#ats commercial projects

[dronebiscuitbat]

Oil is Thicker Then Blood (Part 84)

N was on patrol around the perimeter of the workshop, flying low and flitting through buildings as he surveyed the streets both hands now claws as he gripped onto ancient concrete and tail whipping behind him.

It reminded him a lot of hunting, only it wasn't for food, he wouldn't dare touch the oil that came out of the infected, or give it to any one of his family, who knows what it might do to them.

“Update.” A gruff, southern accented voice reverberated through his software, a radio attached to his audio receptors that was far more long-range then anything inbuilt, though now he had to answer to Dale… who… did not particularly like him.

“Clear.” He parroted into the radio, wincing as feedback crackled into his systems, he swore he was doing it on purpose, every time he signed off it would be a split second of screeching feedback… he was going to go deaf at this rate.

He wanted Hal back… But he was still in the bunker, keeping the peace in this time of unrest with his branch of the WDF.

Dale's team was the smallest, it was Dale himself and four or five other guys, the only drones in the whole bunker that had weapons at a higher caliber then 9mm. Using fully automatic rifles that ate through ammo like he did oil.

They didn't talk to him, they rarely even looked at him, unless it was to give him dirty looks as he walked past. Most workers had gotten used to his presence, were even friendly now (Uzi's pregnancy announcement may have helped a bit with that.) But the group he was now working with? Seemed to hate his guts.

It wasn't anything he wasn't used to. So he just bore with it, and did what he always did… not say anything.

Uzi would probably tell him to have a backbone and actually say something about it and stand up for himself, but wouldn't lashing out prove that their view of him was correct? That he was aggressive and dangerous and couldn't be trusted?

He sighed as he flew back towards the workshop, finding nothing out of place for the time being.

Uzi was finishing up a preliminary sketch of the shuttle, 600 charge pods cramed into 230 feet of real estate, the smallest she could possibly do with all they needed to make sure they could all survive a decent period in space.

Which…. was still utterly huge, about as large as the largest commercial aircraft ever made on Earth based from her research, and quite a bit larger then any of their early space shuttles.

But they weren't working from scratch at least, and the thrusters on the landing pods were overpowered as it was, so all they needed was more of them…

So the next course of action was getting the rest of the pods into the workshop, long trips into previously uncharted territory to retrieve them, risky, but risk didn't matter if without it, they'd be buried under flesh.

She sighed, running a hand along her destended stomach, at 4 months now, her core was a light, pastel pink and the inside was constantly shifting and moving. Trying to hide anything at this point was laughable, she had the body shape of a pear and it was only made worse by her already small size, a tired grumble escaped her. As her core gave a hearty kick.

“I hear you…” She mumbled, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes breifly. She'd begun to get weird looks, which made sense, drones normally didn't get any bigger during pregnancy, but no one said anything yet, either trying to be polite or just not caring enough she didn't know… nor care.

“Ya alright?” A gruff, friendly voice wafted into her ears, and she opened her eyes to come face to hair with a bushy brown beard.

“Hal? What are you doing out here?” She asked, turning so that she could look at him properly instead of upside down.

“Shift just got done inside, wanted to check up on you and N, is he here?” He placed a hand on her shoulder, cocking his head.

“I think he just finished his patrol, should be on his way back.”

“Great! Wanted to invite ya guys down to the house, my wife wanted to meet both of ya properly.” He clapped his hands together cheerfully before looking around a moment.

“Where’s the little one?” He asked, and Uzi gave him a small smile in return.

“V and Lizzy have her, she shouldn't be out here in the cold so much.” She explained, before a shiver went down her own spine.

“Neither should you, can't be healthy for the baby.” She blushed, she forgot sometimes that literally everyone knew now.

“I'm fine. Seriously, N worries enough… and everyone else now, ugh.” She reminisced, on a day that N and V were both busy, Thad and Lizzy escorted her from the nest to the workshop, Thad's coat wrapped around her despite her insisting she was fine.

“Sounds like ya have good freinds.” Hal replied, smirking.

“We do.” Came a third voice from the doorway, N leaning into the curtain with a smile, Tera in his arm, giggling as she gripped her little bat plush.

“Mama!” She squealed, and Uzi chuckled as she squirmed in N's arms, trying to get to her.

“N! There you are.” Hal slapped him on the back, a beaming smile on his face, Tera immediately leaned forward to grab his beard. “I was just telling Uzi that I wanted ya guys over! My wife's been asking about ya!”

“Oh! Yeah! That would be awesome!” N beamed back, before glancing at Uzi and backpedaling slightly.

“I-If Zi feels well enough, so that's up to her.”

“Mmm, smart boy, happy wife, happy life.” Hal commented, N blushed slightly, smiling to himself.

“I'm good N, yeah, we can stop by.” Uzi Confirmed, rising up out of her seat and stretching “not much more I can do tonight anyway.”

“Yay!” Came childishly from N, and Uzi rolled her eyes fondly.

Next ->

[cbedfordart]

First of all!! Holy guacamole the music for SWC is phenomenal!!! I have some of the songs on my gym playlist they’re perfect for when I workout!!

Secondiy, how long did it take you to make SWC? After playing it I started thinking about making my own game but was curious how the process went for a two person team like yours

Gosh I miss going to the gym ;;! But thank you! In terms of time, we start the project at the end of 2020, but most of the development was between 2022 and the 2024 release. We had full time work still while tinkering away in 2020 - but when we signed with the publisher which allowed us to work on it full time, we were able to expand what the game could be and really focus on it - it would have been a completely different experience had we stayed working with other jobs, that much I'm certain. The process was difficult, and I think especially trying to make something this size our first time around for a commercial project. We did do some game jams in 2021, but that's a different thing all together. They are fun and absolutely worth while to experience a bitesize version of how it feels to finish something, and it may also be a good indicator to see where you might struggle if things become stressful during production (do you try to work till 4 am? Do you avoid the project all together and abandon it? how would you handle people who suddenly can't commit to the project anymore? etc) It's hard work, like, this is the hardest I ever worked on anything in my life - and that's because I really cared about it! But there's so many interconnecting parts, there's so many opportunity for things to break, and when it's all said and done, you have to go through the meat grinder of seeing people struggle with what you've made, dislike parts of it, even if they love it overall that's still hard to see. When your game goes out there, people don't see the developer who's worked 60 work weeks and ate one meal a day in the last three weeks because they didn't have time to eat just to get it done. We are very grateful that people enjoy the game, and I really worry what my mental state would be if the game wasn't received how it has been. Make your own game, but do not make something the size of SWC lol. Not for your first time. And be very realistic about how long it will take, and be extremely realistic about how much work needs to be done. I could write an entire dissertation about what I've learned, what I'd do differently and the whole experience itself - but I can't do that here lol. There are more tools and resources to be able to just get up and make a game - I want you to read this and feel encouraged and feel a fire in your heart burn to make the thing you want to make, but I want you to know it is easy to burn yourself and you must take care of yourself, and you must look out for your health. After the release I was very much thinking "Could I do this again? I don't think I could ever do this again" But there's the drive to want to create and it is hard to extinguish. I hear a few seconds of the Space Channel 5 soundtrack and I'm ready to throw myself to the wolves of gamedev all over again. There are too many worlds in the mind that I must create so that others can occupy them! I must share these worlds, it would be selfish of me not to! So we must be sure to take care of ourselves. If you ever make that game, I wanna see it!!!!

[sillybayo]

A Winter With You

(Originally posted on fanfiction.net......yesterday!)

A krusie fic with fluff and only a small amount of discomfort. Trigger warning for small mentions of global warming, poisoning, and then a slightly more in depth discussion about sex and child sexualization. NO smut is in here, they're teens.

