#great for bird pix

[northernpintail]

Oof

[kaihuntrr]

The Sea Prince: Pirates’ Factions and Empires’ cast. Concepts!

Hello!! It’s been a while since I made a worldbuilding post, and because this AU is currently being revised, I’d like to welcome the side characters who will be making their appearances throughout the story! Firstly, I’d like to talk about the changes between Pirates SMP and Empires SMP to properly fit the vision of this world. These are still their main concepts until they’re (eventually) designed and fully realized, but this is what their general faction/ personality is like.

The factions exist! They’re split between the navy and hunters, given Team TIES are naval commanders, they should have some powerful people with them while the Red Canaries (ehehe they’re all bird names) deal with their rival group.

The shorter version is; Kites and Kestrels are Hunters, Herons are a special class of navy, and Nightingales are voyagers. Their characters and the Empires cast will be used for further development in the story. :D

I’m not well caught up in the characters of Pirates so they will not be gaining a description. The Empires cast will as I am more familiar with them!

* - special case

Here’s the general idea of the factions;

Formed out of shared interests, contracts, or skill, there are countless factions throughout the world. Like any faction or guild, they can be hired together to cover all their bases and work with each other’s strength. It’s not often this works, but they’re contractually obligated to do their jobs, so they keep their heads down. These groups and crews were formed naturally and hence, want to work with these specific members if ever brought on to jobs.

(This is still subject to change; the general idea is the same tho!)

Kites: Formidable and boastful.

Prioritizing strength, this faction of rowdy hunters are no stranger to the wilds of the ocean. They enjoy the thrill of the hunt and fighting evil monsters. This specific group cannot work with any hunter crew due to the belief of their superior strength and does not ask for help. They are particularly annoyed by the Canaries, thinking them to be spoiled and pampered due to being funded by the King himself. Hopefully their paths don’t collide. Hopefully.

IMPORTANT MEMBERS:

Aimsey

Bek

Kuervo

Reddoons

Tubbo

Etho (formerly)

Kestrels: Relic of the past.

Some members of this great faction were once Ren’s old crew, they thrived in a lavish lifestyle their hunts have provided them. A strong leader with a fierce second-mate, they were unstoppable. It was like this for a few years, but after their Captain’s death it hasn’t been the same. Their second-mate soon left to be in his former crew, and they are unsure what the future may hold. If they ever cross paths with the Canaries, especially with their former second-mate, threats of violence look over their heads.

IMPORTANT MEMBERS:

Ren (deceased)

Martyn (formerly)

Guqqie

Kyle

Sausage

Joey

Oli

*Scar (associated with the group in the past)

Nightingales: Explorers and Navigators.

Away from hunting and fighting, they simply want to travel and make it easier for people to get from place to place. They are a talented group who design and create machinery for travel and everyday use, but also spend their times in exploring and charting maps; a very versatile group indeed.

IMPORTANT MEMBERS:

Michela

Graecie

Will

Acho

App

Ros

False

*Pix

Herons: Elite Intelligence.

A group of very few, but strong leaders. They are special cadets from the navy who succeeded past their peers and are given special attention from their commanders as they train to, hopefully, lead in their place one day.

IMPORTANT MEMBERS:

Cleo (formerly)

Mumbo (formerly)

El

Olive

Owen

Water

Finally, we get to the Empires cast. Originally this au was only a Life Series x Empires fic due to some interesting dynamics the characters would have with some side characters, but pirates opened up a new opportunity and fills up some plot holes! I did say the Empires cast are getting their descriptions, so here they are!

‘Mythical ‘Myth’ J. Sausage.’

‘Humble’ and ‘polite’ are the first things he’d say about himself. He is particular in living the high life and wants to continue living up to his faction’s name. He can’t stand hanging around Martyn, so he openly makes fun of him for his own ego.

‘Joey Graceffa.’

Brought on by Myth/Sausage, Joey fits the bill of a Kestrel. He enjoys singing, but doesn’t do it as often as, “they don’t deserve to hear his voice”. He’s boastful and full of pride, joining Myth as he berates the former Kestrel. He doesn’t really know who the blonde is however, as he was brought to the crew a bit more recent.

‘Orion ‘Oli’ Sound.’

A wildcard. He’s eccentric and very chaotic, bringing all the energy into the Kestrels. He once challenged by Joey into a sing-off, and despite the other winning, Oli takes it in stride and forms a friendly(?) rivalry with the other Kestrel, making good laughs for everyone.

‘False Symmetry.’

A mechanic with big dreams. She helps build prosthetics and assists with any type of machinery, as she enjoys her time tinkering with any type of device. She likes to make herself useful, and would often go for a passive response to try and change things for the better.

‘Pix Rift.’

A researcher deep in his own thoughts. He joined the Nightingales out of their shared belief and interest in exploring, accompanying them in journeys and to breathe the open, fresh air towns and cities don’t have. He takes notes of all of his adventures but tries to keep up with his personal responsibilities, as it seems he can’t keep up with it usually.

