#i tried to make this page as visually clear as i could without it being overwhelming

[sonicchaoscontrol]

[Ch. 1, Page 6]

[FIRST] [PREVIOUS] [NEXT]

Great googly moogly, it’s full of particles

(Image formatted for mobile or fullscreen - view in new tab if you experience fuzzy resolution on desktop!)

[y2klostandfound]

Rez on Dengeki Playstation Vol.182 (Videogame Magazine) (27/07/2001)

Scanned by kitsunebi (Retromags)

Translation in English:

(Page 164)

PS2  STG

Autumn Forecast:

SEGA/UGA underpriced MC2 (KB number not yet added)

A new dimension game experience created by sound and light!

Sega's first PS2 title has finally been revealed. We take a closer look at the contents, along with an in-depth interview with producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi.

Interview - Tetsuya Mizuguchi

Aiming for a "good-natured game"

<I wanted to express the pleasure of manipulating music and images in the game>

At the PS2 software presentation "PlayStation Party" held on June 27, Mr. Mizuguchi, who demonstrated while actually playing "Rez", said, "The pleasure of musicians and DJs may be like this. I thought." That feeling is exactly what Mr. Mizuguchi tried to express in this game. "I went to Switzerland and witnessed a music festival attended by 400,000 young people. When people gathered to listen to house or techno music, they danced crazy. I was amazed. They are also very particular about the lighting, and when they see it moving in sync with the music, what if I could become the player and be able to control the sound and light? I thought it might make you feel better."

<Because it is simple, you can forget the time and be immersed>

Mr. Mizuguchi chose 3D shooting as the game system to experience this feeling. “I wanted something that could be played physiologically without thinking, with simple and clear rules, and something that everyone could play intuitively. I wonder if I was just thinking, "Is it too difficult?" "A long time ago, there was a 3D shooter called "Star Wars" in Atari's game. It was a simple screen composed only of wireframes, but I remember being so absorbed in it that I lost track of time. That kind of feeling. I also want to evoke the feeling of excitement.I think the excitement I felt 20 years ago is still valid today.”

At the start of the project, Mr. Mizuguchi said to the staff, "If there was a shooting game in which the music is composed when you successfully defeat the enemy, and the visual effects construct the world at the same time, it would be great. Don't you think it's good?" and the development of the game seems to have started.

“In conventional shooting games, all you have to do is think about how to make the enemies appear, but this game has a different trick that uses sound and light to create a pleasant feeling. It took an enormous amount of time to complete the program.”

<People who think they have no sense of rhythm should develop a sense of rhythm>

There have been many games in the past that use sound to create a pleasant feeling. But how are they different from the so-called rhythm games of the past?

I think that the traditional rhythm game was "forced". There is a certain point at which you have to play a note at the right time or you will make a mistake. Of course there is such a fun aspect, but in "Rez," there is no "compulsion," so you can play as you like, which is liberating. If you defeat the Enemy with your own timing, various sounds will come out and become music. I think there are quite a lot of people who shy away from playing sound games because they think they don't have a sense of rhythm." I think there are a lot of people who think they don't have a sense of rhythm and shy away from playing music games. However, this is a game that I want those people to try. First of all, I can tell them to try it without worrying about their sense of rhythm. Besides, the game is also fun to play as a shooting game. But when you get good at the game, you will realize that you have a good sense of rhythm. In fact, it was the same for me.

↑ Mr. Mizuguchi playing "Rez" at "PlayStation 2 Party". Mr. Shigeo Maruyama, the chairman of SCE, received a lot of attention.

3D shooter?

Basically, it's a 3D STG where you shoot the enemies that appear with lasers. However, according to the timing of the shot, the music playing in the background is further overlapped with the sound, and bright lights fly around the screen. A major feature of this game is the effective use of music and images.

(Page 165)

Pleasure created by simple operation

Hold down the missile launch button and move the cursor to lock on the enemy. Release the button to fire a laser that hits the enemy. The operation is very simple, so you can fully enjoy the STG-like pleasure of shooting.

Create your own "Rez"!

For example, if multiple enemies are destroyed individually, or if they are destroyed after being rocked together, the way sound and light are created will be different. How to shoot enemies and what kind of music and images to create. It's up to the player's preference.

Trance-like gaming experience

As you progress through the stages, enemies will appear continuously, so the sounds and lights that are generated will be dizzying. You'll feel a "high" that you've never experienced in a game before, with a brain-numbing intensity.

ABOUT TETSUYA MIZUGUCHI

Profile of Tetsuya Mizuguchi . Born in Otaru in 1965. Joined SEGA in 1990. Produced hit titles such as "Sega Rally Championship", "Sega Rally 2" (both arcade), and "Space Channel 5" (Dreamcast).In 2000, when Sega was spun off, he became the representative of United Game Artists.

↓ Mizuguchi's masterpiece

← "Sega Rally 2" (left) and "Space Channel 5" (bottom).

Finally, we asked them how they felt about entering the PS market. I have a very good image of PS users.I think they will thoroughly ignore anything boring, but if we do something interesting, I think they will respond very well to it. So I have high hopes that they will be into "Rez".

*The full text of the interview with Tetsuya Mizuguchi introduced here is available on Dengeki Online (URL http://dengekionline.com). Check it out if you want to know more about the world of "Rez"!

[barrenclan]

AYOOOOO NEW ISSUE!

First off, wow. just the visual stuff is really cool, especially how Pinepaw and Nightberry’s eyes glow when their discussion gets intense, or Pinepaw surrounded by the storm in the cover art. And, of course, the multi-pawed art of both him and Night. Idk if you were going for biblically accurate angel vibes without the wings, but no matter what you were going for I really had to stop reading to admire it

On somewhat the same topic, I tried searching for meanings to both the plants and the animals, and sadly I couldn’t find anything for the berries so maybe symbolism wasn’t intended, but I’ll drop everything I found anyway because i think it’s kinda funny a cat comic made me research stuff. I found the wild rose represents love in some cases, but can also represent secrets, which I think the second makes more sense in terms of the current issue, but also love does seem to be important to him, both romantic and platonic. I also found the fox represents intelligence and luck, so yeah, very Nightberry. She’s wise and wants Pinepaw to stay safe. I didn’t know if the burrowing owl was included, but I decided to search for it anyway, and found stuff about laughter being used to guide one to enlightenment and also to share spirituality, which could make sense for Pinepaw if he is really the darkness before the storm, and his quest for knowledge? But probably wasn’t intended, haha

Speaking of that. what! All my boy just wanted was some knowledge!! He didn’t mean to find a mass graveyard!! What makes him so dark Nightberry!!! He did nothing wrong he doesn’t deserve an edgy prophecy to loom over his head!!! He’s BLUE!!!! He’s the clear sky!!!! Speak to yourself you JET BLACK CAT!!!!! anyways

The [spoiler name] being for 4 characters is very what!!! Because yeah maybe the fox and the owl r characters so thats 2 but who r the other two!!!!!!!!! The skeletons???? I am very confuzzled. Obviously you don’t need to try to point me in the right direction, especially if you want secrets, but this will rotate in my head until i figure it out!!

Also I appreciate the last art piece being of the assumedly reburried gravesite, alongside the watchful eyes of that owl. The entire issue was about that one location, and the fact that it’s there makes me feel like Pinepaw might be going back to that spot sometime.

Another great issue! 10 mysterious skeletons out of 10!

YAY NEW ISSUE TIME!

You're the first person I've seen pointing out Nightberry and Pinepaw's eyes glowing, so well spotted. :) I was moreso inspired by Hindu art where a ring of arms are often depicted behind someone than by seraphim angels, but the effect is similar. I'm glad you liked it.

Hehe, it makes me happy that my comic causes people to do research. As it should be. The flowers and fox are not so much representative of their symbolic traits but instead of - and this is partially answering another question of yours - characters! Cause lots of characters in this are named after plants. I'll give you a hint for the 4 [spoiler name] characters; two of them are going to appear in issues very soon, 1 of them is depicted only by implication, and the last one is so obscure it really couldn't be guessed. But I love hearing your ideas anyways!!

Haha, poor Pinepaw. Getting called "the harbinger of doom" can't be fun. But does knowledge come at a cost?....

The place depicted on the last page is in fact a different gravesite, cause there's no tree at the place Pinepaw found the skeletons. But you're right in that it is a very important site!

Thanks for commenting as always :D I love it every time.

[silver-queen]

v off topic but what is up with project moon lately ive been vaguely aware of workplace stuff happened but dunno much

id ask u if ur ok w/ explaining it to me but if u cant dw bout it

hope u have a nice day btw

I don't mind but be aware I'm not fluent In korean nor abut the social climate there 😔 and thank you!

I'm gonna recall what I know so it's going to be long, but long story short, Kim Jihoon (Project Moon's CEO) fired the CG artist vellmori immediately after some guys from korea's equivalent of 4chan (DCInside) accused her of being a feminist.

This isn't the first time something like this happened in the korean gaming industry, but this particular event kind of uncovered a whole lot of issues in other things, from Project Moon's shortcomings to as far as the korean gaming industry itself.

I don't know where to start, but the whole thing happened because a beach mini-event featured one of the female character in a full wetsuit and not in a bikini, nevermind that Project Moon is known for rarely, if ever feature fanservice. A group of people from DCInside directed their outrage to the main art director and artist of said character's skin, but once they found out that the artist is a man, they pivoted to the CG artist, despite the fact she's not responsible any character design in the game.

DCInside started to give Limbus Company a negative review on all platforms it was on for it's "feminist agenda" demanding for vellmori to be fired, and when PM took too long with complying with their demand, ten people took it to themselves and stormed Project Moon's office. The situation seemed dire, we tried supporting Project Moon because we thought they weren't the type of company who would side with people like them.

PM responded by posting an announcement (only in korean at the time to try to keep the international fanbase in the dark) that vellmori was to be dismissed from her position for "causing controversy"

Said controversy is that DCinside dug a deleted post vellmori retweeted when she was a teen speaking out against a spycam epidemic in women's bathroom. That was five years ago and long deleted, but apparently it was still a valid reason to dismiss her from the company.

Vellmori mentioned in a korean newspaper that Kim Jihoon fired her over the phone at midnight when he was still in Japan in preparation for a game expo. This was before Project Moon released any follow-up statement after the first one.

Project Moon then released another statement that vellmori was merely dismissed, but not fired, and that they aren't disclosing anything more to protect her. They also threatened to sue everyone who spread misinformation, which is hard to define since PM wasn't clearing up anything.

During this many former employees came forward about the poor management they experienced and the lack of employee protection in PM. The visual artist of Leviathan, the prologue comic/novel for Limbus Company mentioned that she was forced within a tight schedule (a chapter every week) without room to make buffer pages in her schedule. When she tried to negotiate for a scheduling change, Kim Jihoon instead cut her contract short.

The english translator for both Limbus Company and it's twitter announcements, in a separate incident, was harassed and cyberstalked on social media, yet Project Moon did nothing to defend him. Kim Jihoon has proven before that he could stand up for his employees, like he did with PM's cafe when customers harassed the staffs. Granted, the translator said that he doesn't want anyone to criticize Project Moon for not defending him, but his letter is still depressing to read, especially when he revealed he had to work on chapter 3.5 overnight while his family member was diagnosed with cancer.

