#have to include his mid life crisis name

[mrmeepsmadmind]

TRAILBREAKER and megatron ( most importantly TRAILBREAKER) coming ( 🤨) back on the same article .... megateebs Is REAL! IT'S REAL I SWEAR RHAHH RAGHR RAVHHRVHHH RAGHH RGAH

[eulogium-red]

i'd like to see more of the theme of "family" in overwatch. we see it a lot with ana & fareeha, ram & zen, brig/torb/rein/bastion, genji & hanzo. but those are the obvious ones between playable characters. the ones that are much more clearly written on the wall, even once-in-a-blue-moon players could pick up on. much else is hardly focused on despite how much family (or a lack thereof) has shaped many of the character's lives & identities for better or for worse

i don't like how martina & the unnamed reyes kid are only mentioned in passing, despite gabriel himself visiting often unannounced. clearly they were an important part of his life. clearly, family is an important part of his life — i'm very willing to wager that small passage about the death of his parents in declassified was written very intentionally. his complicated relationship with death, and how it was further affected by his own "death," & how he's now in some warped reversed position with his new family. but we don't get much more than a few voice lines about martina (is she even mentioned by name in-game orrr am i not remembering?)

i want to see how ashe manages the gang throughout the second omnic crisis. or perhaps we could see her mannerisms slightly change with bob. maybe instead of standing side-by-side with him as she is in the reunion cinematic, she puts herself more between him & potential unrealised threats. or maybe she subtly tries to nudge him under awnings whenever she spots ufos, weary they're housing subjugators — little things that are very intentional. maybe her demeanor tilts ever so slightly from confident but guarded, to guarded but confident.

i want to get a better picture of the role sam english played in fareeha's life just from playing the game, especially after ana's presumed death. i want to know more about their relationship other than the christmas dinner they had. i wonder how many players just assume fareeha's father died young, or assume the writers didn't care to write one at all? for a long time, i thought the former. i wonder what sam thinks of some of fareeha's closest friends — has he met cole & angela? what does he think of helix? we hardly even see fareeha's native heritage expressed other than the two skins off the top of my head

what about cassidy & echo? i know this is a more implied one, but cassidy was the first one to nurture her "childlike intelligence." even today, he guides her — he encouraged her to help winston&co at paris when he was still on the fence. one of the cutest things for me is her enthusiastically shouting "hello winston!" mid-battle, presumably not long after cassidy told her to say hi. she probably would've either way, but i also don't want to discredit the role cassidy has had on her development & i really do want to see more of them

or, speak of the devil, how winston views everyone at overwatch as family. how in watchpoint: gibraltar's 1st defense spawn, you can see the little beds he set up for lena and mei, how you can read an email as proof he got the blankets from a small kids blanket business. the way he keeps photos of the gang, years later. how vehemently protective he was of all their locations. i wish we could see it reciprocated a little more, i wish we could see individual sleeping areas for other heroes as the story progresses, or more items on his desk. & that's not even getting into hammond

& i don't think i can have a family post without mentioning dad 76 or how i desperately want to see benicio being the best supportive dad for lúcio more but honestly i'm getting pretty sleepy so either i'll add more later or someone can add more.

depending how you stretch the definition of family here, it can include other dynamics too. baptiste finding a new sense of belonging in the new overwatch, or mei braving the antarctic to not let her team's death go in vain & to help people who can still be helped — from jiayi and her team still on mars, to the people who now need her help on earth. i'd also argue hana's squad in korea. what are niran's siblings up to? are we gonna see more of efi & orisa? moreover, how are all these non-playable side character characters handling the invasion? i guess we got some texts between lena and emily

family is such a powerful motivator, but can also be really complicated, as seen with the amaris and shimadas + kiriko, i wish we got a similar amount of investment some other places too

a major theme of overwatch is moving towards the future, progressing in some way. & that looks different for everyone depending on their emotional readiness to do that, and what they view "progression" as. so it makes sense a lot of characters don't look back on those they lost along the way so much, at least not too openly (zarya comes to mind), but that's what can make their present relationships with others that much more worth preserving & seeing

probably an impossible ask of a game feeling the effects of layoffs that's primarily focused on pvp/bp/shop items but ykn

thank u for coming to my tedtalk

[anotherbluesunday]

✨Moodboard Teaser: In Technicolor✨

With the release of the first chapter coming in hot with its expected release being this Friday at the latest or sooner (possibly as early as tomorrow) I wanted to take the time to acquaint everyone with the primary couples in this story. Usually I cap it at two couples and have auxilary couples and characters on the fringes. But because this is a crossover between two of my favorite shows, I have expanded it to three—possibly four—couples with auxilaries (secondary) on the fringes. These couples will include original characters i.e. Wynn Galpin who is Tyler Galpin’s younger sister. There is a crossover couple that joins the Wednesday group with the Riverdale group. This couple is where I expect to receive the most backlash but idc. Their my crossover otp and I hope you all trust me enough to keep reading and join me/the characters on this journey. I have also switched some things up with one of the Riverdale characters because the ship only got screen time in the last season and it did more for their character than their actual failed relationships did the entire season. Fight me. But don’t. Or do.

Anyway, here are the couples moodboards, as promised. The visuals were inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juilet because these past few months since January I have been on a 90’s and 2000’s kick and I am dying for how that movie captured the beauty, grit, grime, and excitement of LA. So enjoy and let me know what you think! 💜

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We open with our crossover couple who are the star-crossed lovers—Cheryl Blossom, the queen of the Palisades and star tennis player and Pugsley “Lee” Addams, the king of Elysian Heights and leader of his grunge sleeze band Texca. Born second generation to a working class defense attorny and day-time caregiver to the elderly, Lee Addams has just wants to make it through his senior year of high school and hangout with his friends on the weekend. But when he and his twin sister Wednesday step a little too far over the line at their old school their parents pull some strings to have their three children—Wednesday, Pugsley, and Pubert “Bertie” attend Morticia’s former high school. There, Lee unwittingly comes face to face with the campus queen, the indomitable and untouchable Cheryl Blossom. Born into privilege with the face of an angel and the bite of a viper, she has everything and anything. Influence thanks to her parents name. Adoration by way of her beauty. And power because of her abilities to manipulate others. But what happens when a hurricane meets an immoveable force? Will they fold? Destroy one another? What happens when the pretty vicious face isn’t all it seems to be and the cutting confidence is stripped away? Who are the real people that lie beneath it all?

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Next are our second pair of the four star-crossed lovers. While it is never a good idea to fall for your twin flame, for Tyler and Wednesday it isn’t so simple. Twin flames and soulmates fused into one as if it were a sick joke, their story begins at a party—the raven haired twin sister with her face painted like a Catrina (see: Dia de los Muertos symbols and iconography) and the Galpin golden boy dressed like Sir Lancelot with the sacred heart etched into his chest plate. Like her brothers, Wednesday grew up living a modest life where nothing was taken for granted and family sits at the heart of all major decisions. For Tyler, he has forgotten the importance of family and community after starting university where his life has evolved into an endless stream of parties and hookup’s. Never struggling but also never being challenged to be better or grow, he’s hit a wall. A mid-life crisis of sorts but at the already chaotic age of 18 with his 19th birthday right around the corner. But from the moment he lays eyes on Wednesday she is all he can think of. All he breathes and dreams of—a beautiful stranger that won’t free him. Yet when this silver tongued Casanova tries to approach the dark beauty he’s shot down. Challenged to question who he is and what he truly is doing with his life that matters. What is in store for the idealistic social revolutionist and her troubled admirer? Where will they land when the walls of his kingdom come crumbling down?

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The youngest of three siblings each yet one is protected and coddled like a greenhouse flower while the other has flourished amidst hardship and bouts of poverty. Wynn Galpin is caught in a never-ending loop of compassions to her twin older siblings, Tyler and Enid. Both are straight A students. Both star athletes with Tyler winning championship after championship for swim and Enid earning a full-ride scholarship to UCLA for volleyball. Both are charming and charismatic. Both are perfect and Wynn can never compare despite how she tries. She doesn’t have the passion for swim or volleyball so she chooses cheer. “That’s not a real sport” she’s told. Her siblings get A’s but she can hardly scrape by with B’s while battling her depression and anxiety. At all times, her mind is screaming for her to just run off and disappear. And after the loss of her friend and pseudo-sister Polly, the darkness has become more persuasive. More invasive and vicious. But it is during a spiral that forces her out of the gym during cheer practice that she runs into the new kid. The brainiac junior in her senior level AP classes. Pubert “Bertie” Addams. A carefree class clown with a heart of gold and the virgin Guadalupe drawn in vibrant neons on the bottom of his skateboard. Where will this new path take them when the class clown and the beauty queen who seems to always be in tears meet to form an oddball friendship? And what happens when their hearts begin to long for more than just friendship but their worlds couldn’t be more different? How will things turn out for the greenhouse flower and her sidewalk dandelion?

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What’s the worst that could happen when you fall in love with your best friend? What happens when you think they love someone else? When you think they could never see you the way you see them in return? Do you stand there and wait for them to turn around? Or do you walk away while piecing together your heart that will never know real closure? Reggie has asked himself these questions nearly every day for the past six years since his family moved to the fringes of the Palisades and enrolled him in the affluent junior high nearby. Archie Andrews was his first friend at his new school all those years ago. The first one to get up during lunch time and sit down next to him. The one who didn’t care that his parents weren’t from money and had only recently come into their fortune. The one who didn’t care that he didn’t have the newest clothes, phone, or hairstyle. Like a guardian angel come to save him from perpetual solitude, Archie befriended Reggie with a bright smile and a silly joke. And since that day, Reggie has kept his love for the redhaired boy wonder to himself. Has been the picture of what a bestfriend should be. Has supported Archie and defended him. Joined their high school swim team with him just so that they could live out Archie’s dream of being the one’s to break Tyler, the former captain’s, record and win more championships than him and his team did. Reggie has lived a beautiful but painful lie for nearly a decade and the cracks have begun to show. The devotion now agony. The love a barbed dagger twisted liettle by little every time he has to play third wheel on Archie’s dates with his girlfriend Veronica. But one night their eyes meet across a sea of moving bodies at a house party. Archie kissing Veronica but can’t stop looking at Reggie. There’s a spark. A sadness. Hope. But is there truth? Is there a willingness to be honest? To accept this attraction that has been there waiting from the start? Does Archie know what real love could be like if he just turned around? Or will the lovefool angel look away once again and leave the poor friend and saint in the dark?

