#and i was like 3/4ths of the way through my route and there was this really pretty woman with preformance fans that were flowing so prettily

[ratatatastic]

there is something so special about self fulfilling prophecies

[bunnyluvx]

the hanged man.

featuring: julian devorak x gn!reader. (w/ asra!)

summary: the morning after the dock talk.

warnings: death mention. nothing else.

a/n: HELLO SWEETIES!! i present thee with my first fanfiction!! all of my other content has been hcs/imagines up until this point and i am very excited about it! i did not expect for my first fanfic on here to be angst but i got so giddy about this idea that i couldn't wait. i am about to finish nadia's route and omg i am so nervous???? literally one more book, then i find out which ending i got. i REALLY want her reversed ending but will not be completely displeased if i get her upright ending. we shall see within the next couple of days. thank you to the ppl who gave constructive criticism to help me better this fanfic!! proofread. now enjoy your angst >:3

date started: 10:24PM, july 4th, 2024. date finished: 9:30PM, july 8th, 2024.

divider credit: @thecutestgrotto

wc: 1.9k

Sun pours in through the window beside your bed. It tickles your skin, urging you to wake from your slumber. The light tries to pull the covers off of you as the day calls your name, but you do not answer. You lay curled up on your side, blankets huddled around you in a cocoon. You don't carry the usual motivation that you have to get up and get things done, not today. All you want to do is hide in the blankets away from the world and stay there forever. So many emotions that are far too heavy for you to carry weigh on your shoulders, and if sleeping forever was an option, you would have dozed back off by now. But the sun is persistent in its mission at waking you, so your eyes begrudgingly peel open.

Your sight is welcomed by the same view that you have been greeted with every morning for the past three years. You lay still for a moment to take everything in. So much has happened ever since the countess asked that you take on the task of finding Count Lucio's killer, Doctor Julian Devorak. The first time that you met him, he had broken into your shop, and you found him again at the Rowdy Raven. Somehow, you managed to run into him again after a few weeks, one thing led to another, and you had fallen in love with the very man that you had sworn to catch for hanging. This romance did not last you very long, for last night, he left you. He told you that he was a disaster waiting to happen, that he didn't want to hurt you. He was so convinced that if you chose him, you would have chosen a horrible fate, and he couldn't let you do that to yourself. He walked you home, and while having dinner with Asra after speaking about your day, you broke. You had spent most of that night in tears with them at your side the entire time, holding you and rubbing your back to comfort you.

You turn around to see Asra exactly where he was when you had fallen asleep; At your side, on their back with their arm extended out to you incase you wanted to curl up against them. He had warned you about Julian, and his words echo in the back of your head. "The only thing he loves more than drama is his own suffering. And he's determined to chase both." You reflect on the way that he spoke of himself when he was fighting with himself about leaving you, and you find it so hard to believe that Julian is anything like how he sees himself. With the little time that you had spent together, you can see Julian's big heart, one that is kind and adventurous and full of love for the people around him. Despite everything that happened in his past, whatever it was, you can't see him as anything more than someone you want to love.

Enough is enough. You cannot lay here and sulk all day, even though that's all you really want to do. Slowly, you manage to sit up from bed, careful with your movements so that you don't wake Asra. You decide to go downstairs to make some tea for yourself, since it always makes you feel better. You trudge to the shop below, still groggy from slumber, and grab the teapot before waking the salamander and politely asking to light a fire for you. The fire flares up, and you make your favorite brew.

After you make your tea, you delicately take the mug into your hands and blow on it before having a sip. A content sigh escapes your lips as your eyes close, savoring the taste on your tongue. You take another slow sip before your eyes open, looking around the shop that you have learned like the back of your hand. You figure that you'll probably need to open up today, which you don't think will be too much of a problem. Standing around won't do you much good, you think, so you decide to stand outside for some fresh air. You make your way to the door and open it, one foot is about to step out of the door when you stop upon seeing something just under your foot. You move it back into the shop, then lean over and see..a letter? Your name is written on the front in handwriting that you have seen in the palace's library, and you know exactly who it's from.

You scoop the letter up from the floor before dashing inside, slamming the door behind you before rushing to the front counter. Anxiety swirls around within your stomach hotly, and your hands slightly tremble as you rip open the letter. You free the paper from its prison and unfold it, then begin to read.

My Dear,

I knew that I wouldn't be able to stay away from you. At the time that I am writing this letter, it has only been a couple of hours since I dropped you back off at the shop. The moment that I walked away, all I wanted to do was come running back to you. My heart was screaming at me to turn around, to ask you to come with me, wherever that meant for us to have gone. I guess that just proves how selfish I am, or maybe just how alluring you are. In the end, the decision that I made was for the better of both of us. We could never be together, no matter how badly we want differently.

Believe me when I say that I did not want this to end the way it has. I have never wanted to cause you harm or heartache. If I could, I would spend the rest of my life taking your pain away. But I have only one purpose in this life, and that is to hurt. I am destined to bring misery to everyone in my life, and to live alone. Choosing a future with me would mean to choose a future full of disappointments, and I do not want to disappoint you anymore. I do not want to disappoint anyone anymore. So I will not burden you with my presence. You will be able to go on with your life, chasing a future that will not wind up with you getting hurt. You are the last person that I want to drag into my mess, so I have to let you go.

Though our time together was short, I enjoyed it all. Every moment with you made me feel more alive than I have ever felt before. It is not often that I find someone who is willing to get into some mischief with me, so finding you and sharing the experiences that we had together is something that I am very grateful for. I am grateful that you allowed me to be in your company for as long as you did, and I am grateful for the kindness and care that you showed me. You have such a gentle, beautiful soul, and everyone who has ever crossed paths with you are the luckiest people on planet to have been able to experience your presence.

I could go on about how lovely you are. You have so much love to give, and you are caring. You had the capacity to care for me, and for that, I am grateful. One day, I can only hope that you will understand that leaving you was for your benefit. I do not want to bring you the suffering that I have brought so many others, so I will spare you of myself. I am struggling to believe that this decision is the right one, honestly. All I can think about is running back to your shop and breaking in again to tell you how sorry I am, and to beg for your forgiveness. That's something that we are going to have to find out together, I guess.

Forever Yours,

Dr. Julian Devorak

You don't know how long tears have been falling down your face. Your chest feels tight, like it's about to burst, and you can't breathe. A hand hovers over your mouth as you stare in horror at the paper in your hand. Too many emotions crash into you all at once for you to even begin processing the words in front of you. You couldn't believe that this is how it's ending between you and Julian. You know that part of why he feels this way about himself is because he has no memory of the night that he allegedly murdered Count Lucio. However, there is also the opposite end of that spectrum; He doesn't remember. There could be a chance that he didn't actually kill the count, and if that's the case, then you need to figure out what actually happened that night. Your blood runs overwhelmingly hot inside you as you ruminate on Julian's irresolution. You feel like you shouldn't even be this upset about someone that you didn't even have a solid relationship with, but you can't ignore the agonizing stabbing feeling in your heart. He could be innocent, but he is more willing to live his life wallowing in his own guilt than to live knowing that the baggage that he is carrying is unneeded.

You are unable to control your body any longer as you collapse to your knees, your loud sobbing betraying the anger that you stirred inside you just moments ago. A brief feeling of regret is drawn from you for even thinking of being angry, leaving as soon as it comes to be replaced with desolation. Grief for what could have been, for what you so desperately wanted this to be, overwhelms you. Shrieks from your voice scream into the empty shop as you hold the letter to your chest with both arms, your torso leaning forward in a fetal position on the floor.

Footsteps scatter down the stairs, and familiar eyes lay upon you. Your cries have awakened Asra, and they are at your side within seconds. His hands are on your shoulders and he sits on the floor with his feet under his butt, his knees propping him up. They watch worriedly as you heave and wail, only when you sit up do they see the letter in your hand. He doesn't say anything, for he knows exactly what has happened. Their eyes darken before they return their focus to you, you are far more important right now. You cry out to whatever spirit will listen, and collapse into Asra's arms. A strong embrace comes around you, only protecting you so much from the hurt of your heart.

You cannot understand what is going inside of Julian's head for the life of you. You do not understand why he feels such a strong need to push you away when all you want is to love him. He has admitted to wanting the same thing, so you feel so confused as to why he just won't let you. You find it difficult to believe that he truly hates himself so much, that he despises the very person that you see so much good in. The fact that he hates someone who took on a curse in which he takes on other's wounds because of his own guilt baffles you. A future without Julian is not a future that you want, but it is what he believes that he deserves. He believes that he deserves to walk the world alone for the rest of his life, and despite the fate that he has condemned himself to, something muffledly admits to you that it is not what he is bound to live.

@BUNNYLUVX ,, all rights reserved. do not copy/plagiarize any of my works or submit it into ai.

[embersofhope-if]

"On the 25th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes that who would represent it."

Twenty-five years have passed since the rebellion, yet the price is still being paid by the Districts. Even though most people alive today had no part in the fight, they suffer the consequences of the Capitol's anger. The harsh reality of the Capitol's cruelty is revealed every year on July 4th, Reaping Day. On this day, two children from each of the 12 districts are randomly chosen to fight to the death in an arena until only a lone victor remains. Parents hold their children close and hope it isn't their child who will be ripped away from them, knowing that there is nothing they can do to stop it.

However, this year is different. This year marks the very first Quarter Quell, and parents don't have to worry about whether their children might be taken away because, for this once-in-a-lifetime event, they get to choose who goes into the arena. But there's no doubt in anyone's mind who's going in when the mayor has a child of his own - me.

