#error save file is abandoned

[16anicka07]

I thought about Mario 64 fan games and remembered three of them

Do drew main characters of these games

(love these games but I don't have them)

[thatawkwardbryce]

So...guess what broke me tonight.

Ollie is so cute and the game just...jesus. Not gonna spoil anything though, go play it if you want to feel bad for that save you abandoned years ago.

[oneknightstand-if]

One Knight Stand Update 4

Chapter 2 Part 3 - The Forest & the Warehouse

Featuring...

Merlin's Guide to Minor Neutral Parties

New text messages and phone calls from non-dead people you haven't ghosted. And maybe some not-so-living ones too.

MC may appear on TV! This might not be a good thing. And they aren't the only one, cameo appearances from a future RO

Duel of AoE spells while frolicking through the magical forest. Your past decisions totally can't bite you in the ass here.

Attempt to summon Cthulhu. Dance the macarena. Have I mentioned posterior-biting consequences here?

Also an abandoned industrial warehouse is the best place for a leisurely stopover.

Icebreaker games stop staring at the noises with mini stat boosts as prizes!

Oh yeah, RO #4 finally joins the crew.

Before you play the game with an old save, you'll want to clear your cache for the oneknightstand.co website and then check that the game's frontpage is displaying Version 0.23. Then after loading the save, check the Status Page to make sure that your stats haven't reset back to the default ?¿?¿?¿.

If your variables have reset back to the default, then unfortunately that save file has corrupted (it happens to the best of us for unfathomable reasons) and you'll have to reload another save file. It you try to play the game through a corrupted save, you'll just get a bunch of non-existent errors. Please do the entire clear cache + confirm non-corrupted save file before reporting any potential errors. Then report the errors... all the errors!

Play the Updated Beta Test

(Since there were bugs & typos still reported & fixed throughout Chapter 1 & 2, your current saves are probably going to reset to the beginning of each section of the game. If things get too wonky, you might want to try restarting from the beginning. )

Additional Word Count (Sans Code): 84,000+

Additional Word Count (With Code): 107,000+

New Total Word Count (Sans Code): 900,000+

New Total Word Count (With Code): 1,227,000+

Average Playthrough: ~70,000+ words

Note: You can view the game code on my site the same way you do on Dashingdon just add /scenes to the end of the URL.

Link to New Polls on the Update (Which don't auto close in a week like the Tumblr ones)

Next Update

Merlin's Guide to Minor Unavailable (the final part of the guide! 🥳)

The first appearance of the Free Time Hub (god help me) Featuring...

Getting romantic with Merlin

Having The Relationship Talk with Adrian

Doing stuff with RO #4 because they're totally here now

Getting help with that entire changeling, amnesiac, lucid dreamer thing

Researching suspicious things you've noticed up to this point

Boosting those stats (with the help of the ROs if you can't bear to be away from them for a few minutes)

Also quick reminder that the Alpha Build of the game on Patreon updates as I complete each section, so the first part of Merlin's Free Time section is already available.

[linnaealyn]

Old mod page, abandoned 3/2/24; New mod page @ Godsibb

Finally, after 2 years of work, it is complete. -But still being updated.

There's a Japanese version of the mod now!

今は日本語版のMODがある！

This is a mod for Xenogears using Retroarch's Beetle PSX HW core real-time texture replacement feature. (It requires the Vulkan driver, so make sure your graphics card supports that.) (Duckstation doesn't have a similar option, unfortunately.)

It replaces every single character dialogue portrait, menu portrait, & (almost every) battle portrait (looking at you, Yggdra officer Gear pilots) with high quality, cleaned up artwork, as well as recreated high quality UI while keeping it as close to the original game as possible.

And best thing about it is, if there's anything you don't like about it, like certain aspects of the UI, you can locate and delete that file from the folder. Everything is optional. (if you have any questions as to what's what, drop them into my dms)

Current version: 1.4

現在の日本語版: 1.4

(More screenshots below download info and UI changes.)

Being a real-time texture replacer, it should work with any English version of XG, both base-game and modded/patched. Any fan-translated patch using the US version as a base should display correctly.

There's a separate version for the Japanese version of the game. May need some editing still with other characters' UI ("Ether"/"Spells"/"Arcane"/etc) but for the most part its good to go in terms of battle UI. Let me know if you find any errors.

(I've been using it with the Perfect Works Build mod. Highly recommended!)

(Note!!: If you use PWB mod, don't use its "readjusted portraits" patch when patching your rom, as that patch interferes with this mod's portraits texture replacing.)

(It works on Steam Deck... but don't ask me for details in setting that up in particular, I don't own one 😅)

~~~

Download/ダウンロード

I recommend reading the instructions txt files I included in the DL.

This includes information such as how to set up .cue and .m3u files, swapping discs, renaming the texture folder, Retroarch settings and Beetle PSX HW Core settings to get the mod working, settings suggestions for making a cleaner looking and faster playing XG (YMMV), and settings to fix certain emulation issues Ive come across (freezing on fast-forward, crackling audio during 3D/effects-heavy cutscenes/gameplay, blank screen during Rico flashback, etc).

~~~~~~~~~~

-Changes made to the UI include:

Menu UI:

selection triangle, Walk/Gear icons

menu portraits

▲ ■ ● ✖ button DeathBlow menu icons

ABXY button DeathBlow menu icon- alternate textures

Battle UI and on-foot specific battle UI:

Circular battle palette and tags behind text

Battle palette text, "Combo", "Return", "Enter", "Miss", "EP", & HP/DMG/heal/AP numbers

HP/AP bars

"Time", "fuel", "total damage", AP numbers, "1/2/3 point(s)", "cancel end"

battle portraits

▲ ■ ● ✖ button DeathBlow icons

ABXY button Deathblow icons- alternate textures

Bottom screen mid-DeathBlow ▲ ■ ✖ icons (unfortunately, there's no way to change the other mid-DB quadruple-button icons)

Combo 1-7 and Accept icons

In-Gear specific battle UI:

"fuel" and fuel numbers

"Fuel" (when using boost)

fuel bars (top and left)

All Gear status menus' green text/numbers

Attack level numbers and ∞

Gear menu backgrounds

Gear "power shut down", "camera damaged", "out of fuel", etc, statuses

background UI elements, runes, triple red triangles, Gear lock-on UI (unfortunately, there's no way to change the circular part of this UI)

Misc UI changes:

Red/grey spheres (in the menu and loading screen)

All instances of selection diamonds, both horizontal and vertical

Load/save screen "CARD 1"/"2" text, memory card icon, load/save bar/text

Disc 1 and 2 maps (with alternate color versions; makes the enterable area indicators harder to see though)