‘Katherine Elizabeth.’

A vagabond hunter with no ties to anyone or anything, supposedly. She’s excitable and fun loving, adoring the thrill of the hunt and returning home to her girlfriend with a satisfied grin on her face. She makes her living like a mercenary would, sometimes it’s jarring that someone as upbeat and optimistic as she is also kills monsters for fun and a way to earn payment.

‘Shelby Grace.’

An explorer. She’s curious about the world due to living a relatively sheltered life and greets the world with open arms. She’s incredibly shy and prefers to explore on her own, but she wouldn’t mind traveling the world with her girlfriend.

‘Gemini Rose.’

A delightful person to be around but stirs up tricks with her twin brother. She means no harm to anyone she comes across, lest her overthinking get the better of her, and she’s all in to see the world despite the horror stories of the ocean. She’s not scared! If she’s with her brother, nothing is impossible.

‘fWhip Rose.’

A menace, but a fun one! He’s usually the one who initiates the schemes between the twins, but also the one who gets into the most trouble. Be it his reckless attitude, he’s not afraid to stand up for himself.

And that’s all I can say about them! Pirates has opened up so much ideas for the AU going forward, and I’m excited for you all to see! In the meantime… here’s the reveal of revised Act I’s titles and mini arcs, I can’t wait to show you what they all mean and contain >:)

[marzghost]

Just finished rewatching Avatar by James Cameron ( just to refresh the old memory box and let me tell you ,nine year old me definitely did not have the mental capacity to appreciate said movie) and I'm just over here buzzing with a new au for the hermits/empires crew and if you can't already tell it's 100% inspired by said movie.

The Hermits and emperors would be like the Na'vi while the watchers/listeners would take the place of the "sky people"/humans.

Grian, Jimmy, and Pearl would be the three with Avatars known as Shells who are sent down as spies for the watchers and listeners in order to gain information on how to take what they want from this new strange plant/server. In this au the watchers and listeners don't refer to what they are but to what they are allowed to know about combat by the void. The Void is the compound in which they work for whose main mission is to find planets with powerful energy sources so that they can take it and sell it to the highest bidder.

Jugavians are what the hermits and emperors species will be called and they are a bird like race that can't fly without the help of elytra ,another native species to Hermpier. Jugavians are tall beings with large eyes ,winglike ears, tails that fan out with feathers at the end with a pair of small wings on it right before it fans out, and a large blue gem in the center of their chests (lapis). They are generally kind and welcoming people but ever since the takers appeared have become suspicious and aggressive. Jugavians are all one species with the type of birds they are based off of as different types of subspecies.

Shells are the lab grown Void versions of Jugavians made specifically for their hosts in order to gain the trust of the jugavians so that they can figure out their weaknesses and take what they want. They appear to be exactly like jugavians but are missing the pair of wings that can be found on the tails of real jugavians.

Down below is a list of all the hermits and emperors. I've already decided what birds some of them would be based off of as well as the roles Grian Jimmy and Pearl each have working for the void. I'm open to suggestions for anyone without an assigned bird already. I'll also be drawing up an example for what Jugavians look like.

Grian: Watcher: Head researcher and the one who picked both Jimmy and Pearl to be part of project Shell. He has some combat experience due to his watcher status. Is twin brothers with Jimmy. His shell is a, you guessed it, Red Macaw variant.

Jimmy: Listener: one of the few Negotiators working within The Void. As a listener he isn't really allowed to know combat other than the bare minimum. Twin brother of Grian and is actually the younger of the two. His shell is a Canary variant.

Pearl: Watcher: Pearl is a soldier and the cousin of both Grian and Jimmy. As a soldier she has the most combat experience of the three and is meant to protect both Grian and Jimmy while they do their jobs. Her shell is a Snow owl variant.

Bigb: listener: pilot

Martyn:listener: Driller

Ren: Leader: Harris Halk

Bdubs: Second in command to Ren: Potoo bird

Tango: Farm builder: Red Avadavat

Doc: Weapon builder/ Scientist:Harpy Eagle

False: Head Warrior:Bald Eagle

Scar: Second in command Warrior: Red Tailed Hawk

Mumbo: Inventer :Inca Tern

Oli: Singer: Cockatiel

Karalis: Builder: Japanese Long Tailed Tit

Xisuma: Farm builder: Great Eared Nightjar

Impulse:

Gem:

Cub:

Iskall:

Stress:

Etho:

Ijevin:

Cleo:

Joe:

Xb:

Beef:

Zedaph:

Hypnotized:

Lizzie:

Joel:

Sausage:

Scott:

Pix:

Fwhip:

Katherine:

Joey:

Shelby:

[roxie-roo]

Bird of Prey Chapter Five: The Long Road Home

(taglist: @carry-on-my-wayward-gays, @bluiex, @devorakian-guilt, @teslapenguini, @majickth )

When Jimmy awoke, it wasn't white. It wasn't as quiet as it had been. Faintly, he could hear the little whispered murmurs of the void around them. He stood up slowly and cracked his back, fluffing out his wings and stretching a little to get his body back into motion. In the distance, he could make out two figures. A Watcher, purple eyes shimmering around their body, and a Listener, golden wings glowing dimly against the light of the void. Jimmy carefully approached them, and both looked over to him, welcoming him with broad smiles.

