#Playing in the Sandbox (Inspired Works)

[qkmlh]

Midoriya Izuku. You will always be famous and beloved to me. Thank you for everything, Horikoshi-sensei.

[sandboxscenes]

Shadows in the Night

A/N: An entry for @softxsuki's contest. This idea has been ruminating in my head for a while, but I've been unable to type it out till now.

Genre: Comfort

Summary: Despite being in a relationship, when work and unexpected circumstances causes you and Artem to constantly miss each other like two ships passing each other in the night, the fact that you haven't been able to meet starts to weigh heavily on your mind.

Word Count: 1,789

In an everlasting night, your sight is useless. The only thing that you can count on, is the person whose hand is in yours.

It's been a tough holiday season. Artem has been buried in casework, as cases continue to fly into the Themis. You have been overwhelmed with work, especially now. Your usual job has cut your hours, and you've taken a seasonal job at another place to make up for the loss in your income. You found out about the cut in hours that happened in the middle of Artem's busy season, and while you wanted to talk to him about it, you've been unable to. So you did what you had to do.

Your schedules haven't coincided for months. Artem leaves for the office in the early morning while it's still dark outside and you're sleeping, while you leave after he does, but don't arrive back till long after he's been asleep. The most either of you have talked lately have been through the little post-it notes on the kitchen counter about what's been in the fridge for leftovers, and in brief text messages about the times both of you would be coming home. Other than that, you haven't been able to talk in person face-to-face.

One day, it hits you. For the past months as you've hopped from one job to the next, you've had to walk through a strip mall. The strip ball blasts the sound of Christmas music through its outdoor speakers, the bright festive garlands are wrap around light posts, and you see the Christmas tree displays in shop windows. Behind the shop window glass, you can see families and couples shopping together, smiling, and laughing together.

It broke you.

You realized that you were alone this holiday season. Sure, you and Artem still a couple, but to what extent? Both of you haven't been intimate for months. The last time you went on an actual date was six months ago. Both of you still care for the other, as evidenced by the fact that you often cooked for each other and left it in the fridge for the other. But that was it. After work, both of you would end up in bed.

Given how exhausted both of you are after work, you felt it would be selfish to ask for more from Artem. You wanted to him to hug you on rough work days, to cuddle with him during cold nights, and to watch a movie to escape from life. But you knew that Artem had an important job to do, and that was more important than the trivial favors you wanted to ask him for, especially during this busy season. You felt it would be selfish to monopolize his time, especially as he has his own life, outside of you.

His own life outside of you.

The thought swirls in your head and lands like a ton of bricks. Before you knew it, you felt something wet fall from your cheeks. Your vision starts blurring. You use the palm of your hand to quickly wipe away the tears and restore your vision as you continue to make your way to your second job.

As the overwhelming anxiety, stress, and hopelessness consume you, you have no idea how you got to your second job. Before your shift, you attempt to freshen up by going into the bathroom. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see a sorry sight. Your hair is messy. Your eyes are puffy and red. You can see the glint of tear tracks on your cheeks under the glow of the fluorescent lights. You let out a self-derisive single laugh.

"If I looked like this, I wouldn't want to date me either."

You grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and began to gently wipe away the tear stains and reduce the puffiness in your eyes. Then, you smoothed out your hair and finished preparing for your shift. When you looked back at yourself, you looked presentable enough. But it didn't help the gnawing emptiness and hopelessness that continued to settle into your chest.

To shake off those dark thoughts, you shook your head.

"I'll deal with this later."

By the time you finished work and left, you looked at your phone. It was nearly midnight. In a few hours, you'd have to get up again. You sighed. Yet another day where you both missed each other again. Going home was uneventful. As always, you opened the door and expecting silence to greet you.

But when you got home, you saw a familiar light. You quietly tiptoed into the house and slowly looked over at the couch. You saw Artem lying on the couch, his papers strewn all over the coffee table. The flickering glow of the movie theater screen illuminated his closed eyes and his innocent expression. You looked up at the screen, which faded to black. You spotted the untouched blanket on the arm of the couch. You shook your head, and realized he probably forgot to put it on before he fell asleep.

With practiced precision, you shut off the screen and turn off the screen. Then you opened and gently laid the blanket on top of him. Artem shifted slightly. Moonlight streamed in behind you and illuminated Artem's face. Then, you had a selfish thought. You changed out of your work clothes, grabbed a blanket, and then sat on the ground besides Artem.

As soon as you took your seat by him, sleepiness hit you immediately. It was as if his presence had unraveled all of the stress in you. You brought your knees to your chest, as you savored this quiet moment. It was just you and him. You closed your eyes. Though you didn't say anything audibly so as not to wake him up, in your heart, you imagined pouring out all of your feelings to him.

In this imagining, you told him how much you worried about him, if he was taking care of himself, and if he was eating well and not drinking too much coffee. Your eyes watered. As you continued, you imagined that you told Artem how your hours got cut at your job and how you're currently working as a seasonal hire at another job for the time being and how much you missed him. You couldn't help yourself when your lips silently mouthed the words you wanted to tell him most: I miss you and I love you.

Once you finished mouthing those words, it was like the dam from today's earlier cry session broke. Your hands wrapped around your legs and brought them closer to you. You leaned on your head onto your thighs, and tightened the blanket around you. The tears began to fall, and this time, there was no stopping them. You let the tears flow and flow as you stifled your cries.

When you awoke the next morning, it was still dark outside. You could hear the slight breathing of the person besides you. Artem. Slowly, you pushed yourself up, and checked your phone. You couldn't help the surprise on your face when you checked the time. It was early, and this was the first time in a long while that you had gotten up without your phone alarm. So as not to disturb Artem, you turned off the phone alarm and got ready for work once again.

While you were still tired, you still mused over the sleeping Artem. While last night helped to alleviate some of the emptiness in your heart, you wanted more. But you also knew that it wouldn't be possible. Not right now. Artem's case is ongoing and you still had back to back work for a while yet.

Your eyes settled onto the post it note on the counter: Artem wrote that he brought home some takeout for you from place he went to with his client, and he left in the fridge. Artem's note is brief, succinct, and straightforward like him. You took a post it note and drew a little happy face on the corner. You scribbled some words on the note, grabbed the takeout for lunch, and then quietly left the apartment.

You finished your two back to back shifts at the same time you did yesterday, around midnight. But once you changed, you saw a familiar looking silhouette waiting in front of your workplace with an umbrella. You blinked. As you got closer and saw his comforting smile, you knew that he saw your note.

"Artem, have you ever taken a night walk before?" you asked.

Artem shook his head. "No, but I'm willing to do one with you."

You reached your hand out to grasp his hand, and intertwine your fingers with his. "You probably see it from the road, but it's different walking home at night."

You pointed to the pitch black shadows of trees, and the grayscale sidewalk. "It's like walking in one of those silent black and white movies. You know what the objects are, but they look different. And they feel different too."

Using your intertwined hands, Artem slowly brought you closer to him. "Really? You don't feel any different."

You laughed. "That's true. But if I did something like this," For a moment, you let go of his hand and then grab it. "It feels different, right? Or maybe that's just me. I can't see much in this darkness, so the only thing I can rely on, is you."

You squeezed his hand to confirm that he's still there with you. "See?"

Thought it was too dark to make out Artem's expression, you swore that you could see the wheels turning in his head.

"The inverse is also true. I can only rely on you." He paused. "It's strange not being able to see you clearly," admitted Artem.

"Same for me too, but at least it's only for a little while until we get home." You snuggled into Artem and leaned your head onto his arm.

"And it's easier to say this too: I missed you." Though your voice was barely audible, in the quiet night, these words sounded like a rooftop scream.

"So did I," came Artem's response.

The walk home from your second job that night felt a little warmer with Artem by your side. With him around, it seemed to last forever. You got to talk to him about everything going on with you, and he also talked about the case he was working on. While the next couple weeks will continue to make it so that you and Artem will not be able to see each other for a while, for this brief night walk, you have each other.

[sandboxscenes]

[A/N: A small vignette inspired by this amazing drawing. First piece of 2024. I've had this in my head for a while, but in the interest of clearing out my drafts, I figure, why not? If you need me to delete this Op, I can.]

----------

You.

Artem.

You and he, face each other on the opposite side of the large casino table. In the dark and hazy room, lit only by the single set of lights above you, you could see the ice in his blue eyes. Separating the two of you are large stacks of coins. The subtle golden glint of the coins reflect onto Artem, outlining him in a golden glow.