Now it's my turn to play a true game of life or death. May the odds be ever in my favor

Demo ☆ Playlist ☆ Pinterest

Customize your appearance (hair type and color, complexion, height, build, clothing)

Choose how you interact with the Capitol and those of your District

Form new relationships and change the ones you already have

Train in the weapon of your choice yes including a bow

Try not to die<3

17+. Content warnings for graphic violence, child death, child abuse/neglect, starvation, murder

Creon Levesque ♤ The Mentor ♤ RO ♤ 19

A special friend in very special places. I met Creon when you were 12 years old at a dinner party my Uncle Keyon had brought me to in the Capitol. Maybe it was the fact that I was very obviously District or maybe it was something else entirely, but from that night forward, Creon and I have had an intense and strange relationship. And now they stand before me assuring me that with them as a mentor, everything will be alright. How they managed to get themselves as a mentor they won't tell me, but honestly, in the end, does it matter?

♤Creon is gender selectable by the player♤

Romance Route: Red flag of all red flags, forbidden love, different worlds, insta love (at least on Creons part)

Aurelius/Aurelia Weaver ♧ The District Partner ♧ RO ♧ 18

My district partner. I don't know them that well, especially after they dropped out of school at 16 to work full-time in the factories. I'm not entirely sure what I did to them to warrant the looks of pure disgust and anger they throw my way after that, but now things have changed. They asked to be the other tribute for District 8, and now standing in front of them and looking into their eyes, all I can see is a predator looking at its prey. They are going to kill me, and they're going to enjoy it.

♧ Aurel is always the opposite gender of Mc ♧

Romance Route: Enemies to Lovers, Doomed Love, potential unrequited love, perhaps unrequited but actually requited love😏

Asher "Ash" Fairchild ♡ The Childhood Bestfriend ♡ 16

Ash was the first and only real friend I've had my entire life. They were practically the embodiment of everything good in the world. Everyone loved Ash, and when they had their name called for the 23rd reaping the shock and sorrow was felt throughout the entire District. Even walking up to the stage, they moved like a petal dancing through the wind. Their memory has haunted me every day for the past two years, and now I get to experience the same terror they felt in their final moments.

♡ There will be an option to be in a relationship with Ash before their games. Ash is also gender selectable by the player ♡

Romance Route: First love, childhood friends to lovers, soulmates

Soren Vesper ◇ The Mayor ◇ 46

The mayor of District 8, and my Father. A very stern man who prefers things to be done his way. I've never seen his mask of the harsh mayor who does everything the Capitol request ever break, that is until the announcement of the Quarter Quell. The change happened so fast that it scared me. A once mighty man who didn't care about the people of his district now begging them to choose anyone but his child to go into the games. At least I get to know my Father does care for me before I die.

Tribute and Other Profiles TBA

☆This is my second IF my main one is @shadowsofthegun-if if anyone is interested in being a goofy little cowboy and i have another IF @dustandshadows-if set in the world of the shadowhunter chronicles if anyone is interested in that as well. @konosadmaru is also my main if anyone wants to follow me on there☆

[stonedporcupine]

Past Due

💚 First Lin Beifong x reader fic y'all !!! 🧡

Slow burn! ❤️‍🔥

All reviews and comments are appreciated;

Will eventually add on Ao3;

Warnings: Violence, little blood.

Chapter 1 Ch 2 - p.1 Ch 2 - p.2 Ch 2 - p. 3 Ch 2 - Part 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Y/N´s PoV

Ahhh, Republic City, first time I moved in here about 1 year ago I had a blast. I felt it was about time I got myself away from that hell hole I was supposed to call home…but we don’t talk about that. “Bills are catching up to me…and I´ve got nowhere to run.” I mumble beneath my breath, as I hold a bunch of letters on my hand. The large, thick, red letters with a prominent “Past Due” and “Final Demand” written on each one of them. I feel the unpleasant weight on the pit of my stomach and swallow dryly, shoving the letters aside with a loud exhale. Who knew it cost so much to make it to detective?! I mean, sure hands down it’s the fucking capital city of the United Republic Nations AND one of the largest and most modern cities in the world but Tui and La…ease on the prices!

I look up at the old clock, on the small entry hall of my apartment. “Fuck fuck, shit shit shit!!” I gasp, I am so going to be late to practice. I grab my black jacket, with the fire nation insignia on its back, and my dark matte helmet as I run out the door, down the old elevator, towards the garage. The loud and stressful squeaking of the elevator only heightens my already high cortisol levels. I swear to Raava, one day this shit is going to break down and take the building down with it! Once the old, loud, rusty metal doors of the elevator open I barge right out heading for my perfectly parked satocycle on its assigned place. A gift from Asami and Mr Sato for my hard work for the company. Shoving the helmet in my head, part of my dark messy curled hair hangs out on the bottom. I speed out of the garage, the bike taking off the ground slightly as I go over the bump on the entrance of the parking space, joining the satomobiles on the road with a loud squeak from the wheels of the bike, as I drift to the right.

I can´t be late again! Officer Wang will kill me and probably pull me out of the program, which is a big ass no no. I haven’t come this far just to fuck things up all over again.

Chief Beifong´s PoV

“Officer Song, didn´t I JUST tell you to take the route to Northern Avenue?!” I grumble between gritted teeth at the officer who´s driving. Guess I know who´s driving next time. I mean how much of an imbecile do you have to be to not follow simple orders?! Orders I JUST GAVE!!?? I look at the terrified officer, gripping the wheel of the satomobile as he mumbles and gags on his words. “I- uh- Ch-Chief I just I- I´m sorry I wasn´t paying attention.” He swallows. I remain unimpressed with the attempt of a shitty excuse that was made. “Well focus and listen. You´re not getting paid to sit around, mouth agape listening to the spirits.” I groan loudly at him.

Fear in his eyes officer Song nods his head up and down quickly and practically yells “Yes Chief!”. Just as I was about to tell him to tone it down the loud screech of wheels catches me off guard. Just as I look to my side, a black satocycle with a few red highlights speeds right past us. What the flame-o was that?! Swiftly making its way past traffic the motorcycle speeds away. “Officer Song, catch up to that satocycle, now!!” I practically scream at the officer as he presses the clutch, changes to 4th and speeds up.

Y/N´s PoV

Did I just fucking see what my eyes saw. Did I just speed through a police patrol satomobile?! The loud sirens catching up behind me answer my fears. Well, that´s it. I´m officially fucked. I´m done for life. I´m left with two choices, obey, pull over, pray it´s not the fucking Chief of Police, flirt my way out of this and definitely arrive late for class…or drop it, speed off like a demon, hopefully not get caught or die on the way and…still arrive a little late to class. I groan as my head drops in defeat.

I´m so done with my life.

I signal to the right as I slow down, pulling over. The blaring sirens emitting a last Woop before silencing, as the satomobile pulls right behind me. I turn the motor of the bike off, getting off and standing up, as I hear the doors of the car shutting behind me before a deep female voice sends a shiver down my spine. No, it can´t be. You can´t be serious right now. My eyes wide in fear as I slowly turn around to be met with the most beautiful yet lethal jade eyes I´d ever seen my entire life. Damn, hearing her voice back in headquarters from far away was already…something, but seeing her up close?! Not even The Avatar ,wherever they're at, can save me from this one. It´s the first time I get to see the Chief of Police personally. Sure I´m in the Detective´s Program but we rarely stay in the headquarters where she seemingly lives at. I am snapped back from my thoughts when her striking voice booms through my eardrums. Wait, was she talking? Shit I didn’t hear anything…

“I am talking to you. Take off your helmet, now! I asked you a question, better start speaking.” she says. I didn’t even realise my helmet was still on. I carefully take it off, still in shock at seeing THE Chief Lin Beifong in front of me. My messy, dark hair falls to my shoulders. The, once bright, blood red highlights shining on the sun. “I- uh” I try to speak but nothing comes out. My mouth feels dry, as I lick my lips. I look at the other officer behind her, he seems to be putting a strong façade, but I can see the nervousness behind his eyes. “Don’t stare at my officer! I asked you a question.”

Chief Beifong´s PoV

Oh for fuck sake, she´s slow…is she go- why is her hair painted? It´s not exactly unlikable. I think I´ve seen her, but I can´t recall where from. Why am I staring? WHY IS SHE STARING? “Don’t stare at my officer! I asked you a question.” Her mouth agape, my already visible frown deepens. She has three seconds to answer. 1…2..- “I- uh I´m sorry ma´am- uh Chief. Sorry, could you repeat the question? The uh…helmet was- I don’t think I heard.” I groan rather loudly as I exhale. I clench my jaw, as I breath in. “I asked. Do. You. Know how fast you were going?” I speak slowly and clearly as I cross my arms.

Y/N´s PoV

Spirits…and I thought I was stressed, this woman is going to explode! “I asked. Do. You. Know how fast you were going?” I hear her say loud and clear. So that´s the Beifong scowl people talk about. It´s cute. A little unnerving for those who can´t handle it. “Uh…not fast enough clearly!” I joke to get some tension off the air, but as I look at the Officer behind her, I only see his eyes widen beyond possible. I look back at the Chief and if looks could kill… “Is this a joke to you?! Is endangering other citizens lives a hobby for your entertainment? Clearly you seem to be asking for your license to be revoked.” Her stern voice makes straighten my back. It´s not that I´m afraid of her, but if I want my way out of this I might as well show some class. I clear my throat as I say “I apologize Chief, that was never my intention. I am pretty secure on my driving skills, and I am fully aware of the dangerous action I was doing. In my defence I am in a huge hurry. I´m in the Detective´s Program and I´m just trying to not get kicked out of there, this is my last chance…” I mumble that last part as I rub the back of my neck. Fuck it´s weird to be so verbally polite. I look back up at her to see what kind of reaction I got off of her only to be met with the exact same Beifong scowl as before. Well, that was worth shit. Her gaze is penetrating mine, almost as if she´s analysing me.