"Hey, there he is!" Grian laughed softly and clapped a hand against Jimmy's back lightly. "The man of the hour! You won, Tim!"

"I did?" Jimmy tilted his head. "We went out together, though.."

"He died a bit before you." Martyn explained. "Congrats, Jimmy.. you earned this."

Jimmy smiled a little bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah... n- no hard feelings, right you guys?"

"Of course not." Martyn shook his head. "Cleo was acting like a bitch anyways.. I needed that wakeup call."

"Are you kidding, Tim? I'm so proud of you." Grian smiled and yanked Jimmy into a hug, snorting as he heard his friend let out a squawk. "That was your moment.. and you owned it! And- don't worry. They got your message loud and clear. You're alright. I promise."

Jimmy slowly melted into the embrace and grinned, content to stay like that until he heard Martyn clap and clear his throat.

"So! What'cha got planned now, Jim?"

"I... I dunno..." He hadn't really given it much thought, now that he looked at it. He was more focused on the game, and on Tango. Not on what comes after.

Grian hummed in thought. "It's been a thousand years in Empires since the first season... no one will remember the Codfather, y'know. Well- Except Pix, maybe, but y'know. That's Pix for ya."

"Yeah..." Jimmy smiled. Going back to Empires sounded fun. And maybe he'd build a new ranch, something to dedicate to the one who showed him what freedom truly felt like.

Freedom. The word felt foreign now that he had it, in all honesty. But he couldn't be happier, he decided. This was freedom.

Freedom in going back to Empires, becoming a sheriff. A promotion from being just a plain rancher.

Tango would be so proud.. He found himself thinking.

Tango would be proud of him for more than that. He'd been actually standing up for himself, moreso than he used to. Even if half the time it fell on deaf ears. He was at least trying.

Often times he found himself thinking about his soulmate. He'd zone out in the middle of a work day, mentally back in the old ranch, Tango by his side. It almost physically ached sometimes.

"Sheriff?" Fwhip had caught him zoned out, waving a hand in front of his face. "What'cha thinkin' about?"

Jimmy couldn't lie to him. Not that it wasn't easy, he just felt this wasn't something he needed to lie about. "My soulmate..."

Fwhip looked up at Jimmy with almost a child-like(or maybe cat-like) curiosity. "Soulmate?" His eyes flickered towards the ring on Jimmy's left hand. "What's a soulmate?"

Jimmy paused at the question. He couldn’t help smiling as he leaned against the wall of the cave. "Well,, a soulmate.. at least from my experience, is the most wonderful person in the world..."

"I'm Jimmy,, real nice to meet you."

"Tango. You're kinda cute, yknow."

"Very funny."

"Sometimes the universe assigns you exactly who you needed."

"You paired me with Tango?"

"Yeah, I did. Saw you two eying each other up during Last Life."

"The person you needed the most in your life... they make you feel safe. And warm.. and loved, most of all. No matter what."

"Never love a canary... they're meant for the coalmines."

"I'll be your coalmine, then."

"He sounds great.." Fwhip broke the sheriff from his thoughts with a little tug to his vest. "Come on though- we got work to do!"

"Right- right-" Jimmy followed him quickly. And for a while, neither said a word. Until Fwhip looked up at him again.

"Do you think you'll ever see him again?"

Jimmy hadn't given it much thought. He'd like to see Tango again. He hoped it'd be possible eventually, maybe before the next death game.

Would Tango even recognize him? He hadn't changed a whole lot, he wanted to think. Blond hair, blue eyes, a blue bandana.. the only real differences were the sheriff hat, the badge, a bit of stubble at his chin and... of course.

The wings. He'd lost his wings in the journey over. Things hadn't started by the time he got to Empires, so he had time to stop and rest at a town for a bit. There, he learned the consequences of upsetting a rigid status quo.

Maybe it was a punishment from the Watchers.

He couldn't say for certain. He realized Fwhip still wanted an answer, clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh.. right.. I- I hope so... I hope I can see him again.." He managed a little smile. "Maybe some day.."

He didn't expect it to be the day of the rift, the festival, after he'd been pushed around by practically everyone.

First, it was a laugh and teasing from Grian, hearing him yell "You're not even safe in your own server!". They laughed and hugged and exchanged playful jabs. And then he heard it.

"Is that my rancher?!"

His head whipped up to see who had called for him. And lo and behold.

He sprang forward into Tango's arms, the ice mage spinning him in delight as he cupped his face and kissed him. With all the sweet tenderness that had built up in the time they'd been gone.

He could hardly hear the jabs of those around them. All he could see was Tango.