Kris asks Susie what she likes more; winter or summer. This question leads to something neither of them could predict.

~~~

Susie was invited over to the Dreemurrs house again for dinner and pie. Kris and her decided to not go to Castle Town today, after they convinced her that they really needed to go ahead and work on their group project…though, they seemed just as reluctant as she did. So after they finished planning out and getting a good start on their work, they ate Toriel's steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans, and then a warm apple pie to top it all off, to reward them for their hard work. Well, it wasn't that hard once they understood the assignment better, actually sat down, and plotted out what they wanted to do exactly. But Susie thought of the meal as a bonus nonetheless.

Now, they sat on the floor in Kris' room, leaning against the side of their bed. The sun was setting, and the light coming from the window became dimmer as the clock ticked. Susie just said she'll sleep in the guest room tonight, since she didn't feel like going home again. But in the meantime, the two chatted all evening about various things: school food, virtual idols, whether they would eat dirt if there's no other options or not, all the good stuff. Then, Kris came up with another;

"Which is better, summer or winter?"

"Summer, obviously! There's no school and you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and nobodies bossing you around like a smartass!" Susie beamed as she went on, "And there's ice cream, burying nerds in the sand, stepping on the hand-ass shells when you get deeper into the ocean, the heat from global warming—summers literally the best!"

They snickered. "You make it sound sarcastic."

"Well what do you like best, nerd?"

"I always liked the wintertime…"

"But it's cold as hell! And you're forced to go to school! The pain isn't even enjoyable or anything!"

"Yeah, but don't you like the little jingles? The commercials? All the lights around town? And counting down the days until you rip open your presents?"

They seemed to drift further into a daydream when listing some of the things they liked. Now that Susie thought about it…while they definitely are mischievous, they do like things with a certain elegance and sentimentality to it, huh? She always found that interesting about them, one moment they could tie a rubber band around the sinks sprayer, and the other, they'd be playing a melancholic tune on the piano.

"Well, yeah, I guess that's nice or whatever. Oh, but what about snowboarding?! Or sledding? Skiing?"

"I was always scared of it." they giggled to themselves, "One time, my dad brought me and Asriel to this snowy hill, right? He went down first with his little baby sled. But when he picked up speed, he flipped over face first. I clinged onto my dad and begged him to not make me go down…" they continued to smile and laugh recalling the memory.

"Ok, but without any of that, winter is just plain boring. Sure, you have the vibes, but so what?! Where's the fun in that?"

"Where's the fun in sweating your ass off?"

"Sweat is a sign of endurance!" Susie shoved them a little, making them lose balance and having to prop themselves upwards with their elbows to stop them from falling all the way down. But they laughed anyway. She found herself getting lost in the sound a little, but went right back to the argument.

"Ok, but with summer, you have swimming pools. There's nothing risky about that unless you're dying from the baby waves at Great Wolf Lodge."

They stifled their last few laughs while sitting back up. "I never learned how to swim."

"How?! Swimming is literally the best!"

"My parents never knew how themselves. I guess it's because their fur is too heavy. So I never got the chance."

"Dude." she placed her hands on their shoulders. "I need to teach you how. As soon as possible."

"You don't have to…"

"Of course I do! How else will I convince you that summer is better than winter?!"

"There's no way to convince me, my mind is set."

They sounded so matter-of-factly that she felt like she had to humor them, at least a little. "Ok then, then enlighten me without the cheesy Hallmark stuff."

"There's baking cookies…"

Well, cookies are nice. Chewy ones with melty chocolate chips are her favorite. And letting them soak up milk to get extra soft to the point it's crumbling? Absolutely perfect. It's just that whenever she tries to bake some, it never turns out right! She'll follow the measurements and follow the steps the best she can, but they always come out too thick and not as sweet as she wants them to be.

"Nah. I'm more of a taste tester myself."

"Why? Because you're a bad bakerrr, hmmm?"

Damn it! "I-I'm not bad. It's just too complicated for me."

"Cookies are too complicated? I can always teach you, silly. The trick is combining the ingredients in a specific way and order. Unless that's truly too hard for you…"

"It won't be! I just didn't know the steps were like that, I just gather the ingredients and pour them all into the bowl!" though, the idea of Kris teaching her does sound pleasant. They can watch cool movies while relaxing on the couch when they're done cleaning up the kitchen, covered with warm and heavy blankets, waiting for the oven to go off. Then they can eat them together, laughing their worries away until they fall asleep…however, she'd gladly do the same with Ralsei, or Lancer, or Noelle, or Berdly. She's sure of that. Because that's what friends do! And Kris is her best friend, and that's why she always thinks about them. But…there was a feeling alongside that platonic joy. Eh, it's probably nothing though.

"...Ok, you can teach me, if you want to that badly. But just know I'm only in it to eat the raw batter." she flicked their forehead.

"Sure sure…" they pondered for a moment, then returned to the original topic. "I also like snowball fights. Those aren't too bad, and it seems like your constantly-searching-for-action-and-pain-ass would like it."

"Hey!"

"Where did I lie?"

"Just for that, I WILL steal every last cookie that you plan to eat for the rest of your days!"

"Careful, I might put nastyyyy things in there…like weed…laxatives…poison…" their expression turned more and more sinister—grin getting wider and wider, and the eye that peeked through their dark brown coils gave off a negative aura. But it was playfully so.

"Oh please, as if a wimp like you would do that just to trick me!"

"Oh really?"

Ok maybe she was wrong. "Then I'll poison you back! As revenge!"

"Alright, if you say so, Susie-Wusie." they poked her twice in tune with her new nickname, and she responded by taking their wrists and making them hit themselves. Kris attempted to break free and poke Susie more, but her fists were too strong, and both of their play fighting and struggling led to them laying on the floor and laughing so hard that Susie's chest ached and she found it hard to breathe. But she didn't care at all. God, she loved every moment of this. When the laughing died to giggles to silence, she could see Kris laying sideways and smiling sweetly at her in the corner of her eye.

"...A snowball fight with you wouldn't be so bad." she finally responded, facing them. "I…like them too."

"So you admit winter is better than summer?" they said in a tone that was in a complete contrast to their earlier expression.

"When the hell did I say that?! Summer still rules, no matter how fuzzy you make me feel!"

"Fuzzy?"

"Well, yeah? Isn't that how best friends feel about each other? With your stomach trying to kill itself and your blood pumping to your face and shit?"

Kris' eyebrows shot up. They just looked at her for a moment before saying "I-I guess. To some extent…"

"What are you acting so weird for?" Susie squinted. "Shouldn't you be flattered that I think of you so highly?"

"I-I am! I am. It's just…c-could you tell me more about these 'fuzzies'?"

"Well," she looked up and thought about all of the things she felt recently. She couldn't help smiling a little. "I like the thought of sitting or lying comfortably with you. Probably in warm covers and blankets or something." she also recalled the moment a few seconds ago. "I also like hearing your dorky ass laugh, and playing around with you. Why are you so curious about it?"

"It's nothing." they said as they flipped onto their back. Distant as ever, she thought. For someone who's flattered, they sure as hell aren't showing it. Maybe they don't get compliments often? Well, it makes sense. They're the weird kid who's quiet half the time and who's the only human in the entire town. People probably think they're ugly or something like that, but Susie never thought that. Not even when she bullied them. The way their coily brown hair reached their shoulders, the way their wide nose scrunched when they smiled, the way their brown skin complimented it all…

Susie couldn't help but to admire them. That's just a normal best friend feeling, right? Why is Kris being so damn doubtful and quiet about it?

"You give me the fuzzies too." they admitted softly out of nowhere. "A lot of fuzzies…it means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"No problem, dude. But uh…what do the fuzzies mean to you? You've been acting all weird."

They stayed quiet. Again. Of course they did. Kris does keep secrets often, like how they feel about being a human, and what was up with them after they fought that puppet guy, and what happened in the bunker. But this was a secret relating to her. And she didn't like it. Seriously, what could the fuzzies mean? All she said is that she liked being around them to the point it feels weird yet pleasant at the same time.

…

…

…

Hold on.

"YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON ME?!" she sat up and looked right at them. That only made them flip their laying position so Susie couldn't see them. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"You're the one with the crush on me…" they said, still refusing to look at her.

"Well how was I supposed to know!?"

They groaned and laid on their back again, facing her with an unreadable expression. They seemed a bit frustrated, but she knew they wouldn't be mad at her over something like this. Maybe she saw a bit of a darker brown flushing their cheeks, but it was hard to tell.

"You said," in their best Susie impression, "'I like the thought of sitting or lying comfortably with you. I also like hearing your dorky ass laugh, and playing around with you.'"

"I don't sound like that!"

"Ohhh, but you dooo~" they laughed to themselves for a second. "But you're right. I…like you a lot, Susie. I just never thought this would be happening so soon, or even at all. You said it so bluntly."

"W-well you can just forget about it if you want to. Uhm, I don't really know how to do relationship stuff that much. I'm not sure if any of it would even fit me…"

They rolled over and over so they'd be touching the side of her leg. "We don't have to date if you don't want to. But if you do, we don't have to do any of the typical stuff either. We've always kind of did our own thing together anyways."

Hearing that brought relief to Susie. But she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to cuddle with Kris. And play with their hair…if they'd let her. "Susie, if anyone tries to touch my hair, bite them for me please." they said to her once.

But she already cemented herself as someone tough, cool, and violent. There's no way someone like her would hold someone's hand…

But Kris was kind to her. Undeservedly so. They treated her like the greatest friend they could ever have. They knew how gentle Susie could be. The idea of having them so close to her heart made every inch of her sing. So maybe…maybe…

"I-I uhm. I wouldn't mind hugging you right now, if you want. Move over and let me lay down."

"On the cold hard floor?"

"Kris!"

"Sorry, sorry, just trying to ease your nerves. Here," they sat up, leaning against the side of the bed. Whilst intertwining their fingers into her claws, they laid their head on her shoulder.

Their hand was much smaller than hers…and soft and warmer, too. "Ha! Look at your little baby hands!" is what she thought about saying. But it felt as though her and their soul were merging, and that she was starting to melt away. Warmth was rising to her cheeks, God, they smelled so much like apples. Maybe a bit of cinnamon too. She has never felt so speechless before, and they weren't even doing much.

