#and this time the drum didn't glitch either

[mariana-oconnor]

I had Astarion eat a goblin child. I feel so bad.

And then one got away anyway and it turned out that letting them go free isn't even that bad.

I am the worst.

[alexissara]

Recruiting Minthara Without Doing A War Crime - BG3

Opening Disclaimer: I do not know every variable, I am sharing what I did to recruit Minthara in BG3 since basically every guide in the internet is wrong and says you must do a war crime to recruit MInthara. You will lose out on the Minthara post battle sex scene and she remains mutually exclusive with Halsin you either have her or him but she can be obtained as a party member and even has exclusive voiced dialogue for Karlache and Wyll whom many say you are also locked out of to recruit her. Also this is totally intentional and accounted for but in my personal run I am getting some bugs, idk if it's an everyone issue or a me issue the game is still very new.

To Attack The Grove or to Kill Everyone In The Goblin Camp, that is the question, one that needs not an answer. You can do quests in both places, talk to Minthara, and more and still walk away from this fight.

All you need to do is simply progress the plot ignoring these two binary options. You'll need to ensure Minthara does not know the location of The Druid Grove so for me the way I did it was I rescued Sazza then killed her in the goblin camp before she could rat out the location and turn on me right before she would have walked me over to MInthara. It triggered a small fight but I destroyed the drums they played to trigger an alarm and have everyone fight me meaning I only had to kill four Goblins or so. I went to talk to Minthara and told her I had no clue where the druid grove or her item were but i'd totally look into it. I grabbed everything I wanted from the Goblin camp and before that did all of the Tiefling kid side quests except stealing the artifact in The Druid grove, upgraded Karlache's infernal engines, looked around everywhere I could. I did not at any point meet or talk to Halsin.

Then from there I simply went to the Underdark, you may be be able to take the Gith path instead, idk I didn't do it but I personally went to The Underdark by way of Feather Falling in the Phase Spider Monarch's layer down into it. From there I found some slavers, killed them and stole their boat. I sailed away to a forge where more slavers were living, I helped them save a true soul, helped the true soul kill them and then killed The True Soul. With that I was on my marry way and entered act 2. This I believe triggers time to have progressed in the game and everything will have gone into motion. I wanted to be sure though that I had done everything correctly so I headed to Moon Rise towers as fast as I can. I did some fights, got to the tower and found Minathara getting yelled at by her boss and thrown into a prison. In the prison two women are trying to wipe her mind. I killed all the guards before trying to help her out in the prisons area and freed some other prisoners. Stole a bunch of stuff then went to the girl herself. I then killed the people trying to brainwash her after talking to them for a little, walked out with Minthara, the guards at multiple times were like "why the fuck do you have Minthara" I smooth talk my way out of each situation, we leave moonrise and I tell her she can stay in our camp. From there she is a party member.

The game suggests you don't bring Minthara back into Moonrise Towers with you, I have got some light glitches on my own run when going to areas that are before you can normally recruit minthara and going to camp sometimes she spawns over at The Goblin camp where you first meet her. The Goblins seem to be basically fine so what happened with the tiefling and druids. Well the tieflings were forced to leave the druid grove but they were gonna do that anyway and the same quests are triggered as if you didn't do that as far as I undertand. I have met one of the tieflings already in act two and they were not mad at me for not helping the grove. The grove however did do the ritual and is no longer accessible. I will update this when I enter Baulder's Gate if I find out I like idk caused the death of a bunch of characters for not siding with either but I don't think I cased any deaths at all, I think I spared the most lives, the most peaceful bitch.

I want to end of the note that there is more to Minthara than Girlboss, Gaslight, Gatekeep. She for narrative reasons is a fun character to have. She is cold for sure but I think the game does a pretty good job justifying it and you can see right away glimmers of her warming up. In terms of a party member her kit is interesting, she starts with tadepoles already in her head so if you were totally avoiding them like me you'll be able to see a few of the powers in action given you have no option to remove them from her.

[missterious-figure]

okay- this may be a repeat but last time it glitched and I don’t know if you got this one- super sorry if this is a repeat of my other question!

Okay- I may or may not be really into blood and feathers Toby- so I got this idea of someone like Y/N being his trainer before the Kato incident. Would Toby keep them around? Would they be his safe space? Or would they keep away from them as well? What if after he started disappearing they went looking for him- like a ghost hunter? I just thought it was interesting.

Once again! Super sorry if you already got this question! I just didn’t know!

P.S.- I bet on twenty pure gold drachmas that Y/N is a rabbit.

Oh, no worries! Don't be afraid to send an ask more than once, because I definitely didn't get this one before. This is a very interesting idea...

...

"Toby?"

The only thing that answered was the artificial rain drumming on the damp foliage.

"Toby!"

You could have sworn he had headed in this direction. But now your lead was gone. This made no sense. You saw him walk away into the safari immediately after his performance, and you had been right on his heels. You stood there, scanning the for the green harpy. The harpy you were supposed to take care of. Some job you were doing...

You sighed, but continued further. You weren't giving up on him. You needed to make sure he was okay. You searched for hours. Every time you heard so much as twig rustle, you checked it out. You'd either find a bird or a harpy. But not the on you were looking for.