His soulmate. His rancher.

He was home.

(A/N: hey all!!! glad to see how much you've been enjoying this fic, and now it's come to a close. It's been a fun mini project to work on! If any of you want to write anything based on it, feel free!! All I ask is that you tag me, and use the Bird of Prey au tag ! Special thanks to @carry-on-my-wayward-gays, for encouraging this, I'm glad you've been having a good time with it <3 That's all from me for now! Au Revoir, mes amis!)

[nightraiderwrites]

Home

Summary: Shelby doesn't quite understand the meaning of home. Stumbling upon remains of a gnome civilization makes her think.

Tw: talk of a dead civilization, mentions of being shot, mentions of bullying

¤¤¤¤¤

The concept of home feels somewhat foreign to Shelby.

What is home anyway? It wasn't the Academy, where teachers belittled her, and her peers left dead birds all over her books. (Stupid, idiot, weak, they whisper.) It's not the Evermoore, where she hides out from the Academy, and plays pretend with other rulers. (Liar, liar, liar, chant the voices in her head.) She's not even sure it's her grandmother's house, with her bedtime stories of her moms, and their heroic feats. (They were so great, she said. You must be worthy of their legacy, says the unsaid.)

But when she stumbles across petrified mushrooms and a ruined portal, she feels she understands the concept. It is empty, yes, and she's certain the gnomes were attacked, but she can feel the love. The spirits are angry at being ripped from the world. (How dare the corruption come and yank us from where we belong.) They are angry that they died before seeing this, this "Shrub" come home. (We have waited a long time. We can we a bit more.) Their anger comes from a place of love.

And- and Shelby may not completely understand the concept of home, but she understands love. She gets having someone you would die for, and she gets loving someone to the point of ruin. (A fight. A wand and a gun, and a woman in pink.) There's a ruined portal, half buried under a mound, a sign calling for someone named Shrub. A broken chair sits next to it, as if waiting for someone to come through. Shelby studies it from a meter away, not wanting to disturb the dead. It's carved with baby mushrooms and trees (Shrubs. She clearly meant a lot to someone) and it was obviously well kept before, well.

Shelby shivers. This place is full of angry spirits. It's best not to linger on the graves of the dead. She says a quick prayer over the chair (although she is in no way religious: it had just become habit when preforming a show of exorcism in front of a crowd) and leaves. Finding home is quick: though the fog is thick, her magic spyglass (conveniently in her satchel) highlights her house.

It's a long walk. She thinks about it as she struggles out of the mud and dense fog. It's a lot of spirits, and a lot of people. Their anger unites them. Their anger makes a haunted place home.

She's not sure what home means. It's a foreign concept to her, simply because she's never had one. There's never been a place where she feels comfortable and safe. The Academy was full of bullies, the Evermoore is full of spirits, and Grandma's house has reminders of them.

Then she thinks of the she got shot, when she woke up and Katharine was asleep, holding her hand. It really hurt to breathe, and she couldn't really think straight, but it was nice. It felt like- well, she wasn't sure what it felt like, only she was safe. The mask covering her mouth made it impossible to talk, but she focused most of her energy to squeezing Katherine's hand.

She thinks of Pix, and his random gifts of froglights (definitely not an excuse to check up on her, nope). His check ins and help with the ventilator. She wonders where he learnt that, where he got the equipment. Probably from his archeology gear. Did you have a lot of accidents while preserving history? Shelby thinks of the dinner they shared when it was too late for him to go back home. Fish and bread, she remembers. With a side of chips. Shelby smiles at the memory. Pix is, without a doubt, what she imagines having a dad is like.

Maybe she understands home a bit better now. For the gnomes, their home was together. In life, they thrived in that village. In death, they are angry together. Love is what binds them. Love is what keeps them together.

Love is home.

¤¤¤¤¤

Wow I don't know what possessed me. I started writing this like three days ago, and finished it at two on the morning. Goodness.

Anyway, I had a sudden inspiration when I watched Shelby's episode. The concept of stumbling on a wiped out civilization, and seeing a sign waiting for someone, it's just... wow.

And like, what is home, anyway? Is it the house you've lived in the longest? Is it the place you're hiding out from the law? Or is it having a near death experience, and spending time with your girlfriend best friend? Is it that meal you spent with your father figure supplier of froglights?

Or maybe it's a ring of petrified mushrooms, a ruined portal, and a sign asking for a lost gnome to come home.

I guess home is where the people you love the most are.

*slams hand down on table* ANYWAY before I start crying over word choices, yes, I am using this fic to further my nature wives and Dad Pix propaganda. Convert.

As always, feedback is welcome. Reblogs are encouraged!

I'll see you next time, folks.

