#and can't shut up about it

[ihateornithologists]

if after starting taking antidepressants i started acting like a bitch again does it mean that being a bitch is just my normal state.

[fallingtowers]

dude not to be a bitch but starting my new job and spending every day surrounded by normies is really giving me a good long look at how fucked up the rhetorical landscape surrounding food and fatness is. the other week i overheard a guy confidently saying that the body doesn't actually require sugar and that if it wasn't for our dastardly perfidious taste buds we'd never crave it(???). just now my manager showed me this video of some dude scaremongering about pringles by saying that their ratio of sugar/salt/fat is CALCULATED to TRICK THE BRAIN into WANTING MORE. bitch you mean they made an effort to make their commercially produced snacks taste good? somebody phone the fucking fire department

[cheekinpermission]

Well. At least Ruggie and Jamil are having fun.

[inthedarkofficial]

Homer, Hades 2: Sing, O Muse, of the saffron robed goddess, whose fair countenance was bathed in Selene’s light at the moment of her birth. Homer, Hades: The fire-stepping prince was lifted by Night from the cold ground, where his lord father had discarded him, outside Taco Bell.

[rocketbirdie]

so close yet so far

[cyborgrhodey]

regina spektor is a violent zionist, but i don't think it's constructive or honest at all for people to be like "well her art was always bad anyway." some terrible people have made great art. This idea that artists with unsavory morals can't make good art (1) only feeds into some people's mindset that if they dislike something, that MUST mean there is something ideologically wrong with it, and (2) some people then take longer to realize the true colors of their favorite artists because... good artists can't be ethically bad right?? and so they hang on to their faves and pretend they are so righteous and defend their every move when sometimes. sometimes you just gotta accept that your favorite art was made by somebody you don't agree with, and you have to identify how much you are willing to support someone like that and what lines you have that can't be crossed

[joejhang]

neil josten the character that you are. auburn hair and ice blue eyes and a serial killer's smile. the capacity for both extreme cruelty and immense kindness. an honest liar, a brave runaway. someone who is born of two violent, dangerous, immoral people and desperately, desperately doesn't want to be like them (but is a little bit anyway). harsh and brutal and rough around the edges and at the same time so devoted and genuine despite it all. spent his entire life outrunning his past, cutting people loose for his own survival, and was ready to die for the people he called family. never does anything half-hearted (except maybe college, but that's actually completely valid) but throws himself into it and literally puts his life on the line all for the game. bargains for jean's safety and makes an effort to keep him alive and well despite barely knowing him at all. signed his own death warrant by staying at the foxhole court because he wanted to see kevin break free of r*ko and make it to the top (where he belongs). neil josten, who could've been so much more violent and bitter and evil, but remained true and good and would've held onto his integrity and the people he loved till the day that he died. neil josten the character that you are.

[ladyantiheroine]

While I'm still thinking about Nosferatu, am I the only one who sees a bit of a child molestation allegory in Ellen and Orlok?

Ellen tells us that she called to Orlok when she was young. She'd been experiencing symptoms of his influence since childhood, after all. She wanted someone to comfort her, protect her, guide her.

But then that someone turned out to be a predator. To paraphrase her, it was "something sweet turned to torture." She speaks how it fills her with shame, complicates her marriage and sexual relationship with her husband, how she lowers to the floor and makes herself smaller and more childlike ("I promise I'll be good") when beckoning Thomas to have sex with her.

It reminds me a little bit of the book My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. It makes me think of the dynamic of a child who had a relationship with an adult she had a crush on, only to grow up and realize that he was a monster. It's the horror of realizing that the person you are attracted to and even fond of was a predator all along.

[m4rs-ex3]

i am so obsessed with the fact that out of everyone, runaan is the one who is so fucking Done

i can literally hear him thinking "yeah i've gathered. the walls in this house are only so thick."

[14dayswithyou]

💖 Day 3.5 is now available! 💖

For the last couple of months, only Server Boosters had access to the 3.5 update... Buuuuut now it's available for everyone to play in the 14DWY Discord — and soon itch.io once I'm happy with the QA and state of the game — so please don't feel pressured to join unless you want to!!

The full devlog + even more screenshots are under the cut ^^

What's been added to the 3.5 version?

📺 Streamer Mode!

I've been told that it's difficult to stream and monetise age-restricted videos on YouTube and Twitch, so I added an option to remove the sexual content and strong language used in the demo.

Now y'all can invite Ren into your bed for cuddles without putting your streamer career on the line /silly /lh

This won't affect the 18+ rating or dark themes/elements of the game, however! Although Streamer Mode will prevent you from seeing any "gruesome" CGs in the future, most of the core elements of the game will still be tied to the choices and decisions you make. So you won't miss out on the overall experience by using streamer mode!!

⚙️ Custom Pronouns!

It only took me one entire year to get around to it, but you can finally choose your own preferred pronouns (or use a set of pronouns instead)... At the cost of being able to change them mid-game ^^;

Since the original pronoun screen wouldn't update until a new scene was displayed, I temporarily disabled the feature. But once I find a workaround, I'll bring it back!

💗 Choose how others perceive you!