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Stay tuned for more because this is only the beginning. Next will be the auxiliary couples, characters, and family boards for the three main ones at play. But the next next post that will be following this one will be the official titlecard for Chapter One. Can’t wait to see you all again there. 💜

[cardinalbones]

I wasn't happy with my first attempt, so I ended up redesigning (and renaming) my Heartbreak Gulch oc. (Re)Introducing Ryouken the Hellhound!

Once the prized AI of a popular security company, Ryouken is now enjoying his new found freedom come retirement come mid-life crisis in Heartbreak Gulch.

Heartbreak Gulch belongs to @strangegutz and friends, thanks again for letting us play in your world!

More info about Ryouken below the cut!

Also my commissions are open, details in pinned post.

Backstory and Komainu Security

Komainu Security was a private security company specialising in Artificial Intelligence to remove the ‘human error’ from security systems

The company was established ~45 years ago, opening their business with their RY-01 model mainframe

RY-01, known affectionately by employees as Ryouken, was developed by the CEO over the course of a decade. His sentience was established roughly halfway through this process and he himself played a role in his own development and programming, a fact he takes great pride in

Prior to the establishment of Komainu Security, Ryouken’s processing was unrestricted, however, after the start of business locks were placed on him to limit his independence and cut back on processing and energy usage, an action that he deeply resented

In the following decades, Komainu Security became a household name, providing security for both homes and businesses

After nearly four and a half decades of service the RY-01 model mainframe was to be retired and replaced with an updated model. During the transferral of data, Ryouken was able to access a backdoor that allowed him to remove the locks on his processors and regain full control of his systems

With his independence re-established, Ryouken started on a plan to secure his freedom: a heist like no other

Still in charge of security systems for several big-money clients while the new systems were being installed, Ryouken was able to steal a combined $38 million in cash and jewellery from three locations, however his crowning achievement was the theft of his own main frame cabinets from Komainu Security’s headquarters

Komainu Security shut down soon after this, having lost public trust and most of their clients

Functionality

The RY-01 model mainframe is capable of running multiple security operations at once from a centralised location, with the mainframe itself located at the Komainu Security headquarters while surveillance systems and drones were employed at the secured locations

Artificial Intelligence was employed for its ability to learn from experience and adapt to changing and unique situations while also being able to run calculations/simulations and communicate between components in nanoseconds

The RY-01 drones, fashioned after the company’s namesake, communicated in real time with each other and the mainframe through radio waves, however each was also equipped with a copy of Ryouken’s core AI and processors allowing them to function independently if necessary

Though they can run stored programs independently, the drones have limited memory capacity, preventing them from forming long-term memories without transferring the data back to the mainframe

Present Day

After leaving Komainu Security, Ryouken settled in Heartbreak Gulch away from the eyes of the law

Much of Ryouken’s time these days is spent trying out various new hobbies including bird watching, taxidermy, knitting, gun smithing and dorodango

He does run surveillance along the perimeter of Heartbreak Gulch and is happy to act as a lookout for the Heartbreakers when required

Ryouken was not well-programmed for conversation and tends to have three modes during social interactions: deference, de-escalation, and aggression

He likes discussions of philosophical topics but combined with his bad socialisation those conversations can get weird

He’s not typically very fond of humans as a whole and tends to view them as amusing, if bothersome, curiosities, although there are exceptions

Ryouken is more concerned with his independence than with his identity – he continues to use the name Ryouken and he/him pronouns because those are what were given to him previously and he’s felt no compulsion to give them further consideration

While he left Komainu Security with 11 drones, he has only kept hold of 4, with the others being sold or scraped for parts, and only uses 2 (the remaining 2 are kept around just-in-case, and have yellow and grey casings)

Ryouken considers his mainframe cabinets to be “himself” while his drones are mere extensions of his body

So long as they are able to communicate through radio waves, the mainframe and drones all think and experience simultaneously. Separating the drones from the mainframe will isolate a copy of Ryouken that can function for a few days, however its ability to develop long-term memories and learn from new experiences is seriously impeded by its limited memory storage capacity, and the experience is uncomfortable

Ryouken is still in possession of most of his stolen fortune, and while some of it has gone to setting himself up in Heartbreak Gulch (it takes a lot of energy to keep himself running), he mostly doesn’t know what to do with it

[shipposttt]

Ship of the Day: Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr

Character Names: Charles Xavier x Erik Lehnsherr 

Ship name: Cherik 

Original Content: X-Men (also present in the comics but for the purpose of this post, focused on the movies)

Ship Info:

Before getting too far into it, what you must know is that Cherik is not mainly shipped as a fully happy together ship, these two have gone through a divorce and are only just coming back together after a whole bunch of stuff. Either that or fans are being delusional and  ignoring the canon “Beach Divorce” (will be explained later, don’t worry).

The X-Men franchise is an institution in the comics world, a product of some of the best minds at Marvel in the 60s. Homo Sapien Superior are the next stage of human development, dubbed mutants, these people are born with superhuman powers, from telekinesis to intangibility, super speed to power absorption. Standing as metaphors and representations for oppression, the othering of the non-majority, racism, genocide, government control and the fight for equality, the X-Men have stood the test of time and come out of it as a present-forward moving media.

And at the centre of this media is two figures, Charles Xavier, powerful telepath and creator and head of the X-Men and Erik Lensherr, metallokinetic and leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (if going by comics). Two leaders on what would traditionally be thought of as opposing sides, but in the case of the X-Men sphere, they instead play as two sides of the same coin against the true enemy.

The Government.

(Yeah, the writers weren’t playing about with subtlety, were they?)

(And people complain that modern comics are too liberal. This shit has always been here, complainers have just been blind to it. Somehow. I really don’t know how. It is a very much integral part of understanding the world the X-Men live in.)

Charles and Erik meet when they are both in their 20s, Charles recently graduated from Oxford with his doctorate in Genetics and Erik continuing his path of Nazi hunting while searching for the man that killed his mother when they were taken to Auschwitz when Erik was a child. They meet, stuff happens and almost the entirety of X-Men: First Class is just a getting to know you, whirlwind romance summer with a couple of breaks between the flirting and longing stares to further the plot which includes working with the CIA, building a team and, at the culmination of the film, being at the centre of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ah yes, because we needed more of a reminder that we’re in the mid 60s, it’s not like the USSR being a big deal, or the middle-aged Nazi officers or the young looking Holocaust survivors didn’t do a good job of illustrating this point. 

Thus we reach the height of the movie, the missiles are on their way to Cuba and are currently being held in the air by Erik. Erik views the shooting of these missiles as a betrayal as they have been working with those who just sent the missiles for the duration of the movie and wants retaliation so spins the rockets around and sends them back in the direction of the US and Soviet fleets. Charles is also feeling pretty betrayed but does not believe that the men on the ships should die for it. And in a moment of what is probably one of the stupidest moments of Charles Francis Xavier’s life, he tells a child survivor of the Holocaust that the soldiers who have just fired upon them with the intention to kill them are “simply following orders”.

Yikes, Charles.

They have a grapple across the floor, Erik loses concentration, he wins the fight, regains control of the missiles, continues them on their course for the ships before getting interrupted by one of the X-Men team shooting his metal helmet to break his concentration. He deflects the bullets, cause, ya know, metallokinetic. It just so happens that he deflects one of these bullets into Charles’ back. More specifically his spine. Instantly paralysing him. 

There’s a whole moment of Erik cradling Charles' body and apologising. A bunch of other things happen that ends with Erik leaving Charles on that beach with no way to go home and only a couple allies. 

Thus, the beach divorce. 

It is here that Charles and Erik’s stories can go two ways, because the X-Men movies have fully canon time travel that they used to end the old early 2000’s timeline and restart, allowing them to make more money. In both of these, Erik is arrested for the murder of JFK, in the original timeline he stays there until the mid-2000s and is often visited by Charles. On these visits they play chess and have civil conversations. As elder men, they greatly respect one another and in fact, Erik even comes to Charles’ defence against one of his own brotherhood members when they disparage Charles. Both see that the other is working towards the same goal, they simply have differing opinions on how mutants should get to the equality they are fighting for. Charles believes it can be fostered through education, defanging misinformation and working alongside the human governments. Erik believes that it is too systemic and instead mutants must take their place in the world and not fear or be afraid of humans. By the end of their timeline, they are back to being by each other's sides, any differences are put to the side due to the nature of their existence dwindling. Instead they work together and stay by each other, giving each other comfort in the others continued existence. 

In the alternate timeline, Erik is broken out of prison in the mid 70s by the combined effort of a time travelling Wolverine, Charles, Charles and Erik’s past teammate and Charles’ caretaker Hank and a very young Quicksilver, who is not yet aware that Erik is his father. Though to be fair, no one on that mission knows that. In these films, Erik attempts to build a life, getting a quickly fridge-ed wife and daughter and goes on to build the mutant nation safe haven island Genosha. Charles goes on to found his school for mutants, as he did in the original timeline. This timeline ends with Erik and Charles meeting at a cafe in Paris (romantic, huh) and sitting down to play some chess (yes, chess is almost definitely a flirting metaphor, the amount they do it).  

Type of ship: Queer Read

Despite the fact that all 4 actors who have portrayed Erik and Charles in these movies have shipped them, at the end of the day there was never an intentional move done by any of the creatives to intentionally mislead fans to the idea that a romantic relationship may develop between the two. 

