#all i need now is sort out my pc desk and then i'll sort out my bed and change the sheets and vacuum and i'll be done!!

[fadeintoyou1993]

i'm still cleaning my room 🥹

[oddballwriter]

Hi! Don't know if this will go through but could I request a little something? Can I request the moon boys with a reader who's an indie game dev? I'm starting to learn how to do some game making stuff and want to make a indie game of my own and wanted to just see what you would think up for something like that. If this is too weird or hard for you to do then feel free to pass on it. No pressure. Have a nice day ^3^ <3

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Warnings: Not really anything that I can think of

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

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Steven Grant

I think out of the three of them, Steven is the most interested in your work and process

He just likes to see you design, format, and type away in order to make your game

Maybe you do the soundtrack and OST too, he thinks that's fun to see too

I don't think Steven really does video games but I did see a fly post from someone who said that they think Steven would like the Portal games and I can see that

He loves puzzles already, so why not a puzzle based video game

Anyways, I think that he'd test play it a little. Not to a professional level. Sort of as a guinea pig to represent regular players

Unless it's a horror game. Steven can appreciate the art of horror games but from a distance

His ass could not handle the Silent Hill franchise and P.T.

(I have so much in my brain for like... games that I think the boys would like and maybe I'll do that in a second after this. Feel free to converse about games that y'all think they'd hypothetically enjoy)

Marc Spector

Marc doesn't really know how it all works. He knows there's coding and stuff but that's it

He finds it kind of funny when he sees you at your desk working on your game wither it be design, soundtrack, or details

He does try to understand stuff even if he doesn't really get it

Like when you were worried and up all night because you sent in your game to be checked for bugs, glitches, and other things

You had to kindly explain to him that although it's good so that you can have the game be better for when others can play it, that also means that you need to find out how to fix it and that can be a pain in the ass

If your game has a story he asks about it. He might not be playing it but he actually wants to hear what your little guys are doing and why they're doing it

Steven loves a game with story too so he's interested in that too but like. Steven gets into the LORE. Marc just looks at the more obvious story

Jake Lockley

Calls you a nerd

He appreciates that you're making something neat like a game

But he's still calling your ass a nerd

He likes to see the process a little

Like the coding of movements, motion, and sprite stuff

I do think that he'd think it's cool to see you making the OST though

He likes things that he can observe that might go unnoticed like the OST being a part to help sell the atmosphere

He's a good game tester though. I feel like he'd find bugs on purpose for the sake of fun and to see just how janky it can get

You still don't know how he managed to get an item to stick to the pc's hand for the entire game. You tried looking for it to fix it but literally couldn't find it

[arisuinsomniac]

This room has four walls

There is this trope in American media I see almost everywhere (or at least seemingly everywhere): the childhood room.

Childish in a way that evokes a time long past, and yet familiar down to the blemishes on the wall and scratch marks on the floor. It marks a step in the journey, but also the starting point. It is quaint in a way you can only describe when you're on your highs - comforting in the way you can only explain on your lows. Unchanging; eternal; a place to return but never... go to.

It's a queer feeling for me; you see, for as long as I remember, I never had that. My room was always mine, but never quite truly.

My first room is the one I can't remember. All I get are strands of memories of cloth curtains and someone I'd find myself calling mother - and lying about loving her.

My second room was the one I had all my childhood. It's still there, it's a bit smaller than I remember. There's none of the furniture it once had. I have many memories in that room, although I'm not particularly fond of any. It's where me and my friends played on emulators on my old Windows XP PC we had only because my mother and father both had a job to buy one.

My third room was the one I had most of my high school and early adult years. My parents had divorced, and following the death of my grandfather, I decided to come live with my grandmother. I changed that room a lot, I asked my stepfather to fashion a long PC table out of one of the sides of the wardrobe (some of the insides were rotting and I wanted a smaller bed, double beds make me feel lonely). I bought the bed and the blinds, and I hung all sorts of things on the wall. I sorted the books myself and had the pleasure in reorganizing them. It was the place I felt safe at home - away from the smells and the sounds.

My fourth room was my own, it was my house too, even if only rented. It was mine and yet it wasn't. It always felt too big, too cold, too everything that made it ever so slightly infuriating. And then it became too small when my friend came to live with me.

My fifth room is perfectly lukewarm. The perfect room to sleep in, a little corner of rot to sit down in. -- I hate that room. I hate the carpet and the mold, the clothes I can't bring myself to put inside the drawers, my estrogen I leave on my computer desk. I hate how hot and how cold it gets, and I most of all hate that it has four walls.

It's a queer feeling... I've been to so many rooms. Transient rooms, rooms I'd be for a day or a week, rooms that weren't mine, rooms that they told me are mine but really aren't. A promise of a room turned into an office. Another only reminds of how my family does not accept my identity. The third one is now my grandmother's.

I'm still searching - I don't know why. I hate the stagnation, the rot; I feel I'll never find the one room.

Yet I can't stand these four walls. I can't stand the safety they afford me, the temptation of never leaving - to become one with the mold. I hate how much I love these walls, inside these walls I don't need to get hurt, I don't need to think about who is lying and who's telling the truth - I can exist formless, just a transient fact in other people's lives, a page to be turned.

I bemoan having to leave these walls - when I leave these walls people call me by his name, they see only him, they can see all the scars, they can see the mask I put on and they can see my tail.

I wonder if I'll ever find the room, the room that doesn't have four walls. The room that will finally let me live rot-free, that'll want me to leave and be glad to return for rest.

So far, this room as well - this room has four walls.

[brainrattlers]

Play It Cool - Tyson Jost (42/n)

Pairing: Tyson Jost x OFC (AJ)

Word Count 3786

Warnings: This chapter is a little naughty. There is some insinuation of adult activities going on. Nothing graphic but, you've been warned (so I'll say 18+ just to C my A.)

Need to start from the beginning? Here's where it all began! https://at.tumblr.com/brainrattlers/play-it-cool-tyson-jost-1n/p7no8u1hzuza

Want to catch up? Check out the Masterlist!

Author's notes: Oh geez, I'm sorry you all. I've been MIA for a few weeks. It's been a little crazy with work, interviewing for a job I applied for while I was in Buffalo, and just life. Finally got through this chapter, and am already working on the next to wrap up the season. Definitely not how the Sabres hoped to see their season end, but this is just the beginning for their team. (And I will say I'm nervous with Tyson going RFA this summer, there are a lot of if this, then thats which can happen and possibly cause Tyson to be with yet another team next season. I really hope Buffalo figures it out though, he's a good fit there.) I already have plans for Tyson and AJ's summer, so get ready!

Now where were we when I last left off? Oh, that's right, Tyson was sad AJ couldn't be in DC for his birthday, but AJ has some plans of her own.

*****

Tyson spent the week with a few things on his mind.

First, hockey, obviously. The Sabres being on the bubble of a wildcard spot. The team was working so hard, but still had some very off-nights that were diminishing the likelihood of them playing in the offseason, but they persisted. A week on the road kept Tyson’s focus mainly here.

Next was AJ’s lab results. She had another set run right before this roadie, and was waiting to hear back anything. Tyson wanted his partner in crime to be healthy for all the shenanigans he envisioned them getting into in their future. He also knew that it was bothering her simply not having answers.

Lastly, was his birthday surprise. Since AJ had told Tyson that there was something going down for it, “an experience,” he was told. He had no idea what she was up to, and frankly he was itching to find out. Was it going to be something ON his birthday while on the road? Was it going to be when he got home? He had no idea.

