#after all that’s the business/realm that i work in primarily!

[aceofthyme]

for the bttf asks: 😊🎵🖋️🕰️

thank you for the ask my dear friend!!

😊if you could be best friends with one of the characters, who would you choose and why?

I think we all know it would be Doc. Aside from my desperate desire for father figures Those who know me know that I’m very much a science person and that I get up to wild things all the time (like that one time I created a low-powered taser out of items in my purse…or when I built a morse code machine…or all of the chemistry experiments I do in my spare time…I could go on…) and I feel like Doc would not only appreciate that but that we’d have some great project feedback energy. Fluid dynamics (rather than the physics of standard motion or quantum physics) was always my strong suit in the realm of physics, but I was always good at chemistry, and at the very least musical!Doc mentions that chemistry isn’t his strong suit, so that would be a fun little pairing (although of course anything that isn’t Doc’s ‘strong suit’ is still probably leaps and bounds better than the average person). I’m rambling at this point but the summary here is that I think we’d bounce well off each other intellectually and our personalities aren’t super far from each other. I think any of my friends can vouch for the fact that I have a very similar manic energy when I’m in the throes of it y’know?

🎵if you have listened to the musical soundtrack, which song is your favorite and why?

I have not only listened to it but seen it live (four times now! don’t start me on the fact that they’re closing on Broadway I will cry). It’s incredibly difficult to pick a favorite song, so I’ll narrow the criteria a little bit—my favorite song to listen to is different than my favorite song to sing! My favorite song to listen to is probably It Works, but part of that is because I love Doc so much (admittedly it’s also because I laugh when I think about Roger almost ‘falling’ off of the DeLorean when he tries to climb up on it). The ‘who are the girls?’ bit is one of my favorite parts of the show, and I’ll take a moment to talk about that. Back to the Future is a musical that knows it has solid comedic moments. It knows that it breaks some of the walls of normalcy, that it sometimes breaks the fourth wall, that it is built on a framework that allows for a bit of the ridiculous and the fun—and it takes that and embraces it, which is so important for a show like this. You have to be able to have fun with yourself, and know that there’s a little bit of ridiculousness going on, for it to work. I believe this is talked about a bit in the book on the creation of the musical, but it’s absolutely true; this is a show that knows what it is, and that is a major key to success not only in the formation/logic of a show but in connecting with your audience. I’ve now gotten very far away from the question oops My overarching point here is that the reason why the musical works (hah) is because of moments like in It Works, but it’s also just fun for me to put that on while I’m driving and pretend to do the choreo. While driving. The spirit’s there, anyhow,

(I enjoy singing Pretty Baby because I’m a filthy little soprano okay)

✒️you are hired to write/draw a new bttf comic, and it can be about whatever you want. what in the bttf universe would you want to expand on?

Aw man what a great question! Firstly, definitely write, we all know I cannot draw. Secondly. Wow. Okay. There’s a lot here to think about, and this makes me glad that I’ve actually read the comics. I would love to just see…some normal-ish stuff? I know that’s broad, but what I mean is that…I know it’s hard to have a storyline without stakes. You have to have something to push the plot along, to entice the reader, et cetera et cetera. That being said, I’d kind of love to just see Doc and Marty hanging out and being friends, y’know? I’d also love more about Doc’s childhood, or Doc and Clara things, but the friendship between Doc and Marty is so important to me, I’m always down for more of that!

🕰️if you were to insert yourself into the trilogy, what year would you come from?

Hahahaaaaa okay for me personally, the logical answer is the present (2024), but if I like…had the choice of what era I was from (I’m…assuming that’s what this means? I have low comprehension sometimes) that makes the choice a lot harder! I’m a fan of the 1920s and 1940s (the latter in a sense of “I have Jewish generational trauma” okay) but I’m also a massive history nerd and at least one of my alters would absolutely rock with being from like 1860. I think I’m too wild to come from any time earlier, I’d probably be labeled a witch or something. Kind of interested to see what era people would think I belong in, though?

[burr-ell]

Sometimes Things That Shake Up the Status Quo are Worse

I keep seeing people insisting that Exandria "can't return to the status quo, which was bad", but rarely do they say anything in support of that argument beyond "the Primes pick and choose favorites!". And while I'm not confident the show itself won't try to make that claim, the reality is that it just isn't borne out mechanically or narratively. Laying aside that non-Divine Soul sorcerers exist (like, and I'm just spitballing here, Aberrant Mind Ruidusborn), the gods work primarily through the on-the-ground efforts of clerics and paladins—people who have actively and consistently put in the work to devote themselves to the divine. This is a setting where resurrection magic, which relies on divine power, has been intentionally made more difficult than it is in DnD rules-as-written. Even clerics only get access to Divine Intervention at level 10 (when they've already spent a long time devoting themselves to their deity) and up until level 20 the chances of it actually working are vanishingly small—and level 20 clerics are both hard to come by and ultimately still limited.

In the rare event that the Prime Deities choose to bless someone who isn't a cleric or paladin, it's someone who has a good reason to have gotten their attention. Vax offered his life during a divine ritual in the burial site of the Raven Queen's most devoted champion and then actively committed himself to her cause. Yasha was an aasimar being mind-controlled by a devil who wound up at a divine altar and chose to worship Kord after he freed her. Orym is the devoted widower of someone who is in Melora's realm and was present at a ritual in a temple associated with Melora, and one of his companions prayed at a shrine to Melora on his behalf. Vex was directly in front of Pelor, had taken a leadership position in one of his sacred cities, and had received a vision from him directly—and even then, she had to earn it. Scanlan also had to earn the right to Ioun's favor and complete a trial, and had previously shown qualities and values that she believed were fitting of her champion. Fjord was a companion of a devoted cleric of Melora who had sought her help in keeping Uk'otoa sealed and made requests of her on Fjord's behalf, and Fjord also chose to meditate and then became a paladin devoted to her.

And in Exandria, if you don't want to follow a god, you don't have to. Percy, Keyleth, Grog, Beau, Veth, Caleb, Essek, most of Bell's Hells, the average commoner in the various cities the parties have traveled to—whether they outright dislike the gods as a whole or just don't have an interest either way, they're all capable of thriving with or without them, and indeed their problems are almost entirely caused by mortals. It's especially egregious when you consider that cities like Avalir were around during the Age of Arcanum, when the Prime Deities physically walked Exandria, and people like Laerryn, Patia, Zerxus, and Lacrytia Hollow—openly disdainful of the gods or even trying to create feats of magic to get on their level—were continuing business as usual. The previous god of death not only willingly abdicated in favor of a mortal during this time, but outright helped her do the job!

The Prime Deities can't win. If they didn't give anyone any power at all, they'd be viewed as selfish. If they'd stayed on Exandria after the Calamity, they'd be foolish and reckless. They're simply not capable of intervening and helping everyone, so they're labeled capricious. If they leave Exandria, they're abandoning not only their refuge and home, but also the people who need and rely on them. You can argue that "no one should have that much power" all you want, but I think it's exceptionally silly to take an argument meant to criticize the wealthy and powerful of our world (whose only unique quality is ultimately that they got lucky) and apply it to fictional deities (beings who are powerful by their very nature) who, while flawed, also think they're too powerful. They tried to protect Exandria from themselves and the Betrayers while still using their power to do right by the people there, and for the most part it was working just fine.

The "status quo" from before all this was and still is the best compromise available. No one has managed to sell a better one that doesn't amount to "cater to my blorbos and my self-indulgent idea of revolutionary politics, which may or may not also ultimately circle back to my blorbos". I think that's pretty telling.

[bratpak]

FLORIAN SANICO is the young, hot, and not rich CEO of ACIDIC RECORDS. He only acquired Acidic Records after his stepfather's passing in 2020. Being born in the Philippines in 1988 to a single mom, Florian grew up primarily raised by his grandparents until his mom found her future husband when Florian was just seven years old. Florian's stepfather would embody the term "the father that stepped up," immediately taking on the father role in Florian's life that the little boy so desperately wanted. When he was ten years old, Florian's father, a South Korean man, would relocate the family to South Korea for his work and to provide a better life for them, which he most certainly did. While in South Korea, Florian would attend the most expensive international school and the most prestigious universities there, obtaining degrees in business management, marketing, psychology, and international business.

Money has never been an issue for Florian if you can't tell.

Acidic Records was a mere side quest for his father, only housing underground indie soloists and producers. They never did anything noteworthy until Florian was appointed CEO in 2020, immediately opening auditions for their training program. Florian has always believed KPOP was where the money was, and his father was just too old to handle the times.

He was...almost right!

With the debut of BRATPACK in 2022, Florian found it much more difficult to break into the KPOP market than planned, initially losing a lot of money in the BRATPACK venture. However, with the group's rapidly rising success and album sales, Florian might not be such a failure after all.

ALMANDA SUMMERS is the alias of the creative director of BRATPACK. No one knows who she is or has ever seen her face. No one can find anything about this woman; seriously, she is a mystery.

Besides her Twitter account.

Almanda, believed to be a woman in her late twenties, is very active on Twitter and Instagram, often posting pictures of her visions for the group and commenting on recent events in the KPOP realm. Though she is quite loved by the fandom, some people believe she is an instigator and gets BRATPACK into drama they would've never gotten into if Almanda just turned her phone off.