The corners of Artem's mouth turned up as he revealed his hand.

That irritated you.

"A Royal Flush. I win."

Artem holds out his hand to you expectantly. As the loser of this round of Poker, the golden coins you had wagered this round were now his.

You narrowed your eyes at him. With a sigh, you laid your hand down on the table. You grab the stack of coins on the side of you, and slowly drop it down into Artem's hand one by one. Once you had dropped ten coins into Artem's hand, you put your stack down and sigh. You were down to your last few.

"Thank you," said Artem. He stacked the coins you gave him on one of his other various coin stacks.

You tore your gaze away from him. It was infuriating how much he won against you. Over and over again, he managed to beat out your hands. When you had a two pair, he had a three.

This happened over and over again.

This last round, you were sure you got him beat when you could make a straight - You had a 7 of diamonds, 8 of diamonds, 9 of diamonds, 10 of diamonds, and a Jack of diamonds. But, he made a royal flush. He beat your hand, and was the immediate winner.

You slumped back in your seat. You felt so small looking at him. When you shook hands, he didn't seem that tall or intimidating, but across the table, you feel small.

"One more round?" Artem asked.

Despite his nonchalant tone, you felt a chill run up your spine. You knew that he was observing you directly. Your fingers curled into a fist onto the table.

You hated this. You hated how small he made you feel. You hated how scared he made you feel. You hated how you felt like a small gazelle cornered in a lion's den.

Looking at your minuscule stack of coins compared to his tall coin towers, you knew that you could only go one more round with him. This was it. All or nothing.

You handed the cards back to him. You steeled your expression as you forced yourself to look at those icy eyes. You grit your teeth in preparation for this final fight. The one that would determine everything.

"Deal me in."

THE NEW MR I SWEAR aoeufjskwcbwkah

[shiho7567]

Chapter 1 - New Connections

Inspired by Cluster of Cores by @dcxdpdabbles

Summary: Ellie and Lian meet for the first time. Notes: 45 Days after Arrival

Today was deemed a good day. Auntie Jazz had finished all her work and could take Ellie to the park to play. Yay!

The two walked hand in hand along the streets. As always, Ellie was looking around while they made their way to their destination since they have only arrived in the city not long ago and this was maybe the third time they visited their destination.

The minutes trickled by and soon Ellie could see the sign of the school that was next to the entrance. Jazz asked her to read it, it said "Papp Academy". They continued until they came to a gate that said "Entrance to Clarenden Hills State Forest". It took a few tries until Ellie could pronounce it correctly.

Auntie Jazz checked them in with the Ranger behind the desk, so they could go inside. After entering on their right side along the way they saw the playground already, with a few benches nearby in the clearing, even further there were bushes and then the forest started.

Ellie was starting to vibrate with her need to run and start playing, but she could stop herself enough to continue holding hands with her aunt.

When they were almost at the playground, Jazz lowered herself to be on eye-level with Ellie and they recited their rules together.

- Don’t talk to or follow strangers. - If you are hurt come back to Auntie. - Always be in sight of Auntie.

Their last and most important rule was not said out loud. Ellie could see the question and crucialness in her auntie's eyes. Her own eyes answered and told her she understood the one rule that should never be broken for all of their sakes.

- Never use your powers or let your disguise fall in the open.

After that Jazz smiled at her and let her run free while wishing for her to have fun.

Ellie squealed while running towards the playground. Her first stop were the slides. She climbed to the top and while waiting for the other kids to have their turn, Ellie looked and searched for where her auntie was sitting. She soon found her. Jazz was sitting on a nearby bench and reading one of the books she brought with her. At that moment her aunt was also looking up and waved towards Ellie. She waved back, while also jumping and turned towards the slide again. It was her turn now.

Time passed fast and Ellie had already played at the monkey bars and tunnels, now she was sitting in the sandbox. She wore a pair of overalls, so the sand had no chance to enter her pants.

As she was playing alone and building sand sculptures, another girl came to the box and asked to play together. Ellie happily agreed and they introduced themselves to each other.

The girl with olive skin, dark hair and brown eyes began: "I'm Lian. 4 years old. Can you give me that bucket? I'm here with my daddy and Uncle Jason." And pointed towards the opposite direction than Ellie's aunt was sitting.

There on another bench were two men talking with each other, one redhead and one with black hair and a white stripe.

Ellie gave her the bucket and introduced herself as well, "Ellie. 3. Auntie Jazz is sitting over there." and Ellie pointed towards Jazz. Jazz saw them and waved, the girls waved back.

The two girls continued to play together. After they were done with the sandbox, they went to the seesaw and each sat on one side. Soon though their gaze went towards the swings. But since they were both quite young, and also wanted to have fun together, they were at a dilemma.

Lian perked up and told Ellie, "We can ask my daddy and Uncle Jason to push us."

Her eyes sparkled while looking at Ellie. At first Ellie though the idea was brilliant but then she remembered her and Auntie Jazz's rules.

Before Lian could ask what was wrong, she heard Ellie say quietly, "Strangers…"

Lian knew what to do now, she took Ellie hands and informed her, "Dont worry, once they introduce themselves they're no longer strangers." Ellie agreed with her and they went on their way.

Soon two little girls stood before a bench with two grown men sitting on it. After the men turned their heads towards them, Ellie hid a bit behind Lian.

"Daddy. We need you two to push us on the swings, but Ellie isn't allowed to talk to strangers. So. Introductions!"

The man with red hair stood up from the bench and knelt before Lian. "Not talking to strangers is a good rule." He said while looking towards Ellie. "I'm Roy and am Lian's daddy. Nice to meet you." He held his hand out towards Ellie. She come out from behind Lian and took his hand.

"I'm Ellie."

Then the other man also knelt down and introduced himself. "I'm Jason, nice to meet you Ellie." They also shook hands. The two men stood up again, and Ellie used this moment to look towards the forest, she saw something and that made her relax.

Then the group made their way towards the swings and the girls where pushed by the two men and squealed. They had fun.

Much too soon though Lian and the two men had to leave. The two little girls hugged each other and promised to play together again, next time they see each other.

Ellie played on the monkey bars for 10 more minutes and then made her way back to her auntie, she was exhausted.

Jazz took her in her arms, gave her a bottle of water and asked her if she had fun.

"Yes. Me and Lian played sooooo much."

"I saw.", Jazz snickered.

"For the swings we got Lian's daddy and her uncle Jason to push us. The redhead is her daddy." Ellie clarified.

"Thank you for telling me who they are."

"Sleepy." Ellie muttered while rubbing her eyes.

Jazz chuckled a little bit, but instead of making her way to the exit, she walked towards the bushes. "I thought we could visit someone before we leave."

Ellie's eyes sparkled and she woke up a little again. She made Jazz put her down and they held hands again. After arriving at the beginning of the forest but still inside the clearing, they could feel a little bit of energy rush towards them. Ellie felt a little invigorated, while the gems in Jazz's earrings gleamed a bit.

After that, they made their way home.

[thepettymachine]

Wandering Souls Challenge for TS3

Heeey so I made another challenge. Might be the last one I ever make who knows. But I got inspired by the Postcard Legacy for TS4 and made something similar but not similar to it. It took a minute to make but I hope you enjoy

Wandering Souls Challenge is a 10 generation legacy challenge where you go through multiple jobs and careers with story elements involved. This is a challenge if you don't wanna do just one career all of your sims life and don't mind moving around + mild drama but not soul shattering.

Tag: "wandering souls challenge" or "@" me

Rules:

I didn't really make any but don't feel obligated to do everything as an objective. Somethings you probably aren't going to get to everything and that's okay. If you do everything congratulations, if you don't move on.

I have no designated way to play this (ex: what town do you recommend in playing with this), I'm giving the player what they want to do within the confines of this challenge. It's your sandbox not mine.

You do have some optional goals for extra fun if you choose to do so.

Have fun

Carry On Wayward Son

When you were young, you didn’t take anything as serious as your music. Your obsession with the chords became as necessary as breathing and you’ll do anything but sell your soul to the industry. But as you grew older and had a family, you wish for more structure with your music in hopes for it to reach the people that desperately need to hear it. So you find an indie record company and work with them because your artistic freedom is still the forefront of why you’re doing all of this. Plus feeding your family and paying the bills. 