So his mission early on in the roadie was to find out as much as he can to piece it together… maybe AJ had talked to some of the guys on the team? He was going to find out.

AJ on the other hand, was busy working on trying to figure out the logistics of everything, which indeed include talking to a few guys on the team, as well as their significant others. The thought of starting a group chat came up, but it would seem weird if a few guys’ phones buzzed at the same time, yet Tyson’s wasn’t. For now she had to keep it separate.

Quinner: He’s asking again. Do I say anything?

AJ: He’s such a brat. No, not yet. Play dumb.

Quinner: Can do. What’s the word on my gaming rig?

AJ: Just waiting on the GPU to arrive, which is slated for tomorrow. It’ll definitely be ready when you all get back.

Quinner: Awesome

AJ went back to working on a PC on her desk, when her phone started buzzing again.

JJ: Guess what

AJ: I already know, apparently he hit up Quinn earlier. You have no idea what he’s talking about.

JJ: Got it 

Sighing, AJ finally decided to give some sort of hint to Tyson so he’d quit annoying everyone. She waited an hour or so before sending out any crumbs of info.

AJ: Alright Jost, your birthday is tomorrow. It will be celebrated at a later date. Stop asking your teammates for clues (winking emoji)

Tyson pouted as he and the rest of the team were on their way to the arena, but was grinning on the inside knowing that AJ was up to something. Not only that, but she also was finding her footing more in Buffalo, getting out and about, meeting new people - not just his teammates, but WAGs, and just a few people she’d see around the neighborhood often. 

When Tyson was on a roadie, and the weather was decent, AJ would walk down the street and snag a Beef on Weck from Charlie the Butcher.  (This was probably her favorite Buffalo thing so far, she’d never had anything like it prior to moving there.) She’d sit at one of the tables in the lobby and people watch as she enjoyed her sandwich. A few people from the offices would come down at lunch time and start chatting.

AJ started recognizing some of the employees at the local market. She even started going to a bowling alley, getting picked up to sub for people missing on teams every once in a while on league nights. Feeling more comfortable being around strangers, she realized that some of her meds were finally starting to do their thing again.

Braving a bit of rain and snow, AJ finished up her lunch, and headed back. After checking the tracking on some computer part orders, she sighed and looked around. Something clicked in her head after scanning the living room, seeing the pile of laundry she needed to fold in the basket. Through the bedroom and into their walk-in closet, AJ found herself looking through her own clothes, and sliding hangers around of Tyson’s clothes as well. Grabbing a specific hanger, she dropped the garment on the bed. 

Rummaging around in her dresser, AJ grabbed a pair black Culprits and tossed them on the bed. Pulling a couple bags from the closet, she set up her tripod and camera, making sure the memory card was not full. Lamps were moved around. Pulling up an app on her tablet, she set the scene, making sure she’d be in the shot correctly. 

With a quick wardrobe change, finding poses that were sexy but still classy, and not ridiculously silly. were kind of difficult. AJ would tap the screen on her tablet, and try to pose quickly before the timer ran out. Locations were moved, to the living room, and the kitchen. After about an hour and a half, she gave up, having exhausted all of her pose ideas. A few minutes were spent editing each photo. Finally AJ gave up.

AJ: I need your help with something. Tomorrow’s Tyson’s birthday, right? I shot some photos for him while he’s on the road but I need help picking out which ones. So awkward.

Jess: Send away! 

With a deep breath, AJ picked her top 10.

AJ: Alright, I might throw in silly too, but pick  your top… 5.

<4 attachments><4 attachments><2 attachments>

Jess: Oh, wow, Tyson’s going to LOVE these! I’m going to say 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

AJ: You don’t think 7 is too much?

Jess: Nooooo he’s going to be all over you when he gets back (winking emoji)

Truth be told, AJ started daydreaming of Tyson striding through their front door with that determined, almost primal look on his face that usually happens after a roadie, or when Tyson was just in the mood. Being gently pinned up against whatever surface was nearest to them at the time was a common occurrence, with a few minutes of intense making out sometimes leading to more. It wasn’t uncommon to find a trail of clothes leading to the sofa in the living room or toward the master bedroom, which had to be retrieved later.

Tyson hadn’t even been gone two days and AJ was suddenly missing him a lot, longing for his touch, his facial scruff against her cheek. The feeling of his arms wrapping around her from behind as she cooked dinner… She sighed at the thought of laying in bed, arm around her as she rested her head against his chest, fingers playing with his small patch of chest hair. This was just as torturous to her as it would be for him.

It hit her at that point that they literally spent a month apart at one point, and she survived. A few more days wasn’t going to be the end of the world.

Thankfully, a shipment of computer parts came the next day, and AJ was going to be occupied the rest of the week… But not before sending Tyson a little impromptu birthday present.

Tyson’s birthday started with a few texts from family, and one from AJ wishing him a good birthday. But compared to the others’ texts, AJ’s had a bit more mystery to it.

AJ: Happy Birthday to my Maple Syrup Man! I hope you have an amazing day. While it’s not your actual present, I have something for you later. 

Tyson: (thinking emoji) What is it?

AJ: Patience babe - you’ll get it tonight (winking emoji) Love you!

Tyson: Love you too! 

With that little nugget of intrigue planted in Tyson’s brain, he was getting antsy as the team was traveling to DC. A group of the guys were taking him out to dinner when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

AJ: Hey Birthday Boy, message me when you’re free. And preferably alone. (winking emoji)

Finishing up installing the new graphics card into Jack’s computer, AJ was starting to fidget and get nervous regarding what she was about to do. As she started cleaning up the cables inside the case, her phone buzzed loudly against the table.

Tyson: Everyone just left, in my room by myself. So… what’s so important that I be by myself for? 

It was time to draw this out to make him get a little more curious.

AJ: I just wanted you all to myself. How was dinner? Did you get cake? Or pie, as it is Pi Day?

Tyson: Dinner was good, had a pretty good steak. Now why do I need to be alone?

AJ: Cake?

Tyson: YES CAKE WHY DO I NEED TO BE ALONE? You’re driving me crazy over here!

AJ: I’m driving you crazy now? Just you wait… (evil imp emoji)

For good measure, AJ waited another minute or two before setting up the text with the photos.

AJ: Happy Birthday, babe <4 attachments>

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Tyson’s jaw dropped when he opened the photos, finding AJ in various poses, wearing Tyson’s Sabres jersey and showing the smallest hint of her black boycut Culprits underneath. His brain definitely started short circuiting seeing AJ in the kitchen cooking, lounging on the sofa, one cute photo on the bed… but the last one of her on the bed definitely got his heart racing.

Nervous of how he’d react, AJ nearly dropped her phone when Tyson was trying to facetime her. She accepted the call.

“Holy smokes, you’re killing me over here babygirl…” Tyson’s eyes were dark. “I can’t wait to get back home… but at least I’ve got these photos to tide me over.”

AJ blushed heavily.

“This isn’t your actual birthday present but I thought you might enjoy them.”

“I’m going to be up for a while thinking about that last one, and definitely enjoying it. Might have to make that one my home screen on my phone,” Tyson got quiet for a moment. “It’s my birthday, and since you’re not here and I don’t get to have birthday sex ON my birthday, but… what would you think about maybe… over facetime, you and me? I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but… it might be fun?”

