#in addition to the [redacted] for me specifically

[handsomegentlebutch]

Hey not creating and engaging with media with women in it and women at the forefront is extremely embarrassing and cringe of you btw. If you list off your least favorite characters and they're ALL women that says something about you and it's that you have bad taste and are a misogynist.

[nahoney22]

Massage Therapy*** 🌊

🫧 Pairings: Tech X Female!Reader

word count: 4.5k

prompts: none

Tech gives you a massage, what else could possibly happen?

warnings: NSFW, 18+ only. Explicit Sexual Content and Language. Oral Sex ie blowjob, Fingering, P in V Sex, Nudity, Dirty Talk, Soft!Dom Tech, Breeding Kink, Size Kink, Petnames, Oil Massage, Consensual Sex, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Kissing, Multiple Positions, Slightly Rough Sex, Spanking, Teasing, Flirting, Cum Denial, Creampie, Slight Possessive Tech, Not Proof Read, a bit Messy.

A/N: Total self indulge fic and tech has a big [REDACTED]

Reblog to support content creators. 🫧🌊

“What is so amusing?”

The Marauder hummed softly in the background as the team sat around, recuperating after a somewhat successful mission. Hunter, Echo, Wrecker, and Tech were sharing tactics and strategies and Tech was detailing the mission’s success. More to the point of explaining how his calculations had been spot on. But, you couldn’t help but chuckle, grabbing his attention.

“I’m just saying, Tech, your calculations might be great, but sometimes you overlook the obvious,” you teased.

Tech raised an eyebrow. “I hardly think that is the case. My assessments are thorough.”

“Oh really?” you challenged, stepping closer with a smirk. He gazes up at you from his spot, slightly wide-eyed. “I am sorry to tell you that you missed the part where the droids’ power cells were defective, which is why they were so easy to defeat.”

Tech frowned, his mind already processing your claim. “I accounted for their reduced efficiency due to age of creation, but… I didn’t specifically check for defective power cells.” He recalls quietly, pinching his chin.

Hunter and the others watched with amusement as the debate unfolded. “Sounds like a bet’s brewing,” Hunter said with a grin, leaning back in his seat.

You grinned back. “Alright, Tech, let’s make it interesting. If I’m right, you owe me a favour. And if you’re right, I’ll help with the repairs to the Marauder for a week.”

Tech considered this, the prospect of additional help appealing, especially from you, though he was confident in his calculations. “Very well, it’s a bet.”

Wrecker chuckled. “This is gonna be good.”

Tech pulled up the data on his datapad, scrolling through the information with practiced ease like he’s done this a million times before. You stand behind him, arms crossed and truthfully quite smugly-confident. After a few moments, you watch as his face fell. “It appears you are correct. The power cells were indeed defective.”

Echo clapped Tech on the shoulder. “Looks like you owe her, Tech.”

Tech simply nodded. “It seems so. I will fulfill my end of the bet.” He swivels in his chair to face you. “What is it you require?”

You ponder for a moment, not really thinking that far forward. “Undecided. But I’ll get back to you.” You say with a wink before walking away.

Tech watches you leave, swallowing hard but refusing to let the strange strain of his emotions show in front of the others.

If only you knew how you make him feel. Then again, perhaps you would be able to tell him how you are making him feel. Fluttering in the stomach when your name is mentioned in passing? Clammy hands when you talk to him? A small wave of arousal just when you’re near?

But surprisingly welcome.

It was new.

A few hours later, the others had dispersed to do their own thing whether to go to Cid’s or a walk which left just you and Tech alone.

Tech approached you after staring at you silently for the last minute or so, his usual confidence tinged with a hint of awkwardness. “Have you decided yet?”

You jumped a little, not hearing him approach initially but smile at him as you face him. “I was only teasing Tech, you don’t have to do anything for me.”

“On the contrary. You asked for something from me after proving me wrong which is a rarity, so I will do what you ask.”

As he was speaking, you felt a slight pain in your shoulder that had been bugging you for a few days now which spurred on an idea. “Well… there is something you can do for me.” You say sheepishly, taking a step towards him.

The proximity suddenly made him clam up, his fists tightening behind his back as your eyes and the smell of you captivated him. Your lips are moving but he isn’t processing what you’re really saying. “Sorry,” he clears his throat, “what did you say?”

“I said you could maybe give me a massage?” You say quickly, realising how personal that sounded. “Only if you feel comfortable. It’s just I have a few knots that I feel like you could tend to.”

Tech hesitates, giving massages was definitely not his forte or something he spent researching but for you? He felt like he would do anything these days. “If i can help relieve your pain I shall do it. Albeit I can not promise groundbreaking results.”

You giggle, eyes creasing at the corners and nose scrunching. Tech had never described anything as ‘cute’ before and probably never will; however, your laughter was something he always found rather endearing and admittedly… cute.

“Really? That’d be great. Do you want to do it now since the others aren’t here?”

“That is fine with me, let me get prepared and I’ll come find you.” Tech confirms, reaching for his device to do a quick research on techniques to massages.

After doing his frantic search, Tech set up a fold-away table that was typically used for emergency medical purposes and called you over. You emerge, now having changed into some shorts and tank top and look at the table in surprise.

“Please, lie down,” he instructed.

��Gettin’ the full treatment, am I? I feel special.” You tease, hopping onto the table as you watch Tech move about.

“If you require a calming and thorough massage it is only right that I do it properly.” He says simply but hopes the slight waver of nerves in his tone didn’t show as he turns to face you, holding a bottle of what looked to be body oil. “I found this among Echo’s things. I thought it might enhance the experience.”

You raised an eyebrow, amused and quite excited. “Echo’s, huh? Do you think he will mind?”

“I was not going to plan on telling him.” Tech announced as he poured some of the oil into his bare hands, warming it before you lay down, head on a small pillow made out of the boy's spare tops.

You positioned yourself comfortably, lying face up and watch as Tech’s hands hovered over your body, as if he was unsure where to start.

“You can start with my shoulders,” you suggested gently, easing him into it.

Tech nodded, placing his hands on your shoulders and beginning to knead the tension of both this situation and your ache away. His touch was non-surprisingly gentle yet firm, and you couldn’t help but let out a soft moan as he worked on a particularly tight knot.

“You do appear very tense,” Tech observed, his voice tinged with modest concern.

The sensation of his hands on your skin was both soothing and electrifying. The oil, scented of lavender, made your skin glisten under the dim lighting of the ship. Each stroke, knead, sent waves of relaxation through your body, yet you couldn’t help but wonder if there was an underlying current of something more intimate and exciting afoot. You try to push the lewd thoughts away and focus back on Tech.

“Yeah, missions for Cid usually do that to a person,” you replied, your voice slightly breathless.

As the massage continued, you felt your muscles relaxing under Tech’s skilled hands. He moved down to your arms, taking his time to work out every knot and kink and even took his time on each of your hands, adding more oil to your skin which feels dry.

“You’ve done this before, I refuse to believe otherwise.” You sigh, eyes still closed and occasionally, you let out soft sounds of pleasure, unable to help yourself.

You don’t hear or see it but Tech’s breath hitched slightly each time you made a sound, and he could sense his growing arousal pressing against his pants.

After a few minutes or so, his mind doesn’t process like it usually does because out of nowhere he says, “If you are comfortable, you can remove your clothes.”

Your eyes open quickly, looking directly up into his, squinting to see his reaction behind his goggles. “Remove my clothes?”

“I…I only meant…” you watch him as he struggles to force out an answer but you take pity on him because you couldn’t deny, the idea did slightly turn you on.

Tech was adorably sweet in your eyes and you knew - also thanks to the other boys teasing - he felt something for you. You didn’t believe it at first because he was always the same around you. Though the more you paid attention, the more it clicked together like a puzzle piece. When does Tech ever stumble over his words? When is he ever usually wrong? When has he ever offered to give someone a nude, oily massage?

Naturally, you felt something for him too. You were just a bit better at hiding it than he was.

“Will you place a towel over my, you know?”

“Yes, of course. It is just for a more in-depth massage.” He clears his throat, finding his voice again and genuinely surprised you were going to go ahead with this.

You flushed but nodded, trusting him. You wait until he turns around before you remove your clothes, lying back down as Tech passed you a towel which you draped over yourself. “May I proceed?”

“Sure,” you nod as you close your eyes, allowing his hands to resume their work and starting with your legs. He is certainly a quick learner because his fingers knead the muscles with precision and as he glides higher towards your thighs, you feel his touch become more deliberate.

You take a peek at him with one eye, watching him secretly and you were certain he was looking at you with a look you had never witnessed before.

He looked starved. Tempted. Lustful.

Ever so discreetly, you part your legs just an inch, allowing his hands to work on the inner sides of your thighs. You try to control your breathing but the slight rush of wind that hits your core as his hands zoom past was hard to ignore.

He climbed higher and higher until you comfortably moved your legs further open, the towel still giving you your dignity yet you were sure it was about to roll off the table and down the gangplank.

The side of his hands were just inches away from touching your pussy and you waited with bated breath, wondering if he dared to cross the line… but he never did.

You peek at him again, watching him shake his head at himself as if he was scolding himself for thinking of doing something.

“Tech,” you breathed out, closing your eyes fully so he didn’t catch you looking at him, “you can massage my br- torso. You can massage my torso if you want.”

He moves round the table, standing at your side. Looking at the towel that covered your nude body, he feels a burn in his own as his mouth starts to salivate. “Will you be comfortable with me removing your towel in that case?”

With a mumble of clarification, Tech’s hands trembled slightly as he moved the towel aside. His gaze looked at your face first, analysing your reaction and was relieved to see that you didn’t seem to mind what was happening.

He looks away from you for a moment, grabbing the bottle of oil again and then gazes upon your chest, most notably your breasts.

He bites on his tongue to stop from making a noise as he slowly pours the oil over your hardening nipples before his fingers begin tracing the curves of your breasts, rubbing the oil in.