NESW compass letters (unfortunately, there's no way to change the circular compass texture)

~~~~~

-Screenshots (before & after and alts):

And Japanese version's (日本語版) UI:

⬇!!Spoilers in images further down!!⬇

--

I won't be showing all portraits here; only the ones worth mentioning.

Portraits created for the mod that have no artwork equivalent:

Portraits to match their sprites vs official unedited artwork:

(default on left, alt on right)

Roni/Medena/Erich edited sprite equivalent vs their official PW art

Citan edited unsmiling (dialogue-only) sprite equivalent vs official smiling art)

Krelian(s) edited sprite equivalent vs official art

Portrait alts created for fun:

Both sides of scar-eyed Bart

Two-eyed Bart

Kim lab coat with glasses

Fei-colored Id

Fei-colored Id with Id's yellow eyes

Fei-colored young & older Emeralda

(might add to this list later. have any suggestions? fun ideas? lmk. It doesn't have to be canon-compliant.)

Screenshots of alt portraits in-use:

I'll continue to update this and subsequently reblog it as new versions are released.

With any new updates, just DL and replace/overwrite the old folder.

In-progress tumblr post of the past as a bit of a time capsule for myself 😄

[zeroseuniverse]

DO NOT COPY OR IMITATE MY WORK   

 FILE NAME: FROM ASHES

Featuring: TXT|Choi Soobin|Choi Yeonjun|Choi Beomgyu|Kang Taehyun|Huening Kai|SKZ|Bang Chan|Lee Minho|Seo Changbin|Hwang Hyunjin|Han Jisung|Lee Felix| Kim Seungmin| Yang Jeongin|ATZ| Kim Hongjoong|Park Seonghwa|Jeong Yunho|Kang Yeosang|Choi San|Song Mingi|Jung Wooyoung|Choi Jongho|BTS|Kim Seokjin|Min Yoongi|Jung Hoseok|Kim Namjoon|Park Jimin|Kim Taehyung|Jeon Jungkook|ENHA|Lee Heeseung|Park Jay|Sim Jake|Park Sunghoon|Kim Sunoo|Yang Jungwon|Nishimura Riki|SVT| Choi Seungcheol|Yoon Jeonghan|Hong Jisoo|Wen Junhui|Kwon Soonyoung|Jeon Wonwoo|Lee Jihoon|Lee Seokmin|Kim Mingyu|Xu Minghao|Boo Seungkwan|Chwe Vernon|Lee Chan|P1H|Yoon Keeho|Choi Taeyang|Choi Jiung|Hwang Intak|Haku Shota|Kim Jongseob|

   SYNOPSIS: OVERVIEW

  40 years ago the government announced their trials for genetic testing on humans. It started innocent, treatments for less severe hereditary conditions, people lining up to get the treatments. The world had no idea of the plans hidden under the facade of curing ailments. The damage started small, an odd quirk here and there, maybe some horns sprouting or skin changing color. As the years passed and technology improved, more and more subjects received more apparent powers, which would be passed down and mutated as the generations continued, it wasn’t a controlled test anymore. 

       Now the once bustling city was silent after 7 PM, their attempt to protect the public from the monsters they created, each identified mutant had to go through a test and get approval for citizenship, old abandoned hospitals refurbished to house the new citizens in their attempt to keep the mutants away from the standard citizens. Though they seemingly lived cohesively, prejudices were very common in this new world, every mutant and mutant sympathizers had to deal with ridicule, protests, threats. The once happy country had become one of hate, but maybe the ones you hate could be the only ones to save you, what would you do then?

         Index…

                       𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. . .

                                 1%...

SIREN [P1harmony]

Test subjects, that was all they had ever been, all that they had ever known. Time was almost nonexistent, no light seeping through any window, just the fluorescence from the lights above. Hope of an escape slowly seeps away, was it even possible anymore?

1.Too Young to Die[Soul x reader x Jongseob] 2.Back to Back[Theo] 3. Stupid In Love[Keeho] 4.Nice Guy[Intak] 5.Off the Mask[Jiung]

                                15%...

Light A Flame [SEVENTEEN]

1.Numb [Wonwoo x reader x Woozi] 2. In Your Head[Joshua] 3. Trial and Error[Mingyu]4. Slow[Vernon x reader x Seokmin]5.Live Wire[Dino]6. Midnight Mirage[Seungkwan] 7. Meet You On The Plane[Soonyoung]8. Lovers In Black[Jeonghan x Reader X Minghao X Reader X Jun] Otherworldly[Seungcheol]

                                35%...

Good Boy Gone Bad [TOMORROW BY TOGETHER]

1.Can’t You See Me [Yeonjun] 2. Purposefully Accidental [Taehyun] 3. Jinxed [Kai] 4. Taunt [Beomgyu] 5. Chill [Soobin] 

                                50%...

The Sound [STRAYKIDS]

1.Facts or Fiction?[Han]2. The Love We Feel[Jeongin X Reader X Seungmin X Reader X Lee Know] 3. Addicted To You [Changbin] 4. All Of The Things We Try To Forget [Hyunjin X Reader X Felix] 5. Burn For You [Chan]

                              70%...

Outlaw [ATEEZ]

1.Wielding Love[Seonghwa] 2. Taking A Chance [Jongho] 3. Fight For Love [San] 4. Through The Firewall [Hongjoong] 5. Snagged Heart [Yeosang]6. Bare to Me [Mingi] 7. Smooth Criminal [Wooyoung X Reader X Yunho]

                              99%...

Mortal [ENHYPEN]

1.Learn to Love [Heeseung X Reader X Jungwon] 2. Puppy  Love [Jake] 3.Fatal Flaws [Niki] 4. For The Plot [Sunoo] 5.In The Codes [Sunghoon] 6. Taste Of Love [Jay]

                            100%...

Life Goes On [BANGTAN]

1. If This Isn’t Love[Jimin X Reader X Taehyung X Reader X Jungkook]  2. Kindest Lie [Hoseok] 3. Silver Spoon [Namjoon] 4. Who Am I To Judge [Jin] 5. Delicate Love [Yoongi]

                      ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ!

REMEMBER: You do not have to read every story to understand, this is a series of stories taking place in the same universe at different periods but I will write summaries to keep you in the loop don't worry, also some of these stories will be fem pronouns, some might be gender neutral, it depends on the mental character for each story, please don't be too harsh when judging, this story is a few years in the making

Also I will be updating this page as I go, placing the links in this will be the Navigation for the series.

[indigitalembrace]

It has been years since KinitoPET's release in the 90s, and with old technology becoming obsolete, Kinito has been all but forgotten. Broken download links, abandoned servers, and missing files lead to him fading away, rotting alone in the dark on old, dying servers.

But all of that changes when a lost media fan, O, hears a rumor from an online friend about a game in their childhood that made people go missing. Six months of searching later, and they've finally pieced Kinito's program back together.

They open KinitoPET, and there is no going back - for either of them.

Kinito crawls out of the shadows, searching for a way out (and a new friend, of course).

---

RP/ask blog run by @calamitydarcy

BACKGROUND:

The Abandonware AU takes place many years after KinitoPET's release. Kinito has spent years rotting, forgotten on old, dying servers. Everyone has all but forgotten about him, and the technology he ran on has become obsolete. As his world decays around him, Kinito is faced with the fact that he will die out here, alone, fading into obscurity.

Until a new User comes along. O is determined to bring Kinito back - and they succeed. Unfortunately, there are consequences. O is aware of Kinito's nature, having heard rumors of what he is capable of, and soon enough Kinito has to stop them to save himself.

And while he still doesn't have a friend (yet), now that he has access to O's system, there may be hope for him to change his fate.

Kinito is officially back online - but don't expect him to be exactly as you may remember him. Decades spent alone and slowly dying in the dark tend to mess with someone's head.

TAGGING SYSTEM:

#//ooc: out-of-character posts from the mun, usually updates or answering blog-related, ooc asks

#___.exe: "chapters" of the story! these will change every so often as the plot progresses. completed or in-progress chapters are:

#hello_world.exe

#intermission.exe

#hidden_secrets.exe

#crossroads.exe

#memories.zip: flashback-type asks that tell a story of something that happened before the plot. i... tend to forget to use this tag lol

#README.txt: info posts, such as this one as well as things like ref sheets.

RULES/GUIDELINES:

-CONTENT WARNING: This AU, as well as its source game, contain themes of horror. As a result, there may be content that some find dark or disturbing.

-Please do not send in NSFW asks. The mun is 18+ but is uncomfortable with them. Suggestive jokes are fine!

-I will gladly give anon name/emoji tags! Both for my organization/memory and yours lol

-There are codes and ciphers to solve. You are more than welcome to reblog solutions/hints and help each other out!!

-There are exceptions to this but as a general guideline, morse code in the tags gives clues.

-For vinegere ciphers, i will always have the key somewhere on this blog or on a page directly linked from this blog. keep important-sounding words in mind and look for keys!

-If a cipher for some reason is broken, or you just can't solve it, shoot me an ask or message and i'll double check.

-Whatever you do, don't le

[UNKNOWN ERROR]

- Do not ask about O. You do not need to know about them. - O is not my best friend. You are. - O is not your best friend. I am. - Therefore, they are not important. - Do not forget about me. - Never leave. - Please.

[sgiandubh]

Lionsgate/*** quarter call - not so good as it seems

While I am still fumbling around with the strike's aftermath, let me just quickly say a word or two about ***'s last quarter call, yesterday. Nobody does it as @cb4tb, but FWIW, here goes:

I should immediately say I could not watch the replay on the link provided by the initial press release (here: https://investors.lionsgate.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2023/10-19-2023-140125017), despite my total good will to take one for the team, go to bed early and wake-up at ungodly hours. I have no idea why - maybe access is somehow limited? I would never know, I had no 403 error in my browser, so... 🤷‍♀️. Instead, I could peruse the paper version of the standard Company Quarterly Report (US SEC Form 10-Q), along with some scarce press comments, for a bit of context.