MIMI, the artist for Lobotomy Corporation's spinoff comic Wonderlab, shortly took down the comic due to dissatisfaction with the company.

A youth union was created in response to the controversy, demanding a clear announcement over vellmori's employment status and to compensate her.

PM responded that yes, vellmori has been fired, and claims that she wishes her privacy to be protected to avoid revealing anything further about her dismissal, even though she had already talked to a newspaper about it.

And until this day Project Moon went on a crusade against everyone who directly speak against their decision, from suing peaceful truck protestors and unions, and yet they barely addressed the incels from DCInside who started this all in the first place. The infamy of this incident also brought attention to the rampant misogyny in South Korea, especially in the gaming industry.

Honestly this isn't the first time they folded from the slightest bit of pressure, but the first time it was because a review bomb on Library of Ruina because some blokes didn't like the original ending. I don't know. I feel like they're going to foster a fanbase that thinks they can get whatever they want if they cause a big enough ruckus when things don't go their way. I don't want to be part of that so I've been steering away from the fanbase even if I'm still fond of PM's stories.

Sorry this got long and I don't have complete sources, most of this is what I recall from witnessing it firsthand and I really don't feel like looking for Xitter posts 😭 this post is more complete if you'd like to read more.

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 10.2

“Go, go, go,” Lucy urged, whisper quiet.  Snowdrop and Avery came down from upstairs, their eyes the inverted white pupils, pink irises and black surface of Snowdrop’s Sight.  Lucy gave them a nod, then guided Melissa toward the door that went from inside Edith’s cabin to the porch.

interesting. Why are they back here? And why bring Melissa?

Avery had made it a fair bit ahead of their group, but that was what Avery always did, Snowdrop was close to Avery, and Lucy had been ahead of Melissa, waiting for Melissa to catch up.  Putting Melissa at the rear of the pack, closest to Nibble and least able to run away.

this is why we need Verona here, she can be trusted to lag behind the group

Nibble went on, “She’s close to being Aware, if she isn’t there already, but she has the inherent innocence you can’t give up unless you…”

I'd hope that having an innocent there would fend off the witch hunter, but I think he probably doesn't care. And not being a practitioner or Other means he doesn't have to worry about the karmic backlash as much

“Melissa, please,” Lucy urged.  She paused, trying to think of what to say or what to ask for, then said, “please.”

I like how bad Lucy is at reasoning with Melissa

“How do we set the table without ringing the bell?” Avery asked.  “Melissa?” Melissa was standing by, watching, a frown on her face. “Table?”

I'm lost too.

oh, no I figured it out! They want to use the diagnoses tools Nicolette showed in the extra materials to figure out what the bell does. Talk about a field test.

Lucy reached for the bell.  It swayed away from her hand as she got about a foot away. Avery tried. At about two feet, it started moving gently away from her hand, dangling, as if she was holding a strong magnet.

Guessing that having a familiar makes Avery more Other in a way that trips the alarm sooner?

Jack of diamonds, ace of diamonds, two of clubs, jack of diamonds. “That’s two of the same card. Did you mix two decks together?” Melissa asked. “Nope,” Avery said. “Defective production, maybe?” “What does it mean?” Lucy asked. “No idea.”

I know this is in reference to not knowing what the duplicated card means, but I love the idea of doing a fortune-telling spread of cards and just going "fuck if I know what that means"

Huh. I wonder if the duplicate card is because they're using a french deck of playing cards instead of tarot minor arcana, which is more what I'd think of for divination. It could be trying to map both the page and the knight of coins onto the jack of diamonds.

In which case, the elements are: fresh eyes, small steps, patient observation, enhanced endeavors due to resources (possibly swap the first and last entries). Which makes sense for these alarm detection bells!

“Do I get a love triangle?  There was that show where the girl found out she was a half centaur and that’s why she was so good at riding horses-” “I liked that one,” Avery said.

yeah that tracks

“I’ve been meaning to ask, why is this kid so obsessed with opossums?” Melissa asked.  “She’s worse than Caroline from school, with her horse obsession.  Hey, do you think Caroline watches the centaur show?”

I was thinking that this rambling seemed out of character for Melissa, who has consistently been more gloomy than annoyingly unfocused. And then I looked up codeine side effects, and restlessness and talking with uncontrollable excitement are both listed.

She laid the page on the ground, then reached over, finishing the core rune.  The triangle of air.  “For the protection of Kennet and its population, human and otherwise.” “We draw on what we’re owed,” Avery added.

Verona’s absence was very much felt.

But they picked up, and soon, all across the clearing, bells were chiming, each with a high, sweet sound that carried in a way that would let it be heard from a mile away.  Grass blew and trees swayed.

I'm returning here after a week hiatus while I was on vacation, and this visual stuck with me whenever I was thinking about Lucy

The Witch Hunter found his feet again.  One member of their group stayed down.

can't believe I paused for a week on this cliffhanger

“I mean, you’re into music and you have this… image?  A crafted self-image, you know what I mean?”  Alyssa floundered.  “Confident, specific style.  Reminded me of friends who were in a band.”

I bet you could use band as a collective noun for a group of practitioners

"You’re always going off to meet with your friends. They have similar images. Well, Avery more. Verona wasn’t so hot when she came by, but even with her, a bit.”

interesting that the kind of self-definition you do as a practitioners is noticeable to people in the mundane world. I wonder if it's just that you get used to putting forward a specific version of yourself even in normal circumstances, or if there's some reinforcement from spirits who you've shown what face you want to present

“Just… easier to think I was a screwed up, paranoid kid, than to think the world was that gross."

Thinking about something I read about how CBT? or maybe some other form of therapy often fails people of color, because it focuses on "stop being paranoid, the world isn't out to get you, that's just your anxiety etc. talking." But sometimes the world is out to get you!

“I’ve run into that.  People in dark places don’t always want to accept the help.  The darkness can be more comfortable.” An image of Verona darted through Lucy’s mind’s eye.

and in Verona's case, she doesn't have a better future (outside of becoming an Other) that she feels she can realistically aim at

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly a bundle of warmth and cuddles.” “You sure?” Alyssa asked, matching Lucy’s posture, elbow on table, hand on cheek. “You’ve got a lot of warmth reserved for your mom, Booker, and Verona.”

awww

Verona’s dad stood on the edge of the lawn, dropping off garbage at the curb.  He stopped as he saw her.  She stopped as she looked at him, wearing her fox form, breathing hard. Emotions roiled inside her, flaring, boiling up.

I think Booker going back to college is making this worse: Lucy was already feeling like the people in her inner circle are leaving, and now Verona is gone too.

Then he walked down the stairs, crossed the lawn while sliding the phone back to his pocket, and set the recycling bin down.  Almost as an afterthought, he said, “Hi, Lucy.” “Hi.” Then he turned to go back inside.

this is rude, but also very funny. Just not engaging with the angry 13 year old who just appeared where a weird fox was.

Start from compassion, Lucy thought, thinking of Alyssa’s words. “Fuck offffff!” Lucy raised her voice. “And fuck you!"

lol

She found Avery, who wore a jersey top with a sports bra, shorts, and her running shoes, hair down.  She had her bag slung over one shoulder.  It looked like Avery had grown up by a year or two in just the short time they’d been active.

Welcome to puberty! And also being under life-threatening stress basically nonstop for a few months. Both will age you!

“You wish this was all easier?  Mannn, you have no idea.  I have whole days, days I feel more shitty and miserable than I ever have, and my parents are bored, bored of me being sad.  And you know who’s more bored?”

... No, I think Avery and Lucy are still winning the "how bad are things going" competition

“That Melissa might be a trainwreck no matter what we do.  She’s getting into trouble no matter what, but at least she’ll be one we can sorta steer or manage if we step in.  And maybe she’ll even find some joy in it?”

I mean, trying to steer her away hasn't worked for the past six arcs, so.

“…I care about belonging to something.  I don’t belong to family, I don’t belong to the Dancers, I don’t fit in with all those older teens who’re drinking and shit.  I don’t belong to- there’s no- there’s no me to belong to, I don’t fit to anything.  I’m so lonely it feels like my heart doesn’t beat anymore.”

this sucks! The thing with Melissa is that she is incredibly annoying for our protagonists, and also is probably not in as much trouble as they are, which makes her complaining seem petty. But also she's right that her life got fucked up, and she's miserable, and it's a shitty situation to be in for anyone, especially at fourteen.

“Help us solve a mystery, Melissa,” Lucy said.  “Help us connect some dots, how’s that?” “You’re just using me, aren’t you?” Melissa asked. “A bit. But I also want to help and if this is your road to happiness… fuck it.”

huh. That could be one way to put thing together with the Carmine Beast murder. And I guess this explains why they take Melissa to Edith's cabin

“I’m not complaining,” Melissa said, mumbling a bit.  “I want to be used.  I want to be useful.  I want to be wanted.  Awesome.” I think it’s good we got you away from that party and those older boys, then, protective cousin or no, Lucy thought, looking back.

yeah

“I am in a very going-along state right now,” Melissa said, raising the bottle she still held.  “You have no idea.”

YEAH

She dug fingers into wet, sucking blood, and found it a tangle inside, stuff getting caught between her fingers, parts that felt like they were the way further in or between bits of internals until they really didn’t. Lucy snarled, pushing until her finger hurt, but a strand of something broke and she could work her hand in, nearly wrist deep. Fishing, groping, searching for something. A bit of solid, no, that was deceptively tense tissue. She growled, face contorting, as she pushed her hand in deeper, another inch of give.  It was so hot inside.

this is also a place where Verona is missed

You’re doing more than being slow, Lucy thought. Melissa had found something.

OwO?

“I have.  Most of us have.  People, broken by them, until we’re a little more and a little less person.  I’m honorable.  If you step out of my way, I’ll give you five percent.”

I was hoping Melissa's presence would dissuade the Witch Hunter. Seems to be working a bit? And his training must have had a hell of a lot of work dehumanizing practitioners, because there's zero hesitation in viewing Lucy as an enemy combatant/monster despite her being very human.

“My own fault.” “Is that what they told you?” he asked. “No. Not at all. This is all what they’ve set up and made over centuries. It’s only your fault according to them, because that’s how they arranged it.”

I mean yes, in the sense that this is the way the world works (and damage Nicolette did) and isn't anything wrong that Melissa did. No, in the sense that this isn't something that the Kennet Trio in particular set up. Or that anyone arranged on purpose!

"And to you… Lucy or Melissa, it’s not your fault.  There’s better ways and better things.  I can tell you things they never will, and show you ways to deal with the threats that are going to be lurking in the shadows all your life.  I can show you how to feel empowered again.  I’ll be around.  I’ll come to you if you come looking for me.  Whether you want answers or a ticket out of… this.”

well that's a hell of a temptation for Melissa. I hope that bonding experience investigating the murder cabin was good for her?