Chief Beifong´s PoV

That´s where I know her from. She´s in the Detective´s Program and sometimes wonders in the headquarters, she must be the firebender that Officer Wang told me. What was her name? Just as I am about to ask her, I am interrupted by the blaring sound coming off my radio. “Chief, come in. Over.” I groan in annoyance. Spirits, when do I ever catch a break? “I´m busy, what is it?” my stern and strong voice talks back to the radio. “Chief, we´ve got a Triple Threat Triad attack going on, over at the Eastern Market. We need your assistance. Over.” I look back at the young cadet with a scowl as she smiles back at me. Ugh, why is she smiling?

Y/N´s PoV

I just might make it out of here. I look at the Chief with a smile on my face as she stares back at me, the same Beifong scowl on her face but this time thicker, more prominent. I hear her exhale. “I catch you driving that thing over the speed one more time and I revoke your license and you better not drive it on my watch if you ever make it to detective, which hopefully, you won´t!” I hear her yell at me. Before I can even say anything back, she turns back around heading for the police satomobile. Well, isn´t she charming? Hot…and charming. “Song, move it! I drive.” I hear her yell at the officer. Poor guy, spirits. Though he is lucky he gets to be by her side. Hm, maybe I´ll be lucky enough for that once I´m a detective, which I want more than anything now that she seemed so annoyed by it. I smirk to myself as I think how it would be like to be next to this very angry yet stunning woman all day. Pushing her buttons does seem fun.

I put my helmet back on as I drive away towards the officers’ training site. I do my best to keep the speed on limit but as I look at the time on the satocycle I almost pass out. I am already 10 minutes late. FUCK. I groan loudly as I check my surroundings for any secret police satomobiles as I speed away. The faster I get there, the faster this is all over.

.- Later during practice -.

Y/N´s PoV

Fuck, I´m beat. Wang sure is getting his revenge for my late arrival. We are not many in the Detective´s Training Program and we´ll be even less given there are only two spots available. The majority of the class is all earthbenders, me being the only firebender. Which should make me feel perhaps uneasy or maybe a little scared, but honestly it just makes me feel like a total badass. I mean, hear me out, the only firebender in the troop and I get one of the Detective spots?! How crazy would that be? I´m quickly pulled from my thoughts when I hear that annoying voice once again. “So, Y/L/N, seems like you can give up already and give me my position as Detective.” The man says with a pleased smug on his face. “Why don’t you go bother someone else, Kang?” I groan annoyed as I take a sip from my water. “I´m just saying, as the only firebender you should at least make an effort to arrive in time don’t you think?” He scoffs loudly. I ignore his little stunts as I smirk to myself. “And you should make an effort on brushing your teeth. You got a little something there.” I scoff as I point to my own teeth with a disgusted face. I can visibly see him get red as a smirk makes its way on my lips.

“What´s going on over here? Y/L/N, Kang break is over. Get over here you two.” I hear Officer Wang´s voice yell from the other side of the field. Over? Spirits, I didn’t even have time to piss! I groan as I look at Kang´s smug little face. “Quit your whining and come prove your worth, princess.” I hear him chuckle. Did this cunt just call me, princess?! Now he better pray to Raava I won´t kill him. My blood boiling at the nickname I groan angrily. I have nothing to prove to you, cunt.

“Alright cadets, Y/L/N and Kang you two seemed to be having a nice chat back there. Get sparring, the others watch.” Wang´s voice echoes through the dusty field as I walk towards the centre, Kang right in front of me with that smug still plastered on his face. I scoff to myself.

I am going to wipe the fucking floor with you.

Once I see Officer Wang´s hand signal us to begin Kang wastes no time and throws a large piece of boulder at me, I swiftly avoid it, turning my body sideways and leaning slightly backwards. Just as quick as that boulder came at me I 360º my body, lowering myself to the dusty floor my right leg pushes forwards as a small wave of fire strikes all the dust away and forces Kang backwards. Before he can react, I get back up and briskly uppercut him in the jaw getting a loud grunt from him. How ´ s that for a princess? I don’t let my guard down knowing this isn´t over until Officer Wang decides. My arms close to my ribs and fists closed tightly near my face I watch Kang´s movements attentively, guessing his next move as he cracks his neck and smugly says “That all you got?” I roll my eyes as I stare at him through my eyebrows. Kang´s right leg rises and hits the ground, making it shake in an attempt to shake me off my feet. I use my fire propulsion to elevate myself from the ground slightly to lower the impact, flying over him and landing on the ground behind him. Before he has even time to acknowledge where I went, I lower kick his leg, spinning my body after the hit to gain power and land a higher kick to his arm which was protecting his ribs. I hear him grunt and groan in discomfort and anger as he throws a punch to my face. I quickly dodge downwards, pulling the same first move by pushing my leg outwards and kicking Kang´s body to the ground. He hits the ground with a loud thud, dust setting in the air around us, I look over at Office Wang to know if it was over yet, but Kang takes my short distraction as a chance. His body still on the floor, he raises his arm and the piece of boulder I was standing on goes flying with me in it. Throwing me through the air and across the field as I land on the ground, rolling over due to the speed I was thrown, getting a few scratches and dirt all over me. I breath loudly as the dust covers my sight, relying on my hearing I hear the rumbling sound of the earth beneath me as I look ahead and see a wave coming from the ground. I barely have time to react, my eyes widening, as I dodge to the right but not fast enough. My left shoulder caught on the edge of the rock-wave as I stumble backwards. I don’t fall, my feet sliding backwards with the dust as I grip my shoulder and wince in pain. Fuck! This bastard almost dislocated my shoulder. I sway my arms in the air and push them outwards as a thin wave of flames pushes the dust away, finally allowing me to see Kang. Does he ever stop smirking? I run towards him as he sends two fat boulders my way, I lower myself, dragging my body through the ground as I avoid the boulders. I get back up quickly and jump, using my fire propulsion to help me gain height. I see Kang´s eyes widen as I stretch my leg down, my foot coming at high speed in contact with his face. He barely has time to register what happened before his body jerks downwards with the force of the hit. Faceplanting on the floor with a loud thud and grunt he stays there, the dust on the ground escaping sideways from us. “Who´s the princess now Kang?” I whisper smugly on his ear as I stand up and hear Officer Wang´s annoyed voice “Alright that´s enough of it. Get here you two.” Is he mad that Kang didn’t beat my ass? Why is it that nobody wants me to succeed?! “You fucking bitch…” I hear Kang grunt between gritted teeth as he gets up. I smirk proudly to myself, “What´s wrong? Hurts much?”. I hear Kang scoff loudly, “Barely feel it.”, pfff yeah right.

We walk backwards towards Officer Wang and the rest of the trainees. “Alright, as you know our program is coming to an end. We have two detective positions open and there are ten of you. Being Detective is no easy job, that is why there is a final exam in five days. Me and Chief Beifong will be deciding on who gets the job positions and who goes out.” No. Fucking. Way. Now I know for sure I won´t make it to Detective! Beifong and I were already off to a bad start this morning! She said it herself; she doesn’t want me to make it to Detective! “…Final Exam will be set in two parts. In the morning you will have the written exam, to make sure you actually listened to what was taught these past few months, and, in the afternoon, it will be a competitive sparring. Just like Kang and Y/L/N did, except the first one to fall is automatically disqualified.” Written exam? What is this, fucking high school?! Ugh, I better not be paired with Kang. “That´s it for today cadets, see you tomorrow at 9am sharp.” Officer Wang glances at me sideways as I mouth a ´sorry` silently. “Y/L/N, hit the showers in the headquarters, your shoulder is bleeding.” Officer Wang says with a hint of despise on his tone. Spirits, sorry I´m not made of fucking metal. I didn’t even notice I was bleeding. I look at my shoulder and notice the few reddened scratches and a small trickle of blood coming out. I hear Kang snicker next to me. The fuck are you smirking about? “Your nose also looks like shit Kang, but I guess a shower can´t fix that for you.” I smirk as I grab my towel, shoving it over my shoulder and heading back inside the headquarters before he can say anything.

My body is covered in dust and sweat; my defined muscular arms filled with small little scratches from rolling on the ground. My once black tank top also covered in a light brownish dusty substance. Gosh do I need a shower…My body is killing me. I pass through the Officer I saw with the Chief in the morning. Shit, she´s probably close by. I rush my way to the showers as to avoid her. It´s not that I don’t want to see her. Spirits know how much I´d pay to see those penetrating jade eyes of hers. But I don’t want her to see me while I look like shit…and probably smell like one too.

