#i want these to be as accessible as possible but unfortunately we're also working at the mercy of art software

[mantisgodsdomain]

We ought to write more Pokemon fic some time. We want to recreate the Pokemon Manners/Human Manners cheat sheet that we made a few years ago we think that this site would like the Sliding Scale Of Politeness When Greeting A New Pokemon You've Never Met Before.

[genericpuff]

hello! sorry to ask the same question twice but i wanted to make sure tumblr didn't eat my ask. is there any chance you might release the brush packs as png files some day? the art program i use just doesn't use abr, and the 'ultimate background and rendering pack' wouldn't work with the converter i tried. if the answer is no, that's cool! it's already really nice that you've released the stuff you have, and i don't want to demand more work (and idk if you can convert them easily or not)

No problem, my inbox is admittedly a mess LOL

If it were only a few brushes then I would attempt this but it's literally. like a hundred brushes＼(º □ º l|l)/ So I don't think this is something I'll be able to swing any time soon :< I also have, admittedly, zero clue how to work with PNG brushes or create them so I worry they may not even function properly if I tried, not to mention a lot of the brushes require the brush engines installed with Clip Studio and PS to work, such as dual brush settings and pen tilt adjustments, much of which wouldn't be preserved if I made manual PNG brush sets out of them.

I'm really sorry about that! If I ever do figure out how to do it in a way that guarantees proper full and efficient conversion, I'll be sure to update the brush pack and put out an announcement! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

[room-surprise]

sorry if this was answered before, but what inspired you to assign kabru and mithrun their specific studies in your college au? it suits them very well!

I don't think someone's asked this specific question! And if they did, I've forgotten lol Thank you for sending me such a nice ask!

I felt that Kabru would want a "difficult" major like medicine because if he does anything less, he feels like he's not working hard enough. He's capable of doing something difficult so he has an obligation to do it, to help other people.

He's also ambitious in a way, he feels like he *wants* to do something difficult because he enjoys the academic challenge. He wants to have to make an effort and not just coast through effortlessly like I think he does with most academic studies. The challenge makes it more fun for him.

Also he wants to help people, it makes him feel good and like his life has a purpose... and he wants to do something that has good job security, so he will never have to worry about needing someone else to take care of him. He has access to money from Milsiril, but he's avoiding using it, because he doesn't want to be in her debt any further, or to give her any possible method of controlling his life.

I also have an unfortunate amount of experience in hospitals due to personal and extended family medical issues, and as a result I'm overly familiar with doctors and medicine. So writing about Kabru being involved with medicine was fun, and I felt like i could convincingly fake that I knew what I was talking about.

Mithrun, I wanted him to do something "frivolous" because his family situation means he never has to worry about taking care of himself financially. Many famous artists in history ended up artists because they were disgraced noble or wealthy children who left home and "slummed it" with artists, writers, prostitutes and other social outcasts.

Mithrun, in college AU, has never once in his life worried about money or thought about working in order to earn a paycheck. His family has so much money that even if he spent extravagantly every day of his life, they would never notice.

I also thought there was something inherently funny about a stern, traumatized ex-soldier who has experienced death and torture wanting to be an artist, plus a lot of the mental issues Mithrun is facing are things a lot of art students face, though usually different reasons (anxiety, depression, low self esteem etc.)

Additionally, my spouse and I both went through art school, so we're intimately familiar with what it's like, the type of people who are there, the way the teachers are, the assignments, the various things that make up the whole experience.

There are also some secret plot reasons that I made Mithrun an artist, which will start to become clearer as the story progresses.

Thank you again for reading, and for writing to me! 🥰

[apriltempleos]

october 1st 2024: drafts!

preacher: i'm attaching slightly improved versions of our original drafts, but i'll also include mine and scott's garbage sketches under the cut because i think they're a little bit funny

(image id available through tumblr's accessibility options)

this is a slightly revised version of my original concept for "APRIL".

the main functionality i wanted for "APRIL" was for her to be able to read out words from the templeOS god word app, and ideally without needing keyboard input – hence the microphone. ideally all of her parts are going to fit inside a hollowed out mannequin or doll, which will probably just be the torso, so that she's more portable. for the same reason, i want her to run off a power bank – i want to be able to take her places!

if we manage, we're going to give her an animated LED face which moves to indicate when she's speaking. the way i first pitched it, i wanted it to also change a bit depending on how she "felt" – for example, frowning if the environment was hotter than ideal for the raspberry pi to operate on. but that's a bit beyond our current scope right now. i don't think we even ordered a thermostat.

scott drew the following wiring diagrams based off my original sketch. here revised digitally for readability's sake.

(image id available through the tumblr accessibility options although i fear it's not very good in this case. feedback appreciated).

scott: I decided to go with the raspberry pi zero 2w because it's what I've got experience coding on, it's relatively cheap for the "brains" of the operation (heh) and can perform both tasks from the godword prophecy generation, speaker operation and led matrix operation simultaneously. Plus its small enough to keep the circuit lightweight and fit inside the initial mannequin design.

This drawing fits no kind of engineering standard by the way lol. It was an initial sketch closer to a wiring diagram to see how it'd physically setup and wrap my head around transforming it from mains power to being theoretically portable and running on powerbanks. Unfortunately the LED matrix is really fucking power hungry so needs its own power supply of really specific voltage and current draws hence all the converters.

Also because Im using the smaller and cheaper pi, as oppossed to a stronger system like the pi4, it doesn't have any audio out jack so I plan to use the micro usb for audio out which means yet again I need another adapter for a soundcard and usb to micro usb adapters and all that jazz. Usually sound out can be done through the GPIO pins but the LED matrix takes so many pins that I cant really take anything form them so I had to look for other ways of doing it. Plus this way I get to add a soundcard so if we wanna add microphone support or anything later on we can :)

(Also this is all a little obtuse because I'm trying to do it as much as plug and play and screw terminal style as possible rather than actually solder connections for ease of access and initial setup, but this also works for modular design and component swapping later too so its cool.)

preacher: another reason we're going with plug&play is becauuseeeeee i don't own a soldering iron 😭 it's ok. it's ok.

our silly initial drafts under the cut for your viewing pleasure.

preacher: these were made around 2 weeks ago, so about september 15th ish.

as you can see the first "APRIL" drawing was beautifully drawn with my fat fingers in the facebook messenger photo editor. i think it holds up. lol.

[lewis-winters]

I was just curious but do you have any recs for period dramas about the philippines? I want to expand my period drama watching and im not quite sure where to start

Oh, the monster you've unleashed. YES I do have so many period dramas from and about the Philippines. Unfortunately, not all of them might be accessible to you if you're outside of the Philippines. Some of them are found on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and MUBI though. I'll make sure to put a lil note next to each film if they are. Also! these vary in genre (meaning: not all of them are war films, and some of these are horror films-- because this is me we're talking to, heh). I also have copies of some of these and will make a lil note next to each film if it's available for sharing, though I'll only give the link via DM. Please note, however, that they are all either in Tagalog, Bisaya, and/or other local Philippine Languages and not all of them have subtitles!

I also have very nuanced relationships with all these films, since Philippine History was my undergrad of choice. But to keep this post as brief as possible, I'm not going to talk about them at length. Though I will be including trigger warnings. Also note... some of these movies kinda suck HAAHAHAHA but I had way too much fun watching them so like. Please don't tell me they suck, please. I love them too much.

Also tagging @emmylynnaa because I promised her a similar list.

This is sorted by eras in Philippine History. Enjoy! (under the cut because it got long):

Spanish Occupation Era (1565 to 1898)

GomBurZa (2023) – A film following the GomBurZa, the three native Filipino Roman Catholic priests Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora executed during the latter years of the Spanish colonial era. TW: period typical violence. Furthermore, this is a Jesuit produced film so like. Once again. Take it with a grain of salt.

Jose Rizal (1998) - Jose Rizal's life and works are recounted through a series of non-linear flashbacks which reflect on various aspects of his life - as writer, propagandist, lover, friend, brother, doctor, and the man that inspired a revolution. Available on MUBI. TW: depiction of sexual assault by a priest. I also have a love-hate relationship with this film because on one hand, literally shaped my love of history. On the other hand, it is the MOST idealistic depiction of Jose Rizal ever + very historically inaccurate in many places, please watch this with a grain of salt.