Either way, her constantly running mouth doesn't derail her from being one of the most known and sought-after creative directors in KPOP at the moment. Bringing forth aesthetics and ideas the genre has never seen before or has left untouched for too long in her opinion, Almanda is an icon and legend in the making.

TONYA FUKUI is a former African-American—Japanese supermodel whose career was cut short due to a cheating scandal that had her dubbed "Japan's Hottest Homewrecker " for well over a decade now. Though her modeling career was done, she went behind the scenes and started working as a stylist for high-end clients, turned Jpop acts, and turned Kpop acts. Truly, she was just chasing where the money went to fund her purse addiction.

Tonya has worked with groups such as AESPA, NCT 127, NCT DREAM, RED VELVET, SHINEE, EXO, GOT7, STRAYKIDS, NMIXX, BLACKPINK, and many, many more. If you liked an outfit your favorite idol wore, Tonya most likely designed it for them.

Now, she primarily spends her time styling BRATPACK as she claims they let her be as creative as she wants. After years of being a punching bag for the general public, Tonya is finally adored again, mainly just people on BRATPACK Twitter, but hey! It's a start.

AUGUSTUS MOON is the main producer of BRATPACK. He began working in the KPOP industry at just seventeen years old when he and his sister, Autumn Moon, fled America and went to South Korea to get away from their abusive parents. Though Augustus has had some solo releases himself and has garnered a small following, he much prefers sticking behind the scenes as he says, "KPOP is not for me. I hate dancing." even though his Tiktok page will contradict that statement.

Augustus was born in 1995 in Chicago. He doesn't speak much about his time in America, deeming it "a test on if he really wanted to live or not" and saying his life only really started when he moved to South Korea and started making music.

Before exclusively working with Acidic Records and BRATPACK, Augustus would work with a wide variety of KPOP acts and make an even wider variety of songs. Some are phenomenal, and some are the worst things you've ever heard. Not every track can be a winner!

AUTUMN MOON is the main producer of BRATPACK and a part-time soloist. At sixteen, she fled America with her brother and moved to South Korea to get away from her abusive parents. Autumn and Augustus are glued at the hip. You'd swear they're twins by how in sync they are with one another.

Unlike her brother, Autumn is a soloist as well as a producer. However, she has seemingly put her own music career on the back burner to focus on BRATPACK and motherhood. That's right! Actual mother! Autumn has a nine-year-old son, Eunji, who she adores and loves dearly. She married her long-time boyfriend and PRIORITY member, Jang Kiha, last summer and is currently pregnant with their first child.

Autumn has been very open about her love for music and how happy working with BRATPACK makes her. Between her very fulfilling personal life and flourishing career, Autumn has attracted her own fanbase, calling her "Life Goals" and starting the trend of autumnism, where people try to live their lives like Autumn's.

Though her solo career, which only caught her attention once she decided to hang it up, has been put on halt, Autumn is very happy with where she is in life and adds a layer of hope to the BRATPACK team.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Do you happen have anything that's about food, but in the way that Dungeon Meshi is about food? (defined to me as, classic(TM) adventure but with food as a central feature) Generally food-centric games would be welcome too!

Theme: Dungeon Meshi, Food Adventures.

Hello friend, I am very excited about this week's request! I have some recommendations that have been simmering in the back of my head for a while now - a few of which can be used in the game of your liking!

Bakto’s Terrifying Cuisine, by Roll 4 Tarrasque.

"The entrance to the Kitchen Arena appears only to those hungry or foolish enough to find it. Perhaps a dusty pantry in a backwater restaurant, or a forgotten refrigerator in the basement of a busy hotel. The door closes behind you—it never opens again. At the bottom of a long set of pristine stairs, Bakto awaits."

Bakto’s Terrifying Cuisine is primarily an adventure for The Vanilla Game, which is free to play, but it strikes me as pretty system-friendly. You are all responsible for creating a dish for a hungry demon, and are provided with a dungeon map as well as descriptions of what waits for you in each room. The pamphlet also comes with 10 terrifying ingredients and 6 possible treasures, as well as a d6 table of random encounters. There’s so much packed into just 2 pages!

While this is probably only good for a one-shot or a two-shot, I think it’s definitely worth it. If you end up liking this game and want more from the same creator, you can also take a look at To Catch A Hellforged Swine, a system-agnostic adventure about hunting a cursed pig.

Gourmet Street, by theunlawfulneutral.

Gourmet Street is a setting that can be plopped directly into any world or adventure and serves up an extra side of gonzo fantasy. It is populated with street vendors serving every possible food you can conceive as well as a fascinating accoutrements of culinary artifacts, edible monsters, and bizarre dishes.

Another setting rather than game, Gourmet Street is great for OSR games like Knave or The Black Hack, but also works in games such as AD&D. It’s a street vendors’ alley, rife with rival factions and dangerous foods, as well as a series of custom, culinary-related monsters to throw at your players. There’s roll tables for dishes and their effects, as well as some descriptions of major food factions, including their defining characteristics, their advantages and disadvantages, and a quick summary of their values or goals. If you want the culinary process to be stick, dangerous, unpredictable and full of slime, this is the setting for you.

Iera Entera, by Nathan Blades.

In this world, Divine Beasts roam the land. Delivered to us from otherworldly realms, they lord over the grounds they manifest on. They’re incredibly violent, are replaced in mere days after being removed, and are capable of supernatural powers.

They’re also delicious.

This game takes the idea of eating monsters and turns it up to 11. You’re not just eating dungeon creatures - no, you’re hunting down Divine Beasts. The game is split into two sections - working out how to bring the Divine Beast down, and then figuring out how to cook the damn thing. If you are playing with folks who are familiar with Dungeon Meshi, I imagine they would have a lot of fun ideas about how to cook the entrails of a great beast, but there’s also three or four suggested beast hunts in the game itself to get you started.

Cook & Hero, by Raul Fontoura.

You’re an aspiring master cook, in a face off competition amongst worthy rivals to create the perfect dish. Unfortunately, you’re supposed to make it out of scary and scaly monsters in very dangerous underground conditions.

This is another pamphlet game, similar to Bakto’s Terrifying Cuisine, but the tone is very different. In Bakto’s, players are on the clock to satisfy a dangerous enemy. In Cook & Hero, the art conveys a more lighthearted competition, even if your character decides that it’s a matter of life or death. The 2-page game comes with some simple character creation, and the resolution uses a roll-under mechanic with a d10. It feels like it takes a number of cues from Honey Heist, but it’s definitely a distinct game.

Ghastronomy, by Timepool.

You are a ghastronomer, a chef that doesn’t cook for the living— but for the dead. You have been hired to help guide a ghost to the afterlife, by collecting the lost pieces of its soul and cooking ghostly grub to make it whole again.

Alongside your co-workers, you will arrive on the scene and use your cooking credentials and what you learned from each of your ghastronomy schools to find, obtain, and cook a wayward spirit's remaining traces. With proper planning, teamwork, and a little bit of luck—  you might just piece its soul back together before it fades away forever.

Ghastronomy looks fairly easy to learn, with an interesting apron mechanic in which your apron is also a shield. You’ll also probably all have different styles of cooking, as each character will come from a different culinary school. If you like the idea of cooking for more than just survival, and you want to incorporate the paranormal into your game, this might be for you!

Lutong Banwa, by Sinta Posadas / Diwata Ng Manila.

Lutong Banwa is a cooking game, where you set out to adventure and find ingredients from Spirits and recipes from old civilizations. Embark on this anti-canon storygame adventure with its own custom system and play to find out just what sort of zany adventures you can get up to in this weird, wild world. Do whatever you want.

Lutong Banwa feels like a cozier game than some of the others on this list, and I enjoy the perspective it brings to the genre. You are playing tamale, the successors of the earth after Humans have faded to history, trying to replicate old world dishes. Your characters will use a number of different-sided dice, depending on which stats they use, and what strengths they have. Rather than character death, your characters simply have a limited number of chances to complete a task before they are forced to rest for a day or so. Altogether the game encourages creative thinking and playing outside the box. I think this is an extremely charming game and you absolutely should check it out.

[antimony-medusa]

MCYT on Ao3, December '24

I am getting on a plane later today but I still have time for some stats! Let's look at what we've got.

Some Notes:

No new fandoms this week, though the Realm SMP, Squidcraft and Impossible Minecraft all have unwrangled fics, so that may change next month! That keeps us at 69 fandoms I'd continue MCYT, and also Video Blogging.

Fics are still primarily in english, but we have three exceptions with significant spanish fics. Karmaland (827 of 972 are in spanish, which is up from 821 last month), Tortillaland (131 of 138 are in spanish, from 128 last month), and QSMP (1,236 of 11,319 are in spanish, from 1,208 last month).

QSMP also shows 55 works in French, the same as last month, and 792 works in Brazilian Portuguese, up from 786 las month.

In small SMPs we had a month of small increases, and three significant standouts! Skybound SMP showed an increase of 30 fics, Skyblock Kingdom an increase of 22, and Content SMP of 17! I suspect that Content SMP's jump is a marker that some new tag was wrangled into that SMP, but both Skybound and Skyblock Kingdoms are currently airing, so it looks like they're finding their audience!

In mid-size fandoms, Parkour Civilization turned in its third month running of explosive growth, going up an impressive 121 fics. Nothing else even came close. Like the highest growth other than Parkour Civ was Yandere High School with 18 new fics. Parkour Civilization is on FIRE.

Evolution SMP broke over the 1k fics mark!