Chief Beifong´s PoV

As I am filing down some more reports and going over them, I hear grunts and noises from outside. Annoyed at the disturbance I get up from my chair with a sigh as I look over the window. Must be Wang training the cadets. Seeing the training field, I stare at one of the male cadets throwing boulders and another one dodging them out. Trying to figure who the other one is, I squint my eyes. The amount of dust surrounding them makes it hard, but the worn-out red highlights and the distinctive fire coming from the body allows me to figure out who it is already. It´s that speeding satocycle cadet I caught this morning. I observe them as I see the male cadet shake the ground, a wave heading towards her. But there´s too much dust for her to see anything at all. Fuck even I am struggling to keep up with what is going on. She dodges it but seemingly not totally. “That’s a nasty hit…” I mumble to myself. But she does seem to handle it…quite nicely I must say. Spirits, I´m staring again. I shake my head and groan in annoyance but am quickly distracted by the fire coming off her feet. Fire propulsion, that’s useful. I stare as she lands a powerful hit on the male cadets�� face. That´s going to leave a mark. I guess…she´s not that…bad. Whatever. If she´s to make it to Detective she´s supposed to be, at least, useful. I turn away and decide to head downstairs to check how Song is getting along with the other files. He´s not in the Detective´s Program, but he has some…potential, I cannot deny that.

“Officer Song, how are those files coming along?” I see him tremble underneath his armour. “Uh- well, Chief. It seems that the Triple Threat Triads crimes are lowering in amount…” I scoff. Sure, but they are not getting any easier to deal with. Song continues talking but I barely catch what he is saying as I look over his shoulder and notice the firebender cadet. She´s all dirty. Bunch of scratches in her shoulder too…bummer. She can deal with it. I think to myself, but yet, I can´t seem to find an explanation as to why I feel so drawn towards her. I shake these thoughts away and refocus on Officer Song. “…So, I guess that is pretty good right, Chief?” What´s pretty good? Shit, I didn’t hear. “Uhm yes, yes, it is. Now, get back to work Officer.” I clear my throat as I make my way back to my office. Sitting down on my chair I exhale, looking up at the pile of files and papers to read and fill in. Spirits I´m exhausted. I get started against my will. It´s going to be a long night, I might as well get it over with. After some time of insufferable writing, scribbling, and scratching I hear a knock on the door. I look up from the papers as I catch a glimpse of the clock and then stare at the door. It´s 10pm who the fuck is still in here?

“Uh, Chief, can I come in?" Is that- What is she doing here?

[burningpoisonroaster]

18th AI challenge - summary - let's vote!

Let's get going!

Again thank you all participants for your beautiful stories. It's such a joy to dive deep with you guys.

So, here is the summary of all contributions.

@dryndelicate :

He sent his own version of Barbie to a far destination, using a plenty amount of different vehicles.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/dryndelicate/762244774481788929/thank-you-dryndelicate?source=share

@danni-gurrl :

She described the journey of life. From being born, to reaching the stars.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/danni-gurrl/762279607611326464/thank-you-danni-gurrl?source=share

@ai-satin-chic :

She told about her love for the space - from cartography of planets to colonization around the solar system(s).

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/ai-satin-chic/762288853532966912/thank-you-ai-satin-chic?source=share

@softsmooth69 :

He showed us a casual way to move around - comfy, minimalistic and agile.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/softsmooth69/762618018287222784/thank-you-softsmooth69?source=share

@alyssa-ai :

She showed us how it is possible to climb (and move) mountains.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/alyssa-ai/762515246657191936/thank-you-alyssa-ai?source=share

@fluffyfaza :

For him the best part of travelling is returning home, having family and friends always warmly welcoming you back.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/fluffyfaza/762445651918340096/thank-you-fluffyfaza?source=share

@synth-ai :

She gave us an insight into being a virtual form of living, thus travelling around the www, yet wanting to manifest in our world.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/synth-ai/762533551889629184/thank-you-synth-ai?source=share

@mohairmaster :

They told us about cozy little canoe tours on the rivers of Western Europe.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/mohairmaster/762257717521973248/thank-you-mohairmaster?source=share

@hollyjumper :

They took us on a hiking and shipping tour around the Scandinavian wilderness.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/hollyjumper/762485257809395712/thank-you-hollyjumper?source=share

@milunessence :

The "lost travelers", a glimpse of moving through a silent world, almost like a trip to the afterlife.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/milunessence/762787779987062784/thank-you-milunessence?source=share

@anderii :

Her journey of life, her destination unknown, encountering a route full of branches.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/anderii/762289281671790592/thank-you-anderii?source=share

@burningpoisonroaster :

He took us on a journey through the city, the country, around the globe and beyond.

Full story:

https://www.tumblr.com/burningpoisonroaster/762305059137667072/lets-get-going-my-contribution-as-far-as-i?source=share

So guys! Take your time and (re-)investigate all the contributions. After that - the voting starts!

Choose your five favourite stories (EXCLUDING your own one), listing as following:

1st - 5 points 2nd - 4 points 3rd - 3 points 4th - 2 points 5th - 1 point

PM your decision to me.

@dryndelicate @danni-gurrl @gigiprinceton @ai-satin-chic

@softsmooth69 @alyssa-ai @fluffyfaza @synth-ai

@mohairmaster @mistressmaurahypno @hollyjumper

@andysfantasie @milunessence @anderii @bumani

@burningpoisonroaster

[emblemxeno]

My issue with 3h is how much Information there is spread amongst 4 60ish hour campaigns. I firmly believe that's why the discourse exists. People say "LOL DID U PLAY TEH GAEM" and 9/10 they did they just forget that important lore that's only said in one line in one route. I adore 3h but I'd argue it's route split hurt it and it's fandom.

People wanna shit talk fates but honestly in some ways it's more coherent. I feel the information isnt spread out as crazily as it is in 3h. Say what you will about the quality, imo its easier to follow. I just replayed cq while skipping cutscenes and getting all the kids and it took like 10 hours. If you watch them let's say it's like 15. 45 hours for the whole experience versus 50 for 1/4th. Say what you will about fates I can blast through a route easily. Hell I prefer 3h to fates but I play through CQ a lot more often.

I prefer 3h but I totally understand the argument that fates is the better experience. Hell 3h and fates are the same price. 80 usd for every route. In fates you get 3 unique routes. In 3h you get 4.5 routes but most of them are crazy similar. People say you shouldn't play all 3 routes of fates back to back or you'll get burnt out. But 3h is WAY more guilty of that.

Now that's a BIT disingenuous because that's not counting fates dlc some of which is story relevant or the fact that if you don't buy fates correctly you're spending 100 not 80. But like you get what I mean. Also fates has Rhajat which makes it objectively better than 3h soooooooooooo.

Anyway sorry for talking your ear off. I feel fates vs 3h is such an interesting discussion haha.

Thanks for the ask and yeah the discourse around this comparison specifically is incredibly weird.

And I agree with how you see it, because there's so much text spread across 4 routes (each of which lasts like 100 hours on a casual run), and it's fucking insane to be able to keep track of every single thing that happens. And most don't! Which leads to the arguments as you said.

Same on the Fates point, mostly because Fates just has a unifying theme/consistent message no matter the route choice. You'll always encounter doubt from Corrin and bear the consequences depending on the route you choose. Now are all those consequences written well? No. But you're not gonna get people arguing about innocuous shit like with 3H because Fates has definitive substance beyond "no one's truly right in warfare guyz :((("

[solace-sylphieee]

For Contents Moving Forward...

The very first post in my tumblr and it ends as my final notice for 时空中的绘旅人 / For All Time / HLR / Lovebrush Chronicles / LBC.

The irony.

But anyway figured I should do here cuz it's going to be quite the long essay from me.

We're now halfway through March, White Day's almost here and so is my 3rd Anniversary Emerald's Wedding Ring Merch.

THAT'S RIGHT

I'm gonna get married with Emerald / Cael and retire for good to enjoy my marri-

...

To hell with that, I really can't bring myself to finish that bs.

But anyway the intention is still there - I am planning to retire from HLR / LBC but before that, I will clear off some of my stuff and I will drop the game as a whole: 1. Retrospring QnAs for the guide account I'm part of: @stshelterpedia 2. Chronological Summary to the game's story (had been requested to do this cuz the event release is now extremely messed up) 3. Claiming all my remaining monthly pack resources

For my followers from Twitter, new and old, I have gone missing from releasing the translation of game news for a long time, and now I feel the need and for the first time, share my thoughts in a very elaborative manner instead.

Sorry for ghosting on you guys for so long and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the follows all this while, even with me neglecting the translations here and there.

Although I believe many take me as a source of news translation and no more than that, there are still some who I've build relationship with as well throughout the years.

Now onto my retirement from this game and the translation thereof:

Do take note there's going to be some spoilers too -

Work may have been one of the reasons behind it as I've been way too occupied this year comparatively, but the very main factor would be the fact that I've lost my love and passion for this game.

In all honesty, I've stopped reading the Card Stories since Paradise / Eden and Event Stories since Onmyoji Collab. And for my long-time followers, I'm not sure if it's that obvious, but I have stopped fangirling or make any remarks on the game content for years - which I guess is quite the obvious sign from then on.

I loved HLR / LBC for its plot. I loved how plot is the driving force and priority of the game since the beginning. I loved how everything revolves around the plot, including the charaters to Event Stories and Card Stories.

But alas, all of that are past tense for me.

I may have been biased cuz I stopped reading all the side contents, so it's just the impressions I'm getting from the discussions I have with my friend. But for me after Destiny Corridor (DC) iirc? Fan service becomes the driver in this bus.

DC has its own share of service, but I feel the wrmth from deep down. All the nostalgia and warmth, and that's the peak storytelling before its downwards slope for me.

Personally I don't mind fan services, but for me it feels like Event Story has become more and more irrelevant to Main Story, unlike in the past. Card Story is there to build some background story, but since it's more fan servicey now, it's just a stalemate story with barely any development.

