#and also the rewards will go live at the end of the stream i think?? it will be soon either way

[baeshijima]

WUWA PRE-REG REWARDS

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

Another show just wrapped up, but a new one takes its place next week. Takara and Mitsuya have really become the bright spots for me in this current run of shows; they make excellent bookends for the week in jql. Of the five shows airing now, four are streaming weekly on Gaga and the other is available via fansub.

Takara's Treasure

What a fantastic episode of a show that continues to get better and better. The way this story has slowly built our understanding of these characters, and their understanding of each other, is masterful and so rewarding. I really loved the direct conversation they had about Takara's post-graduation plans and what it means for them, as well as Taishin getting to the heart of things and reassuring Takara that his desire is welcome. I'm excited to get a peek at Taishin's family next week and see how they navigate whatever challenges they bring.

Cosmetic Playlover

Farewell to this very pretty show whose story did not make much of an impression on me in the end. It never found a coherent relationship arc or gave us any foundation for this romance to hang onto, and it didn't live up to the dark and sexy tone of its original promotion. But it gave us a lot of beautiful visuals!

I Hear the Sunspot

We've now spent an entire month on repetitive side plots designed to separate and cause insecurity for Kohei and Taichi, and I am over it. I understand that the show is faithfully adapting the manga, but this is the thing about adaptations: when you switch to a new medium you have to adapt the work to fit the new format. When you read a manga you can speed through side plots designed to stretch out the story, but you can't do that in a weekly airing drama. And yes, I have seen the arguments that this is primarily a coming of age story about finding yourself, but it's not doing that well, either. This job falling out of the sky for Taichi and his boss—who we are meant to read as someone with good intentions—encouraging him to drop out of school immediately to work full-time is a strange development. That it once again set off a spiral of Kohei and Taichi feeling insecure about their friendship and misunderstanding each other only makes it worse. I understand the intention: we are supposed to be getting that Taichi is embarrassed about this job because it's tied to his still ill-defined feelings for Kohei. But they haven’t unpacked his hang ups with admitting (or understanding?) that he likes Kohei back enough for that to land. We've spent so much time sitting with Taichi's broody confusion without gaining any deeper insight into its source or seeing him grow, which makes all of this just feel like stalling instead of important character work.

Mr. Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

*sobs* Welp, the penultimate angst has definitely arrived. They distracted me with the possibility of dog death (Frito lives! THANK GOD) before sucker punching me with Mitsuya pre-emptively rejecting Ishida before their relationship could go further. And while I often roll my eyes at this kind of noble idiocy in the penultimate chapter of a romance, I think it's well-grounded in this story. Mitsuya has been worried about whether a relationship between them is right since he learned about Ishida's feelings, and on the heels of this blow about Frito's health and his sense that he burdened Ishida with this problem, he is feeling his age and his melancholy more than ever. He sees Ishida as a bright and beautiful young person that he would only drag down, and he does not yet understand that it was meeting him that brought this out in Ishida in the first place. The way he apologized and berated himself for asking Ishida to stay then hugged himself for that whole horrible conversation said it all. This also sets us up nicely for Ishida to finally make himself clear and do a classic jbl run next week (this show is ending too soon, I'm going to miss it so much). Thanks as always to @isaksbestpillow for providing her wonderful subs so we can all enjoy this beautiful drama. You can find the ep here.

Tagging @bengiyo to add this week's anime update.

[danieyells]

I don't know if you've done it yet but I would like to request Ren lines? I'm having tokyo debunker Ren brainrot bro 😭.

@otomelover23

You're all very welcome! I love you guys too, so far! Sorry you've been deprived of lazy boi lolol HOPEFULLY THESE SATISFY YOU A LITTLE BIT.

He's a little tsundere I think. He's one of those characters who just wants to be normal but he can't just pretend to be normal because he lives surrounded by chaos so he just complains a lot lolol. . .but i think he's a good guy. Aside from that he does not help his mother captain at all.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Great, shift change. I'm gonna head out then... What? Do I really need to be here for that?"

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"I think you've got a notification... Aren't you going to look at it?"

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"Who did I disappoint in a past life to end up in Jabberwock... There's no general students or even a single other sane person, and these jumpsuits are a crime..."

"Why do I have to look after all these weird-ass animals? This is forced labor...  Ugh, they're so gross..."

"If you're just gonna stand there, could you go feed the animals in the aquatic zone?  I'm too busy."

"Ugh, why is that clown calling me... ... Whatever, I'll just let it ring out."

you know damn well that if you don't answer the phone you're gonna have to deal with Haru in person. Better to just answer it.

"Oh, hey... Could you open the link I sent you? No, you don't have to sign up or anything. Thanks."

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"Ugh... Tell me how I'm supposed to sit through classes when I've been up since 4 AM? (yawn) I'm exhausted..."

well if you didn't stay up until 4am--oh who am i kidding i stayed up til like 3 watching a stream and reading datamine stuff and then I got up at like 6:30 to get ready for work I'm no better kekw.

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Ugh... I can't believe I'm hiding right now... Why the hell does that clown have to chase me around at lunch time too?"

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Preach about doing it for the sake of your friends or the animals or whatever all you want— I really don't give a shit. People who say that stuff are just deluding themselves."

i've known people with this kind of cynicism before. once he finds people care about him and a little more stability he'll come around a little more.

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Huh? I can't see that clown anywhere... Hell yes. Gonna get through my watch list. I hope he never comes back."

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I'm grinding this game on my phone, so could you not talk to me for a while? Crap, I think my RSI is flaring up..."

in Japanese he specifies tendonitis haha

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Don't people get embarrassed calling out those words when they use their stigmas? It makes them look like LARPers..."

in japanese he says they sound like they have chuunibyou which is much funnier imo lmao. also i guess that means he can say his in his head? since he'd feel embarrassed doing it aloud, maybe he's practiced already lol

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You think I sigh a lot? Got a problem with that? You realize trying to take away people's freedom of speech is power harrassment, right?"

you're starting to sound like ritsu. gonna hurt yourself reaching like that.

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm so done... I'm out of HP... Shouldn't I be exempt from missions and classes since I'm looking after all those animals?"

well based on one of Haku's chats, you can just do missions if you don't go to class, and based on Kaito you can just go to class instead of doing missions. . .but I'm sure Haru forces him on missions anyway lol. . . .

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Pfft... The video of that clown getting attacked by that hawk thing is getting so many interacts. This editing thing's actually pretty fun."

does editing count as a creative effort? i wouldn't be surprised if he switched to Hotarubi next year if so, assuming he doesn't get used to Jabberwock and the animals. Also why didn't he get stopped by Sophy for uploading a video with an anomaly? Unless he uploaded it to an Institute social media site like WickHive or something. . . .

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Gotta change the locks so that clown can't get in again. I've bought enough padlocks to start my own business by now..."

life haru finds a way. sometimes that way is "towa, break down the door" if he runs out of lockpicking equipment.

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"My head's killing me... This is the worst... Rise and shine! my ass... It's basically still the middle of the night. Guess I should padlock my windows..."

5-6am I can understand being 'basically the middle of the night' but after that you're pushing it lmao

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"The cafeteria's way over capacity... The assholes who save seats before its even noon are ruining it for everyone else..."

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Why's my pay so low... huh? What's this deduction for? "Consultation Fee: Ritsu Shinjo..." He's seriously charging me for complaining...?"

Ritsu charges for looking at him too long. i'd try venting on wickhive over complaining to Ritsu.

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"That rabbit sure has it good. All it has to do is breathe and everyone fawns over it. Doesn't even have to feed itself. Just wait till it grows up and learns what the world's really like."

WELL BASED ON THAT THE ADULT PEEKABOO WAS STILL BEING FAWNED OVER AND HARU HAD TO STOP PEOPLE FROM PETTING IT BECAUSE IT BITES. . .IT'LL PROBABLY STILL HAVE IT GOOD. Haru takes good care of the animals.

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"Sup... Huh? I'm alone today. I just got up on my own since if I don't that clown'll wake me up anyway."

yeah? it's because of haru? not because of your affinity with the pc being more than half so you wanna be up earlier to spend more time with them? sure.

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Oof, nearly missed the noon raid...  Not like I'll have any time to myself once I get back to the dorm, so I guess I should do it now..."

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"No, I'm not going to sleep yet. I'm gonna watch a horror B-movie. You don't have to think, so they're the perfect thing to watch before bed."

i used to watch/listen to mts3k to go to sleep so. i feel this.

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Well done me for surviving another day... Oh, same to you too, {PC}. I don't how you can do this stuff voluntarily."

SOME PEOPLE JUST LIKE ANIMALS DAWG.

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Huh? I'm going to the campus store to buy some stuff, where are you going? Well, I'm going that way, so...bye."

not sure if shy or asocial lmao. could be both!

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"You're being forced to help out again? Wow, a doormat out in the wild. So? Where do you want me to carry all this food?"

he's helping you even though he doesn't wanna work. HE'S GOT IT BAD.

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"This? It's a video I uploaded. People seem really into it. It's of that clown getting chased by a dog and flailing around like one of those inflatable air dancers."

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"What am I doing today? Working at the diner. Oh, if you want to keep me company, feel free to come by. As long as you serve yourself."

it's not a date or anything since he's at work but like. . .he is inviting you to hang out. . . .