She felt so sleepy…she wasn't even that tired before. She wanted to yap all night, and sneak into the living room so they could watch movies until it's time to go to school. But the weight and comfort of Kris felt so nice. She felt so safe. Though, it's a little scary imagining how things are going to be from this night forward, all of this is going to take some getting used to.

How would everyone react to the mean and brutal Susie being extra soft to Kris of all people? Maybe Ralsei wouldn't mind, he probably saw it coming more so out of everyone. Lancer wouldn't care either, he would probably call Kris his sibling in law or something funny like that. Noelle would DEFINITELYYY be happy for her. Yup. Without a doubt. Berdly too.

But the rest of Hometown? She's not so sure…it's probably best to keep it all a secret. She never really liked how people talked about relationships anyways. No one can spend alone time together without "Ooooooo…"'s and shit. It made her want to vomit. Hopefully no one said anything when her and Kris disappeared into the closet and went out to the Card Kingdom. She liked them, sure, but never that way. Even if she did, it would still feel uncomfortable as hell. So yeah, she's definitely making sure the romance between her and Kris remains private for the most part.

Susie let out a loud and long yawn. God, what time is it? It feels like they've been sitting here forever.

"I should really go ahead and put my bonnet on…" Kris murmured as they got up, waking her up a little. She suddenly felt cold and light again, and the floor felt a lot harder. She watched as Kris' dark silhouette placed their tight curls inside of the green silk cap. No wonder why their hair is always so pretty…they definitely do some touch ups in the morning—it is a bunch of hair, after all. But to look so flawless with only half a bit of effort…

"I can feel you staring at me." their accusation startled her. "It's fine though. In fact, do you want to lay in bed instead? I don't want to sit on the floor all night."

"B-bed? With you?"

"Just to cuddle. You know I'm not like that, Susie-Wusie. You can sleep in Asriel's bed instead though, it might be more comfor—"

"No no no! I…I'd like that. But I snore. Really loud. I kind of stink too. And I hog too much space."

"It's cool. That's what I like about you." they walked over and sat on the bed, making a soft creak. Hesitating a little at first, Susie followed and made the bed complain louder due to the weight of two people on the surface. Their covers felt homemade with love, she wouldn't be surprised if Toriel sewed it herself. Maybe she should pick up some lessons…ripping up her clothes feels cool until they're ruined and basically unwearable.

Midthought, Kris took her waist like a teddy bear and looked up at her, as if searching for any signs of discomfort. It caught her off guard for a second, but Susie relaxed. They guided her down onto the cold pillows and hugged her closer, becoming as small as possible. Yeah, this is definitely new. 100% not a part of her nightly routine. But she supposed she could subject herself to it while she's…drifting off…to sl—

"Winter is still better by the way."

"Oh, FUCK you."

[ravenkinnie]

so uhhhh watched act iii yet. what do you think.

I was keeping track of which leaks turned out to be true because I saw people say these CANNOT be real because it's so ass and well i think that person was for the people like they are a whistle-blower. this was a warning

*there's something hysterical in the thesis that if hextech wasn't invented eventually we would all be rich. there's something so liberal about it idk. like a statement on assimilation or whatever

*heimerdinger saying he waited for ekko all that fuck ass time and then sacrificjgg himself for him...... I'm sorry who the fuck said christian linke projects on ekko and ships himself with heimer

*not vi being dead in the good reality. she was born to suffer ig

*not jinx living in some fuckass dwelling even in her good reality, she's just meant to live in someone's basement

*first of all the way when jayce had hextech he invented capitalism and when ekko and jinx had it they went back in time???? that's a statement somehow

*jinx has such ariana grande proportions like she needs a volume of hair to cover the fact that her head is so huge and she's so tiny

*the way time travel to these two is like an invention you show off at a party like they invented facebook. this world building is crazy

*I shockingly didn't even mind timebomb I can't lie, I'm not even mad. I'll find something to complain about later like idk the way they git torn apart by the invention of capitalism (by jayce) makes me giggle

*mel is like the most beautiful animated character ever I'm sorry and now she has magic??? this storyline kind of feels so detached at times but also it was so perfectly to my taste that I enjoyed it regardless. I'm fuckung OBSESSED with the dynamics between mel and her mother and I would watch this slowly unfold in a 20 episode season instead of being introduced through exposition

*viktor is so hot this season, they really ate that twink

*unfortunately the way jinxs storyline makes no sense bleeds into caitvi and caitlyns storyline so it's not really well done yk. but it feel like fanservice for a very specific type of a lesbian and I'm that lesbian. caitlyn is so beautiful and drama is so high like I kind of ate it up like I'm sorry I am watching with my pussy rn

*everyone was so hot acc. caitlyn had me mewling like cats in spring, jayce did get hot, jinx was so pretty this act

*the way jinx was like I didn't know your mom was there and that's it, okay bitch you still killed people. like the way she really perceives only emotional conflict and not moral or anything I fuck with that

*I have to just once again reiterate. caitlyns storyline and caitvi, and vis storyline too acc, were not well written and they need more seasons. however the bare bones were so hot

*this act made me realise that silco loves to say a bunch of nothing

*I mean this plot is just nonsensical the way we just held hands and sang kumbaya to solve poverty. everything solved by a speech cause we got limited as hell screen time. it's giving kendall pepsi commercial

*also they started a whole war in the time it took for vi to get out of that fucking cell

*caitvi sex scene was fucking fantastic. in a prison cell, I'm cackling. the world might be a cruel place but I just watched lesbian pussy eating in a league of legends show so sometimes good things do happen

*it really is like the best female characters come from the most misogynistic places. when ambessa slapped mel I screamedddd

*I mean they desperately needed more time and seasons there's no hiding this fact but I think ideologically this would always be like this

*like they couldn't make it good but they did make it wild instead so I appreciate this

*I am kind of sad about caitvi not getting more time because there's so much bullshit in how the character choices had to align to get them to necessary plot points and they had to speed through a lot of development but man. at least caitlyn got her pussy ate

*I acc don't hate jinxs hair. I do hate her storyline but burning down the last drop was beautifully dramatic I deserved a whole season like this

*caitlyns gotten the most pussy across this show I need everyone to remember this

*caitlyn assassinating ambessa and when that bitch went "bold little one" I'm sorry they should have been scissoring too, we didn't need maddie. it would be funnier when caitlyn has to tell vi she was with someone else too like no you do care acc!! tho caitlyn getting betrayed by a fling and almost executed is hot girl activities. like shes just my little female fantasy character

*jinx didn't get shit in writing but at least she got some cunt back. but oh my god the way her arc did nothing like both her and vi, for main characters esoecially, really adjust to the most nonsensical plot

*ambessa just got a mess of a season to be evil in like she couldn't live up to silco in s1 as a villain. I will be thinking about her and caitlyn touching each other tho. and then mel killing her??? incredible work ill cry over what could have been if it was good

*caitlyn losing an eye and getting an eyepatch girl you know this one is made for me

*mels mage lil look being just quite literally just lingerie and like one of those cheap sets you get from sex shops that come in a bag, just to remind you what game this show was born of. not that I'll hold it against her as a kai'sa main

*hollered when jayce told viktor there's beauty in imperfection mf he was dying

*I bet jinxs death scene could eat 8

in a show that isn't this. but this was so ass like the whole storyline was just ass so this doesn't feel like silos death where it's like obviously you don't want a bitch to die but it makes absolute sense for the character. this is just dumb

*I KNOW I SAID IT BUT AGAIN this show will try to fix anything through a speech I swear to fucking god. arcane believes these two cities just needed to go to couples therapy

*caitlyns so sexy with an eyepatch. like she just is. this was the highlight of the season, that caitlyn needed this fuck ass arc to get super hot

[missywritesfor7]

❤️‍🩹Lifeline | MYG❤️‍🩹

Happy New Year everyone!! Enjoy this chapter and new chapters every Monday! 💜💜

Synopsis: It’s long been controversial for idols to date, but idols dating each other can be really beautiful or a complete nightmare. When Yoongi's relationship with another idol is discovered, he decides maybe it’s time to break the taboo and show people it’s ok for idols to date. Instead, they find themselves caught in the midst of one media frenzy after another and struggle to keep their relationship as strong as it had been the past 2 years. Yoongi finds a self destructive way to cope, and it causes even more problems than it solves. As they fight for their relationship and their careers, they discover that sometimes, the only way to truly be free is to let go.

Pairing: idol!Yoongi x idol!OC

Warnings: nsfw, alcoholism, cheating, depression, anxiety, Yoongi goes through a bisexy ho phase, Yoongi is also in his alcoholic phase, post-military BTS

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Ch. 2: Taboo

Yoongi wakes up the next morning to an empty bed once again. He woke up to see Hyeri off when she left for her early shoot. He made her a quick snack to take with her, then fell right back to sleep the moment she left. Now he’s up again just a mere 3 hours later with an hour to spare before he heads off to his own scheduled shoot.

He rolls out of bed and makes himself a breakfast smoothie. With their world tour coming up he’s been on his pre-comeback diet which he mostly follows except when he’s with Hyeri. The way things have been lately, any time with her is worth breaking his diet.

When the time comes, he gathers everything he’ll need for the day and heads out once a manager arrives to take him to his first stop. Today’s schedule starts with a commercial shoot followed by a short promo shoot for the upcoming New Years Con being streamed on Weverse. After that, it’s dance practice until they all master the choreo or start fighting with each other too much from exhaustion. Then he’ll be in his studio finalizing some songs, making new ones, and working on a few projects he took on when he couldn’t get himself to say no to anyone.

With this schedule he has very little time to look at his phone. It’s nothing new to him and Hyeri though. They’re used to being so busy that they don’t even have a second to send a text to each other, and that’s exactly how Yoongi’s day is going. He gets all the way to practice having only checked his phone once during lunch where he sent Hyeri a quick message telling her to have a good day and that he loves her.

At practice the guys are all still working on perfecting their set list for their tour. They work one song at a time with the choreographer to make sure they have the moves down and then evaluate whether the song order is doable. It’s physically and mentally testing, but again it’s nothing new for these 7 veterans of the business.

During a short break Yoongi takes a seat against the wall next to Jin who hands him a bottle of water. “How do they have so much energy?” Jin asks pointing to Taehyung and Jungkook who are playing around in the middle of the floor.