At least that's what I feel and my impressions here and there.

Some may wanna ask: "But isn't Empire series the most Main Story relevant Event Story?"

Yeah, it should be, cuz it's almost the deadline (iirc supposedly by 4th year) that Empire Chapter will begin for Main Story and the final route of it marks the end of Season 1.

But the latest one I've read - Tidal-Disruption, Admiral Star / Prefect Luminance side specifically, actually disappointed me a whole lot.

Chosen is written brilliantly to make us fear Maker more, but in juxtaposition Star / Luminance had a great start but a meh ending.

I find that the appeal behind Star / Luminance is that he is interested in MC for how strong she is emotionally and wants to break her, believing she will also be his greatest and most perfect creation cuz his other 'collections' can't withstand his 'molding'. All the revelations is nice and all, then suddenly he becomes so infatuated with MC he accepts his name as Alkaid (THAT DUDE HAS BEEN DENYING AND REJECTING OF SO STRONGLY SINCE HIS APPEARANCE) and play family with MC, imprisoning her and the story went like husband going back home to a lovely wife waiting for him treting his wounds.

I just

??????

DUDE WHERE DID YOUR COLDNESS, INDIFFERENCE WENT?

WHY DID YOU BECOME SO LOVE LORNED?????

I believed he had been better than that but he made my inner Asian Parent Disappointment surge up and I can only shake my head at the end when he decided to just let MC go.

Others let go cuz they are interested to see how far she can go, cuz she's not a threat at all, cuz she's a great piece for their plans, or cuz of their own twisted obssession; but for him it feels like a bad attempt in making him more romanceable.

End of ranting for now else it's gonna be for eternity.

Stories aside, what prompted me to ultimately announce my retirement as a whole is the moment I realise I hadn't logged into the game for 2 days (my birb brain had thought it's only 1 day).

That's right, 2 days and I didn't feel any urgency or frustrations for missing out on the resources. This is as of today, 10 March 2024:

While on the other hand I feel like choking myself for missing my morning grind for another game.

With such comparison, I figure it's high time I check this off with a notice for everyone.

It has been a long journey and I enjoyed the companion of this game that also bring many new encounters for me.

But it is also time for me to bid the game adieu.

Feel free to unfollow me on my Twt if you're not interested in seeing me anymore.

Moving forward, I might begin some other translation project for games I took interest in (time to see if 世界之外 Beyond The World's grip be that strong on me) and I will also share a more elaborative train of thoughts here too.

Thanks for reading all the way here, my DMs in Twt are open for chats, and feel free to interact with me. I will be more than happy to share my thoughts with you too :)

[potofbees]

alan wake 1 i could see becoming a tv show/movie very easily if they do end up going the route of simply adapting the story entirely, though i would love to see a lot more background on some characters (nightingale especially). however alan wake 2 is a different beast entirely. i think ideally if it also got turned into a tv show like a 2nd season id want it to go longer and focus more initially on the murders/detective part. like the first few hours of the game finding out what happened and investigating was so fun. i know the detective part takes a backseat to the supernatural and instead of investigating murders ur investigating what's happening in the town, but i think in a tv show format id like them to start out focusing on the other 3 bodies that were found. maybe show the times around each body getting discovered and investigated (as well as show snippets of the town at each time) which then lead up to the 4th body and saga and casey arriving and the beginning of the 2nd game, but like this happens maybe 1/5 of the way through the season. like it takes a little while setting up but theres hints and clues and scary stuff happening in the background that then become front and center when saga arrives. so for the uninitiated they think the first season is this supernatural horror story and the second season is the aftermath and possible return years down the line, whereas for people who know whats going on we get more background into the lives of the other 3 who were found (like they did for the youtuber arg with all the case files and clues leading up to the games release). would especially love to learn more about people becoming taken like the bright falls miniseries did, it was great. like i love aw2 it feels like my perfect game but if there is anything i wish we got a little more of itd be the investigating we got to do at the beginning, love u saga and alan but i wanna learn more about what happened to the people and the town itself

[showtoonzfan]

My thoughts on the upcoming Disney brand sequel movies:

Zootopia 2: Hell yes, this is one of those Disney movies I believed actually DESERVES a sequel, unlike movies like Wreck it Ralph 2, The Incredibles 2, or Toy Story 4, because I actually thought the originals had decent or satisfying conclusions and we didn’t need more. However Zootopia is one of my favorite modern Disney movies, and there’s so much more to explore and expand regarding this world and it’s characters, and since there’s a shitload of issues going on in the world right now, I’m confident this sequel will touch up upon another great lesson and handle it really well because Jared Bush and Bryon Howard are very good directors and writers in my eyes.

Inside Out 2: FUCK yes. This has got to be the one I’m the most excited for. I can see why some people are skeptical because some think it could be another “Turning Red” where they focus on puberty regarding a teenage girl, and yes that seems to be the route Inside Out 2 is making, but I personally have no problem with that, for me it’s all about how good the first one was. I could honestly write a whole essay on how well written this film was and the emotional impact it had on me as a person. The lesson that being sad is okay, not just sad…but embracing your other emotions and allowing yourself to feel those other emotions is SUCH a good moral to teach younger kids, and the way they handled that lesson was just amazing in my opinion. Inside Out has got to be one of my favorite if not THE favorite modern Pixar films I’ve ever seen, and I’m confident that the second film will be just as good. I can’t wait.

Frozen 3: I’m not really passionate about Frozen, I remember being dragged to the theater to see the first movie when it came out, and while the movie was obliviously flawed in many areas, I do think it’s deserves its praise here and there, wether you think it was handled well or not I’ll always applaud the film for at least attempting to write a complicated sister dynamic, and yes…most of the songs are really good. I never saw the sequel but good GOD I heard about the production issues it went through, going through many rewrites and scrapped content (that btw, was better than the end result) and how the team was STILL working on it a mere month or two before the film would release. They made an entire documentary about it and how it was hell for everyone, and I couldn’t help but feel really bad. Despite me not really caring for this franchise, I think Frozen deserves a third movie because with the right amount of time and effort, they can possibly create a better movie.

Toy Story 5: No. Just no. We don’t need any more, while I never saw the 4th movie because even THEN I thought there didn’t need to be any more, in SOME way, from what I’ve seen it did try to pull off a satisfying conclusion, especially for Woody’s character. However I will admit, the audience reactions were always split between saying it was really bad and not needed, to how it was really good and a perfect sendoff. All of that doesn’t matter now however, since they’re making another one and this is a sequel I can clearly tell Disney is just doing for the money. I always hate it when people take a franchise I used to love dearly and then just DRAAG it for way too long, like Despicable Me or Hotel Transylvania. No matter how good the franchise, no movie like these should be going up to 5 freaking sequels and all, that’s just ridiculous. I’d say “wait and see” but I’ve honestly lost passion for this franchise, in my opinion the third movie ended with a really good conclusion for everyone and they should have stopped there.

[ivanwm-05]

Hi! 🙂 Enjoyed your game very much! Especially the cosmic horror scene in which the God mode MC wakes up 😄. I hope to see more how absurd and horrifying GM power can be from other POVs. Definitely one of my favorite WIPs.

So, I have a few questions and a few suggestions. I'll start with the questions. I'll refer to the MC as him.

1) What the scope of Alexis' omniscience? In other replies you mentioned that she knows everything across all timelines. Do you mean it just in the context of TLs that MC with time powers can create or is she also aware of routes where MC has different powers? Or maybe she knows that MC can have other names, genders, and appearances? Or, taken to the extreme, she is even aware of the 4th wall? In which case, does she know that the MC is the protagonist?

2) You said that the God mode MC posesses some degree of omniscience. However, it doesn't seem very consistent, so I just wanted to clarify it's extent. For example the MC seems to sense the entire universe, immediately notices that the storm is alive, knows who Gaia and Elara are before meeting them, knows everything about the DA, and, when talking to Gaia, says that the only thing he doesn't know is what he is. However in other scenes he doesn't seem to be aware of things that happen in his direct vicinity, like when he doesn't notice that the pond is actually a guy, and can't instantly identify and locate Michael. So, what the God mode MC does and doesn't know?

3) You often refer to the MC, Alexis, Adam, and Ron as anomalies. What does it actually mean? Is it just that they have particularly strong abilities, or is there another, deeper meaning?

Now, to suggestions.

1) I think the God mode MC's personality should be somewhat different from MCs with other powers. For example one personality can be apathetic and disconnected from humanity, kind of like Dr. Manhattan. Another personality may be carefree and friendly, but somewhat lacking common sense, like genuinely not getting what is the big deal about dissipating the red storm with a single thought. Another personality might be nonsensical and crazy, like Sheoggorath. Yet another one might be proud and even arrogant like Gilgamesh from Fate.

But, regardless of personality type, in my opinion the God mode MC should almost never act surprised, confused, or puzzled, even when the player is. Unless something truly unexpected occurs, he should always have this "all according to keikaku" attitude.

2) I think telepathy and superintelligence should also to some extent affect the way MC acts and views others.

3) I've seen somebody suggest adding gravity control. But how about taking it a step further and adding the power to manipulate all 4 fundamental interactions? This would be a pretty versatile and powerful ability.

Basic uses of gravity manipulation would allow levitation, telekinesis, controlling mass of objects, repelling attacks and just collapsing enemies into meatballs or flattening them into pancakes. On the high end it could be used to create black holes or even wormholes.

