#i know its just a silly sci fi story and having issue with the moon they put a station on and not the eldritch math god that disappeared

[moons-among-distant-stars]

okay hi lancer ppl, ppl who know lancer lore - i have a question

the deimos event right? now im all here for RA and NHPs and paracausality and all that good stuff, but there was supposed to be a GALSIM station on deimos??? deimos?? the tiny potato of a moon??

^ from nasa

15 by 12 by 11??? that's like the size of a small city/big town at most??

so like unless i missed the part where they made deimos a lot bigger and more regular (which i may have i don't have the book)? how??? how? how does that work?? how was there enough space for not only a galsim station (which given that it's involving research into generating whole universes is gonna be pretty big) but also habitation and oxygen generation and H2O generation and power generation and a spaceport and how do they even put anything down on the surface because it's so uneven??

i know i'm thinking too much into this but like this can't be bigger than a downtown of a city, and there's not only a galstim station there but everything else to support people?

(please do not take this as a dig or in a negative way, i think lancer is super cool, i really like the lore, i just do not understand how this would work, i know union has a buncha cool tech but???)

[abuddyforeveryseason]

Don't look, Marion! It's the Buddy for April 12th! It's a gif! It's beautiful...

Today's Buddy was based on that famous scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the bane of VCR rewind buttons everywhere, where the bad guy's face melts off.

That must've been a fun special effect to pull off. And I know I say a lot of movies are the best movie of all times, but, seriously, Raiders is the best movie of all times, right?

Spielberg and Lucas wanted to make a James Bond movie, but they were chased off into the sunset, so they decided to make their own version - a much cooler adventurer, not tied to those british spy novels and silly penguin suits.

A lot of people say a movie like the Indiana Jones series couldn't be made today. I mean, not another Indiana Jones movie, there's probably another sequel on the way. But giving a guy the equivalent of 1981's 20 million bucks to make an original movie, not based on IP, just an idea the dude had.

I don't know about that - after all, Rebel Moon just came out, and that movie shares a similar background to Raiders - famous director wanting to make a movie that's part of a famous franchise, gets rejected, makes his own edgier and pulpier version.

Sure, it sucked, but, still, it got done.

I don't really agree with a lot of the public discourse about modern movies. Probably because I'm very optimistic about popular movies. People complain about franchises and IP, but, I don't think it's a bad thing. Or at least, not necessarily a bad thing.

A good example is the best movie of all times, Eternals. It's a Marvel movie, yeah. But it's about obscure characters, and it allowed a auteur director to make an actual big-budget movie for a chance, something she'd never have a chance to do without Marvel's help. And it's an interesting story - the original comics were an interesting story too, despite their clumsy flaws.

Yet, everybody hated it. Especially people who never heard about those nobodies before - they were the ones complaining about the lack of new ideas in Hollywood. So that was the beginning of the end for Marvel.

I still think a lot of the criticism wasn't about the movie itself, but about Zhao choosing to "sell out" and make a sci fi movie, and a Marvel one at that.

Thankfully, it'll never happen again.

But, I don't know if we'll get a movie as good as Raiders again. It's a different world. And, I don't know, in a way, we don't need it. Kids can just watch Raiders instead of some director having to reinvent the wheel for a new generation. I don't get why every era needs to have its Star Wars, anyway. I mean, I do get it, it's because there's money in making new movies, even if they're just rehashes.

I read something online about the dangers of nostalgia, of people being obsessed with their youth. It ends up making their bitter towards the present day, it turns toxic. And it's easy to exploit - just keep shoveling out remakes, reboots, adaptations of the crap they loved when they were kids, and they'll keep buying. Suckers.

There are people like that (and a lot of them), yeah, but there are different issues to consider, too. One idea that a lot of people agree with is, a person's never too old to enjoy kids' stuff. We keep getting angry about adults enjoying cartoons, but, what's the harm, really? And yet, that can turn toxic too - a lot of douchebag complaining about "wokeness" in cartoons is the dark reflection of a refusal to grow up. As is the creepy obsession with sexualizing kids' cartoons.

Sometimes, it's better to accept that you're too old to enjoy something that wasn't made for you. It's better than to force it into that slot. Let the kids have their thing.

Despite all that, though, I still like some kiddy stuff, although I appreciate it in different levels. And I did like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Old Indiana Jones was fun, it felt almost like a movie version of Mr. Mustachio from Osamu Tezuka stories.

[mystical-imagine]

ooo ok, im a 19 year old girlie :3 im in second year of game design rn and i love itttt.

< Skills include: shit code, drawing cute girls and hugging robots >

I have a cat and her name is nova (supernova long form cuz she is a superhero who saves the universe >:D ) I have blue eyes, pink hair that I dye frequently but its naturally dark brownnnn. I thrive in chaos and am pretty hyper most of the time. But I'm also really scatterbrained. That, and my various mental health issues like depression and BPD but I don't let it stop me from being happy and cool :)

I used to struggle a lot with mental health but have found a nice balance in life and think positively and optimistically a lot of the time.

In my spare time I like to make sci-fi comics, watch sailor moon (and I've been obsessed with Bee and Puppycat) and be a silly little guy.

This week I built an Arduino game thing for school in a week!! And I bought star lights from Amazon to hang in my dorm room (secretly for blanket forts)

I dont know what else to add here, so I hope this is enough ahh

fank uuuu

hiii, sorry for the long wait!!! and thanks for being patient! i hope you like your matchup!!!

i´d match you with Saeyoung!

Saeyoung would love that you have a love for computers and robots in common and would def. try his best to help you and give tips. those convos would probably often get derailed into how to get away with cyber crime, but ya know, its the thought that counts. also im sorry to everyone but that man is a genius and does not understand how other people learn. he has the patience and would try and gently help you, but he would absolutely suck at explaining anything.

would love to build robots of your game characters once you get to develop games (you might already be doing that, idk much about it and its been awhile since you sent in this ask :)). and would def build robots of your characters in your comics!!