“Their generation is a different breed,” Yoongi laughs watching along as Jimin and Hoseok record the two youngest’s impromptu breakdance battle on their phones.

When Namjoon enters the room from the bathroom, everyone begins moving into position to get back to practice. However, Namjoon pulls Yoongi to the side first.

“Hey hyung,” Namjoon says in a hushed tone. “I just want to give you a heads up.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and shows Yoongi an article.

BTS SUGA HOLDING HANDS WITH IDOL ACTRESS RAINBOW

Right under the headline is a photo of Yoongi and Hyeri after they ate together the day before. Usually Yoongi, and the rest of the guys, would roll their eyes at such articles. It’s not the first time any of them have been photographed within 10 feet of someone else and had it turn into dating rumors. It’s easy to ignore because it’s typically not long before the chatter dies down and the public has moved on to something else. Usually. But the photo is too damning to be ignored.

For the very brief moment that Yoongi and Hyeri held each other’s hand outside of the restaurant yesterday, someone managed to take a picture of them. Now the image of them with their hands linked while they gaze into each other’s eyes is all over the internet.

Denying the rumors is what they normally would do. It’s easy. But not this time. Namjoon doesn’t have to say anything else to Yoongi because he already knows what this means. He’ll have to make a statement, and denying the relationship may not be so easy this time.

“Have you heard from Rainbow?” Namjoon asks.

“No,” Yoongi says. “I haven’t been on my phone all day.” He reaches for his pocket then realizes he left his phone in his bag in his studio upstairs. He looks at Namjoon wondering if it would upset the others if he ran upstairs for his phone.

“Come on, guys!” Hobi shouts getting in formation.

“You think she’s ok?” Namjoon asks.

“I don’t know,” Yoongi sighs. “Maybe she hasn’t seen anything yet, she’s supposed to be on set all day.”

“Then I’m sure she’s fine,” Namjoon resolves moving to join the rest of the group. “Let’s get this over with.”

The remainder of practice is hardly memorable to Yoongi. His body is there on autopilot, but his mind is far gone. He knew from the start that he and Hyeri’s relationship would be risky. An idol dating is always a hot topic, but two idols dating each other is a much larger issue. He hates the taboo, and while he’s certain there will be many people happy for them, he knows the nasty other side all too well. He can handle it, he has been since before their debut, but he worries about Hyeri.

When Hyeri debuted she was part of a four member girl group called Two Piece under Starlight Entertainment. Although they were under a much smaller company, they still managed to gain a decent following after their debut. Rainbow quickly became known as the adorably shy maknae with the voice to make anyone melt.

Behind the scenes, she found herself afraid to say much for fear that she would be kicked from the group. She got along well with her members, but management kept incredible amounts of pressure on them that had all four of them afraid to say or do anything. They thought the threats of being released would end once they debuted, but it didn’t. Not only that, but everything they did came with punishment. Even when they thought they did well, they were sent home to nothing more than a bowl of rice they had to share.

The company had no money and only one artist. Two Piece. The pressure was heavy because the company was so deep in debt, but no one realized just how much until an exposé was published revealing more than anyone knew was going on.

The CEO of Starlight was found to be in debt to a few powerful figures of the underworld. A gambling addiction, shady financial dealings, and a smuggling operation spanning three countries sent Starlight to its very quick and public demise. The company was shut down and police launched a lengthy investigation.

On top of everything else, Two Piece learned that the rights to all of their music and content was sold off by the CEO to cover some of his debt. It took a long time for authorities to track down who the CEO sold the rights to, but once they did there was nothing they could do. The person was unwilling to cooperate and refused to give ownership back to Two Piece without a large payment. Of course they never saw a dime from anything they had done so they were unable to offer anything.

The cruelty and unfairness of the business resulted in the end of Two Piece. They had hoped to sign elsewhere, but after losing hope in getting their songs back, and losing hope in music altogether, rapper and vocalist EJ quit music for good. She left Seoul and went to stay on her aunt and uncle’s farm in the countryside north of Busan. She comes around once or twice a year to reunite with the rest of the group to catch up a bit, but she maintains a very low key and internet free hermit lifestyle.

Not wanting to carry on as Two Piece without all four members, the remaining three decided to disband and go their separate ways. Leader and main dancer Haeun went on a few dance competition shows before earning recognition as one of the generations best dancers. She remains in Seoul as a dance mentor on idol survivor shows and occasionally hosts dance workshops. Minji, vocalist and second youngest, released two solo albums with a different label before leaving the entertainment business and teaching musical theater at a performing arts school near Seoul.

Lastly, the shy and soft spoken Hyeri aka Rainbow remained in the music business until she recently began her acting career. She’s received lots of positive feedback for her acting from both fans and peers. Colleagues and production staff on every set she’s worked on praise her for being one of the sweetest and easiest people to work with.

It’s been 5 years since the scandal that ended their group, and now Hyeri finds herself sitting at home staring at the photo of her and Yoongi that’s been spreading across the internet all day. She was sent home after finishing only half of her shoot for her “safety” and they promised to reschedule in a few days. She was unsure why until she went back to her dressing room to change and she saw the many messages on her phone.

Minji and Haeun were just checking in on her knowing how hard things can be for her whenever she’s the subject of rumors or anything deemed controversial. Her mom let her know that if she and Yoongi need to disappear for a bit they can always come stay with them in Gwangju. Her manager tells her to get some rest and they’ll talk in the morning. There are a few other messages but none from Yoongi aside from the one he sent her earlier in the day. She figures he must not know yet so instead of messaging him she decides to wait for him to find out on his own. The last thing she wants to do is cause a distraction if he just so happens to look at his phone during practice and sees the news from her.

What she doesn’t realize is Yoongi already knows and after another hour of practice, the guys show mercy and end it early. He’s now running to get his bag out of his studio and he sees it. Messages from everyone. His brother, his mom, some friends. Everyone except Hyeri.

He quickly heads out to his car and rushes home. If she hasn’t seen the news then he wants to be home for her when she does. Just like everyone else close to her, he knows she tends to have a hard time with tabloids. He’s surprised to see the lights on when he gets home and more surprised when he sees Hyeri sitting on the couch in a daze.

“What are you doing home so early?” He asks sitting next to her. “Are you ok?”

“I’m ok,” she says softly. “Why are you home so early?”

He looks her over noticing the redness of her eyes. He can definitely smell the red wine on her breath and see the wad of tissue on the table. She knows.

“I’m here for the same reason you are,” he responds. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

She nods. Sniffs. Her lips tremble. Then she shakes her head.

“Do you think they’ll replace me?” She worries. “What if the company drops me?”

“No,” he says pulling her into an embrace. “They’re not going to replace you or drop you from anything. This shit happens all the time.”

“I know, but what do we say when it’s true? That picture is hard to deny.”

“Well…” he thinks a moment. He had been thinking about this since the moment Namjoon showed him the article. He knows they have to say something, but with that photo he feels denying it would just make them seem like liars. He’d rather break the taboo than be a liar. “Maybe we just tell them the truth.”

“What?” She asks surprised that he would suggest such a thing.

“It’s true, so let’s just admit it. Why should we hide our love because of some stupid societal rule that idols can’t date? I don’t care what anyone has to say about it, I love you and that’s all that matters.”

“I love you too baby, I just,” she pauses and takes a breath. “I need to talk to my manager tomorrow first.”

“What?” He raises a brow.

“Earlier today I got the lead role in that big drama I auditioned for.”

“Really?” He perks up with excitement knowing just how bad she wanted that role and how hard she practiced for it. It’s not only a lead role, but her first lead role. The big opportunity she’d been dreaming about.

“Yeah,” she says shyly. “They offered the part to me this morning. Nothing has been announced yet though, so…I’m scared I may lose it before I even get started.” She sniffles trying to hide her worried tears.

“Babe,” he says squeezing her tighter. “First I’m so proud of you! And second, this isn’t a reason for you to lose your role.” He cups her cheeks in his hands and gives her a quick peck. “It’ll be ok. Talk to your manager in the morning, but you shouldn’t worry. If we go public then we won’t have to hide anymore. We won’t have to sneak around in the middle of the night anymore.”

He’s hopeful. More than hopeful. He’s never been one to shy away from opposing societal norms, this would be his chance to break down another wall. Not that he’s looking for that praise, he simply just wants to go out with his love without the world trying to make it seem like he’s a bad guy.

Hyeri loves Yoongi’s bold defiance. It’s part of the reason why she fell in love with him. She admires how easy it is for him to throw caution to the wind and do as he pleases regardless of what others think. She feels confident and secure with him, but she’s still scared. The thought of losing her lead role or being embroiled in anything controversial makes her heart race. She’s worked so hard, she can’t lose this now.

When Hyeri talks to her manager the next morning, she feels even more scared. Big Hit gave Yoongi the choice to put out whatever statement he wants either to confirm or deny the relationship. JJS told Hyeri that they would deny the rumors. Yoongi was ready to shout from the rooftops that he and Hyeri are together. Then she told him what her company told her.

She’s a fresh budding actress about to star in her first lead role. Dating rumors would not only cause a negative distraction to the show that’s meant to be highly anticipated, but also would look bad for her image. Aside from the fact that she’s an idol, she’s also a new actress and the best roles are given to those who are young and available. The pure and innocent. The perfect star for a drama that calls for a lovable but oblivious female lead. Being in a romantic relationship with a member of the biggest group on the planet would send her image in a direction that her company doesn’t want.

“Did you even try to stand up for yourself?!” Yoongi shouts jumping up from the couch after she tells him the result of the conversation with her manager.

“What was I supposed to say?” Hyeri shouts back not quite bold enough to stand along with him. He’s 3 inches taller than her so it wouldn’t do her any good. “I could lose everything!”

“But you don’t mind losing me?” He huffs.

“Yoongi, you know that’s not it! You know this is my dream! You know how scared I am of having it taken away from me! What could I do?!”

“Stand your ground, Na Hyeri!!” He understands that she’s not typically the one who’s able to speak up when it comes to defying anything a superior says, but he thought she at least loved him enough to try.