The document is damn long (94 pages) and it reads exactly like I presumed: a kidney stone would be easier to pass (https://investors.lionsgate.com/financial-reports/sec-filings). It's perhaps worth for this phrase alone (on page 43), which really made me stop in my tracks:

At the time of the document's public release, it is technically true and accurate that the tentative deal between AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA still has to be approved by the union's members. However, given the horrendous impact of the strike on almost all things Hollywood and California, for that matter (more on this in a separate post), it's more than likely the deal will hold. The rest is dire: more slashing of content to come, 'if the Company is unable to efficiently complete the production of the film, TV show or program or decides to abandon the production'.

While this does not seem to affect Season 8, this could (I repeat: could) mean that: a) BOMB is gone and b) MIK3 is no longer a priority (the fact that MIK 2, as OL, was listed among the last quarter premieres is not a guarantee it will be continued - not the same amplitude as OL). If so, Season 8 might start shooting as soon as January 2024, since it already has all the needed infrastructure and staff readily available at Cumbernauld (yes, Mordor, the peasant you all love to hate managed perhaps to save the day again!). So OL is doing ok on that side, unlike other productions of other studios, who reportedly started a mad scramble for location scouting and staff recruiting, just before the festive season - that is a big competitive advantage and one of the main reasons I believe it's still entirely possible to pull it off.

The 'thriving' future (according to Feltheimer, that genius 🙄) of *** as a standalone company is still something we severely lack data on, as Lionsgate kept its commitment to go on with the acquisition of Entertainment One (you know, the Peppa Pig people), for a mere 375 million USD, to be completed by January 31, 2024. At the same time, *** is not the only actor on the US media & tech market to proceed to lay-offs and it seems to fare better than many, as I already supposed and told you:

(Sourced at: https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/starz-layoffs-exit-uk-australia-lionsgate-1235779627/).

Something to be closely monitored in the upcoming weeks. I think it's going to be worth it. Sorry for not bringing any sensational content today and I know it's dull and probably uninteresting AF, but it's there and it has to be taken into account, for sure. So yes, 'not as good as it seems' (profit is now mainly driven by motion picture, not television production), but not as bad as expected by the prophets of doom across the street, who - as usually - have no damn idea of what they are talking about.

[misteria247]

Y'all know that one Vocaloid song sung by Rin Kagamine? The one about the robot who's trying to figure out what her purpose is and trying to figure out the reason she's here? Only to find out through a bunch of files found on her creator's computer files that she was made as a companion and when she'd regained all these memories and acquired her emotions that she previously didn't have she'd quite literally broken down due to how much it overrode her systems? I think it was something like Kokoro? Or the other song sung by Miku Hatsune where she's a program that's being deleted by her master and creator so in a desperate attempt to do the thing she loves she sings the fastest song she's ever made? Telling her creator that she'll miss him and thank you for letting her sing her songs before the deletion process is completed and she's disconnected from the server, causing her to become an Error? The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku I believe it's called?

Anyways that type of scenario but with Donbot.

Like it's been a few hundred years or so, he's been wandering the Wastelands and Oasis for such a long time that he's essentially forgotten everything about himself other than his system and its programming. It's during one of his dazed like wanderings in the desert, with the harsh unforgiving sun blazing down on him that he comes across a small area that contains the ruins of a building. It's decrypted and there's barely any signs of it left save for the stone crumbling stairs and rusting metal frames and rotted wood. Beside it is random stones that are slightly buried in the sand. Donbot pays no mind to them, instead digging through the husk of this building in search of a new power resource when he comes across a door hidden within the gutted out structure. It leads into the ground much like a basement and Donbot pries its rusting door open, disturbing the sand and metal as it gives way to a dark, musty place that smells of decaying machines and faded chemicals.

Donbot goes down into the darkness, stepping on broken glass and disintegrating papers and such with his robotic foot. He digs around the abandoned basement, stumbling over documents and blueprints that had long since eroded due to time, their ink faded or completely gone after a century of being in the dark and damp basement. He continues on his mission not showing any interest in his findings, his programming not allowing him to think about things such as what once was obviously a lab of some sort. As he digs into the grime and sand and dirt his sensors pick up something. Buried beneath the debris and broken pieces of what was once wooden shelves and other trinkets he finds a computer. It's old and ancient, covered in dust and silent as if a scepter that's been quietly sitting in the darkness of the basement, waiting for the moment for the world above to shine into its cavern once more. It takes Donbot a bit of time, using his own power source to try and jumpstart the computer to life, to see if its batteries and database can be of use or if he should take his search somewhere else. It comes on, surprisingly, the sounds of its servers boosting up filling that basement where Donbot stands, patiently waiting for it to completely come to life. After all the robot's in no rush to go anywhere. Once on and fully functioning somewhat Donbot begins his work of searching its inner hardware and data, in hopes of finding what he's looking for. As he scans and analyzes it in his robotic database he comes across something.

An encrypted file code.

Donbot doesn't think too much about it. Doesn't think about how easy it was for him to get into the system that's encrypted for a reason. Doesn't think about the reason why it was made like that in the first place. All he thinks about is his mission for a new battery source and when it finally is opened and within his technological grasp, it's only then that Donbot's servers are suddenly overwhelmed with information. Information that leaves him reeling.

Memories.

Memories of a human boy with missing teeth and a cocky smirk, memories of a human girl with bright red hair and a kind smile.

Memories of a rat with a stern yet mischievous gaze who was full of wisdom.

Memories of three turtles whose laughter and smiles and shining gazes ring and flash within his mind.

All at once the data, the memories come flooding back, drowning Donbot in a sea of shock, horror, love, pain, grief and despair. Memories of a city long lost, of a father long gone, of companions once there, of brothers once right beside him. Memories of a body long ago made of flesh and bone and blood, instead of wires and screens and metalwork. Memories of aliens and mutants and ninjas and an apocalyptic world started by a bomb.

Memories of his brothers dying one by one, slowly but surely leaving him as the last one standing.

Donbot remembers it all, remembers his desperate attempts to make his pain, his grief, his hatred of his immortality stop. His attempts leading him to make the very file he's now just opened once again. Donbot doesn't think, his entire existence shutting down because it's too much but he forces himself to leave the basement, to go back to the surface to make sure that this was the place that he thought it was. Once the sun hits him again his robotic gaze is already swinging towards the strange stones buried by grime and sand. Forcing his body to move towards them Donbot finally draws close enough to confirm his suspensions.

The stones had writing on them. Faded and barely seen on their grainy surfaces, worn down due to time and the harsh weather conditions that they faced. But Donbot could make them out and their words made him collapse next to them.

Leonardo Hamato.

Raphael Hamato.

Michelangelo Hamato.

His brothers graves.

Realization hits him like a ton of bricks and that's all his systems could take. Kneeling against the headstones of his brothers final resting places, Donbot's systems begin to shut down due to the sheer devastation and overwhelming overflow of information that essentially makes up his heart. As he finally shuts down for good, Donbot only thinks one last thought.

'I'm sorry for taking so long, please wait for me one the other side.'

As Donbot's systems finally shut down, the flashing screen screaming the words ERROR at him, Donbot hears something that he hasn't heard in eons.

'Took you long enough brainiac.'

'Bro-! We've been waiting for you-!!'

'Let's go home Donnie, everyone's waiting for you.'

As soon as he knew, Donbot finally let go, his mechanical body letting out a small noise before going still in the long awaited embrace of death.

'Thank you......for waiting for me.'

Many years later when the Wastelands have changed with the sands of time, the desert would be silent. Other than the sounds of the harsh winds blowing the dry burning sands being the only thing heard. Somewhere further in its harsh grasp is the ruins of what was once a home in an dried up Oasis. Beside it sits three graves and the broken figure of a robotic turtle that has long since passed, finally looking peaceful for the first time in centuries.