Finally, you collapsed under a tall tree, exhausted. You curled your legs close to your body as you called out one last time.

"Toby..."

Even though it was quite humid, you shivered because of how wet you were. You gently rested your head on your knees, and quickly fell asleep. As soon as you conked out, a shadow emerged from the thick of the brush. As he stepped into the light, his features became clear. He was stocky for a peacock harpy. Broad shouldered and muscular. A train of greens and yellows trialed behind, him, being carefully lifted slightly above the ground. His face was shadowed by a black cowboy hat. A black bandanna covered his nose down.

The spurs on his boots rattled quietly as he approached you. He knelt by your side. Hesitantly, he used a glowing green claw to lift your chin. You were out cold. This was the third time this month you had tired yourself out in the middle of the safari zone. He carefully put his hands beneath your back and knees. Pulled you closer to him, resting you in a bridal position in his arms. He slowly stood up, and quiet as a ghost, began walking back to the casino.

As for the rabbit thing: no comment :)

[dronebiscuitbat]

Oil is Thicker Then Blood (Part 8)

Both drones landed in the spire at once, just beating out the morning sun as it rose on the horizon. They both looked back at it, before Uzi laughed and lurched forward, nearly landing in the sun.

“Uzi!” N felt himself move instinctually to her side, only for Uzi to hoist herself up, although still hunched over, halfway holding herself up with the hand on her wing.

“B-brown out. I'm A-okay-y-y.” Her voice glitched although she sounded more bubbly then he'd ever heard her, giggling like mad. And her eyelights exceptionally dim.

“Let's get some some rest then, come on.” N smiled, keeping a lid on the situation that just unfolded and focusing on her well-being.

“Sure” She spread her wings out to fly up to his nest only for them to suddenly retract into her with a snap. Almost sending her careening into the floor, if N hadn't caught her with his arm.

“Heehee… whoops.” She hummed, still giggling slightly, it seemed that on low charge, certain functions got turned off to conserve power. Like her wings, or her sense of balance, or… her sense at all.

Uzi gripped lightly onto his shoulder to keep herself upright, her other hand holding onto his arm that he'd caught her with. She blinked slowly, like she was fighting off sleep.

“Uh, m-i-i-ight need a hand.” She said, looking over at him with a wary smile. Ah, so she was at least partially aware.

‘Right, hold tight.” He picked her up bridal style and flew up to his nest, ignoring both his growing fluster and her “weeee!” as they went up. He released her, and she fell face first into it, before rolling to the side to give him some room.

He sat on the edge, putting his wings away, watching as the low battery indicator on her visor blinked even more frantically. It didn't make sense on why she'd been so low in only a day, unless she hadn't slept at all in awhile.

“Sorry, it's not as soft as yours.” He apologized, although she didn't seem to notice, squishing the nearest pillow in her fingers and letting out another sleepy giggle.

“I like it, you're like a bird…” She cooed before another brown out hit her system, causing her to breifly enter sleep-mode before coming right back out with a stream of happy giggles.

“You need sleep.” He said, taking the pillow gently from her and smiling, taking great care to remain perched on the side of the nest, any contact would likely send him into a flustered mess right now.

“So do you! Come here!” She grinned, patting the empty spot next to her, another blush crept up to his visor, but reluctantly he laid next to her, tossing the pillow aside.

“Is this be-” As soon as he'd gotten comfortable, Uzi shuffled right up next to him, curled under his arm, and her tail wrapped around his leg, much like his had always done.

“You're more comfortable then my bed anyway…” She purred, before her systems all but forced her to enter sleep mode, her grip going slack and all the eyes on her tail closing.

Leaving N to stare up at the ceiling, feeling his best freinds core humming into his side, her vents taking in air, and her soft silicone cheek burying into him.

His core was like a drum, whirring and taking in oil to try and cool himself off, his eyes wide, a more and more noticeable blush stained his face. The more he thought about the day.

He had a crush on Uzi.

And he'd probably had one for awhile, considering the strength it all hit him at once, he felt like screaming, either from his stupidity, or just because of how overwhelming it felt; he wasn't sure.

She mumbled in her sleep, her tail tightened around him. And his core tightened even more, her brought her closer, even if it made his temperature rise a few ticks.

He'd kept that song playing on repeat, letting the image of her wash over him again and again, each time he had something new to admire, her hair turning pinkish blue, her wings shining light between them, the embers dancing next to her face…

Holy hell had he fallen hard.

He moved a strand of hair out of her face before realizing she still had her beanie on, so he gently removed it, letting free her purple and black hair, he felt her tense, before relaxing.

He wanted to card his fingers through her hair, or pull her close so he could feel her core beat next to his, or even just… hold her hand as she slept.

He let out a shaky breath, and his hand tangled in her hair without his conscious input, detangling each strand with his fingers.

This proximity was both fueling his nerves and the tugging on his core. This… did not feel the same as it did with V. Maybe it was because Uzi was already his best freind, that it felt so much heavier in his chest.