The smirk and biting of AJ’s lip was the only thing that Tyson needed to know. It was always amusing watching him go from adorable and almost shy, to straight up feral. She saw him reaching for his earbuds immediately, and could hear that his voice lowered when he made his next request.

“Put the jersey on.”

And because this is a classy joint, let’s just say that AJ and Tyson had a rather exciting evening doing things that are… less than classy. (But fun.)

AJ woke up exhausted the next morning. She couldn’t even imagine how Tyson was feeling… but after watching the game, it might have been just what he needed as he scored an unassisted goal in the first period. 

Finally at the end of the week, after a tough loss to Philly, Tyson was on a flight back to Buffalo and could not possibly be more antsy about getting back to the apartment. Texts were sent as soon as he landed, as soon as he was on the road, and one from the garage that he was on his way upstairs… requesting that AJ was in the jersey (again).

Just as she imagined earlier in the week, Tyson opened the apartment door, dropped his bag in the laundry room, and immediately strode into the kitchen to find AJ wearing little more than that Sabres blue jersey as she was getting a glass of water to take her nightly pills. Barely letting her swallow them and put down the glass, Tyson had already twisted AJ around to face him, lifting her onto the countertop.

AJ yelped in shock of how cold the surface was against her legs.

An intense kiss was shared, but Tyson was impatient. He pulled AJ down off the countertop, grabbing her hand and leading her to the bedroom. Unwrapping his favorite gift was the only thing on his mind that night.

With no practice scheduled in the morning, the couple lounged in bed, finally getting up late in the morning to seek out some brunch. The conversation over waffles was about what was coming up in the next week for both of them. Tyson had a number of home games, with one interruption of a quick trip to Long Island for a game there. AJ talked about how she was meeting up with a few new clients to work on setups for. The big thing she emphasized though was that the following Sunday (not tomorrow), Tyson needed to keep his night free. Yes, it was his birthday present, and no, she was not going to give hints. Also she pleaded with him to not ask his teammates any more questions. 

The week was kind of rough on Tyson as he’d been scratched a couple of games. AJ was taking it harder than he was, but she couldn’t help but have flashbacks of his time with Minnesota again. Thankfully he was playing again by the end of the week. She showed up to the game against New Jersey, and watched as the team warmed up in their Military Appreciation sweaters. It’d been a minute, but AJ forgot how good Tyson looked in green. (To be fair, AJ thinks Tyson looks good in all colors, really.) The team was super intense during warmups, and barely did Tyson kiss his glove knuckles and tap the glass as he skated by AJ. Had to keep the tradition up though.

The next morning, Tyson headed to practice, and then off they went to NYC for their game against the Islanders that night. AJ spent her day finalizing plans and making sure everything would be great for Tyson’s present the next night. Reservations were made. Random texts were sent to not ping the entire group chat at once. It was a GO.

With a 2-0 win, Tyson got back relatively early, coming home to AJ watching KSU playing in the NCAA tournament.

“I didn’t know you liked basketball?” Tyson questioned as he unloaded his backpack from the super short trip.

“I don’t, but it’s where I went to school, and actually was working there before Nate convinced me to move to Denver. Just kind of a nostalgia thing I guess. First year in quite a while that KSU has had a decent team.”

Tyson flopped down onto the overstuffed sofa next to AJ, stealing a few pieces of popcorn from the nearly empty bowl. Unfortunately, the Wildcats just couldn’t come back from their point deficit and lost in the Elite Eight. Tyson had curled up and fallen asleep across her lap as she was playing with the short curls on his head in the last few minutes of the game. His features were serene as he snored lightly. Unfortunately though, because she wanted to go to bed, AJ was going to have to wake him up.

“Tys..” AJ whispered to not jar him awake, “Tys, babe, you gotta get up so we can go to bed.”

His eyes stayed closed as he mumbled something unintelligible.

“Tyson, hon, really we gotta get up, my foot is falling asleep.”

More mumbles, followed by Tyson burying his head harder into AJ’s lap, wrapping his arms around her torso. Clearly he was awake and faking it this time. His body shook a little as he laughed. Rolling off her lap, he sat up and sleepily smiled. Suddenly his eyes went wide.

“TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY MAKE-UP!!! YEAAAAH! The sooner we sleep, the sooner it gets here!”

You’d think it was Christmas the way he was acting. Tyson ran to the master bedroom, and ducked into the bathroom to get ready for bed, leaving AJ just rolling her eyes at the absolute kid of a man she had. But it was one of her favorite things about him… he was an adult when he needed to be, but like her, wasn’t going to grow up otherwise if he didn’t have to. 

That early Sunday was rough on Tyson. He went to the optional skate, antsy as hell in regards to not knowing what was going on. Kyle had texted AJ letting her know that Tyson was still sniffing out clues, but everyone was shutting him down. Both Kyle and Danielle were helping AJ put this all together, she probably wouldn’t have been able to orchestrate the entire thing. Thankfully there was nothing really physical that could be left out for Tyson to see, other than maybe a text message here or there… but AJ was doing pretty well keeping her phone on silent and on herself when Tyson was being snoopy.

AJ clearly caught him when he got home from practice, seeing if there were any signs of fun that was to be had that evening. After a quick nap, Tyson found AJ getting out of the shower (which was difficult keeping him from climbing into the shower with her, but they would definitely be late for the plans). She wasn’t getting super dressed up, just some jeans, a tee, and a warm hoodie. He finished up his shower as AJ put the finishing touches on her hair. Putting down the diffuser, she did offer him some advice.

“Put on something warm, let’s go for a little walk.”

Tyson squinted as he grabbed his Nike SB hoodie from the closet, pulling it over his wet curls. Grabbing his hands, AJ pulled him in for a quick kiss. 

“C’mon birthday boy, let’s go!” AJ giggled as she pulled Tyson to the door. 

The two walked hand-in-hand on Main Street, swinging their hands as they strolled past the Ellicott building, past Tesla Park, past Lafayette Square. 

“Are we going ax throwing?” Tyson questioned, as they neared Hatchet & Hops.

“Nope, just a bit further!”

AJ wasn’t kidding when she said just a bit further, they stopped just past it, in front of a restaurant front blasting music. Opening the door, she led Tyson into Misuta Chow’s. The hosts greeted them.

“Has anyone for the Toasty Josty party arrived?”

“Ah, yes, this way,” the host led them to the back where tables and chairs were marked with reserved signs. 

Tyson immediately recognized a few teammates and their significant others. Cheers for the birthday boy were abound as the couple sat down. A few more people showed up. Dinner and drinks flowed, including a special birthday mochi for Tyson. But the fun was just beginning, as the party moved upstairs to the arcade/bar/karaoke night.

It’s not surprising that the first person to get on the mic from the group was Skinner, not surprisingly an 80s pop song. There were a number of the group that went up and took their turn belting out a tune. Some were surprisingly good! Some were much better after they had a shot or two. Some… were just bad. Video games were played. Lots of smiles and laughs were had.

“Tys, you should go sing!” AJ prodded a bit, as they played Mortal Kombat against each other.

Tyson bumped his hip against AJ’s as he mashed buttons on the arcade cabinet making a combo that nearly took out AJ’s character.

“No thanks, but I know someone that has a beautiful voice that should go up there…”

AJ lost focus on the game as she blushed a little, and Tyson plunged his character’s sword into hers.

“Fine, but only because it’s your birthday, Josty.” AJ winked.