“I don’t have a ground to stand on!” She cries in frustration. “I’m not a member of the biggest fucking group in the world! I can’t just say something and have the world cater to my every need! I can’t rebel knowing I have millions of fans around the world to carry me no matter what!”

“The number of fans you have has nothing to do with you speaking up for yourself!”

“Says the one who doesn’t have to worry about that shit!” She finally stands looking up at him. She doesn’t care that he’s taller, she’s pissed and he needs to know it. “You’re so far up in your cloud that you forget how it is for those of us that can’t just walk into a building and have everyone obey our every command!”

“That’s not-“

“I can’t just go against the company!” She stomps her foot about to completely explode. “I worked too hard to lose this, Yoongi! I love you but I can’t sacrifice my dream just to be a rebel or some shit! I’m not you!”

“Hye-“

“No!” She interrupts. “No matter what you say it won’t change the fact that we’re on much different levels. No one gives a shit about me. There’s a line of people waiting to take my place and I haven’t even started. I have a ways to go to build even half the following and support you have. I can’t do anything outside of the company’s wishes. I just need you to understand that.”

“I do, Hyeri, but I need you to understand that you’re not going to instantly lose everything because we tell the world we’re dating. Even if you do I can take care of you and anything you need. I can put you in contact with anyone you want and you’ll be fine.”

“Yoongi,” she sighs stepping back. “They’re already getting ready to put the statement out. It’s out of my hands.”

She walks off and goes into the bedroom leaving Yoongi standing in the middle of the living room. He knows she has a hard time with these things and he knows it’s not entirely wrong of her to fear for her job because of it. But he also feels like she should trust him more.

Either way, he’s not happy right now. He packs his work bag and decides to leave for his studio. He’s got a small bit of time before he has to jump right into the day’s schedule, so he’ll take this time to work on the things he didn’t work on yesterday and simply cool off a bit. Because as if he wasn’t already upset, Hyeri giving him the silent treatment before he left didn’t make things any better.

The statement from JJS denying the dating rumors only said they’re just friends who went out for a meal. Nothing more to it. Yoongi decided he didn’t want Big Hit to put out a statement at all. If that’s the statement her company is going with then he’d rather just stay silent. Either way, it hurts him.

He never thought he’d hurt over something like this. Maybe he’s being too emotional and not very logical. Maybe he’s letting his heart get the best of him.

He works all day but he’s not mentally present. He knows everyone else saw the statement. He knows they’re trying hard to not mention it. They’re trying hard to make things seem normal, but it’s not working well.

Hobi’s face can never tell a lie, and the way his mouth twists into a concerned frown when he sees Yoongi miss a step in practice is all too noticeable. Instead of scolding Yoongi as he normally would, he stays silent when Yoongi forgets a move. Hobi lets it slide when he does it again. After the fourth time Yoongi knows it’s intentional. There’s never a practice where Hobi isn’t catching and calling out every dance mistake. Yoongi thought him letting it go the first time was generous, but now its too much. Yoongi can tell Hobi doesn’t want to say or do anything that may make him more upset in any way.

Yoongi hates it. He hates the big ass elephant in the room. He hates that something so trivial is effecting him this bad. He hates that by the time he’s done with practice and back in his studio he hasn’t heard a word from Hyeri. That hurts.

Hyeri had her shoot rescheduled for the following day which left her with the entire day to herself. She spent most of the time reading comments online after the dating rumors were denied. Lots of people don’t believe it, but others are taking the statement at face value and not questioning it any further. It’s a mixed bag which doesn’t make her feel much better about the decision, but she knows there’s nothing she could have done.

She hates fighting with Yoongi. She knew he’d be upset but she wishes he’d be more understanding of her side of things. To her, all she can do is ride on whatever the company says. She’s gone through the worst, but JJS managed to earn her trust. They never treated her badly and even apologized to her when she left her badge at home and had to go through management to get a temporary one so she could get in the building. This company treats her like a valued family member, not a bad dog, and she can’t possibly get herself to do anything against whatever they suggest to her.

She can’t lose this.

[antaxzantax]

Umbrella Pharmaceuticals - Chapter 41 (New chapter sorting)

Summary: William Birkin completes the Beta strain of the T-virus. Oswell E. Spencer and Alexander Ashford sign their first commercial contract for the sale of biological weapons. Albert Wesker gathers enough information on the two Umbrella presidents.

I

Convulsion.

The creature's hands moved. The legs trembled. The eyes opened. The torso jerked and the creature sat up straight. Mouth open, oozing saliva and bile; rotten teeth protruding like fangs.

The creature kept its balance. Then it walked. One step. Two steps. Staggering as if drunk, to nowhere. It hit the wall. It raised its arms. It clawed at the concrete. Fingernails came loose from both hands.

A gate slid behind it. A dog. A Doberman. The Doberman barked in fright. The creature turned around. The Doberman, barricaded between the closed gate and the creature, bared its teeth. The creature did not back down. The Doberman stepped forward: it bit the creature on the leg. But the creature felt no pain. With the impact, it pounced on its prey.

The creature bit off a chunk of its snout. The Doberman whimpered and rolled over, but the creature held it in its immovable arms. It went for a foreleg. Food. The doberman, limp, fell to the ground. The creature preyed on the torso, peeling away layers of dermis until it reached the intestines. It ate most of the intestines. Satisfied, it rose again. It wandered in circles around the tiny cell.

Convulsion.

The Doberman's legs twitched.

Beta strain completed. The first fully functional biological weapon; a scientific prodigy. However, there was a handicap. Ten percent of the population was immune. 0% immunity had been mandated, but, for the moment, Beta was enough. His greatest success; his first great achievement.

Dr William Birkin.

The nameplate made him smile slyly. The PhD had been a cakewalk compared to his real job. A couple of years invested, and he was done. Doctor. Now he really felt like the chief researcher at Umbrella's top clandestine lab, like their top researcher. He already had two major projects under his command: the T-virus Beta project and the Cerberus project. Spencer had called him to congratulate him. Everyone trusted him. He was the best. But he didn't waste any time either. Spencer demanded that he solve the 10% problem and he came up with a new idea. A crazy idea, but in line with the research he had done.

The Hunter project.

Spencer called him back. A risky and expensive idea. But they made a deal: if he got results within a year, Spencer would increase the lab's funding.

Birkin agreed.

He would meet his boss's fiscal demands at all costs. He couldn't afford a single mistake, a single failure. And so, his former life faded with every sunrise over Arklay. Two years shy of coming of age, he had surpassed the expectations of the company's top brass and the rest of the scientists on staff, who were much older than him. He was euphoric and couldn't stop working flat out. Whether he was paid or not didn't matter to him as long as he achieved his goal: to rise to the top of the company's hierarchy; to sit at the executive table, even if he had to sacrifice his youth to do so.

II

A white dome of smoke had formed over Oswell's head. At times, instead of smoking, he seemed to be chewing his cigar with relish as he reviewed the supplementary papers to the main contract he had received from an unnamed Department of Defense agent. For his part, Alexander was silently sipping his third glass of Scotch. Their first massive sale of biological weapons to the Western military-industrial complex.

Oswell read diagonally through the eternal clauses set out in the supplementary papers like a list of meaningless legal fanfares. What was important was on the last page of the main contract: how much, how much money, how much to spend. Alexander asked Anthony Campbell, his cousin, to advise them on how to read and sign the contract. Oswell didn't want any surprises or backstabbing later. Fortunately, Anthony verified the integrity of the agreement. Now it was up to the two presidents.

And they had a problem. The bioweapons production model remained as defined by Edward Ashford and Oswell E. Spencer a few days before founding Umbrella, with both presidents responsible for an independent line of research. Although Spencer was neither a virologist nor a passionate scientist, he knew how to manage a company and its employees, while Edward was a virologist and knew how to manage research teams. Ultimately, it was established that both presidents would lord it over a portion of the company to accelerate the development of new projects and that the two lines would not overlap or saturate each other.

At first, until Edward's death, the idea seemed good. Then, with Alexander, Oswell chided himself for his naivety. The initial plan was forged on the basis of Edward's assumed experience and Marcus's greater commitment. But with Edward out of the picture, what remained was an underachieving Ashford junior, an anti-social Marcus and a Spencer on the verge of an anxiety attack over the fateful prospect of economic growth. Thatcher's fiscal policy had helped them to clean up the books, but they were still in the same rut and Spencer wanted to end it as soon as possible by unifying all lines of enquiry into one. He would not go to his grave with an absurd bankruptcy.

The point is that the fine thread on which his success hung was in the hands of the individual sitting opposite him. Alexander would not budge an inch, even though his line of enquiry was going down. Spencer tried to convince him, appealing to his father's memory, if necessary, but nothing. He had clung to the possibility that his beloved daughter, Alexia, would take up Edward's unfinished work to revive a line of enquiry deader than the pharaohs of the Lower Nile. And that was as far as it went. Oswell cursed the memory of all his ancestors from the 20th century to the kingdom of Scotland.

However, he calmed down and, on second thoughts, soon changed his attitude.

He gave in to Alexander's demand on one condition: that all the necessary resources be allocated to the Arklay laboratory, at least to fulfil the most immediate contracts. Alexander reluctantly agreed. Spencer assured him that his two chief researchers, one Birkin and one Wesker, would be sufficient for the delivery of the first full B.O.Ws package in the form of a couple of samples of the Beta strain and a squadron of Cerberus.

“What kind of war are we getting into?” Oswell mumbled.

“Afghanistan, maybe.”

“Hum. Fuck the Commies. Anyway. Shall we sign?”

Alexander put the glass away and pulled a gold pen from inside his jacket.

“We sign.”

III

Albert stored everything he had collected on the presidents of Umbrella in a file overflowing with printed sheets.