Objectives:

Start by making money through collecting tips while working part time jobs

Half way through your YA years, you try a Singing career or being part of a band but it doesn’t work out

As an adult, you enter into the Music career for more structure and to reach a larger fanbase

Pick a branch between classical or rock

Your lover/(s) must be all creative types like you (artist, sculptor, architect, musician, street artist, etc)

You encourage your children to also pursue the arts

Master all 4 instruments (guitar, bass, piano, and drums)

Get at least 3 tattoos somewhere on your body

2. Jeffrey Jeffrey Simzos

If the Grinch and Scrooge had a love child, it would be you. You couldn’t really get behind your parent’s idealistic dreams about music and art, it felt unstable and unrealistic to you. You want wealth and power at your fingertips and anyone at your beck and call. Whether its through a wealthy spouse, your boss, the corporate ladder, or getting into politics, you will reach the top. For there is no redemption arc and no grace to be given for Greed has already devoured the remnants of your dead beating heart.

Objectives:

Have bake sales as a child and dislike any attempts at the arts

Join the Business career

Be enemies with all of your coworkers

Go from a small house/apartment to a big mansion/house

Be the owner of multiple businesses around town + an additional home

Marry a rich sim you definitely married for money

Have at least one child with the butler or maid you hired

You become more power hungry so you join Politics after reaching level 8 of Business career

Steal campaign funds 

Your kids must be the top of their class, no exceptions (straight A’s, no skipping school, be apart of a club) or they are sent to boarding school

You are not close with any of your children

Optional: woohoo your boss

3. Yes Chef

Because excellence was required of you as a child, you tend to have a strong work ethic and unrealistic expectations for yourself and others while despising what you had to endure in your upbringing. The one good thing out of it was discovering your love of cooking. Cooking was a way for you to escape your worries and as an adult you desire to be a chef, going against everything your parents raised you with. You started from the bottom and found your way all the way at the top as head chef. But something is missing and so you explore other cultures and find new excitement in  nectar making. You figure when you retire, you wanna spend the rest of your days being a nectar maker on a giant farm in the countryside.

Objectives:

Start at the diner for the first half of your career, then move over to the bistro for the second half

Bartend for bars at night for extra income

Read every recipe and learn all the fancy drinks

Master Cooking & Mixology

Marry your childhood friend or high school friend you haven’t seen in years

Cook your spouse and children their favorites meals at least once

At the top of your career, you get bored and visit travel other cultures for their cuisine (go to France, Egypt, and China to learn their food recipes)

Get inspired by nectar making 

When becoming an Elder, move to the countryside, retire as a chef, and become a self employed nectar farmer. 

4. Country Roads, Take Me Home

You’ve always found interest in nature as a kid and instead of wanting to be in the comfy suburbs or stargazing the city’s skylines.You even had a knack for bringing stray animals into your home but they always seemed to run away when you left for school (according to your parents). That’s why instead of working a typical 9-5, you fulfill your childhood dream of being on a farm and working with your bare hands. Building a life you always dreamed of yet will work hard to maintain. There’s no sleeping in for this dreamer.

Objectives:

As a child you were part of the scouts

Live on a farm or ranch

Work as a self employed gardener

Master the Fishing, Gardening, and/or Riding skill

Adopt 2 strays (horse, dog or cat)

Marry your helper on the farm or Marry a townie that loves the outdoors/animal lover trait

Wake up in the early hours of the day

Have a big family cause free child labor

Raise a horse from baby to elder 

Optional: Own a cow plant 

Optional: Win the highest horse competition (racing or jumping)

5. He was #1

You’ve always had an interest in the outdoors but sports was your passion and you’re very good at it. So good, you were being scouted by agents who hoped to take you to the pros and have your name chanted by the thousands. Your dream did come true but another did not. You’re a closeted hopeless romantic who always wished to find their soulmate and have a family, but being a professional athlete with a recognizable face has made it difficult for you to find true authentic love. What will it take for you to find love and will you have to choose between your two greatest loves or can they both coexist together for your sake.

Objectives:

Enjoy your outdoor activities (playing ball, going to the pool, camping, etc) once a week

Find love through online dating 

Go on 3 dates with a person before committing 

Host a big wedding party and bachelor/bachelorette party and if possible, ask your partners parents for their blessing

Master the Athletic skill

Become a stay at home parent when you reach level 6  of the sports career

After a sports injury that takes you out of the field. You find yourself recovering and unemployed and decide to take care of your children while deciding your next move. 

You realize you want to be a sports agent so you go back to college as an adult and get your physical education degree 

Reach level 10 of Jock social group. 

Join the Sports Agent career

Gain the Eternally Faithful Moodlet

6. You Blinded Me with Science:

Curiosity killed the cat or in your case it just made you curiouser. You couldn’t keep your hands still and always have to be tinkering with something. So much so that you lost your beloved job at the science lab because you kept goofing around with some scrap from the town’s junkyard during company hours. No worries, you just decided to go all in with being a self made inventor and creating gizmos and gadgets the world has never seen before. Except one day, you find a mysterious device you’ve never seen before and upon activating it, you end up in the future. There are alot more prettier machines than the ones you’ve been messing around with and you sorta take one home with you. Oh well what’s the worst that can happen. 

Objectives:

Start out in the Science career but get fired after reaching lvl 3 in inventing and join the Inventor self employed career 

You spend your weekends messing around in the town's junkyard and blowing stuff up for your experiments. The neighbors even catch you dumpster diving around town 

Marry someone just as eccentric and quirky as you (ex: eccentric, neurotic, insane, socially awkward, slob, etc)

Master the handiness and inventing skills

Create all inventions, including a simbot

Make some of your children through the Time Machine (past: child - YA/ future: elder, you can age down if you wish) 

All your children’s traits have to be randomized

Optional: Go into the future and obtain all the gadgets to bring them back home to the present 

Optional: You even bring back home a plumbot and learn how to take care of one

Optional: Leave the Inventor career and present and work in the Astronomy career in the future.

7. Who You Gonna Call?

This generation can be played in two different ways. The choice is up to you. (Also double heirs can be accepted for this gen)

Super Skeptic Route:

The question you’ve always asked yourself was “Are Ghosts Real?” You believed in the supernatural, the horror stories, and the abduction of Bella Goth and was hoping to find evidence in the graveyards. But alas you could never find your ghosts and your dreams were crushed. Now as an adult, you’ve become a skeptic and believe it all to be a charade and try to speak sense into the “sheep” around you to see the light. Until one day you do encounter a ghost and for the last time, you investigate into the question, “Are Ghosts Real?”.

Objectives:

Work in a graveyard in your teen years

Have the Supernatural Skeptic trait. 

You dabble in Alchemy but it never takes effect on you. 

Join the Con Artist branch of the Fortune Teller career

Encounter 3 ghosts to convince you that ghosts are real

Leave the Fortune Teller career to become a Ghost Hunter

You convince Ghosts to move on/ Set them free rather than have them experiment on by the science lab (avoid opportunities that say otherwise) 

Do all investigations (spirit invasion, paranormal investigation, poltergeist haunting, ghostly presence, angry ghost invasion)

Ultra Fan Route:

As a child, you always found yourself interested in what couldn’t be reasoned or argued against, the supernatural. You obsessed over horror stories, wandered into graveyards, deep subreddits of conspiracies behind Bella Goth’s abduction and studied too many ways to become one. You started to give up hope of ever becoming one. Until one day you befriend a fellow occult member of society and it changed your life forever.

Objectives:

Work in a graveyard in your teen years

Have the Supernatural Fan trait

Master the Alchemy skill

Start a side hustle of being an author writing primarily in the horror genre

Publish 15 horror books

Join the Mystic branch of the Fortune Teller career

Befriend a supernatural of your choice to be turned into

Get 1st place at Trivia night at the Vault of Antiquity

8. Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Being a doctor was something you always thought you wanted to be. It came with status, notoriety, respect, money, student loans, and it was something more stable than what your parents were able to give you. You worked hard and got into the Medical career where you met your spouse and lived in a beautiful home with your two kids and pet. It’s like everything worked out in the end. But your desire to see the world burn just keeps rearing its ugly head and you can no longer contain the person you thought you repressed for so long. It desires the status and respect you’ve obtained but also infamy, underlings, and power.

Objectives:

Have the Evil trait

As a teen, be a straight A student, work a part time job, and be best friends with your parents, enemies with your siblings (if applicable)

Choose to go to college on full scholarship or enter the Medical career immediately. 

Marry a fellow coworker whose as ambitious or hardworking as you

Live in a nice home with a white picket fence, 2 kids and a pet of your choice

Befriend some townies who work in the Criminal career

Donate to criminal organizations at least once a week

Leave your job in the Medical career in your adult years

Join the Criminal career

Choose the Evil branch of the Criminal career and reach the top

Optional: Divorce your spouse, find a new home, bring the kids (or don’t) and marry your criminal coworker.