When it was her turn, AJ did a quick shot (and cheered on by the guys) as she took the mic, clearing her throat. Her eyes closed as she took the mic in her hand, the opening guitar notes of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” playing throughout the bar. A little unsteady at the start, her voice found its footing as her eyes found Tyson’s. The softest of smiles graced his lips as AJ’s voice flooded the room. A few surprised looks went her way as they were not expecting her to sing that way. Whoops and applause happened after she put the mic back on the stand at the conclusion of the song. AJ’s face turned a number of shades of pink to red as she quickly got to her security blanket of Tyson with his arm around her. 

A few of the bar-goers, friends and strangers alike  came by and high-fived or complimented AJ. Tyson just beamed next to her, especially when his teammates and friends said something.

“You know, that’s how I fell for her, she was singing while fixing, what was that thing again in the dressing room?”

“Access point.”

Tyson continued, “Yeah, Access Point. She was on a ladder, singing with her headphones in, and I was last off the ice, taking a shower and headed into the dressing room. Her siren song had me hypnotized in the doorway. And she twisted a bit to do something, saw me… and that's when she first fell for me… literally, down the ladder a bit. And as awkward as we both were… that’s when I knew she was the one.”

Tyson pulled her in and kissed the side of her head. 

“Aww, babe, you never told me that last part. But wow, you left a LOT out of that story, that’s probably for the best,” AJ grinned.

A few “That’s so cute!” and “Adorable!” exclamations came from the significant others.

A few more songs were sang, more video games were played, and maybe another drink or two were had. AJ was definitely a bit more tipsy than Tyson, but he also had a game the next day and was behaving. Calling it a night, Tyson thanked everyone for coming out, and thanked AJ (who thanked everyone else for helping) for putting on the party. 

The walk back home was pretty chilly, with a drizzle falling all around the couple. Tyson insisted on holding AJ’s hand to keep it warm, as well to make sure she stayed upright in case some of the drizzle had frozen on the sidewalks. Back at their building, he stole a kiss in the elevator ride up the twelve floors, which still tasted a bit of Jolly Rancher shots. Tyson pulled AJ in tight.

“Good birthday? You’re a hard man to shop for, you know that?”

“No I’m not!” Tyson defensively shot back while tickling AJ as she opened the door to their home, “But this was definitely one of the best.”

Read on, Chapter 43 is HERE.

[idv-deluded-inventor]

"... Log number two hundred forty-seven."

The man had been residing in his room after a quick skirmish around the underground passageways. He didn't dare to go back down there again, even though he made a new tenative ally there. He can't bear to be in spaces where the air isn't always fresh, especially when considering his health. Regardless, he came back before he had to deal with that. And other threats too, probably.

His glasses had lenses for once, reducing the glare of his lit screens. His work room was surprisingly neat. Minus the fact that he heavily barricaded the door with his own unique defense mechanism, nothing was scattered or carelessly thrown about. His papers were neatly stacked on the desk, his monitors were in an organized three by three fashion, and his project... Or rather his daughter, was idly standing nearby his computer like a mannequin. Perfectly still, yet the head hung low with slack limbs. There were wires connected from the back to the PC tower, but even then he kept the cables all tied up.

His keyboard and monitors were mechanical, along with the tower and station his daughter was planted at. But his interactive screens were holograms emitting from small devices on his desk. It displayed him actively recording what he was saying. Marking the date, time, the length of the audio, even the exact decibel he was speaking at.

"The blueprints have been uploaded to my daughter's memory repository. She can now navigate the manor safely and perhaps be a guide for others as well. I've made sure it's in a separate folder, entirely different from the ones I uploaded from my world."

He paused and stared over at her, even though the device only picked up on his silence.

"... I have mainly been utilizing this as a means of recording my progress on my work and ensuring that I made no errors along the way. However I have neglected to mention how archiac my setting is. Not only am I three hundred years into the past, there's irregularities springing up everywhere I turn."

"Many are discussing about their residency here, how a game of sorts has occurred during their stay. And I have yet to even experience it myself. And the farthest I've heard other residents coming from was 2023... A mere ninety-nine years away from mine. All technology I've utilized here are of my own creation, so nobody but besides me and a few other genuises would know how to navigate it..."

"... As for my daughter, all efforts are focused on the heart program. The only reason why it's been a work in progress for this long is because empathy isn't inherited nor learned. Like every program I've ran, it must be taught continuously and repetitively. Even if it takes an eternity, anything can be saved. As long as the internal parts are secure, lessons are treated like memories. Therefore they don't ever truly fade... Even one as mundane as a conversation, what one experiences, how they process it in their mind, heart, and soul. How all three work together to create a unique reaction amongst everyone every time without fail... It's why people are so predictable yet not at the same time."

"But my daughter shouldn't function without a heart. There needs to be room for subjectivity in her software to enable her to have her own judgement. Her own sense of morality. For her to take offense for herself and possibly for others. Even if that's considered flawed, isn't that what's hardwired in our minds anyway? Nobody ever truly thinks strictly logically on every decision they make. And we still need to satiate our own needs... That's different for anyone that's ever breathed. Which is why I'm taking my time here. Even if I spend an eternity in this foreign land, I'll never give up on her."

He stopped the recording and noted how long it went on for. He let out a sigh as he took a sip of water.

"... This log is far too lengthy, even though there are still twenty four terabytes left on the storage. Let me splice out that middle part and... Hm, deleting it isn't necessary. Although these logs will be uploaded to her data by the time she's finished... I'll just arrange a separate folder for this. Perhaps this will be a log for my expereinces here rather than my work. Suitable enough."

As he did exactly that, he tapped the corner of the hologram for it to fade away.

"... Strange, when did I ever start expressing my own thoughts related outside my work..."

Then a knock was heard at the door. He pulled up closer to his desk to check one of his monitors. A hooded individual stood at his door as he merely frowned and put a hand on his chin.

"... You again."

He pressed a button, and the whir of mechanical parts made way for the door to open.

[devilressprincess]

I'm bored again. But I think I'll just sleep this one out. This post is supposed to be a tweet on X and not here on Tumblr.

I figured, there's no audience here so it's more appropriate to be in here.

How's it going? How was your day? I hope it was good. I hope you had a great day and I hope you will have a great day tomorrow.

It's half past 12 midnight at the moment. I'm supposed to be in bed because I have a long day ahead but here I am on my brand new keyboard typing away nonsense.

What would you want to hear from me? Come on. Say it. I'd love to have a topic of any kind.

Oh great, now he's calling. I'm quite busy and now he calls me. I've been waiting for him to call me all day and now that I have my hands busy, he calls. Ugh. No i'm not gonna answer. You're going to have to call me a second time before I answer. If he doesn't ring me a second time, I swear, he's not going to hear from me all day tomorrow.

Anyway, enough about that. Really i'm just on here typing away because I really want to test out this keyboard. You might be curious by now what it is. Well, it's from the company called Red Dragon. They specialize in keyboards and mouse and speakers, all sorts of pc accessories. I've been a fan of Red Dragon since the pandemic. Leo was the one who introduced it to me and the first thing I bought from them was a complete set of keyboard, mouse, mouse pad, and headphones. I still have them, they're that good. All still works. I've told my friends about it as well and so they bought their own sets of keyboard.