“Nnnh… N…?” He froze solid, glancing over at her visor, it still said [Sleep Mode] but she was still reacting slightly to his touch in her hair.

“Shhhh…” It came involuntary out of his mouth, and his hand resumed it's journey through her hair, a small smile made it's way to her face, and it spread to his, his core swarmed with butterflies as her arm wrapped around him, gripping the fur of his jacket and pulling herself ever closer.

She was so cuddly when she slept…

What was he going to do…? She had so much stress on her shoulders right now, she didn't need… this! His weird, awkward feelings that he just now realized he had for his very pretty best freind.

He frowned, he couldn't just tell her… the chances were she didn't feel the same way, she didnt… like stutter, or seem to act any differently then she always did around him. She was… less prickly sure, but that didn't mean much. They were freinds.

So another crush he had to keep to himself, he could do that right? He could just act normal. Be there for her in all the ways he always was and just… not mention it. At least until they figured out everything that was going on. Then… then he'd tell her, and maybe she'd feel the same way? Or… reject him. Like V had.

But Uzi wasn't V. She wouldn't break his heart like that. If anything she'd just laugh! And tell him something like “ew you're so sappy N.” And then it would be over, and she'd know and they would move on.

For now though, his mind was made up, he could keep it to himself, just for a little bit right? Until they found Doll and figured out what was happening. Yeah, yeah he definitely could.

Uzi made a squeak before she began twitching, her tail beginning to constrict tightly around his leg, her body shook, and small beeps came from her system.

“No… no…no…” N was knocked out of this thoughts, replaced with concern, he turned his body to face her, ignoring his strumming core and cupped her cheek.

“Uzi?” He whispered, and although she was still solidly in sleep mode, he heard her whimper, her visor glitching with the solver symbol, he felt her curl in on herself, as if she was terrified.

“N…V…” She murmured, shuddering, fingers balling it fists, breathing getting erratic and uneven.

“I'm right here Zi…” He ran a thumb over her cheek, his other hand pulling her close into his chest, he felt her core whirring as hard as it would go, and another whimper escaped her mouth.

“It's okay.” He wasn't sure why he was talking, he wasn't even sure she could hear him. But it did seem to be working, the slower symbol slowly fizzling out.

“I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…” Her voice was small, weak, and distant. It sounded so scared.

“I'm here, it's okay…” He didn't know what else to say, his tail found her own and wrapped around it in an attempt to comfort her in her sleep.

“H-help…”

He gulped, he wished he could do more, but her systems had forced her to sleep and now it was impossible to wake her up, he had no idea what horror she was experiencing, but his hand found her back, pushing her head into her chest, right above his core.

He felt her tense before one of her hands found the one retreating from her cheek, grabbing it and holding it so tight it almost hurt.

“Leave me?”

Oh

“Never.” He squeezed back, and finally she seemed to settle, the grip on his hand loosened, but now he was tangled up in her legs, unable to move. His face lighting up in a golden blush.

Yeah… he could definitely keep this to himself, no problem…

Next ->

[coldgoldlazarus]

After rewatching Into the Spiderverse last week, and my third viewing of Across the Spiderverse this weekend, a bit of a crack theory has been percolating in my head. Some spoilers here, so putting this under a readmore:

I think Doc Ock has a chance of returning in Beyond The Spiderverse. A slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.

Point A: Lack Of Resolution

This is pretty obvious so I won't belabor it; despite her role as a pretty significant villain in ItSV, along with Kingpin and Prowler, the mind behind the supercollider and given a pretty fantastic reveal, she also winds up getting hit by a truck during the climax and not being heard from again. The Prowler died, Kingpin got defeated and webbed up for the police, even Tombstone was seen getting arrested and shoved in a cop car, and the other henchmen like Scorpion also got pretty conclusive defeats at the hands of the 2D spideys during the fight itself.

But with Liv, there's no real confirmation of what happened afterwards; whether she got arrested, or ran off, or the impact was fatal and her body recovered, or what; no clue. (And if she did end up shoved through the Collider and landed in another dimension, she'd be subject to the same glitching, cell decay, and eventual death as the others, without the Spider-society tech to stabilize herself.) And like, that doesn't necessarily mean anything on its own, but at the very least the principle of "didn't see the body" is in play.

(Interestingly, I remember hearing somewhere that there was a deleted scene of her intentionally jumping into the collider portal while saying the "power of the [X] in the palm of my hands!" line that later went to Spot. Though idk where I heard it, so am unsure if this is actually legit. And even if it is, it was still a scene they chose to remove from the final film, so while it could mean that intent is still there, they also could have changed their minds on the idea entirely.)

On its own, I'd be willing to accept that that's probably the last we've seen of her... but as of AtSV, it actually isn't.

Point B: Aaron Haunts The Narrative

This part has no direct connection to her, but bear with me here. If you've seen it, (I hope you have) you know that AtSV ends with the reveal that Miles wasn't sent to his home timeline/universe, but a darker parallel version where his dad is dead but Uncle Aaron is not, and is working with the parallel version of Miles as the Prowler. He does say "I'm not" when our Miles refers to him that way, but the impression I got is that he's halfway-retired from the role but still acting as support for Miles G; the "guy in the chair" if you will.