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Huh? You were waiting for me to get off work? Oh... Thanks. Wait, that clown put you up to this?! I'm gonna kill him..."

NO NO WE CAME HERE WILLINGLY probably. although it does seem like Haru to be like "oh hey Ren really really likes you, you should go pick him up from work! he'd love that!!" like a real nosy mom who's trying to get his son together with his crush.

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"When did it get this late? That was horrifyingly fast... I'll walk part of the way back with you. I was gonna go buy something to drink anyway..."

excuses, excuses. . . .

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"Every day here is a fresh hell, sure, but... You're suffering through it with me, so I guess I'll stick it out a little longer..."

'this sucks but you make it suck a little(a lot) less so i can keep going'. yep, that's our tsundere alright!

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"That clown's even more slap-happy than usual lately—it's horrible. Has he got spring fever or something?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Otonashi keeps trying to make me drink some kind of rice porridge with weird flowers in it... It's actual porridge harassment."

considering the flower Towa associates with Ren is poisonous, i think it's safe to assume he is literally trying to poison him to death lmao. also wtf is porridge harassment--i even tried looking it up in japanese and the first thing that came up was someone screenshotting it and saying "what is porridge harassment" lolol

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"All this farm labor's bad enough without all the caterpillars and weird plants that are out there now...This is harassment."

what's harassing you, nature? as someone who just had to kill a huge mosquito that came into my room, nature is harassing me too.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I hate cherry blossoms. They're like the flower version of being a legacy kid— all they have to do is bloom once a year and everyone claps."

in japanese what he says is something like 'i hate them just like people born with silver spoons in their mouths'. basically he hates people born into privilege lol i bet he'd have the potential to get along well with haku until he learns he'll be inheriting a shrine. . .then again he's getting along with Ritsu in their own little way

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"This is the worst... It's not even noon yet, how is it so hot? Summer is for extroverts and party animals, I wish it could just be over already..."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"A group trip to the beach? I'd rather die. No decent person would ever go there of their own free will."

butbutbut. think of the summer skins!!!

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Summer was our busy period back home, so I always had to kill myself helping out. Now I'm here though... nothing's changed."

. . .did Ren's family run some sort of seaside shop??? And he happened to end up afraid of the ocean and hating aquatic creatures and such?

(between 8pm and 5am)

"How can the A/C be banned in the dorm...? Who gives a shit what temperature some anomalous animal that sneaks in prefers, humans should come first..."

okay i agree with him here though what the fuck kind of rule is that. can we talk to hyde about that, that's insane haru.

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"Now it's getting colder, I nearly found myself feeling grateful for this tragic jumpsuit... Am I being brainwashed...?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Fall, the season of the harvest—I'll stick with cup noodles, thanks. "Fall, the season to enjoy the outdoors"—screw that. I'm gonna make it the season of naps."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Look—I got bitten by some weird bug anomaly. To hell with the stupid bug spray ban, I'm buying some."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I feel like the mountains are rowdier when there's a full moon. Pretty sure my enemy encounter rate goes up when I'm on patrol too... Maybe I'm just imagining it."

is 'enemy encounter rate' here referring to people or anomalies. . .because if it's people then that's just because of tsukimi. . .although I wouldn't be surprised if there were a lot of anomalies or anomalies were more active on full moons.

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"There's less patrols in winter but anything involving water like washing up gets even worse... Ugh, I wish I could hibernate too..."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Since the climate in Jabberwock's so messed up, sometimes it's actually warm in winter. The blizzards are way stronger though..."

have you tried pissing towa off less?

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Oh god, I just saw what's in the diner's new Mystery Hot Pot... It's gotta be a matter of time before this place goes bust..."

i mean if they had ordinary health inspectors maybe lolol

(between 8pm and 5am)

"That clown broke my window so my room's like a freezer... Oh, don't worry. I just took his room instead."

lmao imagine Ren invites you to hang out and takes you to Haru's room instead of his like nah he broke my window so i'm using his room and he can freeze.

His birthday: (July 25th)

"You got this for me? That clown's been spreading my personal info around... No, it's fine, I'll still take it. Thanks."

i guess he doesn't really tell people his birthday, huh.

Your birthday:

"Happy birthday, {PC}. ...Isn't it kind of rude to look so surprised I'd celebrate your birthday? That came from the heart, you know."

I MEAN YOU NORMALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING. . .it's happy surprise!!!

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. My resolution? Escaping the hell hole that is Jabberwock, for starters."

well you got here in like September or something so. you've got a while befor eyou can switch houses lmao but you can do it this year!

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"You got me chocolates? You're the type who does all this kind of stuff, huh? No, it's fine, you went to the trouble and everything so I'll take them."

i love when characters kinda mock you for doing getting them something but then they're like "nonono i want it gimme--" lolol from Ren especially it's very tsundere. poor guy wouldn't be straightforward about his feelings unless a damn life was on the line.

White Day: (March 14th)

"{PC}... Here, if you want them. I just bought the first thing I saw, so don't read into it..."

i bet it's actually really nice lolol

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Guess what? I got special permission to switch houses. That nightmare is now behind me! I wish..."

Halloween: (October 31st)

"I hope everyone who gets excited about Halloween lives in misery for the rest of their lives. Why the hell do I have to help out with this stupid themed tour?"

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Can I ask you a question, {PC}? You don't still believe in Santa Claus, do you? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Have a good Christmas."

i mean. . .after coming here santa is a plausible entity to believe in. . .if there's gonna be a santa i don't wanna be caught not believing and missing out on gifts. . . .

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"Where'd she go...? Whatever. Guess I'll catch up on some of my games."

(13 affinity and above)

"Pfft... This edit's awesome. I'm a genius. I'll show {PC} when she gets back."

true bonding is sharing the funny memes you worked hard on. . . .

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"It's not like I was waiting for you or anything. It's just this hell hole is even more unbearable when you're not around..."

YEP THAT'S OUR UNFORTUNATE CUSTOMER SERVICE EMPLOYEE TSUNDERE ALRIGHT. His lines don't really get super affectionate but. They still have a charm to them when you realize how much he hides his feelings in the usual tsundere way. He likes you a lot but like. . .it's a bother and it's embarrassing. . .and what're the chances you're into him? He'll just invite you over to watch movies and play games with him and stuff. . .and tell himself it's fine to just be friends until it eats away at him. . .or until Haru spills the beans for him--

this took way too long because i got distracted like three times in the middle and my laptop started freaking out and i had to figure out why and close and reopen everything about 8 times hahaha. . . . OKAY TIME FOR ME TO GO TO BED! I hope this satisfies you a little bit!!

[irazai]

 . . . (🍷) ֶָ֢ 𔓘 I'LL BE YOUR GIRL, LET YOU TASTE IT : a ryuunosuke akutagawa fic.❞

❝ "he is such a daddy."  . . . popular streamer 'a' once again makes the girls swoon over him by making out with his girlfriend on stream.❞ one hour ago.

🎀  LIGHTS, CAMERA AND STREAM! ; the hottest streamers and all about them and more at www.iradorroarchives.com..

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍷 ꒱ . . . please don't come at me with the "aku would never act like this!!" -- he will in my mind.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍷 ꒱ . . . tw ; streamer!aku, boyfriend!aku, mean!aku, fem!reader, nsfw, dry humping, riding, overstimulation, squirting, fingering, clit pinching, rough play, smacking, gagging due to fingers forced down the throat, manhandling, blood play, lip biting, making out on camera, semi public sex in a way?, uses of mommy and princess, slight degradation and that's all i remember lol.

ideal.

ideals.

what a load of bullshit.

till it isn't anymore.

ideas give birth to ideals and ideals, if taken the wrong way, leads to a world of narcissism. not always, but surely at times.

but ideas and ideals are also necessary and absolutely essential in the society to ensure that it works properly and in harmony.

because everyone who lives, thinks and when he thinks, he thinks no one else ever thought of what he did, which isn't entirely right or wrong.

and everyone had ideals and everyone has ideas and everyone likes someone else who fits their ideals and ideas and everyone wants to fit in the ideals and ideas of others.

perplexing? sure is.

not for the man sitting on his gaming chair though. he who had crafted a mask so tempting that it fits many people's 'ideals', his massive following is the proof of it and the stans on twitter who go berserk after any and every 'attractive' thing he does and makes edits, are the unshakeable evidence of his charms and charisma and also his ability to deceive others.

"what did you say?" it is not common of him to abandon his on going stream to look at you who stood behind his camera set up, an eyebrow cocked up as if to challenge you to utter those words again.

"i said you are a loser." you smile, playfulness written all over your face as you provoked your boyfriend by once again poking fun at his fascination and knowledge of criminal psychology and the overall criminal world and crimes.

"and what makes you think your opinion matters?" akutagawa scoffed with his eyebrow still raised yet with one glance at the screen to see the chat going wild over him as they found him hot, a cocky grin spread upon akutagawa's face and he leaned forwards to grab the packet of cigarettes and to pull a stick out.