This one, the new one that I have is called Azure. I don't know the model number but it's colored grey and orange but mostly grey and you can go ahead and google it. It's quite pretty, but also, came with a price. It's costs a whopping Php2780 and that's too much for a keyboard if I'm being honest. There are a lot more expensive keyboards for gamers and such but for me whose doing a regular night job, anything beyond a thousand is expensive for just a keyboard. However, this one was sponsored by Leo and so I got to feel what an expensive keyboard actually feels like.

Now, let me be honest by telling you that this isn't actually my first choice. Nope. My first choice was far more expensive than this one. It was the Elf Pro from Red Dragon, still. It cost about seven hundred more than Azure and I think it's much more prettier than this one. But, there were things that I had to consider. Aside from the cost, I also wanted to have something that I can bring along with me when I travel. Elf Pro was heavy and it was more of a stable kind of keyboard you know, the kind you put on your desk and it stays there forever. It was bulky, it was heavy, but oh my gosh it was pretty. The entire keyboard was transparent and so it illuminates the keys and was lubed so pressing the keys would be like pressing a cotton. It was my first choice really. But again, I had to have something that I can carry with me because I travel a lot, not regularly but when I do I always bring my laptop with me for work. And so I needed something that was easy to have and hold. So the next best thing, was this, Azure. It is also pretty, it gets the job done, and it was cheaper. More affordable if, let's say, I paid for it myself.

So there's that. That's the story of my keyboard and how I got it. I'm still trying to get used to it that's why I keep typing.

Last night, I messaged a bunch of folks because I wanted to talk to someone and you know practice typing and there were a few who replied back but it was in the wee hours of the morning so I understand why only a few replied. I sure hope some of them don't think I was up to something and that I was chatting to ask for money. No ma'am, I just really wanted to test out my keyboard. As crazy as it may sound, it is what is.

I'm still not over it yet. I'm still typing. And you may notice I am no longer making sense in this blog post and that is because I just want my fingers to move even though I don't really have any topic in mind.

What do you think I should talk about? I'm not yet sleepy even though it's midnight here. And I don't want to call Leo back just yet because he didn't call me a second time. So, what should we talk about? What topic do you want to hear from me?

I'm doing good. In case anyone's wondering. I'm doing a-okay.

I haven't touched any of my study materials and ooop wait he's calling a second time. LOL. You think i should answer? Hold on. I answered.

Have to go. Bye.

Until next time,

JJRB

[leam1983]

Anticipation

Welp, the last nail's been set. My cooler's ordered, so's my case. I have everything else. Now all I need is time, and an extra pair of hands. Thankfully, I've got two of those.

An able-bodied PC builder and Network Admin wouldn't really need to make an event out of turning Thermaltake's latest open-air mid-size ATX case into a bleeding-edge gaming and video editing rig, but my prerogative is that I get to wait for one of Sarah's off days to order a couple pizzas. One of the pairs of hands won't be Walt's, my unpacking some of our calling centre's miniPCs in front of him frightened that bit of him that's eco-conscious. As yes, playing around with computer hardware is probably the least carbon-neutral hobby you could hope to have - especially if you're in one of those corners of North America's East Coast where FreeGeek or its equivalents just don't exist...

Now, the flip-side of all this is parental disapproval. You'll remind me I'm forty, a tax-paying adult whose only remaining ties to his progenitors are affective and genetic, and someone who now makes enough in two weeks to cover for everything, but the fact is that no amount of prior investment in three different share and bond portfolios is enough to assuage the Motherly Unit's impression that I've just burned a fat chunk of change. Nevermind how it doesn't concern her, she's long-since aced the ages-old martial art of Saying and Doing Nothing, but Doing These Two Things in Exceedingly Angry Fashion. Ever since she figured out the total cost for my parts list, she's been distant, self-effaced and physically closed-off. Dad took it in stride - he knows what I know, monetarily - but this is coming three years after my last build.

To be honest, I'm also worried, but for different reasons. It used to be builds I put together could last me ten years or more. Within eighteen months of my current setup, I'd noticed weird hitches and frequent FPS drops in the oddest of places. For all the tests I carried out, I came to the conclusion that Windows' provided backend is thicker than ever - even with debloat scripts used. The problem is you sort of need Windows to take advantage of something like an RTX 4090's full potential, as we're nowhere near native ray tracing on Linux. My workflow in DaVinci Resolve was chugging along - at 32 GBs, and I've never needed to render things in 4K - even if my 109000K's twenty cores were still more than serviceable.

I'm putting it down on a mixture of Windows bloat and bad silicon lottery, but three years with an enthusiast-level build is not long enough by my standards. This one needs to last me ten years or more - or bust - as I can't morally justify this kind of expense, even if I can afford it.

As it is, we're looking at a Rocket Lake i9 11900K with 64 GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR4 RAM, two 2TB Sabrent Rocket 4 NVME SSDs and my laptop's old no-name 1TB NVME as a third drive. It's video signal provider will be ZOTAC's RTX 4090 Trinity, all of it powered by a Corsair RM1000x PSU. Seeing as I've gone with one of Thermaltake's P-something-or-other Pro cases and that the resulting finish is quite test bench-like, I'll only be using the Corsair H150i Elite's three fans as the system's onboard cooling. The GPU's going to have free range of the open air around my desk, and the case includes what's needed to go for a vertical mount on the card. The resulting finish should be quite snazzy...

Now all that's left is my wrangling the niggling sense of guilt that hangs around for a few days after I pull a stunt like this. My inner Fun Police is particularly tenacious, my Internal Gestapo being ready and willing to prowl my brain's crevices for any trace of enjoyment. I wouldn't call myself excessively scrupulous and I never insistently project disapproval onto a convenient moral avatar - but it has happened in the past.

To some go the oddly fun mental projections of Cistercian monks admonishing them for their self-affirmation (see @scrupulosity-comics for more) mine's always taken the shape of a cigar-chomping mafioso cartoon weasel; effectively a forgotten member of Who Framed Roger Rabbit's Toon Patrol, more or less Don Vito Corleone with an elongated snout and a thing for permanent sunglasses. Don Weasel Biggs, head of the Biggs Cartel in my homebrew RPG setting, is money-wise, abrasive, rude, well-meaning, brutish and occasionally as kind as a caress dealt with fine-grit sandpaper - and he never fails to comment on how much of a maroon I am, when it comes to spending cash...

I guess I have an inner Scrooge, too - the suggested default would involve throwing every single cent from every single paycheck into something other than a bigger rent check split in threes...

Oh, well. A few hours in Faerün and eight or so spent in the land of Nod should shut the both of them up.

[bitemeilovewaffles]

Christianity and being Christian is frustrating sometimes because the Bible says "Honour thy mother and father" but my dad is kind of manipulative and he was abusive and I am struggling to not hate him.

He's lowkey threatening me with kicking me out to make me talk to him.

He lied about what my uncles said, saying they want me gone and claiming he was the only one standing in the way of them kicking me out. And then my stepmother called me manipulative for asking my uncles why they never told me that they wanted me to move out. (To which, btw, they replied they never said anything of the sort.)

They don't want my mother involved in anything. If I talk to her then they're leaving the conversation. "You can't have two captains. There can only be one captain. You need to decide who's the captain." Which would be fine... except if they stop talking to me, then I'll get kicked out.

Oh yes, actually, they don't want me talking to anyone about this. If I do, then they stop talking to me and, again, I'd have 60 days to pack my stuff and leave.

Oh yah, he also wanted to install SPYWARE on my computer, so he could monitor me. I'm a grown ass adult, the fuck is he monitoring?