Maria Clara at Ibarra (2022 – 2023) – A series about a girl from the 21st century who is magically transported into Jose Rizal’s famous novels Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo (you know, the novels that helped spark the Filipino Revolution against the Spanish). The synopsis sounds cheesy but trust me, it’s very good. Available to watch on the GMA official webpage. I just don’t know if you can access it outside of the country. TW: rape, abuses of the Catholic church, period typical violence, abuses of Spanish colonialists. A personal favorite—the costumes? Divine. And the character arcs are also really lovely. Helps you understand Philippine contemporary culture, too.

Katipunan: TV Mini Series (2013) – A mini-series depicting the creation of the Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (or the KKK—no, not the white supremacist group; that’s unfair, by the way, we did it first), the revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by Filipino Nationalists against Spanish Colonialization. Available to watch on the GMA official webpage. I just don’t know if you can access it outside of the country. TW: depictions of rape aftermath by Spanish soldiers, period typical violence, torture, graphic depictions of a corpse. This is a personal favorite of mine.

Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis/A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (2016) - Andrés Bonifacio is celebrated as the father of the Philippines Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. This eight-hour epic examines this myth, undertaking an expedition into history through various interwoven narrative threads, held together by an exploration of the individual’s role in history. Available on Mubi. TW: it is literally eight hours long. But that’s Lav Diaz for you. I love him, but oh my god is he an acquired taste.

Ang Kababaihan ng Malolos (2014) - The saga of the 20 Filipino women who petitioned for the opening of a school in a time when women weren’t given the chance to do so.

Ganito Kami Noon... Paano Kayo Ngayon? (1976) – Set during the end of Spanish colonization and the start of American colonization. After his mother's death, the simple-minded and naïve Kulas (Christopher De Leon) begins his much-awaited trip to Manila. On his way to Manila, he mindlessly takes on the mission of retrieving a friar's son and bringing him to the friar's residence.

Mallari (2023) - A horror film chronicling the deeds of the first recorded serial killer in the Philippines. This film spans decades, all the way up to present day. It's kinda stupid. Like. Really stupid. That's ok. We watch it because we want to see Piolo Pascual and JC Santos covered in blood. TW: oh my god so many bodies and so much gore.

Filipino-American War and America Occupation (1899 – 1940s) (this era has the best films, actually, if you want a place to start and start strong? start here)

Amigo (2010) - A local leader of a small Filipino barangay must decide whether to keep the peace with the American troops occupying his village or join the insurgency with his brother and son. TW: racism, sexual harassment, graphic depictions of corpses, gore, period typical violence.

Heneral Luna (2015) - Set during the Philippine-American war, Heneral Luna follows the life of one of Philippine History's most brilliant soldier, General Antonio Luna, as he tries to lead his countrymen against colonial masters new and old, and to rise above their own raging disputes to fulfill the promise of the Philippine Revolution. Available on Netflix. TW: short scene depicting the aftermath of sexual assault, period typical violence, and graphic depictions of a corpse. Again, one of my favorites. I have so many happy memories of this film + the fandom it birthed! I miss it sometimes.

Angelito (2018) – The short film that bridges both Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, depicting the brothers Manuel and Jose Bernal – Antonio Luna’s aides-de-camp – and their youngest brother Angel, two days before the General’s assassination. This film you can find on Youtube!

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2019) – The sequel of Heneral Luna, this film follows the story of Gregorio 'Goyo' del Pilar, one of the youngest Generals during the Philippine-American War who fought in the historic Battle of Tirad Pass. Available on Netflix. TW: short scenes of torture, period typical violence, and graphic depictions of a corpse. Again, a personal favorite for the same reasons stated above. Though it’s not as strong as Heneral Luna, I gotta say.

Ang Larawan (2017) - In a musical tale about standing together against materialism, two impoverished sisters anguish over whether or not to sell a painting, the final masterpiece by their recluse father. A bitter struggle for survival against betrayal set in pre-World War II Manila. A personal favorite, oh my god. This film. Oh my god, this film.

World War 2 and its aftermath (1940 – 1950)

Quezon’s Game (2018) - In 1938, Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, military adviser Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with other notable figures, set out to rescue Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Quezon simultaneously deals with a relapse of tuberculosis. Available on Amazon Prime. TW: talk of genocide and short scenes depicting the murder of Jewish people by the Nazis.

Tatlong Taong Walang Dios (1976) - A woman falls in love with a Japanese soldier during the Japanese Occupation in the Philippines; the whole town turns against her. TW: rape. Think Malena.

Oro, Plata, Mata (1982) - Set in the Philippine island of Negros during World War II, it tells the story of how two hacendero families cope with the changes brought about by the war. TW: rape

Kusina (2016) – Her kitchen. The silent witness to the life and love of Juanita. It is her sanctuary, the place where she creates dishes for her family, friends, even enemies and strangers. Through cooking, she gets to know the people around her. TW: violent child birth, death of mother in child birth, sexual harassment by Japanese soldiers. This spans multiple decades, all the way up to Martial Law.

In My Mother’s Skin (2023) - Stranded in the Philippines during World War II, a young girl finds that her duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy. Available on Amazon Prime. TW: body horror, gore, explicit depictions of a corpse, period typical violence.

Markova: Comfort Gay (2000) – A coming of age drama film loosely based on the life of Walter Dempster Jr., the last surviving Filipino “comfort gay” (male sex slaves for the Imperial Japanese Army) from World War II. TW: CSA, wartime systemic rape, rape.

Comfort Women: A Cry for Justice (1994) – The story of how two sisters and the rest of the women of Sta. Monica are forced into sex slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War 2. TW: wartime systemic rape, rape, and period typical violence.

Seklusyon (2016) - In 1947, a group of deacons (aspiring priests) on their last week of training are sent to a remote monastery to live in seclusion for seven days to protect them from the devil, who on the last few days of training attempts to break the will of deacons to make them reconsider their choice of becoming priests. During their seclusion, a little girl named Anghela, believed by locals to be a living saint because of her healing abilities, appears at the monastery seeking refuge. Available on Amazon. TW: pedophilia, gore, body horror, Catholicism, religious horror.

Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang (2012) - A psychological thriller film detailing the psychological breakdown of a woman struggling with infertility in post-war Philippines. If you want to see women go feral, this is fun.

Martial Law (1970 – 1980) (actually, you know what? I lied. This era is the era with the best films. God, these are CLASSICS and are the ones that’ll help you understand contemporary Philippine culture the most; definitely start here)

Manila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975) - Júlio Madiaga, a 'provinciano', arrives in Manila to search for his beloved, Ligaya. TW: coerced sex work, sexual abuse. Once again, a Filipino cinema classic.

Insiang (1976) - After a teenager is raped by her mother's boyfriend, she sets out to exact revenge on anyone who has hurt her. TW: I mean. It says it right there. Though it’s not actually shown on screen, it is very heavily implied. She doesn’t die in the end, if you’re wondering.

Dekada ’70 (2002) - A middle-class Filipino family struggles to survive in the era of dictatorship. This is a fucking classic in Filipino cinema. Available on MUBI. TW: sexual harrassment, discussion of torture, depictions of wounds and beatings, period typical violence. Martial Law was rough.

Aparisyon (2012) – A psychological drama film set in early 1970s, where the story about the nuns in the period immediately preceding the declaration of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos. The film’s director, Isabel Sandoval, is a transgender woman and an absolute visionary. Her other films Senorita (2011) and Lingua Franca (2019) are also very good, please check it out. All films are available for streaming through the Criterion Channel. TW: rape, religious trauma, period typical violence, Catholicism.

Lihis (2013) - Set in the 70’s during the darkest hours of Philippine History, we follow the story of two young NPA warriors who find themselves entangled in a web of frustration, despair and victory as they fight not only for democracy but also their love for each other. Available on MUBI. TW: Infidelity.

Barber’s Tales (2014) - In a rural town in the Philippines during the Marcos dictatorship, the newly widowed Marilou inherits the town's only barbershop from her husband- a business that has been passed down by generations of men in her husband's family. With no other means of support, she musters the courage to run the barbershop.