EM manipulations at its most basic could be used to zap people, control metals, turn coins into railgun projectiles, etc. Also it would allow to manipulate EM spectrum, for example bend light to shoot lasers or turn invisible, have x-ray or infrared vision, see through walls, hear radio waves, emit gamma rays or act as a radar. Most precise level of control would allow modifying mechanical properties of materials, turning matter into antimatter by changing electic charge and desintegrating enemies by cancelling chemical bonds inside them. Honestly it would be a pretty cool power just by itself, though MC would probably be a constant nuisance to Olivia by being a walking EMP device 😅

Weak force could be used to destroy things through nuclear decay or turn any object into a neutron bomb.

Strong force could be used to transform one element into another, split things into elementary particles, etc. The flashiest application though is the matter-to-energy conversion, which would allow to turn any mass into improvised nukes, for example a 50ml glass of water would yield a 1 megaton explosion.

The applications overlap though, as such both gravity and EM would enable some forms of flight, matter-antimatter annihilation functionally isn't any different from matter-to-energy conversion, etc.

4) When MC with telepathy and God mode hears phrases in other languages they should probably be translated. The superintelligent MC might also be able to at least pick up the meaning from the context.

5) It would be cool if MCs with telepathy, superintelligence and God mode could fry or overload the brains of hostile telepaths.

The first question would be answered in-depth with the next GM update.

It's pretty hard to explain the degree of the GM MC's partial omniscience, so I'll just put it this way, the MC is aware of almost anything, but has some blind spots at the moment due to them not being fully aware and accepting their entire situation.

This would change however, after the update and their meeting Alexis.

Firstly, you should really add MC's sister to be among the top of that list. Secondly, there is a deeper meaning, but it contains spoilers so I'll just let Pryon tell you themselves when your MC meets them.

Now for your suggestions:

I'm totally in line with your first suggestion.

The second suggestion is also something I agree with and have been trying to implement.

The third suggestion sounds super OP, I'll definitely note that down.

The fourth suggestion is already being implemented.

The last suggestion is something I also fall totally in line with.

Thanks a lot, really, I appreciate long feedback like this that takes a lot of time just to help point things out and point me in the right direction.

[shaanks]

17, 33 and 6 >.>

Lotus my friend hello!!! :"D

6. why did you do that?

inspiration hit, and I go where she follows.

17. are you farsighted or nearsighted?

I'm nearsighted I think. The one where you can see up close and it gets steadily blurrier. Basically blind without my glasses tbh.

33. the last adventure you’ve been on?

The last adventure has been quite a while ago now, the last time my mom and I drove cross-country before the move, which was like. 3 or 4 years ago now? We were coming back from her mom's funeral, and she'd received a car as part of the estate, and the only way to get it back to LA from Florida was to drive it. We'd been in Florida for three weeks longer than expected with crazy relatives, we were low on sleep and sanity, and due to weird road conditions there ended up being a ton of detours out into middle-of-fuck nowhere. For reasons I still don't fully understand, in the middle of the night on like the 3rd or 4th night google maps routed us down out of Kansas, through Oklahoma, and into Texas in order to catch the 40, and to get there it took us on these tiny twisting pitch black back roads with all these gnarled dead trees curved and carved along the edges, it was an actual nightmare. Hell of a trip. I miss long drives tbh.

Thank you so much again my dear friend!!

ask me some random stuff if you'd like!

[victorcross]

VN REVIEW! Particles of Obsession

obviously have to do my first review with the game that basically inspired my vn marathon and is part of my blog theme. also I know the creator has a tumblr if you see this hiiiii

the basics: you're monika viotto, a college student working at a cafe. school sucks, life kinda sucks, you've gone through a lot and are just trying to make the most of it now. buuut unfortunately, you're not allowed to have a happy ending. you do at least have 5ish love interests though who make you suffer and/or suffer with you though?

available on steam and itch.io, full game is $30, alexander route dlc is $5, free demo

contains 18+ scenes, options to censor; sexual content scenes/cgs, dubious consent scenes/cgs, and descriptions of violence

MANY endings, extra content, and a walkthrough for each character

I'm not good at summaries but while avoiding any spoilers, all the above and the fact this game has a billion trigger warnings attached to it and on every character's page is all you really need to know. if you can handle a lot of extreme dark themes (listed on the game's page) I recommend trying out the free demo at least and seeing if it's for you!

and with that out of the way: actual review portion! spoilers abound

immediately must put it straight I Love this game and admire the clear passion and love (tough love. to be more fitting) put into this.

if you're really just looking for a straight up yandere experience your mileage will vary because you get that plenty out of sebastian and unfortunately brandon, while julian is like 3/4ths there and quinn is simply too normal for that (I can't speak for alexander since I haven't bought his dlc I would assume he's also like 3/4ths there). if you're also fairly interested in the purely narrative portions and can give our mc a fair shot, you'll probably enjoy it more

in general without getting really into specifics of the story or characters, it is an extremely dark story with a lot of triggering elements but I feel there's a lot of grace and tact towards all the subject matter that stops it from being unnecessarily disturbing or like it's purely for shock and I applaud that considering the darkness of the game is like part of the selling point. I love the writing and pacing, and it doesn't take itself too seriously or too silly it knows the right time and place for everything and the characters all have some level of charm to them. even characters with little presence generally feel like they really do have personality and life to them

I feel like this game really is worth the price, it honestly has so much packed in I feel like I have been spoiled because I play other vns and I'm like sigh....... I miss particles of reality. like there's so many endings with wildly different outcomes, your choices are spaced out well and can HEAVILY change the events, there's very few that are purely for like random minor dialogue differences and otherwise pointless. genuinely is a Your Choice Matters game even if you can only like die or suffer for the rest of your life but you're told that in the tagline basically

also the extensive trigger warnings are really good they're not something I personally need but I absolutely appreciate the fact they're there and how thorough they are as well as the censorship options

the only thing that has bothered me really has been that some of the ui is kinda plain but that's the artist in me I don't think people care that much

good game. anyways story and characters. tw for incest on brandon

so firstly I have to acknowledge the worldbuilding. there is actually a supernatural element to all this which IS mentioned in the game description but I am illiterate and only look at pretty pictures so it caught me off guard. basically there are these meta guardians who oversee reality and I'm not very into this aspect of the game so I'm blurry on the specifics but basically all the timelines are canonical, alternate universe are also canonical, and all have something to do with monika who as far as they can tell is just a regular human but they abruptly end when she either meets a horrible fate or dies, and reality is breaking. it's not understood why by anyone (even by the end of the game) and there's some shady shit going on in the guardian hierarchy.

again hasn't really piqued my interest so I won't get really into it or anything, but it is like a whole side to everything I feel like I have to address it. it isn't a detriment to the game, it adds an interesting layer of mystery and explains the whole existence of the vn which I find endearing. fun mystery to learn more of in the sequel! (I need to play the demo for it.....) the guardians investigating this also pop up to comment on the routes on occasion which may be annoying to some people but I think it's cute and they are funny sometimes. it's also not a frequent occurrence, mostly only happens at the beginning of each route and the separate sections with them only last a couple of minutes so they don't overstay their welcome or anything

moving on, our mc monika! I actually replaced her name at the beginning with mine and couldn't reset it so I was like wtf was it again.... thank you brandon's character profile. anyways

basically. I love her I find when mcs of media like this to be completely healthy people with normal happy lives/childhoods it can sometimes be really annoying so I think she is delightful and perfect for the kind of story this is. I think she's very realistic and well written for her background and personality and as someone who has fortunately not been in the mafia but has my fair share of troubles and history with unhealthy relationships I can relate to her and see why she does the things she(/you. I guess) does and her logic behind it. idk it was crazy to me that people in reviews found her annoying or stupid I don't think she does anything atrociously dumb there's always a clear line of thought or reason she chooses to do something or why she acts the way she does

there is a fair amount of focus on her character and background which is extremely sad but it may be a bother if you don't really care about her as a character and just want to get in the guys' pants but I LIKE HER!!!! I think she wraps everything up in a nice depressing bow. also she's funny sometimes

speaking of getting into pants though. love interest thoughts. you can play them in any order (aside from one) but the order they're listed in seems to be the intended way which is also how I'm going through them

first we have sebastian the poster child. he also has the most endings and general just appearances/presence of all the guys so if you like him you will have a fucking ball and if you don't like him it'll be a nightmare his presence is not limited to his own route at all despite the fact that outside of his route you are complete strangers he's just a really dedicated stalker. I think it is so so funny.

he started pursuing monika when he was 14 and she was 10 which is not the type of creepy weird inappropriate behavior I accept I do/did like him outside of that but with that knowledge I'm like oughhh.... he was never a good person anyways but that singlehandedly made him unsexy

about his character though it makes sense he is the poster boy because he lives and breathes the obsession theme he is delusional and wants to do everything he can to be the perfect boyfriend in your eyes and do things right by you but at the same time his selfish desire to have you overtakes him and all good will he has towards you. he literally cannot live in a world without you and you're the only thing he wants

I find he oddly has the least backstory or explanation to why he is the way he is compared to all the other characters/love interests? we know he is from an enemy mafia family that was shockingly a kind of healthy environment as far as a mafia family can be I suppose and we actually can play their meeting via brandon's route and I have found like 0 reason why sebastian becomes INSTANTLY fixated and obsessed with monika it's just love at first sight and he says as much. which is pretty flimsy and nonsensical that it's taken to the degree it is especially when the other love interests do have a clear reason why they love her and aren't obsessed to that degree

that's like my only real complaint about his writing otherwise he's very fun and the obsessiveness is such a ride, I found his routes really enjoyable and Eventful I can't recall other thoughts on him anymore because I did literally all of his endings and extras before doing the other characters so they've just left the building

also this is the funniest thing he ever says in my opinion yes it's around the same time as the last quote I showed.

my favorite ending with him was "not the one" it was the most unique to me both in what happened and how sebastian reacted and broke, it was really interesting

julian oh julian....