I digress. Point is, it ends with a return for both Uncle Aaron and the Prowler identity, but this didn't come out of nowhere; all throughout the movie leading up to this, Aaron and/or the Prowler are brought up or indirectly hinted at on an honestly pretty frequent basis. Gwen's drumming recap at the beginning, the memorial grafitti on the rooftop, the Donald Glover cameo, the flash of him on the side of the building during Miles' breakdown sequence as he's rushing to get home, plus a few smaller mentions here and there. ("He takes after his uncle!" during the meeting with the guidance councilor, and a visual comparison with Uncle Ben during the "canon events" presentation, and I feel like there may be a couple others yet that I'm forgetting as well.)

The movie goes out of its way to remind you of him and his importance to Miles at every turn, and part of that is just inherently because he is so important to Miles. But it also feels like, from a writer-to-audience perspective, part of the purpose is also as a reminder; if anyone either saw ItSV but forgot most of it in the intervening time, or simply missed it altogether and for some reason decided to see AtSV first anyway, this makes sure they know exactly who and what he is, so the reveal at the end carries the full emotional weight it needs to. No matter what, you will have the proper context to appreciate Miles' reaction when Aaron steps through that door.

(Also, I just wanna say that I love that reaction in of itself; the hyperventilating panic at first, only to rush in for a tight hug. The mix of terror and comfort that comes with full awareness of both sides of him, and all the associated memories both good and bad, combined with this unexpected chance to see him (or at least a version of him) again. It's just a really great moment on that front.)

But anyway, I'm getting off track again, too many Prowler feels. ^^; What does this have to do with Doc Ock?

Point C: Aaron Isn't Alone In Haunting

This is admittedly both the key part of my theory and also the weakest one overall, so I will readily admit upfront that I may be reading too much into things, and Liv really did bow out for good in ItSV. That being said, here's my thought:

Even if a much lesser extent than Aaron, I couldn't help but notice a similar-seeming trend of brief reminders of her. On one hand, most of these can be fairly easily dismissed as simply maintaining continuity and connection with the first movie, as the bulk of them were in relation to The Spot's backstory as Jonathan Ohm; she was there for the flashback to the misplaced 42 Spider, and then seen again in a framed photo of him, when Gwen was inspecting the remains of his makeshift apartment lab. So while it's a neat inclusion, it doesn't necessarily mean anything more, right? Kingpin got mentioned too, during the Guggenheim fight with Vulture, but I'm pretty sure he isn't going to be making a comeback.

But there is one other instance that feels a bit more significant and out of place, and is what led to this theory in the first place. I mentioned this scene already in relation to the Uncle Aaron foreshadowing/reminders, but going back to it now, there is what I've dubbed the Falling Apart sequence. (From the score that plays during it.) Right after Gwen's talk with her father resolves, we cut back to Miles, swinging through the city in a desperate rush to get back home to his parents in time. (Unaware yet that this isn't his city, his home, his parents, because this isn't his universe.)

Tangential Gushing Over That Scene

It's sort of a dark parallel to the Leap Of Faith/What's Up Danger scene from ItSV, with previous bits of dialogue and past moments echoing in his mind again. There, it was all the inspiration pushing him to finally take the leap and truly become Spiderman; whereas here it's reminders of all the stress and uncertainty he's under as he races against time and possibly destiny itself, not to mention being plagued by doubts after Miguel revealed he possibly shouldn't have become Spiderman to begin with.

But what I especially love is the animation of this sequence, which on first watch I thought was stuff actually happening, but reads more on subsequent viewings like hallucinations during what's basically a panic attack. It's both gorgeous and stressful, with trains derailing and rerailing to chase Miles; the space between the skyscrapers growing narrower and more claustrophobic; and stuff like the 42 Spider, the Spot's arms, and Doc Ock's tentacles also appear briefly to hem him in even further until the end. He finally breaks free at the end, with Aaron's dying words to "just keep going" pushing him to make it the rest of the way 'home' unimpeded, a tiny bit of much-needed catharsis amidst all the overwhelming... everything else.

I really love this scene, in case it wasn't obvious.

Point C, Continued: Why Tentacle Happen?

But to get back on track, nearly everything about this sequence is mainly focused on ideas introduced in Across; the Spot, Miguel, Jefferson's predicted demise. The Spider is from the first movie, but still given extra context now; the first big exception is the reuse of Spider-Ham's line about how "the hardest part of this job is that you can't always save everyone" while images of him, Noir, and Peni appear on the glass building Miles is swinging past. Even that is still relevant to the current crisis, and their appearance there is further justified when they too properly show up again in Gwen's 'band' at the very end.

But then there's this:

The dialogue at this point is a line from Rio; while the appearance of the tentacles definitely further intensifies the claustrophobic crush of the city, it also feels like much more of a non-sequitor than even the 2D Spideys just a few shots earlier. Liv has had nothing to do with anything going on, (or at most, very indirect involvement like the displacing of the 42 Spider) has no dialogue called back to here; and heck, even in ItSV felt more like a rival to Peter B specifically instead of being especially relevant to Miles, compared to Prowler and Kingpin. So why call back to her here? It could indeed just be that the tentacles are good for adding to that entrapped feeling, but given how well-constructed the rest of the sequence was, and how deliberate animation as a process is in general, this would seem oddly careless to include so casually.