Dahling Nick (2015) - Dahling Nick is a docu-drama exploring the life and works of National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin, who only accepted the National Artist Award on the condition that the Marcos administration release a well-known writer who was being unjustly detained during Martial Law. I love Nick Joaquin. He’s shaped my understanding of the Magical Realist genre far more than any of his contemporaries have. This film is notoriously difficult to get your hands on, so I suggest going to read his anthology by Penguin Classics called the Tropical Gothic instead!

Respeto (2017) - Hendrix is a poor aspiring rapper who wants to make a name for himself in the underground rap battle scene and gain respect in the community. After attempting to rob a second-hand bookstore in the neighborhood, he is discovered by the owner, Doc, an old poet with a haunted past as a dissident. Not necessarily period, but definitely has its roots in Martial Law.

Liway (2018) – A film about the kip, a young boy growing up in a prison as the son of anti-Marcos dissident Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, better known as Commander Liway, during the waning days of the Marcos dictatorship. It is currently streaming on Youtube!

The Kingmaker (2019) - is a 2019 documentary film written and directed by Lauren Greenfield, featuring the political career of Imelda Marcos with a focus on the Marcos family's efforts to rehabilitate the family's image and to return to political power, including her plans to see her son, Bongbong, become President of the Philippines, and the alliance that Bongbong and Imee Marcos established with Rodrigo Duterte in his bid to win the 2016 Philippine presidential election. Available on Youtube! if outside of the Philippines, use VPN.

1980s – 2000s Philippines

Misteryo sa Tuwa (1984) - The fortunes of three impoverished friends and their families abruptly change after an airplane crashes in a nearby mountain.

Alpha Kappa Omega Batch ’81 (1982) – A psychological drama film depicting the titular fraternity's harsh initiation of new batch members as seen through the eyes of pre-med student Sid Lucero. TW: hazing, torture, psychological torture. It’s fucked up, actually.

Himala (1982) – During a total eclipse Elsa, a young girl from rural Philippines, allegedly witnesses an apparition of the Virgin Mary on top of the hill where, as an infant, she was found and adopted by Saling. Said visions change her life and cause a sensation hysteria in a poor, isolated northern village in the midst of drought. TW: rape, religious fanaticism, religious trauma.

Adela (2008) - The story of Adela, which takes place in the span of one day, is a heartbreaking story of a woman who longs for the company of her loved ones. This isn’t actually period. This film just breaks my heart. And of course, it has acting legend Anita Linda in it. How could I not recommend it?

Now Showing (2008) - Rita is named after a famous American movie star whom her late, former actress grandmother once adored. She lives in one of Manila’s oldest districts with her mother and aunt. Years later, she is still the same girl enamoured with television, now tending to her aunt’s stall selling pirated DVDs.

Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution (2011) - A woman from the end of the 19th century visits modern day Philippines and observes three interwoven stories: that of a prostitute, a group of criminals and a musician. This is another Lav Diaz one. It’s long.

K’na The Dreamweaver (2014) - K’na is a young woman coming into her own in the mountains of South Cotabato, where the T’boli live, overlooking the majestic and mystical Lake Sebu. She is part of the royal family of the South bank of the lake, part of the clan that was banished from the North Bank centuries ago after what the elders call The Great Betrayal. At a young age, K’na, is trained in the art of weaving the T’bolit’nalak. The design of the t’nalak fabric comes from the visions granted by Fu Dalu, the goddess of abaca, only to deserving women who become dreamweavers. K’na’s grandmother, Be Lamfey, is the village’s last master dreamweaver. When Be Lamfey dies, the gift of dreamweaving is passed to K’na and her father, LobongDitan, decides to put an end to the warring clans of Lake Sebu once and for all by arranging a marriage between K’na and Kagis, the heir to the throne of North bank. Meanwhile, K’na has fallen in love with Silaw, a childhood friend whose family supplies the finest abaca fibers to the dreamweavers. Silaw leaves love messages for her by tying bits of abaca thread to a tree outside K’na’s window. As the marriage grows near, a revolution brews among those who do not believe in the union of the two royal clans.

Smaller and Smaller Circles (2017) - Two Jesuit priests, Gus Saenz and Jerome Lucero perform forensic work to solve the mystery revolving around the murders of young boys in Payatas, one of Metro Manila's biggest slum areas. While dealing with the systematic corruption of the government, church, and the elite, the two priests delve into criminal profiling, crime scene investigation, and forensic analysis to solve the killings, and eventually, find the murderer. Available on Netflix. TW: child death, talk of child sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church and at the hands of teachers, graphic depictions of a corpse, film also triggering to folks who suffer from claustrophobia.

Billie and Emma (2018) – An LGBT coming of age story set in the mid-1990s featuring two teenaged girls Billie and Emma as they grapple with topics such as sexuality, family, religion, unplanned pregnancy, and the uncertainty of the future.

[solradguy]

I saw your post about the Internet Archive and Archiving GG stuff for future Generations and i wanted to ask some stuff regarding the Archiving, i hope thats ok

Probably the dumber question but do you know if Daisuke has ever been involved in the Archiving of his series? I know the series started as a Passion project for him but Idk how active he would be with helping archive or fill in missing pieces, especially in the english world.

Just as a General question, are current online archiving groups mostly relying on being connected to one another in some way to reestablish fallen sources? Since very little of the internet if any is as stable as we like to believe and any service storing data may shut down somehow any day like Drive, when one host site does go down do the archivists rally together and find a new spot or do you kinda have to hope people can find the new host?

Also are there any larger scale Archivist groups someone with less ability to physically help could donate to to help preserve our online histories?

thank you and apologies if you dont like questions

Hello! Questions are fine ^^ Sometimes it takes me a million years to reply, but I don't mind them.

My answer to this got kinda long. Excuse the readmore.

We don't have any strong evidence either way what the condition of the official Arc System Works library of Guilty Gear media is like, but there have been a few times where the images they've used for things have been worse than the images us rogue archivists have. This ML illustration is definitely one they either no longer have the physical/original piece for, or they might not have a way to rescan it, because the file they use when they reproduce it is pathetically tiny. Example from the Steam release of Strive's bonus Digital Artbook:

Compared to other illustrations in the same book (two pages here):

This Ky from the website for the 20th Anniversary Pack release of Missing Link for the Switch was taken from the Guilty Gear Bible:

We know this because... He's on page 12 in the Bible and...

...they didn't erase the page number off his shoe.

So, at the very least, some Missing Link era works are likely gone/lost/destroyed/etc. It's possible some GGX thru GGXX artworks are lost too, but we don't have a concrete catalog of XX works because they never released a complete artbook for XX. It's also rumored that Keep The Flag Flying's original master file is lost but I've never been able to find a source for that. Daisuke has never reached out to any of us about our image archives and we've never offered.

Archiving is very much a western concept and it's a common thought in Japan that saving copies of another person's works is extremely bad; I've been chewed out and blocked by Japanese fans for it. It's just a cultural difference, I don't take it personally. If ASW contacts us about it though we'll definitely give them our files or take down anything they request of us. We don't want to poke the bear and risk the entire archive if we can. They seem to be turning a blind eye to our archives though, as long as it's not an upload of something extremely recent (I got DMCA'd for the Strive Artworks Archive scans).

The core of the Guilty Gear archive group works on the new GG wiki and/or are admins of the new wiki, so we're in pretty close contact with each other. Most of the archive is in my hands and, unfortunately, my hands alone. With the announcement of the Internet Archive v Hachette ruling, we've been planning on making copies of my GG archive hard drive and sending it out to the other archivists in our circle. I don't have a PO box, I can't do this for people outside the group because I don't want my physical home address to be that accessible.

That said, there are redundant digital copies of a lot of files and I have a backup hard drive of the main GG archive drive; the main drive is a relatively new 2tb Western Digital My Passport external drive and the backup is a 1tb WD My Passport that's a little older. A lot of people have downloaded copies of the files currently online (via my masterpost) and can reupload something if it goes down even if I'm not around to do it. We rely on Archive.org a lot but aren't against using Dropbox, Google Drive, mega.nz, Neocities, file.garden, or, if we absolutely must, Discord. I do not like relying on Discord and Discord files are generally extremely temporary.