9. Baywatch

You used to work in law enforcement until the red tape got to you and so you went to become a private investigator. Solving crimes and digging through trash got exhausting and difficult as you try to serve others yet the system kept letting you down. After having a midlife crisis, You’ve come to realize that helping people can be simple, enjoyable, and have a great ocean view. Being a lifeguard wasn’t in the career plan but saving lives from the depths of the oceans and looking good in red too. Not a bad career change.  

Objectives:

Join the law enforcement career

Become friends with/date your cop partner 

When reaching level 5 of the career, you leave your job to go into the Investigative career to get away from the red tape 

Continue being an investigator until your Adult years

Have a midlife crisis and complete all the wishes or go get therapy at the hospital

At the end of your crisis, you join the Lifeguard career

Find an island or befriend a mermaid  

Master the scuba diving skill and logic skills

10. Master of None

Oh the journey you have been on. From caring about the music to fighting robbers in people’s homes, you’ve been through it all. As you worked hard for what you wanted, You have reached this crossroad and wonder what it all means and what it meant before. Maybe discovering yourself is what the journey is all about or maybe it's the experiences that shape you that gives you your form. Regardless, you’ve been feeling torn about what to do now and with no destination, maybe you start to express who you truly are. Who knows. There is no rush in the process or a destination in sight, only the curiosity that keeps your soul wandering on the journey.  

Objectives:

Join at least 5 different careers you haven’t played in this challenge (Education, Magician, Firefighter, Stylist, etc)

Have 3 best friends you maintain until Elder

Start dabbling in painting or sculpting in your free time outside of work. 

Meet the love of your life 

Be apart of your community - take opportunities that involve helping your neighbors/fellow townies

Pamper yourself -  go to a place in town for some you time once a week

Learn a new skill once a week (you don’t have to master it) 

If applicable, befriend your grandchildren 

Optional: turn your hobby into your job 

Thank you for playing. Feedback is welcomed

[anim-ttrpgs]

Your post detailing a story in ad&d of a band of warriors delving into a dungeon filled with large lads and undead inspired me to look into ad&d 2e myself and so far I have found myself enjoying the mechanics greatly. So thank you for that do you have any advice for those just getting into ad&d?

Thank you! I love AD&D and am happy to help get more people into it, or any other rpg that has similar pre-WotC dungeon crawling gameplay.

Here’s a few rapid fire tips off the top of my head for those trying to get into AD&D2e and similar games:

Everybody Reads Both Rulebooks

Really this is my stance for basically any TTRPG, but I think that everybody should read the Player’s Handbook and the DM Guide. A session of any game will always go smoother if everybody has read the rules instead of one guy being tasked with remembering them all.

Check the Wiki

There’s a very useful wiki for AD&D you can use.

While I still recommend you read the rulebooks themselves to get a full understanding of the game you’re playing, the wiki is way better than a crusty old PDF or questionably formatted and nearly-falling-apart-by-now physical copy for quickly checking rules mid-session, and for waking you through character creation.

Start Small

Even before WotC brought the D&D brand and made it the overwhelming monopoly it is today, D&D was a juggernaught if the industry, and, even though I think from reading them that TSR-era D&D was very much written with more passion than just trying to soullessly sell products, TSR still had the dollar signs in their eyes and released like a million supplement and all that crap.

My suggestion: Stick with the DM’s Guide and Player’s Handbook at first. There’s just too much shit otherwise, and a lot of the later additions and supplements have a lot of very questionable content that will not really improve your experience. For instance, why did they introduce a fucking proficiency for eating and drinking?!

Use Even Older Adventure Modules

AD&D2e is retroactively compatible with the adventure modules made for previous editions, and I suggest you use these instead. While I think AD&D2e is the best ruleset to come out of TSR D&D, the adventure modules saw a pretty sharp decline around that time. This is when adventure modules started to be more like scripted stories rather than the dungeon crawling sandboxes they previously were.

Some suggestions that should get you started and keep you going for many many sessions are:

In Search of the Unknown

The Sinister Secret or Saltmarsh

Keep on the Borderlands (get the later version not the original version.)

Village of Hommlet

Throw Everything You Know from D&D3e Onwards Out the Window

If you aren’t sure how to handle something mechanically, do not default to assuming you do it the way it works in later editions. For instance, there are no skill checks in dialogue. You might roll Charisma once at the start of a conversation to determine if the other group trusts the PC or not, but that’s it. Everything else it just talked out.

Also, encounter balance? Throw it out. PCs will have to negotiate, sneak past, run away from, or use clever tactics to survive encounters. It being unbalanced is the whole point. You should be playing this like you would play an old survival-horror game like Resident Evil or Silent Hill, not like an action game. The PCs are fragile and will die easily if they just try to take everything head on.

This is another reason that everyone should read both rulebooks. If you don’t, then you’ll default to playing I like WotC D&D, which is a totally and completely different game.

Run it as a Challenge Game

These games only work if you run them as “challenge games,” which means they are scenarios meant to challenge both the PC and the player. No one should ever fudge dice, adjust HP values of monsters, change the solution to a puzzle just to be what the players thing is right, etc. It’s a dangerous gauntlet and you see if they live or die based on their own decisions and your descriptions. If the GM bends reality to ensure the party’s success (or ensure their failure, but everyone already knows that’s bad) then the whole game and whole story is invalidated. There will be a story, but it cannot be preplanned, it will emerge from seeing what these PCs do and who they turn out to be when they encounter these challenging scenarios. That has to include the possibility of unceremonious death.

Run a Troupe Campaign and Play Multiple Characters on Large Parties

A “troupe campaign” is one where instead of a small party, there are dozens of PCs which form a pool or roster to select from. Like you read in that post, we do ours as a mercenary free company. They get hired to do this stuff.

This makes it so that, in a highly lethal game like AD&D, the “story” doesn’t end as soon as a PC dies, which also means you’re less inclined to cheat to keep them alive when they shouldn’t be. That was just one of dozens of main characters.

Also, get used to playing multiple PCs at once. Make everyone create 3-5 PCs at the start of the campaign, and everyone bring at least 2 of them per adventure. This may take some getting used to but it is really not that hard, especially if you learn to play in third-person like Eureka tells you to.

Get used to party sizes between 6 and 15 PCs. Despite ironically being less focused exclusively on combat than WotC D&D, AD&D doesn’t pretend it’s not descended from wargames.

Ignore Alignment

Yeah alignment still mostly ranged between being pointless and being bad back then too. It meant something back in the very earliest editions of the game, but by the point of AD&D2e it was already mostly a vestigial system that you can and should ignore for most classes. You can keep it for, like, Clerics and Paladins if you want, that’s what we do.

But generally you should give up on the idea that your PCs will even be good guys at all, they’re amoral mercenaries and/or treasure hunters. This doesn’t mean they’re necessarily “bad guys” either, it’s more complex than that.

(art by @chaospyromancy)

Sir Ferdinand, one of my PCs and Captain of the White Company, is a scoundrel who overcharges his employers whenever he can get away with it; does dirty mercenary jobs like raiding, robbery, and extortion as much as he does heroic jobs like rescuing kidnapped children and protecting towns from raids, sometimes even at the same time. Recently he calmly and politely told a village of lizardmen they had better swear fealty to the local lord while subtly implying that something terrible could happen to their home if they don’t. In an adventure before, while overcharging a town for protection due to a threat that the White Company knew was not credible, once the company stumbled upon a secret smuggling and slavery operation that had been kidnapping people from the town and nearby village, he put every effort towards rooting it out despite it not being their job and even later being ordered by their current employer to stop sticking their noses in it. As he said before engaging an extremely dangerous and magic-wielding man in full plate armor while he himself had only maille at the time, he could not call himself a Christian in good standing if he turned a blind eye to slave running.

What alignment is Sir Ferdinand? None of them. He doesn’t have alignment, he has values.

[triacopa]

we've been working on a game! I took the last couple of months off to recuperate from post-grad burnout, but I'm slowly warming up to sharing work again :^D per my senior show: "Otherworld is a multi-player fantasy RPG where cross-cultural folklore meets personal sentiment and superstition. Inspired by the ethos of Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn, Brian Froud, and Studio Ghibli, Otherworld is a creative sandbox where players can work together in real-time campaigns or create campaigns of their own. Play-testing coming in 2025."