In the large fandoms, it was a drop for almost everybody. A cooling of the fandom, or everyone busy at the end of the year and also pre-writing for exchanges? Only time will tell. Empires' 162 was a drop from last month's 197, QSMP's 137 was a falling-off from last month's 290, Hermitcraft's 649 was impressive but still down from 769, and DSMP took a steep fall from last month's 719 to 480 this month. The one fandom that bucked the trend was 3rd life (notably, currently airing and ramping up towards finale), showing an impressive 824 fics, which beats last month's 721.

Video Blogging stayed almost completely steady from last month's 3,438, with an increase of 3,489 this month. It's notable that after a consistent trend of being hundreds of fics lower than we were this time last year, we're finally falling into the same range, as December 23 showed an increase of 3,489.

[official-ilvermorny]

Tarot and the Ilvermorny Houses

In recent years, I have learned more about Divination, the art of looking into hidden parts of the past, present, and future using one’s own inner eye guided by certain magical tools. Throughout my studies, I have come to realize that there are certain parallels that can be drawn between the suits of the minor arcana in Tarot and the houses at Ilvermorny. Each of the suits – Coins, Swords, Cups, and Wands – is often associated with a different area of life, much like the four individual “parts” of a magic user often associated with each Ilvermorny House. It is from this approach that this essay will attempt to further explore the nuances of the Ilvermorny Houses and their admittees.

Wampus — Coins

Wampus is known as the House of the Body, and the tarot suit of Coins is associated with the physical realm. The Coins deal primarily with finances, work, physical health, and anything that may belong to the realm of the five senses – what we can touch and hold. Thus, if this exploration holds any merit, we may see Wampuses grounded in the physical world, concerned primarily with what is happening in real time, what they can control or influence with their direct action.

The House of the Warrior may at first glance seem tied to the classical element of fire, but instead, think of the Tarot’s way of aligning Coins with elemental Earth. After all, a warrior is perhaps the most likely to be grounded in the physical realm as one who enacts changes in their world through their physical actions. In addition, much of the imagery in the Coins represents the agricultural cycle – planting, tending, and harvesting one’s crops. Similarly, Wampuses may view the world as a fertile landscape from which abundance may spring forth with the right tools and their own hard work. This suit also contains a warning not to get too caught up in what you can perceive with your bodily senses that you fail to remember that there are things beyond that which you can see.

With this interpretation, Wampus may lend itself to literal fighting and farming, but also to nature, activism, business, public safety, law, skilled crafts, athletics — fields where people understand the value of getting their hands dirty when necessary.

Horned Serpent — Swords

It is said that Horned Serpent is the House of Scholars and the Mind, and Swords are no different — this suit represents thoughts, ideals, and rationality. Its imagery represents a mind constantly at work, healthiest when it allows itself time for rest but prone to overactivity which may lead to restlessness and anxiety. So too may Horned Serpents find themselves capable of great feats of the mind, so long as they care for themselves by allowing themselves time for recovery and rejuvenation.

Swords also represent the element of Air. This may seem counterintuitive considering the Horned Serpent is a water-dwelling creature; however, may it be remembered that Air represents not only thought but (perhaps more importantly) communication, the air that passes out of our lungs to give us voice. What drew Isolt Sayre most to the Horned Serpent was its ability to communicate with her. So too we may find those sorted into Horned Serpent House to be interested in communication, the conveyance of one’s ideas and thoughts to others through verbal, written, or visual means.

As such, we will find Horned Serpents among top academics, including theorists, historians, and other scientists, not to mention those among the greatest of communicators, such as writers, orators, politicians, linguists, and actors.

Pukwudgie — Cups

The suit of emotions and intuition seems quite fitting for the House of the Heart. Emotions are our inner reactions to what may be happening in the outer world; they are a bridge between the two realms. This is also represented in the Cups’ relation to intuition — humanity’s innate ability to understand the world around us to some level without the need for conscious thought. The Cups’ imagery is at times the most fantastical of the suits, and the subjects are sometimes depicted doing something seemingly illogical, taking a leap of faith in hopes for better things to come. Pukwudgie is also the House of Healers, which makes great sense when one considers that all wellbeing is deeply connected; when one’s emotional health is poor, their physical health will be adversely affected, and vice versa.

The Cups also represent relationships and interconnectedness of every kind through their connection to the element of Water (after all, Water is necessary for every form of life on earth, and touches sea, earth, and sky in its ever-turning cycle, bridging the gap between the three worlds). The imagery of the Cups represents how our innermost feelings and intuition may affect our bonds with those around us — romance, friendships, family, and other partnerships. This also expands beyond inter-human relationships to our bond with the Earth itself.

It should be no surprise, then, to see Pukwudgies in every area focused on relationships, intuition, and mending broken things — healthcare, psychology, counseling, environmentalism, spirituality, hospitality, and diplomacy.

Thunderbird — Wands

The suit of Wands is the suit of passion and creativity, perfect for the House of Adventurers and the Soul. One may notice that much of its imagery revolves around merchants and fighters, which could be seen as the purview of Wampus; however, one must also remember that Thunderbirds above all else are those who take risks and set off to new places in search of excitement and adventure. Thunderbirds often feel a strong need for novelty, movement, progress, and expansion.

Wands also represent the element of Fire — interesting, perhaps, for a house whose mascot spends so much of its time in the air; on the other hand, what is lightning if not fire flashing in a storm? The Soul is complex and individualistic, and it desires to be known and to make itself known; there is a flame inside that demands to be let out so that it may shine. Thunderbirds often cannot help but try to make their mark on the world, whether for good or ill. The imagery of Wands is a reminder that fire can bring warmth and safety as well as chaos and pain. Strike a match and guide it to where it should go, and you bring light and life to even the most desperate; lose control, and you and those you love will get burned.

So, Thunderbirds may find themselves leaning towards fields in which they can best make a difference, make their mark, or find the necessary dynamism: the arts, teaching, activism, philosophy, entrepreneurship, innovation, and exploration.

Final Thoughts

As the reader may have noticed, there is overlap and nuance in what I have just described, as humans cannot be divided into neat boxes. Any vocation will find a strong foothold in any house. For example, a politician should be a scholar of philosophy and history, but they should also desire to heal people through the policies they write and support. A dancer certainly has great passion and creativity, but they are also grounded in their own body and the physical world around them.

There is something to be said too, about the interconnectedness of the Houses, the Tarot, and the wholeness of a human. Just as every House has overlap with all the others, every suit of the Tarot will bleed into the other suits, and every person has a body, mind, heart, and soul. We may tend to gravitate towards one part of ourselves, but we should not do so at the expense of the others.

Above all, remember the motto of Ilvermorny School: “As a family, united we stand.” Each member of the family is unique, and together we are stronger than we could ever be apart. Grow into who you are, and find the people who will support and uplift you and have strengths where you may not, and work together to make the world a better place.

———

~ Selwyn

[iamthunderhearmehowl]

BG3 AU Circle of Decay: Dammon Headcannons

hey hi it's me, again, currently dying from food poisoning at 1am

So I was sitting in my office thinking about how much I love this Tiefling and I realized. . . . .as a character you probably never want to hear that from ANY writer, because that means you'll get emotional damage for breakfast.

🌟 These headcannons are for a BG3 AU called "Circle of Decay", all the content for this AU can be found here -> (Link)

General

So we all know that Dammon and Karlach are kind of an item/ its kind of like puppy love - that being said, I dont think the game eludes to it being more than that

BELIEVE ME I WANT THAT TO HAPPEN - ahem - but in this AU it does not happen

Karlach is so busy that Dammon is just doing his own thing and perfecting his craft - he's not the best blacksmith in Faerune for no reason, and while I'm sure he would wait on her - people just be on different paths, you know?

While his main shop is in Baulder's Gate - he will ocassionally go to the rebuilt town of what was once the shadowfell realm - to sell and work on more items

Since the town's form of payment is primarily services and goods and not money - he does get some pretty sweet kickbacks and of course clients who can pay will get their armor and weapons done at a faster rate

His blacksmithing there is not permenant - they just needed someone with services there every once in a while until the town could officially get their own. Think of it as his 2nd base, his vacation forge, 2nd store location if you will.

The Night They Met

When he met Faeryl - the man was like Oh Shit

The poor girl was half naked / covered in blood and hyperventaliting in the corner of his forge

"I'm so sorry. Please don't freak out. I didn't have anywhere else to hide and I don't want my father knowing. "

He asks her if he should grab the local healer and she quickly responds "No. Please don't. The locals already don't like me and they especially won't after this. I don't want to give my father anymore grief "

He brings her a blanket and a dish with warm water and a rag. He kindly asks if he can clean up the cuts and wounds on her back

As he wipes the blood off of her right shoulder he's almost taken aback - The Symbol of House Vandree is branded there in her skin.

"Please don't tell anyone" she's almost crying. He calms her down and assures he wont - perhaps he could walk her home.

"Where are you staying at? I could deliver you to your father"

"Oh. Yeah I'm staying at the old MoonRise Towers "

"Oh you and your father are staying with Halsin?"

"Uh haha technically? Halsin IS my father"

"Oh you must be one of the adopted children"

"I wish. I would've had a less traumatic childhood. Also, I'm 90 years old - so I'm not a child"

Dammon just looks at her for a second. His brain is malfunctioning. It's currently in the endless loading screen circle and playing weird dial up noises. "I didn't know Halsin had biological children"

"Yeah neither did he, nor I - Quiet frankly when that weird mummy said something I thought he was playing a joke"

"But. . . you're drow? Also you have the marking of House Vandree - one of their slaves?"