The files that aren't in the archive include software or game asset rips, image files, music, and random bits and bobs. I'm working on getting the images up on the wiki but everything else is kind of in a weird zone where I don't really know what to do with it.

As for donating to support broader archivism: We use Archive.org (and their Wayback Machine) the most, so donating to them would benefit both the GG archive as well as hundreds of thousands of music, literature, research, and art groups too. Their donate page can be found here: https://archive.org/donate?origin=iawww-TopNavDonateButton

Supporting your local libraries, museums, and conservatories also supports archivism. Most of these places accept public donations of any amount and could probably direct you to other local archiving groups/associations.

Donating to Wikipedia also supports broader archivism to a lesser extent. They write about events as they happen, with sources/citations, and older versions of this information is permanently available on every article and file without having to rely on things like Wayback Machine. Their donation page is here: https://donate.wikimedia.org

I also have a donation page via Ko-fi and any money donated with a note about it being for Guilty Gear will go back into Guilty Gear (via book/magazine purchases for scanning, usually). Donating to one of the above groups would be better for archiving as a whole though. My page can be found here: https://ko-fi.com/somnivagrious

Hope this answers your questions!!

[sesillee]

Building Jean Grey in DnD 5e

All images featured are credited to the user that edited and posted them, not me.

The idea of a Character Forge is shamelessly taken from @raeynbowboi​, whose posts I love, and drew a ton of inspiration from.

Jean Grey has always been one of my favorite Marvel characters, ever since I saw her for the first time in the 2000 X-Men movie, portrayed by Famke Janssen. I hope I did her justice, haha.

I contemplated making her a Kalashtar for free telepathy, but Variant Human fits better, and with this build we end up getting telepathy from multiple sources anyway. I feel like something a lot of portrayals of Jean don't do is her original origin story.

At ten years old, her best friend died traumatically in front of her, and Jean's newly awakened powers gave her a front row seat to the emotions and thoughts of a dying girl. Professor Xavier then suppressed her telepathic abilities.

WTF??? That's a lot for anybody, let alone a ten year old.

So I think her background is 100% Haunted One.

"You are haunted by something so terrible that you dare not speak of it. You’ve tried to bury it and run away from it, to no avail. Whatever this thing is that haunts you can’t be slain with a sword or banished with a spell. It might come to you as a shadow on the wall, a bloodcurdling nightmare, a memory that refuses to die, or a demonic whisper in the dark. The burden has taken its toll, isolating you from most people and making you question your sanity. You must find a way to overcome it before it destroys you."

Unfortunately I think that's a great descriptor for Jean.

Through the Haunted One background, we're going to take Arcana and Religion proficiences, as well as two free languages. It really depends on the campaign which language would work best, but I took Dwarvish and Infernal.

Aberrant Mind Sorcerer

I immediately thought of Aberrant Mind Sorcerer for her base class. Sorcerer fits any mutant with spellcasting-like abilities, and Jean's main powers are her telepathy and telekinesis. Aberrant Mind sorcerers get telepathy at first level, but they don't have any inherent telekinesis baked in. As a Variant Human though we can pick a free feat, so we'll naturally go with Telekinetic.

This feat gives us access to the mage hand cantrip and a telekinetic shove ability that's perfect for Jean.

You could definitely go all 20 levels with Sorcerer, but I think it leaves out a very important part of Jean's character: the Phoenix Force. It was obvious to me the best way to represent the Phoenix Force was with the Warlock class.

Great Old One Warlock

I think it's also no question that the Great Old One patron is the best fit for the Phoenix Force. In its first appearance in 1976, its described as one of the oldest known cosmic entities in the universe. Its origin, capabilities, and motives are a mystery. Sure sounds like a "mysterious entity whose nature is utterly foreign to the fabric of reality" to me.

What level split you do is up to you, but I did 8 in Sorcerer and 12 in Warlock, just because Warlock gets more in the 9-12 levels than Sorcerer. Aberrant Mind Sorcerer's don't get any subclass features whatsoever between levels 6 and 14, whereas Great Old One Warlocks get Thought Shield at level 10.

Stats and Proficiences

Her highest stat should be Charisma, and from there it's really up to you. A high Constitution is always good and can represent that extra durability from the Phoenix Force. Her Dexterity should be kept in mind too, since she won't be wearing any armor. Technically she can wear light armor, but it isn't super necessary, since I took the eldritch invocation that gives unlimited mage armor.

Proficiencies: arcana, deception, insight, intimidation, perception, persuasion, religion, light armor, and simple weapons

Spellbook

You're obviously going to want as many psoinic style spells as possible for Jean. Her main source of damage is going to be her magic, since Jean is never really depicted using weapons. She's going to be relying mainly on her cantrips to do damage in this build, since I wanted to pick up as many "utility" spells as possible.

As an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, she automatically learns several Psion Spells.

Mind Sliver (Cantrip) Arms of Hadar (1st) Dissonant Whispers (1st) Calm Emotions (2nd) Detect Thoughts (2nd) Hunger of Hadar (3rd) Sending (3rd) Evard’s Black Tentacles (4th) Summon Aberration (4th)

Through Warlock invocations, she can cast False Life, Jump, and Mage Armor on herself at will. She can also cast Confusion once per day via the Dreadful Word invocation.

Almost all of the invocations I chose were ones that give her more spells for less, since as a Sorcerer/Warlock she is more limited in spell slots than another spellcaster might be.

A few other spells that I would say are absolutely essential for Jean are Fly, Psychic Lance, Telekinesis, and Dream.

As her Mystic Arcanum, the Warlock feature that lets her have 1 use of a sixth level spell, I chose Investiture of Flame. It definitely feels like a Dark Phoenix moment to me.

See the rest of her statistics and spell list below the cut.

Name: Jean Elaine Grey-Summers, Marvel Girl/Phoenix

Race: Variant Human

Background: Haunted One

Alignment: Neutral Good

Class: Aberrant Mind Sorcerer 8

Great Old One Warlock 12

Base Stats:

Strength: 8 -1 Dexterity: 14 +2 Constitution: 16 +3 Intelligence: 10 +0 Wisdom: 15 +2 Charisma: 19 +4

Saving Throws:   

Strength: -1    Dexterity: +2 Constitution: +9   Intelligence: +0 Wisdom: +2 Charisma: +10

Combat Stats:

HP: 8d6 + 12d8 or 154 total AC: 12 (unarmored), 15 (mage armor) Speed: 30 Initiative: +2 Proficiency Bonus: +6    Passive Perception: 8  Dark Vision: 120 feet

Languages:

Common Elvish Infernal Dwarvish

Proficiencies: 

Arcana (Haunted One) Religion (Haunted One) Deception (Beguiling Influence Warlock Invocation) Insight (Sorcerer) Intimidation (Sorcerer) Perception (Sorcerer) Persuasion (Beguiling Influence Warlock Invocation)

Damage Resistances: 

Psychic

Damage Immunities:   

None

Feats

Telekinetic. (TCoE, pg. 81)

You learn to move things with your mind, granting you the following benefits:

Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

You learn the mage hand cantrip. You can cast it without verbal or somatic components, and you can make the spectral hand invisible. If you already know this spell, its range increases by 30 feet when you cast it. Its spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.

As a bonus action, you can try to telekinetically shove one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. When you do so, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability modifier of the score increased by this feat) or be moved 5 feet toward you or away from you. A creature can willingly fail this save.

War Caster. (PHB, pg. 170) Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell

You have practiced casting spells in the midst of combat, learning techniques that grant you the following benefits:

You have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain your concentration on a spell when you take damage.

You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands.

When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.

Metamagic Adept. (TCoE, pg. 80) Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature

You’ve learned how to exert your will on your spells to alter how they function:

You learn two Metamagic options of your choice from the sorcerer class. You can use only one Metamagic option on a spell when you cast it, unless the option says otherwise. Whenever you reach a level that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace one of these Metamagic options with another one from the sorcerer class.

You gain 2 sorcery points to spend on Metamagic (these points are added to any sorcery points you have from another source but can be used only on Metamagic). You regain all spent sorcery points when you finish a long rest.

In all my campaigns I've played we've allowed a free feat at level 1. I would chose War Caster or Survivor for Jean in that case.