(is supernova named after the book series btw?) would love to help you dye your hair and be part of the process of choosing colours. would help both you and saeran dye your hair haha.

its a good thing you thrive in chaos because that man has been without guidance since like age 14 and has no structure in his life, no proper sleep schedule or good eating habits either. obv. youre not gonna be his mother, youre just going to have to figure out something that works for both of you together!!

Saeran would be diagnosed with some stuff after getting out of mint eye too, and having you around, whos been through the system and sorta knows how it works would be a big reassurance. youd be able to support Saeyoung so well and he you, when you over extend yourself.

your optimism would be such a bright thing for Saeyoung. Saeyoung also tries his best to be optimistic and he also knows how sometimes youre being too optimistic to hide that youre struggling. Hed be able to recognize when your smile is a bit strained and reassure you that its okay to not always be happy and optimistic. no one is , and he and your friends wont tire of you for reaching out for help.

sci-fi is probably Saeyoungs favourite genre! hed never tire of you talking about the universe youve created and the stories within that universe. Bee and puppycat would be right up his alley haha.

knowing saeyoung the moment he discovers your love for blanket forts hed probably build one wayy too big for you to cuddle up together in.

i really hope you like your matchup and once again, sorry for the long wait!

[rubykgrant]

A list for @vann-haal of some romance/love-stories! These are just a few that I know well/personally own, so it isn’t the most complete list ever (and I’m sure you’ve seen most of them). I’ll put them under a cut with a small explanation for each. Hope you find at least a couple new ones you like~

Animated-

the Sea Prince and the Fire Child (1981)- this one is fairly obscure, but I somehow managed to get it on video when I was young, and it is a favorite of mine. It is a fantasy story, somewhat similar to Romeo and Juliet with a dash of the Little Mermaid, and a whole new vibe of its own. A child of the sea falls in love with a child of fire, the two only able to meet at night, and always in danger of being caught as their two peoples don’t get along. Very bitter-sweet, and sad at times, but also cute

Shrek (2001)- we all remember this one for totally twisting the fairytale trope “love made her beautiful”, but we still got a happily ever after~

the Book of Life (2014)- I adore the animation and character design, and I find the love story so amusing because if other people didn’t keep messing things up, the two romantic interests would very smoothly be able be able to fall in love without conflict... but, y’know, stuff happens

Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)- I think this one got ignored for having such a silly title and being using a well-known plot, but it is genuinely adorable and funny, knows exactly how silly it is and owns it. We also get to see the two legit fall in love, and try to stay in love

Sailor Moon Promise of the Rose (1993)- pretty much any Sailor Moon movie has a love theme, but this one is my favorite. We see how much Sailor Moon means to all her friends, plus I am just forever entertained that you could describe the plot as “Guy doesn’t know his childhood friend had a scrush on him, childhood friend comes back to steal guy from current girlfriend”

Doug’s 1stMovie (1999)-  because the show always featured Doug’s crush on Patti, that becomes a core issue of the plot. He keeps trying to impress her when he should be more worried about other problems, and his selfish behavior accidentally drives her away. Once he calms down and acts honestly, it becomes obvious she cares for him, too

the Prince of Egypt (1998)- the romance is just one aspect of this amazing movies, but it feels real

the Princess and the Frog (2009)- I’m a sucker for both “They don’t get along at first” and “They both help each other find what they need” tropes~

the Swan Princess (1994)- how utterly clueless the main guy is almost frustrating, but he finally comes through at the end, and expresses his feelings in really touching words

Anastasia (1997)- this has a slow-burn going on, plus an “I love you but can’t tell you” element, and the interactions between the romantic leads are always entertaining

Quest for Camelot (1998)- the girl is both very determined and also a disaster, the guy is trying very hard to be the strong siltent type, but she won’t stop talking to him so it isn’t working, and they both just keep saving each other

Beauty and the Beast (1991)- I think we all know this one pretty well, but it is one of my favorites. I just love that from the get-go Belle doesn’t take any nonsense from the Beast, and once he learns to chill, he’s an adorable dork for her

Aladdin (1992)- another well known movie, but also one I love. The Wish definitely didn’t need to be so complicated, but it was, and a comedy of errors ensues. The actual love story is so simple and sweet, even in the middle of all the shenanigans

Megamind (2010)- you know exactly why this is here~

 Live Action-

the Princess Bride (1987)- a love story where the two romantic interests only get to spend very little time together, and they are probably even more frustrated about that than we are

Hairspray (2007)- a few different love stories going on, all unique and cute in their own ways, with really great music as well

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)- this might seem like it has the story of a “nerdy nice guy who wishes a pretty girl wasn’t into a bad boy”, but he actually IS a nice guy, and the love between them really works. Plus songs about a plant who eats blood, what more could you want

Runaway Bride (1999)- this movie will always amuse me, because it has almost the same cast as Pretty Woman, but I personally like this one better. It can be hard for somebody to trust the words “I love you” when they haven’t been acting like themselves for the other person

Love Simon (2018)- I’m somebody who doesn’t like a lot of teen-rom-coms, but I REALLY like this one~

But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)- the characters manage to find love, even when everybody around them keeps insisting it is wrong, they realize it is right

the Mummy (1999)- this whole movie has really great character interactions, and the love interests are no exception

the Addams Family (1991)- there are few other couples that could match the sheer passion of Gomez and Morticia

Practical Magic (1998)- two sisters who are part of a family of witches experience different forms of love and loss... sometimes with dangerous results, but true love is the most powerful magic of all

Penelope (2006)- love can do a lot of things, including being what breaks a curse... but there are different kinds of love

the Fifth Element (1997)- an incredibly funny sci-fi adventure, it can be all over the place at times, but somehow manages to pull everything together at the end, much like combining elements

Coming to America (1988)- a young prince doesn’t want to simply be betrothed, he wants find a girl who loves who he really is; he decides the best way to do so is to disguise himself as a poor fast-food worker