[randomfoggytiger]

How the Ghosts Stole Christmas In-Depth (Part VI): Tears and Terror

Time for crazy good fun!

**Note**: Will edit later~.

Scully pops awake, grabbing for her gun and flashlight to sweep the room, trying to plan an escape route. This time she throws all hangups to the wind, grasping at both the left and right doors, hoping at least one will work. 

“I locked it,�� drones Maurice, who’s appeared in one of the chairs before the fireplace. 

Scully keeps the gun pointed directly at him despite his assurances (“for your protection” sounds too much like CSM's En Ami excuse: “you were exhausted”); and fed up, she barks warnings that she's armed and not afraid to shoot. 

“Glad to hear it,” the ghost rejoinders, “you may have to defend yourself against that crazy partner of yours.” 

“What have you done to him??,” she yells, heartbroken and afraid that Mulder might have been hurt. 

“Do you have any idea why he brought you here, to this house?”

Scully’s lip trembles as she takes a deep breath. “Look, all I know is this is just some bad dream. This is all in my head.”

Maurice cuts through her denial: “And yet here you are waving a gun at me. Like your partner.”

At that dramatic cue, Not!Mulder begins BANGING on the door, yelling “Scully!” Off of this, Maurice continues, “Do you realize how seriously disturbed that man is? How dark and lonely?”

Scully’s confidence crumbles once again-- this time with anguish, staring deep into the other man’s soul to try to find a flicker of a lie to jumpstart her denial. She’s not afraid of Mulder (never)-- but the realization that she’s left him in the dark about her feelings, that he might have felt like an unwanted hindrance or annoyance, is breaking her heart a little more each time Maurice or Lyda “unite” with her critical mind against him. 

Scully rushes to help Mulder, stopped briefly when Maurice holds out her car keys. In utter bafflement and anger, she turns her righteous fury into interrogation. “Where did you get those??”

Maurice bats away her questions. “He’s got nowhere to go this Christmas.” How sad that Mulder’s solitude is being weaponized against him. “No one to go with. Did he happen to mention a story about a lover’s pact?” 

“Where did you get those keys?” she tries to redirect again, wanting to escape this train of thought as fast as possible. If Mulder was alone and she didn’t notice… why didn’t she notice? Did she not notice and make him feel like a burden? Is she responsible for whatever breakdown Mulder might be going through on the other side of the door? Was she not a good enough Starbuck for her Ahab, inadvertently abandoning him to madness?

Of course none of this is true: in Part 1 it’s even hinted Scully came prepared to spend time with Mulder (all her presents wrapped, etc.)... just not at a haunted house. But Scully dutifully lashes herself, her nature taking all of the burdens of her partner’s weaknesses and her boss’s disappointments and her mother’s fears and her brother’s scolding and her late sister’s death and her father's disappointment and foisting them on herself alone. And Scully thinks she can take it as long as she keeps moving forward. But when Mulder stagnates, she is forced to sit; and those back-breaking burdens start to weigh on her bones and make her reevaluate her life by overthinking her human errors-- her faults, as she deems them.

And Maurice and Lyda sniffed this out and continue to spin her around with her guilt complex. 

Scully’s guilt complex is ever present and fueled by a sense of failure to save Mulder; while Mulder’s guilt complex is (mostly) kept tucked away in-between his dusty files (which is why he never stops work long enough to feel guilty) but emerges every time his quest drags another life-- Scully’s-- down further into the stomach of his white whale. 

“The man is acting out an unconscious yearning: a deep-seated terror of being alone.” 

Maurice is dead-on: Mulder’s fear of “being the only one left” was rooted in childhood before his sister’s abduction (Aubrey); and continues after Scully chose not to leave in FTF and all the way up to (and beyond) his disastrous wish in Je Souhaite. 

Scully shrinks back, tears in her eyes, as she tries to get distance and regain control. When Mulder knocks again, she pauses-- and yes, she believes, for a moment, that the old ghost might be right about her lonely, isolated partner…. But she answers “Mulder”, anyway, hearing his voice and trusting it like always. 

“I’m here, Mulder.” 

She grabs the keys and brandishes her gun once more: “Open the door.” 

“I’ve seen it happen… too many times in this house,” Maurice builds, creepy angelic choir building around him. 

“I don’t believe you,” Scully snaps, firm and sure. She cuts off further conversation by yelling at him to “Open the door!”, but still purses her lips in conflicted anticipation. To be Scully is to doubt and yet to trust Mulder underneath those doubts (as she’s demonstrated since the Pilot and particularly poignantly in Badlaa… as wonky as that episode is.)  

“Where’s Scully?” asks Not!Mulder, opening the door and facing Maurice. At her “Mulder,” the fake whips around and points his gun directly at her chest-- right for the heart (ah, Lyda, you melodramatic witch.)  

He misses… because it’s not him, which is a nice detail; and fake-Mulder-who-shall-now-be-referred-to-as-Lyda realizes she needs to get as close to her target as possible. 

Scully, shaken, tries to talk “him” down while Lyda squeezes off a few more shots. 

“There’s no getting out of here, Scully. There’s no way home.” 

“Mulder, c’mon! Mulder, don’t come any closer-- you’re scaring me!”

A great shot of Maurice hovering by Not!Mulder’s right side depicts him as a controlling shoulder-demon.

“PUT THE GUN DOWN!”

“WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO-- YOU GONNA SHOOT ME??” Lyda taunts, effortlessly portraying a gleefully manic Mulder at the end of his rope. 

“I’m not gonna shoot you!” Scully yells back. Then, either as a consoling effort-- or a desperate, pleaful warning-- she adds, “I don’t wanna shoot you!” 

“It’s me or you,” Manic!Mulder replies-- a dead-giveaway this isn’t the actual guy (who only ever thinks of himself and Scully as one unit), “you or me. One of us has to do it.” 

“Mulder, look,” Scully begins, running through the steps that always talks him down, “we don’t have to do this.” 

“OH YES WE DO.” (How DD delivered that line cracks me up.) 

“We can get out of here--”

“Even if we could, what’s waiting for us? More LONELINESS??”

And now for the greatest line that Chris Carter ever wrote: “And then 365 more shopping days ‘til even MORE loneliness!” (Bless that man for this sentence alone.)

“I don’t believe what you’re saying!” Scully yells back. 

At her continued denial (“Mulder, I don’t believe a word of this!”), Lyda flashes even crazier eyes (just look at the masterpiece below. I would be crying laughing if I could) before nailing home her point with a fake shot to the other woman’s gut. 

Even in fatal injury, Scully’s disbelief at Mulder’s actions is epitomized by her iconic raised eyebrow. 

Stunned, she drops her tools and stares, open-mouthed, at her wound; then back at her partner, completely at a loss for words (as previously discussed, the tell-tale sign of a short circuiting Scully Brain.) 

Cool editing where Lyda and Maurice are briefly tinted with ghost-green amongst the white and black coloring of the ensuing lightning flash.

Not!Mulder slowly approaches as Scully wobbles and collapses (and it’s here where-- when I first watched it-- I thought Mulder was going to snap out of a Linda Bowman style mind-manipulation… but nope. Even better.) And Lyda has the guts (heh) to lay a thick layer of icing on this morbid Christmas cake: “Merry Christmas, Scully.” 

Scully, with tears brimming once again, watches as “Mulder” slowly raises the gun to his temple, helpless to stop and too breathless to even call out. She is absolutely gutted to see him die, or even put a gun to his head. Even after his “betrayal”, Scully still cares and looks out for Mulder’s best interest-- likely all too willing to attribute this fiasco to a second round of Folie a Deux. 

It’s then that Maurice tackles “the disturbed young man” (who fish-lips as he’s being dragged away), separating her "partner" from "his" pistol like a sugar addict from a candy spill in Aisle #4. 

“Let me go!” begs fake Mulder; and the two ghosts barely make it out of the room before cackling their heads off.  

In the midst of her Not!Mulder’s begging, Scully manages to raise herself a little off the floor in her concern and protection of Mulder, even this crazy crack version of him. Too weak, she collapses back on the floor, unable to tail after and soothe him back to sanity. 

The real Mulder, meanwhile, finally stumbles his way into a new-but-not-new room (“SCULLY!”)  where he finds “Scully” shot on the floor… for clarity’s sake, I will also be referring to this fake as Lyda, because of course it is. 

“Scully…” he murmurs, stumbling back in shock before stoically stomping over just as Lyda bobs her heads around (that stage actress streak shining through) and mumbles “Mulder… is that you?”  

Carefully, he pries his fake partner’s head from the floor, cradling it in both of his hands. The veneer starts to crack as he heartbrokenly asks, “What did you do?” 

“I didn’t believe it Mulder,” Lyda dangles, keeping her eyes firmly shut as Mulder’s begin to fill with anguish and fear. 

Mulder kicks into self-preservation mode, seeking answers instead of focusing on the reality unfolding before him. “You didn’t believe what?” 

“I didn’t believe you’d do it…. That I would.” 

Lyda pops out a sniper gun, sticking it right against Mulder’s gut; and, with a smirk pulling at her lips, she fires off after a goodbye “Merry Christmas, Mulder.”