You can now choose how the cast and narration perceive you! Originally, the narration was kept strictly gender-neutral (outside of pronouns and genitalia picked by the player), but this will soon change in future updates.

For more clarity: you don't get to choose the words specifically, but you can choose between masculine, feminine, and androgynous terms!

📋 Separate top and bottom genitalia!

You can now choose your tatas and pps separately! >:3

Alongside that, you can also choose your preferred body type!

I removed the "both" genitalia option because a few players still assumed it was an obscure version of "intersex". That wasn't my intention and I don't want to mislead anyone, so I took it out for now ^^;

I also didn't want to include a screenshot of the new genitalia choices in action (because it's NSFW), so y'all get the same character menu screen for the nth time instead lmao

📱 Relationship Screen Overhaul!

You can now change your own status for more immersion, and long-term Server Boosters will eventually be able to submit and use their own icon within the game as well!

Stalking finding your friends has now become easier by using "Buddy Maps"; a new app that allows you to see the location of all the cast members!

I want to offer players more incentive to check the relationship screen since they tend to miss the status updates, so hopefully this might help ;v;

It also says it "updates every few hours" so folks don't go overboard and check every 5 seconds to see where Ren is gdsghf (also keep in mind that he's a hacker lol)

🖤 Additional Scenes Update!

Day 2 received a brand new CG!!!!! Originally, I planned on only adding a few CGs sporadically throughout the game, but it didn't feel right to leave Day 2 so... empty... so I added a brand new CG to (hopefully) make things feel more balanced and natural!

If you decline Teo's offer on Day 3, Leon will now call and try to convince you to reconsider. However, players are still allowed to decline, and if they do, they'll reach a dead end.

After listening to feedback on itch, I changed some of the dialogue during Days 1-3 to make it seem more consistent! They're only small changes though, so it's honestly not worth looking for sdgjssga

🎶 Updated BGM and SFX!

I wanted to try out a different style of music to see if it fits the vibe of 14DWY more! The BGM features more acoustics to suit the "beachy" theme of Corland Bay, though I made a conscious effort to include piano elements as well to stay true to the original!!

I figured it'd be better to give players a live example before I make a poll (to see if they prefer the change or not) and publish it to Itch.

Some new SFX have also been added, though it's very minimal and honestly not that noticeable.

How to download and play the update?

(warning: clicking on the following links will open Discord!!) To download the Day 3.5 update, simply join the 14DWY Discord server, verify your age, and visit the "14dwy-updates" channel!

Alternatively, you can also wait until the update is publicly released on Itch to play it as well!! (It normally gets released shortly after a round of QA testing/getting feedback from the server, though I may release it earlier if I feel like it hehe ^^)

Enjoy!!

[mourn-and-watch]

you know what. i actually love that trying to talk to solas was the last thing varric did and it ended in complete failure. especially if you put it in the context of his feelings about anders. varric was so bitter every time he mentioned him because he could not stop him. he didn't even realize that anders was up to something and when it was too late he started to think of him as of someone who destroyed that fragile peace in kirkwall that actually never existed.

it adds layers to the way he felt about solas. he believed that time he could stop a friend who simply lost his way. because varric tethras can talk anyone out of anything, can't he? anders was just too dodgy and self-centred and cut everyone off just like solas did but this time varric is completely prepared. surely. absolutely.

he could have never talked anders out of it even if he had known what was coming. he could have never talked solas out of it either. anders was a desperate person standing against (as varric himself put it) forces he couldn't possibly defeat. solas was a god standing against a couple of mortals and his own conscience buried under his guilt and regrets. being a good friend would not stop meredith's oppression. being a good friend would not stop someone who fears so much that all of the atrocities he committed were for nothing and would mean nothing at the end. varric died because he didn't realize it. he died and left his second in command with an immense guilt because they believed he knew solas enough to pull that off and there's something tragic about it

[lizardkingeliot]

it's still blowing my mind that i thought we'd be getting something close to cartoon villain lestat at the trial and instead we got... this weeping broken thing who can't help but stop in the middle of it all to give louis a genuine, heartfelt apology for the monstrous thing he did to him. who refused to go along with the narrative that he didn't think he would be hurting louis when he did it. whose shame and love are overwhelming him in equal measure and to such a degree that he can't perform. he can barely stand...

and it actually feels like... the closest thing we've gotten to ~real~ lestat so far in this show? even though it's still just a memory, louis is remembering the sincerity of him even if he claims he wasn't moved by it. he's sitting there and he's...

he's remembering. even as he circles right back around to the narrative that lestat was only there because he wanted them dead. it was just more lestat insanity, of course. a moment of realness in the middle of his revenge to meant disorient, nothing more. with armand being ever-helpful and chiming in to confirm that lestat is the one who does this. lestat is the one who wants to leave you with no sense of what is or what is not. yes. that's right. it's LESTAT...

but louis is almost there. louis is remembering...

