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tinybrooms · 10 months ago

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The Beggining - Thomas Hewitt x Fem Reader

Thomas Hewitt (TCM: Beggining) and Female Reader

NOTE: This is my first one shot and it's pretty long, hope you like it, comments and feed back is always welcome.

Summary: Y/N has been the only friend Thomas has had his entire life and he will give his life to protect her when she needs it and after all, they're meant to be.

Warnings: Reader being abused, family being killed, hard lenguage, kill references, slasher content and fluff.

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Everything was packed and ready to move to Austin, the town had fallen into a decline that there was no possibility of continuing to subsist in the place where you were born and that meant leaving everything behind to start a new life, your mama, a single woman in charge of 3 girls did everything possible to put food on the table, first working as a packer in the old meat factory and then helping Luda Mae at the small gas station, but money was little and they couldn't support two households with the few cents that the drivers left every time they filled up with gas and everything even worse when the pumps ran dry.

You were the oldest of those 3 girls, little Jo Anne was 5 years old while Ella had just turned 11 and was beginning to be a young lady, taking you as an example to combine her clothes and comb her hair as golden as the sun in a cute way.

One day before moving to Austin you decided to make your favorite dessert, some small bonbons filled with cherry jelly, your favorite fruit and you plated them in a nice container to take to the Hewitts' house, you wanted to say goodbye to them for being your second family but Above all, you wanted to say goodbye to Tommy, your best friend for as long as you can remember.

The road to the Hewitt's farm was short but the hot summer sun and the warm afternoon wind made you feel that it had taken you a little longer to reach the residence in the middle of a dry cornfield, your footsteps sounded as they stepped on the leaves and a greeting In the distance made you look towards an old tractor that made more noise than it seemed to move.

-Hello there little one, what'ya doing here? -Old Monty came down, wiping his hands on his pants, approaching you while he adjusted his glasses.

-Hello uncle Monty - you smiled watching him approach, greeting him with your hand - I came to say goodbye before we went to Austin, I brought my favorite dessert for you to eat tonight during dinner

-So you are leaving after all? Little Tommy still doesn't understand that you're leaving, he's been a little out of his mind these days - the old man sighed, putting his hands on his waist, closing his eyes a little for the strong evening sun

-I see…can I go inside? I would like to say goodbye - you looked at him letting out a little air feeling a blow in your chest, you knew that maybe you would never see your best friend again and the man just nodded making a gesture with his hand inviting you to go to the house while he returned to the old tractor

Your steps were slow, nervous and sad until you reached the entrance of the place and opened the screen door that made a peculiar squeak when opened, You left the plate on the kitchen table and wiped your hands on your skirt of your dress walking up the stairs slowly heading to the side of the hallway where you knew Tommy's bedroom was located.

The door was open a little and you could see his big back as he sewed what was apparently a shirt, your hand hit the door slowly making Thomas grunt without looking.

-Hello Tommy…- your voice sounded low and shy but it made Thomas turn around quickly looking at you as you opened the door and walked towards him, smiling and sitting next to him- how have you been? I heard that today was your last day at the meat factory

Thomas looked back at the floor barely nodding returning to his work with the needle and thread on his shirt

-What are you doing? Did you rip another one of your shirts again? -You smiled even though he didn't notice it and carefully took his hands to take the needle and help him - I'll do it for you.

The enormous man, submissive to your touch, let you take the things, looking at you through the strands of his long hair, releasing a sigh that sounded loud due to the obstruction of his mask.

-Do you remember that days ago I told you that tomorrow would be the day we were going to Austin? - You looked at him while you carefully sewed the sleeve of his shirt that covered your entire lap as if it were a blanket, Thomas just turned his face, looking at the other side of the room, clenching his fists, making his knuckles turn white.

- I know you don't want me to move Tommy, but I can't leave mama alone, I have to go with her to work and help her with my sisters - your hands fell into your lap looking at him sadly trying to get him to meet your eyes but he just lowered his head without growling as was his way of communicate - Tommy, don't be sad, we will always be friends, okay? I promise that whenever I can I will come visit you and bring you things from Austin - you smiled at him, taking his hand, making him look at you with his noticeably moist eyes.

After a few seconds looking at you, the huge man pounced on you, hugging you tightly, almost taking all the air out of your lungs, you felt that at any second one of your bones would break but that didn't matter to you, Tommy always gave those strong and wise hugs. You were going to miss him so you enjoyed it, the two of you staying like that for a few minutes until Charlie interrupted yelling from the kitchen with one of his mundane comments.

After a few hours and Luda Mae insisting that you stay for dinner, you went home again with a plate in your hands to take to your family, even though Thomas grunted and insisted on accompanying you home to spend more time together you convinced him that he should stay for reasons that Charlie only knew, you didn't want him to get in trouble so he agreed to stay, saying goodbye one last time with another hug and a kiss on your hair.

The breeze was fresh and the moonlight illuminated the path between the plants and trees that had already been formed from so many times that you and Thomas went or came to each other's house. After a few minutes walking you could see your small house with the lights on but something strange seemed to be noticeable when the door was open, you quickened your step almost running home entering while you looked everywhere noticing objects thrown and broken.

-Mama?…Ella? - You walked between the rooms looking for them, walking between glass and furniture lying on the floor - Mama?

Your steps stopped when you entered the kitchen, throwing the plate that was in your hands causing it to break into a thousand pieces while you tried to understand why your mother and sisters were on the floor unconscious among blood and pieces of clothing, the golden hair of Ella and Jo Anne was dyed a reddish color while your mother had a thin carmine line on her neck where a pool of blood formed, her dress was tangled around her waist and her underwear was missing.

Your steps backwards stopped when you hit your back on a wall, your vision blurred by tears and you could only run outside stumbling through the furniture to run towards the Hewitts' house, your only hope to help you.

It was a few meters ahead when you heard the engine of some motorcycles approaching while screams and shots in the air made you stop in fear, leaving you petrified.

-Well well, where are you going in such a hurry little doll? - A man with a beard and dressed in leather smiled at you, spitting out what looked like tobacco.

You couldn't say anything, your body was shaking and the tears didn't stop coming out of your eyes.

-Can't you talk, darling? The other bitches couldn't stop screaming a while ago and you don't say a word? - the other 2 men laughed while one of them got off his motorcycle, approaching you, pointing a gun at you, making your eyes widen with fear - I won't hurt you, I won't do anything you don't want, you look like a pretty girl, the kind that make cute sounds when they are fucked like the sluts they are

Your moans and cries came out muffled from your throat and your brain forced you to run as the only escape but a strong hand grabbed your hair, pulling you on your back while you screamed and moved your hands and legs trying to defend yourself from the scratchy hands that touched your body.

-Please let me go, I didn't do anything wrong - you screamed while your tears ran down the edges of your eyes, wetting your hair.

-Of course you haven't done anything wrong, little angel, that's why you're not a woman yet - the blonde-haired man laughed, putting his hand under your skirt, touching your between your legs, hurting you - stop moving, damn bitch, - his strong hand hit your cheek leaving you stunned

-Do it quickly, I want some of the slut too- the bearded man ordered as he took your wrists placing them on top of your head.

For you they were hours of agony, between blows, insults and three men abusing you, you lost track of time before falling unconscious among the neglected grass that covered the intruders, it was almost dawn when your eyes opened looking at the dark sky with some rays. of sun about to appear.

Your head hurt, your sore and weak body could barely get up, stumbling making you fall to your knees, your dress was torn causing one of your breasts to be exposed, your private part hurt and burned as if a knife had been stuck in your innocent crotch.

The path that took you 10 minutes to travel became a long trip of almost 40 minutes, your feet barely dragged and your dry mouth made your throat hurt every time you took a breath of air and when you looked at the Hewitt house a sigh came out of you in relief even though you still had to walk the entire driveway.

Luda Mae was walking carefully with a basket of clean clothes that she had recently washed by hand and was preparing to hang them on the clotheslines in the yard when she looked at you walking in the distance, she carefully adjusted her glasses on her sweaty nose and let out a frightened moan when she could recognize your battered form covered in bruises.

-Oh my sweet lord, oh my god - the woman almost screamed, dropping the basket on the floor, walking hurriedly towards you - for God's sake baby, who did this to you?

Your steps continued slowly, your chest rumbled with sobs as you looked at her and felt safe, but as soon as her arms held you, your body vanished, causing the woman to fall next to you on the floor, but not before taking care not to hit yourself.

-Thomas! Thomas, come here - the woman screamed hysterically, making Charlie and Monty quickly leave the house, Charlie still holding his cup of coffee which almost fell to the floor when Thomas rushed out to help his mother, but when he looked at you on the floor between her arms his steps hurried quickly as growls came from his throat.

-Take her inside carefully, son - Luda adjusted your corrupted dress to take care of your little privacy - Lord, have mercy on this poor girl - the woman was praying to herself as she followed her enormous son inside and the two men looked at the scene, frozen, scared of what that they had looked at.

Thomas ignored his mother's instructions and instead of lying down on the sofa in the living room he quickly went up to his room with you in his arms, laying you down on his bed slowly as if you were the most fragile and precious thing that his hands had ever held, his anxiety gnawed away his head looking at you unconscious and covered in wounds and bruises that went from your legs to your face, his growls were loud and aggressive and he didn't calm down until Luda took his arms making him look at her.

-Look at me son, Thomas relax -Luda looked at him tenderly but with a firm voice- this is not the time for you not to listen to me, we must take care of her and know what happened, do you understand? - Her hands went up to his cheeks, calming him a little while his chest rose and fell with an anger that he had never felt, not even the day he was fired from the factory and ended his boss's life.

Luda was in charge of commanding that day, she sent Monty and Charlie to your house to tell you what had happened, but as soon as they arrived and saw the scene, both men knelt down, bowing their heads, while old Monty shed a couple of tears, then After all he was the ''Uncle Monty'' of those little girls and someone had annihilated them, Charlie found a little humanity in his heart and ordered Monthy to find some sheets to cover the bodies of the three women to put them in the truck and take them home where they could give them a decent burial, after all they had been good people with their family and deserved respect.

When the men came home and told Luda what had happened, the woman couldn't help but cry and fall into a crisis when she saw the lifeless bodies of her friend and her little babies, what cruel person had done that to your family? They were the sweetest people in the whole town and they didn't deserve an ending like that.

While the three eldest were arranging everything to respectfully say goodbye to the three ladies, Thomas in his room had already carefully removed your torn dress, to be honest he had often imagined your body when Charlie forced him to watch those obscene movies or told him stories of how girls behaved when he touched them, but this time all his thoughts of desire disappeared when he saw you like that.

A bucket of warm water rested on his nightstand while he carefully cleaned your face with a small damp towel, when he removed all the dirt from your face, he could notice your broken lip and the bump on your cheek that was beginning to heal dyed purple, his hand slowly went down your neck cleaning and then carefully passing the towel between your breasts, your chest rose and fell slowly with your calm breathing, Thomas couldn't help but turn his gaze when he saw your breasts with scratches Just like your stomach that had red marks on your waist, his head didn't help him, he imagined what had you been suffer alone there and he wanted to kill slowly and painfully the person who had done that to you.

After all his thought's and after cleaning your legs covered in scratches and your injured knees, Thomas slowly separated your legs, squeezing his jaw looking at how your inner thighs had wounds, scratches that looked red on your skin that looked like porcelain, his hand covered In the damp cloth that every now and then he washed in the warm water, he slowly passed over the marks of the attack, as if he were afraid of hurting you even more than they had already done, your small moans of pain made him retreat in fear, but when he looked at your eyes closed without any sign of wanting to wake up, he returned to his tasks until he left you completely clean, then he took a Luda dress that he carefully put on you as if he were dressing a small doll that could break into a thousand pieces if he barely touched it with his big hands, the dress was too big on you but it covered your body and that was enough for him, he didn't want anyone else to look at you, you were his only and he was going to take care of you with his life.

After a few hours the sky had already begun to darken and your eyes tightened as you woke up in a room that you knew very well, you looked at the ceiling and the old closet on the side of the room, the old lamp on the nightstand was on and a blanket covered your legs, the heavy steps in the corridor made you look towards the door with fear, you knew that in that house you were not in danger but your state made you think that at any minute someone was going to attack you again.

But a large figure that covered almost the entire door frame appeared looking at you, releasing a deep sigh as he walked towards you.

-Tommy?…-your eyes moistened feeling safe, he walks to you letting his knees hit the floor next to the bed while his arms surrounded your waist and despite the pain, your arms surrounded his shoulders while you cried, hiding your face in his neck.

Not long after, Thomas looked at you with his frown, he was angry, more than that, you had never seen him this upset, his hand slowly touched your cheek over the bump and then pointed towards his chest, you knew what that meant, ''who was the one who make you this?'' cause he would be in charge of making them pay.

-I don't know who those men were, Tommy, but they hurt my family, I know that they were the ones who hurt my little sisters and mama - your voice was broken with your crying, his hand touched your face while his breathing sounded heavy - they were …motorcyclists, one had a beard, another was blonde, they were all dressed in leather - your eyes followed his enormous form as he stood up, turning quickly towards the door but your hand did not let go of his, making him stop - Tommy?…what? are you going to do?

He looked straight into your eyes, the blue of his eyes had disappeared, they were black and deep, you had never seen them that way, he just let go of your hand slowly and rushed out, making his heavy footsteps sound as he lowered the stairs.