Conclusion

On the whole, I'll still readily admit that this is a pretty flimsy bit of 'evidence' (more just symbolism, really) to base a whole theory off of. Yet still, between that part of the Falling Apart sequence, the parallels to how Aaron and Miles G were foreshadowed, Liv's abrupt disappearance and lack of closure in the first film, and the knowledge that this is the first half of a split script, with all sorts of other setup in Across still awaiting payoff in Beyond, I do kinda at least feel like there may be something here.

(At the same time, the docket is already packed with a shitton of stuff that Beyond needs to be able to address and resolve, plus apparently some additional new stuff mentioned in interviews like another Gwen, Toei Spiderman, and Hobie's universe. So with all that going on, I'm not entirely sure they'd have the room for yet another returning character in amidst literally everything else.)

So while I'm not strictly counting on this to come to pass, at least for now, the basic idea is that Doc Ock got hit by that truck, fell through the collider portal and into another universe, (probably Earth 42, possibly elsewhere we may have yet to visit) and somehow found a way to stabilize her glitching to survive during the intervening time, set to make a dramatic return appearance during Beyond.

As to what role she may play, I'm not sure. I could see her making some sort of temporary truce with one of the main Spider-people for a common goal, without giving up on her evil mad science in the long run. Possibly with Miguel's group against the Spot, in exchange for freedom to keep experimenting with the Multiverse instead of getting sent back home, though I also don't think he would be willing to make that bargain unless things are truly desparate and he's fully lost the support of the rest of the Spider Society. So it could also be with Gwen or Miles, against both the Spot and Miguel; the former's more unpredictable tampering and newly eldritch nature getting in the way of her research, while the latter would of course want to put an end to her experiements and send her back home in his efforts to restore order, giving her reason to ally against.

On the other hand, her remaining entirely villainous and antagonistic would also make a lot of sense, if not moreso. If she landed in Earth 42, she could wind up as the big obstacle of the detour instead of Miles G, allowing the latter a more nuanced and dynamic role. Alternately, I could possibly see her further experimentation being connected in some way to the destruction of the universe Miguel replaced himself in, unknowingly sending him on his canon-hardliner spiral, which would certainly give her a lot more relevance to the current conflict.

But ultimately, all of that depends on whether she really would show up again, which as neat as it would be, definitely does feel like a bit of a long shot at the moment. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[silviakundera]

alright my dudes & dudettes, it's Spirealm time!!

(jazz hands ensue)

fair warning: in these episode reactions I'm not gonna pretend I haven't read the novel. in fact, I purposely finished the novel before viewing, to get The Full Experience. thus novel spoilers, including twist end, included.

I'm spacing out posting these, so you aren't flooded.

The Spirealm Ep 1

* ngl I was legit hyped to see the hallway of doors! I am one of Those People who does not visually imagine stories in their mind, so I don't have much of a preconceived idea of what people or places in a book look like. So adaptions are a special delight for me

* ok, so he's playing a "VR game" and logs off.... OR DOES HE????? In the book, the whole narrative we think he's experiencing for the first time all happens within the 12th door - he has his memory suppressed and only thinks he just entered his first door. I am intrigued at the idea that the drama could be playing a lil bit of a slight of hand here... in which he has been a regular player of 'the official version' already and is already under the thrall. Apparently symptoms include hallucinations and death! Good times. No wonder he wants a black market copy for his very own.

* idk it's just a thought

* Mostly what I found suspicious is that he's already showing super hearing ability and he's having to shake off a mental disturbance

* Chestnut!!! Ok in the 12th door in the novel, at first Chestnut wasn't uber lovey dovey with him anymore. 1st indication of weirdness. In the drama... maybe? we see the cat backing away a bit and resisting, and he has to pull Chestnut over... LQ makes a comment, "I'll give you food, don't move" 🤔🤔🤔🤔

* Suddenly the game shows up in his mail? from Unknown Address... on... isn't it the same day? so that makes no logical sense. (intentional subtext or just cdrama time lol? ) and then for a moment it melds into the game world when he's walking outside... this is all supporting my theories!

* k it's BOYFRIEND TIME. Let's find yo man.

* He either now logs onto the official game (or THINKS that he is logging onto the official version for the 1st time, but he's been inside this whole episode)

* He walks through the door, thinks there's a glitch, and now he believes he's logged off. This time he definitely didn't. DEFINITELY.

* This door looks fantastic.

* He's hit by a car while marveling at the door. Except I don't think so, either time A or B he never logged off. Bro is SEEING FANTASTICAL DOORS IN THE STREET. That's not occurring in our reality.

* I'm really appreciating how disorientating the first episode is, by the way. When does reality end? There are like 7 options to start from.

* FINALLY BOYFRIEND \o/

* "I'm saving you and you still scold me." We may have lost Ruan Baijie 😭😭😭 but this is a nice meet-cute.