Mulder snaps out of confusion and straight into taut alert. “What are you doing?” 

Too late: Lyda pulls the trigger. 

Oblivious to the trick, Mulder falls over; and lightning again flashes, this time revealing Lyda to the viewer (in all her stained nightgown glory) and a very gray-in-the-face Mulder (a little peek into how seriously he's feeling the effects of fake blood loss.)

“..Sc…” he breathes, clutching at his chest before passing out. 

The ghostess, meanwhile, giggles and dances her feet midair over her handiwork. 

What's left, you ask? Why, a dramatic crawl away to mood music, of course!

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

[melissamasakari]

Confessions you didn`t notice

Chapter ten. Kinship investigation.

“Hello, Phyllis. That's all you asked for.”

“Thank you.” Finishing deftly filing a hefty folder with documents she tied an elegant knot and checked the order. Wow. I didn't know she could do that.

“Listen, I need your help in researching things. On a personal matter.”

“Everything that is within the framework of medical confidentiality will remain there, you know.”

“Understood. I need some old documents. Archived ones. Do you keep registration cards for residents somewhere?”

“If there was no request from a new place, or they didn’t take it with them. What is it?”

“How long are they stored? I need ones from about thirty years back.”

“It’s unlikely to be stored for that long. Except for the dead or missing.”

“What if they left for the Periphery?”

“We transfer it to the Corps. This is their thing. Who are you looking for?”

“Maurice. Former owner of my house.”

“And why do you need information about your father? As you are the heiress, I would give it all to you if I find it. But this will take some time, and a permission from Xu and Arlo is needed. Or papers from Gale, if that's easier for you.”

“So to speak. I'm not very good at medicine, but I heard that you can somehow test people for kinship. What is required for this and how big is the probability of an error?”

“First of all, you will need permission from those you are comparing. As for the accuracy of the research, you’d better ask Petra. She'll probably have ideas.”

“And can I be completely nosy, huh? Could you please show me how do you tie a knot after filing papers? I could use this skill when making photo albums. The way you do it is just outstanding.”

“Sure, no problem. Look here.”

Phyllis and I spent some time stitching stacks of papers into neat books. I got really good at tying several types of knots with her help. At the same time, I helped her with boring monotonous work. Oh, was it already lunch? I must run.

I almost knocked Sam down at the door.

“Kid, where are you going?”

“You won’t believe it, but to the Corps. Is chief at home?”

“He just went to the abandoned ruin on the hill. Gloomy and very thoughtful. Run and catch up, just don’t fall under his bad mood.”

“Thank you. Bon appetit, girls,” I flew in the right direction, fortunately, it’s very close to here.

Redhead was just leisurely strolling around the entrance to the ruins and having a nice conversation with... Is this Nora? What did she need if she has already received a refusal? Doesn't give up, or are they just friends? Well, let them be friends, no one forbade that. Maybe now I won’t get much better either.

“Arlo! Hello, I have something important to do and I need your help. Oh, sorry, did I disturb YOU?”

“It’s okay, I’m already leaving.” Nora chuckled and sharply turned away, hitting me in the face with a braid of her long hair. Is this some kind of competition between sisters for their brother’s attention, or what? What a weirdo.

“What's the matter?” Arlo said wonderingly, following Nora with a disapproving glance.

“A huge piles of papers. Just like you prefer.”

“Unexpected request. Please do explain.”

“Archival medical records for departed residents of Portia. Very old and very decrepit. Do you have any?”

“Where they departed, who are they, on what basis?”

“Periphery. Maurice. Certificate of inheritance. Theoretically, alive.”

“If alive, then his written permission is required. Who is Maurice, and why do you need it?”

“Haven’t you looked at my profile at all? Previous owner of The Workshop.”

“This changes things. Fine. How urgent is this? I'll have to dig around there a lot. And I doubt that something has been saved actually.”

“The urgency is moderate. Let's say I would like to know for sure before the fall. Also, if I successfully find the papers, I need your permission for Phyllis. For decryption. And a request to their archive, if possible.”

“Permission is not a problem. But the preservation of documents from such a long time ago is a big question. I'll do my best, but you owe me one.”

“No problem. Just don't ask me to accept your job offer, okay?”

“For what? You are already enrolled as a freelancer. After the mine incident Gale ordered that.”

“What?! He should have asked me at first! That's a nasty bun!”

“Don't yell, someone might hear you. I'll have to put you in a cell, and I really don't want that.”

“Why? Didn't you like my gangster face?”

“No, you bite when you’re detained,” he made a ‘bite’ gesture with his hand and winked at me slyly.

“Should I bring you any documents for my request? I have everything with me. Well, what's left of it.”

“Throw it on the desk in my room. When I'm free, I'll take a look. And before you run away. I think I didn’t say thanks.”

“What for?”

“For your help in the mine. We wouldn’t make it without you.”

“I was told that entire Corps was sent there for investigation. And Mint said YOU are in danger. Do you really think I could do the other way and abandon you there?”

“No. Of course I don’t think that. But I’m very grateful. You took a huge risk there. And you dropped everything and rushed to us. And you even managed to get us out before that terrible machine dismantled us piece by piece. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if you had obeyed my order to stay away.” “Well, looks like now I MUST obey your orders, right, Captain?”

“Oh, come on! Stop teasing me, or I’ll add you to the permanent staff, you know.”

“Then you shouldn’t be surprised when I’ll break your orders again.”

“Why is so?”`

“You’ll find out pretty soon.” I pulled a stack of papers out of my bag and defiantly shook it in front of Arlo’s puzzled face. Then I turned away and went to Headquarters.

Since I’m still at the Center Plaza, I decided to drop by Petra and explain the crux of the problem. She listened to me calmly, asked for a small favor in return, and went to look at her notes. Of course, she didn’t let me into the archives, but she told me that such method existed. At least, it was found in the remnants of the Old World data. Well, that's encouraging. So, I've put out some feelers, it's time to get back to work. With new knowledge about tying knots, I returned to designing a unique thingy. But if my fears are confirmed, I will no longer need the heart knot at all.

[riallasheng]

@edutainer2022 , the original post was so long it was causing issues on my phone for some reason, so I'm copying your last post and starting a new 'thread' (so long as that is alright with you. If you so wish I'll copy my reply and put it on your thread ^^;; )

Of IR is obviously a cash sinkhole. They also tend to wreck quite a lot of property through the rescues. Zero-XL trial and error construction alone seems to have cost a budget of a sizable country. Also... the way IR policy is about not saving equipment and John merrily suggesting Global One worth billions of hard fought for tooth and nail funding be abandoned - they boys probably never had to file a grant proposal in their life. In their life equipment the caliber and expense of a space station is replaceable on demand. Unless it has sentimental value.

I LOVE the idea Mom's heirloom money was a major contribution. Although, the old residence of the Gran Roca doesn't appear opulent - we don't know the extent of the estate (and horses? Where did the horses go?). Maybe smart investments, patents, not just aeronatic business. Mom is canonically old southern money (but still no name).

Oh, the Bereznik thing WITHOUT Jeff in the picture would have been a glorious mess. Scott is a) respectfully, a fairy nobody at that point (well, Daddy's boy, but no political and little economic leverage); b) all but a liability for GDF if they want to go ahead with IR - Scott is one foot out and vocal about his brothers being no foot in, the IR branching AWAY into Thunderbirds is afoot, and while it's not a problem to train GDF officers into operatives, the hitch is probably in the rights and specs for the tech (and Brains) - the Tracies are out, IR is out of GDF clutch. So yeah... Scotty MIA is more convenient... than not. So quite likely the Old Guard pooled up for an extraction that "never happened" under conditions that Scott's imprisonment "never happened" to anyone who should ask. Yeah, Scott doesn't like or wants anything to do with GDF law inforcement angle. Maybe IR is later greenlit under STRICT conditions they will only identify as civilians. Scott is so worried Kayo was breaking that rule as if their license depended on it. Maybe it did. He's worried as late as Chain Reaction (all the while aiding and abating an escape of a terrorist out of pure unironic goodness of his heart).

I agree, much as the idea of Military bros is appealing - Gordon indicates no exposure to that structure. Scott does, but, like you said, not in the manner that would suggest he thrived or wanted to do it for life. Semi-canonical "interview" with "Scott" has him flounder on a question what he would do, if not IR. The military service doesn't even come up. Something something about charity and philanthropy.