Speaking of computers, he offered to give me PCs (plural) and buy a desk for my room. I am now realizing that this is a tactic to not only silence me but get me to stay with him, since he said he felt like 'we were finally talking enough for him to offer that to me'.

After all of that, God wants me to honour them? Why? That's a genuine question. He's threatening to kick me out, I've been called manipulative for following up with my own family members, they're trying to isolate me and prevent me from talking with my mother and then they turn and act like they're so nice and generous and don't you want more things like this? Don't you want us to help you?

I'm just like, piss off???

But I literally can't say that because that's against my religion.

Why do I have to honour my abusers?

This fucking stinks and I hate it.

[slade-neko]

Saw this video game tag thing pop up on my dash a few days ago. Wanted to do it.

1. First game you played obsessively? Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I believe I was 5yo. Still waiting on that FF7 Remake treatment.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Well if I play a game and like it, then I'll create sims of it. Does that count?

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My brother from the day I was born.

4. Who do you play with now? My brother FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN.

5. Ever use cheat codes? I wasn't lying when I made this post. {link}

6. Ever buy strategy guides? Yes! Mainly to look at the artwork though. (Don't need no guide!)

7. Any games you have multiple copies of? Lots of games, most being Left 4 Dead with 6 copies (3 Xbox 360, 1 PC case, 2 PC digitally.) What can I say, its a GOOD GAME!

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Gold cartridge Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (maybe that's rare?)

9. Most regrettable purchase? I don't regret my purchases, but I have received games I have never played like Cubix (PS2) no clue where that game came from, but I have it somehow. Madagascar (Xbox 360) came with my Xbox 360, never opened it from its case. And Monsters Inc. Scream Arena (Gamecube) or something... it was a gift.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? I'm only friends with people BECAUSE of video games, so yes.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games? No, that'd be ridiculous.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Probably a lot, I'd say Call of Duty, but I technically played CoD 1, 2, and 4. The campaign mode was alright, but I don't really care for CoD games at ALL.

14. Favorite game music? Koji Kondo and Grant Kirkhope are two BIG ones.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? Triforce is the most basic option, but I'd rather not get a tattoo.

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Super Smash Bros. Brawl with hacks, but that was over a decade ago.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game? No, that'd be ridiculous.

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? No, that'd be RIDICULOUS.

19. Favorite handheld console? PSP. 3DS is great, but PSP Monster Hunter has ALL of my portable gaming memories. Like playing in school after End of Grade tests with my friend.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Sims 4 I like to think I know everything about Left 4 Dead. Quite a bit about Monster Hunter, more so of a series though than a specific game.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? I'd say Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I loved it as a kid, but had a lot of complex pen & paper RPG mechanics that I never understood. I understand a lot more of it now, but its still complex as all heck. I just know you hit things, they die.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? That's the only thing I wear.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Not sure so I'll list a few. Sims 4, Smash Bros. Brawl, Monster Hunter (its a series though), or Left 4 Dead

24. First Pokemon game? Leaf Green

25. Were you ever an arcade game player? No, don't like paying to play.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? No.

27. Game that makes you rage? I don't get mad at games, but I had a custom modded Hard Eight mutation in Left 4 Dead that is absolute bullsh*t!

28. Ever play in a tournament? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

29. What is your gaming set up? A giant wall of video game consoles spanning from NES to Switch, 4 TVs, but I sit at a desk with a PC.

30. How many consoles do you own? "I own every console that's ever existed." - I Don't Play Games When I Play Games (My STRENTH) original song by Smooth McGroove BUT no seriously I own 32 consoles including handhelds.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes. 3DS gave me headaches though I only really played with the 3D feature in Ocarina of Time 3D. I think my eyes broke because I couldn't get my 3D to work very well after.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Sure I play games based on a lot of things. Literally any anime game. If I had to pick Dragon Ball Xenoverse is kinda like a dream Dragon Ball game. Oh, Attack on Titan 2 is pretty neat too!

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? Some SEGA plug-n-play thing once. Played it like once and now its lost to time (or my closet.)

34. Do either of your parents play video games? Yes. Mom and Dad played NES Super Mario Bros. My Dad went HARD at that game until he saved the Princess. Then he quit forever.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? "Hi. Welcome to Gamestop!"I never want to hear that again, but it was my main store until I went full digital/ online orders.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? No, I don't tend to get upset or emotional, but Bill dying in Left 4 Dead made me pretty pissed.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? Never played it. I don't really play "bad" games, but maybe Sims 4.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? The Sims 4

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Dragon's Dogma 2 WHICH I think is actually in development, so I'd have to say Fallout New Vegas 2. C'mon Bethesda you cowards, hand the keys back over to Obsidian so they can make another good Fallout game!

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? Two part question, two answers. VR Headset to immerse in world, yes. Motion Controls, no.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into? MOBAs and MMOs. I don't like paying to keep playing.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Nintendo 64 opened me up to what video games could be as a kid. Sad to say my parents' NES didn't really do that for me. And years later Fallout 3 was a big game changer for me too.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Every day of my LIFE.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? None. I'd rather emulate.

45. How are you at Mario Kart? Pretty dang good. 3-STARS MARIO KART WII, BABY!

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Yes, both of those. I preferred when Animal Crossing had more character to it. New Horizons looks so pretty, but feels so bland compared to classic AC.

47. Do you like competitive games? No. Not really. Usually amongst friends or if I can get competitive against AI Bots. I love my machine bot friends cause they don't cry like 10 year olds when they lose.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Too long. I've seriously restarted games because I wasn't happy with my character's appearance.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yes, I am always the magic man, my brother is always brute warrior, and my friend is the ranger.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? I don't really know. Honestly, I'd rather mod already good games to make them better than create something completely new.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? No, that'd be ridiculous. But I've had a friend fall asleep playing games at my house 3 different times and currently dozes off during our Minecraft sessions. So, maybe that's not a completely ridiculous thing after all.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? Kirby 64 apparently. My brother tells me we had to count out pennies to buy it. I must've been too young with no recollection, but I believe it.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? It's good if its not in the game's files from the beginning and is actually developed AFTER launch... and pre-order bonuses should be standard DLC a month or two later. Some games have content lost to time because of that pre-order bullsh*t.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales? Of course. If you want a game and its on sale then why not? I typically wait just for Steam sales to get games.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? No? I typically make people and characters I like in Sims. I've made villains like Dio, but he's an anime villain and I don't really HATE him despite the horrible things he's done.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? No. Never played that game.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? I try to for all the games I really like.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? The Sims 4, Skyrim, & Fallout: New Vegas. Mods make them live forever. Left 4 Dead and Monster Hunter are good choices too.

59. Do you play any cell phone games? Those aren't games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code? No? But I'll take a guess. Is it make an IP and forget it exists?

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? Keep forever... even the bad ones.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? PS4 Pro for Monster Hunter World. It was basically for early access since the PC version was being developed and releasing after PS4, but I don't like waiting.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Sort of. Been to anime cons and walked into the gaming tournament rooms only to walk out less than 10 minutes later.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? No, but I'm going to be doing that soon, hopefully.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? GameShark for N64, PS2, Gameboy, and Action Replay for Gamecube, DS, 3DS. And no not really, I would cheat responsibly... but there was this one time at school my friend and I borrowed another friend's Gameboy game, loaded it up with my Gameshark, tried playing, it crashed, loaded it back up, save file corrupted... we just stared at each other jaws dropped, "Here's your game back, dude. Make sure you don't play it til you get back home!"