* The explanation from Mysterious Future Boyfriend: To put it simply, you're in the game. Here, if you don't finish the game, you can't leave. If you end the game here, you leave... then it really is the end." [universal sliced neck gesture]

(and ok, still banging on that drum, but this vibes with my pet theory - that he never left in the first place...)

* LQ crossed into the game -- and what that means is said to be complicated.

When LQ says as a programmer he can follow an explanation, Ruan Nanzhu just mocks that he hears but doesn't understand.

* Already we are getting a certain vibe, with LQ being backed up into a tree by looming hot stranger. Bro visibly looks down twice (at hottie's lips? at how close their bodies are becoming? the looming increases intensity)

Very strong 20 minute opener imo.

((Post-script: if we want to consider an alternative to the alternate theory of WTF is Reality in this Drama? What if is there a normal game he test plays in the first 12 minutes & separately also The Doors actually exist the same as they do in novel, and he enters on the verge of death and the drama is never actually about a game at all, & he never leaves the 12th door. He just never escapes, baby. 💥😵💥))

(that one is pretty out there tbh. just added for spice. and that very pretty door looking out of place & wholly different than the game decor.)

Next Episode

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary14

9/18-19/2023

so sleepyyyyy.

i've done 3 more songs, not the 5 i would have preferred but i did figure out a way to make everything easier on myself, and i got a few new "guitar" sounds out of today too. so it's been a long day, like yesterday, since about noon i've been at it, i took a longer break today but i didn't cook or eat, i just spent time with my gf, we're always around eachother, or i guess not so much since she's started work/school (same thing for her cuz grad student) but i digress.

so i'm up to 8, but, really, the 5 yesterday will need to be worked on more too. but i think i'm deciding that what i'm going to do is a single pass, and then come back and listen, and figure everything out like that, less obsessive, hopefully by nailing out the process more i'll get stuff that's overall fine, with few shocking or strange bits, and more just issues of levels. getting the drums standardized again is going to go a long way in that i think. when i say again, it's because they already were, but they were sort of sloppy, same sounds, some minor eqing, i handled the drums by letting them clip and eat whatever they needed to eat up to sound right. they were always super fucking loud. now they are less so. so i got compression and eqing on the kick and snare.

and it sounds good. the song i just did with this has a kick that's a bit too loud, there's an extra snare that's sort of not there that i need to bring out, and yeah, it's all coming up a lot better this way. there's a lot of surgical stuff i get stuck on but if i just go about mixing like this maybe that won't have to happen. very exciting stuff.

i know this is taking its toll on me, i'm sad that i'm basically not writing or even listening to music right now, i have now thrown 4 days into what feels like a minor tragedy, but i will at least get some songs that sound nicer i think.

the nicer sound is kind of really gonna go a long way in helping get things feeling right too, i think the kind of associations i'm going for might become more obvious. super-rainbow-puke freakouts, dandyist hardcore, you know, that kind of thing, it is a thing, i think.

right now though i've been so without like, relaxing, i'm listening to a record i haven't listened to in a while, oval - wohnton. people don't talk about this one as often as they should, there's a song here that the alien9 ost stole too, basically, no one talks about that either. the song woisdiestadt? is sampled and looped for a song. i thought for the longest time the person who made the ost was just a genius, but it was actually oval. they're a genius for knowing to steal that though.

i'd listen to this record all the time in my early semesters at college, this and tujiko noriko's make me hard. make me hard has been with me since highschool, it's a really incredible record, it's fucked up how that, orchid, have a nice life, and salem, sort of propelled me into wanting to make music. there's a ton of other stuff too. there really was a lot of post-hardcore. i've been sat here figuring out how to make uncanny and strange synth guitar replicas of the things guitars do in certain kinds of post-hardcore. isn't that fucked up.

a funny thing about oval is he'd draw on cds with sharpie and stuff, get the fucked up glitchy rips and work with those as samples, among other kinds of fuckery/glitch stuff. i got a bunch of really awesome cds from a goodwill once, like real nice stuff to keep in your collection, cocteau twins holv and an aphex twin cd single for come to daddy, as well as the 2nd placebo album, and instead of keeping them i did that. i think at the time i thought about punk rock, and said, fuck it. i don't regret it. i still think punk rock, and say fuck it, at least about some things.

wednesday is errands day again, not looking forward to that + continuing to deal with this mess, but who knows, it could be one of the good ones. i know this is taking some kind of toll cuz in the shower i just closed my eyes and started seeing things, and with my eyes open i saw distant and inexplicable phantoms of silver/blue light, a streetlight gone wrong maybe, hovering. it wasn't a hallucination i think it's just something that happens after looking at eq curves all day and quibbling over .5 db differences in some places.

i did barely eat today, and my stomach kinda hurts. i drank some tea with boba in it, that my gf brought home, it was hers but i steal, because i am cool. actually she let me so didn't steal i'm a good person.

i did try to practice vocals today too, just lightly i guess, because i should stay in practice daily w/ this stuff.