"Wow you look more confused and scared than I am, and I'm the one who just accidently murdered a family of deer. Look, It's a long, long story. I also hate to ask this - but I'm not too keen on heading back home and getting a lecture"

Dammon aggrees to let her stay for the rest of the evening - only walking her home after all the villager's had fallen alseep and gotten over the commotion of finding deer entrails near town

He does want an explanation of what all is going on if she's going to stay - so she spills everything.

He seems to be charmed by her - she's wrapped herself up in the blanket and has curled up on a cushion next to the fire. The cup of tea he's given her looks so large in her hands

Since that day - she visits him in the morning to bring him honey buns, cinnamon rolls, etc. More or less it's an excuse to see him.

Faeryl ends up visiting him in the middle of the night every so often when she can't sleep - he's normally up still working anyways

Emotional Damage Headcannons

Faeryl does NOT initally tell him that she's pregnant with is child - she's in disbelief. As far as she knew she couldn't conceive - Fey'ri are normally born when Sun Elves and Tieflings interbred.

As far as she knows she was Drow/Wood Elf - it never occured to her that she had Sun Elf in her blood, although she does have noble blood

One day he notices that Faeryl hasn't come to visit in about 2 days - which was unusual

He heads to Halsin's home to see if she's okay; Mol, Arabella, Halsin, and Greta are all in the kitchen looking STRESSED

They explain that Malice and Alistair came for her and took her back home to Menzobarranzan - forcefully - they fucking just kidnapped her and threatened to slaughter the whole town; she didn't have a choice

Halsin is pacing - worried, he explained that she can't hide her belly for long. It's already starting to show a little bit

Dammon is like "Um what?!"

Gretta sits him down at the table "She hasn't told you? She's carrying your babe."

If he were standing up his knees wouldve buckled and he wouldve hit the ground

The man wants to grab a sword and run towards the underdark - but Mol stops him and points out that hes NOT a fighter (MF ACT 2 WAS SO STRESSFUL BECAUSE HE KEPT WANTING TO JOIN IN ON THE FIGHTS AND HIS ASS KEPT DYING - I RELOADED LIKE 17 TIMES)

If House Vandree were to find out that they have a possible Fey'ri in their possession it's over - they're killing her and taking the babe. The child would be the perfect killing machine - Infernal Blood, Noble Blood, Magic Abilities

Eventually it plays out to where they do get a hold of Dammon and force him to forge Armor for House Vandree (for an upcoming war)

they only allow him to see Faeryl for a mere few minutes before they tear them apart

Anyways - that's all i have for tonight <3 I am currently in the process of writing some scripts to voice act so stay tuned for that.

[knight-of-the-round-belly]

Hell yeah! Would love to hear about your ocs!

Oh damn, I was dead for a while, and didn't realize there's such a demand. Alright anon, for you, I'll share some. I have way too many to list all of them, but here's the most used ones. I don't think I'll post pictures yet because I'm very selective on where I post art I commission, but maybe later. Posted under read more because of length.

Leona MacAonghis - My first ever vorish OC, and has a special place in my heart. She's a goliath fighter that started as a D&D character but later got used on other things, and I am in the process of trying to write a story featuring her. She's a typical excitable young hero that tries to do good and help everyone, even if her appetite often gets in the way. Her mentor is extremely disapproval of predators so she couldn't develop her natural abilities when studying under him, but he eventually accepts that part of her, and after she strikes off on her own she starts to train her very high vorish potential too. Physically, she's 2.75 meters (9 legs) tall, with fair skin, green eyes and a red ponytail. Her body type is muscular and curvy with healthy amounts of body fat, and like most of my OCs she has sharp teeth because why not.

Seraph - Lazily named seraph oc, the excuse is that her true name is impossible for mortals to comprehend. She's para-causal in nature and her true form can't exist in the material world, but she can interact with the material realm through an avatar body she creates. She has no physical sex, but chooses to present herself and identify as female. Seraph serves a deity that spends most of it's time in solitude, minding it's own business, so most of the work managing it's realm of creation falls onto her and her fellow celestials. After several billion years of service in the highest planes, she eventually got bored, and curiosity drives her to explore the universe, where she learned from the entities and phenomena she encounters. Most of all she gains an appreciation for mortals, and yearns to understand them, and get close to them in any way she can. She ends up also learning a few vices, primarily gluttony, and has gotten addicted to eating. She solves most of her problems with her mouth, and also prefers to learn about new things by ingesting them. Seraph has a tragic and lengthy backstory in one of her iterations, but I'm too lazy to go into it here.

Lurk/"The Knight" - my self-insert persona and the character in the PFP, a large knight in full white plate armour carrying a greatsword. Mostly exists to be eaten by women I find attractive, including my own or my friends' ocs, but occasionally I do serious stuff with him. Has no concrete backstory.

Betty - former enforcer bot that grew a personality, rebelled, and transed her gender. Now mostly serves herself, but will occasionally still protect her city from threats to fund her illegal body modifications. Purposely replaced her normal batteries with a matter assimilation reactor that acts as a digestive system, and feeds primarily on humans and their property. Because I'm a degenerate and also she exists in a superhero setting, she will sometimes eat a giant monster however, and can temporarily grow larger to fight them because I like mecha stuff.

I have a lot more, but I got lazy. I'll share about them later, this post is already very long overdue.

[jordanradicalblog]

Radical Blog 2

Okay it’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated this, but here we go.

First, I got my story a lot more patted down. I’ve continued on the mind theme, though I’ve sort of evolved my story into being one that is more about childhood and the fear of growing up. The fear of growing up is something we’ve all felt before and I really want to capture that with this piece. The idea of your cozy childhood being taken away from you and having to contend with the real world is scary.

I spent about a few hours one night with another person in my class named Jora. Together, him and I plotted both of our Radical ideas out. We got a big white board and started writing down as many ideas as we could think of for each of ours and then attempted to streamline them as much as possible. After that I had some time to ruminate on my idea and start putting a script together, which isn’t done but is getting there. It was a very helpful exercise that helped contain a lot of our thoughts.

I’ve been very intimidated by the project and so I’ve been talking a lot with the people within my major who have more experience than me as upper classmen and have been asking them a LOT of questions. I’m trying to take this project day by day, and while it’s a little stressful, I’m trying to be on top of it. I’d like all of pre-production to be done by the end of September. I’ve also been reaching out to a lot of people to get them onto my shoots. It’s been very busy.

I’ve also had a pitch meeting recently and had to do a write up for it. Here is the write up below (the thumbnails might not appear. I have to figure out how to work through that):

Jordan Buterbaugh jab1066@rit.edu

Radical Cinema Workshop

Proposal Worksheet

Working Title: Kiwi

Software, Material, and Technical Needs: General film equipment, sound stage, art/makeup/wardrobe/props, lighting, adobe premiere,

Medium(s): Film, animation

Installation: If I did do an installation, I think it would be viewed in a little pillow fort on a standard screen.

Aesthetic: It will have multiple aesthetics going for it due to the film having different segments. I’d like one segment to be very colorful, light, and poppy as it is mainly in the imagination of a child. I’d like one of the segments to be very dark with a lot of reds used and weird imagery. One of the segments will have a series of random colors and “trippy” images. Finally, there will be a very calming final segment. I’m not sure what it will entail but it will be very soothing and serve as sort of the center of the mind.

Pick a theme(s): I’d like it to mainly be about growing up, with supporting themes like childhood, adulthood, nostalgia, fear, and time

The Written Proposal:

I want to explore the anxieties of growing up through the lense of the human mind. My film will capture the feeling of what it’s like to be a child and realize “I’m growing up.” The moment where your carefree and safe world is being taken away from you and you're forced to contend with the change of the world and how scary it can be. As adults, it’s easy to fall back into the comfort of childhood memories and it can also be depressing to realize we might not ever be able to go back to those comforting safe memories. The world continues to grow and it continues to get scary.

I would like to show this primarily through one character, but at two different ages. One will be a young child version and the other will be the adult version. The child will exist in the realm of imagination. The images will be very storybook-like and colorful. The audience will witness the child playing in a woods like environment. He will be surrounded by animated elements like spaceships and dinosaurs. He will also use his imagination to imagine his life as a lot more crazy than it actually is, like walking across a log over some mud, but having it look like it’s over a massive chasm. To create the crazy environments I plan on overlaying live action elements with digital images, sort of like matte paintings from older days of film. The child will eventually find a mirror in which he will see himself as an adult. The mirror will be the bridge between the adult and child world, in which the adult and child will be able to reflect on themselves through the same lense. 

The adult’s world will be much scarier, with dark visuals and intense imagery. This will be the stark opposite of the child’s world, with trippy imagery as well as graphic gory imagery. It will encapsulate the fear of being alone in the world and the lack of safety and innocence. It will be the dark side of the mind. I have a friend who loves doing gory makeup and is willing to help with this sequence. I also plan on using lots of shadows and red light. As for the psychedelic aspect, I’m not entirely sure yet, but I was thinking of playing around with kaleidoscopes and lights. Most importantly, the images shown will pertain to certain traumatic experiences that happen when people get older. Things relating to concepts like heartbreak and death. It will also reflect how the world seems to get more ugly the older you get, with cruelty found in many places.