Survivor.

You are well-versed in surviving in hostile environments, even thriving where others are sure to perish. You gain the following benefits:

Increase your Constitution or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

You require only half of the food and water normally required for a creature of your size.

You can withstand extreme temperatures indefinitely, and you automatically pass saving throws made against extreme heat and cold for a number of days equal to your Constitution or Wisdom modifier, whichever is lower. After this time, you must make saving throws as normal until you spend 24 hours in a comfortable temperature.

Level Choices: 

Level 4: Ability Score Increase. +1 Charisma, +1 Wisdom

Level 8: War Caster Feat.

Level 12: Ability Score Increase. +1 Dexterity, +1 Charisma

Level 16: Ability Score Increase. +1 Charisma, +1 Constitution

Level 19: Metamagic Adept Feat.

Jean’s Spellbook

Cantrips: Dancing Lights, Eldritch Blast, Friends, Gust, Lightning Lure, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Mind Sliver, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation

1st level: Arms of Hadar, Dissonant Whispers, False Life (at will), Feather Fall, Hellish REbuke, Jump (at will), Mage Armor (at will), Magic Missile, Shield

2nd level: Calm Emotions, Detect Thoughts, Hold Person, Invisbility, Mind Spike, Shatter

3rd level: Clairvoyance, Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Fly, Hunger of Hadar, Lightning Bolt, Sending, Slow

4th level: Evard’s Black Tentacles, Hallucinatory Terrain, Raulothim's Psychic Lance, Shadow of Moil, Sickening Radiance, Summon Aberration

5th level: Telekinesis, Dream, Wall of Light

6th level: Investiture of Flame

Features:

I decided not to paste them all haha. But if you want to see all of the features she has an more, you can follow this link to her character sheet in DnD Beyond, which I used to facilitate this build.

[jasper-book-stash]

March 2024 Reading Wrap Up

I got bronchitis and my period at the same time in March, and then spilled tea on my computer, so March was a very stressful time for me. Regardless, I managed to read 10 books! And honestly, overall, this is one of the better months - the lowest I've ranked a book is 6/10, which is damn good considering the absolute bullshit I usually read.

Religious Text

None applicable.

1/10 - Why Did They Publish This?

None applicable.

2/10 - Trash

None applicable.

3/10 - Meh

None applicable.

4 to 6/10 - Mid-Tier

Tomb Sweeping | Alexandra Chang

I read this book while sick. And boy howdy, did that make it a weird experience. I get what it was going for, but it really wasn't my vibe. It just felt like everything was...unfinished. Which was the point, I suppose, but it was still annoying.

7 to 8/10 - Good With Caveats

What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality | Daniel A Helminiak

This is a very short book compared to my usual reads, topping at 152 pages. And I appreciate a book that gets straight to the point and analyzes the historical context around various works, particularly religious works. Good job. My only complaint is some editing issues.

Born to Love, Cursed to Feel | Samantha King

This was a poetry collection and was the only other book I read while sick, and boy howdy did I have a time of it. I spent most of the reading just...putting post-it notes in and nodding along to the lines. It was a surprisingly good book, considering I found it in the back alley version of a book store.

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South | Aaron Oberon

Look. This is not a 101 book. It's not a 102 book. It's not even a 201 book. It simply is. And as much as I enjoyed it and enjoyed reading it, the fact that I spent most of my reading time fixing the editing means that I cannot, in good faith, put this any higher than an 8 out of 10. Dear Aaron Oberon, if you ever read this, PLEASE give me access to the original file so I can fix your punctuation and spelling mistakes. Sincerely, a fellow Southerner.

9/10 - Very Very Good

Snow White with the Red Hair, volumes 21-23 | Sorata Akiduki

I am still so fucking feral over this series. I love them so fucking much. I want them all to be happy but I also like seeing their shenanigans. Unfortunately, though we're at 26 published volumes, we've reached the end of the ones in Missouri Evergreen that I may access. I'll either have to wait and hope that someone gets them, or I'll have to bite the bullet and buy them myself.

Not Pounded By Anything: Six Platonic Tales Of Non-Sexual Encounters | Chuck Tingle

This is my first expedition into the erotic Tingleverse after reading some pieces of the horror Tingleverse in Straight and Camp Damascus. And I really, really like this book. It's 77 pages and is such an easy read. Godspeed, you glorious bastard.

10/10 - Unironically Recommend To Everyone

Well, everyone who's into the genre these fall under, at least.

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, tenth edition | Janet Burroway

I found this in the free section of a bookstore in the middle of nowhere, and let me tell you, it is now marked up one side and down the other with highlighter, because I needed it. There are so many good parts of this book that it's genuinely one I would recommend to people who are trying to figure out why their writing feels flat.

Sacred Gender: Create Trans and Nonbinary Spiritual Connections | Ariana Serpentine

First, I want to congratulate the author on what is possibly the coolest name ever.

Second, if you're an occultist, polytheist, witch, magic practitioner, or in any other way affiliated with things beyond or within mortal ken...get this book. It's making me rethink a lot of my own experiences with my craft and my religion, but in a good way.

[popchoc]

Maya & Carina - 🏕️ 🤕🌷 please

Maya & Carina, ⛺️ 🌷 🤕

Maya is strong. Strong enough to carry someone for quite some distance. But she's also realistic. She knows that carrying Carina would slow her down, a lot, and that they'd never make it back before nightfall. They'd might get halfway, but that would be anything but an advantage.

Their last hour of daylight is way too precious.

"You can make it though," Carina suggests, while biting through the pain. She leans forward to re-adjust the improvised brace around her ankle, careful to avoid the broken bone. They lost a lot of time after her fall, needing to take care of her injury first, but Carina is convinced that Maya can still finish the last part of the trek, especially if she'd take a run for it. "You can reach the parking lot before dark and get help. Or maybe your phone picks up a signal before that?"

Maya shakes her head. "No way," she tells her, a serious and determined look on her face. "I'm not leaving you here. Never."

"But Maya—"

"Carina, no! If we split up and something happens to me as well, we don't stand a chance. Besides, we don't need that risk. We can make it through the night, and then take our time first thing in the morning." Maya takes Carina's hand in her own, giving it an encouraging squeeze. "We'll be okay. Alright?"

Carina just nods. She knows Maya feels responsible. Even guilty maybe. She took Carina out here. Persuaded her it would be a great hike, now that winter was finally over, making the Washington woods accessible again. Accessible and beautiful, with spring breaking through in every possible way.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Maya jumps up.

"We need shelter first. I'll try to build us some kind of tent," she says, already scanning her surroundings. "I can make a fire, too. I think we've got some water left, and we can do one night without food."

"Look at you," Carina grins through gritted teeth, as another wave of pain hits her, "Watching that Bull guy all the time finally pays off."

Not understanding, Maya furrows her brow, but then a sudden snort escapes her - despite their unfortunate situation.

"You mean Bear," she chuckles, remembering the moment when Carina finally agreed to watch the show with her, only to take off in disgust within a few minutes, when Bear Grylls was about to drink his own pee. "And like him or not, but he does know survival. I'm sure you'll send him a thank you note as soon as we're out of here!"

By now, Maya has wandered off a little, still searching around for anything useful. Spring might indeed come with some lovely flowers, but it also means a surplus of buds and fresh, young and most of all tiny leaves. Now why couldn't they have been stranded on some tropical beach, surrounded by giant palm trees?

"This isn't gonna work, is it?" Carina asks, her already existing worry fueled by the now thoughtful expression on Maya's face. Maya turns back to her, alarmed by the tone in Carina's voice.

"Of course it is!" She isn't sure who she's trying to reassure the most, but she has to believe that things will work out. That she can do this. "I- I'm not completely sure how yet. But I'll figure it out. I promise," she goes on, quickly speeding back to her wife. "Hey, look at me. I promise, okay? I know I've been… absent. But I'm here now. And I'm getting us through this. I'll get you through this night."

When she takes Carina in her arms, cautious so she doesn't hurt her even more, Carina looks up at her.

"By building us a roof out of daisies?"

"If I have to," Maya quietly nods, before pressing a kiss to her temple. "I mean, how many would it really take? A thousand? Two maybe?!"