"your opinion matters more then anyone else's to me so shouldn't mine matter more then anyone else's for you too?" you tilt your head as you watch him, observe him even, as he lights the end of the stick and push it between his lips.

why he smoked is something you'll never understand no matter how many cynical words he used to explain this addiction of his, saying how smoking isn't a reward but a punishment for when he thinks he hadn't performed as well as he expected.

you did not like it. so you take a step forwards slowly, not being afraid of coming in the camera frame as the man who has everyone whipped for his calm yet raspy voice and the way he so easily yet with a neutral base explained morbid and gruesome details of morbid cases . . . (and he also played horror games), is not someone who is very fond of pda yet despite so, he had made it obvious from day one that you were his girl with the way he stood so close to you or spoke directly next to your ear or close to your face, not wanting to be away from you or at a distance from you.

"why on earth do you crawl to those that are harmful for you?" you whisper for only him to hear as half of your upper body became visible on the camera frame when you planted your hand on the armrest and leaned in to take the cigarette stick from his hand, akutagawa only smiled as he let you, before he too, whispered,

"because i like it when you worry over me."

perhaps the words were simply just charming but you still couldn't stop the frown from etching onto your lips as you stared at him, unfazed.

you leaned up with a sigh and took a few steps away, after which only did you do your next step ; bringing the stick of pain closer to your lips to get a taste of what is in the nicotine in it that has your boyfriend coming back to it time and time again.

"hey, no. don't even think about it." akutagawa tsked as he watched you not reacting or taking his words seriously and with a sigh, he stood up from his chair to take big steps closer to you.

"come on, it's just one puff ryu. you do it all the time so why not let me try it too?" you tried not to grin as you took a step back to maintain the initial distance between you two but one glance up at akutagawa and it was clear that he didn't share the same amusement as you did right now.

"because i said so." akutagawa told, extending his arm to grasp your wrist to stop you from taking another step back and he pulled on it, pulling you and making you bump against his chest as he stared down at you, looking unamused.

"well then if i say so then you should also not smoke." you knew your attempt at negotiation is worthless yet you still tried but when the ends of the man's lips twitched before they curled up into a taunting smile, you knew it was hopeless to even think of using words against the one who weaves words like silk.

you watched with lips parted for a possible protest when akutagawa took the cigarette stick from your hand and brought it towards his lips again.

"and what if i refuse? are you gonna hit me princess?" akutagawa taunted in a low tone as if his voice isn't already enough to make the blood in your body pump excitedly. he even leaned down to look directly into your eyes and so, gulping your shyness, you nodded.

"i will. i'll punch you so hard that you'll be crying like a little boy." you warned or, well, tried to then why did you take a step back immediately?

simple because akutagawa had the ability to make you grow shy and flustured with even a glance so when he took a step towards you, you took one back on instinct as you felt joy twirl your heart in a dance.

"yeah? then why are you moving backwards princess? c'mere and punch me." akutagawa smirked as he said so and you shook your head, trying not to smile as you kept on walking backwards.

and as you did, your eyes went up and down to check the man stalking towards you, akutagawa isn't the most muscular and is more on the lean side yet he still had some assets, from his pale veiny hands to the soft abs hidden by the white short sleeved t-shirt and a leather jacket on top of it. black always did look the best when he wore it after all.

you kept on walking backwards and akutagawa kept on walking forwards ; the dance of the predator and the prey came to an end when the back of your knee bumped against his gaming chair and taking it as an opportunity, akutagawa took a big step forwards and pushed you on the chair with his knees.

you sat on the chair and your eyes immediately widened as the camera lens mocked you from your peripheral vision yet it was the least of your concerns when akutagawa leaned down, placing both his palms on the armrests, the cigarette between his lips as he smirked down at you like a predator who finally has its prey cornered.

if only one of you two could turn your heads to watch the chat going in a frenzy at this unexpected act, then maybe things wouldn't have escalated further but then again, perhaps akutagawa had been searching for this opening to make it clear to everyone that he belonged to someone.

"stop or i'll punch you for real ryu." you smiled up, leaning back on the chair as you bit your lip to suppress the smile which threatened to break on your face.

"go for it, let's see if you actually have the guts princess." akutagawa challenged but when he tried to move back to stand straight, your fingers found themselves clasping around his hand as you did not want him to end this moment.

so with a smile, you took on his challenge as you raised your knee up to hit him on his stomach, akutagawa stopped you immediately as his hand grasped your knee and he pulled it up to make your leg wrap around his waist, keeping you in that position.

"say you are sorry." akutagawa said but you only scoffed, tilting your head.

"or else what? you are going to cry to your mommy little boy?" your cockiness was thrown out of the window the moment akutagawa used his other hand to do the same for your other leg as he did with the first one before he twisted both of your bodies so that he would be the one sitting on the chair and you on his lap.

"who let that tongue of your's get so sharp?" akutagawa titled his head as he grasped your chin between his fingers, looking at the screen to make sure the chat doesn't find this too offending and once he saw the positive response overtaking the negative one, akutagawa smirked a bit to make this more memorable for his viewers before he raised his eyes from your lips to your cheeks to your nose to your eyes, completing a journey in which his eyes feasted upon you and your features.

you do not reply yet only smile as you let him toy with you, finding it hard to not smile when he turns your face to the sides using your chin before letting go of your chin but his assault on your face continues as he lightly smacked you -- perhaps the correct term would be 'gently patting' your cheek if we judge his action and the force he used to carry it.

"answer me." akutagawa mumbled but when he saw you bite your lip as you tried not to smile, he gently smacked your other cheek, entertained by your reactions.

"why should i?" your words hitted the right spots as akutagawa sighed, leaning down on the chair as he adjusted himself and you on his lap before he looked at the chat, smacking you again and making your head turn to the other side.

"wait who was gonna tell me he has a gf?"

"what a daddy. daddy daddy daddy."

"MANSPREADING?? HELLOEWTDD???"

"i moaned and something else purred."

"kiss kiss, fall in love."

"did he run out of topics? what's the use of bringing his gf to this stream?"

"bros desperation is showing."

"what are her socials? i am sure i can treat her better."

oh.

ideas are ideals yet ideas are dangerous if thought about without morality and resistance.

and akutagawa does not entertain any thoughts of this kind where people think they are free to imagine themselves with what akutagawa had already claimed as his.

for akutagawa is a possessive man, quite territorial in his nature.

his eyes narrow like how a tiger's does when it sees someone, a unwelcomed guest in its territory.

the tiger takes a step forwards slowly. akutagawa licked his bottom lip before he decided to take in your appearance to see your chest rising and falling calmly as you breath through your nose, the way your eyelids move when you blink to hide your preety irises from him temporarily before showing itself to him again, the way you are silently smack your lips as you wait for akutagawa to do something or say something yet all he does is stare at you while listening to the comments piling in by every passing second, no doubt many more would've had commented how they think they can treat you better then him.

how on earth can they even begin to think of such a big misunderstanding and how can they, with the passing second, continue to believe the little delusion their mind created for them?

there is a freeze in the muscles of the tiger before it begins to run towards the intruder. akutagawa's hand grasped both of your wrists before he brought them down, pinning them on top of your pubis mound as he leaned up to place his lips on your's, moving them slowly at first as his other hand grabbed your nape to move your face away from the camera and more towards him.

"won't apologise? you wanna keep on being stubborn?" akutagawa rasped, his breath getting a bit heavier as it is desire that is pushing down on his lungs everytime you or he moved, he could feel the outline of your dripping core on his crotch and near it and as you rubbed yourself on his thighs unconsciously during said movements, it drove him insane due to how restricted he is from freely touching you.

it all made sense. the reason for you to barge in and to try and provoke him and as akutagawa grinned at the realization, he smacked your cheek again. "such a needy princess, ain't ya?"

akutagawa had whispered out as to not let anyone else hear him yet his voice came out throaty as he did so, making it sound as if it had a hint of growl in it and that made your cunt to squeeze around nothing as more arousal dripped out of you and onto the fabric of your panties. you only nodded, licking your lip as akutagawa turned the chair around more so your bodies wouldn't be directly visible to the camera.

"so this is why you came to ruin my stream? because your pathetic fingers don't hit the same as your boyfriend's?" akutagawa mocked as he played with your bottom lip by flicking it, akutagawa raised his eyes to look at you as he smirked and let his hand (which was previously playing with your bottom lip) to trail along your cheek before cupping the curve of your jaw, "apologise to me already mommy."

akutagawa had softened his tone at the last part on purpose to make you feel breathless and breathless you were. your hands would've grabbed the collar of his jacket had it not been for his hand pining both of your's down.

akutagawa immediately leaned up to push his lips against your's as he pulled back as quickly yet didn't tilt his head back, choosing to remain in that proximity to tease you further knowing you and him share the same disadvantage of being unable to move freely.

"are you gonna stop --" you words were bought to a halt when akutagawa leaned in again to bump his lips against your's, the short moment of skin contact was frustrating to you,

--stop stream -- " you closed your eyes tightly before opening them again and akutagawa's hands grabbed your hips to adjust you to hide his crotch which is slowly growing hard under you, this caused your hands to be free and you immediately buried them under his shirt to lightly trace through his slight abs, your touch didn't feel as tickling as it felt stimulating for him, a light pink blushed coated his cheeks.

this had caused his eyes to widen and when his adam's apple bobbed as he gulped, a sheet of satisfaction covered you as you slowly parted your legs to have your clothed cunt press up against his crotch more.