George of the Jungle (1997)- people throw around the term “himbo” a lot lately, but George here was the otiginal combo of beeffcake/heart of gold/doesn’t think stuff through, and it is great

 Shows-

Joe Pera Talks With You- this entire show is very calming and soothing, the gentle build-up to the romance included. An episode that made me smile for about 3 solid minutes at the end; after staying upp all night talking and watching funny internet videos, Joe Pera goes outside to check on his garden, and he starts to cheer because the beans he planted have grown all the way up the arch, his girlfriend Sarah joins him, and in a fit of glee he gets down on one knee to seemingly propose, but she knocks him over yelling “Too soon!”, and they both proceed to run around laughing

Gargoyles- before we had legit and obvious monster romance available, we had the slow-burn that is Goliath and Elisa

People of Earth- there are several different little romantic storylines in this show, but my favorite is actually a parental-themed one; a space alien abducts a child, and grows to care for him, promising to always protect the little kid. Because different life-forms have different life-spans, a guy in his 30s is relatively still a child to the space alien

Steven Universe- just... Ruby and Sapphire. Yes

Adventure Time- there are a few different characters who fall in and out of love, but it is really all about Bubblegum and Marceline

YuYu Hakusho- known more for being an action anime, the little bits of love we see are actually pretty cute. Especially Kuwabara, who is a hopeless romantic

[heartschoicegames]

Heart’s Choice Author Interview: RoAnna Sylver, “Dawnfall”

Find true love and family with a pirate crew at the ends of the universe, where aliens, ghosts, and portals open the space between worlds...and your heart. You are a Navigator, one who creates and guards portals from one dimension to another, wary of the liminal sea between them.

Your universe is made of two worlds: one contains the magic-infused world of Zephyria, and the other, the dystopian space station Eclipse. The worlds are balanced, until one day, an explosive disaster, a deadly energy storm, and an infamous pirate—the Ghost Queen—upend your life and plunge you into a race to save both worlds.

Dawnfall is a 232,000 word interactive romance novel by RoAnna Sylver,  one of the first set of games releasing with the launch of Heart’s Choice. I sat down with the author, RoAnna Sylver, to talk about writing interactive romance. Heart’s Choice games release December 2nd.

Dawnfall has frankly an insanely wonderful setting for a romance game. Tell me about the aliens, the pirates, the ghosts, and the alien-pirate-ghosts.

Hi there! I’m so glad you think this sounds fun! Yeah, Dawnfall is weird as heck, and that’s one of the things I love about this story. It’s weird in a way I don’t think we’ve seen much of before. I really just tried to put in everything I find fun or interesting, and that I’ve always wanted to write. Dawnfall started out as a total brain-candy project, and runs on pure Rule of Cool. Pirates? Yes. Magic? Yes. A slice of cyberpunk? Hell yes. Eerie ghosts and faerie-tale influences and memory-sharing potions? Giant bird people? The power of rock n’roll? Yes, yes, yes.

And also everybody’s dateable, and in a couple cases, dating each other. We weave a tangled web, but I think it’s a pretty badass and spectacular web.

You seem to really neatly straddle the genre fence here with a romance and sci-fi/fantasy. What was challenging about cramming all of that into one game?

Thank you so much for saying that. I’ve always adored SFF, and there’s so much in this genre-collection, so many extremes and concepts and contrasting colors, that I couldn’t limit myself to picking just one to play with. This weird game-book is kind of a love letter to fantasy and science fiction and haunted house stories and cyberpunk adventures—I thought a lot about the Disney movie Treasure Planet for its genre-blending beauty, and the Bioware game Mass Effect for its array of fascinating, multidimensional alien cuties to interact with and date… and then turned it up to eleven.

I guess you’d expect the challenge to be in making it all fit together/be “believable,” but I kind of threw that out the window. I don’t expect anyone to find it ‘realistic’ (setting-wise anyway; I tried to make every character ring true of course), and I don’t really care if someone thinks it’s silly, or doesn’t take it seriously. It is silly in a lot of ways. DAWNFALL is a giant ridiculous queer space magic pirate adventure, and the only goal is fun. If you have fun, I’ve done my job, and there should be something fun in here for everyone.

Did you have a favorite NPC you enjoyed writing most?

Honestly I love them all so much in different ways, and I know them so well by now it’s really second nature. Their voices come so easily and they’re all so much fun. The Queen’s swagger is awesome though, and her mental voice/mannerisms probably come through especially clearly. I love Zenith’s vulnerable moments when xie lets xir guard down and lets go of the need to entertain or please. I love Averis’s journey and growth from cute wibbly nerd to a confident swashbuckler (who is also still a cute wibbly nerd). I love how deeply Oz feels, how strongly he loves and remembers and honors memory, and how unafraid he is to show softness and warmth. And I love a certain spoilery ghost-babe and how they’re so full of joy at the beauty of life.

I do want to give special mention to Aeon, though. This is a story about connection, and I wanted to show that sibling bonds are every bit as important and strong as romantic or any other. I also wanted to show a complex, multidimensional antagonist figure who holds heartbreaking secrets along with authority, and is genuinely trying to do what she thinks is the best thing, and wants what’s best for you, the PC, even if you might not always agree. Her balance between being so emotionally guarded and determined and unyielding, while hopefully being extremely easy to read and tell what she wants and fears and loves—spoiler: you; she loves you!—was a challenge I hope I pull off.

…Also I enjoy any time Vyranix gets his pompous feathered ass handed to him. I think we all know a Vyranix, or at least of one, and it’s always fun to take them down, even in fantasy.

Who would you be romancing as a player?

I’m gonna say “everyone,” and here it won’t actually be cheating, because you can romance everyone! At once! In varying degrees/relationship dynamics and attractions. You don’t see a lot of polyamory-friendly games or books or anything really, and this is an incredibly important thing for me. The second I got the idea for Dawnfall I knew it had to let players romance anyone they wanted and show polyamory in a realistic, healthy light. I’m also a-spec (asexual and aromantic), and having not just good representation but being actively included and welcomed and celebrated in fiction is so huge too.