After a few minutes Luda came up with a tray with tea and a plate of warm food, it looked like stew and smelled good but your stomach hurt from the blows you had received so you barely ate while the woman brushed your hair slowly with her fingers looking at you tenderly.

-Luda…where did Tommy go? - You looked at her curiously while you drank some iced tea that made your throat feel fresh.

-Tommy loves you too much, he would do everything possible for you to make you happy, you know? -She looked at you over her glasses while her hand stopped.

-I know, I would do the same for him but I'm not as big and strong as Tommy is, he takes care of himself and he also takes care of me.

-You're wrong about that honey, he is strong on the outside, my boy was blessed with a huge body that can intimidate anyone who stands in front of him, but on the inside my boy is just a pure soul who doesn't know how to deal with this horrible and disgusting world where we live, that is where you come to protect him, your heart and courage makes my Tommy feel safe and continues to be the strong and brave boy that he is

A small smile formed on your face thinking that you were very lucky to have Thomas in your life, everyone had always been cruel to him, they made fun of his poor ability to speak and his skin was always so sensitive and no one understood it, just You and that was enough, you had gotten used to only having Tommy's attention and affection for you that you wouldn't know how to deal if someone else took a little of his attention away.

That night Thomas did not come home, you spent most of the night looking at the door waiting to see him arrive but he never showed up, only the sound of the crickets and the wind coming through the window accompanied you and little by little you fell asleep between the blankets with its aroma.

It was early in the morning when you heard some murmurs and an argument downstairs that made you wake up.

-You can't do that, you don't know how she's going to take it, she's going to run away from here and accuse us, we would have to kill her too, is that what you want, damned idiot? - you could recognize Charlie's voice from his screams

-Stop calling him that way, he is not an idiot and he knows what he is doing-Luda shouted.

-Thomas, come here you damn bastard - Charlie shouted as loud footsteps went up the stairs that then became light as they approached the room.

There was Thomas, covered in blood, looking at you from the door, when he saw that you were awake, lowering his head thinking about what he would do but also thought if Charlie was right.

-Tommy?…why are you covered in blood? they hurt you? - Your hands rested on the bed, sitting up as fast as the pain allowed, he just shook his head and looked at you again, approaching - Are you okay?

Again his knees rested on the floor next to you while his blue eyes looked at you and his huge hand took yours carefully, his free hand rested on his chest pointing with his finger.

-You? -His hand moved slowly towards you, touching the center of your chest with his finger- me? - He nodded shyly taking both your hands in his, kissing both palms on the mask - I know you wouldn't hurt me, Tommy, you don't have to explain it to me.

He looked at you with relief and stood up offering you his hand to stand up, but when you tried, your sore knees felt like they were melting, making you stumble, Thomas holding you quickly and carefully by your waist.

-I'm fine Tommy… I just…- Thomas didn't let you finish your sentence when with his arm he held the back of your knees lifting you up making your arms quickly surround his neck in fear of falling.

His steps were delicate as he left the room and went down the stairs, three pairs of eyes looked at you, questioning his that you going down was the right thing to do, but Thomas cared little and continued on his way to the basement door.

The place was cold and damp, the walls surrounding the stairs had scratch marks and you could notice a couple of nails stuck in the cement, Thomas walked towards what looked like a work table and carefully sat you in a chair as he walked to a coat rack and took an old apron covered in red stains and put it on him.

-Tommy?…- He didn't pay attention to you for a few seconds, searching for something with his eyes until he took an electric chainsaw from a tool table and walked towards you, taking you again with one of his arms, walking to a place behind a shelf full of jars and he sit you delicately on a wooden table

You could notice three figures hanging from what seemed to be a nail where the animals were hanging in the slaughterhouse and when your eyes adjusted to the darkness you could notice the three men who had attacked you hanging from their tied hands, one of them moaning as they others were unconscious

Your hands quickly covered your face, fear took over your body when you looked at them, feeling the fear of being attacked again but Thomas approached you, took your hand and your scared eyes looked at him while your hands trembled.

-It's them Tommy…it's them - your voice hurts whispered the words when Thomas gently removed his hand and touched your face and then looked at the men, then his hand delicately touched your lap, caressing your wounds over the fabric of the dress and point at the men looking into your eyes - it's… him - your hand pointed at the bearded man

Thomas quickly walked away from you, pulling the motor of the chainsaw hard, turning it on with just two attempts to start it and with both hands he lifted it closed to the man, placing it on the crotch of the bastard who abused your innocence cutting him in half until he reached his neck.

Drops of blood jumped everywhere, Thomas was covered in it and you could feel the warm liquid wet your face.

You couldn't believe what you saw, but you couldn't believe that a feeling of fear didn't take over inside you, you had seen Thomas murder a man but inside you the only thing you felt was satisfaction and a small flight of butterflies, your Tommy, he had spent the entire night looking for the men who harmed his precious girl and was making them pay.

After finishing the first, Thomas looked at you with heavy breathing, he didn't need to say a single word, his eyes spoke for his and you understood his language perfectly

-Him too, Tommy…- you pointed at the blonde man and then touched your chest over the scratches that made your skin look swollen, Thomas didn't think twice when he lifted it again, closed it and moved it over the man, cutting his legs, his waist, his arms making him fall on the wet floor while he screamed in agony and then cut his head, the other man did not seem to react but he was not going to let him leave in peace, so he did the same with him and cut him in half When he finished his work he turned off the chainsaw and walked towards you, leaving it at your side to clean his hands wet with blood on his apron that was equally dirty and wet.

Your heart was beating fast, you were not afraid of Thomas, you did not feel in danger nor did you feel disgusted by him, on the contrary, it seemed that by seeing him perform the sickest actions he had finished convincing you of what you had begun to suspect years ago, what you felt was a deep and true love for the one who had done everything to heal you and defend your dignity.

-You did very well Tommy - you smiled at him, placing your hands on his cheeks over the mask, his blue eyes were so calm that it didn't look like he had finished with three men a few seconds ago, his forehead rested on yours while your fingers caressed his slow hair - thanks for taking care of me

He just gave a light growl as he hugged you around the waist, he wasn't going to let anyone else touch his little cherry, not even the sun could hurt your skin because he would be able to do anything to destroy it.

That afternoon and after Monty had spent the entire previous day making three graves in the back garden, Charlie, Luda, Thomas and you went out to say goodbye to your family, Luda had picked a couple of flowers in the front garden and Charlie surprised you when with his worldly mouth he said some beautiful words to say goodbye to your mama and your little sisters, Tommy never left your side, he was holding your hand, making sure your fragile legs did not collapse and make you fall.

-Well, all that remains us to say welcome to the family y/n, it will be a pleasure for us if you are a Hewitt, what'ya think? -Charlie approached you while Thomas worked hard to cover the graves with the dirt he threw with a shovel.

-Charlie… you shouldn't say that, it's so sudden.- Luda Mae looked at him, scolding him. She knew he wouldn't last long without saying an injudicious comment and she wasn't wrong.

-It's okay, Moma - you smiled at Luda, holding the small flowers waiting to put them on the graves. - It will be a pleasure for me to share Tommy's last name

-You see, mom - Charlie smiled, chewing his tobacco - our Tommy will be happy honey, welcome to the family

You barely placed the small flowers on the three graves and caressed the wood signs where the names of your family could be read, Tommy took your hand, caressing it carefully, with pain in your back you hug him, your arms were barely able to surround his torso as you continued reading over and over again the name on the wood that functioned as a tombstone.

-Do you think it's okay that I'm a Hewitt Tommy? - You raised your head looking at his eyes despite the rays of sun that crossed his long locks of hair, he just looked at you smiling a little making his eyes narrow as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders - Then I won't hesitate to tell everyone I meet that i am Mrs. Hewitt

Your hand took his slowly walking together to the house while you talked about things that he only answered by nodding or shaking his head, just when you were both a couple of steps away from reaching the entrance of the house the sound of tires made you both turn around to look at the car that came down the road approaching you

-Now what this people want? These damn city dwellers get lost and come to disturb my property - Luda Mae sighs, annoyed, looking from the porch.

-Come in Tommy…let me bring you your apron so you can work - you smiled as you entered the house knowing that now the family business needed you.

#texas chainsaw massacre the beggining #thomas hewitt x y/n #thomas hewitt x you #thomas hewitt fluff #thomas hewitt x reader #thomas hewitt #tcm #texas chainsaw massacre #texas chainsaw the beginning #slasher x reader #slasher fandom #slasher community #slasher #horror #thomas hewitt smut

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rateaters-sutff · 1 year ago

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All FNAF drama is like this:

\> Game dev, "The Slipster" creates a Fnaf fan game "Those 8 Nights at Zopster's Slop Factory."

\> The Slipster gains massive popularity due to their meme-ish and charming personality

\>YouTuber "Slamstest Yah!" covers Zopster's, criticizing gameplay and story while praising modeling and atmosphere

\> Both individuals have suspiciously furry rantsonas

\> Fans of Slamstest yah! go to Slipster's Twitter and threaten to kill and eats Slipster and their family

\> The Slipster @ s Slamstest yah! about the harassment and death threats Slamstest yah! gave them

\> Slamstest Yah! says they did nothing and accuses Slipster of punching down (Slipster has fewer bunger points than Slamstest Yah! but okay??)

\>Meanwhile a discord group of random Fnaf fan creators forms, calling themselves "The Gaggle" with the sole purpose of fucking over Slipster because he was pretty rude and selfish in their past fan game projects.

\> "The Gaggle" leaks all of Zopster's Slop Factory's assets and developer notes, as well as private DMs where Slipster called "B1LLR0xy" creator of FnaF remake "FNAF **-1/12**.", a "small unlovable glop with a trash game" and "ngl I think gungster#37 was right" ("gungster#37" is a controversial figure in the Fnaf community)

\> Slamstest yah! has no clue any of this happend

\>The Slipster starts a 15-page twit longer accusing Slamstest yah! of conspiring against him with "The Gaggle" to take him down.

\>5 minutes later, Slipster starts a live stream on his YT channel "slipZlop LIVE"

\>has a panic attack and begins crying live on stream, revealing a lot of extremely personal trauma to his audience of Slipster and Yah! stans, who all come to eat up the drama.

\>Slamstest Yah! DMs Slipster on stream and says he didn't orchestrate any of this.

\>Slipster goes on a tirade on Slamstest yah! and claims he should be sent to the deepest pit of the inferno, never to breathe anything but ash and fire

\> While this is happening famous offical Fnaf artist "Vensty Yummybunsty" comments "Gungster #37 was a mixed figure tbh" on the Fnaf sub,

\> Vensty gets backlash and apologizes, only for some random Redditor to go into their [timzbus.art](https://timbus.art/) page and it turns out they made infant cannibalism art and a Fnaf fanfic where William Afton eats 15 children.

\> Scott Cawthon materializes out of the black void between voids, grabs Vensty by the neck, and dematerializes with her, leaving swathes of black particle-like mist dispatching outwards in the air where the two figures were once was placed.

\> The Slipster starts a new stream where he comments on the dematerialization of Vensty and claims she was wrongfully dematerialized from our realm.

\>The 800+ FNAF content farms who have embedded themselves in the viscose flesh of discourse, all began to amalgamate videos describing word for word the entire cascading series of events that lead to this spiral point of pain and distress.

\>all 800+ content farms have suspiciously furry rantsonas and are 97% British

\> Slamstest Yah! continues making his Fnaf content and starts a VHS analog horror series called, "The Glerbs Reports"

\> Slamstest Yah! was later revealed to have eaten 15 children 2 years ago, jolting the twitching mess of the YouTube content farms to exsanguinate Slamstest Yah! pulling the veins rich in blood apart from the form, like pulling the thread out of a rigid carpet, weaving them out with so careful yearning, yet with such parched predation, as to leave dark hollow cavities where his circulatory system was once grown, a body now filled with devoided holes, and hollow smooth tunnels instead of veins that fit so snug and warm. All now pulled out and coagulating on the knees of which the creator of this work sucks violently at the wet plastic-like streamers. The corpse placed facing up, beamed by the sun, showing deep dots of drilled flesh. The animals sit and whip more ribbons to their tongues, cramming their mouths with veins palmed up and compressed to fit in between their cocked jaws, day after day they all sit kneed, pulling and balling the wrinkled tubes in their hands, to lastly entomb this dragging crumpled mess into the very back of their head by the gate of their teeth.

\> And when all veins gone, they bend forward their pale shapes, and lumber on.

\> Zopster's Slop Factory is still being developed, though The Glerbs Reports are still postponed

#196 #rule #fnaf #drama #discourse #controversial #five nights at freddy's #phisnom #fangamer

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bluntforcefem · 1 year ago

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hiiii atti! do you perhaps recs for good videos or seasons to watch for etho content maybe

i do!! i have always been a bigger fan of his solo / team canada content though so unfortunately i will not be much help in the hermitcraft department BUT. i will do my best

obligatory "etho's decked out runs are incredibly impressive and entertaining" post. episodes 14-20 of his hermitcraft s9 (they all have the phase names) are just a blast

hermitcraft s8e3 is also fun. he builds a moss farm

his most recent solo world tour episode is from around 3 years back, episode 550, and it's a really good video to watch if you want a taste of what his let's play is like + the kind of projects he works on in it. also it's fun & i revisit it a lot

sky factory 2.5 & captive minecraft 4 are both extremely fun team canada romps if you want some goofy bullshit! captive minecraft 4 is... much shorter albeit i'm not ENTIRELY sure they ever finished the map

the first five & very last episode of project ozone 2 are delightful for very different reasons

(note: tumblr decided to delete the links off the last two points because it hates me but they are VERY easily findable playlists on etho's channel)

lastly: i've heard really good things abt etho's double life series in particular AND secret life, but my deepest secret is that i haven't actually watched any of them yet. passing on the recommendation from the ethogirls i follow

#kbitycus talks #leonstamatis #hopefully this is good!! i have been watching etho for like. over a decade at this point so. a lot of it is fondness for episodes #that i don't remember well enough to pick out of the solo series & are OLD #i've also been having a lot of fun with his vault hunters videos tbh!!! theyre a delight as well

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kaija-rayne-author · 1 year ago

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By all that's holy, if you don't want me following you, just block me. Soft blocking can be and usually is ableist.