As for the end of the film, I want the two characters to embrace each other both physically and metaphorically. They’ll be in the center of the mind, which I think will be a white void. I want the adult to physically hug his younger self and the younger self to embrace his older self. Their worlds will unite, mixing the scary adult world with the child’s world. The adult reconnecting with his younger self and the child embracing his future self. As an ending, I’d love for the two to hold hands and walk into a white light showing that the person is ready to embrace the future.

Moodboard:

Thumbnails:

[reginavulturum]

Addendum:

So I recently subscribed to Max and I've been watching "Batman Beyond" in the background while working on other stuff and I came across a few moments from the series that I seemed to have missed in the initial timeline so I figured I should write this addendum to smooth out some rough edges I've discovered.

But first, a word from our disclaimer:

I don't know if I made this clear enough before so I'll try to make things explicitly clear now. The timeline I made exists primarily as a personal reference for my fanfic writings. I've got plans in the works for a Batman Beyond fanfic series and a cohesive timeline for the actual series is essential to those plans. This addendum and the original timeline and even the post about Terry's birthday exist to give my Batman Beyond fanfic writings more structure.

My narrative preferences absolutely influenced how I structured the timeline and the interpretations/assumptions I made about certain information we're given in the series proper. I don't even touch DCAU tie-in material when it comes to canon (I tend to think of the tie-in comics and games and whatever as happening in an adjacent universe). I wasn't aiming for strict, exact adherence to the precise wording of things we're told about the timeline across the DCAU, that's why I outright disregarded the "The Zeta Project" and added my interpretations into parts of the dialogue.

When I feel I have to, I interpret things to make my timeline more cohesive and narratively sensible in a reasonable way without erasing/retconning anything from the series itself. I don't have to do it this way, I choose to because that's my preference. Doing things this way is essential for me when the timeline is important to the fanfic ideas I want to write. Keep all that in mind when looking at the timeline and this addendum.

And now, for our feature presentation:

(1) Disappearing Inque

In "Disappearing Inque", Terry says to Bruce, "It's taken me what? Six months just to get you to show me around the cave." Terry sounds uncertain here so it could be more like 4 1/2 to 5-ish months that he's unconsciously rounding up to 6. We also know that he's been extremely busy during this time so it may be that he's approximating the time based more on how long he feels it's been rather than thinking of what the exact date is that day and how long it's been since he became Batman. This interpretation is within the realm of possibility so this episode can still fit into my timeline.

(2) Earth Mover

In "Earth Mover", Terry mentions he would have been 7 years old ten years prior to the time when that episode occurs. We know the series likely begins before March per episode 4, "Golem", and that episode 27, "Eyewitness" likely occurs in November since that's a typical month for an election and Sam seems to be coming to the end of his campaign. Now to me, it makes sense for those two episodes to have occurred within the same year. That would make "Joyride" (ep. 16) and "Lost Soul" (ep. 17) the perfect place to put Terry's Summer break between the Spring and Fall semesters because he isn't shown in school in those episodes. Considering all of that, it makes sense for "Earth Mover" (ep. 15) to occur near the end of the school year in late May.

My timeline assumes that Terry's 16th birthday occurs shortly before "Rebirth", after the start of his second semester of sophomore year but before Spring break, so if we place his birthday (see I made this post for a reason) around January/February than he's about 16 1/2 by the time of "Earth Mover". In other words, he might unconsciously round 16 1/2 up to 17 first and then subtract 10. This interpretation is reasonably possible so this episode can still fit into my timeline, though I admit it requires some fussing.

(3) Big Time

In "Big Time" Terry says Charlie Bigelow was in prison for three years. Now this one I just plain messed up. I really don't know how I missed this either because I watched "Big Time" while making the timeline, but here we are. I guess I just wasn't paying as close attention to the dialogue as I thought. However, I am too unreasonably committed to my timeline at this point and I make absolutely no apologies. There is a way to interpret this information to fit in with things as I've laid them out.

Just from the dialogue alone it's obvious Terry is giving Max a short, quick version of his and Charlie's history. Since that's the case, than the dialogue could reasonably be interpreted like this, "Charlie was 18 and I was 14 [when we first met]. My folks were breaking up and he and I were being...angry kids. [Over the next several months we went around] Busting windows, shoplifting [and during this time I turned 15 and started my first semester of sophomore year]. Then Charlie decided to prove himself to this big gang and he dragged me along on a heist." In this case, I'm assuming they would've met when Terry started his second semester of freshman year at age 14 with a 15th birthday quickly coming up, while Charlie was in the second semester of his senior year having just turned 18. Terry goes on to say that he and Charlie were caught and while he did 90 days in juvie, "That was a slap on the wrist next to Charlie. He was in prison for 3 years." Terry doesn't necessarily have to mean three 12 month years exactly (she said while obviously coping). The dialogue could be tortured into interpreted as meaning, "He was in prison for 3 years [the rest of 2038, all of 2039, and most of 2040]".

I admit, this interpretation is more me hammering things into place to fit my preferences, but like I said, I'm not going to apologize for that. This interpretation is possible so this episode can still fit into my timeline. Moreover, in "Rebirth", the way Terry and everyone around him acts kind of gives the impression that his time in juvie is fresh in their minds. His anger over not living with Mary and Matt is pretty raw, he's probably been separated from Matt for being a "bad influence" and from the way Terry talks about his mom, it sounds like that separation was Warren's idea not hers. Warren is on edge with him in general, Nelson calls him a "freakjob" just for defending himself against Jokerz, and Terry is acting like he's got something to prove. Narratively it makes more sense and is more satisfying in terms of character development, in my opinion, if his time in juvie was recent at the time of "Rebirth".

The thrilling conclusion:

Will I ever stop writing long, rambling, overedited posts about subjects that aren't really that important in the grand scheme of things? Will my Batman Beyond fanfic series ever see the light of day? Will this blog ever be used for its original purpose of posting about my Star Wars fanfics?

Stay tuned! Same bat-time, same bat-channel!

Batman Beyond Series Timeline

NOTE: I created this timeline based on the idea that Terry doesn't become Batman until the second half of his sophomore year and then I just sort of pieced everything together from there and it worked out pretty well for the most part. If I've messed anything up though, please let me know. I've included some further explanations for my decisions about this timeline as well as some thoughts about how this timeline effects the series after the read more. Also it might be helpful as you read this to have the episode list on hand.

Between January and May of 2039, during the second half of Terry’s sophomore year, he becomes Batman. This time spans from “Rebirth” to “Earth Mover” with Terry becoming Batman before Spring but after he turns 16. This puts his birthday between January and, at the latest, March, assuming the Spring Fling in “Golem” happens right before Spring break. This means that Spring break of 2039 occurs between “Golem” and “Meltdown”.

Summer break 2039 occurs between mid-late May to mid-late August over the time span of “Joyride” to “Lost Soul”

The first half of Terry’s junior year begins in mid-late August of 2039 and ends sometime in late December. This time spans from “Hidden Agenda” to “Final Cut” with Winter break occurring between “Final Cut” and “The Last Resort”.

The beginning of the second half of Terry’s junior year starts sometime in January 2040 until Spring break. During this time, Terry would have turned 17. This time spans from “The Last Resort” to “Zeta”. Spring break occurs after “Zeta” and ends right around the time of “Plague”. The rest of Terry’s junior year occurs in the time span of “April Moon” to “Ace in the Hole” (approx.  mid-late March to mid-late May) with “King’s Ransom” occurring either right before or right after the beginning of Summer break.

Summer of 2040 occurs from mid-late May to mid-late August. “Return of the Joker” happens sometime after “King’s Ransom” but before “Untouchable” with “Untouchable” being the last Summer episode before the new school year.

The first half of Terry’s senior year begins in mid-late August of 2040 and ends in late December. This time spans from “Inqueling” to “Unmasked”. “Out of the Past” occurs in late October. From “Out of the Past to “Unmasked”, the rest of the season takes place between November and early December. The crossover episode with “The Zeta Project”, “Shadows”, has to occur immediately after “Countdown” in either late November or early December with “Unmasked” happening shortly after that.

The “Static Shock” crossover episode “Future Shock” occurs after “Unmasked”, either right before or right after the beginning of Winter break of 2040 in late December.

The "Justice League: Unlimited" episode "Epilogue" occurs 15 years after "Rebirth" when Terry is 31.

1. The Zeta Problem

(a) In the animated series “The Zeta Project”, we’re told that Zeta (see "Going Rogue" section) broke from his programming and went on the run in early August of 2041. This timeline assumes that that date is incorrect along with any other timeline discrepancies caused by that show. “Zeta” can’t be in August if “Plague” is in March.

2. Assumptions and Explanations

(a) I know some people think that Terry’s exchange with the security guard outside Blight’s office in “Rebrith” (“little early for Halloween”/”just in time for Fall”) means that episode occurs in Fall of 2039, but sometimes a joke is just a joke and it makes more sense for the Spring Fling to occur in “Golem” two episodes later if Terry became Batman only a couple of months at most before that dance.

(b) Max likely discovers Terry is Batman towards the beginning of junior year, around late August to early September at most. I and others place this episode in Fall because a poster for a Homecoming Dance is featured in one scene and those usually happen at the beginning of the school year. I think the GAT is probably a General Aptitude Test given at the beginning of each new school year to determine where students are at academically before finalizing class schedules.