Dawnfall is a romance of course, being part of Heart’s Choice, but one of the single most vital elements for me is making it inclusive for aromantic and asexual players and player-characters. Essentially, I wanted to write a romance that didn’t penalize players for not experiencing the attractions the way we’re otherwise expected or required—and I’m so grateful that my amazing editors and community not only accepted but supported everything I was trying to do here. (It’s so refreshing not to have to fight for inclusion and freedom. It shouldn’t be, but it is.)

And that’s where the concept of “Heart-Stars” and “Same-Feathers” came from. I’ve never seen anything honor queerplatonic relationships like I’m trying to do here, and I want everyone, of every sexuality and attraction, to feel like they have a place here and can experience this adventure without limits. And I wanted to show that it’s a very normal thing, hence this being the same for the human characters as well as alien. (One of the nonbinary characters being human is also no mistake. I love me some wild alien genders, but there are tons of awesome nonbinary humans too!)

…That being said, I think I gave Averis most of my anxiety-issues, and would really just like to curl up with Oz and watch The Great British Bake-Off. That sounds like a perfect night in my books.

What were some of the things you found surprising about the game-writing process?

Coding was definitely the biggest learning curve. I’d never coded anything before in my life, and it’s such a new skillset to learn, entirely different from any kind of writing I’ve ever done. Sometimes it felt rewriting my brain, which did not at all do this intuitively—and also sometimes like I bit off much more than I could chew (first game ever being not only a huge piece of interactive fiction, but a polyamorous romance with aro and ace possibilities, and so many more variables than expected!), but it’s been worth it. Entirely. If my writing makes anyone feel seen and accepted and invited to have fun as they are, it’s worth every bit of struggle.

Also, oddly, interactive fiction is in some ways easier for me than writing a plain old book! Probably because I love AUs so much, and every choice in a game is like writing a tiny AU of the story, so I get to do the same scenes several different ways. My ADHD-brain finds something about this extremely satisfying, most likely because it somehow feels more like multitasking! Several stories in one, and if I like two ideas, I don’t have to pick just one to write!

Honestly though, I think the most surprising part is just being done, and…that I could do this at all. It was so huge, and took so long, and I learned so much, and every day I’m just kind of going “who the hell am I?” about doing all of this. I’m proud of it. I did a cool thing. And trying to get better at saying that.

And, what are you working on now?

I always have about 8 active projects going at once (which shouldn’t come as a surprise after last question!), but my next interactive fiction game is with Tales/Fable Labs! It’s shaping up to be a Dawnfall-sized project, but a little faster-moving and action-y.

It’s called Every Beat Belongs To You, and it’s a romantic thriller that feels like Twin Peaks meets Mr. Robot, with a smattering of Repo: The Genetic Opera. A creepy Pacific Northwest town with a secret (and a rash of ritualized murders), a super-slick medical research company whose flagship product is a 100% perfect synthetic heart, a mysterious new-age group, and a sister who went missing just before discovering how it’s all connected. Also five simultaneously-dateable (including ace and aro ships!) cuties of varying genders! Who will you trust with your heart?

I’m very excited about Everybeat, which should be just as queer, polyam, exciting, and weird as all my stuff! Aside from that, I’m working on Stake Sauce Book 2, its companion f/f vampire series Death Masquerade, and Chameleon Moon Book 3. I’m not always working…sometimes there are videogames, and sleep. But I really hope to have a lot more fun things to share soon!

Oh, and depending on how this weird, fun thing goes, I do have some ideas for prequel Dawnfall stories; maybe games, maybe books, but the ideas are there. The world—worlds, really—is so huge, and I’m not done playing in it yet! I also have some character art drawn, and I want to do a lot more of them. It’s another way to show love.

So thank you so much! I really hope Dawnfall is as fun to everyone to read/play as it was for me to write. I can’t wait to share it with you!

[nerdtrash-iteration]

(Re)watching Doctor Who: series 6

Wow okay so. I already knew a fair bit of what happened in this series before watching it for the first time in 2019. I knew that River was Amy and Rory’s daughter. That she was a proto-Time Lord due to being conceived on the TARDIS. I knew that Amy somehow loses her as a baby and that she ends up being her parents’ childhood friend. Anyway, let’s get into this very mixed bag of a series.

Series 6 (Eleventh Doctor) 6.0: A Christmas Carol First of all, I adore this Christmas special, it’s become one of my favourites. I love the setting. I love the premise of the Doctor changing someone’s past to make them a better person. Love Amy and Rory having fun with costumes on their wedding night. I’m not really fond of Abigail basically being a sexy lamp, some of her story is a bit creepy if you think too much about it. But a very beautiful episode overall.

6.1 + 6.2: The Impossible Astronaut + Day of the Moon This isn’t a bad story, but I am biased against it for a few reasons. I don’t tend to like stories set in America as they often feel really out of place in Doctor Who. American TV is already so pervasive, give another location some attention. It felt alienating to have your first story of a new series be set in America, with government conspiracies and time jumps and fake deaths. It just really didn’t feel like Doctor Who. Also I know that the Silence return but I didn’t like that they were just all killed off in the second half. They were built up as such a big deal and then killing them didn’t look that hard. Would have been better as a mid-season finale I think.

6.3: The Curse of the Black Spot I found this story pretty forgettable except for the last ten minutes. The guest characters really didn’t do much for me. Story wasn’t really interesting. It all felt a bit too silly. However, those last ten minutes really did hit me hard. What was an ehh pirate adventure became a mystical poignant story about a pirate crew trapped in limbo: trapped between dimensions and between life and death. It felt like a sci-fi take on Davy Jones, I loved that. Shame it just came in at the end.