[eddiesgmcsierra1500denali]

May I ask you to play in a (sad) sandbox with me for a moment? (This is long forgive me but my Eddie feelings spilleth over)

These 3 lines have rattled around in my head for years, bouncing off each other like they belong together, in conversation with each other. And I think they're finally coming into focus:

...prove to me something is real and I’ll believe it. ...maybe she thought she was missing out on a life she could have had. if she'd been born someone else or made different choices? ever wonder about that? (Not really...) 

...of the things that make you sad, am I one of them?

...being his dad has been the single greatest joy of my life. And that little boy has taught me more about being a man than war ever did.

We know that one of, if not THE, fundamental laws of Eddie Diaz's universe is how much he genuinely loves being a father and his devotion to Christopher. How he has actively, consciously worked to be the parent he didn't have. And he does it joyfully!

And.

Eddie was parentified by age 10. He became a parent at 19. And then he went to war. Far too young, and setting his life on a trajectory, no turning back. I think Eddie has an existential inner conflict about his sense of self, who he is, his happiness. There's part of him that does wonder about "the life he could have had, if he...made different choices." But, if he let's himself consider what could have been, he believes it would require him to want a life where Christopher was never born. Which is anathema to him! Truly, unequivocally! So he simply does not let himself wonder or examine or question. 

It's like he's set up in his own mind this dichotomy: he can only ever choose Christopher or himself. Which is no choice at all. Because he will always have Christopher. Eddie's anguished face when Chris said "of the things that make you sad, am I one of them?" has always felt way more complex than Eddie would let us believe. 

Again, I'm not saying that the narrative believes this. I think Eddie believes this. And that's the journey he's on, the reckoning that's coming. The "making peace with his demons and finding self love." Because he doesn't have to choose!!! In fact, Christopher needs Eddie to choose himself! Now, the father Christopher needs is one who loves his full self, who is able to give Chris his full emotional truth — the joy and the pain and the grief (and the queerness) all of it. (The child's birthday party decorations, Eddie clinging to a time when he could be the father Christopher needed without this reckoning.) Christopher has always been Eddie's inspiration and motivation for growth and healing. And he is once again.

I know most people don't get Eddie and aren't able to engage with the complexities. But we can! And this is such a tender topic I tread carefully. But it's where Eddie and Chris are taking us, so let's talk about it?

ok i have been turning this over and over in my head for days (sorry) … But yes. you are so right. i think this is the exact thing that’s difficult to balance with eddie because his parentification is so tied up with his actual parenthood (and marriage… and everything else) that untangling all of that runs the risk of. like. pulling up things he not only isn’t supposed to feel and doesn’t WANT to feel, selfish stuff like desire and wanting to be a kid. like he genuinely doesn’t think he can have any of this… eddieeeee 😭😭😭

[aewon]

what's after like?

sunghoon x f!reader genre: fluff warnings: none wc: 1,295

inspired by after like by ive!

for @bywons event! love u sruby

Sunghoon has been your best friend for as long as you can remember.

Your earliest memory is of 4-year-old you with 4-year-old Sunghoon, playing in the sandbox. 

A mean kid came by and ruined Sunghoon's sand castle. You didn't like seeing another kid cry, so you told the boy's mom. 

He got dragged out of the park, kicking and screaming.

You returned to the sandbox to see Sunghoon smiling, and that's when you introduced yourselves.

From that point forward, you and Sunghoon were inseparable.

You went through every stage of life together, even the awkward ones.

Of course, when puberty struck, you noticed Sunghoon becoming more handsome than you last remembered. 

Now, you didn't say anything.

Sunghoon was cocky in a playful way. You didn't want to stroke his ego further. 

This newfound attractiveness came with more people, especially girls, interested in Sunghoon.

You were 14 when he got his first girlfriend.

Not wanting to cross any boundaries, you stepped back, only interacting with Sunghoon when he initiated it.

That relationship didn't last, and before you knew it, Sunghoon became known as one of your school's playboys. Having a new girlfriend every month became a habit for him.

But you didn't judge. You didn't pry. You didn't do anything.

Sunghoon was still your best friend, and you didn't want to jeopardize that.

Today, you and Sunghoon are at your house, chilling. 

“How are you and Veronica?” You ask, messing with your hair in front of your vanity.

Sunghoon, lying on your bed, shakes his head before saying, “We broke up.”

Confused, you turn to him, “But I thought you guys were doing well?”

“It just didn't work,” he said, scrolling through his phone.

While Sunghoon has had several girlfriends, you haven't even had your first boyfriend. 

Being a senior in high school without even having your first kiss is kind of embarrassing. Then again, you've never been teased for it.

“Can you help me get a boyfriend?” You ask, taking the conversation in a completely different direction. 

“You don't need a boyfriend,” Sunghoon replies curtly, not even bothering to look up from his phone.

“I know I don't need one, but I want one. You get to have a million and one girlfriend, but I can't have a boyfriend?”

Sunghoon finally looks up at you, but the usual playfulness in his eyes is not present. Instead, he almost looks angry.

“Guys are no good. You don't need somebody who's just going to play with your heart.”

You don't know why you're suddenly annoyed, but before you can stop yourself, you snap, “What, someone like you?”

Sunghoon eyes widen, taking in your words. 

You turn away from him, immediately regretting what you said, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean that-”

Before you can say anything else, Sunghoon leaves your room. You call after him, flinching as you hear the front door slam.

Tears prick your eyes, and you bury your head in your hands.

Great, now you just ruined the one genuine friendship you had.

The next day at school, you try to look for Sunghoon, but he's nowhere to be found.

You ask his other friends, a group of boys Sunghoon met in his first year.

“I saw him this morning, but he seemed to be in a pissy mood, so we didn't bother him. Did something happen?” Heeseung asks.

You sit at the table, telling them what happened the day before.

“Y/N, don't worry about it. Technically, what you said isn't wrong. Maybe it sparked something inside Hoon,” Sunoo says, touching your shaking one.

The other guys look at each other like they know something you don't. As you're about to ask what's up, the bell rings.

You sigh, frustrated, but get up, leaving for class.

The rest of the day passes with no sign of Sunghoon. In your last period of the day, you hear two girls gossiping in the back corner.

“Did you hear about Sunghoon?”

They immediately catch your attention, and you subtly lean back to hear the rest of the conversation.

“What happened?”

“Younghee asked him out during lunch, and he rejected her. Can you believe it?”

Younghee? You know her, she's one of the most popular girls in your school.

She asked Sunghoon out, and he rejected her, you wonder why.

From what you know, she's a nice girl. There's no reason as to why Sunghoon shouldn't have at least given her a chance.

Once the bell rings and your day ends, you rush to the parking lot to see if you can spot Sunghoon's car.

You see it, but he's already speeding out of the parking lot onto the street.

You sigh. He must be avoiding you. You must've hurt his feelings.

Getting into your own car, you drive home with a sense of guilt plaguing your heart.

When you get home, you see Sunghoon's car parked by your house.

He's sitting on your porch, head in his hands.

You park in your driveway, get out, and walk up to him.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, slinging your bag across your shoulder.

He looks up, his eyes red, like he'd been crying.

You immediately bend down to his height, “Hoon, what's wrong? Did something happen?”

He shakes his head, “No, I just needed to talk to you.”

You invite him inside, and the house is quiet because your parents aren't home.

He sits on the couch while you go to the kitchen for water. 

Once you sit down, Sunghoon starts speaking. 

“I'm sorry for running out on you yesterday and avoiding you today at school. I just had a lot on my mind.”

“Sunghoon, I should be the one apologizing. What I said was too much, and I didn't mean it.”

He shakes his head, “You don't need to apologize… you were right. I do play with girl’s hearts. I’m one of the guys I told you to stay away from.” 

“But Sunghoon,” you start, “You're so much more than that. You're kind and caring. You put others before yourself, especially me. You're one of the greatest people I've ever known. I don't know why your relationships don't work out, but they don't define you.”

“I know why they don't work out,” he says, “They don't work out because I'm the one who doesn't give any effort.”

“But why, Sunghoon?”

“Because they're not who I truly want.”

You scoot closer to him on the couch, putting your hand over his, “Then who do you want, Hoon?”

He pauses.

“You, Y/N. I want you. I've always wanted you.”

You don't register his answer for a second, the words running through your mind a million miles a minute.

“Me?”

Sunghoon nods, “It's always been you. I know I shouldn't have used those other girls, but… I thought I couldn't have you.”

“Sunghoon,” you coo, “You've always had me.”