(c) In the episode “Revenant”, Terry’s reference to Willie getting out in time for junior prom after two more months in juvie could be read as “just in time for junior prom [at the end of the school year]” not that they’re necessarily two months away from the end of junior year. With Spring break happening nine episodes later, a lot more time than two months would have to pass for Willie to get out just barely in time for junior prom.

(d) The episode “Eyewitness” most likely occurs in November of 2039 since Sam Young is up for re-election as district attorney.

(e) The reason I set “Out of the Past” in late October of 2040 is because in at least one other Batman cartoon, "The Batman" (2004), Bruce's birthday is in October (see "Trivia" section). If you do a quick google search, there's like three other birthdays/months listed for Bruce across the DC multiverse so I just went with the one that was most convenient to my timeline and I make no apologies.

(f) I tend to think that “The Call” had to occur during Thanksgiving break because I can’t imagine Mary would have let Bruce send Terry to Metropolis if he wasn't on break, but that’s just an assumption.

(g) I believe Terry’s training with Kairi began around the start of his senior year and continued through until part 2 of “Curse of the Kobra”. I believe the events we see through most of part 1 of “Curse of the Kobra” occurred over the same span of time that passes between “Inqueling” and “Betrayal”. Mostly I believe this is the case because Terry’s training probably would have taken months and thinking of it this way makes the timline a bit tidier.  

(h) I set “Future Shock” right after “Unmasked” because KOBRA has a new leader (Zander is gone) and I kept it in December on the timeline because Terry looks dressed for cold weather.

(i) In the "Justice League: Unlimited" episode "Epilogue", Terry says that he was 16 when he became Batman. Some people think that means he didn't become Batman until the beginning of his junior year, but it's just as possible he became Batman during the second half of sophomore year if he has a birthday between January to March at the absolute latest (see my first bullet point for why). We know "Epilogue" occurs 15 years after "Rebirth" because Dana says she and Terry have been dating for 15 years and we know they likely didn't start dating until just before "Rebirth" when they were 16.

3. Rebirth Recontextualized

(a) Assuming “Big Time” occurs in September to early October of 2040 and we know Charlie Bigelow spent two years in jail, than he and Terry must have gone to prison sometime in September to early October of 2038. This would’ve been during the first half of Terry’s sophomore year and explains why in “Rebirth” he’s been split up from Matt (his parents think he’s a bad influence) and why things are so tense between him and Warren. If Terry was arrested in September/early October and did 3 months then he might not have gotten out of juvie until around late December/winter break, right before the series starts during the second half of his sophomore year. It seems that between his release and becoming Batman is when he and Dana got together since Mary talks like she doesn’t really know her in “Rebirth”. He’s basically just a couple months out of juvie when he becomes Batman.

(b) The first comic featuring Batman was published in March of 1939, so “Batman Beyond” starting around the same time of year in 2039 is really satisfying. As it happened, it was fairly easy to fit a timeline around that start time without too much finagling.

[synergysilhouette]

Some changes I'd make to Bayonetta's story

For so long, I was pretty disappointed by the story aspect of Bayonetta, and fans would essentially tell me that the game was more designed for gameplay rather than story content. As someone who plays for story (primarily), I didn't understand why we were given such a cool concept if it would be phoned in. This made me want to make some changes.

Bayonetta 1. Explain more info on the culture of the witches/sages. I imagine that if they're gender-specific, then they typically procreate with humans (or maybe other supernatural creatures; that'd be cool) and the daughters of sages and sons of witches are left with their human parents. 2. Show more of Bayonetta's past, not just her friendship with Jeanne. 3. Make it so that Jeanne, Bayonetta, and Balder aren't the only witches and sage in the world; make the clans go into hiding following the war and having suffered many casualties, secretly plotting against each other. This will be important in B3. For most of this game though, Bayonetta is battling other sages, along with a few witches who want to control/recover the Eyes of the World. 4. Give us other creatures to contend with outside of angels and demons, ones that stay within the human realm. 5. Make Luka actually matter. I like him, but his whole "revenge for my father" thing doesn't really work because nothing he does will ever harm Bayonetta or Balder. Maybe make him a human immune to demon/angel attacks, or one of the other species I mentioned? Maybe the king of fairies like Lukaon?

Bayonetta 2 1. Let Loki actually be a force to be reckoned with. While he can stand his own against some angels, he can't do anything against bosses, which is pretty underwhelming, given his power. Plus I'd probably nix the amnesia arc; it's Bayonetta 2.0. And maybe make him a bit less brash; Bayonetta is just as cheeky as him, but much more sophisticated. Make him a bit more charming to match his mischievous side. 2. Remove young Balder, but involve more witches/sages to discover/recruit/battle against. It'd be mostly witches if we go to Inferno, though Loptr has recruited/brainwashed sages. We can still get more flashbacks of Bayonetta's life, though! 3. Have most of the game take place in Inferno, resulting in the 80% witch/demon and 20% sage/angel battle and recruit ratio. 4. Have Bayonetta battle against Sheba following her journey into Inferno, either because the demon/witch alliance is fluctuating, or because some sages are on Bayonetta's side at this point. 5. Have something between Luka and Bayonetta form here, assuming they're still going to go the romantic route in B3. 6. Show Bayonetta and Jeanne in their daily lives. Having Jeanne as a high school teacher would be so cool, along with seeing if they have friends outside of their battle group.

Bayonetta 3 1. Untether the multiverse story. It comes out of nowhere, with no buildup from the other games. Instead have Singularity incite another war between sages and witches, hoping to wipe them all out, noting that his ability to traverse other universes after destroying ours. He'd also be scoping out sons of witches and daughters of sages to reveal their true identity and manipulate their pain and hatred. I'm essentially nixing the sci-fi stuff; he's a supernatural being, not an artifical human. Maybe mention that he uses Purgatorio in order to traverse through different multiverses. The battle would be Bayonetta and allies against witches and sages in equal measure--though perhaps certain bosses include the sons of witches and daughters of sages who are hurt for being cast aside. 2. Give Viola a better design. Granted, everyone except Jeanne has a rather drab color scheme, but Viola's whole look is too busy! Personal preference. I also like the idea that Loki/Aesir is the one who brought her to present day. 3. Allow Bayonetta/Luka/Jeanne to take on different forms; even if they're not traversing the multiverse, I like the idea of them calling upon their alternate selves' powers to save their universe. 4. Make Viola Jeanne's daughter. I'm mainly saying this because of their hair similarity, but I like the idea that the next generation has to do with Jeanne rather than her Umbra sister. Her father is undisclosed. Kinda like the idea of Luka asking Bayonetta if Viola is hers and we get a callback to "raising children vs making a baby" from B1. 5. The story ends with the decimation of both clans--seemingly. In reality, the witches and sages now integrate themselves into society largely made up of the Umbran Warlocks and Lumen Sages (daughters), continuing to influence them, though the sage vs witch war has made them want to focus on rebuilding themselves rather than picking fights, sparking hope for unity (albeit separate unity, similar to before).

[natsukisayuriuzumakiuchiha]

Yamcha y Freezer Ao3

When I saw @pen.lilixeesketch's drawings posted on her instagram profile I liked them a lot… however back then there weren't many fanfics/stories related to this unusual couple…

(Instagram profile link: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0rWL1WFV7I/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)

However, over time, there were writers who moved us with their words and writings. In Ao3 there are a number of great stories about these two characters.

Here are the 10 links to the stories I've read so many times… I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do.

1.- Half a World Away for @majinpiccolo and SkinsT

Summary:

With Vegeta and Nappa rapidly approaching Earth, Yamcha has been training his hardest to face the oncoming threat. In a night of boredom, he finds Radditz's scouter in Bulma's lab, connecting him to someone that will change his, and their, life forever...

Starts during the Saiyan saga, will progress onwards through to Super.

2.- Survive to Save for SkinsT

Summary:

Frieza is summoned to assist with the invasion from the Demon Realm, as this could be the worst mission ever faced. But he remains very reluctant to take part in the battle. In a twist of events, Yamcha learns exactly why this is.

Takes place in the Xenoverse 2 Universe. Can still be read without playing the game, but there are some minor spoilers.

3.- Dancing Gods for SkinsT

Summary:

Where Beerus once stood, now stands Frieza, and his angel attendant is Yamcha. In Universe 7, things stay the same, but some things change completely. And as always... some things go entirely different than anyone could dream of, even the God's themselves.

(AU story of Frieza as the God of Destruction in place of Beerus, and Yamcha in place of Whis. This will not be a full retelling of DBS, but rather snippets here and there. The focus will be on Yamcha and Frieza primarily, with everything else as a background.)

4.- The entire Redcurrant saga of SkinsT

Summary:

What happens when a former tyrant comes back to life, put on a leash by the God of Destruction and is not the happiest camper, he finds amusement in the most unlikely of people? Set after Dragonball Super.

5.- Take a Deep Breath for @majinpiccolo

Summary:

Becoming a god is the first step in Frieza's plan to take control of all universes, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to reach that goal. But... some of the 'tests' he's been given to prove he's a suitable candidate seem almost like they're more for Beerus and Whis's twisted amusement than anything else. And now they want him to go on a date?! But Frieza isn't one to back down from a challenge, and while he's always been far too busy to worry about romance in the past, how hard can finding someone he can last through one single date with be? The deities have also assigned him some help to guide him through the world of dating- the eternally unlucky in love Yamcha. The human quickly warms up to the task when he realizes this could be the push he needed to finally make his own dreams of finding true love a reality! While the emperor of not caring about other people and the king of failed romance might not be a dream team for this seemingly simple task, they're not going to give up. Sometimes, when it comes to romance, all you need to do is take a deep breath and dive in...