i am terrified, right now, and every day i guess now, that i'm going to hear these new versions, and hate them. but i don't think i will. and if i do, i can fix them again, and it's not so bad. but god the thought scares me so bad. it's so early in a new process, how do i know i'm actually right about this. but you go asking for second opinions, a lot of people just want to say what you've done is good, because it probably is basically, but it maybe sounds wrong to me, i want it to be right. that's nebulous but i want it to be what i want, i think, earnestly, i'm getting there, and maybe at worst, this doubt is a passing anxiety that i'm going to fuck up 23 songs. but fuck it. i put my voice on them, that fucks them up enough.

i don't think they're getting any worse, checking on a couple. like i thought, tiny adjustments can be made, and i'll make them eventually, but it feels reassuring i guess to check, it also feels super obsessive and like i can't stop myself and i have to stop myself, if i want to not go crazy.

i don't wanna go crazy and gosh it's getting so hard to type and my eyes are heavy and stuff but there's more to say maybe.

i got some lyrics out. some short thing, new shouty sccreachy idea. it's funny to add more to my plate but it feels kinda good, i should figure out how to recognize sentences that are good for noisecore outburst things, and just do that. save them, maybe, too, for the future.

and soon i want to start on the album art, i want to get to a place where i feel okay with starting, and i want to get an actually okay picture of me to use on it, that's gonna be a thing where i need to find a place to pose and have a way to have the camera held up high, and good enough lighting conditions, oh my god everything is so difficult and i make everything so hard for myself for no reason but maybe when this is all over i will be so happy that this just adds to the payoff. i hope so.

the bright side is that all these songs that don't have vocals on them yet, this seems like it might make it easier to get all that placed, since i have some headroom and things are like, being mixed instead of left to battle in some hell of clipping and limiting.

say hello to the roses in this photo i took a year ago when i was living with my cousin and aunt in a strange neighborhood of houses that all looked the same and say goodbye to me. i'm gonna to try and relax some more i guess, before getting ready to sleep for another day of supermusichell.

[puppet-master-anti]

Incorrect ego quotes ( sanders sides meet septic sides part 2)

Virgil: *lights turn back on as he snaps and a knife appears he catches it and slits his own throat.* what? Gotta look the part HAHAHAHA!

Thomas: Jack, care to explain?

Jack: yeah, this is... This is Anti,but instead of possessing me he possessed one of your sides...why?

Logan: well, I'm assuming it's because Virgil is the most vulnerable out of all four of us. Recently coming out as a former dark side and questioning if he is still one deep down.

Anti-Virgil: ding ding ding! We have a winner! *glitches over to Logan and slits his neck*

Patton: you killed him!

JJ: *writes something and holds up a sign that says jeepers on it*

Logan: *pops back up* did he? * looks at Anti-virgil* you don't scare me. I can logic my way out of your manipulation. *fixes glasses*

Jack: what do you want, Anti?

Anti: what do I want? What do you think I want dipshit?

Jack: to cause me harm?

Anti: no. It might just be this body that's getting to me but, I want you to understand me. I want them to accept me! Sure, I glitch and attack you guys but you have to understand, I do that because he wants me too. He says he has an idea in his head and wants me in it, I oblige and entertain his audience. I don't want to be the bad guy. You guys just pass me off as a glitch and move on. You don't even stop to get to know me.

Patton: okay well, Anti, why don't you list off 5 things about yourself that jacks egos know nothing about.

Thomas: yes, good idea, Patton. anti, the floor is yours.

Anti: thanks... Well, I'm a tech wizard. I mean ya can't really put someone into a simulation for 6 months when you don't know coding. You can't really glitch if you don't know coding either.

Jack: *nods* true.

Anti: let's see I love the drums. I like to read scary stories, I am terrified of holes...

Jack: *chuckles*

Logan: actually the fear of holes are quite common in some people. It's called trypophobia. What Anti is saying here is that he is terrified of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes. It sadly, isn't recognized as a mental disorder, but it can still cause problems if the fear is excessive and distressing.

Jack: oh my god, the circles thing makes so much sense now.

Anti: oh and I have a pet named Robbie and no, he's not the zombie people keep wanting to be an ego. He's my pet spider. And the last thing... I love you guys. I may show it a bit differently then you guys but I do love you. *smiles*

Thomas: well, Jack, jacks egos, you learn anything?

Henrik: yes zat Anti is a lying piece of shite!

Thomas: okay, why do you think that, Henrik?

Henrik: because he put me in a simulation for 6 months!

Anti: you were sick! You didn't know it at the time, but the "patient" you worked on wasn't Jack. It was yourself. You were trying to diagnosis yourself, you were trying anything to get yourself better, you were suicidal, Henrik. I had to put you under and fix you. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't be alive.

Henrik: Zat doesn't explain Chase's kids.

Anti: Stacy took them, I got them back for Chase, I was going to take him to them, but Chase was just so drunk that he didn't see me as trying to help him. Marvin- I helped you with your magic, you'd still be on that magic kit if it wasn't for me.

Marvin: he has a point.

Anti: JJ, I helped you spice up your video because you wrote that you thought it would be boring. Jackieboy man- I helped you come to terms with who you are.