"ryu . . . are you gonna stop streaming now or do i have to fuck myself infront of all your viewers to get you --" your words stopped, eyes closed and your hands tracing his abs laid flat out against them when akutagawa tsked mocking, immediately capturing your lips with his.

he moved his lips with aggression and desperation as both of his hands raised slowly up your body, slithering up your sides before one rested on your collarbone in such a way that his thumb pressed against your collarbone while the other four fingers were digging into your shoulders.

akutagawa quickly separated as he raised his hand to smack you on the cheek, leaning near your ear to mutter,

"what a needy slut you are, princess. you wanna let my viewers see how much of a cock hungry slut you are? go on, make a fool out of yourself f'me." akutagawa tilted his head.

his words made your thighs twitch yet you quickly shook your head as your hands clawed at his abs as if desperately trying to hold him, "n-no ryu, 'm sorry, ryu really. please ryu. sorry, 'm really sorry. for real."

your words came out smoothly in a whiny tone as you pecked his lips after every 'sorry' you pronounced and this action of attaining forgiveness and reawaken some slept on softness in his heart made akutagawa grin.

not smile but grin almost close to a smirk as the cockiness radiated off of him.

"you are sorry? really? won't be a brat anymore, right princess?" akutagawa mimicked you by pecking your lips after every sentence he spoke and when you parted your lips to speak, akutagawa shoved his index and middle finger down your mouth as the pads of both the fingers pressed down on your tongue to make you unable to speak or even close your mouth.

"shh. be a good girl and take it." akutagawa said while he pressed down on your tongue more while pushing his fingers deep till they were in knuckles deep, your gags and the saliva dripping down your chin made his cock harden up more.

the saliva dripped down your chin slowly made it hard for akutagawa to remain still, his legs twitched and he pressed down ever harder on your tongue making you jerk up as you looked at him through blurry eyes, the sight causing him to tilt his head back and moan and when he did so, his adam's apple bobbing up and down was a sight for your eyes to feast upon.

"f-fuck it." akutagawa stuttered and cursed as he tilted his head back up before immediately pulling his fingers out of your mouth and instead, replacing it with his lips on your's.

immediately, he pushed on his heels to roll the chair forwards, the wheels of the chair crushed the cigarette which dropped from his hand long ago and along with that, so did his stream end. after doing so, akutagawa's eyes shifted to you again as he lightly digged his teeth on your bottom lip thrice or twice as he leaned back on the chair to sit more comfortably, hands on your curves to guide you to lean back with him.

akutagawa's hands trailed up your body, squeezing the flesh along the way before one rested on your jaw as he gripped it with his fingers while the other once again went lower to grab and grope the flesh of your ass now, akutagawa's lips moved against your's before he began to leave little pecks on your bottom lip for a few seconds.

as he separated, akutagawa looked at the monitor to make sure the stream has ended and once he made sure of it, he turned his head back at you again to see you breathing heavily as you looked at him him with half lidded eyes as you licked your lips.

"how can i not give you my entire world when you are such a patient princess f'me?" akutagawa groaned, grabbing your hips again as he lifted himself from the chair, turning you two around before making you sit at the edge of his chair while he went down on his knees, looking up at you.

"ryu --"

"i know princess," akutagawa intrupted your whine as he clasped both of his plams with yours, pulling your arms and wrapping it around his neck which made you lean down towards him. akutagawa tilted his head up, once again kissing you while his hands undid your shorts knot and slipped under it to rub over the wet patch he felt before too, over your slit.

"let me reward you now, yeah?" akutagawa mumbled in the short course of time where his lips separated from your's before he began to kiss you again, his tongue slipping through the small partition between your upper and bottom lip which you created to allow him access inside.

his tongue swiped over your teeth once before he used his free hand to grab your palms which were turned into fists behind his head, pulling on both of your fists to pull you closer towards him and have his lips pressed dangerously close to your's.

his teeth clashed against your's while his tongue flicked your own, he pulled back slightly to have his attention on your bottom lip as he digged his teeth into it, drawing out a few beads of blood from your lip.

he immediately moved towards your upper lip as he left a gentle and soft peck on it, his finger which was rubbing your slit now moved up to pinch your clit which made you softly cry out.

as akutagawa's finger lowered towards your slit again, so did his lips as they sucked on your bottom lip as he sucked out the blood. your hands grabbed his hair tightly as he leaned up while still being on his knees to push you back onto the chair and he used his hand to push your legs apart and towards your chest after your back was supported by the back of the chair.

two of his fingers immediately plunged into your hole and you moaned out against his mouth which lead him to once again dig his teeth into your lip to draw out even more blood.

your hold on his hair tightened as he showed no mercy, as if the concept is foreign to him with the way he pushed and pulled his fingers out of you so fast, your chest heaved up and down with each thrust.

you were only given limited oxygen to breath into as akutagawa's attacks on your bottom lip didn't halt for even a second, alternatively sucking on your bottom lip and sucking the blood out or drawing more beads of blood out of your lip.

it was when he felt your walls tightening around his fingers that he raised his thumb to rub aggressive and quick circles around your clit, his lips leaving yours as you began loudly moaning and whimpering while your body shook as it prepared for the upcoming and quick orgasm though you didn't expect it to leave your body in such a way.

every nook and corner of your body felt the farewell of the orgasm as pleasure replaced it, your back arched as you leaned back even more on his chair, almost sobbing as akutagawa licked his lips and watched how your legs shook while you squirted, your panties and shorts getting wet was a sight that made his cock harden up even more.

akutagawa immediately grabbed your throat to pull you near him, not caring if you are still breathing heavily due to the orgasm or how your body is shaking, he watched your red and swollen bottom lip and parted his lips, pressing his down on it to experiment with it and see if the pressure of his tongue could draw out blood or not as he once again began to aggressively rub your clit and he whispered out, hot breath colliding with your mouth,

"give me one more princess? --" akutagawa paused to smirk cockily, poking your lip with his tongue. you parted your lips and he immediately began to suck on your upper lip, leaving it only to lick your bottom lip and suck on it softly instead.

your hands shakily grabbed the armrests of the chair to stabilize your shaky body as akutagawa's one hand was choking you lightly while the other was rubbing your clit and when he felt your body tense again.

"make a mess f'me please mommy." akutagawa whispered and watched you crumble down again as your body lost its strength and your head tilted back as your lips parted while you breathed out, short and rushed.

yet akutagawa wasn't one for mercy as he watched with awe at how he was able to make you squirt again, a odd sense of pride settling on his heart and mind.

immediately, akutagawa grabbed both sides of your waist to lift you up and turned both of you around again to make you sit on his lap again, spreading his legs to have you directly above his crotch and he didn't care for how you stained or made his jeans wet.

all he cared was to watch how you let out a dry sob when he humped up against you, the fabric of his jeans colliding with your wet panties and shorts which in turn, made contact with your swollen and sensitive clit and cunt, sending overwhelming waves of pleasure through your body.

"ry-- ry-- yu --- ry --" you cry out again as you weren't given the chance to speak out his name even once as everytime you tried to call out his name, akutagawa humped up against you and left you a moaning and trembling mess.

"what's wrong mommy? thought you wanted to be fucked stupid? hm?" akutagawa innocently asked yet the smug smirk on his face told you just how much he enjoyed seeing you be a mess for him.

akutagawa raised his hand to cup your jaw and pull you closer, he affectionately rubbed the tip of his nose against your's before once again thrusting up against you which made you let out a choked moan.

"my preety princess." he planted a soft peck on your swollen lips before his eyes narrowed and he smirked as he whispered,

"i will make sure to make such a mess out of you tonight  . . . mommy." akutagawa teased mockingly as he scoffed and smirked once more before grabbing your hips to lift you up and pull down your shorts and panties just enough to let him see the arousal and cum dripping down your inner side and making a puddle on your panties.

akutagawa exhaled a shaky breath before bringing his hand near your clit and taping his knuckles against it to watch how you jerk up, letting out an affectionate sigh.

"such a preety thing, 's all for me, right?" akutagawa raised his eyes to look at you who was too fucked out to even reply and so, he clicked his tongue before raising his hand up to smack you with the back of his palm, (again, let's not forget that the force of his smacks hadn't once changed and continued to remain gentle).

"i asked you something, ain't you supposed to answer me mommy?" akutagawa raised his eyebrows as he pressed down on your clit yet again and watched leisurely how you jerked up, frantically nodding.

"use your words. you aren't mute, right?" akutagawa commanded and his smugness increased when he watches you sob as you shake your head for he knew just as well as you how he is making it hard for anything other then moans to leave your lips and he cooed as he raised one of his hands to wipe away the sweat forming on your forehead while the other hand had pulled down his zipper

"fine. you wanna be ungrateful to me after i've been so nice to you princess? go ahead and humor me." akutagawa grinned at the way you shook your head while he lifted you up using your thighs, quickly pulling his jeans and boxers down with much effort till they were pooled by his feet and he immediately pushed you down on his hardened and angry cock.

"-yo -- 's your's ry -- ahh - ryu! all of me -- is -- it's your's!!" you end up screaming out as he immediately begin thrusting into you and akutagawa hummed as he watched you shakily wrap your arms around his shoulder, clawing at his leather jacket as you lay your head down on his shoulder only for him to grab your nape to pull your head back so he could stare at your fucked out expression, and before he spoke, he smacked your cheek again as your head turned to the other side due to how lightheaded you feel as you feel another orgasm approaching you.