The syringe was sturdy, with fine, dark filigree all down the glass, denser toward the end with the needle.  Artistry that could only come from the one place.  Inside was a oily slick of darkness, glistening, strands and clumps gathering into shapes suggestive of body parts.  And one blob of white that moved through it, to the surface of the glass. The blob of white had a face. Edith’s.

what the fuck

ok, so Fae artistry on the syringe? and I'm guessing Maricica, since it's dark filigree. And that clump of darkness... it makes me think Alpeana, but I'm hoping it's from someone else.

And why is there a blob of Edith in this? was the syringe extracted from her? Why? Who is it meant to inject? are they going to put Edith into a host who will become the Carmine Judge?

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. By Julia Cameron. Putnam, 1992.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: self help

Series: N/A

Summary: The Artist’s Way is the seminal book on the subject of creativity. An international bestseller, millions of readers have found it to be an invaluable guide to living the artist’s life. Still as vital today—or perhaps even more so—than it was when it was first published one decade ago, it is a powerfully provocative and inspiring work. In a new introduction to the book, Julia Cameron reflects upon the impact of The Artist’s Way and describes the work she has done during the last decade and the new insights into the creative process that she has gained. Updated and expanded, this anniversary edition reframes The Artist’s Way for a new century.

***Full review below***

Content Warnings: references to bullying/alcoholism/suicide/death/etc.

Since this book is non-fiction, my review will be structured a little different than normal.

Also as a disclaimer: I read the original 1992 edition, not the updated one. I also am not reviewing the accompanying workbook, which is available but not necessary.

I picked this book up after randomly coming across a TikTok singing its praises. Many of my readers might not know that I draw and write, and lately, I've been feeling creatively blocked. I was looking for a way to get myself going again, so I gave this a try.

Overall, there were a lot of things I liked about this book. I really appreciated that it was written in an accessible style, with Cameron using prose that felt both instructional and motivational. The book was also very clear about what it was asking readers to do, why they should do it, and the eventual goal. For example, the first thing this book asks is that the reader write "morning pages" - essentially a journal entry each day. Cameron claims that these pages help people silence their inner critic, and there are some benefits to journaling when it comes to processing emotion.

I also liked that Cameron was very direct with affirmations and made very clear that everyone, no matter skill level, was worthy of being creative. This book doesn't claim to train people to produce "good art," but rather, it helps people overcome barriers that prevent them from trying in the first place. Thus, this book is applicable not just to painters or visual artists, but to writers, filmmakers, dancers, actors - anything that requires creativity.

Finally, I think the exercises in this book resemble a lot of techniques discussed in DBT (therapy), so they are somewhat rooted in scientific merit. The morning pages and affirmations, for example, resemble some advice and strategies I've received from my own therapist, so it makes sense that they'd be useful for building confidence, giving yourself permission to create, etc.

However, this book asks readers to put a lot of faith in the idea of an intelligent universe. Cameron frequently uses the word "God" despite saying that the reader doesn't need to believe in a higher power to get something out of this book. Additionally, she makes the claim that if you merely give yourself permission, the Universe will present you with opportunities. Personally, I found this reliance on intelligent design and serendipity to be a turn off. I initially tried to be open-minded, but the more I read, the more I felt like the key to becoming unblocked was to tap into this vision of the world.

This book also has some advice that seems misguided. For example, in one chapter, Cameron says that to jump start creativity, one should go a week without reading - no class assignments, no emails, nothing. She says that she has had numerous college classes and jobs where she could wriggle out of doing assigned tasks, so the reader should be able to do the same. Personally, I found this to be bad advice because it does not acknowledge that some people might literally be fired or fail a class if the procrastination is too severe.

TL;DR: The Artist's Way has some useful exercises and is built on concepts that form the cornerstone of DBT. While this 12 week self-guided course may help some, it also may turn others away due to its over-reliance on the concept of "God" and an intelligent universe.

[justanechoflower-ddlc]

(I can see why… it is such a shame. Maybe it’s the text after all, or maybe it’s the lack of interest in a crossover between these two canons? Hmm…)

(I’m hoping my recap might help with some of the issue, replacing a whole bunch of text with just one bit. If only I could make images show on here without things bugging like they did when I tried to make a poem visually show up on the old blog. Then again, the amount of content would probably break the file size limit if it was all done in the program I use for visuals. (Though who knows, maybe it’s just the new blog format that Tumblr makes new blogs like this one use.))

(Hm, maybe I can work on adapting some of the key scenes into visual format, and then link to where those scenes are? It’d be from Flowey’s POV since I can’t show him, of course. We did get confirmation most of those are canon-compatible, maybe I can bring my reporter character back to the main blog report on this development, now we have real footage of some of that lost time, since it was alluded to before in a previous appearance of the reporter. While of course making it clear this doesn’t necessarily mean all FUTURE content on here is canon, just because everything that happened here so far is compatible doesn’t mean mistakes won’t happen in the future (or, in-universe, the person making the footage faking things) I’ll do my best to avoid contradicting anything, and you can review things later on like you mentioned a while back.)

(Hopefully that should boost things. If not, and we can’t keep this going, maybe we’ll just do what we already would have done if it was discovered something in here broke canon-Where we simply go over a broad overview of what happened in here, so that this arc is still “finished” in a way. If my reporter character ever reports on THAT, it’ll probably be interpreted as the whatever was being used to make the footage breaking, and the rest being this source giving a written account of what else happened)

(For those of you who wanted more of the backstory, well, I may return to it, but it’s now no longer a regular update anymore. There has been one since the post I gave before happened, though, on schedule like I said would happen. But now, I might just shift my attention to visually adapting scenes that happened on this blog.)

(If I ever adapt the old blog (probably the last thing I’d adapt), then during Monika’s time in Flowey’s world, I plan on using the Overworld tool made by the same person that made the Undertale Text Box Generator. This also means you’ll see Monika in Undertale’s style. But that’s far off in the future, this side blog is the one I’m trying to boost after all.)

(Any ideas on what moments would be best to adapt first? What should be highlighted in a potential report on the CONFIRMED footage of Flowey’s time in this other world? What might get enough people curious on what else happened in here to want to check out the blog? Or, alternatively, if the issue is people not being able to keep up.. what set of scenes would be enough to set the stage so everyone is on the same page..?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(I think I can transfer your files into pictures that can be shown directly on tumblr. I just have to take screenshots of the frames, edit them so they are assembled into comic strips, take a picture of that, and then put it on tumblr!

(You can technically do that too, but I personally have bad experiences with submitting multiple photos at once onto blogs. The images typically get jumbled out of order.

(If the visual boosts don't work, I doubt I'm going to feel much more motivated to continue, so it'd probably be best to end the arc like you said. We'd still have Monika and Flowey interactions- just not on this blog. Even if we do end up returning to the main blog, I agree to either keep using visual representations or to cut down on text so that nothing gets clogged.

(Trust me, I love reading the effort you put into these posts, but many viewers lose interest quickly.

(The scenes I think we should highlight in visual format should include:

*Convincing Monika to go back to the club

*Flowey entering w/ Monika & Sayori for the first time

*Poems day 1

*Girls comforting Sayori about her sad poem

*Natsuki/Flowey challenge to baking competition

*In void planning how to reveal truth to girls

*Sayori wanting to code Ivan back & Flowey wanting to get Chara back

*Preparing to go to Monika's house

[tillzzy]

FMP

Final Reflection

This unit has been a long, hard but also very enjoyable one. I have loved the creative freedom that has come along with this self led project and I feel that I have reached a really good level of both skill and confidence. Having the one week project at the beginning of this unit helped me to formulate my ideas and encouraged me to follow a path of personal interest. I think this is what really propelled me through this term as I was fully invested in the topic.

In terms of the learning outcomes, I feel that I did well to meet them. I have substantial amounts of primary and secondary research that has been refined and applied to my outcome in a visually interesting and exciting way. I showed a range of developments and experiments throughout this unit through spread designs and also sketches for my personal branding. I was well organised and managed my time to a good level without letting anything pile up. I also evaluated and reflected on my work continuously throughout the unit which helped me to refine my ideas.

I am really annoyed about the printing of my outcome. Due to the printers printing quite wonky and the colour quality being off. It has hindered my final outcome due to the page numbers being cut off at the bottom and misalignments. If this wasn't the case I would be a lot happier but me and Joseph spent 2 hours going through each page to try make them line up so there wasn't much more I could have done.

I am really proud of my outcome. It was a big project as a lot of the information was primary. Also the creation of such a big book and trying to find good quality images and also using my own images was a time consuming task. Binding my book in a lay-flat style pushed my abilities in this area as it was a completely self led idea that I was able to complete to a high standard through relevant research and help from Joseph in the print room. I am really thankful for all the tutors help, especially Rich, Emily and Jordy as they all pushed my ideas into a good direction and helped me continuously throughout. I am really happy to hand in my work and feel proud of what I have achieved.

One area that I could have developed or focused on a bit more was linking to a target audience a bit more. It could be seen as confusing who my book was directed towards. I tried to make this as clear as possible but I can see how it may have been lost. It was meant to be aimed at people who enjoy travelling, who have been to Hong Kong, who want to go to Hong Kong and people who live there. Other than this, I think I did well.

[gryllshubham]

5 Tried and True Web Design Best Practices

In web design, there are countless pieces of advise. a mix of the two. And I've experienced it everything. I've learnt what works and what doesn't by rebuilding hundreds of websites. I believe that individuals frequently tell you certain things simply because that is how they have always done it, without first considering whether it was the wisest course of action. No matter what kind of content you provide, this piece focuses on five tried-and-true web design best practises that can help you improve your site.

1. Good design is simple

Less is more when it comes to website design. By cleaning up and streamlining your website, you make it easier for people to find the information they require and more likely that visitors will see your messages and calls to action.

What a simple design entails:

effectively uses white space

minimizes the usage of colour and typography; avoids using too many images

uses a consistent page layout throughout the entire website and avoids using excessive amounts of content.

2. Clear, simple navigation

Users should be able to navigate your website with the least amount of effort. The main navigation of a fantastic design will have no more than seven things, and the secondary internet pages will also include sub-navigation. Examine the pages that are most frequently visited by visitors who make purchases to determine the items you should include in the navigation. The Google Analytics Visitors Flow Report can be used to do this. Choose the precise phrase to use in the navigation bar once you have decided which pages you want to include in the navigation of your website. The terms should be brief (between two and three words), incorporate phrases that your customers use, and take search engine optimization into account.

3. Always consider your brand strategy

Beginning with the design of your website, it is crucial to consider and decide on branding elements like colours, fonts, and your logo. Follow each of the advices below to make sure your branding materials will offer your business the representation you want:

Colors: Colors have the power to evoke feelings and influence how people see your brand. Choose some foundational colours for the brand and website before you begin designing. Choose hues that complement your goods and services and that also contribute to the message that your business is trying to convey.

For instance, a business that promotes green living could wish to utilise sky blue or other hues that make people think of nature. Moreover, stay away from colours that are comparable to those employed by rival brands.

Choose the font families and sizes you wish to utilise early on in the design process. The typeface on your website should be simple to read; if users struggle to do so, they may not find it appealing. Also, limit your font choices to three—one for the main text, one for headers, and one for subheaders.