His touch was gentle this time, yet it sent waves of pleasure through your body. He stands behind your head, leaning over you as his hands caress and respectfully fondle your tits but his eyes? They were on your face, watching your reactions intently.

You couldn’t help it but your breathing gets heavier, your fingers gripping onto the edge of the either side of the table as his thumbs briefly kiss your nipples, the heat between your legs throbbing with an intensity that you wanted to whimper his name.

“Your skin is incredibly soft,” Tech murmured, his voice husky with arousal as he cups your breasts together, kneading gently into them.

You arched into his touch, your breathing ragged. “Tech… please, don’t stop.”

Your reaction nearly makes his knees buckle, he recognised this behaviour from many porn holovids he watched in secret. You were turned on and he was the reason for it.

He continued just like you wanted, not letting his ego explode, his hands exploring your body further with growing confidence. The massage was easily becoming increasingly steamy, your soft moans of enjoyment encouraging him further that the tent in his pants was starting to hurt.

Skillfully, his hands moved lower, exploring the expanse of your stomach, then to your hips, and finally to your inner soft and pillowy thighs. “You’re so good at this.” You whisper, biting your lip.

“Turn over, please,” Tech instructed, his voice a low and husky command.

You complied, turning onto your stomach. Tech again has to suppress his wanton noises as his eyes land on your arse. You could feel his gaze linger which silently makes you smirk. There’s a mix of admiration and professionalism in his eyes and he doesn’t know how to function for a moment. “Any pain in your back I should be aware of?” He asks, oiling his hands up once again.

“I get a small ache in my lower back sometimes.” You reply, speech slightly muffled as you lay your head flat on its side.

“Hopefully I can help with that.” He whispers, his hands landing on the area you said and gives you slow and purposeful strokes.

The sensation of his hands on your bare skin was incredibly intimate, and you felt yourself growing damp with arousal. Tech's touch was almost reverent, as if he was in awe of your body. It’s not long until his hands move to your arse, massaging you perfectly.

Your lip almost bleeds with how many times you bite down onto it but you couldn’t help the shivers that tingles your body. His professionalism was evident, but the effect he was having on you was undeniable. “Do you like this?”

“I’m definitely not going to say no,” you utter with a soft laugh, soon groaning as both of his hands knead at your left cheek.

As Tech moved around the table to work at your body at a different angle, you caught a glimpse of the clear arousal pitched in his pants.

The sight sent a thrill through you, knowing that your reactions and your body were affecting him just as much. Despite his aching erection, he maintained his composure, focusing on giving you the best massage possible and for that you were immensely grateful for. Though, you wouldn’t mind the latter.

His hands moved to your thighs one more, working their magic as he massages up and down each leg with a slow, intricate touch that makes you breathe out soft moans of delight. “Those are some rather seductive sounds you’re making, I have to say.”

Did he just flirt with you? Or was he just stating the obvious as usual? Perhaps it was both.

“Sorry, I can’t help it,” you say softly, propping yourself up on your elbows and look back at him, “you’re good with your hands.”

He stills, meeting your flirtatious gaze and has to fight every willpower he has not to palm himself infront of you, the ache in his pants throbbing and begging for release. “There is no need to apologise,” he says slowly. His hands are inching their way up your legs and ever so gently begins to spread your cheeks.

Your lips part, watching him as he locks eyes with your glistening pussy and you felt a surge of arousal as he uses two fingers to brush up between them, his touch feather-light and teasing.

“T-Tech,” you rasp, fingers gripping onto the table as he runs his fingers up and down your slicked entrance.

“Can I massage you here? I am positive there is quite a lot of tension that needs to be released.”

You nod fervently, biting your lip before you let out the most sinful cry of pleasure.

He paused for a moment to get your answer, then slowly, deliberately, he hooked a finger inside you.

The wet sounds of his fingers moving inside you filled the room, a mix of slick and rhythmic. His movements were slow at first, teasing, then gradually quickened, each thrust making your body shiver. Your arse jiggled slightly with each movement, adding to the allure of him finger-fucking you.

“You’re incredibly wet,” Tech remarked, his voice a mix of awe and satisfaction. “It’s pleasing to know you’re enjoying this.”

You could barely form a coherent response, your body trembling with desire as you buried your head into the table. “Tech… please, more.”

His fingers began to explore you more deeply, each movement, twisting, curling and pumping inside you. You moaned louder, your hands gripping the edges of the table as he brought you to the brink of ecstasy of one of many orgasms.

Tech moved to your side, and you seized the opportunity, reaching out to grab his cock through his pants. “Maker you feel so big,” you gasp in pleasant surprise, massaging it through the fabric, feeling its hardness and the heat radiating from it. His breath hitched, and he groaned softly.

“You may have the pleasure of having a look and a taste if that would satisfy you.”

With a swift motion, you pulled down his pants, freeing his cock without a second thought. You had to move your head back slightly so it didn’t slap you in your face and gaze at his member in awe.

“Looks so good…” you moan to yourself as you bring his tip to your mouth, teasing it with your tongue before taking him in. Tech’s fingers never stopped their rhythm inside you, and he began to thrust gently into your mouth, his cock moving in and out with a steady pace.

You slurp and suck on his cock like a woman starved, your hand gripping the shaft as you pump it back and forth while he rocks into your mouth.

“You look so cock-hungry. Has your pretty mouth and pussy been neglected for so long?” You never thought you’d hear these words pour out of his mouth but here you both were, you with his aching cock between your lips and his fingers deep and wet inside you. “Have your needs been met?”

The sensation was intoxicating, his fingers moving inside you while his cock filled your mouth, your reply a muffled and spit covered ‘yes’. You could feel him trembling, his control slipping as he thrust deeper, the corner of your lips stretching with a pleasurable pull.

You moved back onto your back, positioning yourself with your head tilted to the side so you could continue sucking his cock. Tech’s hands were everywhere, one playing with your oiled nipples, rolling and pinching them lightly, while the other massaged your clit. The dual sensation was overwhelming, and you felt yourself building to another climax as stars blur your vision.

Tech’s pace quickened, his thrusts becoming more urgent. He groaned your name, panting like a whore, his voice filled with desire. “I can’t… I’m going to…”

Before he could finish, he pulled out of your mouth with urgency, his eyes dark with lust. “I have to have you,” he murmured, his voice dripping with need.

You watched with wide and lusting eyes as he moved to the bottom of the table, his hands gripping your thighs firmly. In one swift motion, he pulled you close to him, your legs dangling off the edge. His cock, hard and throbbing, pressed against your exposed entrance. The anticipation was electric, your body quivering with need.

“Tech, please,” you whispered, your voice burning with desperation.

He needed no further encouragement. He grabs his cock, slipping it up and down between your folds, tapping it against your clit to watch your desperate whimpers of want before he pushes into you, filling you completely.

“Oh fuck! Tech!” You cried out in pleasure, your body arching against him as your head fell back. The sensation of his cock stretching you was overwhelming, and you gripped his arms, your fingers digging into the fabric of his sleeves because after all, he wasn’t even naked himself.

“Maker, your cunt is so tight,” Tech groaned, his voice strained with pleasure, “do not worry darling, you will adjust.”

He began to move, each thrust deep and powerful, slamming into you with an urgency that left you panting with breath. He pushes his goggles up to rest against his forehead, having steamed up from the erotic heat and then watched intently, eyes glued to the sight of his cock disappearing into you with each thrust.

“I do not think I will fit inside you completely,” he chuckles, “but I’ll make do.” his voice was husky and he looked you in the eyes.”

“You are mine,” he groans, his hands running up and down your thighs as he stills inside you, keeping his cock warm. “Stars, I have been wanting to see how you look whilst getting wonderfully fucked by my cock.”

Your eyes locked onto his, the intensity of the moment binding you together. “Tech… it’s so big,” you moaned, your voice barely more than a whisper.

“I know. But you are doing exceptionally well my dear… tell me how good it feels,” he demanded, his pace quickening. “I want to hear you say it.”

“Fuck, it’s so deep,” you cried out, your voice breaking as he begins to move his hips again. “It feels so good baby,”

Tech let out a loud groan at the pet name, legs like jelly. “I could get used to you calling me that.”

“Your body is incredible,” Tech groaned, his hands gripping your fleshy thighs tighter. “It should be cherished. Your pussy is perfect. I’ve imagined you wedged on my cock for a long time. And now you’re mine. My brothers will never get the chance to fuck you as good as I do.”

“I’ll only want you, Tech,” you gasped, your body trembling with pleasure. “I’ve always wanted you.”

Tech’s hands move to your waist, his grip almost bruising as he pounded into you. “I am going to fill you up,” he moaned, his voice low and feral as his deep-rooted kink for breeding you surfaces. “I’m going to spill my seed inside you, and you’re going to take it all.”

The thought sent a shiver of pure pleasure through your body, and you felt your orgasm building, the tension coiling tighter and tighter as your pussy gets pounded. “Yes, Tech! please, I need your hot cum so badly.” you begged, voice a desperate plea as sweat drips down your body.

Tech’s thrusts became erratic, his control slipping as he neared his own high. His fingers moved to your clit, pinching and flicking it in time with his thrusts. The added sensation made you sob with pleasure, your body trembling uncontrollably. “Shit oh - holy - fuck,” you’re mewling pathetically, watching half of his cock disappear inside of you.

He leaned over you, pinning you to the table, his face inches from yours. “Kiss me,” he ordered, his voice rough with need. You comply without a second thought, your lips crashing together in a desperate, hot kiss. He lets go of you, hands holding on the table as it rocked back and forth as he buries himself in and out of you.

Just as you were about to fall over into blissful release, Tech pulled out, making you whimper at the loss. “N-no, no why?”

You watch with hazy eyes as he starts to stroke himself, trying to stave off his orgasm. “Beg for my cock,” he commanded, his eyes heavy with hunger. “Tell me how much you need it.”

“Please, baby, Tech, I need you,” you pleaded, your voice desperate. “I need your cock inside me. Fuck me again, please.”