Oswell Ernest Spencer was a sexagenarian from the south of England, specifically, the county of Essex, where his country house, The Spencer Estate, was located. Only son of Abraham Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer. Unmarried and childless. Known for his extravagant artistic sensibility and his love of hunting, which he practiced regularly on his Essex estate. Hereditary member of the House of Lords. Resident in the Principality of Luxembourg since the 1950s, where he built a replica of his ancestral home. Arklay's Spencer mansion was also inspired by his country house. In his youth he attended Eton College. Graduated from two university degrees in the United States. Affiliated with the Conservative Party. A staunch capitalist, as his very small public appearances made clear. Allegedly, Spencer was a member of the exclusive Harriett Club, made up of billionaires and other influential British personalities linked to politics, business, and the media. Outside of Umbrella and his other companies, knowledge of Spencer's private activities was negligible. He was generally regarded as a mysterious figure, unknown to the tabloids. Somewhat more information was available about his relatives, such as his cousin Beatrice Spencer, the current inhabitant of The Spencer Estate after her cousin's departure for Luxembourg.

Alexander Charles Johannes Arthur Duncan Ashford-Campbell-Douglas-Stuart was a Scots-Dutchman residing at Ashford Hall, Northumberland. He was the sixth Earl Ashford and the rightful heir to the late Stuart dynasty in the United Kingdom. Divorced with two children: Alfred, the heir, and Alexia, a child prodigy who started university at the age of seven. Known for his love of boxing and for participating in television talk shows. Affiliated with the Conservative Party and honorary fellow of the Royal Society[1]. Hereditary seat in the House of Lords. Most relevant: Grand Master or ‘head’ of Jacob's Circle, a little-known secret society which is attributed with a decisive occult power in British domestic and foreign policy.

Interesting, but insufficient. The data collection was not enough for him because his goal was not knowledge, but to infiltrate Umbrella's power networks. And to do that, he had to make contacts. Get to know other employees. He would not stay locked up in a lab for eternity. He had changed his mind about his destiny: he wanted to possess the Progenitor virus and make its limitless potential his own. He wanted to be more than just an employee, no matter how high his rank.

That was his desire.

[1] Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge.

[alex51324]

Chicken curry rice!

I completed my goal for the day of making Japanese-style curry rice from last month's Cook's Illustrated!

I ate one portion just now, and I have three left for during the week.

One of my projects for this year is to make at least one thing from each issue of Cook's Illustrated, and this is what I made from the November/December issue!

See below the cut for recipe & more rambling

Cook's Illustrated is a very good cooking magazine, and last year they sent me a free issue with an offer to subscribe for a year (6 issues), for $12, which I decided to do because that is a really good price. I've subscribed to it before, and stopped the subscription because I wasn't actually cooking much from it, so I set the goal of cooking something from each issue. Here's the Nov/Dec issue:

They usually cover a couple of fairly complicated recipes and several relatively simple ones, plus a full breakdown of a series of experiments in perfecting a classic dish, so I can adjust the degree of difficulty of the project as I go along. (I was thinking about doing the braised short ribs, which take two days, for New Year's, but that didn't happen, so now I'm getting caught up with one of the easier ones.) Here's the recipe:

I only did the main recipe, not the homemade curry-roux. The article began by explaining that Japanese cooks usually use these commercially-prepared blocks to make it:

Then I happened to see that exact box on one of my trips to Grocery Outlet, so I decided I would go ahead and make this dish the way that (they're telling me) Japanese cooks usually make it. The store had the bricks in three heat levels; I went with the mild, and it is very mild. I don't like a lot of heat to my food, and I could almost have done with a little more.

With the prepared spice block, this was a nice, easy recipe. I added a sweet potato, in addition to the carrots and regular potato, because I had one that needed using up.

[teddywesworl]

if you're still doing the wip thing... The last mile? your mass effect au makes me feral

I just tried to answer this and tumblr fucking ATE my response but yeah i'm working on it, it's set half at the beginning and half at the end of the Reaper War with the Hawkins assigned to Project Crucible (part 1) and the London assault (part 2). tonally it's very me3 so im gonna be kinda nervous about posting it, especially as it may require a MCD tag lmaoooooo (not them though. never them)

i have no idea when it's going to be completed, though, so here's a sizeable chunk of the opening, complete with epistolary-ish framing device to match DTA:

EDDIE 1

Fig. 1: Perspectives on Tayseri Ward, an award-winning photograph of the Citadel by acclaimed asari photographer Lidilya Ranis, ca. 2182. Note the near-atmospheric effect of the gas and dust of the Serpent Nebula creating depth of field between the camera’s lens and the Presidium Ring.

*

The Citadel is different than he remembers, but it’s also the same.

He and Steve see it differently. Steve thanks air traffic control in person on their way through security and comments on the Sur’Kesh native trees freshly planted in the commercial district. Eddie marks the C-Sec man tailing them while they eat tacos from a super gimmicky Thessia-Earth fusion restaurant and spots a pickpocket watching them from an alley. It’s a human girl, maybe thirteen. No visible tattoos or marks, but that doesn’t mean much when the kid is wearing a beanie and a scarf and a bulky jacket that’ll hide plenty of take. Eddie angles himself so the cop can’t see his face, makes eye contact with the girl, and shakes his head.

They’re in the Mid-Ward, a part of Zakera that Eddie should know intimately. It feels strange not to recognize the large majority of the storefronts, replaced as so many were in the aftermath of the geth attack in ‘83, but the longer he looks, the clearer it becomes that the bones are the same. Eddie rebuilds the map in his head from the position of keeper ports, maintenance panels, walkways—and vents.

He falls behind Steve just staring at a vent tucked between an Armax vendor and a pop-up shop selling the elcor equivalent of beer. Steve walks another dozen feet, maybe, before he notices Eddie’s not beside him and doubles back.

“You okay?” Steve says, fingertips brushing Eddie’s elbow.

Eddie shakes himself off and nods. “Yeah, sorry,” he says. “Um. I used to sleep in there, I think. I’m pretty sure that’s the one.”

Steve frowns, his eyes moving from storefront to storefront, gliding over the vent like it isn’t there until he remembers. “Oh,” he says. His hand slides down Eddie’s forearm, and he laces their fingers together.

Eddie feels oddly disconnected from his own body. He doesn’t think he would fit in that vent, now, but that’s sort of the point, isn’t it? That’s what a duct rat is. You stop being a duct rat when you can’t fit anymore. Or when the wrong fan powers up and chews you to pieces.

Eddie unfocuses his eyes and doesn’t quite look at the C-Sec man still pretending not to follow them. It’s a turian, hanging around some fifty paces behind them, and he’s obvious in a way that’s kind of aggravating, because turians make up something like half a percent of the Mid-Ward’s population, and the real residents don’t dress business casual. There’s a tension welling up, raw from the vents and the cops and the collision between memory and immediate reality. He bounces on the balls of his feet, indecisive. Then he squeezes Steve’s hand, locks eyes with the turian, and crooks his finger at the guy, beckoning.

There’s a strange hanging moment where the cop looks like he’s gonna try to disappear into the crowd, but then he accepts that he’s been made and approaches. Steve looks surprised to see him; his posture gets a little guarded, so Eddie squeezes his hand again.

“That’s close enough,” Eddie says at a distance of ten or so paces. He’s not in the mood for this, doesn’t feel like playing a game, so he just says: “Why?”

Steve stays quiet, apparently satisfied to let Eddie handle this.

The turian’s mandibles twitch. “I’m,” he says. “I don’t…”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Why’d they send you?” he says.

“They didn’t say,” says the cop. Eddie’s not sure he believes him, but at least he’s not playing completely dumb.

“Get out of here,” Eddie says. “Tell them you were made. Also tell them the Alliance doesn’t appreciate C-Sec harassing its N7s on shore leave.”

The mandibles twitch again. Turian hearts aren’t quite like human hearts, but the rhythm of this one changes enough to confirm Eddie’s suspicions that the guy at least didn’t know who Steve was. “Right,” he says. Leaving is an awkward thing, but he manages it, walking off in a straight line.

Eddie sighs when he’s gone.

“How long’s he been there?” Steve asks.

“Since security,” Eddie replies. “Fuckin’ amateur hour, sending a turian. Especially since there’s a ton of human cops now.”

Steve hums thoughtfully. “You ready?” he says.

“Yeah,” Eddie says, and it’s the truth. He wasn’t sure it would be, when Hop offered to call in a favor, when the message hit his inbox, or even when he stepped out of the Hawkins airlock and onto an Alliance dock this morning. He just kept saying yes and moving forward because he knew he’d regret it if he didn’t.

He keeps holding onto Steve’s hand as they move through and past the crowds toward Oji Way Warehouses, a row of storage units guarded by sectional doors and the occasional krogan hired gun. One such krogan, a scarred old brute with a cracked green frontal plate, approaches to grunt at them about what they’re doing down here, to move along if they don’t have business.

“We do,” says Steve. “We’re looking for somebody.”

“That so, soldier boy?” says the krogan. Eddie ducks his chin to hide a smile, because yeah, even in civvies, Steve sticks out like a sore thumb.

“Munson,” says Steve. “That’s the name.”

The krogan turns his head to get a better look at them out of a single eye. “What d’you want with Wayne?”

[unadulteratedkr]

hiiiiii 🫶 for the ask game: 11, 12, & 29?

11. bass or drums?

No shade on drums because good drummers are WIZARDS who manage to say "fuck you" to a crowd's desire to rush tempo, BUT I do come from a choral background, and before I fully landed on queer to describe my sexuality, I would always babble on about being sapphically inclined like... 99% of the time but hELLO?! WHEN MEN SING IN THE LOWER REGISTER?! WHAT, IS MY BODY NOT SUPPOSED TO VISCERALLY REACT IN A LEGS AKIMBO MANNER?! so yeah, bass even though my answer is more influenced by bass singers and not so much the instrument 😂

12. favorite tv commercial?

Is it too much of a cliché to say the folgers incest commercial because it very well might be the folgers incest commercial

29. the last thing you ate?

an apple and gouda chicken sausage, green beans sautéed with almonds, and a slice of sourdough toast with butter and everything bagel seasoning, IT WAS DELICIOUS

Also, since this was a break from cross-stitching, a photo of my current project! It's eventually going to be a GIANT beautiful honeybee 🥰 🐝 🍯

[indigobrushpen]

21. Have you ever gotten into trouble for burping in a place or situation where you shouldn’t have? (For Felicia)

"Well," Felicia says, bright red and fidgeting in place. "It's sort of funny, but- yeah, there have been- ahem. A few times. By accident, of course. Usually I was on a date or restaurant or something and belched by accident, but my partners were usually pretty understanding. But I think the worst time was when I was in college and agreed to model for a friend in a film course.

"It was- so, he basically had to film his own mini commercial for a product, and he'd made up a brand of mints- he even had his own branded package and everything, it was really thorough! And that was probably for the best, the whole project was worth about twenty percent of his grade. Anyway, uhm, he needed someone to model in his commercial- someone to eat the mints, basically, and, uhm. Well, I agreed. We poured regular name brand mints into the containers, just so it would look more natural. Those were his words, not mine. All I really had to do was stand in the homemade set in his garage, open the container, eat a mint, and then say the slogan. It was just me, him, and a few other friends who agreed to help.