6.4: The Doctor’s Wife I heard about this story before I saw it and was worried it would be really awkward and cringe-y. No, I actually really enjoyed it. I adore the setting: a pocket universe with a disembodied antagonist that eats TARDISes. Excellent. I loved the interactions between the Doctor and TARDIS/Idris (I felt calling her “Sexy” was a bit too far, but I don’t hate it). I felt the scenes with Amy and Rory were a bit generic and predictable, with how House messed with them. But overall I really liked this episode. I love the complexity it adds to the disappearance of the Time Lords.

6.5 + 6.6: The Rebel Flesh + The Almost People This is a pretty decent story, but maybe a bit too long. I think the premise is great and really creepy. Good examination of personhood and bodily autonomy.  But I don’t think it really needed to be a two-parter. Or maybe it needed to just use its running time better. Too many scenes drag for me. And I really found the Flesh as a concept difficult to take seriously. How has this never been brought up before??? It really feels like the implications of the Flesh in human society should have been explored more. 6.7: A Good Man Goes to War I have mostly positive feelings towards this episode but it can still be a bit frustrating. I think the rescue is fairly well-paced. I really like the new characters introduced. I love the connection of “Melody Pond” with “River Song”. However there are some set-backs. I’m not really into the military Church or the headless monks. It felt like world-building for the sake of it that doesn’t actually go anywhere. I really like the Paternoster gang, but I don’t like how they are introduced. They are characters the Doctor already knows but there is very little explanation to Amy and Rory or the audience who they are. I really felt like I had missed something and didn’t enjoy that. Also the Silence’s plan feels a tad contrived. The idea of creating an assassin to kill the Doctor is interesting. But it feels way too risky of a plan. How could they guarantee their brainwashed assassin doesn’t escape and learn how to be better? Which is what happened. 6.8: Let’s Kill Hitler I had spoiled myself a bit here, having seen many scenes from this episode closer to its time of airing. But seeing it in full really left me frustrated. I do like the reveal of their childhood friend Melody and their daughter Melody being one and the same. But I really hate how she behaves in this episode once she regenerates into her “River” body. This is the problem with telling a story in this order. We know River will become a friend to the gang. So there doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of tension here. And her “Tee hee, I’m such a psychopath, I love you and I’m here to kill you” act drove me mad. She really felt like a bad fanfiction OC here. I don’t love River overall as a character but I know she can be much better than this. Also there was barely any use mad of the historical setting. I do love Rory saying “Shut up, Hitler” and River facing off against the Nazi soldiers though. 6.9: Night Terrors This was mostly another ehhh episode to me. I do like the reveal of the dollhouse and the idea of people being turned into dolls. I enjoy the premise of the Doctor being summoned by a frightened child. Although this is another overuse of the perception filter I feel. It feels like a device to just cover up parts of your story that don’t quite click together. I also didn’t really care for the guest characters here. 6.10: The Girl Who Waited I was fairly impressed with this episode. Great setting, really interesting moral dilemma. I felt like some of the screen time could have been used more effectively, some parts of the story felt like it dragged a bit. But a very solid story. 6.11: The God Complex I was really disappointed with this episode. I knew a bit about it and was excited to see it. I really like a lot of the guest characters, especially Rita and Gibbis. Many of the character interactions are great. I love that Amy’s fear was represented by her childhood self waiting. I really like the creepy hotel being a labyrinth. But I couldn’t stand the minotaur or the plot resolution. I also had issue with their being inconsistency with the rules of the hotel. I think some characters saw their room and ended up fine. Some seemed to just be killed off without enough explanation. The whole “feeding on fear” thing was really eh to me. It was a horror story that lacked in a lot of tension. 6.12: Closing Time I was very fond of this episode. Again awkward that Gareth Roberts wrote it. I’m very fond of Craig as a character. Also the Doctor’s interactions with Alfie a.k.a Stormaggedon were very sweet. Not the best Cybermen story but not bad. Certainly better than The Next Doctor. Also it was wild to see Lynda Baron as one of the shop clerks. She was a childhood icon for me as Auntie Mabel in the education programme Come Outside.

6.13: The Wedding of River Song Give me strength, what a hot mess of an episode. I don’t loathe it like many do, but it was a really frustrating watch. This is where the Silence arc pissed me off the most. Kept dangling vague ideas in our face on why the Doctor had to die. It really felt like a repeat of “Because...reasons”. At the time of writing, I have seen the series 7 finale and The Time of the Doctor so I know it does eventually resolve. But it was a really frustrating watch at the time. I also don’t like the Doctor being suddenly like “Yo River, we need to get married now because plot”. I know it’s justified with technobabble that it will change the moment of the Doctor’s “death” but it really felt very jarring. I mostly found the Doctor and River’s relationship very frustrating as it seemed like we kept being told that she was important to him, without really seeing it. I can’t be sure of whether he actually had any romantic feelings for her, it’s hard to say. But yeah, kinda a mess of a finale. So yeah I have had this post in my drafts for a while as series 6 is hard for me to talk about. Some stories I’m quite fond of and I like the Doctor and the Ponds as a group but overall it was too dominated by an unsatisfying series arc for me to enjoy it as much as series 5.

[jamjarsthebook-blog]

LGBTQIA Book Recommendations

This summer I will be releasing a lesbian action/mystery story (for free online, more info on my blog) and in writing it I looked for some help and inspiration from other LGBT+ books. I made a list earlier on good books to read, this one will go into more depth as to why you should read them, and is a culmination of my research into the LGBT+ genre. 

Six of crows/Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

If you are to read any book on this list, it should be this one. I’ve read previous series from Leigh Bardugo, such as the Grisha Trilogy, and whilst the story was passable and interesting, the characters weren’t as strong. Which is why I was good dammed blown away at how incredibly well done the characters in this actions packed duology are written. I can remember the entire main cast’s names off by heart (and there are six of them) which is more than I can say for a lot of books, as my memory is terrible. They were incredibly memorable and I fell in love with each and every one of them. The lovely thing about these two books is that I went in not expecting any LGBT representation at all, but suddenly, boom, there it was, gay romance. A brilliant surprise to add to an already amazingly done story. I would highly recommend not just for the (adorable) relationship between two of the male characters, but for everything in this story, it’s a truly well written book. Leigh Bardugo will forever be one of my most treasured writers due to this. I’m especially impressed at the restraint in not making it into a trilogy, which would have been needless and reduced the quality of the two books immensley. 10/10 (That’s right, I won’t shy away from full marks where I feel it is deserved.)