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? No, but I remember seeing them on billboards in the game DRIV3R on PS2.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? Every game I play is filled with happy memories (mostly.)

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? These tiger plushes. My brother got white and I got orange. They were the coolest. Got a butt load of tickets from some jackpot spinning light game thing as I was good at the timing with repeated jackpot hits.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? I've played quite a few masterpiece games, but to pick one, I'd say Fallout: New Vegas

70. Very first game you ever beat? Super Mario 64. I was a mere child on a Sunday morning and ate celebratory pancakes made by my Dad.

Wow, that was long... I get the feeling this was supposed to be a "send me ask with numbers" thing, but answering all at once is more fun.

[ziggy-and-lady-stardust]

Life on Mars

Brian watched the scenery from the back of the car, looking at the old Hillman's and Leyland cars that looked brand new. Briefly he considered taking a photo, his dad would love this sort of thing; the music and cars and all that old shit.

"Says here you’re on transfer from C-Division in Hyde. Detective Inspector." Roger told him, glancing back at the badge as he drove - in no way looking at the road.

Brian frowned, he'd just graduated from inspector two years ago… he needed to find someone he knew.

"I need my mobile."

"Your mobile what?"

"My phone."

"You brought your own telephone from

Hyde?"

Brian didn't answer, letting Roger just weave in and out of traffic, perhaps he'd crash? Maybe he'd wake up then.

No such luck, however. Soon they parked - abandoned the vehicle on double yellows - outside of a building he recognised as his station. It sparked some excitement in him, finally he might find something familiar.

Almost running he followed Roger inside, ignoring the older man's somewhat homophobic mumblings.

But then his heart sank.

The smell of cheap spirits and tobacco was like a punch to the chest, the swearing and hubbub hit like a second wave.

"Get your duckies in a line," a mousey Indian looking man seemed to heckle rather than say, "John, now."

John, apparently, was a lithe but stocky man currently trying to get a hold of two drunks, knocking into Brian as he did so.

It made Brian stop in his tracks, everything did. He knew this building inside and out, straight out of uni he'd started in this as a wooden top, made his way to the actual top: DCI.

But now the DCI, who much like the building and others in it; had a brutish expression of someone with a stone constantly trapped in his shoe, gave him a hard shove to the desk we're the gentleman from before was still making gestures at John.

"Got another spaz for you Fred," Roger announced, Brian damn near corrected the word (but he'd have to correct everything else he'd said up to that point and it seemed frivolous), "Ol' sod is the fucking transfer - reckon a night in should dry him up."

Brian couldn't be kept in, surely? He was an officer, and there was no legal reason. It could ruin his career. "Where’s the Custody Sergea…"

"The Whatty-what-what?" Freddie cut him off, looking less than pleased.

"Who ARE you?"

"Barbarella, Queen of the Galaxy."

"I don't… I don't understand." Brian looked at him for help, "You… I'm not… I just… this…"

"The cells are full up, Gov," Freddie relented on the man, looking at Roger, "Just let him start on the job."

Roger rolled his eyes, leaving the keys to the cuffs on Freddie's desk and roughly grabbing the coat of a passerby. "I'll get some of these cretins cleared."

Freddie made a face once Roger was gone. He was about the same age as Brian, a touch younger perhaps, but he had a warmth to him, gently freeing him and leading him to the chair behind the desk.

" I'm DC Freddie Bulsara. Plod’s bringing in your stuff. One of the girls’ll sort out your RTA. Don’t sweat it if you’ve had a couple of stiff ones... Dearie me, you look like you

gone ten rounds with Big Henry. Someone needs to take a look at you Boss. You’re as white as a ginger bird’s arse."

"I'm sure Fred could kiss it better," Roger joked. Well no, it sounded more sinister that a joke, a cold tone of disapproval in his voice.

Suddenly the noise was smothering, the lights were flickering and the smell was nauseating and people kept touching him and even the air seemed to vibrate around him too close, he didn't have any control of a space he was normally in full power of and it felt like drowning.

"I'm sending him back to Hyde if he's going to be a poofter," Roger started, "I've not got time fo-"

"Shut up!" Brian was standing up with dozens of faces looking at him before he knew what was going on. "I don't know who any of you are, but this is my office. I don't know what's going on or where my PC terminal is-"

"You want a constable in?" Freddie asked, a sharp eyebrow raised. "There's a PC Tellman, no one called Terminal."

"This is my department," Brian continued, still holding the room captive with this outbreak, "What the hell have you done with it?"

"I wouldn't have said that, mate." John had a smug knowing expression on his face, leaning casually against the cabinets.

Roger has a dark look on his face, lighting a woodbine cigarette to blow smoke right into his face.

"Alright then," Brian knew this had to be a dream, he didn't feel altogether there. No, it had to be a dream, he COULDN'T be in the past. And if it was a dream nothing could happen, "Alright surprise me, what year is it meant to be?"

Roger grabbed him suddenly, Brian suddenly realising he could feel pain, and more importantly, was about to get the shit kicked out of him.

"They reckon you got concussion. Well I don’t give a tart’s furry cup if half your brains are falling out. You don’t ever waltz into my kingdom acting the king of the jungle."

Brian struggled against him, but was pinned to the wall with little problem despite being taller than his assailant.

"It’s 1973. Almost dinner time. I’m having

hoops." Roger told him, just before landing a fist in his face.

[specialability]

Extremely long life update:

tl;dr I bought myself a 2020 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 from BestBuy and it was an awful experience but it's in the mail, also I really like mastodon a lot actually, and my cat got worms :| if you read or scroll to the end you get cat photos as a reward.

A couple weeks ago I decided to buy myself a new laptop as Black Friday sales were starting (even though I live in Canada where Thanksgiving happened a month ago) and my current MacBook Pro is from 2015 and showing its age. The battery menu just says "Service Recommended" on it now. I basically can't stream sports video without closing everything else that's open. That sort of thing. I got a bunch of money in Sept due to being approved for disability support so I can afford something low-medium nice so I start searching for "budget gaming laptops" and doing a probably excessive amount of research. Most review sites decide to consider things "budget" if they're less than $1000 but they're going by USD and let's just say a $900 USD laptop goes for more like $1400 CAD if it's even stocked. So finding something that's actually under CAD$1000 involves a lot of manually checking multiple sites because of all the different possible configurations. I am repeatedly reminded of why I previously bought only Macs.

My criteria ended up being: under CAD$1000, AMD processor (because they play better with Linux), discrete graphics card, removable/upgradable RAM, upgradable SSD, not hideous, not extremely heavy or large, in stock.

I settle on two main options: Lenovo Ideapad 3 Gaming or Asus TUF A15, both of which were going for about $999 and were relatively well-reviewed but emphasis was made on the fact that they were heavy and battery wasn't great. Also the TUF is hideous. I'm not a student any more so I don't really need to worry about all-day battery life, but I also don't want something that basically needs to sit on a desk all the time plugged in to be used. Because I don't have a desk and there isn't room for a desk in my apartment. Which is why I'm buying a laptop instead of a desktop in the first place.

Anyway, I kept going back and forth because I wasn't really happy enough with either of them to justify the price, the configuration of the Ideapad that I wanted went out of stock so only a more expensive version was available, I had a bit of a meltdown on twitter where I started totally second-guessing myself and maybe I should just buy a shitty $300 refurb laptop?? Like what am I doing I don't need to game on a laptop, I've spent all these years not being able to play PC games and I still don't own any consoles other than the switch. Am I being too greedy??