I have to premise that I DO like him he is very cute and endearing to me but I don't like his route as a love interest I basically only like him as monika's coworker friend with an unrequited crush. like there's a number of things that make him not really work for me

1. the dragon thing. like I do put my best effort to take everything presented sincerely as such but I simply cannot do it for the dragon thing I'm so so sorry I like the thought though. 2. ash he's convinced he has DID and ash is another personality but actually ash is just some demon or something possessing him and when julian dies ash will just possess another person and I honestly cannot understand it... why doesn't he just actually have DID? like if ash comes back in the next game remembrance I guess I can understand that more but otherwise I don't get why that isn't the case besides to either avoid doing the whole evil murder alter thing (which functionally is still what is happening) or demonizing DID in general

beyond that I think it's just a matter of preference I LOVE his personality and his backstory I simply am not into the serial killer aspect nor want him as my boyfriend. I want him as my friend he's cool. yay ❤️

my favorite ending of his was until you're mine

Brandon. is your brother so he's certainly not MY love interest because I'm not into that but I do think he is a really interesting and compelling character

his route is more of a backstory route than a brandon dating sim but brandon is like the only person in monika's like before going to college so it's like. what you would expect. very depraved. there's copious amounts of NSFW scenes between them moreso than any other character which is insane. I do ultimately understand why he developed an attraction and attachment to monika just due to the isolation and having no other person he feels emotionally close with so I feel like it makes sense he turned out the way he did and I do have some sort of empathy for him. he's very human and a horrible person. I didn't enjoy the sex scenes at all for obvious reasons but I can't objectively say they were like distasteful to write in at all

(also this is completely irrelevant but the fact he's into anime is so fucking funny I can't stand it imagine arguing with a guy on an anime forum and he's actually a member of the mafia with like a billion people in his kill count. I know this guy wants to try sprinkling japanese in his conversations like a middle schooler and has to hold it back for professionalism)

ouhhhh my baby darling quinn. I love quinn so dearly and their endings all suck so bad I'm so sorry

he feels like the most human of all the characters, they are very grounded and also the most normal and empathetic (which I will expand on in a bit) their route when you go with them to visit their family, feels the most emotionally intimate to me. like he feels like a person I would actually meet and could love in real life. I love them a lot!

being sane and grounded in this game is kind of a death sentence though so that's how I'd sum up quinn's routes they almost all end with monika and quinn being killed/kidnapped/etc by OTHER CHARACTERS so like I don't even have a favorite ending for him. because quinn almost never does anything to cause these bad endings they're a saint as much as they can be unlike with the other characters so it's not as fun as being kidnapped by sebastian when it is Quinn's route and quinn did nothing to earn the fate he got

I still loved playing through his endings but I was like damn can't quinn kill me this time instead!!! they try that actually in one but nonetheless

my true favorite ending is the extra what-if scenario where he's a yandere which honestly would have been really interesting to see me more of but you know. I am biased.

secret guy jumpscare pretend there's a picture of him here I do not have the motivation to grab one

as you may be able to tell by my url. I like victor. from the get go I thought he was the hottest guy so I was very eager to play his route

unfortunately his is extremely short and is a linear story where he's just killing your ass the whole time because he retains memories from all the timelines and he is utterly sick of you but I enjoyed it thoroughly even with his short time he is full of a lot of character and considering everyone likes you so badly it's very fun to throw in a guy that not only hates you but is fully aware of what's happening

he does make extremely short appearances in other routes (I think he only speaks in one of them?) too which is cute and also makes it funnier to me knowing that he's actually seething the entire time. the detail of his eyes always being open in the menu (unlike the other characters who have them closed until you hover on them) is also a little plus. I want to see more of him I miss him so bad

ANDDD that's everyone/everything.

when you finish the game you get character interviews and they're so cute good fuel. I may buy alexander dlc sometime and if I do I'll give it its own mini post I also want to play the remembrance demo...

this game says there is no happy ending except there is exactly one and it's the one scenario where monika is an only child and she gets with her bodyguard after throwing julian and sebastian out I'm so happy for you queen

[star-crossed-mid]

Mansion Blueprints

I was playing Minecraft and it lead me down a rabbit hole of trying to figure out the blueprints of the mansion and where every room was located,

I def got things wrong ik in some routes it tells the player what directions certain rooms are located

I’ve made edits as i go through the game files for info.

But here’s my best attempt at architecture theory:

The mansion is kinda big lmao

There has to be about 3-4 floors given the window placement. I forgor to add the final stairs mbad

Every floor has very long halls to each room.

The parlor/living room could be on the left room on the first floor, with the three arched windows. However, it has a high concave ceiling (i’m so sorry i spelt it wrong).

 Another possible location is the same place but on the second floor. The windows don’t match due to the railings on the outside (it could be the balcony/dining area). The parlor may also be hidden in the back of the house.

Leon:

First floor, right hallway with the 2 arch window placement.

Teorus:

Similar to others, his room could very much be in the back as well. The only front facing window is on the 4th floor to match the big ‘square’ window in his room. Teo’s room is at a perspective, which could make the window look more flat.

Scorpio:

Looking at Scorpio’s fire pit made me realize there are 6 chimneys throughout the entire mansion.

The three arched windows follow along with the left side of the mansion, however the window pattern matches the right side windows more. Scorpio’s room could be on the second floor, but there’s still the issue of the railing on the second story windows.

EDIT: In the game, Scorpios room is upstairs (third to the right). In theory he could be above leon.

Dui:

None of the windows match the weird panel structure his windows have. They look like they’re made out of bricks. The 4th story, left room is the closest thing I can draw to with the spacing between the windows. Also Dui has the best room imo, its clean, its simple, it has plants.

Huedhaut:

There’s a structure hidden behind one of the chimneys LMAO. It has the giant glass top similar to an observatory. I would assume this is an example of a room in the back, also on the fourth floor to the left. There’s probably interior staircases/hallways to travel through.

Also why is Huedhaut called the wisest man in the heavens when his room is a pool right next to a bookshelf please

Ichthys:

mf lives in the bikini bottom

Ichthys’s room is still accessible through the hallway as seen throughout the game.

In a crack theory, Ichthy’s and Huedhaut’s room might be connected through the water ways through some sort of magic decoration system.

This idea is flawed though because the water in Hue’s room is a pool, not an open body of water like Ichthys’s.

Conclusion:

The mansion might just follow non-euclidean geometry and it takes up whatever dimensions it needs for supernatural beings. The king might have just connected a bunch of portals to doors and hoped for the best, which makes sense bcuz after the season 1 gods get their sin absolved, they still go to their ‘rooms’ in the heavens.

I forgor to add the dining room, the garden, and other rooms as well LMAO

time to replicate it in minecraft

Thank you for attending my ted talk. I will make changes to this later.

edit: i don’t know where the balcony is bcuz its connected to the ‘dining’ room, but the dining room and parlor are the rooms closest to the front door.

[veryimportantsparkles]

Every time I reset a Pokemon cartridge I designate a 'sacrifice.' That's the single Pokemon that stays in the file when I save over it with my new game. I write down the species, gender, level, and catch location and go back to recapture the same thing in the new file. I can't account for Natures or IVs or anything like that, so sometimes they go through some interesting changes. Hitorigami went from Gentle to Impish, Fujiko went from Calm to Relaxed. This guy? He went from Timid to Serious. I think he's mad.

His name is Edmond, which was the player name of the last file. I also did this with Hanna, from my extra Sapphire cartridge. The intent is to honor the original owner, not to recreate them. I actually know who previously owned Hanna's cartridge and that's not even their name. And they're not a spooky clown. I don't know anything about Edmond, other than what he left in his file:

He completed the game and caught all the legendaries except his Lati, you get to choose which you get in Emerald and his was Latios. Its health was whittled down but I guess he gave up and I had to catch it.

He kept Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza in his party and used them as HM mules, lol. I know a lot of people use legendaries that way but I find it so baffling.

He used his Master Ball on some random Claydol from the Sky Pillar. Must've been a mistake, but he didn't reset.

I think he had like...ONE nicknamed Pokemon, excluding in-game trades. I went ahead and just gave everything random nicknames. His starter (Swampert) got the name 'Edson' because I think starters should retain specialness in some way.

So really, this was a person who cared about playing the game to completion but maybe didn't care about doing things the 'right' way or get a full Pokedex. He didn't transfer everything up to 4th gen before selling his cartridge to the local retro game store. But I can't prove that...maybe the game got lost or stolen, or a relative tossed it into a lot that they pawned off without checking. I'll never know.

I'm taking care of his Pokemon, but I did delete his file. So this new Edmond, he isn't the old Edmond, he can't really know or understand who that was or what it means to carry on his legacy. And I think he's trying to reject the whole concept.

See, you can catch Lotad on route 102 and they're a 20% encounter rate. When I caught him in the old file, he broke like 8 pokeballs for no reason. He was level 3 but resisted capture with his whole little heart. And in the new file, I wanted him to be the first thing I caught (after Blackjack, the new starter), but he just wouldn't show up. It took me two hours to find a lvl 3 male Lotad. I found a bunch of females, and some lvl 4s, I even found a Ralts (4% encounter rate) before he showed up. And when I finally got him he was...SERIOUS. He knows something's wrong and he doesn't like it.