Everything leads to you by Nina Lacour

Where to even begin with this one. It’s been a while since I’ve read this book, but I still remember just how much I loved the main character (and her love interest) and just how many times this book made me squeal in excitement. It’s a lovely read from start to finish, and for someone looking for a romance with nothing else getting in the way (e.g. action) this is a great book to start with. I’m going to leave it there or we’ll be here all evening.

Huntress by Malinda Lo

I enjoyed this book, but I did find the two main characters, and in fact a lot of the characters, to feel a tad weak. I do not think this detracts from the books ability to be enjoyable, as the description of the environment, the world building and the story telling are what carries this book. It’s rare that I will enjoy a book with weak characters, as I will usually take characters over story and description any day, but Huntress just might be my exception. I’ve grown an intense love for Malinda Lo’s style of writing thanks to this book.

Ash by Malinda Lo

This is much the same story as with ‘Huntress’. Slightly weak characters but world class story telling, description and world building. If I had to choose one over the other I would recommend Huntress every time, but it all comes down to personal taste. And hey, why not read both if you have the time? 

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy ‘Adaptation’ as much as I was hoping too. The characters are stronger in this one, and the description and world building were to a good standard, but perhaps it was the mysteries inability to grab me, or the swap in genre to sci-fi that confused me, but I simply didn’t enjoy this book as much as Malinda Lo’s others. That being said, I did still enjoy it, and would still recommend it to any keen readers looking for something LGBT+, after all what you enjoy is a matter of taste.

Read me like a book by Liz Keller

I don’t have much to say about this book. It was an enjoyable read, an interesting look at how being gay can feel and how one realises and comes to terms with it. I’m more of a fan of action or mystery based books (something which, sadly, seem to lack LGBT+ elements.) but if you’re looking for a coming of age story, or someone to help you through your own development, this is a good book to read. 

Carry on by Rainbow Rowell

I’m not sure I even need to tell you about this book. Everyone and their gay Uncle’s already has. It’s well written, the characters are fully realised and engaging. My only criticism would be that Simon Snow’s insistence that Baz is plotting against him sometimes comes off as a bit silly and unrealistic, but honestly that is a very small issue that did not spoil the experience for me. Great book. Fantastic read. I am not lying when I say that I sat down one morning, started reading, and then bam, there’s the moon. It was a wild ride.

You know me well by Nina Lacour and David Leviathan

I would recommend reading ‘Everything leads to you’ or other books on this list before this one. It’s an enjoyable read about friendship and growing, and has good characters, but it just didn’t grab me like other books did. I’ve still got it on this list though, because it was still enjoyable, and someone out there may cherish this book much more than I do. Give it a go if it sounds like something you’re interested in, but maybe try some other books first.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

I fell in love with this book. Head over heels in love. My indignation for how the main character is treated was so strong, I felt so invested in her safety and well being that I found myself yelling at the pages I was so infuriated with the characters doing her wrong. Highly engaging, incredibly satisfying book with mystery and heart break and joy all rolled into one. Read. It. 

Girl ♥️Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe 

I didn’t realise until after the fact that this book was written by a youtuber, and boy did that explain so much. This book doesn’t read like a fiction book, it’s not a story like you would expect it to be. It is, after all, more of an autobiography about a girl and her process of coming out and dealing with being gay. It’s a very happy, comfortable, light read to have with some iced tea on a sunny evening. A relaxing way to spend your time if you’re looking for something sweet, with some good themes, to read. I appreciate the niche this book fits, its about acceptance and growth and it made me feel so happy to read it, and to feel less alone in who I was. 

The Gravity between us by Kristen Zimmer

Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever been more engaged in a relationship as I was with this book. I was cheering when the two main characters finally got together. It was an incredible read, with some important commentaries on fame and the public eye, and how media treats those who are LGBT+. Again, just read it, and see for yourself. You won’t regret it. 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

I haven’t read this one yet so I can’t speak for it’s quality (Though I’m sure you’ve heard the thousands of people gushing its praises. It appears to be a very good book.) I’ve included it on the list because I have a copy and will be reading it over this summer, and figured that if people are looking for books to read, they might as well read this one. 

Jam Jars by Yonnette Anderson

Yes. Shameless self promotion. In my defence it will be completely free online, so it’s not like I’m doing this for a profit. (not that there would be anything wrong with that, I’m just not.) It’s going to be a lesbian love story with action and mystery throughout, set in a made up culture/city/country. I hope it’s good and enjoyable, I’ve certainly tried to write it so, but we’ll have to wait and see what people think of it. See my blog for more information. Feel free to contact me with any questions about the book, the characters or myself!

Oh! And if you know of any other good LGBT+ book please add to this list. Happy reading! 

~Yonnette Anderson

[kiwiusa77]

A silly space story

The following is due to a reblog from @siesiegirl... who reblogged it from @sainatsukino... with the following prompt...

Human: Hey, space best friend! Let's go to the space cafeteria and get some space ice cream!

Alien: why are you like this

And sainatsukino made the comment of “I just really want a sci-fi story where the humans in space keep calling everything “space-something”

So I did :)

“Dee-Van, Please stop touching everything. It disrespects the flow of harmony.” Ven-Dar shook his head slightly, causing the minol tendrils that hung from his head to rattle softly as he watched the human refugee from the sanctuary planet of Earth run through the marketplace. Humans were considered an exotic species, with their potentially high birthrate, innate curiosity or deep rooted suspicion, fearless-ness or terror,  the only thing they could ever be counted on was the unexpected. Ven-Dar knew this first hand.