Satisfied, Tech pulled you off the table and turned you around, bending you over. He lifted one of your legs to rest on the table, angling your body perfectly. “This position will allow for deeper penetration,” he explained, his voice tinged with anticipation. “I shall be able to hit that sweet spot inside you perfectly.”

With that, he thrust back into you, his cock driving deep and hitting just the right spot. You gasp out in pleasure, your hands gripping the edge of the table for support. “Yes, Tech, right there,” you moaned. “It feels so good.”

“Good girl,” Tech groaned, his pace relentless. “Take it all my darling.”

His large, veiny cock buried deep inside you, hitting every sensitive spot. He reached forward to spank your arse, making it bounce with every thrust. “So receptive.”

Just as you thought you couldn’t take any more, Tech flipped you onto your back again, lifting your legs to dangle off his shoulders. He pounded into you with renewed vigor, his pace becoming erratic as he felt himself ready to give you everything.

“I’m going to cum,” he growled, his voice low and feral. “You will be so full.”

“Yes, Tech, do it,” you urged, your voice breathless as you move your hand between your legs, rubbing your clit to match him. “I need it so much.”

With a final, loud thrust, Tech buried himself deep inside you, his cock pulsing as he came. The sensation pushed you into another orgasm, your body trembling with pleasure.

For a moment, the galaxy seemed to stand still, the only sounds were the heavy breathing and soft moans of pleasure. As Tech slowly pulled out, you felt his warm cum slip out of you and you watch in awe as he collected it on his fingers and, with a possessive look, pushed it back inside you.

“I want every drop to stay inside you,” he murmured, his voice filled with satisfaction. “I want you to remember this.”

The sensation of his fingers inside you, combined with the aftershocks of your orgasm, made you shiver. “I won’t forget,” you whispered.

Tech leaned down, capturing your lips in a soft, tender kiss. “You are incredible,” he murmured against your lips. “I never imagined…”

“Me neither,” you replied, a smile tugging at your lips. “But I’m glad it happened.”

Tech pulled you into a gentle embrace, the intimacy of the moment leaving you both feeling connected in a way you hadn’t before. “I… I hope I did not hurt you.”

“No, not at all.” You reply with a comforting smile, “I’m just dazed.”

He smiles, pulling his goggles back down after wiping them clear. “As you could probably tell, I always had feelings for you,” he admitted softly, his voice barely more than a whisper. “I just didn’t know how to express them.”

You looked up at him, your heart swelling with affection. “I feel the same way, Tech. And not going to lie, I think I’ve always known.”

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🌊 Masterlist is pinned on profile🌊

[apompkwrites]

Hello, I'm here to clear the air, not just for myself, but for some of my fellow crew members in the Twisted Wonderland Official Fandub.

To make it very clear, this post is not made to harass and does not encourage any harassment towards anyone involved. This is a defense of the facts behind the scenes that have been misconstrued in their official announcement post on YouTube. So, I will be redacting everyone’s names and profile pictures and will instead refer to people via their role titles within the project, just like they did in their post.

So, just as a preface for those who are either unaware of this project or have some misconceptions about it, this was not an official English dub from Disney. It was a fanmade, unpaid project put together for fans of TWST. For those of you who actively have followed the project, I am here to talk about what happened behind the scenes that led up to its cancellation.

Contrary to what the Production Team would lead you to believe, the project was not derailed due to "anger and envy." Nor was it derailed because some people were "displeased by the news that the project manager would not be handing the project over to them."

Rather, the shut down was due to the fact that some individuals, myself included, were unhappy with the way it was being run/put on an indefinite hold and how the Production Team became defensive upon being asked to give more permissions to the crew to help alleviate any pressure.

That was the main request we assistants and some leads had for the Production Team after around six months of radio silence. In their post, they mention a return following poor health. This was not made clear to anyone within the six months of radio silence, nor was any news in general. In fact, it was only shared within the week of the initial shut down. The admittance of personal issues was not needed, instead people were just hoping for some sort of announcement as the hiatus itself was not even announced. The project managers just stopped updating anyone on the status of the project.

Now, there was no wish to be completely in control of the project and that was said as much. While it was briefly mentioned in one message, the assistants leaned on the proposal of being allowed to have more permissions to do work without having to wait days or even weeks for a response from the project manager.

NOTE - This proposal discussion took place on March 25, 2025:

After an impromptu meeting with management on March 26, Assistant 2 felt it was not good to continue working with them, specifically after only being given an hour to make a decision.

Some of what happened in that meeting was then shared with a few others who worked on the project, namely a handful (specifically four) of Voice Actors and allowed them to make their own judgment on whether or not they wanted to continue working as well.

Following this and another incident that involved management and a VA, I removed my files within the project drive. I did not feel comfortable with letting the team use the work I did in their project and I was entirely within my right to do so, as I had not signed a contract granting the team ownership of them.

Side note, the way Google Drive works, it does not allow anyone to delete files that do not belong to them. Rather, the files are moved back to the original owners Drive and can still be accessed/moved.

In addition, we had seen evidence that Project Manager 1 was not afraid to use a person's hard work without crediting them. As of now, the credits for the latest videos posted on the channel (Kalim’s Birthday Vignettes) have not been posted despite them being written out by me personally and sent to the manager to edit into the description. 

One of the VA's who left alongside us chose to delete their files as they were also not comfortable with their voice being used within the project. Project Manager 1 then contacted them, saying that they would not be allowed to delete it nor would they stop using their voice for the project. They offered instead to use the files without crediting the VA at all.

This proposal was the last straw for the VA, causing them to block the manager and completely withdraw from the project. However, Project Manager 1 then chose to email them personally. This email had an alarming tone as the manager stated the VA was only thinking about themselves and their actions would be disappointing the hundreds of viewers waiting for the next update. Mind you, this was following an unannounced six month hiatus with no word on both socials and in either Discord server, as well as the false promises of getting back to work in December, January, and February of 2024 to 2025.

This particular VA was one of the few that did not have an understudy. If they did, the project could have continued without a hitch if the understudy also kept up with any deadlines. However, because of how much work the managers gave themselves behind the scenes, one of which being casting, they did not find an understudy they found suitable within the year the project had been in production. 

However, even if that was the case, there were little to no plans to use the understudies within the project. Only one of the VAs had been replaced with an understudy, but this was done before the first official video had been posted and instead during the cast introductions.

Because of this entire situation, myself and a handful of others were not comfortable with allowing them to use our work, especially given the passive aggressive way they treated us after sticking around for half a year without a word from them.

So, the files I deleted were files I personally worked on and owned, which the project was never entitled to as that was never agreed. The same goes for any fellow crew member who also chose to delete their files.

Finally, on March 27, Project Manager 1 officially announced the project’s shut down within the cast server.

NOTE - The full shut down announcement was sent on March 27, 2025:

They chose not to inform anyone else as stated in their announcement post on YouTube posted on May 27, claiming that it was to “not make an ordeal of [the situation]” despite comments asking for an update as they had replied to much older comments that the project was going to be re-launched in January, February, and occasionally March. 

A few other notes I would like to make about the cancellation of the project:

1. This project had been canceled for, at the time I started writing this (May 27, 2025), for two months. During this two month period, management made no attempt at announcing the project ending despite numerous comments, which have since been deleted, asking about the progress. The "two weeks away from a re-launch" was not an announced date either.

There were many comments I myself saw on the YouTube channel asking about updates. On the very same day this announcement was posted, one of the VAs personally stepped forward to confirm that the project did get shut down, the reason being "internal conflicts". This comment was deleted within thirty minutes of being posted, replaced with the official announcement post. Before that, there was no mention of the project being canceled.

NOTE - This comment was posted on May 27, 2025:

The two week time frame was requested by a VA I personally spoke to, and I subsequently asked during the last meeting with the project lead.

For reference, this meeting was agreed on amongst the Production Team and the individual team leads. The focus of it was to discuss what had happened in the production team server, the event being the proposal to give the crew more permissions to work on things behind the scenes, and to discuss what would come next.

For the record, this meeting did not have a set time until the day of. It was announced to us that the meeting would take place one hour later. However, almost ten minutes later, it was announced that it would take place right then and there. Because of this, only four out of the six initially planned members of the call were able to join it from the beginning.

Throughout the meeting, questions and proposals were raised to make the project run smoother in the future. During these agreements, the project manager decided that there was no set time for when videos would be released, as they were pivoting away from hard deadlines and instead moving to soft deadlines.

NOTE - This announcement was sent on March 26, 2025 by Project Manager 1:

As of now, I am not sure where they came up with that date of two weeks as we were nowhere near having some sort of re-launch. The only date specified within this same announcement was the end of April while the announcement itself was sent within the last week of March.

To summarize, this is the timeline of events starting from the initial proposal from Production Assistant 1 and ending at this month following the official shut down announcement on YouTube:

March 25, 2025: Assistant 1 proposing being given more permissions as a team to help get things going on project > Planning to schedule meeting with all of production members (including leads). March 26, 2025 (11:51AM PST): Meeting scheduled for 1:30PM PST March 26, 2025 (12:00PM PST): Meeting pushed ahead before other members could be prepared > Caused one assistant to be late and another lead to be unable to join before it ended. March 26, 2025 (7:43PM PST): Post meeting DM from Project Manager 1 > Asking about Assistant 2’s decision to stay in the project and given until that night to decide. March 26, 2025 (8:32PM PST): Second DM from Project Manager 1 > Marked Assistant 2 as stepping down from position despite being given less than an hour to decide. > Note: It was common knowledge that both assistants were close friends, so the meeting was difficult to come to terms with immediately. March 27, 2025 (3:15 PM PST): Official announcement of project shut down in private cast Discord server May 27, 2025: Official announcement of project shut down on YouTube posts and Reddit comment

2. The main reason more permissions were being asked for was because the assistants and leads were extremely aware of the heavy plate the Production Team had given themselves, namely the two Project Managers.

Both managers casted themselves as main characters, one being both Grim and Riddle Rosehearts, and the other being Lilia Vanrouge. On top of that, the manager who voiced Grim and Riddle (Project Manager 1) also casted themselves as minor roles in some of the event stories.