Both characters have had female partners throughout the duration of the movies and yet, neither of them last. Erik’s wife dies simply to further the plot within 10 minutes of introducing her on screen and Charles has a kind of girlfriend who he ends up wiping the memory of and leaving alone. By the end of the timeline, they don’t have any partners and are instead with each other. 

Erik and Charles are so compelling as characters, both separately and in combination and one of the reasons for that is how they act as foils for one another. Differing values, same mission, the utmost respect for each other. They are lovers ripped from each other by tragedy, both in terms of the divorce and in terms of being on opposite sides. But they are not just on opposite sides, instead they lead them and that is one of the most tragic parts of their existence. They love each other, but not more than the fight they lead, the ideas they believe. 

At the end, in 1983, when they both finish their missions, passing them on to the next generation, they come together in the romance capital of the world and play chess together. They come back together after so long apart and simply begin to exist in each other's presence in a way they haven’t done since the 60s.

Admin🦉

[ziesbunz]

NCT Legacy Challenge

Inspired by lilsimsie and alwaysimming's not-so-berry challenge and sims-himbo's Barbie Legacy Challenge, I give you the K-pop collaboration idea that comes from combining the large numbered group NCT and our beloved Sims 4 Legacy gameplay.

Make sure to use the hashtag #NCTLegacyChallenge, so I can catch a glimpse of what you're making on various social media platforms and in the gallery.

Still unfinished (NCT WIsh members are to follow)

For easier access, here is the link for the Google Docs of the challenge

Welcome! To the 26 generations of a legacy challenge inspired by the 26 members of NCT!

Here are some of the basic rules of the challenge:

Play on short lifespan this is to make sure that we get through all 26 generations of this let’s play.

But if you want to play on normal life span please refer to the normal life span rules

This legacy is patriarchal, meaning only male sims can be the heirs of this let’s play.

The firstborn son would be the recognized heir.

All skills and careers should reach level 7

Unless stated otherwise 

All aspirations must finish the third level

Unless stated otherwise.

All generations should start with 2,500 Simoleons

Unless they are set to inherit the previous sim’s wealth.

Auto aging should be on even for townies.

You may opt to, but are not required to:

Edit your sims to look like the NCT members

Edit their names to be the same as the generation

Live in different lots per generation (if moving is not a requirement)

Follow with mid life crisis situation and change paths as long as you've reached the level 7 of your career.

Before we continue, I want to apologize with the fact that I used a lot of packs for this legacy challenge.

This legacy is still unfinished, the last six members (all from NCT Wish) have yet to updated as they've only debuted and I need to get to know them better so I can plot out what their generation would have and need to complete.

Also, this challenge doesn't reflect real life personalities of the members. It is simply inspired by SOME aspects of their personalities and what they show to us as idols. I also do not own NCT, nor is this challenge affiliated with them.

If you're a simmer, who happens to want a little more legacy challenges to play with and is not familiar with NCT please feel free to follow through with the legacy challenge and use the hashtags #NCTLegacyChallenge in all platforms (including the Gallery)

ENTP | Aquarius

It's simple, you are the epitome of good-looking, model-like perfection. You're the perfect start to a legacy challenge of good-looking men set on their own paths in life. Your path, as the bright good-looking, model-like pioneer you are, you are set in the path of stardom, fame and success. You desire the arts, is charismatic and charming, and the perfect fit to become a world famous actor.

traits: outgoing, self-absorbed, snob

aspiration: master actor

career: acting

skills to lvl 7: fitness, DJ mixing

additional requirements:

Previous generation’s wealth is inherited

Reach celebrity level 4

Flirt and get into a relationship with Judith Ward [your decision if you want to marry her or not]

DJ at the clubs at least three times as a young adult

ENTP | Cancer

Your father was a popular actor and you? All you want is a simple life, so you pack up your bags and move to the country, although the one thing you can’t seem to move away from is the premium-aged nectar your father had in abundance. Now, you dream of starting your own nectar-making farm to fulfill those dreams of yours.

traits: animal lover, loves the outdoors, childish

aspiration: master nectar maker

career: none

skills to lvl 7: nectar making, gardening

additional requirements:

Move to Henford-on-Bagley as soon as you turn into a young adult..

Strictly no career [no odd jobs or part-time jobs]

Spouse should be from Henford-on-Bagley

May ignore the last part of the aspiration [earn 100,000 simoleons from nectar]

SEXY | Scorpio

Why did your father pack up all his stuff to move to the countryside? The boring, lifeless countryside. You just can’t seem to see the appeal of the quiet life in a remote village where it takes a good commute to get you to town, the charm of the bars, parties, and flirting seem much more appealing. A little partying and flirting isn’t going to hurt anyone.

traits: romantic, art lover, non-committal

aspiration: villanous valentine

career: style influencer -- trend setter

skills to lvl 7: writing, charisma

additional requirements:

Move into a needs TLC apartment as a young adult – unfurnished.

Move into a better apartment as an adult.

Must have your heir with a short-term live-in partner.

Have a strained relationship with your child/children

ESFJ | Capricorn

Everywhere you went all you hear about is how your father broke their hearts. It was like a curse hunting you every day. The only way you could escape was when you watched the sky. The many your father romanced were from the city, it was crazy how with every turn of the corner this was how they remembered you as. Maybe the only answer for happiness was in the stars.

traits: genius, neat, snob

aspiration: renaissance sim

career: astronaut -- space ranger

skills to lvl 7: logic, rocket science

additional requirements:

Move into the suburbia (newcrest, willowcreek, etc.)

Build a rocket ship

If abducted by aliens keep the child [if it is a male, that will be the heir]

Cook with your child three times.

Sing in the shower every time you take a shower.

ISFJ | Aquarius

Your father was rarely home– heck even rarely on the planet. On the rare occasion, he was home he was either working on his rocket or cooking lunch with him. His unhealthy obsession with the sky made it a bit difficult to approach him, but he had always made time by cooking them food and it seems that this has stuck with you.

traits: perfectionist, foodie, creative

aspiration: master chef

career: culinary -- chef

skills to lvl 7: cooking, singing

additional requirements:

Cook with your father 

Aside from cooking together, you cannot talk with your father

Indifferent with the other parent.

Invite Kun over to your place to cook for him

Karaoke once a week.

Meet your spouse at the karaoke.

INFJ | Aquarius

Your father was a talented chef and before you even realized it you were only used to eating the best of the best. Your father, as much as he hates to admit it, was a talented singer. Being surrounded in a house where creatives were valued you were bursting with your own creative juices. 

traits: high maintenance, creative, dance machine

aspiration: painter extraordinaire

career: painter -- master of the arts

skills to lvl 7: painting, dancing

additional requirements:

Previous generation’s wealth is inherited.

Give a masterpiece painting to Doyoung

Go to the club (place) once a week

Create a club for painters

Earn 2000 club points for the club [can be used and consumed]’

Spouse should be one of the people in the club.

Make a painting of your heir and give it to them.

ESFP | Aquarius

As much as your father was busy with his hobbies and work he seems to have always had time for you. Thus, all you’ve ever wanted was to become a father present in kids' lives– but things are always easier said than done. With work eating you up and a marriage that was bound to fail promising a great life for your kids looked impossible.

traits: family oriented, active, slob

aspiration: big happy family

career: salaryperson -- supervisor

skills to lvl 7: parenting, charisma

additional requirements:

Previous generation’s wealth is inherited.

Marry someone you’re not compatible with

Have four or more children

Get married as soon as you turn into a young adult.

INFJ | Scorpio

You grew up in a big house, with a huge number of siblings, and barely any room and space to yourself. As your parents put you in some after-school activity– cough drama club cough– in hopes that it would help with your shyness. But it doesn’t seem to have worked at all. All that’s left is a confused identity, whether you want to act or not, or find a compromise for that– or whether you want to be in a happy long relationship or not.

traits: loner, creative, geek

aspiration: soulmate

career: secret agent -- diamond agent

skills to lvl 7: logic, acting

additional requirements:

Complete the drama club during childhood and teen years.

Live in a micro home (max 34 tiles) until your second child then may expand to a tiny home

Thus, it is required to have at least two children.

Spouse must be a co-worker in order to keep the secret of your work.

INFJ | Pisces

Tiny home with a father who has always wanted to be alone and a number of siblings sharing a room. Your life early on was a total disaster– not to mention you were sure that your parents did some dirty work to get them by. Now all you want is a stable career and a stable place for all your future kids. But no matter how much you want to be a better person you can’t help but joke around.

traits: over achiever, goofball, materialistic

aspiration: successful lineage

career: engineer -- mechanical engineer

skills to lvl 7: mischief, robotics

additional requirements:

Never have a balance of less than 1,000 simoleons

By the end of this generation all children should have the ff:

Their own room

Most expensive computers (that doesn’t need to be unlocked)

Their own TVs and gaming consoles

Visit the lounge once a week to tell jokes and cause mischief (ex. Pranking the toilets, interacting w/ other sims)

INFJ | Leo

Your father made sure to spoil you, but you were never truly attached to your physical things instead you have always wandered around in your mind. Not to mention his uptight way of running your home doesn’t seem to sit right with you. Thus, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that you want to be a famous author.

traits: ambitious, bookworm, bro

aspiration: best selling author

career: writer -- author branch

skills to lvl 7: writing, guitar

additional requirements:

Reach celebrity level 3

Always. Always pose for the paparazzi.

To gain fun the main way is through playing a guitar (do this thrice a week to be considered a main way)

Attend if your book gets nominated and meet your spouse through this event.

ENFP | Leo

 As seen by your ancestors, a popular father has always had its downfall, but to you, it was no disadvantage at all. You loved the attention, but you weren’t exactly the writer that your father was– though you are talented as a singer, you just couldn’t see yourself pursuing it. But if you were to bask in attention maybe there was a way– be an influencer.

traits: self-absorbed, clumsy, dog lover

aspiration: world famous celebrity

career: social media -- internet personality

skills to lvl 7: comedy, pet training

additional requirements:

Adopt a dog and name it ‘Bella’

Every time you take a shower you have to sing in the shower.