Carina narrows her eyes. "And if that doesn't work?"

"Then I'll cover you," Maya shrugs. "I know it's not much, compared to a roof of daisies, or a bed of roses, or a freaking sheet of tulips, but if it's enough for you—"

"It is," Carina cuts her off. "See, this Bear of yours might be the expert here, and he might very well be right about needing shelter first. But he doesn't have what I have."

Now Maya is the one to frown. "Which is?"

"You, silly!" Carina laughs. "I've got you. And you, my love, are - and will always be - more than enough."

****************************************************

Mix & Match Writing Prompts 

[milfweirdal]

gif making tutorial for the inimitable @snowysobsessions

disclaimer: this is exactly how i do it, but im basically just winging it tbh. there may be other methods that are quicker and/or look way better. this is just the way to which i have become accustomed. i am not a fancy ass gif maker who does colouring and sharpening or uses photoshop whatever, those folks are the real pros. i just like to get the job done :) if you wanna make really fancy gifs other tutorials may be more appropriate. ok lets get into it under the cut!

step 1:

select your source. for the purposes of this tutorial im going to stay on-brand and use this video of weird al on 30 rock (aka the original Milf Weird Al).

step 2:

either download the video (i dont have a good recommendation for a website for that unfortunately, they all seem virus-ridden these days) or screen-record the part of the video you want to turn into a gif. for me, thats the part with al in it.

my computer runs windows something - 11 maybe? and it comes with screen recording software built in that saves into a folder called "captures" in the video folder, which can be activated with the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Alt + R. most phones also have screen recording functions, you could record it on your phone and transfer it to your computer? (for the record the website i use works on mobile too, but its very slow and annoying so i much prefer to use my laptop.)

step 3:

use video editing software of your choice to cut the clip down to just the part you want giffed. i use microsoft clipchamp because thats whats on my computer. it can also be used to crop away any black bars around any video clip, which is useful, because a properly cropped gif will probably be better quality. export the clip in as high quality as possible.

tip: try to keep the gif 3 seconds or under. this keeps the filesize down. tumblr gif size limit is 10MB, but i keep all my gifs 5MB or below because otherwise the loading time/storage burden is painful, and like i said, im not making fancy ones here, i dont mind them being a bit lower quality.

here is my clip. i saved it muted because its filesize is smaller that way.

step 4:

go to https://ezgif.com/video-to-gif which looks like this.

note that ezgif has tools for cutting, cropping and resizing videos if you dont have access to any video editing tool. its quicker if you do it in advance, though, i find.

upload your video and you will see this type of screen appear.

if youre uploading it to tumblr, the 540xAUTO size option is the one i go for by default, but it also has the following size options.

smaller size = smaller filesize, and you want the filesize as small as possible within reason. i sometimes make a gif smaller in dimensions if i'm really struggling to get the filesize below 5MB.

next is the frame rate: i set it to 25 because thats closest to the oriignal frame rate of most recorded video, but in order to make savings on filesize, it can be selected to 20FPS or 12FPS. i wouldnt recommend lower than that unless you want it to look weird and choppy, in which case, go ahead, and i wouldn't recommend higher unless you literally need the animation to be smooth as silk - for making it slowmo, for example.

i don't mess with the "method" drop down bc idk what it means.

the "Optimise for static background" tickbox is useful for if someone is doing something on a totally still background, because it reduces filesize by not animating every single bit of background in every frame. it could be helpful here as our background is not moving at all, just our heroine Alfina. i'm going to tick it.

now you can click "Convert to GIF". you should see something like this - itll be animated of course, this is just a screenshot.

our gif looks crispy fresh (and has 69 frames - NICE), but its filesize is 5.51MB which is more than id like it to be, but first we're gonna look at Effects, so I'm not going to click the "Optimise" option yet.

step 5:

clicking effects will provide the following options

if the video was sort of dark and hard to see, for example if it was live footage, it can be helpful to increase the brightness. changing the brightness and contrast makes our gif look like this, and makes it pop a little more.

you can keep playing with the settings and clicking "Apply selected" until it looks about right to you, or not add any effects at all - it's up to you. I hit the back button in my browser to go back to the gif before i added the effects, then I went to Optimise.

step 6:

the Optimise screen is like this

i tend to stick with the Lossy GIf optimization method. I put the compression level down to 30, and press Optimise GIF and see what happens.

as you can see, the filesize has been reduced by 41.95% to 3.2MB without a super noticeable drop in quality.

if you set the compression level to 200, this is what it looks like

much more pixely, and not much further reduced in size, so i stick to the lower end of the compression scale.

this is our finished gif! isnt she beautiful. i just right-clicked and hit save on it on the webpage after generating - on mobile, i guess you'd long-press on it to download it.

hope that helps!!! lmk if you need help with any other aspect like changing speed or overlays or anything but honestly it's pretty intuitive once you know how to do these bits.

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

Yes there are situations in which you can't boycott a brand. And I'm happy to take my turn to tell the tumblr girl* guilt trip guild to shut up. (I keep coming back to it but my reaction is generally informed by what I posted about guilt in activism earlier.)

*I'm pointing out tumblr because this platform is like home to me. But I know for a fact this is an issue portrayed all over social media.

I'm glad you're participating in boycotts for possibly the first time. I personally have been boycotting multiple brands for a long time. Because of my experience, I've had time to figure out that

you can't possibly boycott everything that's bad in some way (you must survive and live)

not everyone can boycott the same things you can

It doesn't matter how strongly you believe a brand must be boycotted if you aren't (and can't be) the person responsible for purchases in your household. It doesn't matter how much you want to boycott a grocery store if it's the only grocery store accessible to you, be it geo-locally, monetarily or within the context of disability. And when we're talking about long-term boycotts, it doesn't matter if every grocery store around where you live is evil in some way - you need groceries.

Yes, and I say that as someone who continues to boycott many brands and has largely not encountered issues with doing so, it is possible that someone can't boycott a brand.

It is completely useless to insist that they can and blindly get mad. We have to acknowledge that fact and figure out what can be done.

If there are brands you can't possibly boycott:

This doesn't mean you can't do anything right! Make sure you continue to boycott the brands you can indeed boycott. You can also help the causes you care about through other means.

There is no hypocrisy in informing others about the boycott even though you can't participate. The fact that you can't do it could in fact inspire you to convince even more people to join your cause to compensate! You can acknowledge your shortcomings and still try your best.

If you can't boycott the brand right now but could join the boycott at a later date - assuming it is still going - then don't hesitate to! It's never too late. Just because you weren't able to help in the past doesn't mean you should bar yourself from doing so in the present.

Make sure to uplift the voices of those who are participating in the boycott! Try not to let yourself get defensive, and continue to speak positively of the boycott. Try not to spend too much time justifying yourself and use your time wisely.

Hell... If you weren't a customer in the first place and never meant to become one, you can't possibly boycott a brand. It is a simple fact that not everyone can participate in a boycott, and that it must be accompanied by other acts of activism to work.

While I focused on concrete reasons why someone may not be able to participate in a boycott, it is unfortunately a fact that some people will refuse to boycott a brand for seemingly subjective reasons. If someone tells you "I'm ready to boycott everything else, but not this one, because this specific drink/game/food/location is my safe place mental health wise", you can't decide for them that it's not the end of the conversation. Because it is a fact that guilt tactics and negative practices such as name-calling have a negative impact on getting people to participate in activism, all you can do is extend understanding, try to advise them to participate within their framework, maybe suggest ways to make things work (boycott temporarily, buy less instead of not buying at all if that doesn't seem like a plausible option, speak to the brand about your upset as a customer...), and if it still doesn't, then focus on encouraging them to boycott the other brands they can indeed boycott and on convincing other people to participate.

[derogative]

So, I've been following a small little indie ARG/webseries(?) called Project Earth/Terranova Industries and I just! Really want to share it! It's pretty new - there are three videos and one short on the youtube channel, and three comics on the website (though one is currently hidden and takes some finding to locate.) The idea of it is that this company has discovered how to view (or access?) multiverses, and instead of using it in any beneficial way... they've used it to make a reality tv show essentially, documenting a man's alternate lives.