[erstwhilesparrow]

a couple of title options for the ask game! choose one or some or all :-)

blood and blood and replay

if i have to die, please let it be for nothing

liquid poured from a kaleidoscope

change (a condition of loss)

a particularly small piece of it

[loud delighted gasp] what a series of delightful puzzles you've given me!! thank you!!

blood and blood and replay

"None of this is right," Jimmy mutters. "Geez," Tango says. It's hard to tell if he looks offended or not, after seeing that face so many times. "I know I'm not your first pick, but I thought we were at least gonna pretend? You bring home cows, I build up a house, we die first and never talk about it again?" Little grin. Jimmy swallows. It's not Tango's fault. Right? - or: Jimmy's heart thuds in his chest. It breaks. It restarts. He thinks, Aren't timeloops only meant to be for unhappy people?

if i have to die, please let it be for nothing

Cleo laughs, but it doesn't really sound like their heart's in it. "Look, we all know what they do to you if you win." Grian wrinkles his nose. "Don't tell me you too--" "Not like that. I mean it's like-- Oh, I'm not supposed to know that on this server, am I?" - or: Grian and Cleo try to have a chat about Lizzie's death away from prying eyes.

liquid poured from a kaleidoscope

"I've never seen-- No, hang on, what do you mean after?" There is a strange smile playing on the stranger's face, like he's about to start laughing and he doesn't know why either. "After... Well. After the apocalypse, I suppose." Pixlriffs -- Oli's Pixlriffs, the one he knows, the one with the same voice and face and manner as this new ghost -- shrugs a little apologetically. "We don't really know what it was, but 'apocalypse' seems fitting." "Pix!" Oli shouts, and two ghosts turn to look at him at once. - or: Pix is a ghost. He also has a ghost. Look, no one else is having a great time with this either.

change (a condition of loss)

Owen wakes up and he's not cold, but he tenses anyway, waiting for the chill to come in. Instead, it's Scott at the door, who says to him first, "There's blood in the freezer," and second, "You know it's done now, right? You don't have to look at me like I'm going to bite you again." - or: Everything there is to be afraid of has already happened.

a particularly small piece of it

It's a cold night, and fWhip is warmer than he probably should be, bare and flushed, but he's not warm enough. Pix thinks about the story a retired diplomat once carried into a circle of them, back in Pixandria. A tiny bird, eaten while hiding your face under a cloth. fWhip's hands on Pix are wanting, leaving the scrape of nails in their wake. The blankets, thick. Because, the old diplomat said, you have to hide your shame from the gods. - or: fWhip and Pix do something inadvisable. Tomorrow, fWhip will leave before dawn, and they will both pretend not to be spitting up bones.

[bedlamgames]

The 111th No Haven Commission - Antiques Dealer

You might remember the pitch of this one as a much smaller scale piece more focused on the dealer, and with one beast and caravan only partially seen. As you can see Valery Sazonov went well beyond the call of duty for the final result! They came up with some extra fun details of their own like the enchanted bird familiars. Well worth zooming on the full size piece as there's some great touches like the eyes on them and the beasts, and the hints of oddness on the mysterious dealer herself. You can find a gallery of their work here, and they're also on twitter. Art also on https://www.pixiv.net/artworks/112933721 pix (with 4 japanese tags), https://bsky.app/profile/bedlamgames.bsky.social/post/3kctf6gj7oa22 Bluesky, https://x.com/Bedlam_Games/status/1718330527600529854 twit, https://picarto.tv/bedlamgames/gallery/default/653d5004810a8351c60a3452 pic This will be used for a new mechanic where she'll have all sorts of entertaining also highly illegal historical knick-knacks, wotsits, and other assorted trinkets for you to spend your hard earned gold on when she turns up near the tavern or town. 

[valoisfulcanellideux]

These Stones Remember - LXII

"Grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we loved. Where there is deep grief, there was great love." — Unknown

The quiet of the room was deep, almost sonorous, with not even the sigh of a breeze through grass and leaves outside to mend it. A dead silence, like that of early morning snow before even the birds have awoken. A peaceful silence that spoke of a blanketing pre-dawn mist and heralded a beautiful day. Pix lay on his bed, tears cooling and drying on his cheeks, staring at the cheerfully-coloured little plant pot that sat across the room on his desk. Peeking up from it, delicate pink desert flowers reminded him of home, of heart, of what he had lost.  And yet… he smiled at the sight of them. Somewhere, in some other time, he had loved and been loved so sweetly, so tenderly that the endurance of that loss had almost torn him apart. And was it not a gift - an honour - to have loved so much that he now had to shoulder the grief of that loss? 

Read it in full at AO3: These Stones Remember - LXII

Artwork by Sabira/floweroflaurelin (used with permission) - see my pinned post for links to their work.

[sullidotinfo]

More social, less media

It’s Thursday and apparently all the journalists, banned by the new boss of the Former Site, are heading over to Mastodon.  Good for them, and I wish them the best of luck!  But most of them I won’t follow, and I’ll probably mute them, even if they were a key part of my Twitter feed.

Why?