Logos: Your logo serves as both a visual representation of your business and an important component of website design. If you still haven't created a logo, talk about the history of your business first, then just brainstorm and draw ideas. After that, discuss these ideas with a designer. If your business already has a logo, be prepared to send the design files to the people working on your website.

Branding style guides: Suppose your business has specific branding considerations that need to be taken into account when redesigning your website (e.g., you avoid certain types of images or prefer a more professional tone). Create a brand style guide using this data and provide it to the web development team.

4. Place important content above the fold

The material that appears on a website page without needing the visitor to scroll is referred to as being "above the fold" by marketers. When you arrive on a site page, this is the content you initially view. Place the material you value the most or believe will be most effective in generating lead and customer conversions above the fold because many website users don't take the time to scroll below it.

5. Design with inbound in mind

Website design should assist you in achieving your inbound marketing objectives, from successfully attracting visitors to converting those visitors into leads to turning those leads into customers. It should do more than just look good. Keep these crucial inbound marketing ideas in mind while you create your website:

Bring in Customers

Only if people arrive on your site can a website with the most up-to-date and aesthetically pleasing design help you build your brand and expand your sales funnel. Visitors can reach your website through a variety of means; the following list of factors will help you develop a website that will draw them in.

SEO

SEO is crucial since 61 percent of Internet users worldwide conduct product research online. Use these excellent practises in addition to improving your website utilising the advice already provided:

Consider SEO from the beginning. Before beginning a makeover, conduct an audit of the website. Take into account crucial SEO components, such as:

The number of pages that are visited

number of pages indexed

total of domains with inbound links

top-performing search terms

monthly traffic volume and unique visitors on average

establish suitable 301 redirects

Removing low-quality backlinks

Blogging

No matter your company's sector or target market, blogging is a key strategy for drawing website visitors. With each new piece of content, search engines will crawl your site more regularly, which gives you more opportunity to draw leads and consumers. This increases SEO. Here are some guidelines for creating a blog that complements your website:

To make it simple for website visitors to find your blog, include a link to it from your homepage or the primary navigation.

Your blog should contain comparable design principles to your website and should be an extension of it.

For easier navigation, make it possible to sort by categories or posting dates.

Social Media

Your website can increase traffic via social media channels in addition to SEO and blogging. Use social media when creating your website by implementing some of these recommended practises:

Throughout the site, put social media icons that point to your social network profiles (usually added to the footer).

Include social sharing buttons on blog entries, thank you pages, and landing sites. (Note: Social sharing icons are different from the social icons previously stated in that they enable users to take the content on the page and share a sample with friends and followers.)

Limit the use of social icons. Choose only those to add that have the highest ROI and that you can manage.

To generate traffic, include the Link of your website on your social media profiles.

Lead Generation

Only a website that has been skillfully developed for lead generation can yield a true return on investment. Use the following advice in your designs to ensure that your website helps you get more leads:

Create and improve content offers. You probably already have a variety of content offers, like e-books, spreadsheets, checklists, and white papers. Use these recommendations for your new website design to help content offers make it even more effective:

If necessary, update the offers' design to take into account website design changes.

Provide products that your buyer personas will find beneficial and that will assist in addressing some of their frequent queries (such as "Is inbound marketing suited for my company?

Add deals on every page of your website, and make sure the main offer is prominent.

To gate offers and gather lead information, use landing pages and forms.

Landing Pages

You shouldn't overlook landing page design when planning your makeover. A landing page serves as the final touchpoint before visitors become leads and is effectively the entrance to your offers. Obtain the most leads possible from each offer you develop by optimising the design of the landing pages for the following best practises:

The layout should be simple.

Copy should be clear, concise (bullets help with this), and tell readers what value they will get from downloading.

Copy should also call the visitor to take action and clarify what should be done next.

Remove navigation because it distracts visitors from converting.

Add an image to highlight the offer.

Limit the number of questions on the form. Too many questions can deter visitors from converting.

Use custom copy (e.g., “Download e-book”) rather than the standard “Submit” for the form button.

Optimize your landing page for search engines.

Clear Call to Action

Calls to action (CTAs) on your website are what drive visitors to your offers and landing pages. Typically, they are designed as buttons, but they can also appear in copy as hyperlinks. Below

are some tips for optimizing call-to-action buttons and how to effectively place them on your website:

Use CTA copy that makes visitors want to act.

Offer a clear value proposition.

Link to a specific landing page.

Target a specific buyer persona with your copy.

Avoid industry jargon.

Place a CTA button in areas with plenty of white space.

Ensure each CTA button is large enough to stand out.

Use spatial effects to make buttons look clickable.

Place at least one CTA above the fold on a page.

Use a CTA on every blog you publish.

Test all of the above and make changes when needed.

Final Thoughts

Following these web design best practices while designing websites for our clients has helped us to increase conversion rates and to make designs look more professional and clean. I hope you find this list useful in your own projects. And as always, feel free to reach out with your queries.

[imanunit04]

Evaluation

Evaluation – Studio culture 

Studio culture was an interesting project. The brief told us that we were to create the branding for a studio that we must make up ourselves. It took some time trying to understand what was asked of us, writing down notes for ideas, rejection from ideas, but eventually we settled on something that everyone approved of. We decided that for our studio culture project, we would create the branding for an open studio where people could come in from anywhere, pay for our services, and then be given our facilities and equipment to use as a way to create artwork in many different forms. We decided to call it ‘Plan C’, where the plan c was coming to the studio when plan A and B, doing it from home or paying someone else to do it for you, wasn’t an available option. It also had a double meaning to it, where Plan C also stood for Plan Creative. We created some logos for it, which is an essential part of the branding process. It well communicates who we are without even having to explain ourselves. Originally, we were going to create artwork that we can pretend was made by our customers and use it on the website and social media, but we didn’t have enough time for that and didn’t end up doing it. But we did do a lino cutting of our logo. It went well and was mostly a success, apart from the fact it was backwards and only was the right way around on the acetate. It wasn’t really an issue for me though, more of a learning experience for next time. Plus, we managed to improvise with creating purple by mixing some red, blue and white so that it could match our logo colors. Although, the lines weren’t kind of messy as I am not very good at doing lino. I’d have to practice more to get cleaner lines, but the jagged lines don’t always have to always necessarily be something bad. Did we succeed in our project through branding? I think we did quite well. We created a great concept for an open studio that has the potential to do thrive, created logos, business cards, merchandise as well as a website that can easily be navigated. The website had taken inspiring elements from other existing websites too, such as the home page layouts. The common aspects of a website were there and shows in the mockup that it can be clicked on and accessed. The website describes who we are, what we stand for, showcases artwork that can be made, as well as sells merchandise to our valued customers. Something that we could improve on however, was that at the start of the project, we were working well on it. However, through out the middle, we got too focused on our counter culture project and were working more onto that and kind of ended up forgetting about working on studio culture. Next time we should balance it out more and make sure studio culture is getting done too. 

Evaluation – counter culture 

During this project, my goal for the counter culture brief was to design a magazine called ‘Explorer’ which highlighted the positive aspects of the internet and the impact it has had on society. To do this, I had to use elements of graphic design such as illustration, typography and visual hierarchy in order to effectively communicate my message. I wanted it to change the idea of the internet being mostly bad than good. Although it may not be perfect, I wanted people to be able to recognize the good in it so that they don’t wish it was completely ridden of. I also wanted people who already felt positive about it to continue feeling that way, relating to my magazine and feeling nostalgic. I believe that my magazine turned out pretty good. The information was clear, concise and relevant to my topic. I tried to make it engaging to the target audience and feel positive. There was enough information without being too overwhelming. Visually, I think it managed to hit its goal of having a bright, retro, early internet feel to it using illustrations such as internet tabs, paint tabs and scroll bars. I liked my choice of font for both headings and text. However, if there was one thing, I wish I could have done better, it would be having more illustrations on there. Since my time was limited and I was busy trying to get everything done in time, I didn’t have enough time to make as many illustrations as I wanted to. I wanted to make multiple detailed ones to put in. Unfortunately, it’s too time-consuming and I just didn’t end up having the time to make them. Another thing I didn’t end up adding was the weird experiences I planned on. This was because after gathering a few of them from people, I realised that a lot of them were negatives which you already hear people complaining about a lot. That pretty much defeated the purpose of my magazine, which was to put the internet in a positive light instead of a negative one. Because of that, I wasn’t sure if I should add it in for that wacky aspect, but risk it reversing the intended effect of my magazine on its target audience, or just leave it as it was and end it there. Instead, I just decided to not add it in at all. Most of the image making was done on illustrator and transferred onto indesign. Although, creating the image inside of the paint tab was done seperately as a bitmap. Same applies for the pixel music app and pixel cloud. Those were added as pixel images to add to the old retro feeling, as well as look like the old video games. I managed to print it out as the size I wanted so it would look like a desktop screen. However, I couldn’t bind it the way I wanted to, which was unfortunate. This was due to the fact that I did not have the required materials to do it at the time and didn’t obtain them. It was also because I hadn’t learned how to do the binding too. If I had the chance to do this again, I would like to make sure I have the required materials and have taught myself how to properly bind it too. Another thing I would like to add is that the paper wasn’t anything special either. Perhaps next time I could find specific paper to use in the size I wanted. Something interesting and fitting, maybe something that feels a little bit like a screen would be a nice touch. When it came to doing my t-shirt print, that came out successful for me. I think it was a good way for branding purposes but it also looked visually appealing and it was fun for me to do. Although it came out a little different on the fabric of the shirt and I had to go over it again, it worked well and it’s a good process. Hopefully when it comes around to the next project, I can work at a better pace and get more done faster. I hope that my skill set can grow even more, as it did this project and I have even more fun ideas. 

[anubisystem]

… It’s case by case, you reactionary troglodyte. Have you ever been raped? What was the solution to your personal problem of being raped? Apply it universally to a country you don’t live in right this second or you’re dodging my question. (That is the mindset with which you’re engaging me.)

On a more serious note, there would probably be no consequences for stealing a loaf of bread, or some abstract form of consequence we haven’t thought about yet because the situation hasn’t come up. In a society that exists in the context of, for example, 200 years after the fall of democracy as the favored style of government, there is going to be A LOT of behavior we don’t currently see. Because that’s ONE EXAMPLE of a society you’re trying to poke holes in that cannot exist on a short term from now basis. Prison abolition is not like a lot of other leftist theory; it’s not nearly as propaganda driven and it’s much more slow paced in what it visualizes. If you are going to get caught up on very specific imaginary scenarios, you won’t get along with most of prison abolitionism well.

From a visionary perspective, prison abolitionism tends to usually be about two things:

1) how can we make the world less carceral today (this focuses less on “why do we need incarceration” because most prison abolitionists don’t find that it works; by the way, it might be fun for you personally to look up recidivism after felony conviction in the United States and decide on your own whether you think prisons help or hurt). These changes can be simple or they can be abstract. I personally have chosen to stop relying on the police to keep me/my community safe because I don’t believe they do (learned self defense, learned to administer NARCAN during overdose crisis, learned other first aid and crisis de-escalation techniques especially in the context of mental health emergencies); I’ve tried to make peace (or war, or love, or art, or whatever I could) with my personal experiences of being a rape survivor and find meaning in the aftermath of my personal apocalypse (turns out there was an apocalypse all around me anyway); I’ve studied the effects of punitive rehabilitation in science and in life (especially among young children, animals, and other living things with a lower capacity for self defense) and come to the conclusion that it is not the way forward; and I’ve taken a vested interest in mindfulness and martial meditation so I can make the most thoughtful choices in difficult situations without escalating harm. I practice with my friends and it works great cuz some of them suck.