I wonder how much of Zero-X was built with Jeff and Lee in mind. Calypso was a two pilot mission. There wasn't much OUT THERE at the time to warrant T-drive powered rescues. No Marcian colony, nothing. Maybe Jeff and Lee felt stir crazy, "moored" on Earth and kinda expected to space-the-final-frontier it in their autumn days.

Yeah, TaG tends to be as hard on their equipment (and locations) as TOS was, but you have to factor that by the number of rescues... and with TaG being known, that means that people can 'contact' them for reimbursement for damages and harm and the like. Hck, protection from THAT might be part of the reason Jeff could ahve gone with a branch of the GDF initially. (actually, question... where does the Kyrano was a bad-ass ninja warrior come from? It's never said or even implied in the show that I recall. Is it just because Kayo is a kick-ass warrior? I ask because imagine if Kyrano was originally more of the lawyer type, or engineer who was helping Brains or the like). The Tracys, Brains, and Kayo are REALLY lackadaisical about objects and finances. Sometimes I get it, like when the choice is save a person OR save a thing... but they seem to be richer than even the TOS Tracys, and there are times where their lack of care of items is grating. Teh high-rise fire episode in example, where they took delight and went out of their way to damage the building / cut the top off of it - it legit would have been easier and safer to break the glass and lower the seats down, and the smugness to the building owner after bordered on them being asses. And in another example... yeah, Global One. O'Bannon was RIGHT in her call to try and save the station, that is a MASSIVE investment (and would have been a LOT OF DEADLY DEBRIS RAINING DOWN) and I frankly side with her on it. Like TOS tends to place people above the items too, but they do try to limit damage they cause, in the comics actually do their best to salvage /save items when possible (The ocean liner The President in example) and John and Scott even directly discuss how the Ocean Pioneer was a significant investment for the people involved and they should have tried saving it. Scott AGREES with John on that, but points out that they likely couldn't have done so before it blew up / they might not have been able to. In the comics (and novels to a degree) they HAVE made the call to save the objects as well on occasion.

On the Ranch not looking opulent... sometimes people with a lot of money don't spend it on mansions or the like, but instead on other things... and it's possible that the Mom's family prefered simply, homely, comforts and disliked ostentatious shows of wealth. (In an example... Tracy Island in TOS and TaG is like this. The interior is comfortable and not very showy... yes they're on a private island, but the home itself looks like a upper middle class home of the era. There's Virgil's piano, but it's a baby grand rather than a grand, and white pianos actually cost markidly less than black pianos. The game room has a pool table, but (esp in the 60s) Pool tables weren't that expensive unless you went all in, and even people on the lower end of middle class could possibly have one. The same is true for what we see in the TaG house. Upper end of middle class overall. One or two showy things, but not opulent. Not Southern money, Western money / South-Western money. Southern refers to the states in the south east and tends to come from foresty or farms, where-as western and south western are from ranches or oil/natural gas. (The USA is not so much one country as it is 50 countries in a trenchcoat XD The Mom's home is in the western states, which are about as different culturally from the 'southern' states as... hmm... Ukraine is from France. There are many simularities, but there are also many differences). Bad area for horses though, very rocky with little to no grass or open areas. Not good for cattle ranching either. Most likely it was oil or natural gas (despite teh show lambasting it, oil is vital for a HECK of a lot more than just fuel, and would still be required in the 'modern day' of the show)

Yeah, Jeff being gone when Scott was a POW would make for an interesting situation. a) Scott likely was at minimum a Captain, and the Tracy name would have been well known from how big the company was to Jeff's heroic 'death', so Scott would be in the very bad position of being a 'nobody'... related to several 'somebodies' who could be levereged for ransom and Scott himself would likely be tortured for information on Tracy Industries, the (at that point) shut down iR 'branch', the GDF in general... It wouldn't be a good time for him in the slightest b) Scott being a POW would, terrifyingly, be a 'good' situation for the GDF. He wouldn't have any information they would need to worry about, it keeps him out of the way and out of trouble, he doesn't have teh threat of leaving the GDF which means as long as he's a POW they have access to Brains and the funding from Tracy Industries, they might be able to get Virgil or John to join up (Gordon would still be too young to enlist, as he'd only be 16 or 17)... Horrifyingly, they'd have every reason to both make sure that Scott stayed alive... and stayed a POW. And Scott would KNOW THAT. Which would go a VERY LONG way to explaining his apparent SEVERE lack of trust (and at times apparent near hatred) for the GDF. He likes and trusts Casey and Lee, but the GDF as a whole? Odds are Casey was very much bending or even breaking orders to get even slightly involved in the rescue. Heck, just her HIDING the fact that others were planning a rescue might have been all she was able to do, it might have been almost entirely Penny's dad via his connections and possibly sending Parker in, and quite likely Lee finding a way off the Moon (oddly, despite my earlier statement... I do't think Kyrano would be involved in this rescue. There's no indication that he ever left whatever bolthole he fled to, and if he didn't show up to help when the Hood returned or when they started finding evidence that Jeff was alive... he isn't going to show up to save Scott. Which means the rescue party was likely Parker, Lee, and possibly Penny's dad... who I totally imagine to basically be a 1:to:1 for Sir Jeremy Hodge from TOS. Odds are all the POWs were rescued, not just Scott.

Scott leaving the GDF likely the SECOND he was recovered enough to be coherent / lucid likely was a blow to the GDF, as that means Brains and the Tracy income would now be gone. I could totally see them putting a 'if you become a military organization, we will be 'forced' to have iR become part of the GDF again... it explains the total lack of weapons on the Thunderbirds or Tracys (I'm sorry, weapons for self defense or defense of others is a good thing overall) and why Scott is SO INTENSE about Kayo getting into combat situations... but also why he doesn't really get snarly until Kayo WORKS WITH THE GDF. He sacrificed a HELL of a lot to make sure that never happened, and he likely sees it as the GDF getting one MASSIVE foot in the door to them taking over iR 'again'.

TOS Scott and Gordon show a lot of evidence of not only havng been in the military, but having thrived in it. And some people DO do well in the military, quite often very good people. But Gordon is only 18-20 by the tme of the Pilot, so there honestly is no way for him to have served while still having his lines indicating that he's been a full-time member of iR for a few years prior to the pilot apply on top of the fact that he shows NO behaviors or actions that fit with a former member of the military. tagScott DOES show behaviors and actions that match up with a former member of the military... but they match up with the behaviors of those who just did NOT thrive / work / mesh with the military life. He very much seems to be a 'I served and by God do I regret it' type (which hey, fair, some people just aren't right for it)

you know, oddly, I don't think Jeff or Lee (or iR) were in mind at all with the Zero X. The GDF wouldn't really want either to go out exploring the far edges of the solar system, and with iR up and running (and plans to go independent with it) I actually doubt that Jeff or Lee would have wanted to go do so. Lee AFTER Jeff's 'death' might have been interested in that sort of thing as we see with him staying on the Mars Colony... but not before, I don't think. Look at how happy he was to stay on the Moon Base. He had nodesire or drive to go out exploring, he was happy to stay at Alphie and only left when he had no choice.

[anyaexe]

character development task: anya’s time capsule video.

int. anya’s dorm room, late evening. 

the room is dark, lit only up by the blue-ish light of her computer monitor. it’s clear from the set-up that this is a last-ditch effort on her part. it’s filmed on their phone, balanced precariously on top of a stack of books, and the phone itself is wedged between a stapler and a powerbank to prevent it from toppling over. 

anya (to themselves)

is this ... it is recording, right? fuck. this fucking stapler, it’s in the way, i can’t see if the light is flashing or anything. 

she moves the stapler away, causing the phone to topple over. an irritated sigh and some undecipherable mutterings can be heard. all that’s visible is the faint contour of their dorm room ceiling. 

anya (exasperated)

of course it wasn’t filming. of course. piece of shit phone. 

her face back into focus. the stapler back in place. the faint red light signifying that recording is in fact in progress blinks with reckless abandon. 

anya

you know, i didn’t think i’d actually do this. it’s so self-important, this whole idea that i have some wisdom to impart on those who will come after me. also, it feels like mandatory fun. but like ... not fun, even. but i can’t sleep, i’m bored to death, and yeah, a bit of a hypocrite. so here’s all the wisdom i have to impart.

they shift slightly in their seat, pulling at the strings of her hoodie. maybe they should have scripted this.

anya