I’m not the first one to say it, but “social media” sucks.  It conflates two completely unrelated things - making friends, and reading and reacting to the news - in a way that inevitably leads to toxicity.   I know I’ve been part of that - the little endorphin hit you get from a really good dunk and a post doing numbers is great, I won’t lie - but over time it’s made not just Twitter but every other site that has tried to share news and commentary a trash pit.

Remember when Microsoft, fresh off the success of Windows 95, decided to merge the file system with the web browser?  Before Internet Explorer, there was Windows Explorer, which was (and remains) the way to find documents on your system.  But Gates and Ballmer wanted to make that the “default browser” for the web, and then added ActiveX, and billions of malware infections later, Google Chrome ate their lunch.  (Remember those spyware “toolbars”?  Yuck.)  Now you would not think of combining the browser with the file system!  But for several years in the 1990s, Microsoft insisted it was the right thing to do.

So also “social media.”  Social networks are awesome and I have met hundreds, perhaps thousands, of friends that way.  I still remember how nice it was to find long-lost friends on Facebook, and post “endorsements'' on Friendster, and create Circles on G+, not to mention the many communities I’ve joined and lifelong friends (maybe you!) I’ve made on Slashdot, Plastic, Livejournal, Multiply, Discord, Flickr, Tumblr, and Reddit.  And media are great too - I read a lot of newspapers and blogs, and I subscribe to many of them (even the ones that don’t charge a standard monthly rate), and it’s nice to hear from journalists, artists, and musicians first-hand.  

But combining them together just doesn’t work for me anymore.  When I want to chat with friends, or share cute dog and bird pix, or share a darth meme, or talk about what’s happening in San Francisco, I just don’t need to have that conversation (Discourse?) polluted with Brands sharing whatever they want to share, Breaking News of whatever TFG did, or even the most correct Housing Twitter hot take.  It’s just not fun and it doesn’t build connections. Instead it leads to stupid arguments, echo chambers, and all the other crap that turns something nice into “the hellsite.”

And - sorry, content creators - we don’t owe you an audience.  Or, rather, it’s better to be an audience or join a conversation in a nicer way.  Let us enjoy and interact with your media in a way that doesn’t lead to dunks and harassment and feeling like we pissed away the time we should have enjoyed when we were reading what you created.  Maybe this is via blogs, or RSS, or YouTube, or Patreon, or email newsletters, or some kind of pay-per-view site for news (Post?), or some other service - but social it ain’t, at least for me.

So that’s why my approach on mastodon is: more social, less media.  There are hundreds of ways to read news, commentary, and Hot Takes.  I’ll read the news and blogs I care about on the web (I still have that Inoreader account!), but here?  No thanks.  Here I’m here to connect with people and build community, in SF and the world.  I want to share stories and music and photos and make friends along the way.  Follow me and be part of it!

[ear-worthy]

Hobo Code Audio Drama Debuts: There's No Place Like...Riding The Rails?

When any genre of art or media is described as "different," there is a logical next question. Good different? Bad different? Weird different? Breathtakingly different?

That last description is the one I'd use for Hobo Code, which is a four-part limited "magical-realist" series about two hobos (an acerbic rambler and a self-ordained monk) and a young girl with a best friend who lives in a coffee can. It's a journey spanning from the Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression, all the way to the Great Recession of 2008, that examines human cycles - whether it’s generational trauma or economic crises.

If that isn't different enough, the audio drama also features an ancient, blind, half-senile/three-quarters-feral hobo mystic. Even without description of dramatic chaos and entropy, this audio drama is funny, endearing, sharp-witted, and an acerbic commenter on the human condition.

This superb audio drama stars Becky Poole (Strange Planet), Corey Rieger (Out of the Furnace), and Jake Robertson (The Sound of Liberty) and features Bill Pullman (The Sinner, Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping) and Susan Ruttan (LA Law, Sprung). These are esteemed and talented actors, and they display their acting chops with a ferocity that can hypnotize listeners.

The music acts as its own character in this audio drama, with an original score steeped in folk/Americana music made by Maesa Pullman.

The audio drama was written by Paul Pakler and Emmy-nominated screenwriter Shane Portman, who comes primarily from the animated kids world. Hobo Code was independently funded through Portman's production company, Hammer Canyon, in collaboration with executive producing partner David Switzer.

Portman explains: "The idea for Hobo Code sprang from an idea that Paul Pakler and I were carrying around for a while. The concept revolved around these three characters; a displaced young girl with a mystical friend in a coffee can, an acerbic gadabout, and a self-ordained monk. We didn’t have a story for them, but we knew we wanted to place them in the 1930s. So, while building out the character’s backstories, we also started delving into research of the time period. And those two avenues converged into the idea of exploring the cycles of generational trauma and economic crises."

Perhaps Portman's unique childhood had something to do with his distinctive artistic voice. Shane Portman was born at the New London naval submarine base hospital in Connecticut. Just three months later, his father was transferred to Norfolk, VA. He grew up in various homes in Norfolk before moving to Leesburg, VA and, then, finally winding up in Windsor, OH.