2) The end goal of these communal constructive behaviors. This is less visually clear because we will probably not live to see it. Though there are many practical approaches to living out prison abolitionism that are bigger than the individual ones I mentioned, many people don’t agree on the best implementation of (for example) full anarchism it’s rare in the present day that they would have to.

I get that people who feel afraid without the presence of an authoritative government state literally cannot fathom these concepts as being okay. I also do not really care because it impacts the way I’m going to lead my life pretty much zero percent if—sorry I have to take this— [speaking into my imaginary schizophrenic bluetooth] “what do you mean I can’t call everybody online who I disagree with ‘virgins’ anymore? Seriously? Oh, fine. Whatever” —okay I’m back. It impacts my life in essentially no way if people I’ve never met are not immediately on the same page as me politically, even if we are both leftists (and I go out in my community as much as I can, so while that’s always my preference it isn’t always the literal case anyway because that’s how life works).

The conversations you (you personally) and I (me individually) have on these posts imply to me that you do Not get prison abolition as a movement and I feel like it might be time to say that.. you do not have to? It is fully okay if you don’t comprehend my political vision or if my communication style simply doesn’t work to relate it to you, and nothing about my life will change if you suddenly do. I have no significant emotional interest in you knowing exactly what I mean and then always doing things my way. It’s really fine. I have lots of leftists in my circle who are pro government, pro regulation of certain things, whatever. This is not how I think but we can find common ground on more pragmatic stuff that is less vision-oriented, besides which the mindset of people who are less universally resistant to authority than I am is often insightful to me on many topics. I don’t necessarily change my opinion, but since my actions in my community are much broader than abstract political discourse, that tends to be less important than I used to think. I believe that solidarity can be reached more easily over a spectrum of political difference (with a baseline respect for human rights) than people who organize politically give themselves credit for.

Prison abolitionist: we should abolish prisons

Punitive Justice believer: “SO YOU WANT SHOTGUN-TOTING CHILD MOLESTERS TO WALTZ INTO KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS??”

Prison abolitionist: …no. That’s not it, actually.

Punitive Justice believer: “THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT HUH? WHAT KINDA SICKO ARE YOU REALLY??”

Prison abolitionist: …you could read the works of Angela Davis to gain a deeper understanding of the movement.

Punitive Justice believer: “SO YOURE NOT EVEN GONNA ANSWER ME EXCEPT BY TELLING ME TO READ A BOOK? WOW YOURE SO SIMPLEMINDED I CANT BELIEVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU EXIST”

Prison abolitionist: …the book is more articulate, and was written with you in mind. My tumblr reply was written by an ordinary bored stoner with a family and a job so I don’t actually feel obligated to hold your hand through this entire experience, but Angela Davis anticipated many of your present questions quite awhile ago and can teach you a lot. She can also recommend other authors who could teach you more.

Punitive Justice believer: “I DONT WANT TO LEARN FROM A BOOK I WANT YOU PERSONALLY TO EXPLAIN IT RIGHT NOW OR YOUR WHOLE MOVEMENT IS BOGUS AND RUN BY PSYOPS. ALSO I WATCHED THE GOOD PLACE BUT MISSED ALL OF THE POLITICAL COMMENTARY SOMEHOW. GOOD DAY TO YOU, SIMPLETON” [block]

Prison abolitionist: [hitting the bong and reading a library book] okay.

[eremiie]

study session, sex songs

❥ armin x reader | nsfw | 2.3k words

❥ content: semi public sex, vaginal fingering, a sex tape

❥ a/n; an ask i got that i took an ss of and then tumblr deleted my asks, but i HAD to do this🙄!!!

you were bored.

you were so bored that the sound of the rain drops hitting the window next to you was almost a form of entertainment, or maybe the shuffling of people trading books on the shelf.

at this point anything was better than the piece of paper and book in front of you. you had been staring at the words so long that they were all the same. you were rereading the same sentence over and over again, and aimlessly sketching small drawings on the paper in front of you.

studying wasn't your strong pursuit, especially with your boyfriend next to you, who seemed to love it. at the thought of him, your eyes glanced over— a sight for sore eyes when you had been staring at chemistry notes for the past half hour.

a pencil was dancing on paper in between his slender fingers, jumping with every lift of his hand and coming back down to the white sheet like a figure skater on ice. he wore glasses to study, large frames sitting on the bridge of his nose, his hair so close to touching them. those same blonde locks almost hid the earphones that were snug in both ears, and you wondered if whatever he was listening to is what helped him study so diligently. his tongue stuck out just a little bit in concentration, while his eyes flit back and forth between the paper in front of him and the book above it.

he must've been watching you watch him, his attention turning towards you and the mechanical pencil coming to a quick halt mid sentence. he set it down to the table gently, and you lifted yourself off of the surface to balance your head on the palm of your hand. "armin." a whine of his name, clear discontent laced in your voice.

"yeah?" his reply was so simple, so innocent. as if he didn't drag you to the library with him, practically pleading for you to just sit down and study with you knowing you hated studying, especially in the atmosphere of a library. there were too many distractions and you weren't comfortable. not to mention the fact that you were clad in a skirt.

"i can't study, can we just go?" his expression didn't change at the sound of your complaints, eyes still calm and lips still together in a line. you didn't want to come in the first place, he should at least give you the liberty of leaving when you asked— especially considering how long you had been in the quiet library.

"do you think listening to something will help?" armin's eyebrows came together as his hand came to point at the earphones in his ear. you really didn't want to stay, but when you thought about the focus your boyfriend was in that you broke you did feel a little bad.

your legs shifted from under the table and you sat back in your seat, crossing your arms in your lap and letting out a sigh, eyes traveling around the vast library. when they landed back on armin the earbud was already sitting pretty between his fingertips. it was glaring at you and you were glaring at it, but nevertheless you leaned forward and plucked it from armin's fingers, his lips upturning when you did.

he slipped his hands in his pockets to fumble with his phone and you picked up the pencil in front of you to try and get back to studying, checking to see what page armin was on while you waited for the music to play in your ears. what music was armin into anyways? the last thing you could remember him listening to being a spotify playlist full of lo-fi beats.

only... it wasn't lo-fi beats that began to play.

or music.

your body went rigid, pencil in your hand beginning to feel heavy, leaving you to wonder how it hasn't clattered to the table yet. a chill ran down your spine because what you were listening to was all too familiar— from the wet sounds that happily made its way into your ear, to a moan of armin's name that sounded much too like your own voice.

it was your voice, because when you heard another moan it was armin's cry of your name.

it took you a minute to turn your head towards armin, his eyebrows raising over his eyes in question of what you could possibly want now. he hummed a small "hm?" to figure it out, as if it wasn't obvious. that look of innocence was played by him again, blue eyes twirling with curiosity as if there was anything to be curious about. as if your sex tape wasn't a reason for you to look at him funny— eyes blown and mouth agape.

when you didn't respond— only still staring at him dumbfounded, he shrugged his shoulders and continued to scribble on his stupidly neat paper.

were you hearing things right?

your eyes flashed, brows knit as you shoved armin's shoulder, his pencil flying off the paper and messing up the "e" he was in the midst of writing. "you messed up my paper." he grumbled, and oh, was he a little too good at this game he was playing with you.

"what is this?" you questioned, disregarding the flimsy sheet of paper he was writing on because that was clearly the least of his issues.

armin used his pencil to point to your book, confusion taking over the once curious look he had just moments ago. "...a study session i would assume." he wasn't letting up, and your lip twitched at his response.

"no— i mean what am i listening to?"

"well, out of everybody you should know." your body stiffened again, a slow blink at his response that came out almost too smoothly, words sliding off his tongue like silk. you had to pull your gaze away from him as he only did just what he did earlier, going right back to studying like there wasn't anything off about the moment you were sharing.

if he wanted to play with you, you'd just have to join in his game.

so with a huff of breath, and the lewd noises that were still playing in your ear you turned your body back towards your notes in front of you and tried to read them over again. your name was the only thing comprehendible on the sheet, every word below it a jumbled mess.

"light wave... light waves, diffraction pattern..." you spoke slowly, reading as if you were back in the first grade.

your hands moved down from the textbook and to the paper in front of you, nimble fingers forming words on the paper that you could only hope would make sense when you'd read them back.

diffraction pattern - occurs only

"only who?"

"only you fuck me like this, armin, please!"

the tail of your y went a little too low, and your legs turned to jello, squeezing together when you heard your voice swim through your ears. blood was rushing to your cheeks, and you leaned closer to your book, burying your nose in it despite not actually reading what was on the pages— at least well. with a suck of breath you continued to write,

diffraction pattern - occurs only you fu

your eyes shot open mid sentence, and you scrambled to spin the pencil around until the eraser met the paper, erasing what you had written furiously, and you swore you heard a small chuckle leave armin's lips, you biting your own and scrunching your nose up at your pitiful mistake.

your hands came up to rub at your temple, the sound of a moan armin drawled from you a couple nights ago was what you heard next, and it might’ve sounded nice those nights ago, but now it was embarrassing.

you squeezed your eyes shut, much like your legs and as flustered as you were you couldn’t help but feel... aroused.

it was something about hearing armin fuck into you so nice. the way that even though there was no visual for you to look at, you could visualize the moment so clearly— so vividly, because the more you listened the more you could remember making the tape, remembering what happened during the tape.

armin’s hands had slid up your back, a handful of your hair being grasped by his hand, a sinful arch being created by your back, and you let out a choked whimper, that you didn’t even realize you reciprocated in real life.

armin’s head slowly turned to you and his lips were forming a sick grin, and you would’ve been mad if you didn’t want him so bad, if you didn’t want every moment you could hear to stop being the past and become the present, the very moment that was playing in your ear to play out in front of you.

a whine, a pleading look on your face; eyebrows turned upwards and your hips grinding down into the chair below you.

armin could’ve almost laughed if he wanted to, and he almost did when your hand slid into his lap to grab his and pull it to the hem of your skirt, the fabric brushing lightly against his fingertips, but he didn’t push forward.

“armin,” his name never sounded so nice on your tongue, never sounded so desperate. your grip on his wrist tightened and urged him forward, and so he let them slip under the soft fabric of your skirt, and even past the band of your underwear, and the closer he inched towards your aching cunt the wider your legs spread for him.

his finger felt cold against your clit when he touched it, rubbing small circles right away, and your face looked like it was melting at his touch, your body was melting at his touch.

and he was being kinder than expected— letting his fingers dip down further until your slick allowed for him to enter into you, your body shivering at his touch, at the stretch.

your head fell forward onto the table with a louder than expected bang, and it caused both you and armin to jolt, the people around you stirring a bit.

you didn’t care too much, but armin did, his fingers stilling and his eyes going back to his textbook, eyes darting back and forth between the words as if he was really reading them, and you wanted to give him a prize for best actor right then and there.

