourth @tozanniversary !

My contribution for today’s prompt will follow later, for the moment here’s my answers to the ask game.

How did you get into ToZ?

Exactly on the first day of 2015 because of this gif set.

Truth be told, I’m not a tales fan, I had only played Symphonia on gamecube (which is one of my favorite game btw) but had no interest for the rest of the franchise, and Zestiria didn’t make exception despite the few pictures I had stumbled upon while the game was still in development. Actually those pictures made me think it would be a generic jrpg with a dumb protagonist and an awful love triangle, there was absolutely no appeal there xD I coudn’t be more wrong.

And then I saw the gif set. The boys aesthetic was pleasing to look at so I watched the full oav, then I read about the game and then I learned there was dragons in it and everything was lost.

I’ve been living into the zesty pit ever since, and there’s no way out. Not that I want one, it’s all nice and comfy down here.

Favourite character to PLAY as?

Sorey, because he's the easiest to play with. Sometimes I switch for Lailah cause her fighting style is pretty, and I played the whole Alisha dlc as Rose.

Favourite location in the game?

Elysia, Lastonbell, Airfread's hunting grounds, Cambria caverns, all 4 elemental trial shrines.

Favourite party setup?

Sorey-Mikleo, Rose-Lailah, because though I adore the whole party those four are my faves. I tend to switch seraph whenever it feels appropriate though, like pairing Sorey with the seraph corresponding to the trial shrine.

Personal grade record?

Don’t be fooled, this is all because the NG+ grade shop makes chaos mode super easy to go through. I normally suck at video games, I can never dodge or guard to save my life so instead I went completey crazy on the equipment, like this no boss can resist me. Even the game called me out on it:

And trophy %?

100! Once again I’m not that good at games, but I love Zestiria so much I couldn’t get enough and needed to reach the 100%. Although it was only possible thanks to the lack of minigames from hell.

Favourite/most used armatus? EXCEPT water, we all know you’re gonna pick that.

WATER Favorite to play with after it is Fire, but though Wind is annoying to fight with, it's good looking with the blade wings and most importantly the artes mystic is really effective to farm equipment xD Before I started with the farming the order for most used was Water, Fire, Earth and Wind.

Favourite attachment?

Dezel isn't happy Zaveid took his place.

Favourite costumes for each character?

The delfaut ones + Alisha’s dlc outfit (though I wish she had pants instead of a mini skirt). Sometimes I switch for the school set so it looks like a school expedition gone wrong xD Here's a picture of Lailah just because.

Favourite boss fight?

Don't think I have one? Like I say I'm not really good at games, so I just wait for the party to finish talking and destroy everything as fast as possible. But I guess Tiamat and Eizen where nice with the music (no I didn’t enjoyed killing dragons, killing dragons is heartbreaking, even more in zesty) and beating up Landon and Lunarre was satisfying.

Do you run into enemies so you can windstep? Come on, you can admit it

Who doesn’t? The best combination is to run in circle while eavesdropping on townsfolks and keep it going by slaughtering everything on the way. It's rather funny to look at Sorey running at full speed, even more when paired with the lord of the land blessing that increase the speed.  

How do you prefer to play? (eg “on the sofa with chocolate bars in my mouth and a cat in my lap”)

This description sounds like the ideal way to play video games, unfortunatly my cat is way too distracting, between the random moment like “I’m gonna stand in the corner and meow until mom gives me full attention” and “let’s lie next to mom in the most ridiculous position ever so she will be too busy laughing and will lose her fight”, the best moment to play a game is to wait for him to be sound asleep, preferably with a safe distance between us so my eyes and hands don’t drift toward his soft looking fur… Add a nice cup of tea and it’s perfect.

Who or what is most fun to draw/write if you’re a creator?

I'm possesed by the spirit of Numin. She hijacks all my fics...

Anything you wish we could have learned more about?

Before Berseria I would have said Zaveid. Now I would love to learn about the ancient times, siegfried, the original Lady of the Lake, the first shepherd, stuff like that... A prequel to Berseria could be nice though I’m not sure I would trust bamco on this...

The game’s theme is “passion”. What part of the game are you most passionate about?