However, following the recording of Book 1, the Project Manager 1 completely stopped recording their lines. This would have been around the end of January to early February of 2024. They told the assistants that they follow their own schedule and do not need to be reminded/given strikes for missed deadlines.

For context, “strikes” were used when a VA missed a deadline for submitting lines. VAs were allotted 5 excused strikes and 10 unexcused strikes. The first type of strike was characterized as having communicated with Project Manager 1 and then given an extension to turn their lines in at a later date. The second type of strike was characterized by a VA missing a deadline without any communication.

Before I left, I counted up all of the submissions the manager had been missing. Before the extended hiatus even began, they were missing 491 scripts as Riddle, Grim, and all of their extra roles. These missing submissions include Book 2 submissions which were supposedly almost ready to be re-launched within two weeks. 

The understudies for both Riddle and Grim, however, were all caught up to Book 6 for recording. With the way the project was being run, these lines would have not been used because the project manager responsible for voicing these characters chose not to use the understudies. Despite there being a massive build up in work behind the scenes, the VAs who worked diligently to keep up with deadlines have been doing all of this work only for it to not be heard while the main VA was allowed to stock up all of these missing submissions behind the scenes.

The other manager also began missing submissions and we were given no extended deadline for him, of which the first project manager is the only one allowed to give extensions.

The following are all of the scripts Project Manager 1 was missing, starting way back in January 2024 all the way to the project’s shut down:

This, alongside the other jobs the managers had given themselves, prompted the assistants to ask for a few more permissions/responsibilities to help lighten their load and help push things forward in the project so as to not keep the cast, crew, and audience waiting for longer than they already have.

The assistants were allowed one more job before the initial proposal, this job being to help with listening to dialogue submissions and cutting out the best takes. This was planned when it was first announced to everyone within the cast and the audition server that Production was planning a re-launch in January 2025.

Three of the assistants were allowed to help cut dialogue for the audio team. However, the training occurred in February of 2025, despite the training initially being planned to occur in December 2024. And the only reason the training happened is because the Audio Lead fought to have the assistants trained in February. This was the only extended permission the assistants were given. And, subsequently, it was the only team, that being Audio with the help of the assistants, actually allowed to work during those months after the initial re-launch announcement.

Mainly, we assistants were hoping to be able to help out with managing the VAs. The only thing we were allowed to do was keep track of all of the dialogue submissions in the Drive and send any reminders of missing dialogue to them. However, any discussion beyond that was forbidden for myself and another one of my assistants. We were not allowed to DM the VAs personally and instead were told to report them to Project Manager 1 for them to DM. None of us assistants did trust this, as this same manager had a bad habit of forgetting to tell us whether or not the VA had replied.

The entire reporting process had to go through Project Manager 1 who had a problem with not reporting things back to us to keep track of, which was our main job as assistants.

All we wanted was to have more permissions to do work as we believed it would help lighten the load of the project managers and allow them to work on what they needed to do, as well as alleviating any restlessness within the cast and crew over the extended hiatus. Essentially, all we wanted to do was make things easier while also allowing everyone's hard work to come to fruition.

We did not expect to be given permissions that involved the channel and all other socials, as it was understood that they were connected to the Gmail account. What we were hoping to help with was the behind the scenes work, such as managing VAs and teams.

The Production Team took this proposal as us "wanting to take over the project." This was the narrative they decided to run with and spread amongst the rest of the project members, all of whom would have been unable to see the discussion that took place for themselves.

This is exactly why I have been MIA for so long. It initially started because I joined the team under Transcription and spent a good few hours a day typing up scripts for the project, which sucked out my time and energy to continue writing. However, as the year passed, it became eventually clear that this project was not being run efficiently, namely due to the months-long hiatus we were going through without any word from the manager.

Myself and others who were affected by the treatment we faced from the Production Team did not come forward with this information. And, obviously, neither did they. This announcement was made once a credited VA broke the silence themselves to provide all of you, the fans, with the information that the project was indeed being shut down.

Again, I want to reiterate that this post was not made to harass anyone on the team or anyone still associated with them. Instead, it was made to clear the air and set the record straight, especially with the initial announcement post specifically citing the assistants as the problem. What could have been prevented by proper communication months ago has instead spiraled into a mess that only continues to be misconstrued.

[cumaeansibyl]

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 20TH!!!

GIVEAWAY: SUPPORTING REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT IN THE NAME OF SPITE

A college football podcast I enjoy runs a charitable drive every year for New American Pathways, a Georgia refugee resettlement charity one of the hosts used to work for. Since all their listeners are sports fans, they came up with a fun gimmick:

Donate money in the name of your favorite team, to compete with other teams.

Naturally this gets a lot of action! People donate to show fans of their hated rivals that they're the BEST, they donate specific numbers to commemorate notable game scores or player jersey numbers, they talk so much shit, it's fun.

There are also some fictional schools that have developed into their own entities, and this is where my pitch comes in. Because in addition to silly things like Night Ham University and Make Spencer Eat Cheese, we have...

PROTECT TRANS KIDS UNIVERSITY

(art by Matt Souva)

Our beloved PTKU Blue Sharks came in FOURTH PLACE last year, raising $46,626 for refugee resettlement! The grand total was over a million dollars!

Now, of course, New American Pathways has had basically all its federal funding cut, and there's no prospect of its being restored any time soon. And it's more important than ever to show the world that we believe in protecting trans kids.

I know times are tough and apt to get tougher. Which is why I'm adding an incentive.

If you send me a donation receipt (personal info redacted) in the name of Protect Trans Kids University between now and Friday, April 18th at midnight EDT, I will enter you into a drawing for YOUR VERY OWN BLAHAJ THAT I WILL BUY AND SEND TO YOU.

Questions:

Is there an FAQ about what all this is? Yes, it is here.

Do I have to donate to PTKU? Yes, because I want them to beat Michigan this year. Of course you can donate to whatever you want, but I won't enter you into the drawing. I figure like 80% of you have zero sports interest so it should be fine.

What if IKEA US doesn't ship to my location? IKEA shipping is weird. If I can't figure out how to get a shark to you directly, I will send you the appropriate amount of money for you to buy one from an IKEA in your country. You will need to have Venmo, Paypal, or CashApp for this option.

What if I don't want to give you my address? Same thing, we'll work it out. Is there a minimum donation amount? I think the website minimum is a dollar. There is no minimum for the drawing.

When will the drawing take place? UPDATED: Sunday 4/21. The donation deadline has been extended to April 20th! I will keep everyone posted.

Where should I send the receipt? cumaeansibyl@gmail.com.

Any more questions, send me an ask.

GO FORTH AND DONATE Y'ALL

[queerprayers]

I am appalled that sometimes, my prayers come in the form of cuss words, especially when I’m in pain or I feel lost.

I'm not, beloved!

I mean, I don't know what exactly you're saying, but that's how most curse words came into being, I'd imagine. Research points to swearing actually helping with (physical) pain. Most people swear at least once in their lives.

We only have human language with which to approach God. You're using the strongest/angriest/most evocative words in your language to try to express the pain in your life, and you're taking it to God. I'm not necessarily advocating it, but I'm not appalled--it makes sense to me. And I wouldn't advocate it not because it, like, offends my sensitive morals, but because there's probably something deeper you should learn how to say, if not instead of at least in addition to. Start where you are, with what you have. Honest prayer (however crude) is infinitely better than stilted, repressed, unemotional prayer.

When it comes to swearing, I'm much more interested in the how and why than the concept. I answered this ask about specifically "taking the Lord's name in vain," if you're interested. Most talk about swearing in the Bible is about the promising kind, not about stubbing your toe. In terms of swearing at people, we can definitely point to verses that remind us how we should talk to others. But these different perspectives only show how varied and contextual language is.

Is the specific language you're using twisting or making light of something you want to take more seriously? Are you actively harming anyone else? What are you not able to express through other language? Are you having trouble managing your emotions? These are the kind of questions I'd encourage you to ask yourself, instead of centering any gut reaction to being what is considered "rude" or "offensive" in this time/place/culture.

And don't figure this out before you come to God. Don't prepare yourself or change yourself and then pray. Why would you violently express yourself and then gather yourself and pray nicely? Pray violently! Pray now, with the language you have, with unmanaged emotions or no words that can do your experience justice. Come as you are--however you speak. God can take it. God could take Job cursing the day he was born--and I can't imagine Job was using nice, thought-out language.

It sounds like you have a lot to deal with--deal with what you have to deal with, don't add on guilt about whether you're saying everything the right way. I mean, if you're going around being mean to people, work on that, but let out what you need to let out otherwise. You're gonna find new ways to say things, and receive more peace the more you walk the path of prayer, and also you're gonna stub your toe (or an emotional equivalent of that) and say the strongest word you know. And it's gonna be okay.

God is not appalled. God is listening. God knows what you mean--and sometimes what you mean is [redacted].

<3 Johanna

[fearfulfertility]

CONFIDENTIAL MEETING TRANSCRIPT

DRC, Medical Ethics & Compliance Division

Date: [REDACTED]

Subject: Above Average Fetal Quotas in Low Compliance Areas

Location: Paternity Compound [REDACTED], Unsecure Conference Room

Attendees:

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager, Insemination Operations

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator, Compound Oversight

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Bioethicist

I… I need to voice my concerns again, Doctor. I understand the need for productivity, but these insemination rates already exceed what we know is a risky quota. We're well beyond the original operational guidelines that were put in place by HQ.

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

Doctor, we've had this conversation... twice this week already. The DRC's objectives are clear, and compliance rates should be raised. And [REDACTED] City has the lowest surrogacy conscription rates for all of Zone 6, which has the lowest rates for the entire country. With so few surrogates, increasing embryos is the only way to meet our quotas this quarter. I'd love to hear if you've found a way to double conscription rates by just waving your hands.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

But... but... the physicality of it, Doctor. These surrogates... men, are not just numbers on a ledger. They're carrying life in multiples beyond the body's capacity, well beyond what our medicine says is natural. We are knowingly creating a dangerous scenario… and for what? Marginal increases in birth quotas?