"such a good girl but don't you dare hide your face. let me see how much i am making you feel good, 'kay mommy? wanna see you as i fuck you stupid." akutagawa whispered and paused for a moment to watch you ; your back is arched as your nails dig into his leather jacket while your eyes are squinted as you try your best to not break the eye contact and akutagawa ran a hand through his hair to push his hair back, chuckling breathlessly before he groaned out, "fuck. fuck me mommy -- let me fuck you mommy. what a hot beauty you are."

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Has anyone noticed the similarities between Sauron and Gollum in “Rings of Power”?

Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum, a small slimy creature. I don’t know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was Gollum. The Hobbit

Riddles were all he could think of. Asking them, and sometimes guessing them, had been the only game he had ever played with other funny creatures sitting in their holes in the long, long ago, before he lost all his friends and was driven away, alone, and crept down, down, into the dark under the mountains. The Hobbit

They cursed us. 'Murderer', they called us. They cursed us, and drove us away. And we wept, precious. We wept to be so alone. And we forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind. We even forgot our own name. Return of the King (2003)

“What a pity Bilbo did not stab that vile creature when he had the chance!”

“Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity."

“He deserves death"

“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end, and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many--yours not least"

Fellowship of the Ring, Shadow of the Past

The “my precious” face:

Gollum looked at them. A strange expression passed over his lean hungry face. The gleam faded from his eyes, and they went dim and grey, old and tired. A spasm of pain seemed to twist him, and he turned away, peering back up towards the pass, shaking his head, as if engaged in some interior debate. Then he came back, and slowly putting out a trembling hand, very cautiously he touched Frodo’s knee – but almost the touch was a caress. For a fleeting moment, could one of the sleepers have seen him, they would have thought that they beheld an old weary hobbit, shrunken by the years that had carried him far beyond his time, beyond friends and kin, and the fields and streams of youth, an old starved pitiable thing.” The Two Towers

This is not random, because not only Sméagol was corrupted by the One Ring (Gollum), but he was also captured and tortured by Sauron himself for information in Barad-dûr (Mordor) to learn who had the One Ring, in the Third Age (in the books, Sauron is not a giant eye ball on the top of a tower).

However, Sauron let him go (instead of killing him), which is odd not only by Sauron’s standards, but because Gollum knew Sauron’s plans, and releasing him would be a terrible risk (especially for a being as secretive as Sauron). And indeed it was, because it allowed Gandalf to know that Sauron was planning to use the Nazgûl to get the One Ring, and that he was aware that Bilbo had it, and the Nine Riders were headed for the Shire.

However, that’s what Sauron does. And why? Tolkien himself answered, in the Unfinished Tales: Sauron saw something on Gollum.

“He [Sauron] did not trust Gollum, for he divined something indomitable in him, which could not be overcome, even by the Shadow of Fear, except by destroying him.”

What did Sauron see? We don’t know, because Tolkien does not say. Only that Gollum made him uneasy, and he was not able to discern why.

Some theorize that Sauron might have seen Eru’s plan for Gollum in the creature (he would be the one to take the One and cast into the fire), and couldn’t kill him by “divine intervention”. To me, this theory doesn’t make much sense, because if this was what Sauron saw, why release Gollum, in the first place? Why not keep him a prisoner in Mordor to prevent this from happening?

Others say that Sauron did not trust Gollum but knew he would seek out the One Ring, and he could use this to his advantage, and that’s why he let him go. This is more likely, but still doesn’t explain why Gollum stir something in him.

And it seems that “Rings of Power” might be exploring this angle by giving Sauron some Gollum inspo. Which might mean that Sauron shared a recognition with Gollum. Which makes sense, since the he was corrupted by the One Ring, which holds a part of Sauron’s soul.

This makes me wonder, if we’ll get a scene like this in future seasons:

Frodo looked straight into Gollum's eyes which flinched and twisted away. 'You know that, or you guess well enough, Sméagol,' he said quietly and sternly. 'We are going to Mordor, of course. And you know the way there, I believe.' 'Ach! sss!' said Gollum, covering his ears with his hands, as if such frankness, and the open speaking of the names, hurt him. Two Towers

Frodo's calling Gollum by his true name has opened a door within him that had long been shut. It’s Gandalf that tells Frodo Gollum’s real name in the chapter The Shadow of the Past in “Fellowship of the Ring”.

Gandalf uses the name “Sméagol” in the past, never in the present (he calls him “Gollum”): this establishes a duality between the two names: Sméagol vs. Gollum. Pretty much the same as Mairon vs. Sauron. Sméagol is the “forgotten things” of Gollum’s past; like Mairon the Admirable is to Sauron. Gandalf admits he has hope that “Gollum can be cured before he dies”, meaning redeemed. This was Halbrand in Season 1; the Repentant Mairon.

Frodo, by addressing Gollum as Sméagol, evokes (or hopes to) the memory of these “forgotten things” (like Gandalf told him). Of course, Gollum is far into his corruption (being a ring-bearer to the One for over 500 years), for a mere evocation of his true name to redeem him, however, it could open the door to the hope of.

Indeed Gollum himself makes the distinction between the two: “Don't ask Sméagol. Poor, poor Sméagol, he went away long ago. They took his Precious, and he's lost now.” Or “No precious, no Sméagol”. In Gollum’s mind, “Sméagol” was lost not with the murder of Déagol centuries before, but when he lost the One to Bilbo.

In the Peter Jackson adaptation, this scene translated into this:

Frodo: Who are you? Gollum: Musn't ask us. Not his business, gollum, gollum. Frodo: Gandalf told me you were one of the river-folk. Gollum: Cold be heart and hand and bone, cold be travellers far from home. Frodo: He said your life was a sad story. Gollum: They do not see what lies ahead, when sun has failed and moon is dead. Frodo: You were not so different from a Hobbit once, were you... Sméagol? Gollum: What did you call me? Frodo: That was your name once, wasn't it? A long time ago. Gollum: My... my name. Sméagol....

In Season 2, it was Gandalf who had to earned his name via finding his staff. His character arc parallels Sauron’s in “Rings of Power”, which makes me wonder if his real name (Mairon) might come into play in Season 3.

Especially since we had so many mentions of him having “many names” in “Rings of Power”, already.

Which raises another question: did he, like Gollum, forgot his real name?

But who could come into play in this scene? The character who’s paralleling Frodo and Bilbo, of course: Galadriel.

[megumishousewife]

Megumi x Chubby! Gamer Reader

A/N: I have been gone for a MINUTE so imma try and make this lil story the best I can because I’m really doing this because I had an idea one night. Annndddd even though this is more oriented to plus size girls, I want everyone to enjoy this piece. ANYWAYS…

For today’s stream, your chat decided to play a little bit of Resident Evil 4 since it was a new game popping off at the time. You’re a big horror fan so this makes this even better, but you were a little late to the party, seeing that other youtubers and streamers had already beaten you to the punch. You told your fans that even if they have probably seen other people play the game before you, all that matters is that they are getting the uncut Y/N version so they are in for a good one.

 “Just letting you guys know that we are donating to a charity that helps families in need of major necessities so please donate and help the cause. If we do raise past the goal today, I might let you guys pick your rewards. Maybe a 24 hour stream or another vlog, but it’s up to you guys,” you said with a smile.

You watched as your chat was lit up with multiple comments and you just laughed at the excitement of your fans. Even though you probably pull in 10k a stream, you want to make all ten thousands of your fans happy. Also on your youtube channel, Y/N Games, you have already reached 1 million subscribers, which you told everyone was a big milestone. Continuing on, you played RE4 for a good three hours with nothing but a few deaths, multiple donations, giggles, and you simping over Leon because who wouldn’t.

You said, “Y’all, if I was in the zombie apocalypse and I had to have one of my crushes save me...you guys already know who he is.”

Your fans already know how much you gush over the streamer,Megumi Fushiguro, aka Megs. You always found his stoic attitude very sexy and the jokes he made were very similar to yours. You could probably go on for hours talking about this man since you found him way before you even considered doing content. He has probably around an average of 25k viewers and 5 million subscribers on Youtube. You always talk about how you see him at conventions and never speak to him because you were scared of what he would think of you. For some reason, your stream was blowing up the chat about him and that he’s live right now with his best friends, Nobara and Yuji, who are also content creators. 

You laughed, “Guys, I will react to their stream tomorrow, butttt I see that we have reached our goal of donations! Thank you guys so much and we can actually take these last few minutes to discuss what you guys want for your reward.”

After looking at the comments for 5 minutes, you have narrowed down to 3 options.

“You guys really want me to come out of my comfort zone with these,” you said with a nervous laugh, “Option One: collab with fav youtuber or streamer. Two, ask out my fav youtuber or streamer. Or three, prank calling my streamer friends. This decision isn’t up to me, so I will put a poll on my twitter so you guys can take a vote on what we should do. It will be open for 24 hours so you guys can pop in anytime to vote. Thank you so much, I love you guys and good nigghtttt!”

You clicked off the “end stream” button and you felt your heart pounding out of your chest. The first two options were already embarrassing because how in the hell were you going to get in contact with Megumi. And knowing your fans, they were not going to do the last one because it’s too easy. Sighing, you got up to take a shower and flopped on your big bed. Just for background noise, you turned on another plus sized youtuber that you always watched do a random storytime while you got to work. The fastest thing to do was to upload the VOD of tonight's stream that one of your mods saved to your youtube channel. since you stream Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; you didn’t want your youtuber watchers to miss out on your newest gameplay. Next, you went to Twitter and uploaded the poll, feeling a small pit in your stomach. You also saw that you were tagged in a video of Nobara, Megumi, and Yuji rating Youtubers and streamers. You pressed play and saw what was about to unfold.