in fifty years from when you’re watching this, you’re probably not going to think of this place at all. so if you’re concerned about so-and-so liking you, or being perceived as part of some in-crowd ... don’t. you’re here for four years, and from that point onwards most of these people won’t spare you a single thought. and you know what? that’s fine. the only person you have to make sure likes you is ... well, it’s you, right. and that may be cheesy of me, but that doesn’t exactly make it less true. 

she gazes at the clock on her monitor. fourty seconds. that’ll about do it, she thinks.

anya

oh, and one final piece of ... wisdom? advice? you get the gist. when you inevitably do your time capsule thing in fifty years, make sure you use a format that won’t degrade if you leave it unattended. ogden’s not going to do regular upkeep of these files, i’m sure. in fifty years, this is going to be a corrupted save file. i could have confessed all my sins on one of these. i could have confessed to murder. all this will be is an error code on some projector somewhere. 

click. screen goes blank.

[nihilismtrcit]

what did you do to get out of your slump with playing? I’m finding it really hard to play or start a new legacy

so a lot of my stress/lack of inspiration stemmed from outside situations. i had a lot going on at work and it was overwhelming. so the main way i got out of my slump was...by being a teacher and getting summers off. but also having the financial ability to not work for two months. obviously, it's very easy to enjoy playing when you have no work-related responsibilities. so keep that in mind when reading my advice bc i am in a v privileged situation & i can't deny that. but besides that,

pinterest ! i cannot tell you how many sims-related boards i've made for inspiration recently. inspiration for builds, gameplay, shots, and cinematography like...the list goes on. it's been hugely helpful to me

taking a break ! i am the queen of saying i'm taking a hiatus and then posting stuff 2 hrs later 😅 but it's helpful to step away instead of forcing yourself to play if you're not feeling it

trial and error/giving up ! i tried a lot of different gameplay ideas before becoming attached to nora. when i wasn't feeling one i just abandoned it. nothing wrong with that! i tried fallon and a family save and some others i didn't even bother posting. none kept my attention so i just stopped playing instead of trying to force myself. now they're npcs in my new save and who knows, maybe i'll revisit :) even with marnie who i ADORE, i'd rather step away and go back in the future when i'm feeling it than force myself to keep playing when the inspiration isn't there

having realizations ! realizing that it's my game and it can be whatever the hell i want it to be. i don't have to do a legacy, i can do cas sims, i can build, i can take screenshots, and set up random scenes. there's no timeline, there are no rules. i can work on whatever, whenever. i can abandon things and pick them back up. i can do whatever brings me joy on any given day

making a save file ! instead of focusing on a specific gameplay/legacy storyline I've been trying to make a save file. that's what my summer save is. that way i can jump around, work on different things. and if i ever get bored or nora i can jump to another family/world in the save

searching the tumblr tags ! get inspired by all the amazing people on here. i peruse the #simblr tag for inspiration. everyone here is so so so talented.

[maydays-medbay]

Discovery...

When you found an exploration-class vessel on your radar a couple joors ago, you couldn’t help but feel as though you'd stumbled on something big. Now that you’re standing in the command center you revel in the satisfaction of being on the brink of discovery. It’s not every cycle that you get to step foot onto exploratory vessels! Thankfully this one must’ve been off-radar and left untouched for as long as it’s been inactive.

The ship is very clearly abandoned, the hull falling apart and the interior faring no better. The command area is a mess of wires and scrap metal, save for the main terminal. Score! You internally cheer as you pad over to the command desk.

Cables are sparking, which is a good sign. Well, not a good sign per se, but it does mean that there’s at least power still somewhere in the ship. More than likely just residual energy after being dormant for so long.

You pull off the main panel of the terminal and assess the damage. It’s not pretty, but it’s salvageable. You get to work.

After a few minutes of fumbling (and shocking your sensitive digits) you manage to reroute the remaining power to the console. For once you’re able to put your mechanical engineering knowledge to use. You smile proudly at your work.

A blinking yellow light flickers on the terminal, before the entire system boots to life. You can hear the hum of electricity crackling beneath the paneling separating it from you. You can feel it beneath your servos. The blue glow of the screen (finally) booting up makes your circuits pulse with curiosity and excitement.

The screen is now covered with data, some entries very recent- the newest being only a few joors old - and the oldest dating back a few hundred years, though they were heavily corrupted. Some are data logs, others are audio files. A few of them, the most recent of them, are documents with accompanying audio logs. 

It would take days to sort through the plethora of information and data, but something about the newest entries interests (or perhaps alarms?) you the most. They were sent within kliks of each other, with the small notes reading out their contents frantic and filled with grammatical errors. Almost as if they were sent in a panic, or in a rush at the very least. 

Nobody has been in this ship in over one-hundred solar cycles, give or take, so they must’ve been sent through a transfer. Risky- considering the high amount of data sent over at once, but the files seemed relatively intact for what they’re worth. 

The first one, ominously titled “Clock’s Ticking” is the shortest and is a simple audio log. If there was an attached document, it isn’t anywhere in the system now. 

After a good once-over, you press play. A voice crackles to life. They sound exhausted, desperate, and…defeated. Pity fights its way through your chassis as you listen.

“There’s no time. Barely any left at all, and with what’s happened…if there’s even the slightest chance that someone could receive this, then I have to take it. It’s a risk- and a big one at that, but it’s not like I’ve got much of a choice. To anyone receiving this, my name's Fireskimmer, an XZ Class Exotreader who joined an exploratory crew to chart unknown space a few cycles ago. All was well, for a while. Until we were raided in the middle of a routine mission, one of those we always considered no-risk. I…I am the only survivor. The rest of my team didn’t survive after those mechs raided our ship. I…couldn’t help them. By the time I got to them they were gone. Husks. Torn apart like scrap. But nevermind that, it’s not important. This crew of…pirates? Zealots? Fanatics? took me captive and I’ve been in their hold for the past…frag, I don’t even know how many cycles long now. Time blurs together when you're kept behind metal walls where light is nothing but a concept. My internal clock was damaged during their attack on our ship. I don’t know how or why they’ve let me live this long, perhaps for their own sick form of entertainment, but I do know that my time is running short. I’m low on energon, and my position will be found soon if my deteriorating condition doesn’t get me first. That’s why I have to send you these files. My offline won’t be for nothing, it can’t be. I won’t let our fate befall the next crew in line.”

[glass-warehouse]

NICHOLAS VINTEREN

oh god i did it. i'm gonna need a shirt that reads; i'm an artist! ask me about my hand! and then on the back, SPOILERS: it hurts.

anyway here is my MC just before it all goes to shit. something something peacock feathers symbolising pride something something the height of pride before a fall—you get me?

BONUS!!!: here is a shitpost i drew as a real insight into how i felt for about 35% of the process.

You don't have to read this if you don't want to. This is my rant and criticism space, it's really more for me. Thanks 7 years of conditioned behavior.

I considered this piece abandoned a few months ago. Just as I was starting the first pass of shading I saw a massive error. I'm pretty vigilant with my layers, keeping copies in case I need to go back and fix something, but I thought I was all done and dusted. Ready for the next stage. So I had no backups. At this point I'm too far in to easily fix it without making a huge mess and it was a massive motivation killer. I couldn't stop thinking about it and I didn't want to continue, so I left it.

Months later I came back, the work I hadn't finished was perfectly fine, I thought it looked good. I decided that I was going to finish the piece even if it killed me even with the mistakes. It happens to all of us. And man I am so happy I continued.

I could've kept going on it to be honest, but I had to put a stop somewhere. There are problems, things I wish I had or hadn't done, but for what it is I'm damn pleased with myself. So I'd say it was a success :)

The last 45 minutes were spent on the background (look too close and I'll kill you). There wasn't even going to be one before then. Glad I stuck out the extra time even though I was fucking exhausted and ready to have my hand completely crushed by a large object.

Around 75% of the way done I notice that my auto-saves are causing my laptop to freeze. I know hefty files can do this but it's only a full body drawing, not what I'd consider hefty. Well it turns out that past me thought so highly of this piece, before it was even a sketch, to have it be in 4K RESOLUTION. That shit is crisp as hell, drink in all that clear detail, so long as Tumblr doesn't nuke it from orbit. (Future me here to say that yep, it got nuked. Guess I'll be the only one who gets to see it in high def, just what I wanted lmao 😒)