And then it was like 4am and I was on the BestBuy site and they must have updated their sales at midnight because the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 showed up. (insert holy choir singing hallelujah) It actually matches all my criteria aside from being 14", which is a bit small but I can live with it. It has excellent reviews, better than the other two. It's actually small and light enough to be portable and and has a much bigger battery than the other two somehow?? AND it's on sale for $899 so great, I put in the order.

Nothing happens. No shipping notification or anything. Until two days later I wake up to the order being cancelled. No email even to tell me why. So I open up the chat and they say it's a security issue, the billing address you put in wasn't matched by the bank so the charge was refused. This makes no sense because I paid with paypal which has had all my info in it for ages and has always worked before. I google and there are people complaining about this on reddit so sure, fine, I'll redo the order and make double sure the address is correct. I pay directly without paypal. Next day, wake up, order is cancelled again. This time I call them. They can't override the system, but what the person says is I can physically go into the store and ask them to put in the order through their system and then I just pay at the store and therefore it won't be checked in the same way by the system. This is because I want the open box price that is $100 lower. If I was willing to pay the extra $100 for the non-open box version I could have just physically gone to the store in the first place, a week ago when I started all this. But fine. FINE. I want to buy this stupid laptop. It better be absolutely flawless when I get it because seriously. The only other place that has it in stock it is $350 more and is a newer version so I can't even just say fuck BB and go somewhere else and ask for a price match.

So after navigating the local transit situation which is totally off its normal route due to construction and then walking enough to give myself a blister I make it to the stupid BB store. First of all it's nearly impossible to find a sales person. Then she tries to pressure-sell me into getting the $999 version and then keeps insisting that I also need to buy the extended warranty. I almost buckle because I am into negative spoons but am saved by the fact that my credit card is, again, declined.

So I walk off and call my stupid bank, thinking they've cut me off for fraud because I've tried to buy this laptop so many times. Nope, says the person on the phone, you just hit your credit limit because the previous purchases are still sitting there pending and haven't cancelled yet. Once again I want to strangle whoever is in charge of BB's checkout system. I actually have a totally different credit card, but it's at home. Am I going to go all the way home and back again? Am I going to go home and try to order it online with the other credit card and run into the same problem?? Absolutely not. But the bank phone person actually ups my limit while I'm on the line with them, which is amazing, and gives me just enough space to buy the stupid laptop. I am seriously at the point where I'm doubting all my life choices and do I even want a new laptop my old one still functions what am I doing wasting money like this etc.

So I go back to the desk and the previous sales person is gone, thank god, so I explain what happened to the person who's there and they're, shockingly, like "sure we can def do that". So they log into their shit and we go through putting in my info and making sure they order the exact right one and then I pay for it (with no pressure sell of the warranty this time) and it goes through! I would be more excited if I wasn't so exhausted.

aside: it is so unseasonably cold out I can't believe it. it is never this cold around here, I never have to get my full winter coat out in November let alone there being snow and ice on the ground. climate change!! what are you doing!! we can't have incredibly hot summers and incredibly cold winters!!

aside2: the reason why I didn't want the warranty is that aside from it being like $25/month, more than my actual renters insurance, is based on my reading of it there is no coverage of accidental water damage. which is the no.1 reason why I might need repair. Anything else that's going to fail will either fail in the first year and be covered by the manufacturer or I'll deal with it myself. I'm not a pro repair person I don't even own a soldering iron but I can follow ifixit instructions. In my impatience for this laptop to arrive I have actually already looked up the instructions for upgrading/repairing various parts to make sure it's possible, because most cheaper laptops these days solder the RAM to the motherboard and therefore aren't upgradable in the future.

back to the main story: Being a depressed cynical person I am not jumping with excitement yet. The next day I wake up and... there's a shipping notice!!! They have printed the shipping label!! I have never actually achieved this stage of the purchase process before!!!!!!

It is now the weekend so the only progress that gets made is that the package is scanned in at the nearest warehouse. So the laptop exists. Or a box that a laptop should be in exists. It might arrive Mon or maybe Tues. I will believe it when I receive it intact and turn it on and it works. The only plus side of the trip to the BB is that I got to look at it and try out the keyboard and touchpad. The screen is indeed a bit small but now that I (my roommate) owns a TV that is less of a real issue. I am going to wipe and reinstall Windows 11 to start with and then dual boot it with Pop OS.

I am, at this point, both looking forward to and dreading getting used to using a non-Mac computer for the first time in ages. I've used WinPCs for work in the past, but never as my main daily use machine and after 10+ years of using various MacOSes I have such a deeply-ingrained workflow that it's going to take some getting used to. I learned to program in Unix! I know all the ways in which MacOS tends to break! I have already researched different desktop environments that might be more similar to Mac and made sure that my most often-used software has either a Linux version or an equivalent I can migrate to.

And of course the twitter meltdown is happening so I checked out all the different social media offerings that people were talking about and since a few of my techie / librarian friends moved to mastodon I put a little more effort into learning it than the other ones. In terms of their philosophy of decentralization and consent I am behind the software 100% but if of course depends on how it's implemented.

So I'm invested in finding one or more mastodon servers to live on in the future as a replacement or adjunct to twitter but already I prefer the interface and functions to twitter by a lot. For one thing, twitter hamstrung 3rd party clients a long time ago so the one I've been using for like 5 years is very clunky and laggy, but the tusky mastodon client looks pretty much the same and is incredibly snappy. I find myself much more motivated to use it and let it crosspost to twitter than use twitter and crosspost in the other direction. Even if I still mess up on most of the tweets I send and have to go back and fix the permissions or CW.

I have already moved one of my accounts to a different server from the first one I signed up to and have a second account going on a newbie fandom server. I haven't found my ideal server yet but I am looking at the more anarchist-oriented ones.

another aside, do I qualify for an ADHD diagnosis yet?: I understand the ass-covering required by saying 'no illegal stuff' but lol I am not a totally law-abiding person and am not going to totally censor myself on that, the DMCA can go fuck itself, scihub and libgen are great, and yes I occasionally shoplift from the pharmacy.

If I had the money I would probably just start my own, it sounds easier to install than Arch Linux and, if nothing else, I have a lot of free time. I wrote a really long screed on why I think mastodon (and the fediverse more widely) is better for fandom than twitter ever was but then deleted it because my knowledge changed just within the 24hrs since I wrote it. Anyway, I like it a lot, it has a nice vibe so far, I suspect that a lot of people will quit after this initial rush but that's fine. It's much less frantic than discord but allows for more frequent smaller posts unlike tumblr, so it's good for my kind of diary-style posting. Basically the main reason why I'm writing this post is because I haven't been able to write it out in bits and pieces properly because of all the twitter/mastodon migration.

With all this going on, I also had my cat show signs of being infested with tapeworms (ew) so I had to suddenly get him to the vet. The vet agreed with me and gave me some meds for him so hopefully that is dealt with. I haven't bought pokemon yet because I don't even want to play it, I just want to deal with one thing at a time... or preferably zero things for a while... It is hard to keep up with fandom when I am not even showering every day because I am so tired.

cat photo time: the fat one is the one with worms, but it's not the reason why he's fat (probably) the other one is my roommate's and he's a real gremlin