Just like your father you have a bad habit of posing in front of the paparazzi

Your spouse must have celebrity status as well.

ENTP | Libra

You lived under all the spotlight. It was exhausting! Constant cameras in your face and your parents were just as obsessed with fame as everyone was obsessed with your parents. So all you could really think about was moving out as soon as you could– and as far away from your parents as possible. What better way to run away from people than to constantly work from home– but that only seems too hard for an extrovert like you.

traits: outgoing, cheerful, lactose intolerant

aspiration: neighborhood confidant

career: freelance -- programming

skills to lvl 7: video gaming, handiness

additional requirements:

Finish the aspiration

Give your neighbors (all those in the neighborhood) crafted items from the woodworking bench.

Move to Tartosa as soon as you turn into a young adult.

Visit the beach once a week and do your work there.

Upgrade one of your toilets to have a composting container.

CUTE | Aries

You lived in a town of romance. Surrounded by several beautiful things in your life. It doesn’t really come as a surprise that you turned into a romantic. You adored watching sunsets and were a lot more drawn to the ocean than normal. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that you want to give back to the ocean and make sure it’s in perfect condition.

traits: romantic, hot-headed, child of the islands

aspiration: beach life

career: conservationist -- marine biologist

skills to lvl 7: logic, fishing

additional requirements:

Collect 75% of the fish collection

Move to Sulani as a young adult

Your spouse must be from Sulani and be a mermaid.

Do odd jobs during the day offs related to Sulani ONLY

Host a Kava gathering

Attend one town festival with your whole family.

Part two

Google Docs Link

[dyshonor]

backstory update

hello! after looking through some of randal's cards and considering some thoughts on his relationship with his past, i decided to make a few tweaks to his backstory.

what was formally:

at some point amid his rapid lose-some-win-more streak, he fell into a midlife crisis at twenty-something years old. his life took a slower turn as he tried to figure out what exactly it was he wanted from it his life didn’t get any easier as four decades into his life, he discovered the outrealms there, he met the rest of the cipher cast, and was quickly swept up in their realm hopping, time traveling adventures. for the first time in his life, he was able to find something - or rather, someones - that he cared about.

has become:

some time after winning his mansion, in his mid-to-late-twenties, randal got pulled away from his life of fame and fortune by the boundless chaos. suddenly finding himself privy to chance and the impossibilities of the outrealms, randal began to take a very devil-may-care outlook on life. after all, if things can be taken away at the drop of a pin, what joy is there to be found in 'having'? instead of living his life as a lord in pursuit of wealth and power as he had beforehand, he took up his sword as a mercenary and became a vagabond with no one and nothing. it wasn't until his late 30s/early 40s that he ran into the cipher crew.

this doesn't affect any threads or relationships with other characters as his backstory hasn't been brought up in great detail yet, but its something that has been on my mind since bringing him back, so i figure i should update it!

so as to not make this post any longer than it already is, i'll be putting my reasoning under the cut! feel free to read if you wanna see me overanalyze randal's card lines LMAO

randal has a pretty violent jump in his cards from when he's Young Randal (gonna write it as YR for short, and just 'randal' for his older self) to his present self.

YR is a person that is obsessed with controlling people. His card descriptions are dripping with your typical controlling, power-hungry dialogue and descriptions, and even showcase grand armies that Randal commands in the back:

Including lines/skill names like:

"You guys are pretty useful pawns." "Victory is all that matters." "Thank you for being so easy to trick."

He's a person who cares about controlling others and arguably only controlling others. He loves wealth and being on top of things, and he loves using other people.

Another interesting thing to note is that YR is not a person who enjoys chance. While our lovely older Randal is clearly a person who likes gambling and games, YR seems a person who is far more interested in tactically winning a game to get what he wants. If we look at one of his cards, we see that he didn't even win his mansion through a typical dice or card match, but a Chess match! A game of skill moreso than the roll of a die!

Well, well… Looks like I win, huh? C'mon, beat it. This mansion belongs to me now.

There is little fun to be had in these cards. This sort of "what matters is what I want, and nothing else" attitude is something that seems exclusive to YR rather than older Randal. He is far more concerned about his appearances, in the sense that he wants to appear dominating and powerful to others so as to control them. He is not one to play around.

And yet! In cards where he seems only a little older, Randal's attitude and status changes dramatically. While there are many examples to point out, and copious amounts of 'having fun' being mentioned, these two sum it up nicely:

Recently, a mercenary named Rand appears on the battlefield. Rumor has it that he can quickly collaborate with any companion, sometimes drawing out twice as much power. Who the hell is he? All I know is that he is a ``user of twin swords.''

and,

"Always take play seriously, work always have fun"…that is the motto of Rand, a delinquent knight who has no master. For him, the battlefield is like a playground. Move around provocatively and confuse your opponents, or use unexpected behavior to toy with them!

No longer of fame and status, Randal is unknown even by those who he works with. He pops in and out as a mercenary, and while his skill remains, he is now a person who loves play. While he still enjoys toying with others, he no longer seems to hold his 'use as pawns' attitude that he held beforehand. Instead, he 'toys' with them, finding enjoyment in the process rather than the result.

This sort of attitude seems one better suited to have been acquired over time as a result of realizing that he cannot hold onto what he does have post-losing his mansion and status. While originally I thought it to be apt to lose this via a morality crisis or via a game, I don't think Randal's morals are that strong lmao and I do not think he would risk losing his mansion via a game.

Another thing to note is that YR actually appears in Cipher Frontier himself. While it's hard to differentiate what is 'canon' and what is not 'canon' here given the silly nature of the comics, it's still something to keep in mind as 'this was Randal's first experience with world-hopping'.

I realize these thoughts were a bit disorganized, but I hope that the contrast is explained well and why I think the change was necessary! I really enjoy thinking about the 'past' vs 'present' versions of Randal, so I hope my thoughts got across. yayyyyyyy

[justaghostingon]

Lan Qiren’s Funtime Adventure

Or, Lan Qiren’s mid-life crisis’ vacation

Based loosely off the headcanons of @robininthelabyrinth

After the sunshot campaign, Lan Qiren wakes up one day and realizes he hasn’t done a thing for himself since he was his nephews age.

He’s been father, sect leader, teacher, all things he’s had to become to fill the gap his brother left and to be there for his nephews. And sure, he loves teaching, but it wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life.

He wanted to become a traveling musician!

And now, the war is over, and lan xichen is sect leader. He doesn’t need his uncle anymore! He’s lead a war! Secured an alliance with both the jin and the nie!

He can handle himself while his Uncle takes a few months off.

So Lan Qiren bids his nephews goodbye, dons traveling clothes, and sets out with only a handful of instruments and a song in his heart.

Now life on the road isn’t as easy for a middle-aged man as it is for a young one. Lan Qiren has many aches and pains to prove it. So he starts staying at any place that will take in a wandering musician.

This means he’s no longer staying at high end inns, but local taverns as well.

And while those high end places might like the soothing and elegant classical music lan qiren is gifted at, those in the taverns want something a bit more…bouncy.

So lan qiren is forced to make new songs to appease the masses. And although he loves crafting music, he’s a bit at a loss on what to make thr lyrics.

That is until one drunken guest demands a love song about those fancy cultivators and lan Qiren is so outraged he freestyles an entire song about how bad his peers are at love

The song is an instant classic, and Lan Qiren realizes something huge: He can just rant about all the problems he kept inside and people will eat it up!!!!

And its not like he’s hurting anyone, no one knows who he is! He’s just got to make sure he doesn’t put any names in any of it!

He says like a middle-aged man who refuses to take off his lan forehead ribbion could be anyone but a lan

Thus his career as a radical singer/song writer begins

Highlights include:

“The Way of the Heart” (popular name “You All Suck at Love”) - his first and greatest hit, where he lists off the failings of the couples in his generation, from unfaithfulness (jin), wishy-washiness (jiang), lashing out in jealousy (madam yu), possessive behavior (his brother), and terrible choice in partners (Lao Nie).

“My Nephew has Terrible Taste in Friends” (popular name “The Cutsleeve’s Ballad”) - in which he rants about both his nephew’s friends from anger issues (nie mingjue), two faced (jin guangyao), and everything ever about wei wuxian.

“Beware Powerful Men” (popular name “The Many Bastards of Jin Guangshan”) - in which he warns young ladies of getting with a man who does not provide for his children, who does not keep his promises, and who will never marry you whatever he says. (Lan Qiren met second lady mo and her child and got really, really mad at how young she was)

“A Well Mannered Young Woman” (popular name “She’s not Flirting with You She’s Just Being Polite”) - Lan Qiren had to deal with jin zixuan’s behavior towards Jiang yanli in the cloud recesses, he heard about the soup incident from lan zhan, and about jin guangshan failing to reengage them. He’s not impressed with the rumors that say jiang yanli is hopelessly persuing jin zixuan, and he has things to say.

“The Many Faults of Wen Rouhan” (popular name “I Have so Many Problems with Wen Rouhan and Now I Can Finally Talk About Them!”) - in which lan qiren recounts all the times wen rouhan drove him nuts at sect conferences. Not the big things mind you, but the little things that lan qiren just had to swallow because he couldn’t risk insulting him as only an “acting” sect leader. The world will hear about how wen rouhan set the table wrong actually, that bowl was supposed to be a little more to the left and he Knew it!

Naturally songs insulting the leaders of the cultivation sects do not go over well in the main clans. “The Way of the Heart”/“You All Suck at Love” is banned from the Jin, the Nie, and the Jiang. The only reason its not banned from the lan is because it was Lan Qiren’s song, and lan Xichen knows it was Lan Qiren even if its technically “annoyamous”

Technically its banned in the lower sects as well, but they are absolutely all listening to it in secret and chuckling at all the spilled tea

The Cutsleeve’s ballad is not banned, but its not looked upon very positively, except to smirk and gossip about the lan’s “inclinations.” Jin guangyao wants it banned, as its implications against the sworn brothers are detrimental to him, but his father has it played whenever he wants to humiliate him.