Very hard question. The characters. The story. The themes aborded. The Music. The aesthetic. The fact Natalie is looking toward the place Mason was killed. The cat on Sindra’s back. The dog that you all better have not let Lunarre kill. Everything. Here’s the game’s thoughts on the matter:

I’m very passionate about the whole game and will defend it against every injustified bashing I come across. …well, even against some justified stuff sometimes xD. Same goes with characters bashing, Zestiria is one of those rare game where I love every single party members, and hearing stuff like “Rose is a mary sue it’s impossible for her to be a killer and still be pure that’s shitty writing” make me lose it like have you even played the game ffs??

Free prompt: just talk about your personal ties to the game, go go

[one-last-puku]

Oh shit man I'm on a tangent, I feel like making a art/science guide to pigment. I just... have such a mighty need to see a comprehensive diagram come to life. So if I succeed, please feel free to praise me and show your support!! ; v; ♥♥♥

Or just, like... ignore me because I'm just prattling off random thoughts... ^^'''

I'm sure it's been done before, google's just not showing it

Some notes for the curious: Did you know that blood/ vein color also contributes to the perceivable colors of skin and eyes? For example, the color of our veins is where our undertone comes from. As many of you know, the less melanin something has, them more translucent it will be, so then that can be kept in mind for why certain colors can be apparent.

Ahahaha! Yes!! Of course! That's why it's normal for certain undertones to go with different hair color shades! I feel the wild thrill of revelation and discovery right about now!!

Here's an info graphic I found to help anyone understand the direction I'm going in

Ugh, I'm so mad. Of course blood isn't these colors inside the body, I'm such a fool! Blood is red inside the body, so again the above is still a bit unreliable because it's all about our imaginary perception of light against different things... which I'm still not great at comprehending. Orz I thought I was onto something, but again I'll need to looking into that stupid "why is the sky blue" "why blue doesn't actually exist" bullshit again. =__= Fuck blue, blue isn't even real, it's unnatural. It's anti-science! And my laundry doesn't smell clean after washing them. ugh!!

sigh.. it's okay me, we can use math. We'll take red blood and subtract it from the colors from the guide to get "undertone"

So subtraction didn't work.

[asreoninfusion]

I really, really love your fanfics, especially "Let's Play", "Demonology", and "Ours"!!

Hey! Thanks for reading and enjoying my stuff. :D I’m afraid I don’t take requests as such, but that’s purely because I am the most fickle and unreliable writer. orz I’m totally okay with people leaving ideas in my inbox, but... ahaha, it’s kind of embarrassing. A lot of the time I’ll be like, yeah, yeah!! That’s a cool idea, I wanna write a fic for that. But I’ll get distracted, or be working on something else first, or just don’t feel inspired for writing in general. So things sit in my inbox for so long and I mean to write them but never get round to it, and then I just feel guilty about it aaaahh. 

To be honest, I would say the best way to leave a request would be to post it to the Kink Meme instead. 100% legit. I write a lot of stuff from there. (Both chapters of Ours came from separate kink meme prompts!)

If I feel like writing but not sure about what, the kink meme is the first place I go. I’m always looking through there, and going back and looking through again and again - I’m much more likely to pick up an old request on the kink meme than I am an old request in my inbox. (It just never occurs to me to go back through my inbox and see if I have any prompts lurking. >>;;;)

There is also the added bonus of keeping the kink meme active and new prompts flowing in, and even if I don’t write it, there’s a chance that some other awesome authors could pick it up instead! (・ω・)b

Using the Kink Meme:

https://ffvii-kink-meme.dreamwidth.org/5030.html - This is the currently active post for new prompts. At the bottom of the post (where it ends with “Now, one last thing: have fun and may the creativity flow!”) there’s a little row of icons, then it says the number of comments and REPLY. Click over that REPLY and it’ll bring up a comment box where you can type in your prompt/request.

You do not need an account! If you’re not logged it, it will automatically set your comment to post under anonymous, which is exactly what you want anyway. You may just need to click yes on a ‘this journal contains adult content do you want to continue’ sort of thing, but it shouldn’t be a hinderance.

Take a look at some of the other prompts if you want to get a feel for how things are set out, but it’s pretty straightforward. (You’ll probably recognise a few of the fills. ;p)

Please go leave some requests there!! I always get really excited to see new prompts on the kink meme and would love you muchly for it. :D