Nobara said, “Next one is plus sized youtuber and streamer, Y/N games!”

You could feel your face flush up instantly. What. The. Fuck. They are rating you out of all people and the only thing you can do is brace yourself for what to come because when it comes down to being a plus sized content creator, or just being plus sized in general, you have to be thick skinned and not let the hate get to you. But, the friend group actually took you by surprise. 

“Not gonna lie, she kinda bad! Megumi, you’re silent. The fans need your feedback,” Yuji said, nugging his best friend.

Megumi looked as if he’s even embarrassed to say anything but he managed to get a few words out as his face reddened.

“She’s pretty,” Megumi said, keeping his response short. 

Nobara and Yuji laughed as the chat was blowing up saying he might have a crush, but you rolled your eyes and logged out of Twitter for the night to go to sleep. Even though your body felt tired from the day’s work of streaming, editing, and sending emails, you couldn’t take your mind off of Megs’ face when he called you pretty.

“Maybe I’m just in over my head,” you thought to yourself.

After trying to let the thought pass as best as possible, you allowed yourself to drift into a deep sleep.

Don’t jump me! I know this is a little short but I think I’m going to post them in sections because chile, I’m acting like I haven’t typed in forever. But I hoped yall enjoyed it!!!

[julietcpulet]

My Lady Jane and Show Cancellations

I miss the days where shows got more than one season to make an impression, even more than two sometimes. You could have a show with a launching first season that was good, a somewhat lukewarm second season that for people more invested and then a third that either launched it into a favorite or sealed that it would be cancelled. Could also just wrap up the story. We don’t get that now. Shows get short episode orders and no time to make an impression. That has to be stressful for the writers, directors and actors alike. There’s a tendency to rush plots and not give any time for things to breathe because you want to show that the material is worth hanging on and watching.

Really the binge culture of Netflix sort of started all this. Having all episodes at once made consumers less likely to want to wait for more seasons, longer resolutions to storylines, relationships and other parts of tv shows that used to be satisfying to wait for. We used to wait a week between episodes and it would create excitement. Will the couple get together by the end of the season? Will that murderer be found out? Will it all be happily ever after? But things are answered now mid-season and with only 6-10 episodes max vs the 24 we used to have so boredom can be a real thing for people with tv now. The payoff is sooner but then there’s no buildup back to a new reward for finishing the season. It’s a shame what streaming has sort of accomplished in making platforms cut shows sooner when they might find their audience with a second season. I wish they’d take that chance but for them it’s all a numbers game which is understandable to a degree, they’re in it to make money after all.

My Lady Jane is the latest fallout of this mentality. The showrunners left enough crumbs for a second season but they packed a lot of payoff in the first to get people interested. This may have made people feel there wasn’t anything else coming or those last glimpses in the final 5 minutes may have made people feel the reveals of a second season were already spoiled so there wasn’t much to watch in a next season. Also the platform may not have gotten the international numbers it wanted from viewership. It’s a shame but when they don’t do quick renewal this is usually the conclusion.

I’ll always be disappointed to see a promising show go but it’s the unfortunate pattern of living in a culture of streaming. Shows get one shot to make an impression and if the platform feels they don’t they’re quickly moved on from. I still think they’re worth enjoying anyway because the people behind them put a lot of work and passion into the show regardless of how long they last.

Thanks to the cast and crew for putting in the work to make the show loved by the audience. Sometimes even though these shows don’t go on for long they’re remembered the best because they were short and honestly that can be for the best. I’ve seen shows outstay their welcome, go on too long and ruin everything that made them great in the first place. In a strange way I’d rather say goodbye to a show I liked early while it’s good than have to quit watching it later because it becomes a wreck. Thanks for the fun My Lady Jane, it was a blast making silly little posts about this quirky show.

[i-am-totally-meh]

Okay, so I was thinking about like how all of the ORV and TCF crossovers are basically just dropping Cale into the ORV universe. However, what if Cale and the others were fully integrated into the ORV universe instead?

Don't worry about trying to read the little text in the image. I'm going to expand on it... and most of it is spelled wrong or changed anyway. ALSO! Also, there are going to be some spoilers to manhwa readers, so just- um, run away!

Okay, so in this au, Kim Rok Soo was able to be born in his ment to be body, and I'm thinking that the white star either one, doesn't exist in this au due to the star stream having a sort of interference when he was doing his little body snatching thing or two, white star ended up taking Cale's body but I'm still thinking who i want more. Rok Soo will go by Rok Soo for recognizably because he can't be Cale for au. It would be too confusing, i think.

Now to expand more into constellation Rok Soo!

Now Rok Soo mainly became a constellation in order to save his compaignions. We will expand more on that when I post what Rok Soo's life was before he became a constellation. Now Rok Soo tends to sponsor children. When asked, his answer will simply be "I would be worse than trash to not even give them a chance to live."

He can give his acienct powers as stigmas along with record and instant. Why does he have record and instant? I'm planning for the abilities to be linked to his soul, so even though he was never in Korea, he still has his abilities.

I don't have his modifier name nailed down yet... by that, I mean I have absolutely no idea at all. But I do know that thanks to Star Stream rewards and all that jazz, he was eventually able to break the white star's curse on him, but it was only broken after he became a constellation.

The people he sponsors right now are,

Choi Han

Ohn

Hong

I will expand on what they use their stigmas for in later posts, but imma stop here for now.

[britney-tf]

Thinking About Moving On

I've done transformation art as a living for about 8 years. I have had multiple side hustles to help pay for things, but the reality is this is the main thing I do to pay the bills. It's... Not working out so well. Or at least, it hasn't been. I want to clarify that this is no one's fault but my own. I am not the most efficient at planning and getting work done when I should, and didn't take opportunities to work on longer term goals when I had the time to do so.

I am thinking about quitting, but I am not going anywhere this second.

I made an ultimatum to my personal transformation friends, that if I was not meaningfully working on a pay comic as my main priority by 2025, I need to quit and find a more traditional job, even if it is only a part time thing. I have a backlog that keeps me away from working on pay comics or more rewards for my patreon. I have been making progress on it this year but its been slow, due to a combination of things. Some out of my control, some my own fault. "I really don't want you to quit, how can I help?" A few things.

I am going to try to start streaming on weekdays. Just making sure I am working daily will hopefully help me clear my backlog. I stream here and just watching me stream is a perfectly valid way of supporting me.

I have a Patreon. I admit it's not a very exciting patreon in terms of rewards. Its mostly me posting WIPs or pieces a week early. I also offer a poll but I am a little behind on the poll sequences. Think of it more like a tip jar than anything. If I could get the patreon to like... $400 a month, doing this would be way more stable for me.

Buy commissions. This one is maybe a duh, but regular commissioners are the main way I support myself. I don't intend to open any for a bit so I can make progress on the backlog, but when they're open, if you get one, it helps a lot.

Idk, follow me on twitter and bluesky? Signal boost my stuff? That probably helps me

Completing my backlog, feeling like I have more regular commissions, a big boost in my patreon or a combination of multiple of those things would certainly prevent me from quitting. I am ultimately the one responsible for myself and my well being, so don't feel pressured if you cannot do anything in terms of what I listed above. If things don't work out, that's ok. Such is life, and I will find a way to carry on. Sorry if this seems dramatic. It's my reality, unfortunately.

If I owe you something obviously, even if I end up leaving transformation art, I will finish the work I owe you lol

Anyways, for now, I will go back to the grind!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb:

From Ashley Pines and Eden Emory comes a queer dark, smutty thriller set in world where the rich pay handsomely to watch the live-streaming event of the year. The desperate sign-up to play a game with life-changing rewards and life-ending consequences.

Cam

Legacy. A word I reckon I’d heard a hundred times more than my own name.

It’s what I am, who I am. The product of generations of greatness.

And now, I was the Weston’s last chance to score big inside the arena.

It should’ve been like shootin’ fish in a barrel. But the moment I saw her, winning didn’t mean a hill of beans.

Was the Lord testin’ me? Punishin’ me for questioning the Ranch?

Or was I looking down the barrel of a gun right at my future?

Ain’t no way I was leavin’ without her.

Aubrey

I came for one reason and one only.

To kill the person that made my life hell.

But when things don't go as planned and a certain thembo cowboy catches my eye, they are suddenly all I think think about.

All I want.

And for them, I'd do anything. Kill anyone. Even if they punish me for it.

Better yet, I hoped they'd punish me for it and I couldn't wait for everyone to watch.

This is the second book in a series of interconnected stand alone novels. While they can be read out of order, it is recommended to start from Hide n’ Seek. This is a dark book with many triggers, please see the TW on the authors' website before continuing

Review:

A deadly tournament filled with killers all looking to make a name for themselves, win money, and take home glory.... and in this year's tournament a vicious girl looking for revenge finds herself teaming up with the heir of a famous farming family who also happens to train the best killers ever... can they find a way to survive or will they kill each other to win it all. Cam is the heir to a famous farmer/killer family, all they wanted to do is complete their father's legacy, win the competition, and finally free themselves. Trained to be the best killer ever yet Cam has no desire to kill, in fact they'd like to avoid it if they could during the competition but then they meet Aubrey. Aubrey has worked hard to curate the perfect image, to get fans, to finally exact revenge against the girl who stole everything from her.... and the last thing she needs is to fall for a hot thembo cowboy. Aubrey's first instinct is to kill but something about Cam makes her want to be a bit vulnerable. This was such a fun read, it's got hunger games vibes but with modern day vicious romance and I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT, I can't wait to read the next book. If you like Jennifer's body, if you like unhinged romances with very obsessive killer lovers, give this one a go, it will be perfect for you.