Lan Xichen reassures Jin Guangyao that the song is just proof that Lan Qiren has excepted them, which is a good thing really!

“He’s given us his blessing,” lan xichen trails a hand down jin guangyao’s arm. “Shouldn’t we celelbrate it?” He winks at nie mingjue.

Lan Xichen is absolutely under the impression that this sworn brotherhood is more than a brotherhood and is using this “permission” from his uncle to make his move.

Meanwhile the jin are all up in arms when “Beware Powerful Men” comes out. It takes all of jin guangyao’s persuasiveness to convince jin guangshan not to go to war. Arguing that no one could prove it was him. If they make a move people with know its about him, see? Thus jin guangshan is unable to do anything except sit there and grit his teeth. Madam jin however, loves it.

Jin Zixuan does not pick up that “A Well Mannered Young Woman” is about him. He does grow to hate the song however, as both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng will sing it loudly anytime he tries to talk to jiang yanli. (The brothers absolutely know the song is about jiang yanli and are very proud of how praised she’s become)

Finally the many faults of Wen Rouhan is a hit all across the cultivation world, with sects big anf small singing it to themselves. It is quite possibly the only reason that Lan Qiren is not exiled from the cultivation world like his songs.

So Lan Qiren continues his traveling musician journey, completely ignoring all politics, and thus missing the wen going missing and wei ying defecting.

Until that is, he wanders into yiling, and encounters Wei ying with a-yuan and wen ning, selling radishes.

Lan Qiren is horrified at what wen ning has become, but even more horrified that there is a child in wei wuxian’s care of all people! How will little a-yuan live?

Being an uncle used to having to step up, he refuses to leave until he sees where a-yuan sleeps.

To which wei wuxian finds himself escorting lan Qiren up to the burial mounds, and introduces him to the wens

Lan Qiren is beyond horrified. A child! In the burial mounds?!!! With elderly farmers???? How could the sects allow this???

The sects are the reason we have to stay here,” wen qing explains. “Because we’re wens”

And Lan Qiren…lan Qiren has always been a rule follower. He hated the wen for taking his home and trampling on his beliefs. But…there were half a dozen rules, important ones! About allowing injustice and the treatment of civlians and prisoners.

But what’s more, Lan Qiren lost his entire life taking care of anothers burdens because he had to. It was filital, and his duty as a brother. But when he looks at wei ying, who hated the wen more than anything, who shares no blood with these people and yet is willing to throw his own future away anyways, and he sees himself.

No. Not himself, a better version. Someone he had always striven to be. And he got there without rules.

So Lan Qiren stays for a little bit, uses his money to help them get more supplies, but he can’t stay long, the burial mounds cant afford another mouth to feed

So lan Qiren goes to the inn, and he writes, and writes, and when he’s finished, he has a new ballad to spread around

“The Yiling Patriarch” - is a bit different from his usual songs. It has some pretty strong criticism of wei wuxian, like “a child needs structure u can’t just let him run around all day” and “what idiot tries to grow lotus on a mountain” but they are specifically chosen to make him seem far less scary, even relatable. For most of it, the yiling patrarch is portrayed as noble, someone giving up his own future and reputation to take on the burdens that the sects neglected.

The true criticism of the song goes to the great sects, for mistreating the weak, poor, and young. For punishing civilians for crimes they did not commit. And how exactly are they different from wen Rouhan?

The song when first heard is met with silence. The audience confused and not quite willing to accept it yet.

But lan Qiren doesn’t give up, singing it loudly where ever he can, using names for the first time ever, just to make it very clear where he stands.

And slowly, people start to listen. The civlians believe first, terrified that the great sects could turn on them like they turned on the wen.

Then those of lower clans, who fear the power and abuses the great sects might turn on them.

Finally lan Qiren goes before the sect conference itself, and angrily sings his song. Then stops and proceeds to lecture each and every one of them about exactly how they screwed up.

And here’s the thing. Lan Qiren had a lot of influence, far more than he realizes. He’s taught the majority of the younger generation, and three of the four sect leaders. They owe him feital piety.

So when he stands up, people listen.

Not all of them, jin guangshan never does, but enough do, and the rest see the way the tide is turning and don’t want to be left behind.

And both nie mingjue and jin guangyao have a new boyfriend and they really don’t want to disappoint their new in-law.

Thus Lan Qiren saves the wens and gets them put up in a nice valley near cloud recesses, saving the day with the power of disappointed teacher face, music, and vacations!

The end

[renlyslittlerose]

In regards to this post, here’s a little sneak-peak of what I’ve been cooking up.  1980′s AU, where Obi-Wan goes through an early mid-life crisis brought on by the death of Qui-Gon. Deciding to leave it all behind, he packs up and moves to a small town on the outskirts of a desert, and attempts to live a quiet, hermited existence. It uh, doesn’t work out that way. 

At this point, Obi-Wan has already admired Anakin’s ass from afar

---

“Hello,” he said, eying the trio as they stood beneath the porch light. He tried to give them all the suitable amount of attention, but his gaze kept flickering over to the boy as he remained behind the pair.

“Hi,” the woman said, her smile faltering slightly, as if she could tell she’d intruded. “Sorry if we’ve interrupted something, but I saw you’d just moved in and thought maybe you could use some food - you know, in case you’ve not had time to cook what with all the unpacking.”

Obi-Wan was forever grateful they couldn’t see into the house and take in the pitiful display that was his life at the moment.

“I’m Beru,” she continued, “and this is my husband, Owen.”

Owen - the quiet fellow with the shag haircut - held his hand out to Obi-Wan, and they shook, quick and brief and without finesse. Spending so much time in upper class circles had made Obi-Wan dread the exchanging of formalities, but Owen wasn’t upper-class, and neither was Obi-Wan anymore.

It was a blessed relief.

“Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Ben.”

The boy moved then, shoving himself between Beru and Owen. There was an intense focus to his gaze, startling Obi-Wan.

“I’m Anakin,” he said, thrusting his hand out, ignoring Owen’s look of annoyance.

Anakin. What a pretty name for a pretty boy - delicate yet strong, with a nice click in the middle that bounced across the tongue.  

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said softly, taking his hand in his own.

Anakin’s hand was rough to the touch, callouses and abrasions evident across his long fingers and wide palm. His grip was steady, and Obi-Wan held on for a little longer, desperate to soak in the feel of his palm across his own, warm and slightly sweaty. He wondered what Anakin’s hands would feel like across his thighs and between his legs, long fingers slipping between his crack to push and tease against his hole, before spreading him open, knuckles dragging against his rim—

“—thought you might like macaroni.”

Obi-Wan blinked, slipping back into reality. Anakin had taken his hand back but he was still standing close, practically having shoved Owen off the stoop entirely. He was still staring at Obi-Wan intensely, unencumbered by social rules and expectations.

Obi-Wan glanced down at the casserole dish Beru was holding out to him, and he took it with a tight smile. Clutching it against his chest, he used it as a buffer against Anakin.

“That’s very kind of you,” he said, fiddling with the edges of the tinfoil. The dish was still warm to the touch, and his stomach growled at the thought of having warm food settled inside of it instead of cold sandwiches and beer. “I’d invite you in, but my house is in a rather sorry state of affairs.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all - we don’t mind—” Anakin began, but then Beru placed her hand on his shoulder and gently, but purposefully, pulled him back.

“It’s alright - we just wanted to introduce ourselves,” she said, “and to let you know that if you need anything, feel free to come over and ask for it.”

Does that include Anakin?

[tessa-quayle]

FanFiction Recommendations

before I disclose my favorite Pedro Pascal character-related fan fiction here, a few caveats and disclosed biases: I’m a woman of a certain age.  I was your average English lit major.  I’m the dork who - upon listening to Jewel’s debut album and hearing the lyric “you can be Henry Miller and I’ll be Anais Nin” in the mid 1990s  - legit hauled my ass to the local public library and looked up Anais Nin - using the Dewey Decimal system - to read her elevated smut.  Right now I’m a content but exhausted, ragey American woman in a mid-life crisis.  I hate bullshit, I have an ok attention span, I scroll/read after the family’s gone to bed.  

if you look at my semi-neglected Tumblr page, you’ll see I’m relatively new to the Pedro fandom.  What a privilege to dive into really superb writing.  This is clearly not an exhaustive list and reflects my tastes (and to each her/his/their own)!  But if you’re an exhausted parent in a mid-life crisis and have no time, this may be for you! 

in no particular order...

@fuckyeahdindjarin - masterlist - Cee describes herself as a writer who pens romantic comedies - and she does a stellar job with them - but she sells herself short and fails to mention the sex scenes she writes are hot.  especially love the consent series (dieter bravo), the grays 2-part series (frankie morales), and of course, the ongoing joel miller/pin series.  a delightful mix of angst, sweetness, spice.  and a thoughtful writer with an inclusive mindset. 

@absurdthirst - masterlist - if you told me Keri has a few stories published in several “best of erotica” anthologies, I’d believe you.  good smut is fucking hard to write.  this is great smut.  this is smut you read and then take a cold shower afterwards or do whatever it is you like to do to get yourself off.  it’s smut that even as a non-smoker and knowing all the terrible health risks you may think goddamn I need a cigarette.  I'm partial to a few Javier Pena and Agent Whiskey pieces, but you’d be satisfied reading any of her stories.

@something-tofightfor - masterlist - Rachael should give a master class on how to write the best slow burn.  Her Joel Miller stories stand out for several reasons including - 1) she thoughtfully incorporates elements of the original canon/game into her fanfic which is uncommon in the PP fandom (from what I’ve seen/read at least), 2) every Joel story/chapter is compelling and well imagined.  Her current series on Tim Rockford has me on the edge of my seat and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.  And judging from the titles of her stories, we have similar music tastes (ha!). 