“shh.” he said without looking your way, but his fingers began to move again, and you tried your best to not let out a moan. “gotta be quiet if you want me to fuck you with my fingers... this is what you want right?”

the sound in your ears were practically drowned out by your thoughts, by the squelches of your juices being moved around by armin’s middle finger, by the sounds that only you could hear— and maybe armin if he listened enough.

“yeah... i want it.” the small pants that were leaving your parted lips, and they only increased when armin inserted a second finger, his hand making itself comfortable in your underwear, fabric harshly rubbing against his pale hand with every thrust of his digits into your pussy. “want it so bad.”

you looked like a dog, a puppy in its heat, pushing your hips forward to get him deeper into you, but it just wasn’t enough.

you were needy and needed more, so your own hand smoothed down to your clit and you began to rub circles, whimpering at the sensation, the pleasure flooding through your lower half, almost making you dizzy.

hell, you were dizzy— drunk even; drunk on the lust that was twirling in your pretty head, and drunk on armin’s fingers— it was like the way his hand moved when he wrote notes, moving precisely and ease.

his fingers fucked up into you, curling when they were deep enough, and making your body lurch forward. “again.” you needed to feel that again. the fingers on your clit went a little faster, because you knew you were close. “again.”

and he did it again, hitting that spot that made you clench around him, and he kept doing it, and your fingers kept moving, you were progressively getting louder, but it didn’t matter as you were getting closer to coming as well.

and you did, body tensing up and every nerve in your body pinching, mouth dropped open and eyes rolling to the back of your head as your hand came to hover just over your mouth just in case any sound left you.

you slumped over onto the table, pulsing around armin’s fingers but your own slipping out of your skirt and onto the space of the chair your legs made.

armin finally let out a stupid small laugh, his soaked fingers finally leaving your sloppy cunt and entering his mouth, tongue twirling around your release. it was a shame you weren’t looking.

you could hear it though, the obnoxiously loud slurping sounds he made and the hum of content he made before popping his fingers out his mouth. what you couldn’t hear was the tape. it must’ve stopped in the middle of armin fingering you.

and you also heard the slide of armin’s chair against the floor of the library, the sound of a book cover meeting it’s back, and the shoving of books into a bag.

armin looked over his shoulder with a bored expression, one that was eerily similar to the look you had given him just earlier when you were bored of studying.

your eyes met his; eyes still calm and lips in a line once more... “i can’t study anymore. let’s just go.”

[chaotic-archaeologist]

Hey Reid, I wonder if you'd mind giving your advice - not about careers, but about blogging yours! I specialise in African archaeology (based in southern Africa, born 'n' bred), and I have recently gotten a full scholarship to do my PhD at Cambridge! I am very excited about this, want to keep a visual journal and keep people in my life up-to-date with what I'm up to, and start to build a professional social media presence for myself.

As someone who has documented their studies online for years (big fan; been following a while!) what has your experience been like? How do you balance what to post and what not to? Obviously there is sensitive content you can't share (I'm thinking unpublished work and certain finds, etc.) but what about talks and conferences and digs and all the other cool stuff we do?

How much time does it take per week on average to curate your blog? How did you start out, vs. where you are now?

Are there any things you regret, or wish you'd known when you started blogging? I'd be so appreciative of any wisdom you'd be willing to share.

Okay, I'll try to scrape together all of my experience and condense it here.

My experience has been mainly positive. I've gotten a little hate here and there, but for the most part all of the interaction I get is very friendly. I'd like to think that's partly my doing, but a lot of it is a credit to the dirtlings as well. You get out what you put in though, and I think I've been able to avoid some of the nastier stuff because I try very hard to never post when I'm emotional.

Believe it or not, behind the chaos I've been very deliberate with establishing what I think of as my "brand" for this blog. Your quirky archaeologist internet brother who is here to answer your questions and encourage people to pursue archaeology.

One of the biggest things that I put effort into is maintaining a certain level of integrity. That means putting sources in my posts and admitting when I don't know something. If I get asks that are out of my expertise I'll do my best, but I also tag people who might know more than I do.

For my own sanity I've developed a consistent tagging system (he speaks, he answers, academic advice, etc.) so that I can find relevant answers to questions that come in. I've also put together an advice master list and a faq page so that it's easy for me to direct people to posts without having to hunt them down.

As for what I do and don't post, I always clear artifact and site photos with a supervisor first. Additionally, I try to abide by medical privacy rules. For me, that means not posting anything that someone could stumble upon and recognize. No funny emails or class material, nothing that would put me in an awkward position if someone from real life found out about it. Conference research is a little different because it's being presented in public, but I would want the person's permission and to make sure the work is attributed.

I'm honestly not sure how much time I spend because it's all in fits and starts, but it's probably a pretty good chunk. I try to get back to asks promptly, and I check the notes of posts to see if there's anything I want to respond to. I also try to keep a list of drafts that I can publish (often just reblogs from other people) to make sure there's still content on a slow day.

If I have any regrets, it's that my internet hygiene hasn't been as good as it should be. As the blog got more popular I tried to get better, but at this point it wouldn't take much sleuthing to find out who I really am. Again, this is why I'm so careful with the content that I do post, because it's entirely possible that my schools and bosses could find out.

-Reid

[flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash]

Irresistible Danger - Part 57

Synopsis:  After being caught outside the compound on your own, Negan decides to punish you in the best way possible ;)

Words: 3,388

Warnings: nsfw, smut, swearing

ID Masterlist can be found HERE

Masterlist of all my fics can be found HERE 

Author’s Note: We’re interrupting the emotions and angst for a healthy dose of smut in this one. 

A Wonderfully Well-F*cked Morning

You drifted to consciousness on a wave of pleasure, the sensations happening below your waist causing you to automatically arch your back and reach down. When your fingers came in contact with thick, soft hair at the same time that a wet tongue hit your clit, your brain finally decided to come online. Eyes opening in surprise, you looked down and found the breathtaking visual of Negan’s gorgeous face buried between your thighs.

Holy shit, what a way to start the day. 

Glancing up, his mouth curled in a soul-stealing grin at the sight of you awake and watching. His “mornin’ doll” was spoken directly to your soaked cunt, the rumbled vibration of the words making you give a small moan and open your thighs wider, so he could do as he wished.

And, apparently, what he wished was to drive you absolutely mad with desire. The distant and withdrawn Negan of last night was gone, and in his place was the playful and passionate man before you. He teased with soft kisses along the crease at the top of your thigh and lazy laps of his tongue that just barely grazed where you needed them. When you tried to lift your hips in search of more friction, his large hands pinned them to the mattress. 

It wasn’t long before you had a deathgrip on his hair, thighs trembling, and even the muscles in your stomach starting to quiver. And yet still he continued, the devilish gleam in his eyes when he glanced up at you while gently sucking your clit almost enough to send you over the edge, until he backed off and went back to nipping at your inner thighs instead. 

You were just about to beg, plead, and promise whatever he wanted, including your soul, when a muffled knocking sound broke through the top layer of hazy desire shrouding you. Negan ignored the noise, continuing with his delicious torture so that you almost instantly forgot the sound had ever happened. But then it came again a few seconds later, this time loud and sharp...and right outside the bedroom door. 

Letting go of his hair and jolting up onto your elbows, you looked down at Negan with wide eyes. He had finally lifted his head from your pussy, the sight of his lips glistening with your wetness causing a soft moan to escape that you prayed whoever was at the door didn’t hear. 

“Fucking leave!” he yelled in that no-nonsense tone that both terrified and yet also made an extra trickle of wetness run down your thigh. 

The voice that responded was muffled through the door, but still unmistakably Simon. “Sorry, boss, but there’s a situation that needs your urgent attention in meeting room C.” 

Cursing harshly, Negan dropped his forehead to your lower stomach for a few seconds before lifting his head and yelling back, “I’ll fucking be there in 5!”

You stared in the direction of the office and listened for a few seconds until the unmistakable sound of Simon banging the door closed sounded (perhaps a bit louder than needed, as if he was letting you know that he was gone). You turned back to Negan, who now had a devious smirk on his face as he looked up at you.

Giving a doubtful expression, you said, “Only five minutes?” 

“Oh, doll,” he chuckled, head ducking down so the rest was muffled against your wet flesh. “That’s plenty of time.”

It was then that you realized just how much he had been toying with you before, as his demeanor instantly changed from playful to intense, and he set to work on your cunt. He knew just where to nip and lick, and when he latched onto your clit and sucked with the perfect amount of pressure, you shot off like a rocket, coming in less than a minute from when Simon had left. 

Still panting and sprawled across the mattress, you watched dazedly as he got up and went to his armoire for clothes to get dressed. He winced when tucking his erection into the boxer briefs and dark grey pants, and the bulge made your mouth water.

“What about you?” you asked with a nod in his cock’s direction. 

Pulling on his boots, he then straightened and trailed desire-bright eyes over your sated form spread out on his bed. “I thought I already made that clear, doll,” he quipped.

Unsure if it was the post-orgasm haze making you so dense or if he was purposely being vague, you asked, “What’s that?”

Walking around the side of the bed fully dressed, while you lay totally naked with thighs still spread and naked chest heaving, he ran a warm, calloused hand down over your throat and the tips of your breasts before answering. 

“That this relationship is about more than me getting my fucking rocks off.”

His hand moved lower, between your thighs, and he watched as if mesmerized at how you shuddered and arched into the feel of his touch on your still-sensitive flesh. “However, that being said-” he backed up a step and pointed at you with a stern look on his face, “-don’t fucking move from that bed until I get back.” 

He then tucked his tongue into his cheek, gave a playful wink, and was gone. Staring up at the ceiling, you figured this was one order you’d gladly follow, seeing as how your muscles wouldn’t be able to function properly enough to help you stand, anyways. It wasn’t until a couple minutes after he was gone that you sat straight up on the bed at the remembrance of his earlier words. 

He had called it a relationship!

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Forty-five minutes later and you, unsurprisingly, were in fact not able to follow his order, after all. Which shouldn’t be a surprise because, well, it was you we were talking about here, and when did you ever listen? 

You had tried though, really you had. After Negan left, and your breathing and heart rate had returned to normal, you sat up against the headboard to wait. Your eyes landed on a book that was open facedown on his bedside table, and the parallel to your own reading habits made you smile. Picking it up, you saw that it was some sort of psychological thriller. Making a note of what page it had been opened to, you huddled down into the plush mattress, the soft black headboard at your back, and started reading from the beginning. 

However, when the black and grey wall clock near the door ticked by almost an hour that he had been gone, you put the book down and sighed in annoyance. Whatever the emergency meeting had been about, it looked as though it might take a while, and you didn’t enjoy the thought of sitting here all morning and afternoon waiting, as if at his beck and call. Your brain also unhelpfully threw out the reminder of your previous plan not to have sex with Negan until a serious conversation was had about that damned padlocked box of unanswered questions. The subconscious, exasperated with the brain pulling this bullshit so early in the morning, yelled at it to please shut the hell up. 