Don't like it? I don't care. You want to use a double edged sword to 'protect' yourself, go for it. But any guilt you have about it is on you.

I go into more detail on why it's ableist here.

For anyone not wanting to click the link, the essay is below the cut.

Note: I was much more active on Twitter the years ago when I wrote this.

Soft-blocking can be ableist, so what?

ON FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BY Kaija Rayne, updated Dec 29, 2023

I get in so much trouble for this idea. I have people who unfollow me because they tell me I’m being harmful by pointing out that soft-blocking can be ableist.

I have people arguing with me because it’s ‘just what people do’ and no more harmful than ghosting someone in real life.

Spoiler, ghosting someone in real life (unless, obviously and I shouldn’t even have to say it they’re an ACTUAL danger to you) is ALSO HARMFUL, and hurtful too.

Soft blocking can be ableist. I feel it’s actually INHERENTLY ableist simply because it fits the definition of an action which not everyone is going to be able to understand.

If everyone isn’t able then the action that causes harm is inherently ableist.

It really, really is. Whether we like it or want to admit it or not. Whether it’s your favorite choice of ‘protecting yourself’ or not.

It’s harmful, it’s ableist.

Some definitions and terminologies. I’m writing about this phenomenon on Twitter, since that’s the place I’ve seen it most. I'm posting it here because I suspect someone of soft-blocking me.

A follow, on social media is where you click ‘follow’ and you’re able to see that person’s tweets.

An unfollow means you click unfollow so you don’t have to look at the posts anymore.

A ‘mutual’ is a mutual follower, someone who you follow and they follow you back.

A block is where you click ‘block’ and the person you have blocked can no longer see your posts.

First… Soft blocking is the ACTION of hitting the block button on Twitter/Tumblr/Other social media with a mutual or someone who has followed you because you don’t want them following you/seeing your posts.

OR you want them to unfollow you without it being a stink about it.

There are as many reasons in the world to soft-block someone as there are people. SOME few people have reasons that deal with self-protection.

People should ALWAYS protect their mental, physical and emotional health. That is an absolute iron-clad rule. If y’all twist my words as meaning anything other than the ACTUAL words I’m putting on the page, that’s on you.

Oh, and that’s harmful.

Sometimes the methods you use (to protect yourself) harm others. There is really no way of getting around that. It is a fact when it comes to dealing with intersectionally marginalized people. It's just like veganisim actually sheds just as much blood as factory farms (rodents, wild predators, etc.) Farming, especially monoculture farming as is practiced in the west now, isn't bloodless. It can't be.

Second. I think I need to discuss what ableism is.

The simple definition is that it’s discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.

It gets a lot fuzzier when you’re dealing with intersectionally marginalized people, including disabled people.

The deeper definition of ableism is this:

Ableism is the discrimination or prejudice against people who have disabilities. Ableism can take the form of ideas and assumptions, stereotypes, attitudes and practices, physical barriers in the environment, or larger scale oppression. It is oftentimes unintentional and most people are completely unaware of the impact of their words or actions.

Shall we dive even deeper?

We could. We could add on the ideas of privilege to that. Who has more power? Then even deeper, who has more PERCEIVED power.

Have we gone down the rabbit hole yet?

Let me state this unequivocally. Soft-block to your heart’s content. It’s your space, do whatever you want with it. You SHOULD curate your space as you want/need to.

We all should.

Which includes me. When someone I KNOW knows that I have a problem with soft-blocking, AND they do it anyway I’m well within my rights to block and not do business with that person.

For me, that means I won’t read or review their books. I won't buy or reblog their art, I won’t buy their books.

Now, the reason I HAVE to do that is self-care. If they KNOW I have a problem (because it harms me) with that action, then they do it anyway, I CANNOT trust them.

So I’m sure as hell not doing business with them.

I block and blacklist. People don’t like that, but guess what? It’s my space. I make the rules. If that gets me a rep of being a bitch? I can live with that.

You don’t like my rules of treating people decently and trying your best not to harm others in your words and actions?

Of apologizing and owning your shit when you fuck up?

Of respecting boundaries?

I’m not someone you want to work with.

So. Soft-blocking is curating your space as you need to.

I’m not telling you not to do it.

I am saying it’s inherently ableist to do it, if you’re neurotypical or abled. It's likely selfish, if not completely ableist if you're not.

An argument could be made that it’s ableist of me to share how badly it fucks with my head.

To be soft-blocked, I mean. And man, it really really fucks with my head. I'm far from alone on that.

The argument for me being ableist by sharing how badly it messes my head up is that guilt comes into play. By sharing how badly it upsets me, I could (perhaps) technically be putting pressure on people not to soft-block.

I really don’t care if you use a harmful tool to protect yourself. You do you. Your guilt is the price you have to pay for that. I guess that’s too honest for most people though. That's me, pointer outer of uncomfortable truths.

Your guilt is not my problem. It’s not on me (the one being harmed) by your action to absolve you of your guilt.

Hence, it’s a long stretch to call me sharing my feelings and educated opinion on the realities of soft-blocking and the damage it can and has done ableist. I don't buy it at all.

But it could be. A skilled debater or manipulator can make someone absolutely certain the sky is green with purple polka-dots.

The only thing that makes it not ableist for me to do that is that it’s also a self-defense mechanism against ableist harm. It’s selfish, but it’s not ableist in that scenario.

Life is not, much as many people would love to think it is, a black and white construct of right vs wrong.

For me soft-blocking is wrong. It causes far more harm than it could ever ease.

For others, it’s a no big deal, it’s an ‘I just don’t want to confront this person enough to tell them I don’t want to follow them anymore.’

For others, soft-blocking is a self-protective mechanism IN ITSELF. They feel safer soft-blocking than they do just unfollowing.

(I don’t pretend to understand that, the safest way to not see people’s tweets and to signal you want nothing to do with them is to either unfollow or block them. Period.)

Now. The reason I’m talking about soft-blocking and sharing my reactions is because it can cause PTSD trigger episodes. (For the love of all the gods, triggered does not mean uncomfortable or upset. It's a specific mental illness term.)

The number of responses I get to this subject anytime I talk about it, saying something along the lines of ‘that happens to me too!’ mean I’m by far and away not the only one this practice is affecting badly.

Harmfully.

If someone is soft-blocking as an act of ‘fuck you for saying it’s ableist’ (I’ve had this happen a lot) it’s kinda obvious what the motivation is, you know? You wanna take your ball home and never play again, too?

It happens most from people who are on the younger side, FWIW. I guess I can’t hold it against them. Their brains aren’t done growing yet. (Seriously, medical fact, your brain isn’t mature as far as action/repercussions/risk assessment until you’re around 25, go ahead and look it up if you want. It’s why your car insurance is higher than mine.)

So what about what I said earlier? What about privilege? How does that play in?

I look white (I’m not, but I sure do look it) so I automatically have more privilege than anyone who is visibly not-white.

But when both people look white, that privilege is removed.

I’m unemployed, (I work for myself, and make very little money) so anyone who is employed or gets a regular disability payment is automatically more privileged than I am.

If you’re healthy, have a good income, if you own your home vs rent, there are SO many socioeconomic and anthropological factors that can go into your actual level of privilege that it pays, I think, to be cautious in how you act/react and what actions you use to protect yourself.

In the age of ‘me too’ and allegations of sexual assault being everywhere, soft-blocking is a viable self-protection tool for many. But like any tool, it can be misused and that particular tool has really sharp edges that can hurt both the wielder and the one it’s wielded against.

(I’m a sexual assault survivor, so I can almost see why it would work for people. I don’t quite, though. There's still that whole, it's safer to block them thing.)

I’m trying to educate on the results of a harmful behavior that has and does cause damage to people. Including me.

I still don’t agree with people insisting that soft-blocking is harmless. Because it just isn’t.

An anecdote from my own life. If you’ve been following my blog for a while you may recognize it.

Last October (2018, I think?) I was repeatedly soft-blocked by someone I had more privilege than.

I did NOT understand I was being soft-blocked. I didn’t even know it was possible. I wasn’t able to understand why someone would do something that (seems silly to me) when blocking is much more effective.

Let me explain something, Twitter is a really weird place for me. It has followed people for me in the past, and unfollowed people who have sworn they didn’t soft-block me. I’ve had people tell me it’s blocked people for them, people they NEVER would have blocked.

It goes pear-shaped ALL THE TIME. So how is someone supposed to know if they are being soft-blocked? Tumblr is broken so often it's an in-community joke.

The problem that happened occurred because this person DID NOT want me to follow them, but they didn’t block me. We had mutuals in common so I would often see their name and I really liked what they had to say. I admired their bravery.

In my naivety, I wanted (because I do have more followers) to boost their voice and opinion.

So I’d see a tweet that I liked a lot, I’d boost it, then realize that (I thought, because I didn’t at the time understand soft-blocking) my follow had dropped because of Twitter weirdness.

I clicked refollow at least three times before I dim-wittedly clued in (that whole, I was NOT able to tell I was being soft-blocked thing) that it was intentional.

I’ve owned up and apologized for my perceived mistakes there, and for my actual ones. But do you see that if that person had said to ANY of our mutuals to drop a word in my ear that “Hey, you’re making X uncomfy with the refollows” I would have stopped and NOT caused the problems it did? If they’d just blocked me, all the pain could’ve been avoided. Including my pain at not understanding what was happening, and my pain at having caused harm because I didn’t get it.

Instead, the person chose to use soft-blocking instead of communication or blocking.

How did that ACTUALLY help?

It didn’t. It harmed. It harmed me, and I inadvertently harmed THEM because I did NOT understand I was being soft-blocked. I was, at that point in time, UNABLE to understand it. Making it an ableist act.

For what it’s worth, I now understand it when it happens. I absolutely do NOT like it because it messes with my perception of reality, but I DO understand what is probably happening.

How many people out there don’t, though? Who are you hurting when you use this methodology? Is it worth it? (In some cases it absolutely will be, but you need to ask yourself that question.)

I’m not the only one this affects. There are so many people that don’t even know you CAN soft-block. Much less that people use it so flagrantly and without regard to the harm they are most definitely doing with it.

So what about power? Someone with more followers than me has more power. Someone with more money, a better job, better connections, they all have more power than me.

Someone who can work a traditional job vs having to work from home is also in a position of more power, or someone who gets a regular income in any form. They all have more power than me. So we need to be aware of our level of ACTUAL power as well when it comes to our actions.

But all of these things (and probably more that I can’t think of) play a part in the interconnected strands of how people interact with one another on Twitter and other social media outlets.

ALL of these things are things that make soft-blocking ableist if you have MORE power, and selfish, perhaps, if you have the same amount or less.

So what. So it’s selfish. Big whoop. There aren’t any Twitter/Tumblr police. Obviously, or we wouldn’t have any Nazis.

So you feel guilty about using a double-edged sword to protect yourself, one that can and does hurt people.

Big whoop. Again, your price to pay. If the cost is worth it to you, fine. Do it.

If it isn’t, then don’t, just unfollow or block instead.

If it’s ME you’re dealing with? I guarantee you that I will react better to a straight up unfollow or block than I will to you soft-blocking me and making me doubt.

Because to me, and many people LIKE me. That’s exactly what that does.

It’s a minor form of gaslighting.

Intent does not excuse the harm you cause.

It’s my intent to educate about the damage of soft-blocking. I’ve been told I’m hurting people by pointing this out.

I can’t pretend to really understand how it DOES. But I trust that people are telling me the truth that it hurts.

I’m sorry for that.

Truth often does hurt? It’s the precursor to growth and awareness.

Me pointing out that soft-blocking harms others is no different than whoever first noticed and pointed out that we needed ramps for disabled people to access public buildings.

I’ve been wondering the past day if those people, the ones who fought for that kind of accessibility, have gotten as much flack and push back and accusations as I have about this issue.

Probably. But progress is never made by being silent.

I could go on with this and try to unpack how it’s less ableist for another disabled person to soft-block another disabled person, because if it’s done out of self-protection, at least there’s a justifiable reason for the harm they’re inflicting.

But again, intent and reasoning doesn’t change the harm they’ve done. Intent never excuses harm.

For any of my mutuals? Straight up unfollow me.

I unfollow for unfollow. You unfollow me, I unfollow you, always. Period. And that’s really the end of it. I will absolutely block you if I figure out that you've soft blocked me. Because it harms me.

I don’t follow many ‘real people’ on Twitter, at the time I’m writing this I have 515 accounts that I follow. More than half of those are images/news/weather etc accounts.

They aren’t people I talk to. I follow 4 people who don’t follow me back (they’re all authors, FWIW, some of my favourites.)

Everyone does social media in the way that best works for them.

If people don’t like the way I do things. They are well within their rights to not have anything to do with me.

Just like I’m well within my rights to do what I need to do to protect myself.