I gave him an outfit that resembles Brendan's Emerald outfit, but with Red's hat and hair because I could convey a Lotad's lilypad and nubby legs better with them. He's a Pokemon gussied up in the clothes of a trainer...which is inherently wrong and perhaps overwhelming for a baby lad like this. Can he fill those shoes? No, I'm in the trainer shoes. But I'm gonna train him good and he's gonna be my lil champion whether he likes it or not.

Compare to:

Mizuhanome, my other Lotad/Lombre/Ludicolo gijinka who is a much happier and more festive person.

Testudo, who also gets a Brendan outfit variant, because he's a Kanto resident who 'studied abroad' (EV training) in Hoenn.

Welp, better get back to actually playing the game, haha

EDIT: fixed a color error on his hat

[lilyvalleygames]

Sorry for any mistakes in advance, english isn't my native language. OuO

I played “Crystalline Cage” yesterday and while I'm writing this, im replaying your game because i love reading in between the lines and gather as much MORE info as I can, im just thirsty for more since I really loved your game. 💜 I found it through my endless searching of looking for games like this one, it's really interesting how you can find a variation of games like these! And every single one of them is unique on it's own way and carefully crafted, I just love that.

I'm aware that you recently dropped your demo but... I'm really interested on knowing more of what's to come or any new characters that are going to appear on the “Day 2”? It's okay if you don't want to share anything too “spoiler-y” but i don't mind.

Will we learn how this fantasy world works? Asking since Vesta/MC seems so... Detached? Uninformed? Ignorant? Towards things like that but it makes sense since they are a servant who doesn't really go out.

Is the Countess Dantalion aware of her son's attachment or... interest towards Vesta/MC? She acts rather odd towards them and i don't know if it is only me but... It seemed like she wanted to imply something when going to see her...? [“I see. I supposed it's only to be expected that he'd come earlier than necessary...” “ (...) Johann does enjoy his little surprises, doesn't he?” 👀]

Are you thinking of adding more good or bad endings to the games? There's so many possibilities and outcomes... Since this is your first game and you working on it as much as you can, please do not overwork yourself, your game is beautiful as it is, mistakes can always be fixed, if you think is okay as it is, that's fine and that is what totally should matter!

I laughed a lot when Vesta/MC said that they ONLY every considered being the... NANNY??? of the new heir and Johann is just like.... “😧” BAHAHHAHAHAHA

Also, I would recommend you to add your Tumblr account to your itchio profile, you really need more reach and im telling you, people will LOVE your blog since a lot of individuals want to ask questions and just look around to find more about this game while it's still in development. 👻

There's so many questions I want to ask... But i think most of them will be answered on the next update or so . 💜 I'll be patiently waiting for it!

Stunning visuals, really interesting and captivating storytelling. I love it!

No need whatsoever to apologize for your English, you're doing great! :D

Ahhhh I'm so glad that you liked my game!!! And even more that you're replaying it! I wrote it out specifically so that different choices would provide different bits of information, and for a more cohesive picture to be built out through multiple play-throughs!

As for Day 2, there will be several new characters introduced! They're largely people Johann knows and personally invited to the upcoming inauguration, and they all have their own interesting relationship dynamics with each other! I won't go too deep into them and their backgrounds, but 3 of the new characters will be old school chums of Johann's, and the 4th new character will be an unanticipated guest :D

As for Countess Dantalion, good catch! She's been aware of Johann's... infatuation for some time, and isn't exactly a fan of her darling boy marrying so far below his station. She would prefer that he get into a political marriage that cements House Dantalion into a more elevated position--currently House Dantalion is considered in the capital to be frontier-adjacent, and not as 'cultured' as one might consider the capital to be.

Regarding endings, I certainly intend for there to be more good and bad endings! There are a lot of directions that I can take this in, and I intend for there to be a loooooooooot of different ways to end the game, depending on your relationship with Johann and others. There will even be romance-able routes for Roy and Bridgette, which I'm excited about! That said, I appreciate your comment about not overworking myself! I love to do a large variety of creative projects, so while I take a little break from game development I've been doing some painting and reorganizing my apartment and even doing fun little kitchen experiments! Currently I'm trying to ferment ginger with sugar and make it into a nice bubbly beverage! But I digress.

As for the fantasy world, I'm glad that you caught that! Vesta was intentionally made to be unaware of much of the world around her. This is because 1) players can benefit from having things explained to them via Vesta and 2) Vesta is indeed incredibly sheltered! Even her name was carefully chosen: Vesta is the Roman goddess of the hearth, the personification of home and comfort and family. And she's very much... at home. Especially as far as Johann is concerned haha. He really enjoys Vesta's lack of awareness-- he considers it to be a kind of "purity" that makes Vesta special to him.

That said, I'll still definitely be doing some fleshing out of CC's world! A lot of the new guests are more well-traveled, and will provide whole heaps of world building and fictional politics.

And I'm so glad you enjoyed the funny bits in CC! I just adore pairing humor with horror-- the contrast just makes the scarier parts so much scarier! At least, that's my opinion lol.

You're absolutely right, I should update my game page to include my Tumblr-- I'll do that just after answering this ask! Thank you again for reaching out! These asks are so incredibly satisfying to me-- it's such a great feeling when your creative work resonates with someone!!!

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Hi Rebecca! I'm a recent(ish) graduated student interested in pursuing a career (or any other form of involvement) in environmental education. I was curious how you built your writing portfolio, especially writing for other sites/organizations? What first steps would recommend someone take (particularly if they're already graduated) to get into environmental education and scicomm? Thanks so much, love all your writing!!

Hi there, @misopossum! So I am a pretty atypical case. I have a BA in English, but I mainly used it for technical writing/editing (and personal journaling) for a number of years.

Most of the scicomm folks I know are either A) scientists who also have good writing and interpretation chops, or B) are science journalists who went through a formal journalism program in college/grad school. You haven't mentioned what your area of study was, but your department may have some resources to draw on if you haven't already spoken with them. Check with related departments as well, as they may have ideas too. You're a recent grad, but that doesn't mean that you can't still make use of those connections if they exist.

If you want to go a more traditional scicomm route, good places to start are The Open Notebook and the National Association of Science Writers. ScienceBites may be a good spot for you to start pitching a short article here and there to build up your portfolio, too. And this article from CrossTalk is a pretty good summary on how to get started with science writing.

Other people get involved with environmental education programs like forest schools, summer camps, and the like; some conservation nonprofits also may run these, and you can even check with state and federal parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and other governmental entities who may be in need of volunteers (or occasionally seasonal staff) for environmental ed programs.

You didn't mention where you are, but here in the PNW US there are a lot of these, especially in the Portland and Seattle areas. Depending on what your education level is you may not find the pay to be what you expected, and a lot of these programs are primarily in summertime. But if you can at least get in as a side gig, that will get some experience started.

A lot of what I do is meant for a general audience and not just specific to one locality. I do a lot of blogging online, to include articles on my website, plus some shorter form commentary on various news articles I find online that I think are worth exploring, and I have my quarterly chapbooks that let me dive deeper into various topics. These get me a pretty broad audience, beyond just my local area.

But I really got my start as a nature writer several years ago by writing pieces for the nonprofit Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, from Facebook posts to 2-3 minute radio segments for their Willapa Nature Notes segment on our local public radio station. I've also helped with other scicomm efforts they've run, from our 4th grade environmental education program in local schools, to giving talks and tours at our annual Wings Over Willapa birding and nature festival. And later this track record helped me get in as a regular columnist with the Coast Weekend paper (and occasionally a longer piece for related publications.) These are all incredibly local to where I am in the Columbia-Pacific region, but they've been good experience and they've helped me get my footing in my local community, which has helped me to facilitate other regional efforts like my independent guided tours.

I think the best choice I made overall was teaching non-credit community education classes through various community colleges, as well as municipal parks and recreation departments and libraries. It's a great way to connect with people who aren't pursuing a degree, but just learning for the fun of it. You do need some credentials of some sort, but expertise counts if you can show that you know your stuff--for example, the people teaching art classes don't all have art degrees, but they may have X number of decades' experience in their art medium. I don't have a degree in the natural sciences because my math skills are terrible, but I am a certified Oregon Master Naturalist and I also have a lifetime of experience of exploring nature and learning how to identify the living beings around me. It doesn't pay a lot, but it's a lot of fun and I get to meet a lot of new students every semester.

Be aware that people like me who take a more unorthodox route usually end up doing like eight different things for a living, rather than having one (1) career path. If you are going to do more of a "professional potpourri" like I am, you're going to need to seek out multiple niches, and perhaps create a few yourself. You're likely going to be very busy, and there's not going to be a lot of payoff immediately (as opposed to a regular job, where you start at a particular rate immediately and hopefully gets raises as things go along.)

On the bright side, having multiple professional directions means that if one of them isn't really active, I can often put more time toward another to make up for it. For example, I'd like to expand to writing for more varied venues that aren't just based in the PNW; it's just a matter of making the time to prep some cold pitches to publications and websites. This time of year I'm really busy with the tours business, so writing tends to be emphasized more in the off season. And either way you slice it, I'm still very much in the "building" process.

Aaaaanyway. That is my very long, rambling answer to your question. Please feel free to let me know if I can clarify anything for you, or if you have further questions.