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

While I appreciate your… concern for the surrogates' livelihood, we must remain objective. This isn't a hypothetical situation where we have the luxury of prioritizing ideals over results. We have mandates, strict deadlines, and expectations from the highest levels. The DRC is operating under intense pressure to show progress. We've all seen the latest reports on our population projections. Desperate times, as they say, call for desperate measures.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

My concern is ethical, not emotional, Doctor. If I seem… invested, I can't help but think that pushing them to such extremes… to see them filled so… utterly... borders on sadistic indulgence at best. We cannot simply keep filling them up like a fish tank. The latest reports put our average pregnancy quota at 16 births per surrogate, and I know that the quota is higher now. This is too much for them, and their bodies can only hold so much.

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

"Borders on indulgence," you say? Interesting choice of words. But you know as well as I do that every additional fetus we bring to term brings us just barely into alignment with the national average. As uncomfortable as you are with their situation, your… fixation on the morality of the situation is, frankly, irrelevant.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

It's hardly a fixation, Doctor. It's a… concern for their wellbeing. They're under endless strain, stretching and expanding, filled to their limits with life… and yet, we expect each new batch to endure more. Are we prepared to reduce these surrogates to mere vessels? Some of these men are barely adults, scoped up the moment they've hit the age of majority. And we're pushing them to physical extremes with little regard for the aftermath.

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

The aftermath is a healthy generation that will keep this country from falling into the dustbin of history.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

Let me put this in concrete terms, Doctor. Consider the case of Surrogate S116-5221-O, who was conscripted at 18 and carrying 15 fetuses not three weeks after his birthday. The strain was so extreme that he required round-the-clock oxygen, feeding, and hydration to maintain his basic stability. His organs were compressed to such an extent that by Day 22, he couldn't breathe without assistance. Is this truly the level of strain we consider acceptable?

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

Yes, I recall S116-5221-O. However, as I mentioned, we specifically selected him due to his exceptional physique and vital health metrics. Despite the discomfort, he still brought each of those fetuses to term at a healthy birth weight and helped us meet our targets that quarter—an overall success in our otherwise abysmal quarter.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

Success story? Surrogate S116-5221-O was so big we needed a forklift to move him to the birthing wing. And he's not the only one. Surrogate S116-4418-Q was assigned 17 embryos, a record for our unit. By his second week, he was bedridden and needed to be suspended from the ceiling lest his womb crush him. He spent his final days hanging from the rafters, delirious from the strain. Are we to pretend that these outcomes are acceptable, let alone humane?

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

Every surrogate conscripted will suffer some potential risks. No one denies the burden they bear, but each successful delivery justifies the process. Their lives, tragically short as they may be, are meaningful in the contributions they make.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

Their lives are defined only by our demands, Doctor. We are bending them, breaking them, for output at a volume beyond any semblance of human decency. I can't look at cases like Surrogate S116-4418-Q and rationalize that level of suffering simply because it fits our agenda. This will not end well—morally or operationally.

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

Your concerns have been noted, Doctor, but let's keep sight of our objective here. We both know that the alternative. I'm sure they'd appreciate the DRC not enacting martial law or forcing raids on their families. We're weighing one outcome against another, and while it's not ideal, we're dealing with the greater good here. Besides, we're not enforcing this on every surrogate. Only the most robust candidates are selected for high multiples based on their physiological indicators. We're not arbitrarily assigning high embryo counts.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

We must consider the limits of the human body, Doctor. And seeing these men in their… altered states, each with bodies so... distended, reminds us of our ethical boundaries. If we push them further, we risk turning this program into a grotesque display rather than a scientifically sound operation.

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

Such high ideals for the precarious situation we're in, Doctor. It's time we refocused on the logistics rather than the aesthetics of the problem. I'll take your concerns under advisement. However, we will proceed with the current embryo protocols unless I receive a directive to change course. Besides their surrogates... we have a legal right to do as we see fit to preserve our way of life, even at the expense of theirs.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

Legal obligation does not absolve us of ethical responsibility. They are conscripts, but that doesn't mean they are disposable. We must maintain some semblance of humanity in our processes. This notion that quotas justify any means will backfire. It's only a matter of time until public scrutiny catches up, and then we'll be accountable for every life lost under our care.

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

Public scrutiny is not my concern. Meeting our birth quotas is. And, respectfully, the stakes are high enough that certain compromises must be made. These surrogates, as tragic as their fates may be, are providing an irreplaceable service to society. Their contribution is paramount.

If we cut back, we will lose ground, and soon, we will be too far behind to make any difference.

Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager

Let me be equally clear, then. I will formally request a review of these practices. There is a line, Doctor, and we are perilously close to crossing it. I will be escalating this to the Director's office.

Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator

You're welcome to try. But we'll continue with these measures until instructed otherwise.

[Transcript ends.]

----------------

Memorandum

Following a formal complaint submitted by Dr. [REDACTED], Senior Manager of Insemination Operations, to DRC Headquarters regarding operational protocols and perceived ethical concerns, HQ conducted a preliminary review and determined that no formal investigation was warranted. Dr. [REDACTED] was subsequently placed on probation for insubordination due to his ongoing objections to established protocols. After observation and review by HR, Dr. [REDACTED] has been reassigned to the Anchorage Office, where he will continue supporting DRC’s initiatives under adjusted responsibilities.

In parallel, Dr. [REDACTED], Administrator, Paternity Compound [REDACTED], [REDACTED] City, has been recognized with a personal achievement award. This award acknowledges Dr. [REDACTED]’s dedication to maintaining and exceeding local birth quotas amidst low surrogacy compliance rates. His contributions have been instrumental in stabilizing output levels despite challenges.

End of Memorandum

----------------

Click Here to return to DRC Report Archives

[audio-redundancy]

Have people done this before? Probably! But…

Making a Pokémon Team for Redacted based on the Reductive audio videos!! (Plus my thought process for the teams!) --SHAW PACK ADDITION-- SAM-

I kinda went all in with him being a healer, with Kangaskhan being there for obvious reasons. Mimikyuu is mostly there because they're the only Ghost/Fairy. Brambleghast is also there cause cowboy. If you've seen the Reductive Audio of Erik assigning the Pokémon, you might wonder why I didn't put Zacian. That's mostly because I didn't think it really fit?? I mean, maybe it could've, but I see Darlin' having it more.

DAVID-

Big guy! This probably was my favorite one to make. Don't question how David got a Hisuian Arcanine… To make it worse, Imma say it was his dad's. Like to think Rockruff was his first Pokémon but became a Lycanroc as soon as he was promoted to alpha. ASHER-

So many electric types… so many issues… This team took some thinking. I didn't wanna just have all pure electric types (Which I only half accomplished). The Alolan Raichu was probably my favorite addition. Tell me that isn't at least a little Asher coded. Originally was going to give him an Absol to predict whatever disaster he'd make. I then remembered that it's specifically natural disasters, so had to skip on that. Do not bring a ground type. He will die immediately. MILO-

Having a Tyrunt followed by a Pangoro is so funny to me. Small baby then kick a ass Panda. Bewear is there for a similar reason. Cute but will mess you up. Audino is there because, once again, healing. I think it'd be funny if Marie gave him hers when he moved. So even when she wasn't there, he'd be okay. Hakamo-o there just because. And obligatory dog Pokémon. Stoutland just fit the best In my opinion.

[probablyasocialecologist]

According to documents obtained by Grist and Type Investigations through a Freedom of Information Act request, the FBI’s Minneapolis office opened a counterterrorism assessment in February 2012, focusing on actions in South Dakota, that continued for at least a year and may have led to the opening of additional investigations. These documents reveal that the FBI was monitoring activists involved in the Keystone XL campaign about a year earlier than previously known.  Their contents suggest that, long before the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines became national flashpoints, the federal government was already developing a sweeping law enforcement strategy to counter any acts of civil disobedience aimed at preventing fossil fuel extraction. And young, Native activists were among its first targets. “The threat emerging … is evolving into one based on opposition to energy exploration related to any extractions from the earth, rather than merely targeting one project and/or one company,” the FBI noted in its description of the Wanblee blockade. The 15-page file, which is heavily redacted, also describes Native American groups as a potentially dangerous threat and likens them to “environmental extremists” whose actions, according to the FBI, could lead to violence. The FBI acknowledged that Native American groups were engaging in constitutionally protected activity, including attending public hearings, but emphasized that this sort of civic participation might spawn criminal activity.  To back up its claims, the FBI cited a 2011 State Department hearing on the pipeline in Pierre, South Dakota, attended by a small group of Native activists. The FBI said the individuals were dressed in camouflage and had covered their faces with red bandanas, “train robber style.” According to the report, they were also carrying walking sticks and shaking sage, claiming to be “Wounded Knee Security of/for Mother Earth.” “The Bureau is uncertain how the NA group(s) will act initially or subsequently if the project is approved,” the agency wrote.  The FBI also singled out the “Native Youth Movement,” which it described as a mix between a “radical militia and a survivalist group.” In doing so, it appeared to conflate a specific activist group originally founded in Canada in the 1990s with the broader array of young Native activists who opposed the pipeline decades later. Young activists would play an important role in the Keystone XL campaign and later on during protests against the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock, but the movement had little in common with militias or survivalists, terms typically used to describe far-right groups or those seeking to disengage from society.  The FBI declined to respond to questions for this story. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis field office said the agency does not typically comment on FOIA releases and “lets the information contained in the files speak for itself.”

[...]

Environmental activists and attorneys who reviewed the new documents told Grist and Type Investigations that law enforcement’s approach to the Keystone XL campaign looked like a template for the increasingly militarized response to subsequent environmental and social justice campaigns — from efforts to block the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock to the ongoing protests against the police training center dubbed “Cop City” in Atlanta, Georgia, which would require razing at least 85 acres of urban forest.  The FBI’s working thesis, outlined in the new documents, that “most environmental extremist groups” have historically moved from peaceful protest to violence has served as the basis for subsequent investigations. “It’s astonishing to me how such a broad concept basically paints every activist and protester as a future terrorist,” said Mike German, a former FBI special agent who is now a fellow at the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice.