Which includes blocking people I’ve figured out have soft-blocked me.

Like it or not, the action harms me (and a lot of other people) by making us question our minds/memories/thoughts/etc.

That’s why it’s ableist and should be used with care, if at all.

#soft blocking #ableism #ableist

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visityaratoday · 2 years ago

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All Things Yara:

Santo Gusto Coffee Company

When you think of Yara, you might immediately think: tobacco, Viviro™, guns, and crocodiles, but did you know that Yara grows, produces, packages, and distributes its very own coffee.

Founded in 1882, Santo Gusto Café has been enjoyed by Yaran from all walks of life from the peasant toiling the fields to our very own El Presidente, Antón Castillo.

Growing Coffee

If you want the best coffee, you start with the best soil. Our coffee is grown in the lush foothills of Robustas Hills in El Este region.

One of many coffee plantations in Robustas Hills, Sierra Perdida, El Este.

Individual farms grow the coffee under strict regulation by the Yaran government. They use only organic and 100% natural fertilizer.

Homegrown coffee plantlets, Roxas Farm, Sierra Perdida, El Este.

Wild boars grazing in the coffee fields, Roxas Farm, Sierra Perdida, El Este.

Growing coffee is certainly a labour of love.

A field worker spreading fertilizer by hand; Plantation in Robustas Hills, Sierra Perdida, El Este.

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Harvesting and Processing the Beans

Small individual farms around the Sierra Perdida province grow, harvest, and locally process the raw beans. They are hand picked, cleaned, and dried in the Yaran sun. Afterwards, the coffee beans are sent to Santo Gusto Coffee Factory for further processing and packaging for distribution.

Freshly picked coffee beans, Bolivar Farm, Sierra Perdida, El Este.

Sun drying coffee beans, Garbey Farm, Sierra Perdida, El Este.

Santo Gusto Coffee Factory

Every stage of coffee production is highly regulated by the government of Yara to ensure top quality of the final product, and for this, there is constant FND (Fuerzas Nacionales de Defensa) presence on location at the processing facility. Moreover, cameras, security systems and armed guards make approaching the facility problematic, let alone visiting it.

Outside Santo Gusto Coffee Factory.

However we were able to grant ourselves temporary access to the factory grounds - by means which will not be disclosed here - and got to play factory workers for a day for the sake of this article.

One of our crew members posing inside a storage room in Santo Gusto Coffee Factory.

Main entrance to the processing facility, Santo Gusto Coffee Factory; Crew member modeling picking through dried coffee beans.

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Coffee is an important industry for Yara’s economy and makes up for ehhh 37% of all jobs. It is responsible for creating employment for countless Yarans, from farmers, factory workers, to delivery truck drivers, and coffee shop owners.

A roadside barista offers freshly ground and brewed coffee, Sierra Perdida, El Este.

A photogenic delivery truck driver.

Sponsoring Street Racing?

Santo Gusto Café is itself overseen and partly funded by Yara’s government, but the company remains independent enough to sponsor community events. It is the main sponsor for a highly popular annual street race.

The race sets out from the small community of Santo Domingo.

Santo Domingo, Sierra Perdida, El Este.

The course twists and turns through the muddy trails of Robustas Hills and anyone with a pickup with decent enough suspension can take part.

A racer taking part in Santo Gusto sponsored street race.

Contestants don’t race against one another simultaneously, but rather against the clock for muddy glory. This is to keep the event relatively safe since the course does run through a main road as well.

A driver taking part in Santo Gusto sponsored race to a fiery finish line.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about activities, places, events, and all things Yara, come back and visit this page often and follow us on Tumblr!

Stay tuned for an exclusive guided tour INSIDE the factory!

Editor's Notes:

Coffee growers being so strictly regulated by the Yaran government, some take it upon themselves to grow a little extra and sell it on the side. You gotta make a living wage somehow.

Also, don't be fooled: orgánico, shmorgánico. The wind doesn’t care about your feelings and PG-240 compound IS in your coffee. Lo siento.

Back to Content Index

#visityaratoday #visit yara #far cry 6 #far cry #virtual photography #far cry series #Virtual Tourism #visityara #virtual travel

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howlingday · 6 days ago

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Here Comes...

A Review

(Part 2 of 2) [Part 1 here]

Same disclaimer as before for this review; the topic of this post contains content that may be disturbing for viewers/readers under the intended audience of this Rated M comic series with explicit content intended for those 17+ years old. Discretion is advised.

When we last left our "hero," he'd just murdered an influencer who got views by murdering kittens he'd adopt from animal shelters. He literally butchers the man, sells his meat for rent money, which he gives to the landlord before having sex with his seventeen-year-old daughter. Thankfully, this is the worst we'll see of this comic and move on to less gratuitous content with...

#6 - THE BLOWDOWN!

We begin our story by greeting a chick to the world... inside a meat processing plant. Part of me feels like the author intends to get back to what this comic is really about, which is the love and concern for all animals, and honestly the stuff they talk about with farm animals here is pretty disturbing. I enjoy eating meat, but it's pretty obvious that factory-made meat, as in animals raised in a cramped, sterile environment like a food processing plant, is pretty disgusting.

"Instead of your mother's warmth, the caress of her beak, and a nutritious meal, you'll eat nothing until after the arduous 72-hour truck ride to the farm, which you may not survive."

"Your life will be lived in a metal container... unable to move and will be continuously fed a chemical syrup that will keep you obese until you die."

"Instead of running around, and breathing in fresh air... you will only ever smell filth and feces."

"From birth until death, all you hear is your own kind screaming for help. Non-stop screaming. Your entire life is obesity, metal, and screaming. It last about 42 days. Then you'll be murdered."

"They turned your brother into a slurry a few minutes after he was born. He was perfectly healthy. They just can't profit off of him. Dirty muthafuckas."

"The countries with the top obesity and cancer rates are the biggest meat eaters."

"Chicken, cow, pig, human... your entire life is hijacked. They fatten you up so you can die and make way for another population who repeat the cycle... while their pockets get richer. All victims of the same culprit."

"The corporations."

"I won't let anything happen to you, baby chick. That's a promise."

I... love this. This is the Calico that I would love to see more of! He's not just an angry, violent brutalist; he cares about these animals. Granted, we should know that already because of the scenes we've already seen where he takes care of the wounded and stray pets he's taken to the vet, but this is a nice refresher after that... awful, awful previous issue.

Anyways, Calico is scoping out the Bigmman Foods Farm, which were referenced as one of the big bads from the first issue. He's tracked Bumble to this location, noting that there's been communication between Bigmman and ODB. As he monologues, he spots a car pulling up under him. A woman exits with her bulldog, where she ties him to a tree. "Fuck people." Yes, this woman is abandoning her dog and screams at him to shut up and stay put while she's leaving him tied up in the dark and alone in the woods. Calico comes down, walking off-screen with the woman, then walking back on-screen with her dog, saying he'll give the woman the same odds she gave "his new little friend". Cruel, yes, but not as brutal as the last few issues. Again, refreshing.

Hector takes the dog to the same vet as before, where she notes the dog is in good shape, with "no signs of injuries, healthy weight and coat". She comments that that she's confused why the owner wouldn't be able to take care of the dog, to which Hector replies "She didn't have much to say." The vet smiles, obviously more in the know that she lets on, noting that "people can be so careless sometimes". Hector replies, "Sometimes?" clearly still angry humanity for allowing this to be the norm. Tammy offers some advice, "I'll grant you that many people are careless and selfish, but not everyone is like that, Hector. Some of us are good, you know." Hector leaves without argument on his end.

...Why are we getting this AFTER the garbage that was last issue? This is great! Hector is being challenged by ideology of "humanity is garbage cancer scum" and... I think I'm starting to get why. Looking back to his conversation with Scout, she notes that Hector is like a cat; he's incredibly dedicated to his belief that animal abusers should be brutally murdered in the most gruesome ways possible, but his tunnel vision blinds him to the rest of humanity that's actively working to help animals, like The Fourth Order, our vet Tammy, and DOGMOMMA. It's just, again, a shame we're getting this insight AFTER issue 5.

Cut to Chino's Gym where Hector gets into the ring to spar with Scanlon, the resident chuckling alpha mentioned earlier in the series. The fight's brutal, with Hector noting his strength, speed, and endurance. After strategizing, he's about to deal a right hook to Scanlon's jaw... until he sees a poster promoting an upcoming fight for Scanlon. He suddenly notices other people watching, notably men in suits who especially interested in this sparring match. Hector notes that if he beats this prospective boxer, everyone will have eyes on him, which he can't have as Calico, so he takes a dive and lets him win. Once again, this is great! Hector's starting to become aware of his surroundings! What wonderful development after that last iss

The next couple pages set up for the next couple issues with Kingman explaining his plan to Primo and his friend, and the detective from the previous issue who wanted to give June a medal is on the trail of Calico, noting that there's gotta be a connection between the recent homicides. Then we have our villains again, this time ODB and Biggman, the former eating a bucket of fried chicken and the latter snorting coke. They discuss business while enjoying their vices and we get a look into the evil that is Biggman Food.

Sarah Biggman is the owner and CEO of Biggman food, which she took property of by continuously fellating her grandfather. Since then, she's been operating the food company and her "shadow division" which... It's a whole other level of animal abuse here.

"Shadow covers animal pronography, which has countless categories.... Then there's the animal snuff business, with even more categories... The business as a whole is up by twelve percent. Total revenue for the fiscal year is six billion dollars."

The conversation ends with ODB commenting that Biggman is "one cold bitch" to which she replies, "HA! And don't you forget it!"

Cut to Hector breaking into Biggman Food, explaining his mission to find Bumble and rescue the animals. On his way day, he interrogates a man on the toilet (after he's done his business but hasn't flushed) about where his boss is. Once he has that, he ties the man up and tapes over his mouth. Making his way through, he's ambushed by two butchers who... are really dedicated to their job.

"Ima slice you up real good... like I do to these stinking pigs and cows. I love my job. Especially when I beat them to death first."

I feel like there's a point where the bad guys stop being realistically evil, perfectly paralleling the animal abuse cycle and industry, and just become these goofy cartoon characters.

"I mostly stick to pigs. It's been a while since I beat a cat to death. It's your lucky day cat boy!"

We get another explanation about how Calico's suit absorbs impacts greater than 40mph... before he's hit with a hammer swing that hits him at less and goes through. This entire fight feels like some weird Saturday morning hijinks, but with more blood and gore. That said, Calico makes his way through the butchers and comes face to face with Sarah Biggman herself... and her shotgun. He's working on a timer, since activists are planned to come storm the building to rescue the animals soon. Pulling out his trusty 45-caliber pistol, he shoots Sarah in the cheeks, making a joke about how it'll be "a lot easier to blow your grandfather now".

For the killing blow, he ties Biggman up, noting how lucky he is to have missed the carotid, and drags her down to the chicken pens. Pulling her out to the middle, he opens the cages and the chickens all come to tear her apart from her open wound. I've grown up helping raise chickens and this panel TERRIFIES me because everything that's happening in this panel COULD happen. I fucking hate chickens... and that's why I love eating them.

Anyways, Calico makes another dick-sucking joke before continuing on to find The Pound unconscious behind a glass window. He's attacked from behind by some guy in a suit, hurting his hand in the process and whimpering that he'll tell Calico everything he knows. He exposits the next issue by explaining there's a train he's supposed to be on tomorrow that'll be using Bumble's tech to travel undetected through the subway. Calico informs him that he won't be working tomorrow.

"Who do you work for?"

"ODB! Please... don't kill me! I have kids!"

"I don't care about your kids. Do you take care of any animals?"

"Yes! Yes! Trixie! My little cat!"

"Take good care of her... cuz if you don't, I'll take care of you. One more thing... You don't work for ODB anymore. Got it?"

"Yes! Yes, sir! Yes!"

Calico then knocks him out, noting that the man will know he knows where he lives because he's taking his driver's license. And what do you know, we get another winner in my book for Calico! He's very simple when you get down to it; take care of your pets, or he'll fucking kill you! Very relatable sentiments, I'm sure. The final page of the issue is...

...honestly, pretty fitting. This man, for all his... "faults" is a hero to the animal rights community. These people, likely all pet owners and animal lovers, look up to this man, literally, and cheer for him as he makes his escape. There's even a moment where Calico is bewildered by this. He just brutally murdering three animal abusers, leaving two others alive and traumatized by the experience, and these people call for him as their champion. Their... hero. It's... kinda sobering, seeing these people call to him, one woman even shouting "Our hero!" with another saying "Oh my god! He has little cat ears!"

As much as I don't like Calico, this issue is a sobering refresher. It still has the dark, gritty tone it began with, kept up with the gore and violence it promised, maintained a bit of the vulgar humor, granted to a lesser degree, and delivered us an entertaining look into this grown man in his forties wearing a cat suit. I said it once, I said it twice, and I'll say it here thrice; this issue was a VERY welcome refresher after the previous issue. Hopefully, the next issue will keep on track.

...Get it? Because it's gonna take place on a trai

#7 - NEXT STOP WHITLOCK

We open this issue to the aftermath of the previous one. Stash and ODB discuss the scrambling tech they got from Bumble that'll be used to cloak the train, before ODB mis-profiles Doctor A's ethnicity and noting he needs to call Biggman so he can "send him one of my hoes." Cut to the detective from before investigating the break-in at Biggman Foods, interrogating the potty-mouth before he's taken away for treatment. The first page ends with Kingman discussing payment and different times, crunching on a carrot while Gong crunches the burner phones his boss is done using. It's all coming together in this issue.