While Earth was a sanctuary planet, thus prohibiting direct contact, the very limited and careful acquisition of resources was permitted by properly prepared and licensed ships. Pirates were another story, and Ven-Dar was a peacekeeper of the Tri-Tel fleet, one of many who had agreed to keep Earth unspoiled until the day came they discovered trans-dimensional travel by one means or another. He had attacked a pirate ship and successfully detained the rogues, when he and his crew had found the human bound and gagged, sealed in a barbed Plexi-steel cage. Apparently, the human had been the reason for the raid; something to show remote worlds Ven-Dar guessed. Humans were one of the prohibited species for removal, however, once removed they could not be returned unless they had been removed for scientific study and properly sedated. The Yarg council currently had the only licence for such, and even they were careful in their dealings to minimize the impact.

Due to his actions and bravery, The Tri-Tel fleet admiral decreed that Ven-Dar was to be given custody of the human and his patrol was ended effective immediately. His new responsibility was the custody of the human and to instill a sense of responsibility into the primitive creature, with his pay grade being increased due to the importance of his new duty. Ven-Dar accepted his fate with some trepidation, knowing full well that while there had been successful master - pupil bonding in the past between humans and the space faring races, there had been an equal number of cases where the master had been forced into a secluded form of retirement and the human they had been assigned was re-assigned.

 Ven-Dar had started his task by providing the human with more comfortable quarters that he knew a human would like - a soft bed with sheets, a place to slough off the skin through temperature controlled water outlets from the ceiling, and a raised surface to eat with a movable chair as well as synth-woven clothes appropriate for his physiology. He had then slowly and carefully poured over all research regarding humans. Communication was the first issue, and thankfully, the Yarg council had developed a universal translator for the human genome. Once inserted in the neck, it would bond with the surprisingly well developed spinal column and allow the human to hear as close a translation of what was being said as possible. Meaning and context , well… that was another matter. Ven-Dar also learned through the research and writings that attempting to implant the translator without gaining trust was never a wise thing.

 He had spent several cycles and orbits working with the human, slowly gaining the being’s trust. The human was a male of the species, and Ven-Dar assumed that this was possibly an attempt by the pirates to ensure accidental breeding could not occur. The male had been highly suspicious of all the actions Ven-Dar had taken, but seeing no harm was going to come to him, as if a former-peacekeeper could Ven-Dar often thought, the male’s cautions slowly gave way to a burning curiosity. He had regarded Ven-Dar’s form, bipedal like his own, but there the similarities ended. Ven-Dar knew itself to be an average example of the Tri-Tel, with mottled green/brown smooth skin, hands with two thumbs at the end of well muscled arms, six toes on solid legs, an almost oval torso, clear eyes lit from within with a yellow light and while the humans had hair, Tri-Tel had long, segmented sensory tendrils called minol that grew longer with age. Tri-Tel were tri-sexual, with all three sexes needed for reproduction and each carrying an offspring. Offspring were born fully capable of consuming solid food, so the glands that human females had on their chests were unnecessary for Tri-Tel.

 Ven-Dar had sought to exchange names with the human, to allow itself to have a stronger sense of identity, and it took two orbits of the moon of Trellin before the human understood what was being asked. From there, the two were able to exchange and learn basic concepts from each other. A quarter cycle of the Trellin’s star passed before Ven-Dar was able to convince the Human, Dee-Ven... the closest Ven-Dar could pronounce, to accept the implant. From their,. The learning curve had been steeper for Ven-Dar than Dee-Van, and the Tri-Tel wondered if it was going to need a permanent seclusion.

 Dee-Van’s questions were incessant, unending, and probing. Nothing was sacred to the man it seemed, and Ven-Dar almost called to request, to beg a transfer, when it realized the human had never asked the same question twice, and in fact, had made leaps of logic based on the information provided that was frequently correct. Ven-Dar came to enjoy the human curiosity, although it found that Dee-Van shared the Tri-Tel modesty of sexuality as well. And yet, for all the sharing and bonding, there were still some things that Ven-Dar would dread. And quarter cycle resupply of the ship’s stores was one such occurrence.

 “Dee-Van, Please stop touching everything.” Ven-Dar called, striding after the human.

 “But everything’s so space shiny, space best friend!” Dee-Van called back. Ven-Dar tried to hide it’s amusement and frustration. Dee-Van hid his own intelligence, by pretending to be along the lines of the stereotypical humans most space-faring races thought them to be. Over-energetic, over-curious, and nearly impossible to keep in line.

 “Harmony must remain concordant!” Ven-Dar called, striding over to where Dee-Van was admiring his reflection in the hanging mirror charms from a merchant from Beltin Four, hands behind his back for the moment. Two of the three eyes of the robed merchant fixed on Ven-Dar, the third watching Dee-Van.

 “He touch, you buy,” the merchant snapped. “You want keep pet on leash? Have good leash. Human design, human fit. No Break. No run…”

 “Whatever,” Dee-Van said, looking at Ven-Dar. “Hey, space best friend! Let's go to the space cafeteria and get some space ice cream!” Ven-Dar rotated its thumbs and silently recited the Peacekeeper code. The mantra helped it calm down and it regarded Dev-Van with an even gaze, folding its arms.

 “Why are you like this?” Ven-Dar asked the human. “Why do you hide what you can do? Why do you be what you are not?”

 “Sytnian hide, built in shock giver for discipline…” the merchant insisted, pulling out a black collar with spikes and an attached leash with several buttons on the far loop.

 “You know why, space best friend…” Dee-Van replied with a grin. “‘Cause it’s space fun!” So saying, Dee-Van ran off in the direction both knew the food alley was and Ven-Dar exhaled slowly, looking at the merchant.

 “No, not today,” it stated firmly. “Maybe tomorrow, maybe never.” It turned and walked quickly after Dee-Van toward the food alley, quietly hoping that Dee-Van would not find another…

 “Mike! It’s been a space age!”

 “Devan! Where ya been, Space Man?”