Gregg Sellars is our pleasantly boring and regular protagonist, eager to see what he could have been had he made different choices in his life. It's less out of regret than more out of fun! He seems perfectly happy with his marriage and his kid and his job, and just thinks its neat to see the potentials he unknowingly had.

Tom Wilson is his best friend who has shown up in two of the three videos so far, as each alternate universe features him too. He absolutely would divorce his wife to marry an alien in a heartbeat. That's the sort of man he is. Also, yes, some hidden text in captions (only during silence moments as otherwise the captions are entirely in line with the dialogue, so accessibility isn't trashed in pursuit of hiding codes and clues).

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like TerrANova's experiments with timelines are entirely contained. So far we've gotten at least two references that wildlife in the area the company is located in has been going missing.

And a man named Jerry seems to be trying to contact us and possibly reveal the truth behind the company?

Regarding the comics on the website, they seem to be created by Berry (who may be one of the aforementioned individuals held captive within the company), who is forced to create a whole ass comic every 24 hours or face an unknown punishment.

However, as he continues writing, the characters in his comic become self aware of their fictional nature, and begin rebelling against his control.

Since we're still so early in, we're not sure where the story is going yet entirely, but I'm really into it and not many people know about it. So!! I decided I wanted to share it with this very long image filled post I'm so sorry. If you're interested, please check out the TerrANova website, which is the main hub for the arg/webseries. It has links to the discord, to the youtube channel, the twitter, so on. It even has a phone number that you can call that people in the discord says works (i haven't called because i don't use phones checkmate technology), though we're not sure yet if there's anything we're supposed to be doing with it. Maybe??? ok that's enough thank you for tolerating my niche interests goodbye

[inevitable-pretty-chaos]

Could you explain endogenic systems to us? We are traumagenic and don’t understand how you operate. What do your altars do? Do they have jobs? Differences in memory? Genuinely curious. Not trying to be an asshole.

Alright, so... I'll explain to you how our main system aka Inevitable Chaos work, because that's where most of our headmates are and I won't go into detail about our subsystem, Pieces Of Chaos, because its member, Vi, isn't around and I won't explain anything without her.

First, words, because we're using a bit different words than you all:

alter –> headmate or system member (pls don't call us alters again, we don't like that /lh)

headspace –> wonderland (because in our system headspace means something different, but it's not as important to explain it now)

So... I'm the host, so I'm related to body and I front most of the time. We learned switching some time ago (I'm horrible at dates, sorry), so the other headmates can front too (although they don't do it often), but then mainly I'm somewhere around and eventually I'll be moved to front. The thing is different when Vi fronts, then I'm becoming her and I'm not around at all, if it makes sense.

Generally I can talk with most of my headmates. They don't need to co-front for me to do so, they just have to be active in the wonderland. Yes, it's a different thing, because then they're not helping me move the body, their thoughts aren't as important as mine, like during co-fronting, but they can move in the wonderland and still can talk with me. I can go to the wonderland too, but then irl I look like I'm staring into empty space, so I prefer to not be in the wonderland for too long around people. I can't fully switch and cut off my connection with the body entirely, unfortunately, when main system headmates front.

My headmates... they're just having their normal lives in the wonderland. Only a few of them, mainly older headmates like Nyx or Xavery, have roles, but most of them don't need them or don't want to have them. Sometimes they can help me manage everything, but they don't have to. I try to respect their different hobbies and find the time for them to either be active while I'm doing their liked activities or front, but that's difficult, I'm busy. Usually we're just living like roomates who share a body, so obviously relationships in main system are... different. Most of us get along, although some of us hate each other (ex. Orchid and Nyx), but we generally try to solve problems as fast as possible and work together, because general system well-being is very important to us.

Memory differences exist, of course, although they're complicated. Generally my memories are in the archive and main system members can request the access. I have troubles with memory, generally. All headmates have personal memories too, they can share it and only then the rest of the system will know them. With Vi it's different, of course, because she's my facet (or flavor, as she likes to call herself) and our subsystem is median, but I won't explain the details without her around. Oh and I'm a member of the main system AND a subsystem at the same time, they're very very different. Oh also when main system headmates front, the memory that is created during that time belongs to them, so as I previously said, I need to request an access to fully know what exactly they did then, because without an access the memory will be either blurry or not detailed or won't exist for me and be blank.

Ah, I forgot to say that every system is different, regardless of origins or system type, so don't expect all endogenic systems to work in the same way as our system.

Hm, I think I answered your questions? But feel free to ask more, just don't be mean.

~Wren

[tangibletechnomancy]

The thing about AI art is, it is easier than conventional art, but it's also not. Like any other art form, it has an infinitely high skill ceiling. It is entirely possible to spend just as much time and effort on an AI-created piece as it would take to produce a visually identical conventional one; it just involves a different skill set. However, the skill floor - the minimum amount of skill required to create something a layperson will find visually appealing - is lower.

And I want to make something crystal clear: as much as I bitch about reckless and malicious use of AI art, I do not believe that taking advantage of that lowered skill floor to make something pretty inherently counts as malicious. It's the factor that enables a lot of that malice, but on its own, I wholeheartedly believe that it's not even just neutral, but a good thing - which makes it all the MORE offensive how it's abused by some really loud and obnoxious voices.

Art is possibly the #1 reason I could never be a capitalist - because art is a "phantom need"; while not as urgent of one, it IS a human need as real as food, water, and shelter. It's about communication, expression, being able to look at something and go "oh, I was here", and all kinds of other things that...sound simultaneously as fundamentally necessary as they are, but also kind of pretentious when written out, because they've been devalued for so long in most English-speaking cultures (that good ol' Catholic guilt + Protestant work ethic and frugality gospel). Most people's mental health suffers drastically without it, even if they don't realize they're seeking it out or suffering without it. Art is even good for physical health - patients have better outcomes in hospitals that don't skimp on art and aesthetics. Art therapy is a very real thing that can save or extend lives; in fact Van Gogh's body of work can be seen as the prototype for art therapy - what makes his work so impactful to so many people isn't just the visual itself, but understanding that this brought a person the tiny scraps of joy and relief he needed to stay alive just a little longer. Lack of enrichment shortens people's lifespans. Art is one of the most universally human ways of getting that enrichment.

Something that lowers the skill floor to make nice art, or makes it attainable with a different skill set, makes that accessible to more people. When we step back a moment and theoretically remove it from capitalist bullshit, that is a wholly good thing with zero caveats and if you somehow disagree on any grounds other than "but we can only do that in theory", then, to be brutally honest: I don't trust you.

Unfortunately, yes, we CAN only do that in theory, so yes, that fact...gets abused. We're seeing it. It's not theoretical. Recall that the two reasons I'm here are 1) watching people's objections cross the line from complaining about those abuses to just plain dangerous reactionary neophobic gatekeeping reminiscent of when digital illustration's "danger" to physical art media was a hot-button issue (and look back now - turns out, just like I predicted then, physical media didn't die out; physical and digital painting and illustration can coexist peacefully!), and 2) wanting to do my part to embarrass the people who maliciously use the lowered skill floor to materially harm conventional artists and see that harm as a feature, not a bug, because so many non-artists, especially those with commercial products that need art, see art as a pretentious frivolity that doesn't deserve recognition or payment. (Trust me, I'm well aware, I've been dealing with them since I was 9 or so--)

But what I'm saying is...it's disgusting that those types even have the POWER to potentially be more than an annoyance in the first place, all because art - a "phantom need", one of the earliest things that defines us as humans, something we've used to communicate since before written language, something we handed down from parent to child in the Stone Age, is wrapped up in this exploitative system of people literally living and dying by what a bunch of rich clowns think. There's always going to be a conversation about the value of art as a form of expression attached to an artist, and the value of art as a part of collective culture detached from the artist; the fact that we have to complicate it with the additional aspect of monetary value in a system that declares that if you don't produce enough monetary value you deserve to die - it's bad enough that such a system exists in the first place, and it just gets messier and uglier when you ensnare art in it.

Thing is, it's natural to want recognition for your art - it is, after all, about expression, and a lot of the time that's about seeking connection. It's not natural to be put in a position where you might not be able to feed yourself, let alone your family, if you don't either get that recognition or give up on art completely for some other abusive undervalued job, and it is certainly not natural to be surrounded by people who think this is fair and just and you don't DESERVE to be able to keep yourself alive no matter how hard you work because either you're pretentious and lazy, or you're a sellout, depending on which side of the survivability line you land on.