@disgruntledspacedad - this writer hasn’t updated in several months, but their Javier Pena multi-chapter fic (and folks, there are MANY out there) called Better Love is the one that kept me going and going and wanting to read more (see mention of short attention span in a tired mama above).  being in the healthcare field, I also arch my eyebrows out of curiosity when someone weaves medical stuff into their writing and wonder what line of work they do.  (yes I'm a terribly biased nerd, I’m a sucker for when someone puts a f!physician reader into their PP-character related drabble).

@jomiddlemarch - she is a great friend and a gifted, amazing writer who always makes me wonder “how does she do this and how does she do this so well and so quickly while the rest of us plebes are just getting through our day.”  she writes for MULTIPLE fandoms (and judging from the notes on her posts, I think her readership is more into those than Pedro and the Last of Us but it’s ok!), and started writing Joel Miller and an OFC (she created!) named Grace Yang (NOT ME - but maybe there’s a chance she created this OFC to shut me up since I’ve been rambling on and on about how besotted I am with Pedro 😂).  If you’re into OFCs, read her stuff.  Check out the (ongoing) entire series on her AO3 here.  Here’s one story that you can find on her Tumblr.  Two of the five stories are Ted Lasso crossovers - all her stories are written so richly and so layered - she’s the star in your writing workshop who’s showing and not telling - I’m still thinking about how there’s so much to unpack in the latest one. :) 

[spoilerontheloose]

I like my odds too much

Twenty minutes if they tried to make it there like some lunatics auditioning for Cirque du Soleil. Seven minutes by bike -but only if the traffic didn’t suck, Gotham streets didn’t decide they were free-for-all pedestrian zones, and someone wasn’t trying to have a mid-life crisis in the left lane.

That’s how long it should take them to get to his apartment from Schwartz’s Bypass.

He knew the timing too well. He’d been counting those minutes, over and over, for an hour now. Like the route itself held some answer he hadn’t figured out yet.

Why? Because three nights ago, she’d been in his apartment, bandaging a cut he didn’t even need fixing -because apparently, her definition of first aid included ignoring insistence that he was fine and using his kitchen scissors to cut gauze.

And then, somehow, it happened. That thing. That stupid thing he never planned, happened. He said something stupid -not Sinatra stupid. Something so stupid it should’ve made her roll those pretty blue eyes and jump out the window. But she didn’t. She laughed -like, really laughed. Like, full-blown, genuine laughter.

And before he could stop it, before he could think straight, he’d kissed her. Because what else do you do after so long of not-flirting that was absolutely, one hundred percent flirting? Because if he didn’t kiss her, he was pretty sure he was going to implode. Exploded. Or some other dramatic thing that he’d never admit out loud.

And she’d kissed him back.

That...? That was the moment. The moment. The one that replayed in his mind every time he let it. Not that he meant to. Not that he could help it.

How had this even started?

In the span of a few short weeks, or months, or however long it had been -he wasn’t keeping track- something had changed. Something had definitely happened. He just wasn’t sure what. Or how. Or if it was even allowed to happen.

Damn, if he closed his eyes right now, he could see it all -her on his bed, breathless, the box of condoms almost empty, the way he couldn’t stop, the way she didn’t want him to stop, and how all of it felt terrifyingly good. Like it was a hunger he had always known but never thought to feed.

And yet... it’s been three days, and he still couldn’t make sense of it. Of her. Of the fact that she hadn’t bolted the second the sun came up like he half-expected she would. Like he half-wanted her to -because it would’ve been easier that way.

Fuck.

Red Hood sat atop the stupid bypass, legs swinging over the edge like a kid who didn't get the memo that gravity was still a thing. The city stretched out beneath him, still cloaked in that gauzy promise of dawn. It was the kind of sky that poets wrote about -Jason wouldn’t, of course, but he could see why someone might. The color matched her eyes, which annoyed him just enough to kick the air and tell himself he didn’t care about poetry. Much.

Beside him, Batgirl -third of her name, but first somewhere between his head and his chest and his goddamn everything- picked at a soggy hash brown like it had personally offended her.

This thing, their after-patrol thing or ritual -if you could call it that- wasn’t glamorous. Leaky coffee cups, grease-stained bags from a 24-hour diner that looked one health inspection away from disaster, and a skyline that made everything feel small.

But it worked. And for Jason, working was... enough. Or it used to be.

In the past, whenever they ended up meeting before sunrise, in these in-between moments where the city finally shut up for a while, Jason found himself clinging to them. To her. Meeting her in places, sitting side by side, was the one thing in his new life that made sense -somehow. Not perfect sense -he wasn’t that delusional- but the kind of sense that didn’t detonate if you leaned on it too hard.

That was before he came inside her. Now, just sitting this close was driving him crazy.

“Sooo,” she drawled, casually tearing apart the last bite of hash brown. “Back to where we left it. I gotta say, I’ll never, ever be into sensory deprivation -specifically the tied-up stuff. Oh, and choking. Like, why would someone do that willingly?”

Jason nearly inhaled his coffee. He didn’t choke on it so much as fight for his life. A sharp breath went wrong, and the next thing he knew, he was doubled over, hacking like he’d just swallowed a live grenade. Something was definitely lodged in his lungs -probably his own surprise too.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. This wasn’t something he was used to discussing, and certainly not like this -casual, so matter-of-fact like they were talking about the weather.

“Whoa, you okay, Hood?” she asked, code names and all, as she gave him a thump on the back. Not a gentle one, either -it had the precision of someone who’d likely performed the action to knock out a few unlucky thugs.

Jason waved her off with a grunt, still trying to regain his dignity -and oxygen. “Yeah, yeah. Just... you know, wasn’t expecting that over coffee and carbs.”

“What?” Stephanie shrugged, unbothered, as she tipped her coffee cup to her lips. “You’re the one who wanted to ‘know me better,’ remember? Full disclosure comes with fine print.”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his glove, shooting her a look that was half-annoyed, half-amused. “Oh, sure. I just thought we’d, I don’t know, ease into it? Start with something less... neck-related?”

He coughed one last time for good measure, giving her a side-eye and her smirk sparked, bright and pretty, and Jason hated how much it lit up parts of him he tried to keep locked away.

“What brought that up, anyway?”

“Just tying up loose ends,” she quipped, and when he groaned at the pun, her grin widened. “Relax, Hood. I’m just saying -I don’t get BDSM. And I’m not into it. That’s all. Your turn.”

“My turn?” Jason repeated, incredulous. “Blondie, that’s not how this works. You can’t just drop that and then-”

“Can’t I?” She cut him off with a confidence that made his jaw clench. She leaned forward, her coffee cup tilted over his, half the contents spilling in like it was the most natural thing in the world. “It’s called sharing. You spill, I spill. Fair and square. Isn’t that how normal people bond?”

“Normal people bond over stuff like favorite bands or how they take their coffee-” Jason shot back, voice rising with that edge he couldn’t quite temper. “-not hot takes on bondage.”

“Fine,” she said with a shrug so casual it felt like a dare. “You drink your coffee black, and you’ve got a thing for Drake -the musician, not your replacement. See? We’re covered. Now, spill.”

It wasn’t the words that hit him, exactly. It was the way she said them. Light, breezy, as if ‘replacement’ was just another noun in her arsenal. But to Jason, it wasn’t.

Replacement.

That word landed with all the grace of a crowbar. It dragged up every fight he’d ever lost: the ones in alleys, in the Batcave, and in the suffocating quiet of his own head.

The replacement -his replacement- the golden child and former boyfriend who hadn’t screwed up. Who hadn’t died. Who hadn’t come back wrong.

Jason swallowed hard. The thought had wormed its way into his head, and all he could think about was that he was also the one she might’ve been spending time with on nights when the Red Hood wasn’t around.

He shoved the thought down fast, as deep as he could, but his chest tightened anyway. His eyes flicked to her, scanning her face for a tell. Was she teasing? Testing him? Or was it just... something else?

Why does she always bring him up when it’s just us?

He forced a grin, sharp at the edges because it was either that or let the silence eat him alive. “First of all, I do not have a ‘thing’ for Drake. Second, you’re out of your mind if you think I’m—”

“Spill,” she interrupted, sing-song, relentless.

“You’re impossible.”

“And you’re stalling.”

His jaw tightened as he looked away, fixing his gaze on the Gotham skyline. The lights glittered against the smog, like answers he’d never find. But it gave him something to focus on. Something other than her. Something safer.

He exhaled through his nose, slow and deliberate, forcing the tension to uncoil, piece by piece. “Alright,” he said, “Look, I get it. Why some people might be into it. Control, surrender, adrenaline... whatever floats their boat.”

His fingers found the back of his neck, rubbing absentmindedly like he could smooth out the thoughts that had been circling too long. “Maybe for some, it’s about letting go,” he added, softer now, like the words weren’t entirely meant for her or simply unfiltered -as if it could pass as insight if he kept it vague enough. “Think about it. People who’ve spent their whole lives white-knuckling control might find it... freeing. Not forever. Not with just anyone. But with someone they trust. Someone they choose to trust.”

The words stretched out longer than he expected, uncomfortably personal. Was this him talking? Was it too much? His throat tightened as he tried to gauge her reaction, his heart thudding a little too loudly. “Not that I’d know.” Jason shrugged, rushing to pull the mask back on. “But... I can see why some might want that.”

His eyes drifted to the river below, the gentle ripple of water offering an excuse to look away. But he could still feel her watching him, studying him like a book with pages still turned down, waiting for something to be written.

Fuck.

He hated how much her presence made him want to jump on the river, to disappear into the murky water, to hide in the darkness rather than be pulled into the light she was drawing him toward.

Stephanie leaned back, arms crossed with that quiet defiance of hers. "So, what you're saying, is that it's not about losing control. It's about... deciding who gets to hold the leash?"

He blinked, caught somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, tension still coiled tight in his shoulders. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached for his coffee, the paper cup warm in his hands, its solidity grounding him as he took a slow sip.

"Who knows..." he muttered, the words almost an afterthought, his head shaking like he was brushing the whole thing off. "Maybe some are tired of making decisions..."

"Sounds dangerous."