Fuck it, you can at least freshen up a bit before he gets back, you thought while tossing off the sheet and standing from the bed. Stretching pleasantly sore muscles, you wandered over to the large armoire and tugged open one of the drawers. Smiling at how neatly the clothes inside were folded, you selected a moss green shirt and pulled it over your head. It was much baggier than his usual style, and you had never seen him wear it before, making you wonder if he ever got a chance to take off his leader armor and just sit around relaxing the day away in baggy sweats with a good book. Probably not, seeing as how he couldn’t even enjoy a perfectly delightful you-flavored breakfast without being interrupted. 

Heading into the bathroom to relieve your bladder and then wash your hands and face, you looked in the large mirror. Finger-combing hair that had seen better days, you then opened up some of the drawers under the sink that you hadn’t checked yet, mostly out of nosey curiosity. Finding one at the bottom that was stocked full of extra bars of soap, toothpaste, and still-packaged toothbrushes, you let out a tiny whoop of joy. Jackpot!

Opening a green and white toothbrush, you grabbed the already opened toothpaste that was on the countertop and squeezed a dollop onto the brush. Giving a sigh of happiness at the clean, minty taste, you weren’t even worried about Negan being upset you had stolen one of his unopened brushes. Especially since you’d have fresh breath when he crawled back in the bed with you and-

That fantasy died a quick death when the reflection of the man himself stepped into view while you were mid-brush. Locking eyes with him in the mirror, you saw a flicker of something in his expression as he took you in, standing there in his shirt and brushing your teeth with his personal supplies. 

“I thought I told you to be in the fucking bed when I got back,” he said, but his voice didn’t have the extra little growl that signified he was truly pissed. In fact, he almost sounded amused. 

Before you could even remove the toothbrush to respond, he stepped up behind you so that his front was pressed into your back. “Nevermind, doll,” he drawled while still holding your gaze in the mirror. “This’ll work too.”

You almost choked on toothpaste from gasping at the feel of his large, rough hands running up under the hem of the shirt and over your bare hips. Quickly leaning down to spit out the paste into the sink, you turned on the water and used a cupped hand to rinse out your mouth as he continued rubbing his palms along your torso and down over the outside of your thighs. When you put the toothbrush down and straightened, his mouth immediately attacked the back of your neck, sucking and nipping lightly. His hands moved further up under the shirt to cup your breasts, and his deft fingers pinched and twisted sensitive nipples at the same time that he ground his hips against your bare ass, letting you feel the ridge of his erection through the rough fabric of the pants.

You moaned softly and pressed back into him, almost overwhelmed by how quickly he had barged in and taken control of your body’s reaction. Any thoughts of self-doubt or questions of where you stood with him temporarily flew out the window in the face of the onslaught of intense and thorough possession he was directing your way. 

Unlike when you first woke up this morning, no part of him was teasing or going slow this time around. He quickly pulled the baggy shirt up over your head, and the sight of you totally bare made a groan punch from his chest. 

He whipped his own shirt and pants off in a quick flurry of movement before leaning in so that his warm chest was pressed into your back as he opened one of the drawers at your hip and pulled out a condom. 

Wasting no time, he opened it and rolled it down the swollen cock pressing into the small of your back. When he bent his knees to line up with your entrance, you assisted by hiking a knee up on the edge of the countertop, presenting yourself to him in a way that made him pause for a moment, as if in awe, before plunging inside you with a fierce thrust and strangled growl against the back of your neck. 

You looked up and were instantly transfixed by the sight in the mirror. Negan’s tattooed, leanly muscled form towered over yours, his rough edges and possessive thrusts juxtaposed against your softer curves and arching form. 

You watched his reflection as he gripped your hips and looked down between your bodies to watch himself fuck you, the sight making you moan and clench around his cock. His gaze lifted, amber eyes locking on yours in the mirror. 

One of his hands left your hip, trailing hungrily around the front of your body and up over your stomach and breasts before wrapping long fingers around the front of your throat. The grip was light, but the ruthless ownership behind both it and his pumping hips made your eyes flutter closed in ecstasy. 

He leaned in over you, breath coming in hot strikes against the side of your throat. “You like this, don’t you, pretty girl? Like being all. Fucking. Mine.”

The last words were each punctuated by a harsh thrust, making you cry out and open lust-filled eyes. His face was there beside your own, jaw clenched as he watched your reflection in the mirror with a fierce, almost pained expression. He let out a little snarl before turning his mouth to nip at the curve of your shoulder, and that combined with his grip at your throat and heavy, thick cock fucking you against the counter all combined to throw you into an orgasm without warning. He groaned as you shuddered and clenched in his hold, his gravel over sandpaper voice in your ear. 

“Yes, milk my fucking cock.”

Coming down off the wave of pleasure, you realized that his pace hadn’t slowed down, that he hadn’t finished yet. You lowered the leg propped up on the counter, needing both feet braced against the cool, tiled floor to keep your shaky body steady. 

Your gaze dropped, taking in the reflection of what was happening between your thighs. Both his cock and the inside of your thighs glistened with a coating of your release, and he felt even bigger inside of you, now that your walls were a little swollen and tender from both the friction of his cock and your recent orgasm. Right when his movements became almost too overwhelming against your oversensitized cunt, and you were about to ask for a break, he paused his thrusts and removed the hand from around your throat. 

Your thought that he was granting you a reprieve was instantly proven wrong when he gave a growled warning of, “Brace your arms on the sink,” right before his forearms hooked down under both your knees and lifted your entire lower body off the ground. Since the action pushed you forward, your body had no choice but to do as he said, forearms holding the weight of your upper body against the surface of the sink while your lower half hung suspended at the perfect height for his cock. 

He resumed his quick pace, fucking into you relentlessly. And, surprisingly, instead of becoming too much, the sensations pulled back from borderline painful and started to feel pleasurable again. Very pleasurable. 

Your whimper caused him to give a low moan in response, and his voice came through gritted teeth. “That’s it, doll. Fucking come for me again.” 

Trying to find your voice, you wanted to say that you weren’t sure if that was possible, that coming again so soon wasn’t likely. Instead, the words choked in your throat when he bent down and licked up your spine before sucking roughly on the skin of your back. He then ground his cock into you so hard that your pelvis pushed against the edge of the counter, the hard surface rubbing over your clit in exactly the right way needed to send your body spasming into a second orgasm.

You lost yourself in pleasure that had no beginning and no end, just endless heavy waves of bliss. Dimly, you heard him give a groan of completion as he gave a few sharp, hard thrusts, and then his body went still. He allowed your legs to lower to the tiled floor, and thank god for being braced on the countertop, otherwise you would’ve crumpled in a quivery heap at his feet. 

You took in the reflection of both you and Negan’s sex-dazed expressions, skin flushed and dewy with sweat despite the cool bathroom. A satisfied smile curved his lips, and you watched in the mirror as he bent down and kissed the curve where your neck met shoulder, the scratch of his beard rising goosebumps to the already sensitive flesh. He hummed happily against your skin, and you wished that the two of you could stay in this intimate bubble forever. That no outside intruders or internal thoughts could stand in the way of feeling like this with him every single day. 

As if he were thinking something similar, he ran a warm hand down over the curve of your hip and said in a sexy, husky voice, “Now that is a perfect fucking way to finish off the morning.” 

Unable to help a dreamy smile in return, you were finally able to fully stand up from the counter without fear of your legs giving out. Turning in his hold, you twined arms up around his neck and tugged him down for a proper kiss involving lips and tongues and even a hint of teeth. 

You pulled away after a few long moments, and offered, “What are your plans for today?”

Biting his lip and giving one of his signature cheeky grins, he replied, “I have to go over some new outpost security measures with Simon this afternoon. However…” his hands cupped your ass and kneaded possessively, “my evening is all fucking yours.”

Lord, but you liked the sound of that. Standing on tiptoe and placing another, softer kiss to his lips, you suggested, “How about I bring us dinner around 7:30?”

“I’ll be waiting,” he replied with one last squeeze of his hands before he stepped away to dispose of the condom and gather both your clothes off the tiles. 

The men had brought back some freshly butchered deer meat from the supply run, and Ben had been excited to try making stew with both it and vegetables from the garden. Thinking of Ben was also a reminder that you had promised to hang out with him today. You were very curious to hear details about what was going on with him and Simon, not to mention needing a friend to talk through some of your own worries regarding Negan.

Pulling the baggy green shirt back on, you preceded him into the bedroom and grabbed your jeans from where they had been discarded on the floor last night. You didn’t want to return his shirt, so tucked it into the jeans to hide the obviously ill-fitting length of it before pulling on your sneakers. Turning, you found an also fully-dressed Negan watching you. His gaze took in the outfit with an expression that was difficult to decipher, but seemed somewhere between appreciative and smug at the sight of you in his shirt. 

Struggling not to roll your eyes or make a comment about “males and their strange possessiveness”, you walked out of the bedroom with him following behind. Stopping at the closed office door, you turned and looked up at him, unable to resist the urge to reach up and run your fingers down over his bearded cheek. He bent and gave you one final kiss in return, then opened the door and watched you leave. 

You weren’t able to contain the happy grin tipping up the corners of your mouth. Not even the sudden appearance of the brain, who was dragging the padlocked box of questions, could dim your mood. The subconscious strode happily at your side, but as the brain fell more and more behind, struggling to keep up with the heavy metal box, it turned with a sigh and went back to help. 

I know. I know! We’ll have a conversation with him tonight; open up the box and air out some of those unanswered questions. But for right now, we’re going to bask in the afterglow of such a wonderfully well-fucked morning. 

The brain and subconscious didn’t argue, just huffed and puffed as they worked together to finally pick the box up off the ground. Balancing the heavy weight between them, they gave each other exasperated looks, then hurried down the hall after you.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

THE BOX IS NABOO

That’s it, I’m doing it, I’m writing that stupid meta I’ve had in the works for two and a half years, I’m sharing it with the world. I promised it for last Thursday, my poll was forever ago, but whatever! I’m writing that freaking thing.

(super duper long post, press j to skip)

Enter my rabbit hole.

First thing to establish: the Box makes no sense whatsoever in-universe.

((EDIT: Something I forgot to mention. IRL, the premise of a giant murder cube and the aesthetic - wall patterns, light designs, etc - of the episode come from the 1997 horror movie Cube, (see the episode’s wookieepedia page). However, while the two are very closely linked visually, the Box does not follow the movie structurally or narratively, as you can verify by simply reading the movie’s summary.))

Recap of the context for the "Box" episode (s4e17): Palpatine is planning his own kidnapping. It was never meant to succeed, and while the plan would obviously benefit him (making the Jedi look bad, pushing Anakin closer to the Dark Side, making Republic citizens more afraid -> more docile, etc...) his actual goal is never explained, and it’s weird that he’d go to such extreme lengths for results so minimal that we’re never told what they are.