[callmearcturus]

(i posted this but tumblr fucked up the formatting SO BAD and then the editor would not open so here's a re-do i guess!

bless u, bc this is the one that's gonna be Another Batshit Arcturus AU

except all the scenes I have sketched out are massive Act Two spoilers.... so instead, I'm gonna share the work-in-progress outline for Act One. or, specifically the modern day half of Act One. this story is told in approximately 2024 and 2011 concurrently, with the 2011 plotline providing vital context for the 2024 plotline.

for context: Ted is a director working with Rebecca's A24-style production company. Trent is a writer. Keeley is Trent's agent who managed to convince him to sell the movie rights to one book. act one is Ted trying to get those rights before a larger studio snaps them up. Act two is the filming of the movie. Act three is post-production and press tour.

One piece of additional context is that Trent is a reclusive writer who keeps writing extremely location-accurate novels set in America. Ted is shocked to learn the guy's not American, tbh. Here's the bibliography i made up for Trent:

[SPOILER, REDACTED]

editor for a few anthologies

The Sarpedon EP, 1968 (moody psuedo-mythical story about psychedelic/progressive rock in Nashville)

An Aquarian Guide to Atlantis, IL (weird, almost ergodic story of a hitchiker trying to get from St. Louis to Chicago and finding a strange town)

The Tides of Static (an anthology of seemingly disconnected vignettes that wind up linked by a radio DJ working a remote blowtorch tower)

Paris of the Plains (a sports drama/romance about a journalist uncovering a massive scandal in Kansas City football while trying not to rekindle her love of an old fling who's now working on the same team embroiled in the scandal. later adapted into the film The Time After The Last Time, directed by Ted Lasso, produced by Rebecca Welton)

so here, a glimpse of how I outline a story

ACT ONE: Pre-production

Storyline A (Ted POV):

Ted, modern day: Ted has to find Rebecca. She's supposed to be on vacation and Ted would never dream of interrupting her HOWEVER there's a scoop in Variety that Trent Crimm is auctioning the rights to his latest book despite years of resistance. Ted is terrified that someone is gonna buy the rights and make a bad movie or worse sit on the rights and never make anything out of them.

finding Rebecca takes some doing but Ted is determined and he knows all her offices and hiding places.

Ted is a huge fan of Crimm's work, has read all his previous books and has been keeping an eye out for him to maybe offer something up for adaptation. That it's specifically the one about a football scandal in Kansas City with a fantastic sense of space and also is a romance? Ted HAS to direct this movie, but Rebecca's studio can't compete with the huge prices that a Paramount or Disney would be throwing around. So they need to make a direct offer before the sale.

Rebecca emails Crimm's agent. This first attempt gets a polite, impersonal dismissal. So Ted is the person to reply (as Rebecca watches over his shoulder to ensure he's not making a fool of them) and tries to convince them to reconsider bc Ted is specifically interested in doing it right.

Still no.

T: "Get me an address, I'll fly out--" R: "Fly out? The address available through his agent is in London." T: "Okay, wouldn't've called that."

Rebecca gets Ted the address and Ted takes the Tube to get there bc he still doesn't have a car-and-driver. (He claims its organic location scouting.)

The address seems to be Trent's house but he's not there, just Keeley and Adelaide Crimm. They will not reveal where Trent is.

Ted notices Adelaide's accent and is relieved Trent is American. Adelaide says no, he's super british, but he took a job in America when she was young and brought her along.

The house is fully of photos of places. Addy is a photographer. Ted is thrilled to see shots of the Paseo, the Plaza, and other KC landmarks.

Keeley explains they are not really looking to option the book out because, well. They're not.

Adelaide kind of likes Ted and how he talks about her dad's books so she texts him later, gives Ted her dad's email. the one he actually checks, not the fake ones that get listed.

A turn for the epistolary as Ted attempts to reach Trent Crimm.

Ted emails Trent, who is baffled that he found this email address. Thanks Ted for his interest but tells him it was difficult enough to decide to offer up any rights and he frankly doesn't want to talk about it further, goodbye.

Ted takes a little time to try to read/watch every interview he can with Trent Crimm. They are basically non-existent and the ones that do exist are fully text.

Emailing each other continues: Eventually, Trent admits he's hoping the book rights are bought and sat on forever. Keeley was the one to convince him this was a good way to ensure Adelaide was set up for years to come and he could write his next few books without concern about money. But actually seeing such a movie? He wants nothing to do with it.

There's something unique about this email, a slip-up: Trent mentions he's in KCMO. The moment Ted realizes, he's inbound, racing to get there in time.

All for naught: Ted makes good time, probably the best possible time a guy can make from Heathrow to MCI to Emmanuel Cleaver Blvd without use of a fighter jet.

Still: Trent's gone, and Keeley's there.

Ted hangs a lampshade on the running gag: How in the sam hell is she always there instead of Trent?! "Yanno, I ain't ever seen the two of you in the same room together, Ms. Jones." Keeley cackles. "He's a slippery one! But trust me, you'd know him if you met him. He's got that aura of irritable uptight fiction author."

Ted is extremely discouraged that he missed Trent yet again, tells Keeley he is bound and determined to make sure this movie's done right but doesn't know what to do anyone. Keeley cracks, sympathetic, and gives Ted the Actual phone number for Trent. "Do not call him. He blocks all unknown numbers. Text."

So Ted does. Takes a photo of the fountains at the Plaza at night and sends it to Trent.

TL: I think the fight between Kit and Moses happens here at night, when they turn the lights on under the fountains and it's beautiful, all that watery glow. The contrast there, it reminds me of how painfully obvious it is that Moses wanted to take her there for real, to see her son playing in the water. It's the right place and the wrong time, it's always right place wrong time with them. LONG pause but Ted sees the text has been marked as "Read". Honestly he's surprised Trent has read receipts on. TC: Why are you in KCMO? TL: Flew here hoping to catch you. Last email, you accidentally hinted you were at your rental off Emanuel Cleaver. TC: Ah. An amateur mistake, I see. But I've slipped your net again, it seems.

Ted returns back home to London, resigned to taking another project and letting this one go. Pulls his copy of Paris of the Plains from his bag, reads it on the plane back.

Gets off the plane and he's missed a call from Trent Crimm. Shocked, Ted immediately calls back.

TC: "You have one shot, Mr. Lasso, so make it count. Tell me why you're so determined. It's not the job of a director to try to cajole a reclusive, unfriendly author into optioning his book to a boutique film studio. So why?" TL: "When I first moved to the UK, I was missin' home so much, I was turning into a barely-functioning daydrinker, and I almost gave up, went back to Kansas, gave up my career. But Beard loaned me his copy of Atlantis, IL and you... knew those roads and those people. You gave me a home I could carry around in my bag. Dunno if I would have survived without. Then I read Sarpedon, and Rebecca got me an advance copy of Tides of Static for my birthday." TC: "So you're a fan." TL: "No! I mean, obviously I'm a huge admirer, yeah, but... Trent, I just flew almost nine thousand miles just for a chance to talk to you about this, so I'm not gonna split hairs here. I need to be the guy to direct this. No one else is going to get it right, and I need it to be right, 'cause I know it. If you give me a chance, I'm going to move the whole production out to KC, I'm going to take what's in my head and put it on the screen. And I-- I think it's what's in your head, too." TC: "You know, it's supposedly my worst book. That was part of the little joke of it all; Keeley convinced me to sell something, so I picked the one the critics hated. You'll need someone good to do the adapting." TL: "Heck, if I need to write the treatment myself, I'll do it." TC: "..... Alright." TL: "!!!!" TC: "Nine thousand miles is an absurd ordeal to put yourself through and the writer in me wants you to get some payoff for it. So. Tell Ms. Welton to tack on another five million and its yours."

[outofangband]

Dor-lómin after the Nírnaeth: comparing versions

(In this I went through the versions in The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, The Book of Lost Tales, and The Lay of the Children of Húrin. I will go through Unfinished Tales and the other HoME volumes later!

Warnings: non graphic mention of canon occupation, abuse including forced marriage.

Second note: I have a lot about Aerin and Morwen specifically throughout other versions in their character tags and the BoLT tag

There are also further posts in my tag “occupation of hithlum” and “word ran among them”

The occupation of people of Hithlum following the battle is one of the most interesting and disturbing aspects of The Children of Húrin. Just like I did with Maedhros and Húrin’s captures here I wanted to compare the different versions throughout Tolkien's writings

This is the second draft of this post with a new section, specifically about the disturbing detail about Niënor in The War of the Jewels

The Silmarillion:

Dor-lómin is occupied by Morgoth’s human servants who are then trapped themselves in Hithlum. Most of the Hadorians are enslaved. Aerin, Húrin’s kinswoman is said to be married to Brodda, one of the invaders. Very interestingly, the word force or by force does not appear in The Silmarillion while it does in The Children of Húrin. Though force is likely implied by context, it’s still an interesting redaction

Likewise, the lines regarding the invader's fear of Morwen are very similar to the full CoH book.

“But so great was the beauty and majesty of the lady of Dor-lómin that the invaders were afraid and dared not lay hands on her or her household and they whispered among themselves saying she was perilous and a witch skilled in magic and in league with the elves”

(Note: I've made a post about this but I have to admit the 'skilled in magic' phrase which does not appear in The Children of Húrin is kind of darkly funny to me.)

This is more or less all that is said about her until her fleeing to Doriath.