6.- Perfect Stranger for @majinpiccolo

Summary:

When Yamcha wishes for more strength than a human body can handle the dragon instead transforms him into a member of Frieza's race. Hungry for a chance to prove himself and win the respect of his friends he heads out into space, planning to defeat the tyrant once and for all... but things don't exactly work out as he'd expected.

A story about two men, two transformations, two relationships, and how opposites attract.

7.- Restraining Order for JJJJORDAN

Summary:

"He's been tagged with a tracker that will go off when he leaves the atmosphere. Immediately putting him under arrest. And it will stay like that until the one who issued the restraining order lifts it.... and I am just going to tell you up front, that is not going to happen any time soon."

This isn't a full story. but a really small and dumb interaction I wanted to flesh out and share. The idea that Yamcha is legally not allowed to leave the planet, and Bulma is extremely confused on how and why.

You know who, I know who, Yamcha knows who, will Bulma figure it out?

8.- Don't Look Down for SecretWeaponSeven

It was supposed to just be once.

One night together so that Frieza and Yamcha could work through their forbidden mutual attraction.

But they couldn't stop there...

Falling in love can be a tricky thing, however, and it can change people- and this change isn't always for the better. It can be enough to make someone who was already a villain become even more jealous, possessive, and controlling, and it just might be enough to make a hero so single minded that he loses sight of everything else...

A smutty fic that's gonna get a bit dark. Don't say I didn't warn you.

9.- Free Of Charge for NobodyOfRelevancy

Summary:

Yamcha is looking for love, and is unable to resist the most beautiful creature he's possibly ever seen. Strip Club AU.

10.- Watch Your Wording for @majinpiccolo

Summary:

When Yamcha gathered the Dragon Balls and wished for a soulmate to be by his side forever, he got two surprises- first, that his soulmate is apparently a super villain, and second, that the dragon interpreted this wish very, very literally...

At another time post another list of 10 stories of this couple (Yamza forever).

[solarstellarstar]

“Fumika Solar, correct?”

—Standing there presently by the door outside of the homeroom——earlier just a few minutes ago right after a few knocks from him was answered and thus his request towards the main teacher of the homeroom to summon a particular student was then granted, —

—A couple minutes of silence was maintained as he remained postured outside the classroom calmly, throughout the brief process of the order of presence to finally show up eventually in his sight and stand in the height not considered the most common for a female student to have—

—Looking down at her howbeit, from the mere ambience and vibe which he is receiving coming from her sole presence alone --before even judging from her over accesorized of looks and appearance —

—he can easily tell that she isn't one that comes with an ordinary status, and from what he can predict and instinct or primarily assumed for a fact-- she might or might not be someone that works close to an idol--or even be part of the industry itself, for its saying—

—but that still doesn't excuse herself for acting all stuck up and righteous from such a status, much as the reason what had led him all the way from his silent inhabitation in one of his detention room marking the quizzes and assignments submitted by the students which he personally tutor-- —

—The significant frown of displeasure on his face aside from that usual signature blank look of an expression painted as general quotidian was enough the evidence to show that someone had indeed gotten themselves within the realms troubled waters —

—As whether they are considered lucky or not that the person in charge to resolve this matter considered disciplinary violations is him and not the Headmaster himself who first--or rather seconded discovered such a matter of a minor setback of the harmonious and supposedly comfortable environment of a school for everyone without much of the double standards applied, for awhile, he didn't intend to step in in anyway as-- well, quite bias of him for doing so considering the circumstances faced almost mutual-- yet given different positions, not-- —

—But--Well, anyway-- that's up for them to decide ——

—Or should I say in this case, Miss Fumika Solar to decide, whether the ‘destiny’ which she had ended up upon over the consequences of her quite distasteful behavior in school recently—

—is worth a misunderstanding to be justified —

—Or a crime to be condemned with a rational punishment —

“—Come with me.”

—facing such a fidgeting and seemingly unnerving student, he tend not to delay anymore of his precious time especially to linger outside in the hallway full eyes of the inquisitive and of unrelated business darted towards their presence-- —

—turning away, he didn't watch and wait for the other to react as he started heading off himself towards the direction of where one of his empty rooms of detention is situated, expecting the other behind to tag along much as his ears were perceiving of such movement despite not from his eyes, that he look forward to hear without the further of a saying—

—much as she should be doing thereon from this point onward where she had marked herself questionable to a fact to be ended up in such a ‘crime���—

—that is worth a consultation to be conclude with a resolvement for once and for the sake of all——

[Solar's charming smile dissolves upon hearing her full name being called out by someone outside the classroom. She peers out in curiosity and much to her dismay- it was the teacher who many of her own fans loved. A man who had a fair share of his own charms but still had a demanding and critical demeanour, especially when dealing with students that got themselves onto the bad side of school discipline]

[Some of the other students in the classroom made an amused and interested 'ooooh' sound in unison, suggesting that Solar was in fact in trouble. This caused her to frown in annoyance and glared at the people surrounding her in response]

"!!"

[Before she could catch another glance of the man's displeased and intimidating expression, he had already turned around and began to walk off after commanding her to leave the classroom and follow him]

[With all eyes on her plus the nod of agreement from the teacher of the homeroom, the girl had no choice but to follow his order. Her expression screamed, "Geez, can't you just wait for me and slow down?!" as she rose from her seat and carefully pushed through her small circle of fangirls and fanboys to get to the door]

[Unfortunately, her balance slightly falters due to the unusual nature of her strap heels- but Solar's determined to not let any other obstacle humiliate her anymore as she grips to her surroundings for support]

["Whatever could I have done to end up in such circumstances like this?" She thought to herself as all the incidents that occurred in the current day replayed over and over in her mind. From what the idol-in-training could remember, none of her antics atoned for the sudden 'pulling out of class' incident like this. But of course, every little movement of hers was automatically justified in her mindset in order to adapt to this perfect, innocent image she had of herself]

[After she's finally able to match up to the man's speed, despite her shoes hindering her movement, she questions him:]

"What... do you exactly need me for?"

[Her words don't leave her mouth without a tinge of cautiousness and distrust, however.]

[eredeha-a]

this is just a rambly time place portrayal post for kaia spencer to assist with plotting purposes with those who would like to write with / send asks but might not know where to begin! anything is subject to change depending on dynamics but i hope this helps! this post breaks down pre ARR through HW and the others will be posted at a later time!

it should also be noted that kaia’s primary canons are that she’s a companion oc and not a warrior of light, she does have a wol au which absolutely utilizes her canon but certain reactions and experiences might alter if that au is incorporated.

↪ prior to msq events: ( timeline is anything that takes place prior to a realm reborn starting, from childhood to establishing herself as white viola. )

born to the spencer family, a well-known family of various mages ( though they specialize with white mage ); kaia is next in line to become head of the family, following in the footsteps of her mother.

her home is an island just a bit away from limsa.

her family also is well known for alchemy and potions making thanks to her mother, who’s created a successful business off her of personal creations.

she’s made many trips to sharlayan for various extended studies due to her father constantly visiting and having work along with various scholars in attendance.

kaia is betrothed via arrange marriage to a partnering family to rivero, but growing up doesn’t realize this until she’s a young teenager, her attempts to run away from home start there and fail until her early twenties due to not wanting to have her life controlled and planned out for her the way her family sets her up with. 

when kaia finally escapes her home to one of the starting cities on board a delivery airship, she creates an alias for both personal and professional: kaia rivers and the white viola.

the white viola starts to become a well known story around gridania. from stealing key items and gems, to accepting missions for the right price; she leaves behind her name flower as a calling card when she commits her crimes. 

↪ a realm reborn: ( timeline is the start of 2.0 through the events of ARR and the patch content of 2.55. )

white viola is causing problems on purpose. it’s been a few years since her start and various npcs request the wol looks into this.

while she primarily bases her work in gridania, she has branched out to ul’dah and limsa but the other two cities don’t get hit as much in comparison. especially limsa.

kaia’s a bard, she does bard things and teases those around her with her music.

her echo actually permits her to create a tiny visual of what she’s thinking about, it links with her red string of fate like tug that it causes for her.

it’s a fun cat and mouse game when it comes to white viola, but kaia starts to grow more intrigued by the wol and slowly assists with various quests here and there. 

↪ heavensward:  ( timeline is the start of 3.0 through the events of HW and the patch content of 3.56. )

kaia makes her way to ishgard after witnessing the aftermath to the warrior of light during the end of ARR patch, by this point, there’s a familiar back and forth and she decides to hunt them down and officially joins the group as a companion.

her identity ( this is up in the air depending on plotting purposes! ) as white viola is still a secret and not revealed at this time, she manages to sneak away and still carry out certain tasks around the area as a result.

she picks up white mage again, deciding to be a healer.

kaia teases and messes with the elezen trio all the time, whenever she can, it’s a great time for her. ( again, nothing ever is assumed, only plotted with other rpers, if a certain dynamic doesn’t suit your fancy we can always alter it for any npc! )

[the-nysh]

I don't know why, but I have this mental image of the next meeting between Garou and Superallor Darkshine in a very specific way:

"Garou is just minding his business in the HA and then just crosses path with Darkshine...