Making it easier for people to Make Art is not, and will never be bad. Making it profitable for the people who think that art is for either lazy do-nothings or greedy sellouts to take over artists' work, however...to put it in less-than-academic terms...ew.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Renovations

No, not the ones my stepfather's doing.

...Well. Not only the ones my stepfather's doing.

We're hacking away at the typing queue and while we're getting the numbers down somewhat, we've got a long row to hoe on this one. It doesn't help that some of the doctors are ... just ... I mean... I think it's that they're expected to get through a whole metric fucktonne of reports and they rush and kind of screw up the dictation. I mean, on top of the regular crop of Undesirables, I got:

The guy best known for the massively long atrocities outdid himself today - managed to cut out a whole section of dictation in such a way that it could technically be a valid sentence unless you're actually looking at what your typing and going, "Wait ... no, that's not right", seems to have left out some of his usual detail on one of the bits of block key, and referenced a piece of specimen that doesn't actually exist (he sited slice 20; the specimen was cut into 13 slices). So I had to type that, work out where the errors were, bold them, print-to-PDF the messed-up report and send it to him so he could review it properly. Because going into the report directly to view and even change it never crosses this man's radar as a possibility.

A relatively new one ... I don't know how she did it, but she managed to record a piece of the block key before the rest of the dictation. This led me to thinking she'd just neglected to dictate it, but no, turns out it just ... was like that.

Then there's the one who's usually fairly good but occasionally has a habit of dictating multiple cases on one dictation file. This is a no-no, by the way. Especially when the cases are on two entirely separate systems, one of which I CANNOT ACCESS. I tried typing the one that I could, adding a comment giving the exact time stamp of where the one for the other system started, and then dumping it into their queue ... but they dumped it back into our queue and since I can't access their system, I don't know whether they typed it and sent it back or just didn't read the comment and thought someone else fucked up. I left an email with Scruffman about that one; he can deal with that shit tomorrow.

And then, among all this ... well. A few weeks ago, I got a little note stuffed into my mailbox. This note was from the guy who lives one floor above me, saying, "Hey, I'm doing some renovations on my flat; it shouldn't be too noisy except for just this one day when we're ripping tile out of the bathroom. Sorry for the inconvenience". The renovations started on 30th October, and probably won't be done any time immediately soon. Which is unfortunate, because today was about two hours of power drill, directly above my head. This made the wall vibrate and also made an ungodly amount of noise. So much for 'just this one day'. I'm pretty sure I'm developing a migraine.

But was that the end of it? Nope. I'm bashing away at the typing when my mobile rings. It's my stepdad, asking if he can pop in to look at the fuse box for a minute. Of course, he hasn't thought to bring his copy of the keys to this flat, so I'm going to have to let him in. Which means a knock on the door, which I will probably have trouble hearing between my helps-me-focus music, the dictation I'm listening to, and the power drilling. So he says he'll be there in ten minutes so I get a few bits of dictation done and then turn off the stereo with maybe a minute or two to spare. No knock. Time passes. I'm afraid to start the typing back up in case I miss the door. Apparently, "ten minutes or so" for my stepfather means twenty minutes. Also, "can I look at the fuse box for a minute?" is "can I bring an electrician in here to poke around at things for about fifteen minutes?" During which I was obviously loath to just leave them to it because a) I want to hear what's going to get done, b) I'm worried that he'll have to poke something and shut off the power, and I don't want to be mid-dictation when that happens, and c) I have to shut and lock the door behind them when they leave. I still don't know what that was in aid of but apparently there's going to be some electrical work in here, and I don't know when.

(He thanked me for the cookies and complimented them highly, though. So that was nice.)

My head hurts. My everything hurts. And I still have to go and take out the trash. But at least I can tell myself "one more day and I get a week off". Most of which I will probably spend in bed, or on the sofa, not doing a fucking thing. I need to recover and I have had zero chance to do that lately. Just ... today was apparently designed to be as inconvenient to me as possible. Yaaaaaaaay.

[flowersdaggersviolasandblood]

Assassin with a Heart of Gold

Name: Admaer Daeneiros (He/Him)

Race: High Elf

Class: Rogue (Assassin)

Background: Criminal

WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD

So after that that encounter with the True Soul and his companions, Admaer and the gang continue their trek to the Githyanki Creche. Now, this will mean that they have to pass by the Blighted Village, so a brief few stops were made. Firstly, they encountered that Owlbear that killed the previous True Soul. Such a creature would be worth a fortune (and XP) and they were able to snatch a Owlbear egg.

look at how scared Shadowheart is :(

While we're speaking of the Owlbear cave and Shadowheart, it is here that Admaer learns that Shadowheart is a Cleric to Shar, Goddess of Darkness & Loss.

Regardless, Admaer tells her that he doesn't give a shit about her religious standing (he has worked with people with worse standards and ideologies) and that the parasite is more important than what he thinks of her religion. Which seems to put Shadowheart at ease. She also explains a bit about the wound that she has.

So far, Admaer feels a bit more comfortable traveling with Shadowheart now that she's opened up to him about a few things. However, he did learn that she likes night orchids and can't swim, something he kinda attempts to poke fun at her about (though he struck a nerve with her). She still hasn't came up about the artifact, which is now Admaer's secret goal to discover what that's all about.

Around this area is where you can recruit a dog named Scratch. However, because Admaer most likely had previous experiences where dogs were used to hunt him down or harm him, Admaer isn't a huge dog fan, so I didn't recruit Scratch to my camp (I got like 5 other characters who might be willing tho).

Also, the owlbear can now fly up to your position on high in the full game, something I didn't think was possible in EA (Early Access). It quite literally took me by surprise lmao!

Before we went into the village, I decided to swap out Lae'zel for Wyll, mainly because I'm most likely going to interact with Karlach before going forward with the Creche. Let's see if I'm as big of a dick with this character :D.

Also two, we reunited with this mf!

This is the point where Admaer learns further about Halsin's desire to go to the old temple of Selune and the Night Song. Admaer takes the contract from Aradin's hands, more or less wanting to see if he can find whatever treasure could be hidden there.

Unlike Torment, who is now just going through a whole rampage within the Blighted Village, Admaer is more concerned in getting past them without much hassle. Of course, while we were there, I decided to do a few side quests.

Once of them involved going into the cellar of a village apothecary who wasn't exactly as they seemed as they performed criminal acts against their patients in what seems like a desperate attempt to discover the secrets to the eerie book of necromancy. This is where Admaer picked up a Quasit familiar, Shovel (renamed to Fork) who is now tied to Admaer. Lets see how long this little guy will last.

The book could not be opened without a amethyst opal that fits within the skin covered mouth. This required going into the village blacksmith's workshop where we got a taste of the first level of the Underdark. While there, we fought Phase Spiders, Ettercaps, and a big mama Phase Spider. Finally, we were able to get the item required to open the book, and Admaer decided to give it to Astarion. He made enough bad life choices and he's not magically inclined anyways, so why not let Astarion fuck himself up?

While still at the Blighted Village, we did discover blueprints to create a unique weapon, but it requires Sussur Bark to complete it. Unfortunately, Admaer failed the Nature check to know that it can be found in the Underdark, but we'll get there when we get there.

As I stated before when I first mentioned Astarion, this character is most definitely a Astarion romance run. The second I got his bite scene, I knew exactly what I was doing. Unfortunately, I couldn't probe his mind because I used it up with the dying True Soul (in my personal opinion, that's why Admaer allowed Astarion to bite him to begin with), but, regardless, I let him have a nibble. Of course, this is where Astarion explains his whole deal with Cazador. I won't go into detail about it here again because I already explained it with Torment.

Essentially, Cazador turned Astarion into a vampire and made his life a living hell. Admaer began to sympathize with Astarion since they both share similar stories of slavery and pain. So this gave Admaer someone to confide in, and now he's dotting on Astarion, fighting to keep Astarions' freedom.

And it seems they'll be able to get it on tonight because Admaer offered that Astarion can bit him again...So ;)