 Shane Portman is also the director of development for Bix Pix Entertainment, the award-winning stop-motion animation studio in Sun Valley, California.

When I asked Shane about the comfort level of the actors with audio-only acting, he answered, "Our fabulous sound engineers -- Kevin Cleland in LA and Erik Nyquist in NYC -- were able to create setups so that our actors could record scenes together in real time. On top of that, a majority of the actors already had voiceover experience. So, the record sessions were intimate and connected."

The sound production of Hobo Code is inspired and technically brilliant with One Thousand Birds (OTB), an award-winning Los Angeles production studio, creating the sound design.

Shane adds: "We wanted Hobo Code to be as immersive and lived-in as possible, and OTB took that note and really elevated the series in equally vast and subtle ways."

I asked Shane about the use of the word "Hobo" which is not well known today and reflected a world long gone.

"How did you overcome that generational distinction?" I asked.

Shane replied: "That’s a great question. Honestly, the mystique and folklore around hobos, the Dust Bowl, and the 1930s in America are topics that really fascinate us. This quintessentially American idea of escaping to ride the rails is filled with such a sense of adventure and independence. We also love Woody Guthrie! Maybe Paul and I just have weird historical obsessions…"

Shane continues: "The writer William Faulkner said, 'The past is never dead. It’s not even past.' Our goal was to create vividly interesting characters and steep them in this rich setting, while simultaneously punching holes in that mythology to expose the deeper historical and emotional truths being glossed over. And while people might not have an awareness of this specific subculture or name, the emotions, themes, and experiences will be (hopefully) universal."

Podcasting is no different from any other medium. Copycatting is often the most frictionless way to success, exerting the least amount of creative effort. Podcasters want to be the next Joe Rogan (aim higher), Alex Cooper (aim much higher) or the three Smartless celebs (appropriate mentors).

Hobo Code is an audio drama that breaks all the rules, mixes and matches genres and generations, and transforms familiar themes into proto-magical mythologies that define us. Since when is a coffee can an imaginary friend?

It is a trailer and four episodes of pure creative effort. Listen. Be different in a good way.

[mad2jokes]

Day Joke

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[mad1jokes]

Funny Mad Joke

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[redwinterroses]

You know what, screw it.

I'll throw this back on the table.

VOTE JOE HILLS and if he wins this bracket I'll write this dang fic.

Proof under the cut.

Martyn flew over the lush hills of Hermitcraft, still grinning about Doc's diamond ore block in his pocket.

"Oh, I recognize this, actually," he said, spotting a familiar shape below. "This is Mumbo's vault, right?"

His chat, a thousand little glittering sparks trailing in his wake, chirred in agreement. He launched another rocket and crested the deepslate facade, Grian's enormous floating base appearing just ahead. "Ah yeah..." he said, banking his borrowed wings for a moment to admire the frankly quite wild base. "This is Grian's bad boy. Now... down? How down are we talking?"

He flew under the arching bridge of crumbling stone, sparing a glance to admire the way Grian was coaxing a carpet of moss to grow over the stony surfaces.

>under the bridge< >go down under the island< >it's way down underneath< >go towards the vault< >outside and under the bridge< >down down down!!<

Chat spammed instructions and Martyn squinted at the dark area beneath the main structure. "Oh, I see, yeah, yeah, yeah--" he turned, dodging a copper turret, and dove down into the open area beneath Grian's base.

The room beneath was large and airy, though lined with industrial pipes and wires in a tangle that probably only made sense to Grian -- same as most things around here. Martyn had long ago given up on trying to follow the skewed logic in that bird brain.

The portal, though, grabbed his eye over any of the machinery or mess, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. That particular hue of purple... that brought back memories of another time. Another server.

He could feel eyes on him. Just chat, he thought, shaking off the paranoia. And maybe that giant robot there--

"It's, ah... it's down this way," Pixlriffs said, lifting the lantern high. He glanced up at Martyn on the next step, concern furrowing his brow. "No offense meant, but are you sure you're... okay to see this? I know it's a lot and you've had a long day--"

"No, no, I'm fine." Martyn forced a confident smile to his lips and motioned Pix ahead. "Lead on, mighty explorer."

"If you're sure." Pix gave him one last measuring glance, and turned to proceed down the wide, shadow-draped stairs.

His lamplight flickered over the walls, giving Martyn fleeting, zoetrope glimpses of the images carved there: faceless figures wielding swords, great beasts cavorting or attacking, cities and temples and fleets of tall ships... He couldn't tell if they were histories or myths or something of both, but the sensation of seeing ghosts prickled over the nape of his neck. How many centuries had passed since those original carvers had laid down their tools and brushed away the last of the dust, admiring their work? The weight of time was heavy in the air.

"Here we are," Pix finally said, stopping and holding the lantern aloft. His voice was low and reverent, but the stairs ended in a large, arched room and the echoes of his words felt abrasive in the stillness.