You place a gentle hand on his cheek, turning his head to face you.

His lip wobbles like he's going to cry again.

You press your lips on his, stroking his cheek.

He kisses you back, turning his head to deepen it.

You've never felt something like this—this amount of happiness and warmth.

His hands make their way to your waist, holding you tightly.

You feel his tongue tease your bottom lip.

Opening your mouth slightly, you let him inside. 

The taste of him makes you feel weak.

You don't want to pull away, but you need air, so you do reluctantly. 

“Is this real?” Sunghoon asks, stroking your waist with his big hands.

You giggle, “It's real, Hoonie. You know what comes after like?”

He shakes his head.

“Love. I love you, Sunghoon.”

He smiles, his fangs, your favorite part of him, showing. “I love you more, Y/N.”

i will be updating mafs today so look out for that hehe

[rqbossman]

Hello Mr Bossman! (and possibly anyone else who reads this)

Its an honour to be here, I have a few questions. First i appologise for the long paragraph, you may dismiss it for the questions at the bottom. For context, i am here after finishing TMA and being up to date with TMAP, i then went over and listened to RQG, and have just finished listening to Epilogue 3 and might i just say, good sir I am grateful for your podcasts. I am currently just a few months away from my final exams of High School, and as someone who even just 1 year ago was very lost, struggling with school and being just overwhelmed. TMA isnt exactly comforting, but the characters and plot managed to serve as a good form of escapism while sorting myself out. I found my self engaging more in creative things that i had originally put aside in favour of maths and science (which i hated but thought i needed to do). I started drawing again, even if just fanart. and i found things going well. By finding podcasts, story telling and these communities have helped me in my own understanding of what i want in life. I got an ADHD diagnosis earlier this year, and almost directly after started RQG and as my first hyperfixation (that i was aware of as an hyperfixation) gosh dang it hit hard. (in a good way). Ive been able to do so much more creative writing and drawings, and got re-involved with a small dnd group with some friends who i played one game with almost 4 years ago now. So overall, inspirational sounds cringe, but it was. Im doing my best with the upcoming exams, but trying to get in to Medicine is not my only prority, and the fact ive been re-introduced to my first love (Literature and story telling), im planning to go do an Arts degree and i know i wouldnt have been able to confidently make this decision, or even have survived this long in the school system without the work you and your coworkers do. Now the sap is out of the way, Question time! (if you could answer even just one of these questions it would be so cool)(they go in order of RQ relevant to random stuff)(dont feel pressured to answer all/any. i know i wrote alot): 1. what would you say is the best way to draft out a long-form story. (with "Erasing the Line" as an example) Did you start at the end, with the links to the overarching plot.

2. When working with the players (in a form of TTRPG), what did you do to make sure you didnt miss relevant timing of plot points/ avoid creating spoilers while still giving enough detail?

3. What are good places to start with making a job out of storytelling/voice acting/audio etc. In the case of RQ, how is this a job and where do i sign up please! /j (what i mean is, how is best way/how did you find all the people involved and was there a common path that you were all on before getting to where you are now?) 4. Do you have recommendations for Terry Pratchett Books, i may be an literary-leaning student, but it seems i have never actually properly read any of his books. so where is best place to start?/What did you read first?

5. Similar authors or similar inspirations? Did you have a favourite podcast you listen to in your free time that you havnt had a hand in producing/directing/working on. 6. Favourite song/album/artist. And more specifically, what you like listening to in background when doing either writing or (for ttrpg) character research/game planing. 7. Since the olympics are on at the moment, what has been your favourite sport to watch, if you have been watching at all. Thank you for your time :)

Thankyou for all the kind words. Knowing our work is helping people really keeps our engines fired up. Let's see if I can't answer your questions: 1. I "sandbox" which is where I just shove everything I can think of into an unorganised bullet point list. Characters, setting, plot, all of it in one big mess. Then I decide what type of story you want to tell, copy and paste to a new document and then start to organise the thoughts (with the sandbox on standby if new stuff comes in I don't know what to do with). I think of it like scultping, you cut away bits and reshape until something comes out the other end that is story shaped. Only then do I attempt to build the sandcastle and put something coherant together like a synopsis or scratch draft etc.

2. Very tricky. I did a complete review and update of all notes after each recording session and don't forget the audio eas edited. I made lots of gaffs that you never heard as audience.

3. I contacted anyone I could convince to take part and just proved I was serious by overworking. I don't reccomend that route. Unfortunately it really is "who" you know. That doesn't mean chase established professionals as much as it means you need to get out there and associate with other up-and-comers who match your vibe. For me the route was long and windy and not a particularly good example. 4. I normally recommend people do not read his books in publication order. Don't get me wrong, its wonderful watching his craft grow from one title to the next but I would recommend new readers tip their toe into his later works to see if they like where he ended up before committing the time. I often recommend 'Monstrous Regiment' as people's first one. My favourite though is 'Thief of Time.'

5. I don't get much time to listen to podcasts in the last couple of years. I used to listen to a lot of non fiction. 'Stuff you Should Know' and that ilk. I also read a fair amount of classic YA fiction to unwind (Windinsger trilogy, Bartimeous, stuff like that.) 6. Paul Simon's Graceland but when working I assemble a playlist for each seperate project that is tonally appropriate. If I really need to focus I listen to Classical Minimalism. Or the Old School Runescape soundtrack. I'm allowed to be ecclectic. 7. I am actually in an incredibly busy work crunch at the moment so haven't seen any of it!

[paper-possum-party-pal]

It is time to unveil the final character in the Proctor Lineup!

Meet The Director!

The Director is an oc I made when I was first getting into The Stanley Parable after thinking ‘hey, I associate The Narrator with yellow and squares and The Curator with blue and triangles, what if there was a third one associated with red and circles?’ And thus, The Director was Born.

The three proctors are siblings that collectively watch over Earth to observe humans. They’re not really sure the exact reasons for doing so, other than the vague knowledge of humans being particularly dangerous toward their kind which they retained from the Informis Voxumis they split from. The Director is the ‘middle’ sibling based on how quickly they gained their bearings after the initial split, with the Curator having done so before them and the Narrator after. All of them grew increasingly curious about humans, and while the Curator went to spend time among them and brought one into her space and the Narrator created a human using the essence of one that had recently passed, The Director made a human completely by scratch. Funnily enough, none of them initially realized that the others had started interacting with humans, so for a while they were hiding it from each other until The Curator found out about Stanley through a slip up from The Narrator during a conversation. The Narrator thought he successfully covered it up but was proven wrong when The Curator connected her museum to his parable and added the museum ending. They found out about The Directors human last since they tend to be much better at keeping to themselves, though The Director was aware of the other two’s protagonists.

The Director’s story is called ‘The Allegory of Grey’, because it knew that doing so would bother The Narrator, not only because ‘It’s blatant plagiarism of my work, my ideas!’ but also because Grey’s given last name is Anderson and it’s funny to hear the Narrator rant about the ‘wasted potential, I mean seriously, you could have used alliteration right there! ‘The Allegory of Anderson’ has much better flow and I know you agree so why would you not change it?!’. It loves messing with its siblings and once it finds out about TK they become best buddies and everyone suffers for it. TK loves being the distraction while The Director works in the background. The Director messes with The Curator far less because they know that she has little tolerance for their shenanigans and will toss them out of her space. The Director was the one to come up with the sibling’s last name, and had only chosen it so that when you said it’s full name out loud it would sound like ‘Director’. This bothers the other two, but they don’t argue too much because honestly Torrent is a pretty good last name to be stuck with when you’re as dramatic as these three. Stanley and Mariella are friends with The Director and Grey and will sometimes come down to ‘The Studio’ to hang out, chat, and chill.

Due to the Directors love of horror and built up frustration at having to watch humanity to ensure they don’t become a threat, it builds The Allegory. The Allegory is a sandbox initially made to take their frustration out on a ‘human’ by subjecting them to whatever horror thing they were interested in exploring. The Director takes inspiration from the countless types of horror games and movies that exist in play style, themes, monsters, etc. They think about putting a real human in it, but that would raise some suspicion as messing with the plane of existence humans live on would cause noticeable interference. So they created a human that was essentially an ai that would follow orders and experience whatever new horrors The Director wanted to explore. Grey and The Director initially start out as opposing forces similarly to Stanley and The Narrator, but they slowly warm up to each other as The Director first realizes they are sentient, and then actually considers the impact that living through the allegory might have on their psyche. Grey does not forgive The Director immediately, in fact, it takes a very long time and a lot of effort on The Director’s part to improve for Grey to even consider it. One of the things they bond over is art and painting, which led to them painting each other in their down time once The Director gets a human form.