And he starts screaming in waving his arms around before jumping out of a window (yes, he does not care how high is the building)

And Garou just like through the window following Darkshine's escaping figure through the base with a huge drop of sweat in a side of his head and with an expression like this O____O"

What u think?

With him flipping out in fear/insecurity and leaping out a window, cartoon style?! Oooh, the poor guy... Fighting Garou exposed Darkshine's frail self-image (easily shattered) and while he's a kind soul, he realized he's unfit to work as a hero, cause he primarily fought assured wins to feel better about himself - having extremely poor/vulnerable confidence armed behind a hulking/massive muscle wall of defense. (So Darkshine 'retires' to focus on helping others train & body build more confidence later.) But aaaa;;; this time, beyond just Garou exposing his weakness, Darkshine suffered far worse ptsd from Fuhrer literally (acid) melting away his prized muscle armor. D: That'll probably leave really ugly lasing scars - both emotionally and physically.

So while Darkshine did show a moment reaching out in concern to Garou (when he bowled over in pain, and Darkshine told him to run to escape the collapsing room + falling rubble) whether seeing Garou again triggers a panic attack of all his worst memories remains to be seen (and Garou will have no clue what else he suffered at the hands of the cadres - that'll be beyond his realm, or even his fault/responsibility there, to know what happened)....but I really doubt Darkshine will be in the mood to confront or fight/spar with Garou anytime soon, if anything. Cause after having his self-image repeatedly shattered, Darkshine will primarily be on his own separate road to recovery. :’3 

[hopeshoodie]

Ok so in light of the Independent article (see my tag #fusebox layoffs for more info), I’ve been trying to piece together the sequence of events that lead to FB Going to Shit™. 

All of the below is based on articles, tweets from the staff, and dates from screenshots. Especially with the Matchmaker stuff, I’m using the dates I personally accessed the stories- that might not be accurate to when they were actually released to an international audience, just when my phone updated the app. In hindsight, I’m not a great person to do this because I have a shit memory and don’t keep receipts, so if you have any corrections PLEASE lmk either in the dms or replies. 

In sum, the timeline appears to be:

1. Key players left Fusebox in early 2020. 

The one that people are probably most familiar with is David Gallopim, one of the artists who helped define the S2’s distinct style, leaving sometime before March 2020. He seemed to indicate that there was conflict over the new art style of S3, and released assets he’d designed of Harry in his own style (notably way prettier than Harry looks in-game). 

But probably more important to the direction of the company, Michael Othen, one of the co-founders and former CEO, left in July of 2020 (I had thought it was earlier in the year but according to LinkedIn it was July). It’s much more unclear why he left, but it’s notable because he was a huge force in making the game inclusive of LGBTQ characters. 

So all in all, not a great sign when employees who had a huge hand in creating the content and direction of a game that defined its success jump ship. Especially after the game was seemingly hitting its stride, with the host of Love Island (the TV show) doing a sponsored Let’s Play of S3 and projects in the works like Boat Party and CMM.

2. It seems like Fusebox‘s CEO/executives hired new management, either in 2020 or early 2021. Employees complain that the executives don’t understand what it takes to make a game and are pulling the studio in the wrong direction. It’s unclear if the newly hired execs had experience. 

Wil Stephens, the CEO/founder, has been with FB since its inception but also appears to have only founded game distribution ventures and not worked in any development or employment capacity. If that’s the case, maybe the complaints about lack of experience/knowledge about the mechanics of making games work are about him. If not, then some of the newly hired execs would likely be to blame. 

Paul Virapen, COO, was brought on in November of 2020. He’s worked with Disney’s gaming division, Big Pixel studios, Wooga. The quality of that experience is dubious since he headed up the ‘let’s make apps for Apple watches, it’ll be the next big thing’ department… Lol. Notably also, all of his roles had been in the executive/managerial realm, not the development teams, so the complains might have been about him. THIS IS SPECULATION, but I’m willing to bet that Virapen was a if not THE driving force in switching Fusebox’s focus entirely to matchmaker. All the studios he’s worked with have primarily produced and promoted Match 3 games, and he has a background working with big studios that produce games for large international audiences, not small studios making narrative games for limited audiences.

A new Manager of Finances, Ruth Erskine, was brought on in December of 2020

Rob Goddard, a new producer, was brought in January of 2021

Several key operations positions were filled by existing employees being promoted to management- 2 as far as I can tell. But as a whole it seems like December 2020 was a huge shift in leadership for the upper management while a lot of the other teams expanded but kept their old players as well.

3. At some point in late 2020- mid 2021, the executive team made the decision to switch LITG’s focus from a narrative pass-based game to a Match 3 incorporating romance narrative cut scenes. In early 2021, Fusebox teased more content to come while releasing S3 (seemingly referring to Matchmaker and not S4). In the interim between S3 endings and Boat Party’s release they put out an interview confirming the new game will be Match 3 but did seem to indicate that the plan at that time was for Matchmaker to be a side project with a different development team and not replace the main game. Notably, the LITG writers and artists were reassured that their roles will continue to exist (according to the independent article) as they’re working on S4.

3. In September of 2020, Matchmaker became briefly available in the US. That’s when I first downloaded it, at least. It would be added/removed from the google play store multiple times before having a unilateral release in July of 2021. 

Throughout 2020, Matchmaker is available to Asian audiences solely with LITG S1 getting rolled out in incremental updates. 

Eventually, Beanie Quinn is released (March 2021)

LA Noir is released (May 2021)

Seduction Games is released (late May or June 2021- I got the update and played it June 3rd, but hadn’t opened the app for a month or so. It might have come out before then, which is unfortunate for this timeline since it’s so inextricably linked to the open letter and layoff dates)

LITG S2 is released (only like 20 levels of it) the same month- June 19th for me. Notably, all of these stories are only released to an international audience, with the UK and USA still not having access to the app.

4. At the same time, Fusebox’s internal affairs are pretty quiet from 2020-2021, at least on social media. 

S3 comes out in 2020, Boat Party comes out later in the year and finishes in 2021. Post S3 in October of 2021, a survey goes out gauging player interest in new art styles and representation, which was pretty in keeping with past actions and seemed promising for S4. 

Boat Party features a promising cross promotion implementing irl brands into the game. It’s unclear if enough money was made from this on FB or the sponsor’s end to make that strategy viable, but that might’ve impacted management’s outlook for the profitability of LITG.  

Fusebox teases more content for the summer on Instagram, and then follows up and confirms it’ll be a proper season.

5. More key players leave in early 2021

Ed Sibley is still listed as Narrative Direction on LinkedIn, but he’s not credited as a writer on Season 4 (he was on 3,2,and 1) and started work with NetSpeak games in May of 2021, so we can assume he left around then or at least transitioned away from Fusebox then.

Fred Francis, another writer who had been on the team since S1, turns in his resignation ‘weeks’ before the layoffs were announced in late June. So we can assume he made his exit sometime early June or late May.

6. Prior to the release of Seduction games in May/June, staff expressed concern about the biphobia in Seduction Games. No sources have given a specific time when this took place. They were reassured that the problem would be corrected prior to release, but then the story was released as is to an international audience in June. The article released by the Independent is unclear- there might have been discussion prior to the open letter where staff expressed concerns and then were reassured before the game going live. OR the open letter might have been the first expression of concern by the staff. I tend to think the former, and the open letter was a response to Matchmaker going live with Seduction Games anyways, but I have no proof for that. On May 24th, 31 employees sent an open letter of concern regarding the problematic content in Matchmaker. This letter isn’t public, so we don’t know the scope of the employees' concerns or who the employees were.

7. To resolve the situation, a meeting between the staff and at least the COO (likely more than just him though) was held sometime after May 24th. Allegedly, Virapen was disrespectful to the employees who had questions, refused to answer, and ended the meeting early before any resolution was had by closing his laptop and leaving the room. At least 4 HR complaints were made in the wake of that meeting, we do not know the nature of those complaints. 

8. Some time mid-July (maybe July 26th? A writer tweeted about their job ending soon on that date), employees were made aware that the LITG app would move into ‘sunset mode’. It’s unclear what was communicated, but it seems as though S4 will be heavily delayed or cancelled altogether and no future seasons would be made. Writers begin to post about looking for work on Twitter

9. June 30th- The majority of Fusebox writing staff announce on twitter they’re out of work. In addition to the entire writing staff, unity engineers and producers are also let go.

10. July 5th - Fusebox executives respond to an article by MCVUK with a statement asserting they were “consulting with [their] employees on a proposed change to its business model” that would focus on producing Matchmaker content. They also expounded that the move was to secure “cash injections and and continued support from respected investors across the media and gaming industry”

11. July 6th- Fusebox announces that S4 will be delayed from the summer release date and that there is no fixed release date. 

12. August 2nd- three jobs are posted to Fusebox’s careers page on their website, one being Head of Narrative Content. In the job listing, it specifies that they’ll be maintaining existing properties as well as new ones, and that because of the co-development model (re:fusebox outsourcing Matchmaker to another studio) the new Narrative Lead must collaborate with external content creators.

Hopefully posting this timeline gives players a better understanding of how radically Fusebox has changed in the course of 2021 (and how royally they screwed over the people who made LITG what it is). Again, please let me know if you have receipts showing dates are different or things to add.