[yeyinde]

now why would you hide these in the tags..

also thinking maybe reader is newcomer too, maybe on vacation. everyone knows not to mess with price, say things about it never ending well.

but reader pays them no mind, thinking that their overreacting. of course, they aren’t, and reader is forced to check out of their hotel and into their new forever home with price <3.

and he's your first experience with an alpha, too. like sheltered reader, surrounded by betas your whole, stumbling onto John Price, of all people. but of course you're curious. you've never met an alpha before outside of the ones in your school - all the same age, the same hormonal shifts at the same pace; it's just not the same, is it?

and despite the tug between you, he can see where this going when you start batting your eyes at him, and softening under the burn of his glare. you're not going to like it. you'd never be able to handle him. and he tries to tell you this. warn you away. find a beta, a smaller, younger alpha. he doesn't care - just stay the hell away from him.

but you've been doted on your whole life and English Burt Reynolds isn't going to be the first man to tell you no.

so you push. prod. dig a little deeper. lay it on thick until his presence, a novice in your life, triggers the first stirrings of a real heat. forced proximity. freak storm. one bed. he breaks before dawn, but before you can even start to feel triumph, the reality of getting fucked by an older, more experienced alpha rears.

maybe you realise this when he pulls his fat, angry looking cock out, and barks at you to get back on the bed because he hasn't even started yet, and if you wanna strut around town, aching for his knot, well. he'll give it to you.

problem is: he's too big. too rough. you've been treating yourself like fine silk, something precious, and what he gives you (after growling at your pussy that he can't wait to break her in) is nothing at all like you were expecting. and this idea of a heat making you malleable, soft and ready, falls to pieces when you remember that anatomy isn't magic and no amount of fever in your blood will ever soothe the ache of him eating you up like a man starved.

but hey. you got the big, surly alpha in the end, didn't you? guess no one taught you the meaning of a pyrrhic victory.

[varpusvaras]

More All-Caste/Magic user Jason because I can't stop thinking about him.

Ya'll know for a fact that he isn't telling anyone about it. He knows very well what Batman thinks of metas and magic in Gotham, and he's already in too much trouble with him, so he just doesn't say anything. And besides, it is not their business, anyway.

But magic just does. not. stay. out. of. Gotham. And most of the time it's the type of thing that they would need Jason to deal with it, anyway, or Bruce would have to call for Zatanna or worse yet, Constantine, to deal with it instead, and Jason is sure that if either of them even looks at his general direction they are going to know. Zatanna might keep her mouth shut, but Constantine? Absolutely not.

So every time Jason gets even a sniff of something magical going on, he is on it instantly. There. Problem solved, and no one is the wiser. Everything is good.

Except. When someone deals with magic that quickly and that efficiently, it also creates a pattern. All things that are magical are starting to figure out that something is going on in Gotham. Whatever or whoever goes there never lasts for longer than a day. It's a curiosity, a mystery, and many beings want to solve it.

So now there is Gotham and Jason, and they have a reputation. And things just. keep. coming. And now they are seeking out whatever it is that deals with magic in Gotham on purpose, and Jason is getting really fed up.

Then he goes against a stronger foe, and calls up the All-Blades, and everything really goes up in flames after that. Because now the rumors are going even harder. That there is an All-Caste in Gotham. An All-Caste? Aren't they all wiped out? Apparently not. They gotta see it now for themselves.

So it is all going splendidly, one might say. Jason is not the one saying so.

But. Rumors are...finnicky. Especially when it comes to Gotham and its residents. And especially when it comes to the powers at play there. The city is guarded by the Bat. The man who trained with the League of Assassins, the man who has gone against enemies with earth-shattering powers and won. The Dark Knight himself.

So that has to be him. The Heir to the All-Caste.

So now every other week there's some Magic User coming to challenge the Protector of Gotham. And the Batman keeps beating them without ever using the All-Blades. This is shattering so many egos of so many Magic Users. They weren't even worthy of seeing the Blades! That's the most devastating part.

And Bruce is sitting in the Cave and trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Why are all of these people coming in all of a sudden, wanting to fight him? What did he do? He doesn't remember going against someone noteworthy in quite some time. There has to be something, and he can't put his finger on it and it frustrates him.

All the kids are throwing every kinda theory at him, except Jason, who is standing in the background, hoping that if he justs. stays completely still. they can't see him.

[annasofthe11thdimension]

-----

Odile doesn't get Loop's fascination with star gazing, but she can at least appreciate the chance to sit down and do nothing for a bit.

[abrillustrated]

thinking about mizu from blue eye samurai. thinking. thinking so much. thinking about how mizu operates outside of gender. like we joke about her gender being revenge but straight up? it literally is. like she grew up as a boy and is most comfortable being a man, but behind that is the feeling of betraying himself because he isn't being honest about who he is and he lives in fear of being discovered. and when he lived as a woman, she found joy there as well. she fell in love, and though she wasn't good at it, she liked being a wife and enjoying a simple life. but in that life too, she isn't being honest about who she is. and when she reveals her true self, it's not a woman, she's a demon, a weapon. she's to masculine to be a woman, and too feminine to be a man. ultimately, mizu is most comfortable when they are being a murder machine. that's when they feel they are being the most true to themself. like a sword, they are neither man nor woman, but a blend of both, which makes them stronger.