“Space, where else? You want some space food?”

“Only if they have space ice cream, space burgers, and space fries?”

“Space Man, you’re speaking my Space Language!’

 The Tri-Tel broke into a run, hoping it could make it to Dee-Van before he and the other human started one of the infamous human food fights… a type of warfare that was banned on many planets… unless a human started it...

[flarebossmalva]

kester flarebossmalva’s favorite online games

you like games, right? everybody likes games!

everything here is playable for free right in your browser. my favorites are pretty varied, so take a look, there's sure to be something you like on this list

feel free to reblog this post! i’ll update it periodically as i discover new favorites!

last update 03/29/17

basic - probably the most straightforward, mindless idle/incremental game i have ever played. fun time-waster

bloons tower defense series - i love tower defense games and i feel like these are some of the best tower defense games out there. lots of varied maps, enemies, and tower types (all of which can be upgraded, and many of which have multiple upgrade paths)

bubsy visits the james turrell retrospective - where do i begin with this one... okay, first of all, it’s by the people who made sonic dreams collection, so that might give you some idea of what you’re in for. pretty short but takes some surprising turns along the way. a true experience

candy box series - idle/incremental games with ascii art. starts out simple but gets a lot more complicated as you progress. i’d say it has a lot of easter eggs but actually virtually the entire game is an easter egg

clicking bad - while it’s aimed at breaking bad fans, and probably best enjoyed by them, i played this before watching breaking bad and i had a fine old time. it’s another idle/incremental game; you make meth, try to improve its purity over time so you can earn more money, and avoid the dea

cookie clicker - everyone knows about this one by now, right? it’s an idle/incremental game involving cookies, among other things. also i attempted to hack it once and completely broke the prestige system somehow but then again i don’t know much javascript

coma - you may need to use a walkthrough for this one, as it isn’t always clear what to do next and the controls are a bit fussy; however, i think it’s worth it just for how fucking cool this game looks and sounds

congamoeba - make buddies, unicellular style. simple, cute game where you interact with other amoebas using a language that you learn as the game progresses

critter mound - my personal favorite idle game. your goal is to breed the best critters (it’s never really specified what they are exactly, though they’re most likely insectoid) and go to war with other critters. i’ve played this game all the way through several times now, and, seeing as a full playthrough takes quite some time, that’s a testament to how fun this game is

cube escape series - room escape games with surreality and horror elements. you’re going to need to think creatively to solve these! in my opinion, cube escape: seasons (the one linked to above) is the best and the most effective as a stand-alone, but all games in the series are worth playing

a dark room - rather stylish idle/incremental game that, like candy box, starts out simple but gets a lot more complicated as you progress. i’ve never beat this one but i got far enough that a lot of weird shit was happening. a neat time

daymare town - visually interesting point-and-click game with a bit of a creepy atmosphere, if you’re into that kinda thing

don’t escape series - while these play like room escape games, they have essentially the opposite premise: instead of trying to escape, you’re trying to seal yourself in. each game is its own story, and all have multiple endings depending on the choices you make. horror/fantasy/sci-fi themes

don’t get spooked - if you like really silly horror, really silly monsters, various creepypasta tropes (and characters!), and halloween in general, then play this

don’t shit your pants - sounds pretty easy, i know. typing-based game with multiple achievements/endings to unlock (most of them involve shitting your pants)

factory balls series - unfortunate name aside, these are puzzle games where you’re shown a ball with a certain pattern on it and have to recreate that pattern exactly

haunt the house - you’re a ghost whose mansion has become infested with partygoers! oh no! try and scare them all out of the house, but don’t get them too scared or they might jump out a window or something

i am an insane rogue ai - you’re an insane rogue ai! pretty self-explanatory. hack computer systems and kill humans, basically

i wish i were the moon - really neat simple game with multiple endings to unlock. it’s essentially about a love triangle

infectonator series - ever felt like causing a zombie apocalypse? well, now you can! each level has you attempting to infect the population of a given locale with the zombie virus by clicking to infect the initial few victims and (hopefully) starting a chain reaction

mitoza - the developer describes it as a toy, not a game; it’s a bit hard to explain, but it’s very fun to play around with. cool, surreal visuals

nested - by the guy who made cookie clicker. it’s basically a text-based universe simulator where you click on things to see what’s inside them. i’m not doing it justice with that summary

parameters - for a game that consists of nothing but clicking boxes, this is pretty damn entertaining

plinkyplinky! - it’s plinko but incremental game style. i hesitated to recommend this one because it’s erased my save more than once, but not everyone seems to be having that issue and also i just played it for six hours straight and had a hell of a time

rebuild the universe - idle/incremental that’s science-themed, if you’re the sort of fucking nerd who’d be into that. i’m currently in the process of trying to get every single achievement, i’ve prestiged like 5 times, it’s wild

samsara room - a surreal room escape game. pretty short, but thoroughly entertaining if you like weirdness. if you’re into the cube escape series you’ll like this; it’s presumably by the same folks, as it utilizes some of the same art assets

slurpy derpy - like critter mound, but with cartoony graphics, a prestige system, and some other bells & whistles. essentially you’re in charge of a buncha cute but stupid creatures called “derps” and also it’s the apocalypse or something; the plot doesn’t bear thinking about

the uncle who works for nintendo - this is possibly my favorite twine game ever. it’s a horror game with five different endings (you’re not going to understand the story too well until you get them all). pro tip, choose a girl’s name for your friend at the beginning — just trust me on this

upgrade complete series - if you’re one of those people who derives immense satisfaction from purchasing/unlocking upgrades in games, you’ll love these. by playing these games, you earn money to upgrade the game, improving the graphics, sound, voice acting, interface, etc. very silly

windows 93 - okay, this isn’t a game exactly — it’s a fictitious operating system you can explore. very surreal/funny, lots to do

you find yourself in a room - text-based adventure that hates you a lot

if there’s a game you think deserves to be on this list, send me an ask!