Note: the aspect of Morwen being accused of witchcraft can be dated to drafts of The Silmarillion from Tolkien’s middle period of writing. I have a theory that it derives in part from details in BoLT regarding stories told about her after death, this is something I will get into in more detail later

The Children of Húrin: Obviously this is the version with the most detail

Dor-lómin is occupied by Morgoth’s human servants who are then trapped themselves in Hithlum. Aerin, Húrin’s kinswoman is said to be forcibly married to Brodda, one of the invaders. We learn also that she is beaten in retaliation for defying Brodda by aiding Morwen, but continues to do so despite the danger. More details are given about the status of the other Hadorians including mentions of the abuse of young children and the driving out and starving of the elderly. Some of the lines regarding Aerin's situation imply that there were other women in similar positions.

More details are also given regarding Brodda’s wider motives.

For Morwen, But they dared not yet lay hands on the Lady of Dor-lómin or thrust her from her home for word ran among them that she was perilous and a witch in league with the elves

The word yet is added here where it's not in the Silm

So, accused of being a witch and contact with the elves, shunned and ostracized. Brodda rides to her house with the intention of a foray but is scared off by Morwen herself (I have a long post about it here but it's such a terrifying scene). The book makes it clear that had he not been scared off, he would have killed Túrin (and he did not ransack her house nor discover Túrin else the life of the heir of the true lord would have been short) Morwen’s animals and possessions are stolen perhaps on multiple occasions and after she flees, those who remained in her house are enslaved. Her household is also spied on and under constant low level siege which is detailed more than in The Silmarillion.

We get this line later on in addition to the line similar to that in Silm. "They dared not touch her for they feared her. Proud and fair as a queen she was until sorrow marred her. Witchwife they called her and shunned her: witchwife it is but elf-friend in the new language" The linguistic connotations of this are absolutely fascinating but as I've talked about that at length I won't here (tragically) other than to say I believe Sador is being figurative; that is, Witchwife does not literally translate to elf friend but to him, it is all that means.

When Túrin returns to Hithlum, the descriptions of poverty and slavery are much more detailed than in The Silmarillion

The Book of Lost Tales

Post about Aerin specifically in BoLT

Untrustworthy characters reside in Hithlum, some Morgoth's servants, some not. The entire situation is more muddled and confused and there isn't a direct invasion from the outside in the same way.

Interestingly enough, Aerin's marriage to Brodda dates back to this version however in BoLT. In this version, it's not forced but seemingly arranged on both sides and Brodda is actually a man of Hithlum himself. He's still horrible though as when Húrin is gone, he goes rogue and betrays Morwen's house.

Exactly who Brodda is is somewhat unclear, he's described as a kinsman to both Húrin and Morwen at various times though kinsman is occasionally used to describe kin through marriage. Regardless he more or less names himself lord after Húrin is captured.

He is also still cruel and abusive, and Aerin’s life with him is described as a life of horror, one that her kin were largely unaware of.

When Túrin returns to Hithlum, he confronts Brodda in a similar manner to the version in the Narn though when he kills him, it's completely intentional.

Aerin herself appears to be a de facto leader after Brodda's death as Brodda doesn't have the backing to retaliate.

(THIS IS THE COW VERSION)

I have another post about Morwen herself in BoLT because her character is complicated and I have many thoughts and feelings about it Either way her situation is still a bleak one. "the strange men who dwelt nigh knew not the dignity of the Lady Mavwin"

The Lay of the Children of Húrin:

This version likewise is complicated in this regard. A direct invasion is not described in the same way as in the Narn but this is said "Laid waste his (Húrin's) lands and his lieges slain and men unmindful of his mighty lordship dwelt in Dorlómin and dealt unkindly with his widowed wife" the second version is identical except saying "dealt unkindly with his wife in widowhood" The lack of clarity is extremely ominous; dealt unkindly could mean anything from the shunning and threats of the others versions to direct violence. This is the version with the least about Morwen. We do not see her or her household again in this version other than a brief line stating that her situation has bettered slightly and Aerin or other kin of Húrin do not appear.

The War of the Jewels: In the drafts and timelines in this volume of the Histories of MIddle Earth, most of the details do not differ however there is one disturbing detail that does not appear in other texts; Lorgan, one of the lords of the invaders in Hithlum, and most notably the one who imprisons Tuor for three years, is mentioned to know about Niënor and had planned to abduct her, which is the reason given for Morwen fleeing Hithlum so abruptly

This detail appears in the timeline contained in The Wanderings of Húrin, implying that it was conceived of around the same time. Though it does not appear in the story proper, it could potentially add another element to Húrin’s reckless eagerness to confront and fight Lorgan in the beginning of the story of the Wanderings. (also not to be flippant about this because that's clearly horrific and I can't imagine how frightened Morwen must have been for her daughter but I just think it's kind of pathetic that Lorgan failed in this regard, considering the family was literally cursed and doomed.)

[thewriteblrrag]

Updated Writeblr Rag Pages (and what I'll need from you guys!)

Hello and welcome to the like... 5th attempt at starting The Writeblr Rag (😅).

Below, find the pages that I intend to have in the paper and see if any tickle your fancy. If they do, and you'd like to submit for them, please let me know via my inbox at @thewriteblrrag and I'll happily include you in a list of people that I can reach out to about the specified page(s).

***For the genre pages, I'll only be including one WIP per writer per paper, so if you have a specific one you'd like to have featured first, let me know that in the submission so I can keep that in mind and if the genre specified is one I pick for the first paper, I'll include it.

--

Page Descriptions (And what I'll need from you!):

Front Page: Featured Writer & Genre

The first page of the paper will have a writer/WIP of a specific genre featured on it. There will be a Q&A as well as some added info about the WIP. I will also have included on the page below the featured WIP article the writer's socials if they'd like then other WIPs of the chosen genre. I want to include more to make it more special being the featured genre but I'm still deciding what all I want in the main article.

Genre Pages

I don't yet know what all I'll include but I plan to have 3-4 more genres (decided after receiving interested writer submissions from other writers to see how many I can get for the genres selected) that'll feature between 5-10 more writers' WIPs of the given genres. For now, I only plan to include one WIP per writer per paper so please make sure to let me know which WIP you want featured in the current paper if you're particular about which one you want featured. Do keep in mind this affects your eligibility to be the featured WIP/writer if you want to be.

Art Page

I was considering having a comic page but decided to instead do an art page. It can include picrews since this is just a silly little thing I'm doing on tumblr and won't make money.

If you do include picrews, please please link to the picrews used so that I may link them in case people like the picrews. :) (and also to give credit). Thanks!

Activity/Games Page

The featured writer will also be on the games page as a crossword puzzle. If you have a favorite OC, tell me their name and that'll be one of the clues and I'll find other words/facts in your blog that I can use for the crossword as well. Try to include several regarding things about your WIP. There will also be a word search and other games as I think of them.

Obit Page/New Births Page

For the Obit Page, please submit any characters you've recently killed off. If you are afraid that inputting the name will spoil things for your readers and are afraid of them seeing it, please feel free to either let me know to redact the name and I'll write a little description of the character(s) being unidentifiable or you can write one yourself if you'd like, as a fun little writing exercise. You can submit as many of these as you want. I want to post a total of at least 5 characters if I'm able.

On the totally opposite side of things, for the New Births page, submit characters that were just born and/or you just created! Include the parents that birthed them and the date of birth (if you know it). Congratulations, new parents!~ On the new birth page, I also would love to feature new writeblrs on there so if you follow a new writeblr, please tag them so if they wish to be featured, they may be.

For now, that's all I've got but I'll post again/edit this if I come up with any additional pages I'd like to have on the paper.

Thank you, fellow writers, and I wish you the very best!~

[theserpentsadvocate]

I was soft-tagged by @feeisamarshmallow to shuffle my On Repeat playlist and list the first ten songs, SO:

Everybody Goes To Hell - Candi Carpenter (came up in my recommended music recently and I just like it)

Cut To The Feeling - Carly Rae Jepsen (one of my load-bearing Jade/Eli early relationship songs)

Someone To You - BANNERS (a recent addition to my disorganized W/V music, which tickles me because it has an almost identical title to another song already on there [Somebody To You by The Vamps, which is also doing double duty as my Hector/Weevil song])

Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding (I break it out whenever I want to think about emotional ship stuff - why are there always such great songs permanently associated with terrible movies??)

Te Dejo en Libertad - Ha*Ash (one of the Spanish songs I listen to and attach dangerous amounts of plot/character significance to despite knowing about four words of Spanish - it's going to backfire on me so hard but I keep doing it)

All I Want - Kodaline (I listen to a lot of random playlists while I write and this was just on a bunch of them recently)

Somewhere Only We Know - Keane (mood/tone music in search of a specific plot application)

Por quererte [sic] - Efecto Mariposa (same as 5 - also something I like to imagine Jade listens to, particularly in the upcoming Babysitter AU where she's originally from Mexico)

Sofia I'm Sorry - Jesse Detor (picked up during my archive-binge of @daily-sapphic-song)

Daughter - L Devine (because I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT VALENTINA/ALANA AND WEEVIL IN MAYBE)

But I also sat on this for so long that I think I significantly altered the composition of the playlist by listening to a bunch of potential Valentina songs on repeat (*ahem*), so have ten from my Repeat Rewind playlist as well:

Someday Out Of The Blue - Elton John (the yank-my-heart-out-with-bittersweetness (instead of angst, like most of the other ones) song for post-S4 Jade/Eli - fic coming in one to three years)

Canol Road - Stan Rogers (I just really love Stan Rogers. For the record, this made it onto the playlist, but it isn't even one of my most favourite of his songs. This isn't even one of my most favourite songs on this album. I probably couldn't even guess how many plays Night Guard and Mary Ellen Carter have.)