Calico, wearing a hoodie over his suit, sneaks onto the train and takes his seat as the guy exchanging cubes for cards. It's a weird monetary system I didn't pay attention to, I'll be honest, and I don't think it's all that relevant to the plot. Anyways, he spots Primo sitting across from him and staring at his phone, Calico berating him mentally for being stupid enough to get mixed in with all this. The next couple pages are all the deranged gangsters and criminals in New York coming onboard to make a lot of money. Honestly, this feels like a watered-down Batman's rogues gallery with these characters; El Capitan, Two-Ton Dunn, The Nurse Shark, all interesting characters with unfortunately no pay-off... except for El Capitan, who blows away a Rat, y'know, the short bikers from before, with a pegleg shotgun that ricochets into his eye.

The last guy of importance to come onboard is holding Bumble, a man called "Sticker". Calico gives chase, but not before getting a stiletto in his rib. They make it off the train and up to a stable, where Sticker hits Calico with a 40mph kick to the head, revealing that his foot's not broken because he's a Muay Thai fighter. They fight for a bit before he escapes on a bike. Calico looks a horse in the eyes and it's almost like they have an understanding. Nat 20 for Animal Handling, I guess. Oh, and I guess Primo is chasing after them both on his scooter.

Cut to Mean Gene and Primo's friend driving in White Plains, NY, the latter shaking like a leaf. Mean Gene offers some "mamajuana" which Primo's friend coughs up. MG asks, "What kinda Dominican are ya?!" They arrive at a guard who asks for their names. Mean Gene introduces himself as Dr. Cornhole Leo and his his assistant, Dr. Ricardo Montalban... who after a quick look-up, is a Mexican actor who died in 2009, most famous for his role as Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island.

The last few pages is Calico trying to call Bumble to him, but struggles because it's a city street in New York, which means... C'mon, you know what that means. Thanks to quick thinking and perfect timing, he manages to get Bumble to restart by throwing his phone at Sticker. He then throws his knife at Sticker's bike, jamming the wheel and leaving him vulnerable to be pinned. It's then that the son of the Easy Chow owner, the one who woke up in concrete, runs out screaming "Father, I can't keep filming these videos! I can't!" before he's gunned down by his father, who remarks, "You have brought dishonor to our family. It is very... regrettable." Final cut to the train Calico just left being investigated by the police with Detective Donovan, June-medal-guy, pointing to a drop of blood on the floor, belonging to our resident vigilante.

This is it. It all comes to a head in the next, final issue! The only question I have is will this series have a satisfying end, or will it be another let-down like it's fifth issue? The only way to find out is to keep reading to the last page!

#8 - LOVE IS A BULLET!

Here we are; the final issue. And speaking of issues, one I've had on my mind for a while is Hector Gil's background. He grew up in the Dominican Republic, but aside from having a school bully and constantly saving animals, that's all we know until he meets Scout. There's a huge gap in his past before he turned 32. Well, we start this off with that question being answered.

Two thieves, Carlton and Gene, break into their third house of the night and find a jackpot in each of them. Once Carlton's bag is full, he retreats, leaving Gene alone in what seems to be a ransacked house, with blood everywhere. Under the bed, he finds a baby, umbilical cord still attached, being guarded by a kitten. Fleeing with the child, police arrive, forcing Gene to abandon the child at the doorstep of a Japanese dojo.

The child, named Gurinaibanditto, is forced to carry sandbags, and is warned that "people are baggage" and "the more you care about them, the more they will burden you". The man telling him this then swings a sword at his legs, which the boy evades easily. He then tells the boy that he's a master thief, both him and his cat, but if he ever steals from the man, the boy will no longer be sheltered.

Cut to the boy, now a young man of 15, breaks into a church to steal a key, where he meets a young woman named Dusty. When asked for his name, he says to call him "The Green Eyed Bandito" and introduces his cat, Bumble. The key he stole from the church allows gym to host midnight games for free, which the coach argues can't be good for the boy, since he should be in school or else people will get suspicious.

Cut to the young man, now an adult of 30, pursuing the affections of a woman, monologuing how he was in love with a woman by the second date. With this love came neglect for poor Bumble. When it's revealed he was sterile, the two stop dating, and Hector explains, "But here's the thing... about people... sooner or later... they ALWAYS let you down." The last image is the woman turning away from Hector, Hector being taken away by the police, and the shaky view of a weak and weary Bumble.

"All that time and energy I spent... trying to love people... I forgot to love... you."

We jump back into the present, with Calico squaring off with the Easy Chow owner. The man fires at him, but Calico is faster with Bumble, the latter of whom launches itself and clocks the man unconscious. Calico then greets the horse, noting the saddle says, "The Bullet", naming the horse Corey the Bullet. He promises Corey "a new home with miles of greenery" AFTER there's some business to handle.

As Calico ties up the man, he explains that this place is ODB's building, and that it's a fortress compared to Bigmman's security, which took months of planning in advance. He calls out for Primo to stop hiding, then instructs him to take Corey into the loading area in the back, leaving a mop head and a jar of petroleum jelly. Then he'll "consider it repayment for saving your ass". Primo says that Kingman didn't mention anything about this, but he's also not trying to die.

We cut to a man in San Diego, CA, USA sneaking in with a gun, then cut to another man in London, England speaking to him over the phone. The man in CA comments "she's gone" and the man in England orders "kill him". I don't know if this will make sense later.

Cut back to ODB, jumping from his debaucherous acts screaming "What the fuck is going on down there?!" Men burst into the room, including Sticker, reporting that "that cat guy" is downstairs and has the cubes. ODB orders the G.O.D. protocol to be activated, which is essentially a lockdown for the building, as we'll soon seen.

Cut down to the lobby where the Easy Chow owner's mother waits with men at her side. They form a Chinese Festival Dragon and overpower Calico. It isn't until Mean Gene arrives with a van through the window that kills the old woman and her bodyguards. Mean Gene exits, warning Calico that what he's doing, what he's been doing is dangerous. Calico disregards this and continues up the elevator, telling Gene to go home.

What ensues for the rest of the comic can only be described as an action film; there's guns, there's goons, there's special goons with special guns. At one point, Mean Gene, Primo, and Primo's friend are locked in a storage closet with potassium cholorate, sulfuric acid, and the chocolate bars Primo's friend brought with him. Mean Gene gets an idea while Calico deals with mini-boss after mini-boss, one of which he befriends. The trio escape, only to separate with Primo and his friend being chased by a horde of goons. Mean Gene arrives with the cavalry, Tim Albert, ready with his minigun for another psychotic breakdown.

Calico has a rematch with Sticker, beats him, then runs into The Pound. He beats him while Mean Gene distracts Albert with chocolate. It's here, on the 55th floor, that Calico faces off against a living legend called "Oriol", who beats Calico with a simple turn. He's about to die when someone shouts, "OREO!" That someone introduces himself as "Atropa" but you can call him "Bulb". He manages to beat Oriol single-handedly, then leaves with a warning, "Beware, Kitten. A very bad man wants you dead."

Snap over to ODB who is surprised by the arrival of Kingman, revealing that ODB is his father, who sold him to the hospital for one dollar. Stash reveals that he's been the inside man for Kingman for a long time. ODB makes an escape to the elevator where he's shot and killed... from below... by Mean Gene in the elevator. Kingman announces himself the new owner of ODBs empire, and we cut over to the Fourth Order, who are discussing the events of this issue.

Scout explains the "rogue apostle," Hector Gil, though she claims he's more of an "independent contractor... of sorts". One of the members shouts that they know how Hector Gil supports himself despite giving away all his money to charities, exclaiming "Once a criminal... Always a criminal!" An elder, known as Relic Ratio, argues that Hector was sent by heaven, as he's a child born of two houses of the Fourth Order; Panthera and Felis. Two members whisper that an attempt failed but it doesn't matter, since the elder will die soon enough. Before adjourning, Scout makes one final announcement to the houses of the Fourth Order, Canis, Felis, Panthera, Ursus, Simian, Aves, and Sapiens:

"With honor, dear leader, Hector Gil is the 300th apostle of the Fourth Order of St. Francis of Assisi. He is the ultimate defender of animals. He is the sterile cat that is white, black, and tan, symbolizing his mixed racial background. Hector Gil is..."

Cut to Detective Donovan, who is completely bewildered by the events of tonight. He gets a phone call from forensics who ID'd the blood of Hector Gil. The detective asks for the doctor to keep quiet until he gathers more information. He then inner monologues about his wife committing suicide with their son, with the only light in his life left being one Hector Gil, whom he was going to adopt if the Japanese family didn't beat him to it. If you think a lot of this was shoved in at the very end, trust me, you're not the only one.

Cut to Chino's Gym, where Hector pushes buttons behind a chair before getting into an elevator. Chino reveals that he's been able to talk to Calico the whole time, but only through the Panthera suit. Apparently, Chino is an apostle of the Fourth Order, too, for the house of Panthera! He warns Hector that his "contempt for humanity has made him careless to a power struggle that's been brewing for ages within the Fourth" and says that while he was doing all of this, DOGMOMMA was at risk. Thankfully, they were able to move her and Chloe to a safe, new location. He then tells him, "Suit up. We have work to do."

DOGMOMMA gets a message that everyone gets ten grand each from the whole cube/card thing thanks to Calico. We get a flashback to Scout offering the job as the Calico to Hector, who accepts before she finishes the word. Detective Donovan keeps working the crime scene until he gets a call about something found in the loading bay. I won't go into detail, but let's just say it involves a horse, a mop head, petroleum jelly, and a corpse.

The final page of this series is the different characters walking down the street. In the far back, across the street, Mean Gene, Primo, and Primo's friend, discuss Kingman being in charge, but not exactly being upfront about it... for now. Detective Donovan is tailing Hector quietly. Hector gets a call from his contact, informing him of a new file. "Already on it."

--------------------------------------------------

And that was the story of Calico. As a whole, looking back over it after reading it again, it's not necessarily a bad story. However, it feels like everything before this final issue was just... venting. Almost like the author created this character as a way to destress and release his pent-up frustrations about animal cruelty. Of course, that's all just me assuming here.

We get some character insight, but only after we're more than halfway through the series. I see now that Calico is a nuanced character of anger, brutality, and animosity, but also dedication, kindness, and reason behind his every decision. His story is one of heartbreak, with the greatest heartbreak being that we don't learn about it until the very end of the series.

I said it before and I'll say it again; I'm not a Punisher fan. I don't like over-the-top violence. And as ironic as each gruesome death in this series was, I still stand with my beliefs. I still don't like it, but at least I understand the method to the madness. Honestly, if there were more Calico comics that focused on the superhero aspect, like The Pound, The Fourth Order, and the suit, I'd give them a read. But if it's all just going to be brutality after brutality with a vigilante who receives no consequence for his killing spree, then I'm just going to have to give this little kitten to a better home.

Also, the seventeen-year-old thing was just gross, man.

#my thoughts #my reviews #here comes calico #sigma comics #h. h. german #calico #hector gil #my review #comic books #comic book

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jasonlindsey · 8 months ago

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Content that Celebrates Craftsmanship, Real Talent and a Narrative Driven Library: Jason Lindsey's Project with Pella Windows

From Notes from a Rep's Journal

Photographer and Director Jason Lindsey uses a photo-journalistic approach to his shoots, to let authenticity sit at the forefront of his imagery and push a narrative through each frame. He had several shoots with Pella Windows, in which he needed to create a library of images for the brand, working on real work sites with real employees. Jason grew up surrounded by factory workers and he spent his formative years working on a farm, instilling in him the value of a hard day’s work and the “salt of the earth” people who do it. Because of this, he is marked by a love of the satisfaction that comes from turning challenges into opportunities and the resourcefulness that is needed for this line of work. These experiences and philosophies poised him to work alongside the Pella employees, to create a library of images that tell a story and embody the nature of the work.

vimeo

Throughout his career, Jason and the Art Producer on this project's paths have crossed many times. From her past company to her time at Pella, the two have collaborated on shoots for different products and styles. This long-term working relationship allows for a mutual understanding of approach and desired style which led to smooth shoots. An immersive storytelling of the craftsmanship and innovation of the product alongside interpersonal relationships of the crew, these images capture the pulse of the worksite.

In our interview, Jason offers insights the symbiotic relationship between artistry and authenticity in his photography, along with how his long term partnership added value to this production.

You have worked with the Art Producer on this project for many projects in the past, how did that relationship affect the collaboration on this project?

Building enduring relationships goes beyond mere business transactions; it's about understanding each other on a personal level. Over the 20 years that I've worked with the art producer on this project, we've developed a deep sense of trust and a shorthand in communication. This not only streamlines the creative process but also allows for a more intuitive understanding of each other's vision and preferences.

Working with real construction workers on active job sites sounds like it could be challenging. How did you approach this shoot?

I believe in adopting a photojournalistic approach, striving to authentically document the real work unfolding before me. Establishing rapport with the construction crew was key. By engaging with them beyond the lens, getting to know their craft, and understanding their motivations, I was able to build trust and capture genuine moments without the need for staged scenes.

How do you navigate the balance between a photojournalistic approach and the need for specific shots outlined by the client?

While I embrace the spontaneity of photojournalism, I also recognize the importance of meeting the client's objectives. When I get to the job site each morning, I review the shot list with the client and then connect with the Pella crew to go through the shot list while keeping in mind their install plan for that day. There are times when those don't align, and since it is a true job site and the installs only happen once and cannot be repeated, it's important that we all know the plan for the day. Prioritizing and planning is paramount on projects like this and clear communication is key. Being on a live construction site means adapting to the unpredictable nature of the environment.