JJ: *pulls out a sign that says true, he did help me*

JBM: *breaths and nods*

Anti: and Jack, I help you the most. I help hype up your audience. Get them excited for the next big event you put on. I'm the bad guy because that's what you want me to be, Jack. I can be so much more then just a bad guy. If you just give me the chance to prove it to you.

Thomas: well, I think we learned a lot here today, don't you think, Jack? If you are being judged on what you look like, your reputation, your sexuality, just know that it doesn't matter what they think of you. It matters what you think about yourself. You know who you are, and no one can change that. Until next time take it easy guys, gals and non-binary pals, peace out! Now give Virgil his body back, anti, we have to do another video for jacks channel.

[justnoobartistrose]

One bar

After leaving the human alone, the glitch quickly forget about them, and went on his time without a care. He had a good time too, with a few AUs taken down and destroyed. He got back to the anti-void, with a bag of chocolate bars from an Underfell AU. Nothing can ruin this mood.

So he wasn't expecting to find the human on the ground, curl up, his strings scattered about...CUT, with a knife nearby.

Needless to say, his mood turned a little bit soured.

"WH-H-HAT?! Ho-o-ow!? D-D-DiD yoU eS-ca-ca-cape!?"

More strings wrapped around them again, and hoist them up even higher than before.

"THERE!! NOW Y-Y-YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!!"

The glitch is still mad...well...not as mad as he should be. Something is telling him to not kill this human. But this ticked him off (A/N: don't worry, he's not having a crush. I'm the one making him not kill the human ;b).

He left again, leaving the human alone.

.

..

...

He came back, but the same thing happened again.

And again

And...again...

Every time he leaves, the glitch would come back to find the human, sitting on the floor, with cut strings and a knife.

"TH-TH-THAT'S IT-IT!!"

You know, he wonders what exactly is stopping him from killing this human, at this point.

So with a scream, he summoned a Gaster Blaster and shot at the sitting form human. It sshould have destroyed their form, leaving a soul...

*But they refused*

The human was still sitting there. And while the ground around them was charred, they were fine.

"W....w-w-whAT?! HOW?! TH-THE F-F-F-F#CK?! AUGSJDKFFNDNEJDNXJ!!!!"

His screams rang through the entire anti-void. Multiple human SOULs in his possession were shattered, due to the tightening of the strings. Gaster blasters fired at everything (or lack thereof), and just generally turning into a tiny ball of destruction.

And finally, after what sounds like hours, he slammed (face first) onto the ground, groaning and shaking in frustration.

"UUUUGGGggghhhhh...."

All of the sudden, he heard footsteps, and like a kick to the pelvis, he shot up, strings pouring like a fountain of tears, eyes even more red.

And stared right into the human's eyes, who was kneealing down in front of him.

"W...w-w-welp...this is cer-Cer-cEr-tainlY...awkward..."

He has seen those eyes before, it was always the kind of eyes Sans Abominations have. The eyes that had experienced hardship, and if you don't notice it, you'll miss it.

They were stuck like that, staring at one another.

The silence was starting to be a bit grating.

"W-w-WhAt'S thE matt-Er-er? C-cat got y-your tong-g-gue?"

The human did not look amuse, in the slightlest.

Must be a mute like most Frisks.

"W...well!! What d-d-do you wAnt, Hum-a-aN?!"

He shouted, still frustrated from before. The human only tilted their head, and put something in front of him.

It was a chocolate bar, wrapper still intact.

"F...for me?"

The human nodded slowly.

The glitch hesitantly reached a hand out to grab it.

The human seem to have removed her gaze from him and onto the ground, by their side.

The glitch swallowed the bar whole, wrapper and everything.

The human either didn't noticed, or didn't care.

When it was done, he sat up and sit down properly. The human shifted to do the same, legs crossed and hands on their lap.

"He-HE-HE-he...this is quite the con-n-un-DrUm I got mys-s-self into."

The human nodded.

Another moment of slience stretch onwards...

In that time, he thought about this human.

They are not like any humans he encountered. They are not like Frisk, or Chara. And sure, he had seen different humans, none of them just seem so...ambiguous...as this one. The human reminded him more of "Core!Frisk" than anything (just with color) But if that were true, then they would have known who he was, and had a MUCH different reaction to him. Plus, the human seem clueless, but cautious.

There is also the matter of their soul...

When he saw them, he did tried to tangled their soul, only to be met with another weird site. The SOUL wasn't heart-shaped. Well, it was, but it was like a malformed version of a human SOUL,with cracks and what looked like patched scar wounds. It looked more organic than magical. There was also a split in colors: green and orange, down the middle. Both colors seem grayscaled, just a little bit.

Maybe that's why they weren't affected by his blasters.

Ugh, how he loathed those types of abominations.

He was so deep into his thoughts, that he didn't noticed the glare the human was giving him.

He coughed.

"S...S-S-So..."

"Y-YOU Kno-kno-know...wh-where y-y-you arE?"

The human tilted their head.

Welp, if you're stuck with someone, might as well get to know them.

Even if it was challenging, with the other person being mute.

((Error belonged to @loverofpiggies