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

[thisonesatellite]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by the amazing and infinitely talented @voylitscope. Thank you so much! 💕💕💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

37.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

607,929

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now primarily stucky /MCU.

i got started with CS /OUAT (which i no longer write for), and have also ventured into dramione /HP (where i will go again as soon as i have some time).

i also wrote one Leverage fic, which --- guys, i don't know what happened there. It just knocked on my door and demanded to be written. 🤷‍♀️

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

This is interesting. i would have thought the OUAT fics would grab all top 5 spots, because they've been around the longest, but actually---

we build our lives out of chaos and hope - dramione

Burn To Shine - stucky

The Unexpected Life - CS

break me - CS

if you live by the word, you die by the pen - CS

If you're counting by fandom, well -- i mean, i have exactly five stucky fics so far. That's the top five right there. 😂 (There will be more soon, and then we can see who grabs the brass rings.)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

ALWAYS. Always always always. i love comments. They make my day.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

OK. Like. i don't write angsty endings, OK? i may or may not put my characters through the fucking wringer during a fic, but i ALWAYS HEA them, you feel me.

Having said that, i think militae species amor est (CS) is the one with the least openly stated fluff at the end. (Then again, the title is a quote i ripped off Ovid which means "love is a kind of warfare". Take from that what you will. 😂)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uh, all of them? i happy end HARD, ok?

If you're going to make me pick, for stucky it's probably a tie between Burn To Shine and a handful of dust. (So far. There will be others.)

For all of my fic across fandoms, it's everybody knows (CS). Which is also by far the most complex emotional character arcs for an OTP i've ever wrapped around an impossibly complicated plot line. And angst abounded here. Such abounding. The ending had to make up for it and consequently will rot every last one of your teeth.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far. i once had someone tell me in great detail why they didn't like my writing style, but while i did wonder why they bothered to read my fic in the first place if my style wasn't for them, i don't count it as hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Ah. The eternal question. No, i don't. i don't know how. i don't think there's anything wrong with smut at all, but i can't write it.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

i don't write crossovers. Lots of AUs, but no crossovers. i don't like to cross the streams. 😂

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that i know of, knock on wood.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! My lovely and wonderful friend @mariakov81 translated her birthday fic ad extremum terrae into Ukrainian. i may have cried when she told me.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes. The Sword and The Heart - with the amazing and talented @ohmightydevviepuu. It was one of the hardest and yet one of the most rewarding experiences of my writing life and i strongly recommend the process to every writer out there. The things you will learn about yourself and your writing are immeasurable, and you will emerge a better writer for it.

Also, it was so much fun.

(All the credit here goes to @ohmightydevviepuu, whose patience was infinite every time i went and did A Thing with the plot and the characters. She is the reason we have a fic at all.)

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

i think stucky will always have a place in my heart. (So will many others, some of which i don't even write for, but stucky is my fave, i think.)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

None. i am a very linear writer. i write one fic at a time. Therefore i never have any additional WIPs cooking, and so i do finish everything i start.

i know. So annoying. 😂

16. What are your writing strengths?

Character development, realistic dialogue, action. (Also probably plot underpinned by emotion. While i'm patting myself on the back here.)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

SMUT. i cannot write it (as stated above). Which means there will always be a sense of the explicit lacking in my fic, and i'm sorry for that. But i can't change it.

And certain popular tropes--- some of them perennial favorites--- do nothing for me, so i am also unable to write them.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i have utilized the fact that i speak more than one language, and have several good friends who speak other languages, in some of my stucky fics. But i will say that sometimes it's hard to keep true to the characters in a different language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Once Upon A Time (OUAT). It's the one that started it all. i was never going to write, you know. And then, one day, i--- did.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

OMG. You're going to make me choose? Between all the blood, toil, tears, and sweat on every page? Yes, i'm being dramatic.

My favorite fic (IF i HAVE TO PICK ONE) is probably we kill the flame (CS). It plays in my favorite sandbox -- cyberpunk dystopia -- and i built an entire world for it. In painstaking detail.

My favorite stucky (so far) is probably despite all my rage - for much the same reasons: World building and cyberpunk dystopia. Also because it has my favorite Sam and Clint.

Honorable mention has to go to Burn To Shine (stucky), which introduced me to the pure and unadulterated fun that is Grumpy!Bucky (who is now my favorite chew toy), as well as the disaster muppet combo that is Scott and Clint, and we build our lives out of chaos and hope (dramione), because i went on a thinly-veiled political tear halfway through it and still cannot believe i got away with it.

.

Absolutely zero pressure tags for @sparkagrace , @cable-knit-sweater, @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy, @wistfulcynic, @ohmightydevviepuu, and @mxaether 💕

[ohits-starflower]

I know the egg admins have admitted to it’s going to be okay (Chay & Pomme & a few others have said something) for getting cookies and such but man I have some thoughts.

But like idk man. This current one is not great. I didn’t like the old tasks cause egg admins were busy and had lives. I liked the cookies but in the end it was very little parents actually put in the work and others just got lazy. Everyone has something negative to say about this new one. I’ve not seen a single parent or egg say something positive about it. And with the economy system currently set up, either bounties need to be worth more or passive income needs to be looked into. No one wants to spend a lot of coins to just buy cookies cause they’re not earning a lot of them and the prices are too high.

Also I understand letting the new parent and egg see how dangerous it could be and what it means for an egg to possibly die but for the older eggs I don’t think this should be the case anymore. We saw how much fun it was to have the eggs not be so worried about dying and doing stuff to have fun. The older eggs are coming up on a year and I think a good reward would be to let them just go back to the invincibility. At that point they’ve fucking earned it for being there for so long.

And before any of you come in here and say “oh just let it be, it’s been days” BRO ITS JUST FUCKING WEDNESDAY. This shit needs to be done by Sunday. And actually quite a few parents are away on vacations/events. There’s no emergency stash cause with the current system there’s not enough to get one started. And the old cookies system of non parents are half the amount is still in place. And a very old rule is now back into place that you have to be streaming to get the quests done for the cookies.

It’s a genuine o7 to some eggs cause we might get a long list of “died to neglect” come Sunday if the system isn’t tweaked by either tomorrow or Friday.

[cheriecherishchen]

Foundations!verse by Saras_Girl

Summary: Harry is about to discover that the steepest learning curve comes after Healer training, and that second chances can be found in unexpected places.

Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Rating: E

Words: 364,381

This is my favorite among favorites! The series contains two main stories and some one-shots.

Part 1 - Reparations is a story of falling in love, where Harry worked as an intern Healer in St. Mungos and met Draco, who worked in the rehab. When I give the rehab a deeper thought, I think the author had done it beautifully and amazingly. It's a rare theme in fanfictions, even after years of reading them, this is still the only one I've read that mentioned drug use during the war. I admit I tend to avoid dark themes, but this one won't dampen your mood while reading it, and just as thought-provoking as well.

Part 2 - Foundations is a story about how their newly formed romantic relationship developed into an established one, a depiction of their life: falling in love a little more as life went on, introducing each other to friends and family, staying the nights turning to living together without even noticing, building foundations together (literally and figuratively), and having fights when one does something stupid (and of course the afterward make-up sex). All of them are connected because life is a stream of events, one leading to another. While getting together will always be the more intriguing part to me, being together it's a more difficult part of life. I love how the author shows their love through all the small gestures: the brush of wrist under the string, the unconscious searching for each other's presence, and the involuntary smile when they find it. It's amazing to read how they affect each other by mere presence and how they comfort each other through ridiculous and adorable ways.

There are also some related one-shots written in If I Had Words (a collection of little stories based on strange words, it could be read independently, but you could also recognize every Draco and Harry and other characters from his other stories). I especially love the one in Chapter 4, with the word Ya’arburnee (Arabic).

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl

Summary: Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Rating: M

Words: 138,542

The main story is written from Draco's perspective. While the Draco in Foundations seems to be calm and collected, this Draco has so many interesting thoughts running in his head. Even though in the first half of the story there aren't many interactions between Harry and Draco, it's still fun just to read how Draco tried to deal with all the additional workload. I love that when they had a chance to let go of their childish grudge, they could actually see each other. And that when they argued again, they were mature enough to not let things get worse.

The author always does an amazing job of creating some adorable original characters (pets or humans), and if you love Stanley (Draco's pet beetle) after reading the main story, you will be thrilled to discover the author has written so many adventures of his in the series.

The Ordeal of Being Known by babooshk_art, louisfake

"If we want the rewards of being loved, we must submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known." -Tim Kreider

Summary:

When Auror Potter is anonymously cursed with silence by being forced to hide his own voice inside his mind, there's unfortunately only one person in the country with the qualifications to fix it: Certified and Licensed Healer Legilimens, Draco Malfoy, specialist in Mind Curses and Afflictions. It's obviously a terrible idea, a disaster waiting to happen, but Draco's never been able to back down from a challenge... especially from Potter.