One thing to note about the siblings human forms is that they are incredibly difficult to make, and trying to make tweaks can lead to accidentally unraveling the form and having to start over. Furthermore, the Informis Voxumis method of splitting into new entities to reproduce has a few requirements to ensure that they are strong enough to use all of their abilities and won’t be stunted when doing things such as taking new forms. This is why all three siblings need glasses and The Director needs hearing aids. The Narrator has asthma and blood pressure issues in his human form, while The Curator has arthritis and several allergies, mostly mild skin allergies but some are more severe. All three get migraines all of the time and have some kind of back problems that occasionally lead to the use of canes.

This post is getting super long so I’ll leave you with these last images. I’ll have a profile for Grey done in the future, but if you go back to the very first piece of artwork I posted, you can see them in the background behind Mariella! That appearance is how they first looked when The Director created them. It’s kind of interesting that there aren’t a lot of original characters that people make for this game. I’ve seen some office sona’s but not really other characters that are like The Narrator or Curator. At least I haven’t seen them so maybe I’m looking in the wrong places. If you have some of your own I’d like to hear about them!

Final Lineup!

[sandboxscenes]

Familiarity in the Unfamiliar (Summer Festival Prompt - 2/2)

A/N: Based on Obon Festivals and Dances like this one here and here. Done in conjunction with @xianyoon and their summer festival prompt for EBG. (Part 1)

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You take Lyney to a Summer Festival in Inazuma, and after introducing him to the festival, you propose a challenge to him.

Word Count: 1378

A Yagura.

That is how you introduced Lyney to the giant wooden tower erected in the center of the city. As you and Lyney sit down on the grass lawn and eat the Inazuman delicacies piled on your plates, you decide to take this time to explain more about the festival.

In between bites of piping hot Yakisoba noodles, you explain to Lyney that the Yagura is an important part of Obon festivals.

"It's like the main stage. People dance around it as a way to welcome their ancestors. From how my friends explained it me, they tell me that when they dance, it's like they feel their ancestors are right there with them."

Lyney ate another bite off of the Yakiniku skewer you held out to him. "Is it like a vision?"

"Not quite. Well, sorta. Those dances don't fill you with power per say, but you do feel something when you go out and dance. If I had to compare it to something, it's kinda like a prayer. That's how it feels to me."

You look at the people dancing around the Yagura. You quietly watch them as you hear the drums resound through the air.

Thump, Thump, Thump.

For those brief seconds, your heartbeat and the drums become one. Everyone dancing in the center of the Yagura seems to move in unison to the beat of the drum. In your head, you can count the beats of the song and remember its movements.

One, Two, Three, Four.

One, Two, Three, Four.

You thoughtfully look at Lyney as you take a bite of the Yakiniku skewer he holds out to you.

After you finish your bite, you smile. "Tell you what. When we're done here and after we rest, how about we try a song?"

Lyney's eyes widen. "Really? You won't even come on stage with me for any of my shows, but you'll dance here?"

You shoot Lyney a deadpan look. Both of you knew very well how stage shy you were when it came to public events with him. Unless he insisted on it, you preferred to spend your time watching his shows from the stage wings or from the audience. Despite how long you two have been dating, you immediately rejected him when he asked if you wanted to play a part in one of his tricks. You declined.

If you didn't have to stand in the spotlight, you wouldn't.

You shrugged. "I think it's because there's people to follow. And everyone here is doing the same dance, so as long as we follow along, we don't stick out."

"I see." Lyney takes a bite of the Yakisoba from your fork. "Do you remember the dances?"

"Not all, but there is one I want to do with you."

Lyney raised his eyebrow. "Which one?"

"It's called the Fukushima. It's a fast paced song that can sometimes last for fifteen minutes or more. They play it at Obon festivals, but the steps here are local. There's actually two variations here. I want you to do the fast version with me."

While you explained the Fukushima, Lyney listened intently. His eyes never left you. In the time it took for you to explain, he finished off his Yakiniku skewer. He washed his Yakiniku down with some water.

"So," Lyney said, a mischievous grin on his face, "what will you do if I can last? If I can do the dance for the fifteen plus minutes?"

"I'll buy you ice cream," you said.

"And?"

Now it was your turn to be confused. "And what?"

"And I want you to kiss me and tell me that you love me."

Your eyes widened. You told him about the Fukushima partly because you were excited, but also because you really wanted him to do it with you. But as past experience has taught you, you figured that if you and him tried going for the whole fifteen minutes, both of you wouldn't be able to move the next day.

You felt your cheeks heat up once more. "Maybe let's just do whoever can last the longest. No bets or things like that."

"Why? You made the offer. And it would be heartless of me if I didn't accept your offer to dance."

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"So you don't want to dance with me?"

"I do! But…"

"But?"

You looked towards the people dancing in the center. "But I want you to have a good time too."

Lyney winked at you. He pulled you into a hug. "Let's dance together then, okay?"

All you could do in his arms was nod.

After you finished eating, both of you sat and talked for an hour. Then, when you heard the telltale yells and drum beats coming from the Yagura, you and Lyney rushed over to the center like two excited children, hand in hand. You told Lyney that to do the fast Fukushima, you had to both stay in the center.

Surrounded by other people, neither of you could fully get a good look at the people in the center who were doing the steps correctly. As a result, the song began, it took a little while for both you and Lyney to get the steps down for the song. In your case, it had been years since you danced to it, so the quick steps got you twisted and messed up your timing. You ended up having to count the beats aloud so that your steps matched.

But both of you got the hang of it fairly quickly. Once you saw that Lyney got the steps, you decide him to show him another variation of one of the dance steps. Instead of clapping your hands together at the end, you would clap your hands with each other. The first time you did it, Lyney wasn't sure what you wanted to do. But after a couple of rounds of doing the steps, he understood. In the final step of the dance, he clapped your hands together with his, before doing it all over again.

As the song continued, you felt your legs, calves, and arms burning. It had been ages since you did something this strenuous. You looked over at Lyney and despite his perfect steps, you saw the sweat on his brow.

The song continued. It felt like you were doing these steps forever.

Then, suddenly, you heard the song start to speed up. Despite how tired you were, you perked up. You and Lyney were right there. It was the light at the end of the tunnel! If you and Lyney could last through the speed up, you will have succeeded.

Both of you pushed through, and finally, the song ended.

As people left the middle of the circle, it felt like you could finally breathe again. You didn't know how stressful it was trying to keep up with the steps of the dance, and your body felt like jelly. Everything was burning: your legs, your arms, and your lungs. You felt the heat radiating off you as the wind tried to wick away your sweat. You pinched the side of your waist as you tried to stand tall to catch your breath.

"So, we did it," said Lyney, smiling.

At first glance, it seemed like he wasn't as out of breath as you was. But when he got closer, you could see the exhaustion in his features. You could see the heavy sweat on his brow. You could see the tired look in his eyes. You could hear him panting.

Running on pure adrenaline, you held out your hand up for a high-five. Lyney obliged.

"We did," you smiled back. "We lasted for fifteen minutes! And you did really well for your first time too."

"It's a good thing we have a day off tomorrow too," Lyney said slowly.

"Yep." You nodded.

You gently place your hand under Lyney's chin and guide his gaze towards you. You leaned in and briefly placed a kiss on his lips. You hold his gaze, and look into his violet eyes, hoping that you can get your feelings across to him.

"Thank you for dancing with me and for bringing me to the festival tonight. I love you, Lyney. Now, let's go get some ice cream."

[callmearcturus]

/gently lays a blanket over the ted lasso fandom's head. Okay everyone. I am a survivor of the Homestuck Epilogues. I have been in a fandom actively when a new, unexpected update to the canon absolutely decimates the fanbase.

If you are nervous about TL S4:

The absolute worst that could happen is the show is being explicitly brought back to air just to punish the fans of the show and to shame them for ever caring about the show in the first place because you must be stupid for ever caring.

Because that's what happened with Homestuck. And call me an optimist but I don't think Apple TV would give money on the basis of "we want to alienate the people who loved the show for three seasons."

With that struck out, I think the next worst case scenario is that... it sucks. But there will always be a clean delineation between the show you love and the one that is just okay or outright sucks. You'll always have that sandbox to play with. Heck, if S4 really sucks, "Non-Compliant With Season Four" will be a canonical tag, I promise. There may even be a surge of very talented people inspired to write their own version. It'll be great.