"And so, when he started filming-" Felicia breaks off with an embarrassed giggle. "When he started filming, everything was going wrong. The camera ran out of battery, there was a dog barking in the background, the set fell over... the list goes on. But the worst part was, the only part that kept getting interrupted was the part when I ate the mint and then turned to say the slogan. Every other part of the thing was perfect- it was just that part that we had to keep retaking.

"I remember- he had a whole pack of, uhm, Pepsi cans for refreshments. And it was summer, and really hot outside, and I had to wear this really tight, almost regal dress for the ad- I don't remember why- but I was, and it made me really hot and tired and honestly squeezed my stomach a bit too much. And since I had to stay in the same spot for the whole ad, I was really in need of some refreshments. So after every cut, after I'd eaten a mint, I'd take a can of Pepsi and-"

Felicia cuts off to giggle harder. "Sorry. I- I'd basically just chug the Pepsi can, and I'd have to finish it right then, because if I set it down without finishing it someone else would probably mistake it for theirs- the whole floor of the garage was, like, covered with half-finished Pepsi cans. And because I kept finishing mine and then throwing them out, I think nobody actually knew I was drinking them.

"It did refresh me, was the thing- the Pepsi was really nice and cold. But after the, uhm, I don't remember exactly, but after the fifteenth take- and fifteen mints, and of course, about ten cans of Pepsi- my tummy started to hurt. I don't know if it was the mints or the Pepsi or both combined, but-" Felicia shuddered a little at the memory. "Ohhh. It was horrible. I wasn't sure what was wrong at the time, or how to fix it, but my tummy just felt so upset and my chest felt too tight and my dress was making everything worse by adding all that extra pressure. My roommate at the time said my tummy looked like an overinflated balloon!"

Subconsciously, Felicia places a hand on her stomach. "I felt really weird, but one of the camera guys had to leave and we could only do one more take that day. So I kind of just... sucked it up, put on a smile, and went back to my spot.

"And the whole time, my stomach is quietly gurgling and roiling but I sort of ignored it. Finally, they focused the camera on me, and I straightened. I opened the container, popped the mint in my mouth, and turned to look at the camera, ready to say my slogan, and-"

Felicia blushes, sheepish. "...And I burped really loudly."

She starts giggling, a strange blend of mortified and amused. "I- It was a complete accident, I didn't even see it coming! One moment I was just standing there, all prim and proper, and then my chest felt even tighter and I opened my mouth and-" she giggles harder.

"Gosh, I was so embarrassed. I still am, honestly- it was a huge belch, it actually kind of hurt to get out! I excused myself, and I was lucky because they all kind of laughed with me instead of being upset- one of them even patted my back after to make my stomach feel better. But the take was ruined, and my friend ended up having to splice together me saying the slogan from a different take. He wasn't mad, and he got a good grade on his project, but he did tease me every time he saw me drink something. So. That was that."

[Hope that was sufficient! Thank you so much, I had a lot of fun with this, please feel free to send more!]

[world-cinema-research]

Gladiator (2002)

Gunner Drake

April 14th, 2024

The film I chose this week for our assignments was Gladiator (2000). I remember the first time I watched Gladiator when I was young and after rewatching it again this week, it is just as good as the first time I saw it. The way the movie shows the main character Maximus fight through all of this adversary while still maintaining a strong, smart mind and being an all around good selfless person is close to perfect. This film also depicts the main antagonist extremely well and does a great job of getting you invested into their characters. 

While doing research on the film Gladiator I was surprised to find out that Gladiator made over 465.4 million dollars while only costing 103 million dollars to make, making this a huge commercial success. But it didn't stop there for Gladiator, The film was also a huge critical success being nominated for twelve academy awards or oscars and winning 5, being nominated for 5 golden globes and winning two of them and also winning the BAFTA award for best film. Reviews were a little bit of a different story. For the most part they were pretty mixed even though the general public ate it up. Here is one of many positive reviews from metacritic https://www.metacritic.com/movie/gladiator/ “Gladiator is one of the best films Ridley Scott ever made. Maybe is not historically accurate, but the story, the soundtrack, the fighting are perfect, and shows probably the most beautiful performance of Russell Crowe.” on the other hand this review by Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gladiator-2000) is extremely critical of the film calling it,"A foolish choice in art direction casts a pall over Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" that no swordplay can cut through" and also gave it 2 stars. So this movie wasn’t everyone's favorite thing ever but for the most part the public thought it was pretty good. Although if you look at the recent reviews they are a lot more positive than negative. Now the big question is what did the filmmakers do to make gladiator so attractive to such a big audience? They started with the setting in Rome, the filmmakers knew Rome would be a perfect setting for their narrative. They were able to take historically accurate figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Lucilla to give the movie a genuine roman feel and then they add the main character Maximus which is not a real person but give the filmmakers freedom to choose whatever they want for him. At the time in 2000 this gave the historical roman setting almost a new fresh look for the viewers and very much popularized it bigger than anything before. 

The gladiator had an extremely dramatic story and many action packed fight scenes which was a huge part of the movie that the producers relied on for a strong return on investment. In one fight scene After the main character Maximus defeats many enemies in spectacular fashion, he stands in the middle of the colosseum and yells, “Are you not entertained!”(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPNOdkLcL_g) This scene alone has etched its way into pop culture and 9 out of 10 people will know exactly what you're talking about if you say, “ are you not entertained”. But Gladiator does have some limiting factors for the audience. The movie is rated R for bloody battle and fight scenes plus some language. 

Gladiator was definitely a conventional movie. This movie cost over 100 million dollars to make so the investors and producers wanted to maximize profit as much as they could without trying anything too crazy or too new. Growing up this was one of my favorite movies and I definitely would blow off any criticism about the film in the past. But doing my research for this project and reading all of the reviews I was able to appreciate parts or aspects of the movie in ways I didn't consider before. I especially liked reading the criticism reviews of the movie because I was able to go back and forth with These ideas and in some cases even changed my mind on parts of the movie. This film came out 24 years ago and still looks amazing. Newer movies obviously have better special effects and more money to make them better but after not seeing Gladiator in years I can confidently say it is still an amazing quality film. Not that there isn't anything I could pick out but for being 24 years old I would still choose this movie over most newer ones in recent years. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEM5nJ-AUiMLinks to an external site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD0XIowNAG8Links to an external site.https://www.youtube.com/embed/yD0XIowNAG8?autoplay=1&rel=0&hl=en_US&fs=1

In 2000 the Sony released the PS2

laketahoecc.instructure.com

In 2000 the Olympics were held in Sydney Australia.

laketahoecc.instructure.com

[loopy777]

So from a comercial perspective, do you think either of the two "likely"(it would not shock me if the Rey movie geta canned down the road like so many other SW projects) star wars movies are likely to be successes?

No doubt the sequel to rise of skywalker is Dead on arrival, but I think the mandalorian movie might be able to.

Honestly i was shocked when Ahsoka(which i wasn't a particular big fan of) wasn't a smash hit with viewers just looking at the numbers. I guess apathy really has set in at this point.

But what do you, a guy who actually likes disney star wars think? Can the mandalorian movie beat the overall apathy, or will it be a bomb?

Well, let's all note that I'm terrible at predicting commercial success. I wouldn't have expected that keeping Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield out of the advertising would have resulted in the highest grossing Spider-Man movie of all time.

But I think both of these Star Wars movies have the chance of succeeding.

However, I think the Rey movie is a big gamble. The character and actress were well-received initially, and I honestly don't have a solid idea of how much of a failure 'Rise of Skywalker' was as far as general audiences go. Yeah, it didn't make the money that was expected of it and less than the previous sequel movies, but it still was an overall success financially. And the prequels demonstrated the phenomenon where the movies are accepted blindly by kids who grow up to tout them as artistic tour de forces. By the time this movie comes out, the 12-year-olds who ate up the loudness of RoS might be college students looking to reclaim something from their childhood.

On the other hand, RoS has become the face of Disney's hubris (even though 'Solo: ASWS' is more emblematic of the bland, sloppily written stuff we're getting these days and it came out first) and the cultural narrative around it casts it as an inarguable disaster. (I agree with that narrative, as a reminder. I think it's one of the worst movies I've ever seen.) And even before it's come out, this new Rey movie is landing in the crosshairs of the bigot-fueled culture wars stuff that's dominating youtube and utterly exhausting the sane half of the fandom. It's possible most people who might otherwise be enthusiastic will just not want to think about the movie with that kind of cloud around it.

So there's potential there for great gain, but also potential for great loss. Perhaps it will average out, a middling success that no one talks about afterward, the Star Wars equivalent of Ant-Man 2.

But there's no doubt in my mind that the Mando movie is going to be a big hit unless something goes very wrong (although I doubt that Grogu's name will still be in the final version of the title). People love Baby Yoda. They always have and they always will. It doesn't matter that Mando Season 3 got a mixed reaction; the main dynamic of the title characters is still beloved, the series provides a perfect formula for a blockbuster movie (specifically: pick a Kurosawa movie and remake it in space -- my vote is for 'Yojimbo'/'A Fistful of Dollars,' but 'The Hidden Fortress' would be a hilarious pick), and Pedro Pascal is currently pretty popular. This movie is as close to a guaranteed hit as is possible in movie-making.

My overall perspective is that people aren't tired of or apathetic to Star Wars. They're just bored of the typical Disney+ formula of a weakly-scripted miniseries that requires 200 hours of TV-watching homework in order to understand it and is mainly relying on a mix of nostalgia and good-for-TV special effects to sell itself. That reaction is hitting Marvel as well- and entertainment in general, given the performance of the entire movie industry this year. The initial success of 'The Mandalorian' is proof of that: when it was an episodic Space Western with a cute sidekick, people loved it, but when it tried to do real narrative stuff and positioned itself as a partial sequel to Clone Wars and Rebels, people cooled on it. And its big successful start was amidst both Solo and RoS underwhelming, so it bucked that trend very easily.