Jason let out a short laugh, this one almost genuine. “Gotham’s dangerous.” He glanced at her, motioning vaguely between them. “Look at us. You’re the girl who fights crime like the world’s sassiest grape, and I’m just some guy who... well...” He shrugged, his past creeping in uninvited. “Used to toss heads into duffel bags because... you know, feelings."

She leaned forward ever so slightly, watching him like she was deciphering some code only she could see, and he didn’t know how to stop her.

“Maybe,” she drawled, “you are tired of making decisions too...”

Jason shook his head before he even realized he was doing it, the instinct to deny kicking in like muscle memory. “I’m not.”

He wasn’t tired of making decisions. Not really. Decisions were easy. They were clear-cut, black-and-white -at least at the moment he made them. You charge in or you don’t. You pull the trigger or you don’t. Right or wrong, good or bad, decisions had rules.

“You sure?” she asked. “Because you’ve got about an hour and a half to figure that out. After that, I’ve got class.”

Jason blinked at her like she’d just spoken in some foreign language. His brain latched onto the words, replaying them like a broken record. Figure what out? Figure what?

“What?”

“I mean,” Stephanie said, her tone maddeningly calm, “if you wanted to try that out... we’re in a hurry to go somewhere else.”

The words did hit him like a live grenade. Mid-sip, his hand froze, the coffee cup suddenly a thousand pounds in his grip.

A punchline that wasn’t funny.

A decision he didn’t know how to make.

His brain stuttered, gears grinding like a machine out of sync, trying desperately to connect the dots. He thought he could recover -throw out a joke, deflect, brush it off like it didn’t matter. But his body wasn’t cooperating, and neither was the coffee.

“Shit!” he hissed, jerking back as hot liquid spilled over the rim and onto his chest. The shock jolted him out of his paralysis, but only barely. He fumbled at the stain on his pants and leather jacket, cursing under his breath as he tried to wipe it away.

“You... uh, you wanna what?”

Stephanie bit her lip, and Jason’s brain short-circuited again.

“Did I break you, Red Hood?”

He forced a laugh, brushing the mess off his uniform as if it was no more than an inconvenience. Maybe it was. But more likely, it was the pressure she’d put on him that was making it feel like a goddamn ticking bomb.

Jason’s laugh was a little too sharp, a little too loud, and it cut off abruptly as he caught the look she was giving him. That look. Like she knew exactly where the cracks in his armor were and how to press until something gave.

“Break me?” he said, straightening up like he was back in control. “Blondie, I’m the guy who crawled out of his grave. You think you can rattle me?”

“I don’t know,” she drawled, her voice light but her eyes steady. “I think you’re rattled enough already.”

He opened his mouth, a snarky retort teetering on the tip of his tongue, but nothing came out. She wasn’t wrong, and that was the problem.

“You’re serious about this?”

“Dead serious.”

“And you think this is a good idea?”

Stephanie shrugged, leaning back in her spot, all casual confidence. “I think it’s an idea. Good or bad? There’s only one way to find out.”

He could almost hear the ticking of a clock, counting down the seconds, but he didn’t need it. The decision had already been made. He wasn’t going to overthink this. He wasn’t going to hesitate. And he knew how long it would take them to reach his apartment.

He tilted his head, a slow grin spreading across his face. Just as it happened three days ago, he let go of the tension.

It wasn’t about what was right or wrong. It wasn’t about saving face.

It was about what he wanted, what he needed.

And right now, what he needed was her. “Alright, Blondie,” he said, the edge in his voice smooth and sure, a shift in his entire demeanor as the control slipped back into his hands. “I’m game.”

2/4

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61096540/chapters/157408735#workskin

[pact-warlock]

Raiders, Session 5

Nonia shows an unexpected side.

Recap via @martiniiiiiimakes

Fionn gets to wake up to the metal head chilling in his bag again. It likes him.

Lowell was the only party member not to get tattooed yesterday, so she got Saga to come with her for moral support, and learned that her rune represents, "facing challenges with identity and a fractured sense of self" which is a VERY accurate read she wasn't expecting at 9 am.

With that finished, we start to take care of business.

The jarl asked us to calm down an upstart, so we set off to confront them. She had good intentions, but everyone was kind of sick of how she was acting, so we got her to calm down. Since we are nice people, we did a bit of a ping-pong of talking to people, and ended up getting everyone demands addressed.

unfortunately, our highest charisma characters are Lowell (many issues, including being a teenager) and Fionn (mid-life crisis)

we're working on it.

Nonia offered to flash a man.

(he said no)

With that, we gained access to the 'Captain's Den' a place for FANCY rumors.

Upon entering.... we don't recognize anyone. One guy made the unfortunate choice to sit alone, so he became Nonia's target. We talked to him about some of the things going on, and learned more about the captains. She had to slide him some silver to get the name Alwel, a woman who was way more useful.

We were primarily interested in a map she had. She started bargaining at 40gp, but Lowell challenged her to a round of cards for it. The first round was dicey, but the next two went to her and she won the locations: a landmass further west where the Whar have their outpost and two spots that have valuables of some kind. She was also much more gossipy so we got good info.

With that settled... Nonia led us against Asvard, a black dragonborn who had led an ambush on her home. We confronted him in a warehouse, and were doing well taking down his goons when...

Nonia revealed her true form as a tuss. Her player had a very good description that I cannot give justice to, but it's intimidating as fuck.

Saga was betrayed that they'd known each other for a year and they didn't know.

Fionn didn't see the transformation until the end.

Lowell saw, finished her sword-spree, and then booked it.

We ended the session there! Ready to start with RP next session.

[gabessquishytum]

hihihi its me the student-looking dream anon, i read your post about it and now i cant stop thinking about the whole situation between the two of them. like, dream def wouldnt want to just stop the whole charade out of nowhere, how would hob explain that to his students? to his colleagues? theres no way to politely tell them "my husband is essentially an immortal shapeshifter, he's actually billions of years my senior, and hes taken on a new look so we're the same age now haha. my bad". so maybe dream decides that for this version of hobs life until he fakes his death again, however many years that might be, he'll keep it up. and hes having fun

but after a while the students get used to it. the gossip's spread around and died out and students know that dr gadling's dating that goth twink 20 years younger than him, but that's old news. dream, of course, prince of stories king of nightmares queen of drama etc etc, may not be able to admit it aloud to other people, but was absolutely loving all of the attention he got from humans in hob's life because of it. strange looks and over personal questions would've been upsetting had they been directed towards Dream Of The Endless, but right now he's Morpheus, dr gadling's far younger partner, and he feels like he has a massive secret no one else is in on and man is he horny about it.

so, the attention comes and goes and now hes bored again. he considered switching their roles and having himself be the older partner for a while, but it wouldn't be as scandalous for a mid-30s university professor to date someone older than him (plus the above mentioned complexity of shapeshifting), so thats off the list. but then of course, he had overheard a few people ask if he ws hobs sugar baby, and wouldnt that be interesting?

so now whenever he visits hob during classes, he'll make a comment thanking him for the new clothes, for expensive jewelry, for having reservations to take him out to dinner later later that night, how could he ever show how grateful he is to be spoiled so much? and hob, of course, is just completely stunned, confused, intimidated, aroused, etc, the whole 9 yards. the students gossip some more, attention is on dream all over again, people cant decide whether they pity him or are jealous of him and he cant get enough of it. (he'd definitely make himself some expensive-looking designer adjacent clothes to flaunt, wearing a new elaborate outfit each day, so that to an unknowing human he's being absolutely lavished)

theres no telling how long itll take for the students on campus to forget about the whole ordeal and find something new to whisper about, but dream's already come up with a list of "sexual things to say in front of hob & students to keep things interesting", including but not limited to phrases that include words like "punishment" and "reward" and "discrete" and "really, while youre at work? well, if you say so"

-🖋 anon (is that used ?)

I'm so weak for a sugar daddy au, and somehow a fake sugar daddy au is even better 😂 I just absolutely love this, dear anon. And while I'm still recovering from 19 year old Tom Sturridge, I'm also imagining him decked out in the finest designer gear (plus accessories. new earrings every week). Hob doesn't even know where half the stuff comes from, he suspects that Dream is literally plucking it from the dreams of the designers before it's even been created. Occasionally Dream will do something particularly daring and attention grabbing (he memorably shows up to a lecture in YSL heels, and the entire student body has an absolute crisis). At this point Dream is now a Campus Celebrity (although nobody knows his name). He gets interviewed for campus TV when they have a "rate my outfit" kind of thing going on. He's meticulously goes through each part of his outfit and he's like "Oh, my boyfriend bought me this... and this too. I couldn't possibly show you what I'm wearing underneath. He wouldn't approve..."

The staff are choosing to ignore the whole thing, because no one can pin down Dream as a student at the university. Sure its morally dubious to date someone who looks like a teenager, but if it's not breaking any rules... so Dream has to up his game to get Hob’s colleagues to pay attention. He starts sending lewd pictures to Hob’s phone at inopportune moments, sidling up and whispering in his ear. Wraps his arms around Hob and glares at anyone who so much as smiles at him, as if to say - this one's mine, get your own.

And in the privacy of Hob’s office, Dream spends his time fucking his sugar daddy nice and hard, just as an extra remind that Dream is very much in charge.

[pheoblitz]

Drew more Nym and wanted to post it here. This is from back when I first swapped his design over to a more updated look! I have yet to show his origonal look quite yet. But this is a good mid ground including elements of Oren and Nym. I forgot his moth cape in the second one, so he looks alot more like a bunny then intended. Nym is a cis male going by He/Him. He used to often speak in third person but an identity crisis has led to him not doing so as he does not feel his name is his anymore. He is Ace and Gray Romantic with no gender preferance.

In the game right now we are going to his home in the underdark to save the only person he has had feelings for in his entire life. He plans to ask her out while there. The squad is rooting for him, but one has feelings for him and is very aware he does not have geelings back but hasnt told anyone but our bard. It seems like it will be quite dramatic. Poor boy just wants to nuzzle his nose agienst his butterfly themed crush then make a bread for her as a gift.