Features fuzzy cartoon slippers, devious house elves, 90s music, and lots—LOTS—of memories. Ron is annoyingly hot, Hermione sees right through you, Harry is a powerful idiot, and Draco is a reclusive masochist that would buy an entire city if it would make a kid happy. (And Pansy is "5'2, I wanna dance with you, and I'm sophisticated fun.")

Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Rating: E

Words: 307,208

The quote that inspired the titles of the stories possibly said it all. Much like the Foundations series, the first part is a getting-together story, and the second is a story wrapping up all the clues left in the first one and about how their relationship progressed. If you are interested in stories that cover them talking about all of their Hogwarts histories, this is the one I would recommend.

Furthermore, I am amazed at how many tropes the author had rolled into one story: Harry taking Draco on a motorbike trip, Harry speaking Parseltongue turning Draco on, wearing each other's clothes, Patronus changing, washing each other's hair, massage, memory loss. Most of all, I LOVE the scene where Draco showed Harry how he felt using Legilimency, so many feelings I'm almost drowning.

This is also a story in which you would fall in love with all of the supporting characters: Pansy, Ron (the best version of the best friend), Rose, and even the house elf.

Part 3 (the sequel) is only for signed-in members, but it is absolutely worth the effort.

PS. Harry's speech at Draco's trial is magnificent. That alone is worth starting to read a series with over 300+ words.

@hprecfest

[celestialcrownsvn]

10/22/23

Y'all ready for this?

3D Camera

I've got some nifty new updates coming! I have been experimenting with the ren'py 3D stage and it was far easier than I thought it would be. It allowed me to do some camera effects that I'd wanted to try but hadn't been able to make smooth enough with just ATL on the sprites or backgrounds.

I also figured out how to use Flatten so that the ATL doesn't show the characters naked when dissolving 🥲

Lots of new coding revelations! I will not be posting a new demo update anytime soon I think, but this is the sort of polish that I'm aiming at for the final version.

Falcon Punch

Betel now has a sprite! Along with the elusive Andromeda falcon. I hope that this will make it clearer which falcon is being talked about when--as long as let you get more attached to your little buddy! Your falcon can have a blue or red chest.

NSFW?

I have added a choice at the beginning that will let people toggle NSFW on or off, so that people don't miss this option when just starting the game.

Sahi's Route

Aalam's route is in full beta testing now, and I'm on to Sahi's route! I've finished the route proper as well as the good and bad ends, and I'm currently editing the best end! I hope to finish within the next few days and move on to Lune's route.

The second draft of the entire game very well maybe completed and tested by the end of the year, or close to it!

The third draft will be all about polish, copyediting, and of course, implementing tester feedback on the routes, adding things people may have felt were missing, etc.

In the meantime the other artists are still working on the additional backgrounds and CGs of course, so there's still a long way to go!

Min Art

I've always planned to draw the start screen myself, and while I like the current picture it was more of a temporary solution. I've been working on a new start screen! It's about 2/3 done.

Additional Min art will include additional sprite outfits, crowns for Sahi and Lune if they're made King of Lauté, and I've decided I will go ahead and do horseback sprites, as I've made such good time with the writing and should have plenty of time while the other artists are finishing up the art.

Ko-Fi

Follow my Ko-fi shop!

I've been slowly adding the Celestial Crowns merch to Ko-Fi! Right now you can get the stickers from the last Kickstarter campaign and two new wallpapers that are incidentally part of the new start screen.

Kickstarter rewards

I'm still waiting to hear back from Kickstarter about the pledges going through. In the meantime, love letters are being recorded, and I streamed the first three scenes of Aalam's route. I'll be recording a clean copy to send to backers once pledges have been processed!

Pinups

You can follow me on twitch (harlevinvns) to see me draw the rest of the pinups live. We're currently working on Leo's.

Conclusion

All is well on the development end. Thanks everyone for joining me on this journey 💖

[neitherabaron]

You mentioned that you've finished writing Gobelins, and I'm wondering if you're gonna raise money to produce it, or do it out of your own pocket? Either way, I'm very excited to hear it, hope your op goes well!

Thanks for a great question! There's definitely gonna be an Indiegogo fundraiser at some point before I start production, but the scale of that is going to need to depend on what my life is looking like at that time. In other words, when I’m physically able to devote time to the album again, I’m going to have to assess my capacity before deciding the scope of the project.

Basically, there's an "ideal" way I'd like to make Carnaval des Gobelins, with a physical edition, cool merch for backers, guest musicians and liner art commissions. I think it's gonna be the most satisfying experience for listeners and the best move from a "growing my business" point of view - producing that kind of stuff gives me a chance to order excess merch and another little revenue stream, which would take me a little step closer to making this my main job. But, it's also a big project to manage and as much as I want to do it that way, I'm not gonna bet on being physically well enough to do that until things are clearer. I'm pretty dang ill.

Then there are other options - like limiting that stuff to a digital version for Bandcamp and streaming, plus physical CDs that are a bit more pared-down in terms of liner content. And on the other side of the spectrum, there's just producing a digital album, like I did for The Wassailant, which while still a big project would be logistically simpler and would require the least amount of funding.

I'm going to run a fundraiser no matter what the scope ends up being and the reason for that is that I'm handling the production for C des Gs alone, in my studio. I have a great set-up and good technical knowledge nowadays and can make stuff with much higher production values without the spiralling costs of studio and engineer hire. However, to get the album done, I'm going to need to treat it as a part-time job for about a year and so I'm going to have to find a way to help me through that time financially. The reason I was able to finish The Wassailant within a year was because of all the time spent at home during the pandemic! I'm not going to start production until I find a new part-time day job anyway, so I certainly won't be trying to raise the sort of money to depend on! But I probably will be earning less from a day job while I work on the album and I will need a small amount to supplement that/keep for emergencies if something goes wrong for me in that time - so that I don't have to halt production part way through.

So the low-scope, digital-only version would still be a crowd-funded affair, just a fairly low scale one. For the big one with all the cool rewards and awesome CDs and everything, I guess my other mini-worry is I don't actually know whether the funding goals I’d have to set to produce all the awesome extras are actually realistic to what people can afford. I don’t know if I could fund a project at the same level as a Mechanisms album for example, because I don’t have the same reach the band did. But we’re probably looking at something comparable, cost-wise, to The Bifrost Incident (but closer to its goal, not the final amount it was pledged) to produce the “full scope” version. Plus, the last time I ran projected costs for the project was before the cost of living crisis, so I don't know right now whether the CD/merch suppliers' costs will have increased.

I genuinely feel a ton of support and goodwill from people like you who really want to listen and I know there are plenty of you! But also I truly don't want to assume anything from you, so we'll have to see how realistic it is to make the full bells-and-whistles version, financially or in terms of my capacity, nearer the time. The way I'm feeling as I type this is that I may run the Indiegogo with a lower inital goal and just a couple of reward tiers (aiming to fund production and release the digital album and a simpler physical edition) and try to do some of the other stuff like an expanded liner or producing merch (and making merch available at discounted rates to backers who want it) as stretch goals.

Anyway, that is almost definitely a much longer answer than you were looking for, so I'll stop now. I really do appreciate the great ask; having the chance to thing about a proper answer has helped me straighten a few conflicts in my head that were causing me a little worry. Hope you have a great day!

If you've read this far, thanks! Please reblog this if this sort of thing is something you'd be interested in supporting and would like to spread the word. I don't know when I'll be ready to start a campaign, but I want more than anything to get dates for my ops, recover to the extent I can, and do it soon.

[memorian]

I know some people say that the first season of a show isn't always the best, and that's why we need them to at least get a 2nd season. But my thing is, streamers don't give a fuck about the quality of a show or what audiences *think* about the quality, because they don't even give people enough time to find these damn shows in the first place! We live in a time when there are HUNDREDS of new shows premiering across 6+ different major streaming networks(US)! In ADDITION to what's airing on cable. How is anyone supposed to be able to watch all these things as soon as they drop?? Let alone even know they exist in the first place? And then when you do finally decide to watch, let's say at the end of the season. IT'S CANCELED LIKE A WEEK OR TWO LATER. Streaming was supposed to create a certain kind of freedom. Why is it so rigid?? TV shows are no longer just airing on TV and you're out of luck if you miss it when it airs. They're online, so it's available for you to watch ANYTIME at your leisure. Yet, we the audience are punished if we're not watching a show within mere *seconds* of it being made available.

Also, do streamers not even realize that the canceling of shows so quickly has turned so many people off from... WATCHING NEW SHOWS. It's scaring people off from getting invested! Especially in genre-heavy series. Who wants to bother watching a genre-heavy series, with multiple characters, major storylines, and arcs that they know have a HIGH chance of being canceled on a damn cliffhanger. So many of them wait till the season is over until there's a 2nd season announcement before they watch or many, many, many others wait for online/fan reactions to see if it's even worth bothering with. I'm sorry, I'm not going to rush to watch a show within minutes of it dropping. I'm just not. There's not enough time in the day and there are already too many things to watch, and you've already made me feel like a fucking fool for doing that, just to get some ad revenue off of me to then turn around and reward me with a cancellation anyway. I have no incentive to watch. FUCK THESE STREAMERS.