I Love You, I'm Sorry (Live From Vevo) - Gracie Abrams (a song off my huge anti-LoVe playlist)

Hell Of A Girl - SAYGRACE (a recent addition to the anti-LoVe playlist)

A Little Too Not Over You - David Archuleta [SATISFACTION SPOILERS REDACTED]

Deerfoot - Paulo Finkleman (the WORK I had do to track this down last year from listening to it one summer because a friend's family had the CD when I was twelve and we were visiting - I could remember exactly one line)

La Niña Que Llora en Tus Fiestas - La Oreja de Van Gogh (this is the song I play when I'm imagining Weevil bracing himself and striding into court to face down Celeste in the lawsuit AU - the lyrics are probably wholly inappropriate but it's a banger)

Follow You Down - Gin Blossoms (another tone-setter in search of a specific event to attach to)

Maybe This Time - Liza Minelli (I'd love to say this is because of Meg, but I honestly have no idea where this came from or why it's on here. I've listened to this song about twice in my life. I'm so confused.)

Just Friends - Virginia To Vegas (S3/immediately post-S3 Veronica/Weevil for great justice!)

If you read this all the way through - your turn! :)

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Currently experiencing catastrophic levels of brainrot about my favorite show (thinking of all the additional potential it had), while also getting super into w&d and fangirling hard over Molly and Roger, and since I know the book is unfinished I fear I’m going to be a complete mess and go through brainrot 2.0 when I finish it 😭

Hi!

This is me watching you read W&D:

[insert rant here about how Austenites who ask what to read after Austen are told to pick up N&S because Richard Armitage is hot whatever, and then they try and maybe finish maybe not but never touch another Gaskell again and maybe one should be eased in on Gaskell from the specific corner of other authors one is coming from actually]

*catches her breath*

Anyways, don't worry much about it being unfinished. It keeps a lot of people from reading the novel, but it was really almost finished. All the conflicts are resolved in the text we have. It's only missing the very final last tying up of things, and some editions include the original editor's note upon publication that includes some of the ideas with which Gaskell meant to conclude the novel. Tbh with you, it sometimes feels more finished than N&S

And also, once you are done you can look forward to belonging to the exclusive club of people that can understand references like pointing out a garish plaid dress and going "Molly's plaid dress of horrors!", or Hyacinth vs. cheese or [redacted because you haven't gotten there yet], and also to come and chat with me about the parallels and resonances between W&D and MP!!

[doberbutts]

your great uncle is biill fucking cosby??????? jeez that's rough buddy

Yeah though he hasn't been to a big family get together since I was 10 back before anyone but a few knew about... all that. It's by marriage thru one of my great aunts so I'm not like *related*related to him but still. Used to be a bragging point, now a 😬😬😬 I never really interacted with him because I was a young child far more interested in playing with the other children (one of the few times there were kids my age that actually looked like me) than in sitting at the grown folks table listening to boring grown up talk. I remember the Cosby show was big in my house because my dad would always point and say "hey that's your Uncle Bill" whenever he was on screen, and my parents got tickets to a few of his shows that us kids weren't allowed to attend, but that's really it.

The [redacted] family is huge and I'm directly related to pretty much every black person with my last name in a large section of this country which has also had the additional weird circumstance of me bumping into my first cousins that I didn't even know existed while I've been out on a walk with my dogs. We were a very populous old slave family and sharecroppers after that so we're kind of everywhere. I've literally found a great aunt while at work, she came in and I noticed the last name and asked if she knew specific relatives of mine and one ended up being her sibling 🫣 just by going "hey you're black and your last name is [redacted], I'm black with the same last name and a very large family, what are the chances..."

One of my former roommates has a similar family connection to Mitt Romney. We used to complain about it together back when we still lived with each other.

[mystybelle]

From last night's stream-

I don't think RPGs have anything to do with stats.

I think an RPG, or whether or not a game counts as one, is more about how you can affect it's world or environment beyond just winning or losing.

Like, Skyrim and space Skyrim, for example,are not RPGs. They are a very shoddily made, medieval & sci-fi themed amusement parks.

But neither are any Final Fantasy games, Legend of Zelda games, Shadow of Mordor, the Assassin's Creed series, Genshin Impact, God of War (any of them, even the new ones), Kingdom Hearts (any of them), Diablo, Transistor, or any Pokemon games. These are lovingly crafted roller coasters with various themes, with different additional genres of games therein, unlike most Bethesda games, but not roleplaying games. They're gripping movies, comics, art exhibits, and dioramas with well done and utilitarian world-building.

Or visual novels. And that's not me disparaging these games, just hopefully pushing our evolving language for discussing games in a better direction?

I guess the next question is probably- "What is an RPG by your call then?"

I'd say games like the original Deus Ex, Stardew Valley, Fallout 1&2, Undertale, Pathologic, literally every single Animal Crossing game, Pathfinder/DnD (if your DM has a stable sleep schedule), and Shadow the Hedgehog.

The difference between these two groups is:

group A: Interactive media (games) that are stories, or Games(under the cut), with worlds that only exist to tell their stories or for the player's convenience.

group B: Interactive media that is a world the player is encouraged to interact with as a consistent Character within, or where the player's avatar & actions exists as a character within the world and not just an artifice of design or play.

There is nothing you can do on Final Fantasy VII's Gaea that will impact any part of the rest of the world, besides succeed at a given challenge or die and have another go. Nor in X, IX, or VIII. Locking a world's keyhole in Kingdom Hearts 1 doesn't change the game's state it's the next part of the story and the success state that follows defeating most level's final bosses (or after figuring out a clever puzzle in Traverse Town). Riku can't fail to save Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts II, you fail to rescue Riku's man, and the game lets you try again until you catch up with canon. Transistor does not care whether you collect certain programs/citizens, the Process [REDACTED] no matter what. Zelda can't not be rescued in any of the series' games where she appears; there are no ways to save the land of Termina except by assisting its citizens in a very specific order. In Pokemon, Team Rocket cannot successfully kidnapp someone's Pokemon on screen, and Team Aqua cannot successfully flood the world.

But in Shadow the Hedgehog; the president can be spared and his life determines how the rest of the game's story plays out; you can steadily work to destroy the world with the Black Arms and feel the progress of the invasion as you complete more of their missions. In Pathologic, failing to cure a patient doesn't send you to a game over screen, the patient just dies. Sometimes your patient is important to you and their death will have disastrous consequences, sometimes not. In ACNH, everything you can do changes the game's state in a meaningful way, there are almost literally no meaningless actions you can take in that game (or any animal crossing game). In a solid Pathfinder/DnD game, unless your party fights and dies to the last man, failing to kill the Lich or Evil king means that they get to take over that town or city. Some tables don't even run TPKs back, that specific world just gets worse and you either abandon it to its fate or have to make new avatars to re-enter a world that's likely grown more hostile because of the failure. In the original Fallouts, the only real "game over" fail state in those games is dying. Everything else is simply a choice to make, or a consequence to avoid. Likewise in the original Deus Ex, JC Denton's actions decide whether the [REDACTED it's old but go play the game] play out as planned, whether [seriously go play it] live or if the [please, you won't regret it] get their way. Each potential reality in these games, doesn't meaning you just lose, but that you now have to account for new circumstances in the world of your own making.

I don't think a game doesn't become an RPG because it has stats, or levels. Those are just conventions of the media of games as a whole. A game is more or less of an RPG based on how internally consistent and independent of the player its world is. I think our language should reflect that that too, but considering that this genre of game comes from the original pen and paper RPGs, I don't like giving the most faithful successors to their heritage a name that doesn't include the words RPG in it. I'd rather call the first group of games "Immersive Movies" and give the term "RPG" back to the second group. But if we must call both groups kinds of RPGs, I want to suggest replacing WRPG vs JRPG, with RPGs vs "VRPGs" or Virtual Ride Playing Games (or Vibe Role Playing Games), seeing as the first group is more akin to a book/movie/play/amusement park ride that you read or ride through than they are games where you meaningfully play the role of a character.

If that makes sense? Replies/rb as are welcome as comments, I had the thought on stream and I've spent all day working to make it more coherent than the babbling that usually rattles around in my brain, but I couldn't make it any shorter than this. So idk, let me know what you think. I'm eager to hear from other devs, or just players for that matter.

Also, I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH, this isn't me shitting on any game I've mentioned except for Skyrim and space Skyrim. I'm not using RPG as a title of prestige, or saying any of these games are worse than the others except for Skyrim; I'm only saying we should probably re categorize them. Roller coasters are good things when they're well made.

[flirtatious-slenderman]

Greetings, I Am The Archivist.

I Come To Request Information For The Purpose Of Collection And Archival Of Slendlr And Adjacent. Would You Be So Kind As To Help Me Upon my Quest of Knowledge?

If So, Please Answer The Following Questions Below.

If You Do not Have An Answer to Questions Or Wish Not To Answer Some, Feel Free To Skip them. Some Questions May not Be Applicable To All Characters.

Additionally, All Questions Are Strictly For The Slendlr Character(S) Listed Here: Flirtatious

And May be Answered In Character Or By The Blog Moderator(S) Out Of Character And Are Not Asking For This Information Of The Moderator Themselves.

Questions

Character's Name/Aliases:

Nicknames (If Any, And By Who If Specific.):

Gender And Pronouns:

Orientation (If applicable.):

Are They A Slenderman (Regardless Of Gender), Slenderfolk, Slenderbeing Or Adjacent/Other/NA:

Status (Alive, Undead, A clone, Etc.):

Relationships (Romantic or Queerplatonic If Applicable):

Familial Relationships: (If Applicable):

Additional Relationships, Please Specify (Ex. Friends, Allies, Enemies):

Are They 'Related To/Based On' Any Specific Animal/Creature/Plant/Etc (Real Or Fantasy If Applicable):

The Character's Gimmick Beyond Being A Slender (If Applicable):

Is The Character And Adjacent Blog A Lore Heavy Blog:

Any Fun Facts You Think Are Important To Note:

Is There An Image/Drawing You Are Ok with The Archivist Using As A Visual Reference Of the Character Alongside The Written Archived Information Provided?

Final Question. If You Are Not Having A Good Day, The Archivist Hopes It Will Get Better.

Thank You For Your Time And For Answering What Questions You Felt Comfortable Providing Answers For. Have A Good Day.

,Sincerely The Archivist.

Are you wanting that [redacted] for both of us? 'Cause no way in hell I'm giving that to ya.

Good question. Which one of us is this directed to...?