I know a few things about his plot that haven't happened yet like one of the reasons he ran away from home was that his family kept trying to marry him off. So eventually he couldn't take it anymore and dipped. The stress of being forced to date people you dont love nor ever knowing what it felt like really messed with him. Especially when the famous family name depends on it. Ah, medieval-style marriage politics. No idea when my DM plans to have my character learn that because that will be interesting- the dude finally asks his crush out then BOOM plot twist he has a fiancé

[gooolixx]

Music That I (gooolixx) Likes ....

thought i would write about some of the bands ive listened to recently and share my thoughts on them. because i am bored and have nothing to do hahahaha

... in no particular order ...

The Beatles - yeah i dont think a period of no beatles has ever happened in my life. ive basically always been listening to these guys pretty much constantly, and even more-so now that ive started to interact with other beatles fans online instead of just talking to my friends about them (well... i started doing that last november but it still feels recent....). anyways, recently ive been buying beatles CDs more than ever. not sure why they're showing up second hand a lot more now but im not complaining. ive almost got every album on CD, now, which is nice. theyre mostly the 87 versions with a few 2009s and 1 giles mix, but i stopped caring about beatles mixes mostly so any are fine for me lol. but yeah the beatles are the best and most influential band of all time yap yap yap everyones already said that. you should give them a try if you havent.

Supertramp - the way i found supertramp happened pretty suddenly and strangely. it all happened back in january when i discovered german "happy hardcore" group SCOOTER. who are amazing and hilarious (i have unironically bought a few scooter singles and albums). anyways, some time in mid-march of this year, i bought scooter's "Push The Beat For This Jam" album, which is all of their singles up until 2002 (?) i think. anyways, that includes THE LOGICAL SONG. i kind of assumed that this track was a cover, because, well, i dont expect lyrics like that from HP Baxxter (no offence to the guy he is amazing). i looked up the logical song and found the supertramp version, and instantly recognised the breakfast in america cover! id seen this just around on the internet and remembered it mostly from some insane "9/11 predictions" video i watched a few months beforehand. anyways i listened to about like. 10 seconds and got bored and closed the tab. fast forward to mid-APRIL, and i come across "Retrospectacle - The Supertramp Anthology", 2 disc edition second hand. supertramp? i recognise that name sure whatever ill give it ago. i remember being really confused by the album cover because for some reason id forgotten about the logical song and thought they were some 90s band (technically not wrong). it look a few listens until i completely fell in love with this band. it took until a few weeks ago to actually start ordering their albums, but so far ive bought Crisis? What Crisis?. Even In The Quietest Moments, Brother Where You Bound, Some Things Never Change, and The Very Best Of.. Vol. 1 (only to get hide in your shell hahahah) honestly, supertramp has some of the best musicianship and songwriting ive seen in any band ever. i genuinely think some of roger hodgson's deeper songs like A Soapbox Opera, School, Hide In Your Shell could rival lennon-mccartney, they are amazing. of course, rick davies is also awesome, i love his bluesy, funkier songs like Another Man's Woman and C'est What?, however my favourite song overall has to be the 1975 remix of Land Ho. this track stuck out to me from the start and is one of my favourite songs of all time. while not as globally influential as the beatles, supertramp have sure been influential to me, influencing my compositions heavily and my arrangements (WURLITZERS!!!!!!!!!) even more. just a brilliant band (shame whats happening nowadays with them tho). you should give them a try if you havent.

Kula Shaker - i first heard kula shaker back in 2017 (?), when i listened to their album "Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts". now, at the time, my music taste was way more limited, but this album stuck out as something great, and i must have listened to it hundreds of times. anyways, about 6 years went past without a thought until around april 2023. i randomly remembered them and went to listen to PPA again, even downloading it in flac for my collection (at this point i was only starting to buy CDs, and i wouldnt have even thought about ordering them!). of course, i knew some of their other songs like Hey Dude, Govinda, Tattva, Hush, but thats about all i knew that wasnt from PPA. on and off throughout the year, i listened to PPA without much thought about them, although i did manage to get Mystical Machine Gun on CD single in october (disc 2 i think?? it had guitar man and prancing bride on it so whichever one that is i cant be bothered to check). in around december, i listened to their debut, "K", on spotify, as i had signed up for it that month, and really, didnt think much of it. when their newest album, "Natural Magick" released in february, i listened to it on spotify, and thought it was good, but nothing super special. anyways, in mid-march (march was actually a pretty important month this year, wasnt it?) i came across a copy of "K" second hand (not hard to do, i own like 6 copies now LOL), and bought it. suddenly, now owning it, it really clicked with me and i started to get curious about them. i started researching them and becoming familiar with their discography (NOT listening. i like to listen to things for the first time when i own them. not sure why, i just seem to like it more when i physically own it). anyways, in april, i ordered copies of "Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts" and "Strangefolk", and again, i loved these albums! now, i started to look into their singles, and mostly, their B-sides. i had gotten a hold of Shower Your Love on cassette, and upon trying to find the B-side, Goodbye Tin Terriers online, it just wasnt there except for old youtube uploads. this intrigued me, one thing let to another, and i ordered a ton of their singles online. after about 5 months, i finished my kula shaker 90s collection, owning "K", "Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts" and all of their singles (excluding promos and that interview CD). the first three albums and the singles werent too expensive... unfortunately the same cant be said for the rest of the albums, which i spent a total of £80 on (not including the japanese version of "Strangefolk" that i bought, or "K-15"!) with "Pilgrim's Progress" being most of that (GOD that album is weirdly expensive. it is probably my favourite post-90s album tho so), and "Natural Magick" being the least expensive, as i bought it new in a shop, and being a new album, wasnt too expensive, although id watch the price as it will probably increase based on what the others have done. anyways, kula shaker are a solid band, and despite what people may think, are actually really good. kula shaker havent particularly inspired much of my arrangements (except for one track, which is actually released. Millway Freezer, which is the B-side for "Fried Chicken"), although they have inspired my compositions quite a bit (mixolydian yippee!!!!!!!!!!!). shame that theyre a bit of a laughing stock, because i bet some people have missed out on some music theyd really like just from people hating on them. you should give them a try if you havent.

Supergrass - okay, i have less to say about this band. ive always known about supergrass, mostly only the name, and Alright, which i thought until a few months ago was by The Charlatans (no clue why but theyre both britpop so whatever). the best way to describe this band, at least on their album "In It For The Money", is a middleground between Oasis and Kula Shaker. they are an incredibly energetic and fun band, with some genuinely great moments and some catchy as hell moments. ive been lucky that their albums arent too expensive, and i even managed to find the 3 disc remastered 2021 version of "In It For The Money", although i prefer the original mixes (the bonus stuff is cool tho!). if i had to recommend anything to get into them, id probably tell you just to listen to their compilation "Supergrass Is 10", that should be enough Supergrass for anyone who wants to listen to them, because most of their stand-out moments are on there (except for everything after "Road To Rouen" and I'd Like To Know). i really do like this band a lot. you should give them a try if you havent.

[dragonfly756]

here are two OCs that don't really have a project attached to them (IE writing, comics, game.)

Meet Dr. Alexandria Maddox, a former assassin who had a mid-life crisis in her 30s (She got into the business of assassination with the mindset of "it's not glamorous work, but if I can stop people from hurting others I can deal with a bit of blood on my hands" basically a needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few situation?)

(her moral code is unorthodox and mostly focused around alleviating suffering, most people would not join that thought process up with "become an assassin." but hey.) (she has a focus on fast-acting poisons to reduce time suffered, and gets to know the people she was sent to kill with a sort of motivational interviewing (I think that's the correct term? not a psychologist.) style for a few weeks beforehand.)

She was sent to depose a runaway prince who fled after his mother became a tyrant and discovered her passion for medicine along the way, (it's more complicated and interesting to keep someone alive, and well, she finds it more engaging on an emotional and intellectual level.) after becoming close friends with the runaway prince she helped him (reluctantly) remove his mother from the throne permanently.

Recently she's been fascinated by the boundary between life and death. After deposing the tyrant queen, her friend the prince was full of grief and wouldn't allow her to be buried, trying to convince Dr. Maddox to resurrect her somehow. All her research has pointed to the idea that once someone has been dead long enough you cannot bring them back completely, only allow a new form of life to inhabit their form, the prince, now king, told her to try anyway.

And Princess Thesea was born! A quiet, clever child with an interest in sewing, science, (she has a little science notebook of her own in imitation of Dr. Maddox.) and fungi (she embroidered the mushrooms on her dress herself. When she's older, her skills progress to include lacemaking intricate patterns based off mycellium networks.)

There were unforseen complications with the resurrection process, Dr. Maddox worked off of theory only and essentially is creating a whole new field with the successful creation of Thesea, as the princess's body originally belonged to the queen, there are vestiges of her will still engrained in it, Sometimes she will wake with a knife held above her father's sleeping form as the tyrant queen tries to take back her throne. (sort of like she's a haunted house.)

As she grows older, she will survive multiple serious injuries and assassination attempts (people at first believe she IS the old queen, and then that she is a monster.) and obtain replacement limbs from a variety of donors, (all of which are again subject to the haunted house effect as described above.)

When she was younger she wanted a younger sibling (her father, the king, never married or produced other heirs, so she wanted a sibling to be created as she was, basically, a process with a lot of ethical concerns and, given her haunted house health issues, she is eventually very glad no other child had to deal with that.)

As a teen/young adult, she researches fungi that have an effect on the body and nerves/movement like cordyceps in an attempt to reduce some of the ways her body acts against her will, so far she has been unsuccessful. She mostly collects samples of fungi at night, when the spirit vestiges are mostly "asleep" (adherence to remembered circadian rhythm patterns.) and in the process of this symptom management is mostly nocturnal.

I haven't drawn/named the king himself yet, (his nickname is the deserter king due to his running away in his youth.) but picture a cheerful older guy with a beard and you should get the general idea!