So Palpatine asks Dooku to kidnap him at the Festival of Lights on Naboo. Dooku hires Moralo Eval to design a giant box-thingy to test bounty hunters to hire the best of them to kidnap Palpatine. Moralo then gets arrested to alert the Republic that something is afoot, and hires Cad Bane to break him out. Obi-Wan - undercover to learn Moralo’s plan - goes with them. They evade capture and go to Serenno, and Bane and Obi-Wan have to pass the box-thingy test. The level of brainkarked logic here... Truly on par with Megamind, Gru and Heinz Doofenshmirtz.

Setting aside the insane plot holes and utterly nonsensical behavior of the villains, the Box itself is moronic from a plot perspective. It’s insanely complex, obviously incredibly expensive and would have taken months (more like years but it’s a short war) to make when it’s not even needed for the dastardly plot! Just hire some guys who have already proven themselves against Jedi! Throw cash at Bane and Embo and a few others! Maybe attack them with your saber and see how they do! 

And after all that, Dooku still ends up trying to kidnap Palpatine on his own. I can’t even... 

So why does the Box exist? Well, apart from being a nerdy callback to Cube, giving us a good thrill and being generally awesome to look at, it has actual narrative purpose within the SW universe.

The box is Naboo.

What the Box lacks in plot relevance, it makes up for with its heavily symbolic meaning. It very closely follows Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s experiences on Naboo - but only certain parts, which I’ll explain later.

We start with clean, sterile environments, SW’s favored way of showing villainy.

Then we have the protagonists locked in a room as dioxis, a poison gas, pours in.

And then they escape... this way.

(Okay, here the shaft is down, not up. And it’s not a ventilation shaft per say, it’s the designed escape route. Same difference).

We then skip most of TPM (namely, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon discovering the droid army, finding Padmé, leaving Naboo, landing on Tatooine, going to Coruscant, etc, etc) to come back to Naboo and go directly to the lightsabers and catwalks.

(Note: in both scenes, Obi-Wan has to propel himself from a catwalk.)

In TPM and TCW, the catwalks are immediately followed by ray shields

And we finally end with the last scenes. Now, they don’t look the same but they are structurally identical. 

Obi-Wan is faced with a challenge unsuited for his abilities (facing Darth Maul // shooting three moving targets when he’s far more skilled with a blade than a blaster) on a narrow space above a melting pit/pit of fire. 

He first watches someone die failing to complete the task...

 ... and has to do it himself, faring much better than expected (holding his own against Maul // shooting all the targets easily). 

He then almost falls to his death and gets saved unexpectedly.

And then there’s the final showdown.

In both scenes, Obi-Wan is angry. And in TCW Dooku eggs him on, banking on his anger. (More on that later.) In both cases though, he centers himself and is able to overcome both his opponent and his own unbalance. But in TCW, he doesn’t go for the kill, because he doesn’t need to. 

The Box, as a literal character-explorator ex-machina, thus shows us Obi-Wan’s growth.  

In TPM, Obi-Wan follows Qui-Gon’s lead. In TCW, he is the leader. He identifies the gas, makes the plans. He doesn’t fall from catwalks anymore - he runs atop moving ones. He doesn’t stay stuck behind ray-shields, he finds the solution. (Btw, how did Moralo know what blood type Derrown the Exterminator was? There was a 50% chance of him dying - thus killing all of the bounty hunters. Was that an acceptable outcome? TCW I need answers!) He doesn’t slay his foes, because he’s become powerful enough, skilled enough and wise enough to survive (and win) without needing to kill.

He’s grown - and, even more interestingly, he’s also stayed the same. In the previous episodes, we see some of the dark aspects of Obi-Wan. How he - like all Force-wielders, all people - could lose himself if he stopped maintaining absolute control.

But in the Box, surrounded by the worst criminals of the Galaxy, the most ruthless, worthless people, he’s still kind and tries his best to keep them alive.

The Box is a reminder and a reassurance for the audience that Obi-Wan Kenobi is still there under Rako’s face. He hasn’t lost his compassion, his restrain. He’s still a Jedi. And he’s an awesome, badass one. 

And now, for what it tells us about Dooku! 

It’s much shorter, don’t worry. Basically, Dooku considers that the best way to pick “the best of the best” of the deadliest people in the Galaxy is making them go through what killed his Padawan. There, I’ve broken your hearts, you’re welcome. 

More seriously, Dooku is a manipulative ass. It’s pretty clear that he knows Rako is Obi-Wan, or at the very least suspects it. 

He has an interesting reaction upon learning Rako’s identity, he keeps praising him despite his usual distaste for low-lifes, he smirks secretively after Eval says “I’ll show you who’s weak” (not included there because it’s a close-up of Dooku’s lips and no one wants to see that) and he tells Rako he’s very disappointed when he doesn’t finish off Eval.

[Later]

(Look at this smug asshole - I can’t. YOUR GRANDSON IS THE BEST, WE KNOW, STOP ACTIVELY RUINING HIS LIFE ALREADY.)

(Dooku... why...)

Now obviously Dooku couldn’t have made the Box specifically for Obi-Wan, because it would have to have been designed months before the Council ever decided to send Obi-Wan undercover, but he has no qualms trying to use it to push Obi-Wan to the Dark Side. Ffs Dooku, making your spiritual grandson relive one of the most traumatic events of his life on the off chance that he’ll join you (and desecrate his Master’s memory in doing so) is not okay!

Final tidbits of analysis: I mentioned that not all of TPM is mirrored in the Box. What’s omitted is the droids (even though Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon fight B1′s and droidekas between the dioxis and the ventilation shafts) and anything pertaining to Sidious (all the political stuff on Coruscant). You’ll also note that the fake lightsabers are orange.

=> The Box distances itself from anything that connects Dooku to Naboo. Red lightsabers are the trademark of the Sith, so they’re not used. The bounty hunters will be facing Jedi, so logically the fake sabers should be green or blue - and yet they’re orange, the color closest to red without being red. It fits with Dooku’s special brand of dishonesty - he always tells bits of the real story but twists them just enough to absolve himself of any fault and to justify his choices. 

(”We can destroy the Sith” -> could maybe destroy Sidious with Obi-Wan, but fails to mention he’s a Sith Lord himself; “the Viceroy came to me for help, that’s why I’m attacking the Republic” -> political idealism is a small part of it, but fails to mention he’s Sidious’ underling and is playing the Viceroy like a fiddle; “Qui-Gon would have joined me” -> maybe, still fails to mention he’s working for the man who ordered Qui-Gon’s death; “I told you everything you needed to know” -> debatable, never said that Palps was Sidious; “Sifo-Dyas understood, that’s why he helped me” -> partly true, doesn’t admit to killing Sifo-Dyas right after getting his help)

So we have a twisted version of Naboo, droid-free (as droids are now irrevocably associated with Dooku, even if that wasn’t the case in TPM) and with sabers that aren’t quite red. Keep in mind that Dooku had already fallen by TPM. (We know this because he killed Sifo-Dyas and created the Clone Army - part of Sidious’ plan - when Valorum was still Chancellor, as per the episode The Lost One.) That means Dooku was (in)directly complicit in Qui-Gon’s death. And the Box doesn’t (=refuses to?) acknowledge that. 

(Also omitted in the Box are the Gungans and Tatooine. It makes sense, because Dooku probably wouldn’t have the full details regarding those parts of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s missio as they weren’t as public, and would see them as irrelevant if he did. He utterly despises Anakin, and Gungans are the type of people he always dismisses out of hand). 

Anyway, that’s my two cents about the Box. To quote Lucas...

“It’s like poetry. It rhymes.”

Thanks to @lethebantroubadour @impossiblybluebox​ @nonbinarywithaknife @ytoz​ and @kaitie85386​ for voting for this one. Next up is a compilation of the Jedi being casually tactile with each other (because they’re a warm and affectionate culture, dammit).

Also thanks to @laciefuyu​ for giving me gifs I ended up not using ^^; you rock anyway!

[gingerbreadmonsters]

10, 17, 21 for the writing questions? hehe

hello sweet rainy!! your wish is my command 💫

10. How would you describe your writing process?

a total mess lmao

uhhh... generally i come up with the concept first, or at least a scene that i think would be cool, write that first, and then build the rest of it as i go. a HUGE proportion of my writing is inspired by music or songs as well, so i'll loop that as i'm writing - i find it difficult to write without music playing at this point!

generally i make the plot up as i go, based on what i think would be fun and/or realistic! for instance, the initial concept of thy fair imperfect shade was literally just "elliott has a sexy dream about sunshine and doesn't know what to do about it" - his whole morality crisis, plus the twist with sunshine at the end, were all invented during the process rather than mapped out beforehand. storyboarding or similar never works for me, seeing as i just end up going off the rails and writing something totally different depending on whatever flavour of brainrot i have that day :)

take one small paradox - i tried to plan that one and it went wrong almost immediately! fun fact: there was never meant to be a statue at all, and it certainly wasn't meant to feature so prominently. the original concept was a conversation between academy president lasko and locked-up vindemiator, where lasko would basically pull a bond villain and monologue about how lovely freelancer is, gloating about how he's going to basically indoctrinate them and there's nothing that poor vindemiator can do.......

unfortunately for supervillain-lasko, i got distracted while i wrote the opening scene, so he didn't actually get to say anything at all! the final line is a nod to that first idea, with vindemiator trapped underneath the academy, mourning a life that could have been but not knowing why.

"and underneath the academy, for no reason at all, an incubus begins to cry."

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

to tell you the truth, i don't know if i hope they do or i hope they don't!! i don't go out very much at all irl, and i find it really difficult to talk to new people, so a lot of my writing comes out of feelings of loneliness or isolation that i don't know are always obvious if you're not looking for them.

that being said, i think i put a lot of myself into my writing, especially the ways i see the world and think about love and friendships and connections between people, so i like to think that we're all on the same page, so to speak.

um, if you wanted something unexpected.... virtually everything i write is about being in love and all those sorts of feelings, so maybe you might be surprised that i've never been in a relationship before...? like seriously, i've never even kissed anyone before (don't you just love being socially anxious and also queer?), so literally every time i write about that, i'm totally making it up lmao

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)

i would LOVE to turn some of my fics into short films, particularly the ones where i have a really strong attachment to the aesthetic or i think the image is really clear and would be fun to see unfold on screen. plus, i'm much funnier irl than i am when i'm writing, so being able to add all of those extra visual bits and pieces, as well as dialogue that doesn't translate well to writing, would be really fun! wonderland, rebel flesh, take a sip, thy fair imperfect shade, body contact, knock knock!, can't help but see, hold on tight...

this might be totally wrong, but i'd love to turn something like knock knock! into a script, at least the bits with gavin and guy and fl in - if anyone's taken drama gcse, it would be the sort of thing that you'd do for the live performance bit of the exam! god, as i was writing it i just wanted to BE there in the scene, and i had such a clear picture of the whole thing. tbh, i write the scenes i want to see - clearly the inner drama student in me is still going strong!

(this is unrelated, but if i had any drawing talent whatsoever then i would ABSOLUTELY draw the statue from one small paradox - i have a really strong idea of what it looks like in my head, and i just love the bittersweetness of that one - all that about turning love into stone. i did my best to describe it, but some things are better to see than to read, you know? @delllonggone mentioned it and now it won't get out of my head..... 🤯🤯)