Basically, I see people proving themselves as discerning. They have their tastes and peculiarities, but it's becoming less and less about the brand. Even good actor performances aren't enough to save them if the actor has nothing solid to do.

I just wish I knew what brought this on!

Because 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' is a weakly-scripted mess of a movie that coasts on brand-recognition and gives great actors nothing much to do besides play the hits. And people loved that!

Basically, I might just know nothing.

It would be nice if these movies are good, though.

[masterofsevensroad]

go rush episode 71 spoilers

zaion wishes to open 888... something setsuri stores across the galaxy. he whips out Film Projector Alfred and projects his flashback because go rush is old-timey.

something something about going broke ig and getting a golden gear with kamijou on it. he used the gear in some sort of machine to make furniture. then he found the luge and idek froze planets or something.

while eating stuff, he accidentally ate his golden gear because of a darkness deck? then he furniture'd jobs girl accidentally. and the chair'd luge

after the second commercial, zaion gets a cool ass fusion spell to get..... bigger space that has the same animation as regular yggdrago. yuudias is left on 100 lp

galactica fusion but it's DARKNESS?? WTF YUUDIAS GETS DARKNESS'D WTFFFFF but NO HE FUCKING TAMED THE DARKNESS HE'S OKAY HE'S STILL USING THE FUSION THOUGH OH MY GOD ZAION IS FUCKING DEAD

he loses and spits out the gear. yuudias gets a lot of rush battler points from zaion and made it to the finals. epoch is hella scared. she legit just watched yuudias use darkness oblivion

the uts card report is on dark oblivion obviously, and the main trio are stuck in a millenium puzzle reference labyrinth? idk either man

notes

apparently, according to the people in the discord, shewbahha's the villain now?

darkness dwarf is the name of the fusion component yuudias has

the Better Space Yggdrago was fused from 2 space yggdragos and is called deep space yggdrago with a space yggdrago fusion spell

it's also not a maximum and lvl 10

it's not shown how yuudias got dwarf- it just appeared in his deck

darkness turned zaion's food into the gear so that when he wasn't paying attention, he'd eat it ig

while doing his flashback thing, zaion was narrating it with a microphone and i think was talking in third person but idk

yuudias gets his evil protag moment!!! except idk it's not supreme king dark zexal kinda stuff, just idk maybe like ladybug extermination pissed off playmaker type of evil protag moment

the reason yuudias broke out is either because he wasn't darkness'd before the duel like yuamu or because he's a velgearian or both

no relic/HIM/yuuga appearance yet

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR IDEAS TO ELEVATE THE WHOPPER, OUR MOST ICONIC BURGER."

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on the late, great Andy Warhol eating a Whopper, and part of a 1982 Danish documentary film called “66 scenes from America," directed by Jørgen Leth.

OVERVIEW: "In the early 1980s, pop artist and enduring icon, Andy Warhol sat down at a desk and ate a burger. That fact would be otherwise unremarkable except that Danish director Jorgen Leth had a camera rolling for what would become his 1982 film 66 Scenes from America, a project that stitched together images of everyday people, objects, and landscapes of American life."

-- FOOD & WINE, "How Burger King Turned Andy Warhol Eating a Whopper into the Anti-Super Bowl Ad," by Adam Campbell-Schmitt, February 4, 2019

Source: www.foodandwine.com/news/burger-king-andy-warhol-whopper-commercial-super-bowl.

[kyber-collector]

One thing that Andor does right that really sets it apart from other recent Star Wars projects is avoiding the over-use of references, callbacks, and cameos. Once Disney bought Star Wars in 2014, they began making clear attempts to milk the nostalgia of older Star Wars fans by creating a sentimental atmosphere through callbacks to the original trilogy, mimicking the plot structure of the originals, and including cameos of beloved characters. While this was arguably successful, with The Force Awakens being positively received at the time it came out and all of the sequel trilogy being highly successful in the box office, it ended up leading to a whole host of problems and negative consequences for the franchise as a whole. The quality and writing of the plot began to waver and decline, becoming especially evident in projects such as The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker and, later, The Book of Boba Fett. This lack of quality, however, did not discourage a lot of fans, because “yeah, the plot kinda sucked, but (insert beloved character, ship, etc.) made an appearance!”. Disney slowly was able to get away with more and more, with plots becoming more and more contrived, because it didn’t matter that the quality was suffering, enough fans still ate it up that they were still having commercial success. Not to mention the damage that was done to characters that were being called back in for cameos, often being so insanely mischaracterized by writers that they were almost unrecognizable to audiences. 

Star Wars was shoving itself so far up its own ass, drawing everything back to references so often that an actual plot was often a casualty, and many fans began to lose hope. It felt, at times, as if every movie or show was becoming a poor attempt at fan service. Never mind how, in my observation at least, the constant callbacks often alienated new fans who were less familiar with the lore, making them feel overwhelmed and as if they had to watch every single movie and piece of content in order to understand a single TV show. Not to say that a piece of media can’t be self-referential, or that everything must be viewed through the lens of someone who isn’t familiar with Star Wars. I believe that, if they are used meaningfully, cameos, callbacks, etc. can absolutely enhance a piece of media. When that becomes all it is, however– a series of cameos and references thinly veiled as a plot in order to play into nostalgia– it can be hard for new fans to follow and frustrating for old fans who are seeking quality content. 

Enter Andor. Andor does something that no Star Wars project in recent memory has done: cut out the constant self-references. It instead focuses on being a strong piece of media in its own right, developing incredible new characters, worldbuilding, and stories that are forced to stand on their own– and they do stand. Andor offers amazing and long sought-after insight into the formation of the Rebellion, as well as humanizing individual members of the empire while at the same time not sympathizing with them. Effort was put into making them fully fleshed-out villains with clear motivations, experiences, thoughts, and emotions. The conflict, while familiar enough that it keeps a similar tone to the rest of the franchise, yet fresh and interesting enough that it brings something entirely new to the table. The small number of cameos and references that are present aren’t simply for the sake of having that nostalgia, but serve to genuinely drive the plot forward. And that’s not even talking about the consistent and genuinely compelling anti-fascist message that I was shocked came out of a corporation like Disney, which I will likely make a separate post about. I cannot begin to praise Andor enough, and I think that it marks the beginning of a very exciting era for the franchise. Andor makes me hopeful about the creative future of Star Wars again, after years of slowly losing that. Andor is the spark that will ignite the fire of Star Wars’ healing and improving once again.

[clodstargazer]

The turnaround on Cyperpunk 2077 is so absurd I still can't understand it.

You could spot the red flags a mile away: from the game being announced all the way back in 2012 (before The Witcher 3, even) and hyping it up all throughout as the biggest, baddest game that will revolutionize gaming and put other interactive open world games like GTA5 to shame, a promise a lot of people realized that a relatively small studio with ONE big game to their name will probably not be able to keep but that most other people ate up;

then there was the massive and I mean MASSIVE marketing campaign, which is never a good sign, really makes you wonder where all the money for development is going. No but seriously this game was EVERYWHERE, just ads everywhere nonstop. They got Keanu Reeves for it! Just an ungodly amount of resources and effort went into the marketing of this game. Combine that with the fact that preorders were open before gameplay was ever shown, the game reportedly only started development in 2016 (no way they made that big a game in just four years) and that it was delayed THREE times (first it should have been released in april 2020, then it was moved to september, then november, then december) and the writing was on the wall;

but also there were a BOATLOAD of issues regarding CD Projekt Red itself and its handling of the game, from the devs' statement that the game is not a political statement even though it belongs to one of the most politically-charged genres there are (and is just in general a spineless thing to say), the neverending transphobia controversies, and then the company publically admitting that the developers were required to crunch to get the game out in time. Just a shitshow, all around.

Then the game came out and we all know how that went: it was a buggy, unfinished mess, and definitely the glitchiest commercial game to come out in a long time. On PC and PS5 it was a hellish experience, but on PS4 it was literally unplayable, so much so that (as you already said) Sony took it down and issued refunds to whoever bought it no questions asked.

And even beyond the bugs, the game was mid: the story isn't that great, the gameplay is just alright, the world feels lifeless and static and not at all a real environment where people live, and most of the features that were promised for years like trains, extensive charcter customization and player agency, world interactions etc. were nowhere to be seen. Honestly the game's development cycle and what it resulted in is a better cyberpunk story than anything the game itself ever could have offered.

For a short beautiful year it became the gaming world's laughingstock: bug compilations and critical essays were everywhere, and everyone was renouncing CD Projekt Red and the practices that brought us to this point. It truly felt like a cultural reset, and how could it possibly not be? The launch had been disastrous and the reasons as to why were all clear as day, something SURELY would change.

But then two years later Edgerunners came out and it was good, so people were interested in the game again, and in the meantime the game had been patched and is now functional, and it's like that terrible launch never fucking happened! People LOVE that game now, saying that it's good and well-crafted (it's mid, and it should have been so much more) and if you try to talk about the bugs they'll say "yeah but they worked hard to fix it so they deserve the praise" as if the state the game was in when it launched to be sold is something that happens by mistake. I feel insane, how can you POSSIBLY trust CD Project Red after that? And be willing to PAY for that very game that shook the industry to the core when it came out?

And now we're here, nothing's changed and the industry's in an even worse state now, the only thing we learned is that gamers have the memory of a goldfish.

Cyberpunk 2077 was a cautionary tale of bad management, tired open-world design cliches and unregulated crunch leading to an absolute disaster of a release. I remind you: the game was so bad that shortly after release, Sony removed it from the store and offered refunds. Everyone agreed that it was an absolute shit game, an emblematic instance of how bad the game industry had gotten.

And then a half decent anime happened and the conversation changed overnight.

Suddenly people were saying Cyberpunk was great, that it was underrated, that everyone should play it again. The switch-up was instant, and shallow. People were back to giving CD Projekt Red their money, despite their continuing bad business practices, all because a spin-off made them think happy thoughts about the brand.

So no, not a fan.