If you're super hyped for S4:

You may already have all this in mind. If so, this isn't directed at you, per se.

But with S4 coming, it's important to keep two things in mind, imo.

One: The cast and crew will, by necessity, change. This isn't just a matter of what actors are available to play the characters you like but also the creative minds behind the show may have a different composition. Heck, Brett Goldstein, who seems to be a phenomenal episode writer, is working on another Apple TV show, Shrinking. I sure fucking hope they get him back, but it's impossible to know who will be brought in and how those necessary shifts will affect the tone of the show.

Two: My ultimate dream is Ted sues Michelle for custody of Henry, moves back to London, has a 9-episode arc of making things up to Rebecca because she begged him to stay and he still left, reconcilation between the two of them, and then Ted keeps getting tongue-tied around Trent Crimm and has a very very belated revelation that he's actually a heavily repressed homosexual.

I'm not gonna get that because for the show to come back after such an extended ending, there has to be a very strong urge to revive it. And the cast and crews' reasons for bringing it back are not going to be all that. It ppprobably isn't gonna be any of that. And it's probably not going to be what you personally are pulling for.

The unifying factor here is:

It might be fun! It might be even better than the first three seasons. It might also be clearly the worst season. If people go in knowing that, I think we'll avoid any broken hearts.

Rest assured in the knowledge that: No matter what happens, good or bad, "Rainbow" is still going to be the greatest episode of the show, and they can't ruin that.

[machineryangel]

Haven't seen anyone talk ab it but Twin Drums studio (the majority of its core team of nine are Black, female, and queer) is developing a (successfully kickstarted!) Afro-fantasy game called The Wagadu Chronicles and I'm rly excited for its launch and you should check out their links

"This is a very personal project [...]" Twin Drums' founder and creative director Allan Cudicio explains. "For me, that meant looking back at my career realising how hard I had to fight just to get some Black characters in the games I was working on, or to get the artists to have an African-inspired setting and not the 40th European, French/Venetian inspired setting. It was very much a personal fight I had to go through."

"The game is political," Cudicio continued, describing the game as 'immersed in a Black, queer positive source'. "Too often we hear in our industry 'We don't do politics', which is fascinating. It's better to embrace what politics you have and for us it's anti-colonial, it's feminist, it's anti-ableist."

"[The Wagadu Chronicles] is an African-inspired fantasy sandbox MMORPG, so you travel through this African-inspired world, doing what you could call life skills: farming, fishing, crafting," Cudicio said. "It also has combat, mostly PVE, inspired by single player turn-based RPGs. Community is very important. Every village you see in The Wagadu Chronicles has been created, nurtured and expanded by communal efforts, which again is inspired by traditions of the continent. (x)

Wagadu removes the lens of medieval European influences in fantasy by being based entirely on African mythology. “A lot of games is nonconsensual killing and getting rewarded for it, whereas in Wagadu, and with nature, it’s about consent,” explains Cudicio. “That’s like traditional Yoruba hunters of the south of Nigeria. When they hunt, they chant a blessing and ask permission for the animal. In some cultures, you also ask for forgiveness or thank them afterwards. I think it’s important to rethink hunting not as something that’s very Western and capitalist — which is about the domination and destruction of nature — whereas in African societies it’s about balancing and respecting it.”

Suffice to say, being set in an African fantasy world also means players will only be able to play as Black characters, with a large selection of African names to choose from. “I know if people have that freedom, then white players will be lazy and just pick white people, and not challenge themselves, and then the setting will not be Black anymore,” says Cudicio. “To keep Wagadu African, there needs to be an artistic direction to say, like, this is a Black world, so everybody who plays has these features.” (x)

There have been black people in fantasy previous of course, but often their stripped of any tangible African influence. “I think what happens is you get very Western fantasy with people painted black, basically. There’s metal armour or a French looking knight, just with an afro or black skin. It’s good, it’s better than nothing, but we need to move a step further. It’s a very Eurocentric blackness.” (x)

[xiaokuer-schmetterling]

i have a hot take to share

re: drama vs novel 'canon' events (this is specifically about the danmei novel módào zǔshī (aka mdzs) and the live action drama inspired by it, the untamed/chén qíng lìng (aka cql)

context: haven't seen anybody in my corner of tumblr or discord say this before and it has been cooking in the back of my mind for quite some time now

hot take: the untamed/cql and founder of diabolism (the donghua) are fanworks of mdzs the original novel. [as are all movie/tv/animation/audiodrama & etc adaptations of any intellectual property that was originally published as a written work imho] and thus is in itself fanon.

so why do we see the mdzs fandom community eating itself up with infighting about drama canon vs novel canon? especially in fanfic tagging. while i do enjoy the concept of "frankencanon" bc i think it's a fun word to say...why do we have to clarify/jusify that at all? i mean. except to give ppl a heads up which plot devices to expect or not.

(i suspect this has something to do with which version ppl interacted with first & their emotional attachment to its "correctness" ???)

why should fic authors have to justify their exposition, characterization and plot choices as if one is inherently better or morally superior to the other? it's all works inspired by mdzs. that doesn't mean matching mdzs exactly. and. frankly. if you don't like how a particular author is handling some detail of your beloved blorbos. then just nope out. no need to get nasty about it in the comments

let's just play nicely together in the sandbox mxtx made for us ???

[ac-lesbians]

Hi I'm actually a huge nerd let's discuss: the mainstreaming of fanfiction.

I'm a fic writer. I love writing fic. I doubt I will ever stop. One day I dream of publishing an original novel (maybe publish. I kinda want all my work to be freely accessible forever you know?). I dream of one day being the owner of an IP that has a fandom of its own. I have a sandbox that I would love to invite others to play in, and I've been involved in fandom of some kind for a long time. Long enough to know the "old lingo." Long enough to be confused by anti-shipping because I used to live in the trenches with my own little play shovel while bullets flew around me.

So when I got an email from Barnes and Noble today saying "Check out our Dramione-inspired romance picks:" I was ASTOUNDED.

Like it's genuinely fascinating yall. Say what you want about the value of fanfiction in the literary world, about the damage or good booktok has done, about the trends in using streamlined and popularized tropes as descriptors, but let's face it. Fandom is no longer a subculture. We've hit the mainstream.

And that email is really really strange. We know IP law is tricky, especially across international lines, and AO3 has a whole legal team dedicated to it. The Anne Rice Cease and Desists, the Disney Lawyers, the many purges of varying archives and websites. There is one singular cardinal law of fanfiction that some people are forgetting but we must always remember:

You must never profit monetarily from a piece of transformative work directly.

There are gray areas, as always. We've seen Fifty Shades and After and hidden commission links. But ultimately, profiting monetarily off of an IP that is not yours is against the law in most places, and will get you into big trouble if caught.

What struck me about my email was not the Harry Potter reference. It wasn't even the shipping reference. That's similar to saying "if you like X and Y, you'll love Z" and is most definitely not against the law.

What did strike me was the pure fanfiction origination of the phrase. For the uninitiated: Dramione refers to the relationship Draco x Hermione in Harry Potter fanfiction. It's an entirely non-canon (and therefore entirely fanfiction derived) relationship dynamic. It's not my cup of tea, personally, but it's fascinating that Barnes and Noble is using fanfiction tropes and references as a sales tactic.

Not only are we supposed to know what Dramione was, we're supposed to know the specific dynamic they're referencing. You know the only group who will know that? Fanfiction readers/fans of fanfiction. Your mainstream average Harry Potter fan who has never been involved in fandom will not know that Dramione is an option.

This is bizarre to me as an outsider to the publishing industry, mainly because the industry is just that, an industry. It's there primarily to make money. I would imagine the publishing industry has been competing with fanfiction for a while now. An entire medium of entertainment produced, shared, and accessed for free? It was a matter of time before capitalism required publishing to find a way to profit.

It's interesting to see the way fandom and fanfiction has slowly crept into mainstream culture. And with that we see new trends in fandom, especially this sanitization of what's allowed. It makes sense! If you're looking to profit, you need your product to have mass appeal.

It's almost paradoxical. The publishing industry needs us to be constantly buying the next thing. Which requires them to limit discussion and time between releases, which decreases time to create transformative works in general. You see this rapid cycling between fandoms in the same way. We're not sitting with an IP for long enough to create, discuss, and analyze. Yet their marketing teams and strategies invoke and encourage fandom interaction for the sake of popularity and increased profits.

It'll be interesting to see how IP law reacts and reflects this shift in dynamic.