What did you find most rewarding on this project?

I have always been the kind of person to jump into a project head first and get my hands dirty. Even before I became a photographer, I worked on farms growing up and now dedicate a lot of my personal time to maintaining a nature preserve that I own. I understand the value of this kind of work and the grit it takes to make it happen. So for me, this project was rewarding because I was able to work alongside the construction workers, capturing genuine moments of their craftsmanship. I think that this dedication that they have and my reverence for this type of work created a compelling library of images.

#Vimeo

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howgaytobequeer · 5 months ago

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youtube

Dog Tales: How Dogs Became Man's Best Friend - NOVA documentary originally aired February 12, 2020

Recent research into dog evolution, cognition, and what makes them so well-adapted to being the friends of humans and, often, just about anything else.

Not currently available in the US or the UK, and possibly other regions. If you live in a region not supported, I recommend using a VPN and setting it to an EU country.

Content notes: Brief predation gore, intensive/factory-farm-like conditions (foxes), prison.

#original posts #NOVA #dogs #pets #canines #mammals #foxes #wolves #animal cognition #evolution #wildlife #documentaries #Youtube

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jcmarchi · 11 months ago

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What Is Palworld? The New 'Pokémon With Guns' Survival Game Everyone's Playing

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/what-is-palworld-the-new-pokemon-with-guns-survival-game-everyones-playing/

What Is Palworld? The New 'Pokémon With Guns' Survival Game Everyone's Playing

Palworld first captured the attention of gamers (and their internet sphere) when it was revealed back in 2021. While that reveal included details about the survival aspects of the game, including multiplayer, crafting, and farming, viewers honed in on the idea of it being Pokémon but with guns. You can capture Pokémon-like monsters called Pals in special balls (and you can capture humans, too), but it’s smart to shoot them or hack at them with an axe first to lower their health. And then, once under your command, you can give them their own guns to use, of course.

Following various trailers since that 2021 reveal, including this gameplay showcase and this one highlighting the different Pals you can find, we learned at Geoff Keighely’s Summer Game Fest last year that Palworld would finally enter Early Access on PC via Steam and on Xbox in January of 2024. Ahead of that launch, Game Informer spoke to developer Pocketpair about the game and internet speculation that it’s fake; and last week, we finally checked the game out for ourselves – watch Game Informer’s gameplay here. While we enjoyed playing the game’s first few hours, we never could have predicted how meteoric its first weekend would be.

If you haven’t kept up, more than 5 million people purchased Palworld in its first 3 days on the market, with an all-time peak of 1,581,679 players playing it concurrently on Steam at the time of this writing (notably, this peak is different from the one I just saw moments ago, meaning even more players are continuing to pour in). That peak means Palworld has achieved the third-highest all-time peak in Steam history. It is safe to say Palworld is blowing past any and all expectations, and if you were on the internet at all this weekend, there’s a good chance you read about its debut, controversy, and more.

But if not, fear not – we’ve got you covered.

What Is Palworld?

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If you aren’t familiar , Palworld is a survival game from Pocketpair, an independent developer behind games like Craftopia and AI: Art Impostor (remember these names because they’ll come up again later); Pocketpair is based in Japan, ironically 10 minutes away from The Pokémon Company, as noted by VideoGamesChronicle’s Jordan Middler.

PocketPair, the company behind Palworld, is located about 10 minutes drive from The Pokemon Company. Junichi Masuda is going to deliver the cease and desist by hand. pic.twitter.com/IH6SNUae3G

— Jordan Middler (@JordanMiddler) January 19, 2024

While it’s easy to call the game “Pokémon with guns,” if you go in expecting that, you’ll likely be disappointed. While there are Pokémon-like creatures called Pals that look and behave like Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters, you aren’t a trainer traversing the world to collect gym badges and take on an Elite Four. You are someone attempting to survive a harsh environment with the help of Pals, guns, and various melee weapons.

You capture Pals similarly to how you might in a Pokémon game, utilizing a special ball to add them to your party and your Paldeck list. From there, you can use captured Pals to help you capture more or as workers in your home base factory, where they produce resources, automatically craft new things for your survival, and more. You can essentially enslave them, if you choose, although you don’t have to.

On PC, you can play with up to 31 other players on a single server; it only allows up to four total on Xbox. You can fight raid-like bosses together, build a base with friends, and encounter various NPCs in the world. In these ways and more, Palworld is more like Valheim than it is Pokémon, but it’s clear the “Pokémon with guns” pitch is what’s initially drawing players in.

Palworld’s Meteoric Launch

Palworld officially hit Early Access last week on Thursday, January 18. It quickly ranked third on Steam in its Top Wishlists, which often provides insight into how a game might sell. Within just eight hours of launching, Palworld crossed 1 million copies sold, according to the game’s official Twitter account. The Palworld servers were quickly over-encumbered by so many players, leading to issues for people trying to play the game.

“We are blown away with the response to Palworld and we’re doing our best to respond to your issues,” the Palworld Twitter account tweeted on January 19. “Currently, our server provider is reporting that due to the large amount of concurrent players, the servers have become unstable and you may be experiencing issues connecting to servers.”

Hello everyone,

We are blown away with the response to Palworld and we’re doing our best to respond to your issues!

Currently, our server provider is reporting that due to the large amount of concurrent players, the servers have become unstable and you may be experiencing…

— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) January 19, 2024

Palworld crossed 2 million copies sold in just 24 hours, on January 20, surpassing 730,000 concurrent players on Steam, achieving the 10th highest all-time peak in doing so. Palworld then hit another achievement just 16 hours later: 3 million copies sold in 40 hours. Server issues continued, but Pocketpair announced on January 20 it had an emergency meeting with Epic Games and its Epic Online Services team to resolve connectivity issues.

The hype surrounding Palworld continued through the weekend, selling 4 million copies in just three days. Pocketpair incorrectly announced on January 21 that Palworld achieved the highest concurrent player count of any paid game in the history of Steam, but internet sleuths were quick to point out that PUBG set this record in 2018 with 3.2 million players. In 2018, PUBG was a paid game – it went free-to-play in 2022, something Pocketpair says it was unaware of at the time of its post, which is why it thought it achieved said record.

Our apologies, we were unaware that PUBG previously obtained the record before becoming a f2p game.

Again, our apologies for this misunderstanding. https://t.co/r1YeN2Bed5

— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) January 22, 2024

On Monday, January 22, Pocketpair announced that Palworld has sold more than 5 million copies in three days. For reference, it took PlayStation 5-exclusive (and first-party developed) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 11 days to hit the 5 million mark.

Today, Palworld sits in third place for all-time peaks in Steam history, behind PUBG’s 3.2 million peak and Counter-Strike 2’s 1.8 million concurrent player peak.

If one thing is clear, players were extremely interested in Palworld. However, it’s important to note it’s an Early Access game, which means Pocketpair presumably still has a lot of work to go into the game and that issues will likely be more abundant than a standard release. Only time will tell if these numbers hold, but right now, Palworld shows no signs of slowing down.

Palworld Controversy: A.I., Copyright, And More

During Palworld’s massive launch, more and more players and spectators online began to throw some hefty accusations at Pocketpair. While the Pokémon comparison is clear, some have called into question both how Pals were created, claiming the use of A.I., and how similar some are to Game Freak’s own Pokémon designs.

Cecilia Fae on Twitter created a threat with dozens of Pals and the Pokémon they most resemble to give people an opportunity to see the similarities. Many seem extremely similar, leading to players and others calling into question copyright or blatant rip-offs of Pokémon, while others toe the line more than outright cross over it. Here are a few of the most similar in their thread:

I’ll start with the obvious ones and the further down I go the less obvious they’ll be, but things like concepts or colours might be derived. This one has ears and theme of leafeon and everything else of cinderace. The small hands, the fluff at the pants, all of it. pic.twitter.com/X3x8w7xvgq

— Cecilia Fae 🍂 (@CeciliaFae) January 21, 2024

There are many more examples in the full thread so be sure to check it out for additional information. But as you can probably see, some of these designs are questionable, leading to speculation that they’re straight-up model rips from Pokémon games.

This led internet sleuths back to Pocketpair’s 2020 survival game Craftopia. Around its 2020 release, Pocketpair was criticized for how similar to Nintendo’s 2017 release, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, its latest game, Craftopia, was. With Palworld blowing up this weekend, people have looked back at Craftopia once more to point out its similarities to Breath of the Wild in light of Palworld’s similarities to Pokémon, and it’s, uhh, something – Craftopia definitely reminds me of Breath of the Wild in more ways than one.

Everyone’s talking about Palworld, but nobody is talking about their other game Craftopia

The first time I saw this trailer I was laughing for like ten minutes

Insanely blatant BotW clone footage being inter-spliced with the Cow Killer 9000 and Fortnite building pic.twitter.com/veIeAypHDj

— Drop everything and read Tomory (@JohnBGang) January 18, 2024

But I’m not a game developer – I don’t know the lines between “inspired” and “copycat.” Nintendo didn’t sue Pocketpair over Craftopia so I find it hard to believe the 2020 survival game did anything illegal. However, there is a line between, “Oh nice, you attempted to make your own original spin on Breath of the Wild,” and “Oh, you’re not even trying to hide how much you took from Breath of the Wild.” Where that line sits, I don’t exactly know, but the similarities are striking and worth discussing as players analyze Palworld and Pokémon.

Here’s another example of very similar Craftopia designs:

And here’s an additional example of someone pointing out similarities to Nintendo games within Pocketpair’s various releases:

I am the exact opposite of a Nintendo stan (or a Ark/Wildcard stan), but seeing Palworld make tens of millions of dollars off of the most blatantly creative bankrupt, poorly put together asset flip game is so depressing.

Their entire company strategy seems to be theft. pic.twitter.com/bRQxilrh94

— TeeHallums (@TeeHallums) January 20, 2024

The discussion of copyright, design similarities, and rip-offs continued throughout Palworld’s launch weekend – it’s still happening today at the time of this writing. While some cite model rips and uninspired design, others point to something potentially far more nefarious: A.I.

Before connecting A.I. accusations to Palworld, let’s talk about one of Pocketpair’s other games: AI: Art Impostor.

“AI: Art Impostor is an AI drawing party game for 3-8 players,” the Steam description for the game, which hit Early Access in November of 2022, reads. “You are a progressive artist who commands AI to generate images, and you don’t need aesthetic talent to draw good artwork.”

From the jump, AI: Art Impostor says it uses A.I. to generate images for the game, something sleuths found interesting in the wider debate of whether Pocketpair utilized A.I. in Palworld. Then, people discovered that Pocketpair’s CEO seems to be a supporter of generative A.I., a hotly-debated and controversial topic both in game development and throughout the tech world right now – read Game Informer’s feature about the game industry’s fight over A.I. here.

Heads up to anyone thinking of supporting/playing Palworld who also cares about genAI issues… The CEO of that studio is full speed ahead on generative AI, frequently promotes it and tries to push its use in his studio. Even made a game focused entirely around it using SD. pic.twitter.com/6fwvzhh6g7

— Invertex (@invert_x) January 19, 2024

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the internet has lost some nuance in this debate about Palworld, Pocketpair, and A.I., with many outright saying the game uses A.I. art. However, despite similarities to Pokémon – some think Pocketpair used generative A.I. art programs like Midjourney to feed it Pokémon designs and ask for something different – there’s no definitive proof to back up this claim.

VideoGamesChronicle translated a Japanese post made by Pocketpair’s CEO, Takuro Mizobe, addressing accusations toward the company. Curiously, Mizobe doesn’t directly address accusations of A.I. However, Mizobe says Pocketpair developers are receiving abusive comments and death threats.

“We are currently receiving abusive and defamatory comments against our artists, in addition to tweets that appear to be death threats,” Mizobe writes on Twitter, according to VideoGamesChronicle’s translation. “While we have received various opinions about Palworld, it is important to note that the supervision of all materials related to Palworld is conducted by a team, including myself. I bear the responsibility for the produced materials. I would appreciate it if these comments towards artists involved in Palworld would cease.”

As you can see, Mizobe doesn’t mention A.I. It remains unknown if the game uses it at the time of this writing, but Game Informer has reached out to Pocketpair for clarification and will update this story if it learns more.

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VideoGamesChronicle spoke to two experienced triple-A game artists about similarities between Pal designs and Pokémon. One artist told the publication, “You cannot, in any way, accidentally get the same proportions on multiple models from another game without ripping the models [or], at the very least, tracing them meticulously first.” That artist told VideoGamesChronicle they “would stand in court to testify as an expert on this.” They also point out that the silhouettes and proportions of Pals are “near-perfect matches” to certain Pokémon models, too.

Neither Nintendo, Game Freak, nor The Pokémon Company have commented on Palworld and its Pal design similarities to Pokémon. Given Nintendo’s legal track record, which includes winning a lawsuit against a ROM hacker that led to a 40-month prison sentence for the hacker, if the company feels it has a case, it will pursue that case in court. Only time will tell, though, if Nintendo will join the accusations of copyright and design plagiarism people on the internet have thrown at Palworld and Pocketpair.

However, it’s important to note that there are those who don’t believe Palworld to be as nefarious in design as others accuse it of being, at least without concrete proof yet, including Arkane Lyon co-creative director Dinga Bakaba, who directed 2021’s Deathloop and announced Marvel’s Blade on stage at The Game Awards 2023 back in December.