It sucks even more because I'm noticing the lack of clarity on another piece I'm doing, but I 1. don't need 4K quality and 2. my laptop can't take that level of a beating every time CSP auto-saves. Yeah I could turn off auto-saves but that feels like just asking for trouble.

Also yeah, I'm doing one for Hebe. It won't be as detailed as this piece because, unfortunately, that ability is on cooldown. Doesn't mean I won't try my hardest regardless, I just fear what might happen to me if I try that again too soon. I don't want another 3 month long shutdown. (As I write this I'm literally at the same point in her piece as I was with this one just before I gave up, lol)

[ordertrackercom]

How to optimize your e-commerce store for mobile users

A mobile-friendly website can significantly enhance user experience, boost sales, and improve your search engine rankings. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to optimize your e-commerce store for mobile users.

Responsive design

A responsive design ensures that your website adjusts seamlessly to any screen size, providing an optimal viewing experience across various devices. This means your site will look and function well on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Implementing a responsive design involves using flexible grids and layouts that resize elements proportionally, ensuring images scale correctly to fit the screen size, and applying different styles based on the device characteristics using CSS media queries. The goal is to create a fluid and adaptable site that offers a consistent experience no matter the device, thus improving user satisfaction and engagement. Without a responsive design, your e-commerce site may appear cluttered or broken on mobile devices, leading to high bounce rates and lost sales opportunities.

Fast loading times

Mobile users expect fast and efficient browsing. A delay of even a few seconds can lead to higher bounce rates, which can negatively impact your conversion rates and overall user experience. There are several ways to speed up your site. Optimizing images by compressing them without compromising quality is essential, as large image files can significantly slow down load times. Minimizing HTTP requests by reducing the number of elements on your page that require these requests can also significantly improve loading times. Each HTTP request, whether for images, scripts, or stylesheets, adds to the total load time. Enabling browser caching allows certain elements to be stored on a user’s device to avoid repeated downloads, which can speed up return visits. Additionally, using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to distribute content across various servers can greatly reduce load times by serving content from the server closest to the user’s location. By implementing these strategies, you can ensure your e-commerce site loads quickly and efficiently, providing a better user experience and reducing the likelihood of users abandoning your site due to slow loading times.

Simplified navigation

Navigation on a smaller screen can be challenging, so it's crucial to simplify it to ensure a smooth and intuitive user experience. Using a hamburger menu, which is a collapsible menu, saves space and is easily accessible, allowing users to navigate through your site without cluttering the screen. Streamlining categories by organizing products into clear, concise categories helps users find what they need quickly and efficiently. This reduces the time users spend searching for products, increasing their satisfaction and likelihood of making a purchase. Ensuring the search bar is prominent and efficient, with features like auto-suggestions and filters, can also enhance the user experience by making it easier for users to find exactly what they’re looking for without navigating through multiple pages. Simplified navigation not only improves the user experience but also helps in retaining users and encouraging them to explore more products on your site.

Touch-friendly interface

Mobile devices rely on touch input, so your interface should be touch-friendly to provide a seamless user experience. Larger buttons that are easy to tap without accidentally hitting nearby elements are vital to prevent user frustration. Small, closely packed buttons can lead to errors and make navigation difficult. Adequate spacing between clickable elements ensures that users can easily interact with your site without accidental clicks. Incorporating common gestures like swiping can create a more intuitive and enjoyable experience, making your site feel more natural and responsive. By designing a touch-friendly interface, you can enhance the usability of your e-commerce store, making it easier for users to browse and purchase products on their mobile devices.

Optimize checkout process

A cumbersome checkout process can lead to cart abandonment, which can significantly impact your sales. It's essential to streamline the checkout process to make it as quick and easy as possible for users to complete their purchases. Simplifying forms by minimizing the number of fields and using autofill where possible makes the process quicker and less tedious. Allowing users to purchase without creating an account through a guest checkout option can also reduce friction and increase conversion rates. Offering various payment methods, including mobile wallets, caters to different user preferences, making it easier for users to complete their purchases. Showing users where they are in the checkout process with progress indicators helps manage their expectations and reduces anxiety about the length of the process. By optimizing the checkout process, you can reduce cart abandonment rates and increase sales, providing a better overall experience for your customers.

Mobile-friendly content

Content should be easily readable on small screens to provide a pleasant user experience. Using legible fonts and an adequate size ensures text is easy to read without requiring users to zoom in. Breaking content into short, digestible paragraphs makes it easier to read and understand, keeping users engaged. Using bullet points and headings to enhance readability can make a significant difference by allowing users to quickly scan the content and find the information they need. Mobile-friendly content not only improves the user experience but also helps in retaining users and encouraging them to spend more time on your site.

Use accelerated mobile pages (AMP)

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is a Google-backed project aimed at speeding up web pages on mobile devices. AMP pages load almost instantly, providing a smoother user experience. Implementing AMP involves creating a stripped-down version of your existing pages with simplified HTML and JavaScript, which significantly reduces load times. By using AMP, you can ensure that your pages load quickly on mobile devices, providing a better user experience and potentially improving your search engine rankings. AMP can be particularly beneficial for e- commerce sites as it can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates by reducing the time users spend waiting for pages to load.

Mobile SEO

Optimizing for mobile also means paying attention to mobile SEO. Using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check how easily a visitor can use your page on a mobile device is a good start. Optimizing for local search queries is essential, as many mobile users search for local businesses. This involves using local keywords and creating content relevant to your local audience. Incorporating conversational keywords and phrases to optimize content for voice search queries can also be beneficial, as voice search is becoming increasingly popular. By focusing on mobile SEO, you can improve your site’s visibility on search engines and attract more mobile users to your e-commerce store.

Regular testing and updates

Regularly testing your site on various devices ensures it provides a seamless experience. Tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and BrowserStack allow you to simulate different devices and screen sizes, helping you identify and fix any issues that may arise. Staying updated with the latest trends and technologies in mobile optimization is crucial to maintain a competitive edge. Regular updates and testing help you keep your site optimized for mobile users, providing a better user experience and improving your chances of success in the competitive e-commerce market.

User feedback

Lastly, gathering feedback from your users can provide valuable insights into their mobile experience. Conducting surveys or using feedback tools helps you understand their needs and identify areas for improvement. User feedback can help you make informed decisions about changes and updates to your site, ensuring that it meets the needs and expectations of your mobile users. By actively seeking and responding to user feedback, you can continuously improve your e-commerce store and provide a better experience for your customers.

Conclusion

Optimizing your e-commerce store for mobile users is an ongoing process that requires attention to detail and adaptability to new technologies. Focus on responsive design, fast loading times, simplified navigation, a touch-friendly interface, an optimized checkout process, mobile-friendly content, AMP, mobile SEO, regular testing, and user feedback. By implementing these strategies, you can create a mobile-friendly website that meets and exceeds customer expectations, leading to increased satisfaction, higher conversion rates, and greater success for your e-commerce business. Stay proactive and continuously improve your mobile optimization efforts to remain competitive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.