Martyn looked up, taking in the enormous fresco painted on the wall before him, faded and damaged by the intervening years but still clear: a man with wolfish features, wearing a red cape that flashed in a silent winter wind, the scarlet banner on a staff in his hand fairly crackling with motion. A gold circlet crowned his brow, marred by bloodstains.

"The Red King," Martyn murmured, a chill running down his spine. "...Ren."

they are literally tied vote for vote right now

if Pixlriffs wins this round I'll write about how Martyn Inthelittlewood flew through the rift into Empires with Doc's diamonds in his pocket and was found by a curious archeologist, a certain Pixlriffs who knew the story of the Red King and his Hand and was shocked and excited to somehow meet this person out of legend. And how he took Martyn to see the Red King's tomb.

And then what happened a few weeks later when that ancient king suddenly woke up and started staggering around the catacombs.

VOTE PIXLRIFFS

[azx3jokes]

Funny Clean Joke

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[tinyshe]

Garden Report 23.06.24

I was going to post pictures but in a mad panic I left my ipad at the shoppe to pull all my pictures. The *ahem* them that just annoy me in the electronic industry (aka apple) has decided to no longer support my ancient ipad and gave me a cut off date and the threat of putting my pix into wherever they stuff that stuff ... idk cause i can never access my account bc another *ahem* them (aka gmail) disconnect my email account .. yeah the one I have had for over 10 yrs but in a foolish moment messing around, we decided to see what they would do if the birthday was changes to a 2 y.o. I was promptly closed out and told to bring my parents id and a credit card as proof I could have this account (no way *cough* nowayazzholesnoway but why am I bothering with telling of that? Its has to do with leading you down the bunny trail as to why there are no pictures (again) AND it reminds me of what is happening in the garden ...

while I wasn’t looking aka not paying attention/being lazy, things progress into returning to the wilds.

The neighbors brambles are pushing way over the fence extension and threatening to untack that barrier. This is now over 9m of brambles/briars and reduces the reduced light I have for my russian collection of black currants, a secondary elderberry row and several other fruit trees.

 Ants, a glorious mass, hordes upon hordes of LBA (little black ants) have taken up residency in the number two grow box -- that was the one that I created a great mass for a hot bed.  Seems that it is just perfect for  LBA. I am going to have to put a drip (water) on it for maybe a week to see if I can discourage them/prompt them to move out. But then where will they go?!

Cats, so many cats are now in my back garden. To eat mice? To eat all the birds that have flocked there? To harass my chickens? caught one little junior that was just frenzying on the chicken dinner thought. I caught him but then he decided he didn’t want to leave the premise gently which then proceeded to turn into a war: he broke free from my grip and tried to do a rapid tactical advance; I lobbed what ever I could find (sticks, dirt clod, broken pottery) into his path as he darted about. I won that day but he’s been back since.

The fruitless plum is about to be tagged; it has conks all around it and they are growing at a rather quick pace -- sort of like cancer :( . Need to do the friend of a friend thing and see if we can’t get it down. Our woodworker friend is MIA. That or see if there is someone doing a side hustle from the regular arborist/contractors.

I was going to do starts for my winter garden but the hops are more aggressive and monstrous than ever. They have not only taken over the outside of the little lean-to but is taking up occupying the inside. With the ant issue, it makes me concern if I will have that box to even plant in? I mean, there are massive amount of ants... I just don’t have the umph to reclaim the inside if the starts have no where to go later.

No more rain so the ground has turned rock hard; I didn’t get the weeds pulled in the front so now I will literally crawl along cutting it with scissors to give to the chickens. Right now their greens are the second harvest of nettles, alfalfa pellets and left over veg from our dinners; little scanty w/o the veg patch! It makes me have to think about food sources that are relatively cheap so I can stock the pantry since I’m not growing much. It unbalances the grocery budget not having the veg patch.

This all may sound a bit negative but its actually lessons in patience. Yeah, I made the request “God teach me patience’ and I got it in spades! When I set back and rest, I can’t see much progress in the garden but I can see a bit of progress in me. Garden therapy is a lovely thing; I wish more people could be blessed with it.

Hopefully soon I will get things tucked away/organized where I can give you some pictures and some double, triple positive garden love notes. I’m sure they are there, I just haven’t gotten there yet. Garden on, guys!

[pipdrawsstuff]

*Casually bird-ifies your Empires*

Been working on this for awhile now but they’re finally all done~ I have mixed opinions on how some of them came out and did change certain things simply because the cannon designs are great but are a pain to translate to a non-human body XD

Please do not copy or repost on any other website (that includes saving or uploading to pinterest)  

Lizzie - Fairy Penguin

Joel - Green Kingfisher

Jimmy - White-Bellied Caique

Pix - Greater Roadrunner

Joey - Scarlet Macaw

Fwhip - Common Raven

Sausage - Magpie

Gem - Cedar Waxwing

Scott - Bluejay

Kathrine - Violet Crowned Woodnymph

Pearl - Great Bowerbird

Shelby - Downy Woodpecker

Xornoth - No bird in particular