[embedded content]

In Bakaba’s Twitter thread, which begins with the tweet below, they explain the nuances of similarities in game design and development, different playstyles, parody, and more. It’s a great thread and well worth a read if you’ve been tracking Palworld all weekend:

Yeah, I’m surprised by how quickly this is escalating. I’ll try to organize my own hot take-ish thoughts in a thread, separating concept, execution, and dev. First: it’s not a Pokemon-like game. Digimon is. And even if it was, so what? (cries in FPS, BRs, Souls, hero shooters…) https://t.co/6jnWkfiANE

— Dinga Bakaba (@DBakaba) January 21, 2024

And to wrap up this deep dive into Palworld’s massive Early Access launch and the controversy and hype surrounding it, here’s what Palworld looks like with actual Pokémon in it (by way of a new PC mod):

For more about the game, head to Game Informer’s Palworld tag to watch trailers, gameplay, and read in-depth features.

What are your thoughts on Palworld? Let us know in the comments below!

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jayeshsini · 1 year ago

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HOW IT INNOVATION IS SHAPING THE FUTURE

Information Technology (IT) innovation is playing a pivotal role in shaping the future across various sectors and aspects of our lives. IT innovation refers to the development and application of new technologies, processes, and ideas to improve the way we work, communicate, and solve problems.

1. Digital Transformation: One of the most significant impacts of IT innovation is the ongoing digital transformation across industries. Traditional processes are being replaced by digital solutions, leading to improved efficiency, cost savings, and enhanced customer experiences. This includes the adoption of cloud computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to streamline operations and provide better services.

2. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AI and machine learning are revolutionizing industries by enabling computers to learn from data and make intelligent decisions. This technology is being used in healthcare for diagnostics and personalized treatment, in finance for fraud detection and algorithmic trading, and in autonomous vehicles for safe navigation, among many other applications.

3. IoT and Connectivity: The Internet of Things involves the interconnection of everyday objects, devices, and systems through the internet. This leads to real-time data collection, analysis, and remote control. IoT is transforming industries like agriculture (precision farming), manufacturing (smart factories), and city planning (smart cities) by enhancing data-driven decision-making.

4. Blockchain Technology: Blockchain is a decentralized and secure way to record and verify transactions. It has the potential to disrupt industries like finance (cryptocurrencies), supply chain (traceability and transparency), and healthcare (secure patient data sharing) by providing tamper-proof and transparent records.

5. 5G Technology: The rollout of 5G networks is set to revolutionize connectivity by providing ultra-fast data speeds, low latency, and the ability to connect a massive number of devices simultaneously. This will enable innovations like remote surgery, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and smart infrastructure.

6. Cybersecurity Innovations: As technology advances, so do cyber threats. IT innovation is also focused on developing robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and systems. This includes AI-powered threat detection, biometric authentication, and advanced encryption techniques.

7. Healthcare Transformation: IT innovations like telemedicine, wearable health devices, and electronic health records are reshaping healthcare delivery. Patients can now receive remote consultations, monitor their health in real time, and access their medical information easily.

8. Education and E-Learning: IT innovation is transforming education through e-learning platforms, virtual classrooms, and interactive educational content. Students can access high-quality education regardless of their location, and educators can personalize learning experiences.

9. Sustainability and Green Technology: IT innovation is also contributing to a more sustainable future. Smart energy grids, energy-efficient buildings, and predictive analytics are helping reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.

10. Personalized Consumer Experiences: AI and data analytics are enabling businesses to understand customer preferences better, leading to highly personalized experiences. This is evident in online shopping recommendations, content streaming suggestions, and social media algorithms.

Mr. Jayesh Saini notes that, “IT innovation is shaping the future by driving advancements in various fields, from healthcare to education, and from finance to manufacturing. The seamless integration of technologies like AI, IoT, blockchain, and 5G is fundamentally changing the way we live and work. This leads to increased efficiency, better services, and new opportunities for growth and development. However, it's important to consider the ethical and social implications of these innovations to ensure a balanced and inclusive future.”

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healthwisekenya · 1 year ago

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HOW IT INNOVATION IS SHAPING THE FUTURE

#jayeshsaini healthcare LifeCareHospitals Kenya NHIF NPS TSC

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healthkenya7 · 1 year ago

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HOW IT INNOVATION IS SHAPING THE FUTURE:

Digital Transformation: One of the most significant impacts of IT innovation is the ongoing digital transformation across industries. Traditional processes are being replaced by digital solutions, leading to improved efficiency, cost savings, and enhanced customer experiences. This includes the adoption of cloud computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to streamline operations and provide better services.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AI and machine learning are revolutionizing industries by enabling computers to learn from data and make intelligent decisions. This technology is being used in healthcare for diagnostics and personalized treatment, in finance for fraud detection and algorithmic trading, and in autonomous vehicles for safe navigation, among many other applications.

IoT and Connectivity: The Internet of Things involves the interconnection of everyday objects, devices, and systems through the internet. This leads to real-time data collection, analysis, and remote control. IoT is transforming industries like agriculture (precision farming), manufacturing (smart factories), and city planning (smart cities) by enhancing data-driven decision-making.

Blockchain Technology: Blockchain is a decentralized and secure way to record and verify transactions. It has the potential to disrupt industries like finance (cryptocurrencies), supply chain (traceability and transparency), and healthcare (secure patient data sharing) by providing tamper-proof and transparent records.

5G Technology: The rollout of 5G networks is set to revolutionize connectivity by providing ultra-fast data speeds, low latency, and the ability to connect a massive number of devices simultaneously. This will enable innovations like remote surgery, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and smart infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Innovations: As technology advances, so do cyber threats. IT innovation is also focused on developing robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and systems. This includes AI-powered threat detection, biometric authentication, and advanced encryption techniques.

Healthcare Transformation: IT innovations like telemedicine, wearable health devices, and electronic health records are reshaping healthcare delivery. Patients can now receive remote consultations, monitor their health in real time, and access their medical information easily.

Education and E-Learning: IT innovation is transforming education through e-learning platforms, virtual classrooms, and interactive educational content. Students can access high-quality education regardless of their location, and educators can personalize learning experiences.

Sustainability and Green Technology: IT innovation is also contributing to a more sustainable future. Smart energy grids, energy-efficient buildings, and predictive analytics are helping reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.

Personalized Consumer Experiences: AI and data analytics are enabling businesses to understand customer preferences better, leading to highly personalized experiences. This is evident in online shopping recommendations, content streaming suggestions, and social media algorithms.

#jayeshsaini #healthcare #LifeCareHospitals #Kenya #NHIF #NPS #TSC

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legacy-by-darkryuu · 2 years ago

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Remaster: Step Toward the Future, Chapter 1

Summary: Set in BTN/MFOMT/DS: Jill ("Claire") is struggling to find a goal in life after high school. After her parents boot her off to her late grandfather's farm, everything around her is never quite the same as she struggles to find herself and her future. Remastered from original 2004 release. Jill/Cliff, minor Jill/Kai, minor Jill/Gray, minor Jill/Doctor. OC/Popuri, OC/Elli.

Also available on Archive of Our Own

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Blanket Disclaimer: I don’t own Story of Seasons, Harvest Moon, or Rune Factory.

Rating: M/Adult

Author’s Note:

2023 Notes: It is DONE. It only took four years because of flipping adulthood. I can’t say it was fruitless. Along with the full rewrite of Step Toward the Future, I completed the prequel stories! Originally, when I was gung-ho writing this in the 00s-10s, I skipped around and did not actually write how some of the characters got here. Especially the kids, my God. They just popped up in Yuki, the Sophomore fanfic following Step Toward the Future. And there’s mentions of the characters but like you never meet them. It’s been weird as hell but I fixed it! All characters are now accounted for.

I will be posting for a while, there is a TON of content. I do not believe I can get into Fanfiction.net for some reason, or at least it’s not loading for me (I promise you, it could have fully closed and I’d have missed it) so it will be on Archive of Our Own and on Tumblr…once I pretty up the site. My motivation for anything lately is crap. But it’ll be on legacy-by-darkryuu at some point. I will host the ‘Classic’ version there unless otherwise specified.

It stays true to form…to a point, then, if somehow you’ve read it between 2004-2016, it goes the FF7 route and goes complete revamp. Still chaotic, still pretty nonsense but I seriously cannot reformulate this whole series by rectifying that, lol.

It’s a trifle darker than the original? Just a wee bit. And while real world chronologically, this is the first story I wrote, in the series, Nomad falls before this and may be a good read for some elements but not required. But that’s all I’ve got. Happy reading.

2019 Rewrite Notes: So, I finally decided to stop being lazy since I am working on the original six’s stories (mostly Shin’s right now) and just edit this bad boy to fit where we are now. I have like 90 different versions sitting in this folder but we’ll call this the “Forever Edit” until I edit something else into the storyline.

It’s only necessary for some unsavory things that were ‘normal’ when I was fourteen. It did kind of strike me as funny that Cliff’s ‘gentlemanliness’ is a little gross to me now. It just didn’t come off naturally. Also, while Jill was a loner and aloof in the original version, while she’s not super friendly ‘everyone is my friend!’, I don’t get the idea she’d purposefully be that way so that’s gonna be played down. Also, since Koji’s our quintessential dark child, she may still dress darkly and have a few of the original stylings but that’s gonna be rolled back a little too. And just some general cohesiveness corrections. ADDITIONALLY, I hope I can truncate this disaster to make it a more reasonable amount of chapters.

I’m going to remove the classic version from FF.Net again but you can still access it on Archive of Our Own. I know a lot of my old time readers are nostalgic and the version over there was how it was ORIGINALLY uploaded.

New time readers, welcome to the series. It’s cray. I have literally been writing this thing for fifteen years. I have slowed down due to being a full-time employed millennial so I get in where I fit in now. This story is set in 2004. It’s an AU take on the game. There will be lore and Easter eggs toward the series but overall, just take the characters and throw them into a real setting. Be forewarned, some of your favorite characters may be portrayed as unsavory but this changes (now). I hope you enjoy! Happy reading~

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Jill was lost in her own world amidst the heavy metal and moshing as she walked through the concert of one of the local bands, shoving past the riled up fans, cursing them silently under her breath. Like clockwork, again, she wasn’t in a good mood. The screaming rhythm that she had come to love wasn’t numbing her dismay at all.

She’d been tasked to take care of her great-grandfather’s farm and she was leaving tomorrow morning.

It wasn’t like her but she whined for nearly three weeks. It wasn’t what she WANTED to do…but, her parents demanded to know her alternatives. She…had none. They assured that this was something for her to do in the meantime then. She had five other brothers, but she was chosen out of all of them. Most likely because, out of all of them, she was the only one not attending college aside from the oldest who already had a career.

Mumbling lightly, she started for the exit, seeing as the concert wasn’t providing her any joy and tomorrow was going to be a long day.

And the sooner she figured out what step she had going toward her future, the sooner she got to leave.

She heard the alarm beeping, but she didn’t want to wake up. She didn’t want to go. Why was she being forced to do this? What did she, someone who’d only known the city for eighteen years, know about farming?

She picked up her alarm clock and threw it across the room, burying her face into her pillow. Whose test was this exactly? “Well, good morning, Sunshine” said a sarcastic voice. She looked to the door of her large room to see her older brother, Yagami Koji, standing there, wearing dark colored jeans and a black button up shirt, an ever loving child of darkness with dark hair and dark eyes to match. Jill sat up and grumbled, “Shut up and kill me.” He smiled gently and came further in to sit on her bed, “Princess, you know I’d go for you if mom and dad weren’t so invested in seeing you do something.” “Can’t I take time to figure that out? I just don’t know! I’m not like you or Shin, I don’t know what I want to do!” she protested, referring to their oldest brother who had a full blown career now. “And you can do that while you’re managing the farm” he said warmly, “Hell, maybe you’ll have an epiphany in like the first year then one of us will come and run it the rest of the way until it’s sold. You have to admit, Jilly, you’ve been sitting around for not days or weeks or even months, but close to a full year, doing absolutely nothing. We have super lenient parents but they do not care for idleness. You already got to see they didn’t let it fly with your twin.” Yea, she guessed she was the spoiled one now, she did think she’d get a pass. She sat up and hugged his waist, whining, “Big brother…” He stroked her long blond hair and rested his chin on top of her head, “Mmm, tell you what: how about I come and help on my next break. Sound okay?” She sighed. “I guess...”

"Psh, you guess? Can you imagine Koji actually farming?” said a snickering voice. They both looked up and Koji glared back at him. “I’d do better farming than you can, punkass.” The other oldest, Yagami Nerimaru, known amongst their family as ‘Nelly’, gave Koji a large grin and placed his left hand on his hip. He shook a spatula at them. “The nerve. And after I got up all early and crap to fix breakfast. I’m hurt.” Koji stood and rolled his eyes at Nelly, his younger less gloomy twin “How sweet of you. Did you hit your head or something?” “Bah. I can’t do anything out of the kindness of my heart?” Koji raised an eyebrow, blinking innocently “Kindness? Is there any?” Koji laughed and ran down the hallway as Nelly threw the spatula at him. He glared in the direction Koji fled, most likely having missed as Koji was master at dodging. Jill groaned. Her brothers…her stomach flopped and she winced, biting her lip as nervousness suddenly overtook her.

“What if no one there likes me?” she whispered.

“What are you talking about? Does it even matter?” Nelly questioned.

“Yea, if I have to stay there for three or more years until we sell it or someone takes it over, it kind of does” she huffed. Nelly suddenly leered, looking back down the hallway, “Oi, Koji!” Somehow, she knew what direction this was going already when Koji reappeared. Nelly glowered, “She’s gonna be in ol’ country town without our supervision and probably meeting all sorts of shmucks.” “It crossed my mind” Koji assured. Jill groaned, burying her face in her hands. Here we go. She had maybe two boyfriends in her life because these two and, to a smaller degree, her other three brothers terrified anything identifying as male away from her. Hell, they might take this from her with that option looming overhead.

“But I’m leaning that Jill’s city sensibilities aren’t gonna be swayed by some country dude” Koji added. What now? Jill gave him a look as Nelly looked dubious. “I dunno, dude, country girls are hot, why are the dudes gonna be any different?” Koji mused over this and she groaned again, “Okay, while you two decide if you’re sending bodyguards with me, leave so I can take a shower.” She went into the large bathroom in her almost suite-like room and turned on the radio to Yellowcard, an American band. Undressing and climbing into her shower, she started to wash her hair and wonder...

Did they have showers? Oh God, she was going to die.

She wandered out after several minutes and pulled on her black shirt and a pair of red pants. Heading downstairs in the Yagami mansion to the kitchen, she found some of her brothers swinging pots and pans at each other, Koji and Nelly milling in the corner, probably still discussing her supervision while all that nonsense went on around them. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. Well, one pro: She was leaving some of this insanity behind.

XXX

Shin, her oldest brother, glanced at her as she gulped heavily. He was driving her to the ferry station on Hondo, the main island where she’d lived her whole life, to spirit her to this farming island. Her father, Yagami Yamada, a big-time surgeon, was supposed to but got called in to treat a patient.

Her mother also was called to surgery. Fashion surgery, that is. Apparently, there were two models on opposite spectrums in a show, one gaining weight to wear an outfit and another losing too much. Her mother, the great Yagami Dana, went to fix it so neither of them lost the opportunity.

Nelly and Koji only came to the mansion this morning to see her off from there, they had to get back to college. Somehow, she was glad as Shin was always generally the absolute calmest of all of them. She needed that right now…

Shin smiled. “You okay, sweetie?”

“Of course not” she grumbled.

He gave her a warmer smile, “You’ll be fine, imoto.”

“Yahhh, if you don’t scare the living crap out of your neighbors first” said a drowsy voice.

She glared at her own male twin, Tony. Shin cut his eyes in the rearview mirror at him. “You’re not helping, Tony.”

Tony smiled, “She knows I’m kidding. But seriously, remember, these people probably don’t even know what a CD is so you might not want to be blasting your EMO or any version of alt-rock immediately.”

She gasped at this revelation then sobbed into his shoulder. “I’m gonna die!”

Tony patted her head, “You’ll be fine, Jilly. I’m not a huge fan of this idea either but, y’know, it’s something to do while you figure shit out.”

“And who knows? Maybe you’ll find a boyfriend too” said the final, and youngest, brother in the group, Shaun.

She leered behind her, “Well, if you and Tony weren’t so busy waging war, you’d know that Koji and Nelly expressly forbid it.”

“Yeah, you better not without any of us there. Men are shit” grumbled Tony.

She glowered at him, “Even if I was capable of getting a guy to talk to me, given not one of you loons has ever allowed me to truly get the experience, I wouldn’t want some back-country hick.”

Shaun laughed, “You definitely won’t get a boyfriend with that attitude!”

“She won’t get one at all!” snapped Tony.

Shin scolded them both to silence before he smiled again, “Just try to enjoy yourself, Jill. I…also am not a great fan of you pursuing anyone at this junction but, whatever happens will happen.”

“...If you say so, Shin.”

She didn’t know. Maybe this would be the worst experience of her life.

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It…was beyond rustic. It was…almost like she time traveled. Jill wandered slowly into…a square? The streets were cobblestones. There was no pavement. There were shops, sure, but…

She was alone. All alone. She’d had five brothers and two parents her whole life, the very idea of ‘alone’ was traumatizing. But she wasn’t exactly ‘alone’. She was amongst absolute strangers. Their electric eyes gave her suspicious looks as she slowly wandered through town, down cobblestone streets, to find a grocery store. She just needed food. Everyone needed to eat, right?

She had no idea where anything was. Jill watched them whisper and raise eyebrows at her. Chills ran up and down her spine and her stomach was twirling. So this was it, huh? Going from her comfortable cozy circumstances to Judgmental Town 101? It was…it was stupid high school again and she literally just graduated. She didn’t even feel okay asking these people where the damn grocery store was.

Her lips began to twitch and before she knew it, she had stopped to sit on a bench to cry. Everyone on the street looked positively startled and started to quickly walk away from her, disturbed. Why? Did she look that scary? She cried into her hands, wishing her brothers were there to help. How could she survive when everybody judged her before they even got to know her?

She choked on sobs, rubbing her eyes. What was wrong with her? She was having a nervous breakdown for what reason? This was not the Yagami way. They just struggled and fought until things leveled out. She was not going to be the one Yagami breaking down because she couldn’t get groceries, especially given her brothers survived pretty much actual Hell.

Suddenly, a shadow came over her before someone sat down next to her. She sniveled, very startled, and looked to her side, about to glare and question what they were doing? Everyone was ignoring her or hadn’t they noticed?

But her eyes widened and she had to keep her mouth from falling open. A guy was beside her, a concerned look on his face. But that wasn’t what got her…

She didn’t think hot guys would even be here.

He had golden dirty brown hair that reached a little bit down his back, past his shoulders, pulled back in a ponytail. His eyes were bright blue and full of something warm and captivating...and he had on a black shirt and ripped jeans...

One thing was for sure: this was not the average town person she’d passed.

He tilted his head slightly to the side and finally asked, his voice soft and gentle, “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Now could she really say to this rather extremely handsome young gentleman her reason for crying like a complete idiot in the middle of town? No, she couldn’t.

Then again. “I...I can’t find the grocery store” she sobbed.

He gave her a breathtaking smile and chuckled, “That all? It’s all right. This town isn’t set up very conveniently.”

“It’s just no one would help me...” she blubbered, instantly feeling silly.

He frowned, “You’re new here, right? No one offered to show you around?”

She shook her head. Even the mayor hadn’t asked if she wanted a tour. He just ran away as soon as he showed her to the farm. The guy continued to frown for a moment then gave her another bright smile.

“Well then, allow me the honor. I am Izumi Cliff” he introduced himself, standing and putting his hand out to help her up.

Izumi…? She reached slowly toward his outstretched hand and took it. So warm. “H-hi, Izumi-san. I’m Yagami Jill. I’m going to be running the Obinata Farm. Um, sorry for the random...breakdown. It’s probably not the best way to meet someone. Rather awkward, I’d say.”

He smiled pleasantly, “Why? I have them everyday. This town is about as fun as getting a root canal.”

”Eek” she winced.

“Indeed...” he smirked, watching some snooty woman go by.

“So...you’re going to show me the grocery store?” she asked hopefully.

“I’ll do more than that! I’ll show you where the few things that exist are in this town” he said in an almost haughty manner.

She smiled shyly, “I’m honored.”

“Believe me, the honor’s all mine” he replied, bowing.

He led her back to…“Oki doki, square one.”

She didn’t feel annoyed, in fact, she fought off giggling, “Um...my farm? I kind of got down where this is.”

“Well, I’d hope you’d know your way here, I guess” he grinned.

He led her upwards and stopped in front of an old looking building with smoke looming from it. “This is the blacksmith.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Blacksmith? For what? It’s the 21st century.”

“Here, it’s like the 19th century. Four channels of television and they’re still using books. I mean, who actually reads anymore? We have the internet and fanfiction for that” he mused.

She laughed despite herself, “I mean, I do still read books but what’s the use of the blacksmith then?”

“I think he makes tools and stuff. I think. I dunno, I don’t talk to these people very often. All I know is his grandson is like, quiet Satan.”

“What?”

“Well, maybe not Satan, but quiet Lucifer” he ‘corrected’.

She laughed, surprised at herself, but very amused, “Those are like the same thing!”

“Okay, okay, he’s kind of a nice guy once you get to know him but he’s tsundere to a tee. Don’t be too off put if he says something terrible but doesn’t mean it” Cliff snickered.

She chuckled and nodded. He led her forward a bit to another house.

“This is the house of Duke and Manna. They’re like, upper class to the max but they sell wine and grape juice” he said before breaking off, musing.

“Hmm?” she questioned, sensing he had more to say.

“Well, I suggest avoiding Duke. He doesn’t like youth.”

She smirked at that, “Sounds kind of…old.”

“Yea, he’s kind of weird.” Cliff led her forward to another house. “This is Anna and Basil’s house. They’re the local botanists. They also have a daughter named Mary. She’s smart and ‘I know so much more than you, loser’ and she works in the library. Not that I really go there.”

She groaned, “I probably won’t either. I have to learn to farm. I guess I’ll be reading ‘fanfictions’ if I do have free time.”

He waved his hand, “Damn straight! And that said place is right there. The library…also known as the Legion of Doom.”

She chuckled again and he led her around the bend. “This is the mayor’s house right here...he lives with this photographer named Kano. Kano came from the mainland too. I think he said he’s from Wasaba or something.”

“Oh my God, really?” Her dad came up there, maybe he knew him.

“Yep! The mayor lets him stay here for now until I guess he finds a Ms. Mayor. I mean, the guy needs someone to keep him warm at night. He’s not exactly a looker.”

She giggled as the mayor’s appearance popped into her head. “Yea, I have never met anyone wearing a top hat not as a costume before. I thought those went out of style.”

Cliff laughed, “Yeah, I was pretty blown away when I came here too.”

So, he wasn’t from around here either and Izumi…it could be a coincidence. What made him settle in these parts? Walking up a bit to the next house, Cliff smiled. “Well, this lady is pretty nice. Her name’s Ellen and she has a granddaughter named Elli and her grandson, Stu. She makes a nice apple pie for everyone during the holidays.”

Jill smiled softly, more at the look on his face rather than what he was saying, “At least someone pleasant exists, huh?”

“Oh, they are few and in between.”

The place next door happened to be… “Here it is, as promised: The grocery store.”

She groaned and blushed, “I feel so stupid...”

“Don’t, really. This place looks like all the rest of the houses.”

She smiled at his comfort and then noticed a random girl glaring at them from the benches nearby. She was wearing a white tube top, a pair of jean hot pants and a purple vest. Her hair was blond in the front and brown in the back and she had piercing green eyes.

“Why are you hanging out in front of our store? Get lost, losers!” she snapped.

“And that would be the store owner’s lovely daughter, Karen. Don’t worry. I find her mother Sasha to be rather kind. Wonder what happened with her daughter...” Cliff remarked.

Karen glared furiously at him and he grabbed Jill’s hand, quickly dashing by. She blushed at the little contact, her heart fluttering. He released it once they were a nice distance away from the angry Karen.

“Best not taunt that one” he grinned, shaking his head, “I mean, like Grey, she’s nice, just tends to get a little irritable about her circumstances from time to time.”

Circumstances? He looked around and then pointed at a white building.

“That is the doctor’s office. Note that everyone calls him ‘The Doctor’ but his name is Dr. Ishikawa though. Really nice guy, one of my closest buddies here.”

Jill frowned, that name ringing a bell too. Dr. Ishikawa…

They rounded another corner and he pointed up a walkway. “That’s the church. They have confession and services. Y’know, stuff like that.”

She nodded and they walked up the path a little more. He frowned and blinked a little. “This is the inn slash restaurant where I stay. Here is where Doug and Ann live.”

He looked upwards for a moment, as if thinking, then laughed, “Never mind. Let us continue!”

She stared at him as he passed her then continued to follow. He showed her everywhere that day and she felt so grateful to him. They went back to the store where they got a lot of dirty looks from fellow shoppers. Great. But Cliff smiled as if he didn’t notice them.

And she did the same. She wasn’t alone right now.

They walked back to her house and she smiled at him, “Thanks so much. I’m glad I found someone in town that’s nice.”

He smiled sheepishly, “You bet. And no need to thank me. It was my pleasure.”

He then grinned, “Well, I’ll leave you to unpack and stuff. Hope to see more of you.”

She nodded and watched him walk off. Huh.

She was actually starting to look forward to this a bit more. Maybe…this was a step forward.

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End Notes: Yellowcard?! Who the hell is that?! This takes place in 2004, bruh! This was some nostalgic research here. And I am 200% going to the When We Were Young 2023 music festival! Koji, Nelly, Tony, and Shaun are the farmer from Back to Nature/More Friends of Mineral Town/DS. Just…not really. When we were kids, I played as Koji, my cousin sort of played as Nelly, my younger cousin played as Tony, and, just to be inclusive, we had one other cousin play in spirit as Shaun. Shin is the farmer from Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley. Jill is the blonde protagonist from Back to Nature: For Girls and DS Cute. I can find no real remaining evidence but, prior to “Jill”, the brunette AnWL character, ‘Claire’ was Jill. Thus, why I named her such…I don’t remember when or why the shift came. Just remember, this was written sort of before Another Wonderful Life came out (Crazy, right?). Mineral Town is way bigger in scope than it is in the game. It’ll be developed over the stories.

#story of seasons fanfiction #harvest moon fanfiction #darkryuu #writing #fanfiction #step toward the future #story of seasons #harvest moon #bokumono

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