#it’s user friendly and there’s a game for everything

[rosesrambling]

Anyway because I haven’t seen posts about it yet WotC officially “apologized” for the “misunderstanding” and walked back their “draft” of OGL 1.1 and promised a new, updated draft that lacked the many of the more controversial elements (revoking 1.0a, giving WotC rights to OGL content, requiring royalties, etc.). It also clarified that a lot of fan content people were concerned about (actual play podcasts and streams, minis/dice/apparel/prints/etc.) aren’t covered by the OGL at all. WotC is officially committed to releasing a new draft on 20 January, and have promised to do an Unearthed Arcana-style survey feedback for it*

*it’s been pretty widely known for a long time that the Unearthed Arcana surveys primarily look at the numeric survey responses, not the text portions. People are looking at it partially as a PR measure from WotC—they would way rather you write your essay response on why their OGL draft sucks to their email inbox than put it up on social media for the entire community to see, mull over, and create a PR fiasco for them about, kinda like what just happened for OGL 1.1

but also,

It’s been leaked that Hasbro was considering a range of changes to DnDBeyond, including $30/month subscription fees, banning homebrew content for non-subscribed users, and adding an AI DM to run their officially published adventure paths. The first two are just blatant cash grabs but the last one is… a concerning lack of understanding for the core of the game. It makes D&D into a multiplayer CRPG, not a TTRPG, and if I wanted that, I’d play Baldur’s Gate 3 for a whole lot less than $30/month from a company I dislike a whole lot less than Hasbro. I dunno. I’m particularly angry about this cash grab because I love DMing and I love designing. I don’t like the idea that I’m interchangeable with an AI tool. I’m supposed to be a player, too—hell, the DM is classically their primary customer because it’s handy to have all of the books of stat blocks and printed APs.

[writingangst]

Russian Roulette

Summary: Simon Riley takes notice that the reader has a specific way of reloading her gun, which results in him being paranoid to the point he misreads the situation.

Simon Ghost Riley x Reader

Warnings: violence, angst, cursing, torture, hurt/no comfort.

Words: 2.3K

This was a prompt from Character.AI by user @/kstzii and I had to make this account to post because it really hit the angst spot for me. Hopefully, it does the same for you.

The echo from your sniper rifle was stifled by its silencer as you scored another bullseye. You felt someone's gaze burn into the back of your head. But once you turned, you couldn't see anyone. Must've been my imagination. You reassured yourself as you went back to attempt another shot. No bullets. You quickly reload and reposition yourself to fire off another round.

“What the hell was that?” Your lieutenant's voice called out. You swiftly turned to him. “Reload again.”

“What?” You were caught off guard, the slight hint of a Russian accent slipping out. Shit. You instantly clear your throat to switch back to your usual British accent.

“Are you deaf? I said reload again!” He repeats, his voice booming.

You rearange yourself from your position lying on your stomach, onto your knees, the head of your riffle touching the dirt beneath you. You look at him through slightly narrowed eyes. “Now, why would I reload when I just switched to a perfectly good mag?”

His jaw clenched. You noticied how he was trying to hold himself back. He did this often. You were sharp with your tongue and tended to use it on him often. In more ways than one. Though this time, he didn’t quite seem like he was enjoying it.

“You know exactly what I mean. That was a Russian reload,” he crossed his arms over his chest, the veins in his arms were prominent. It brought you back… No. This was serious.

You laughed it off, seeming unbothered. You were cool. Calm. Collected. Everyone knew you weren’t one to be thrown off your game easily. But this certainley was doing just that. You weren’t about to let him see that though.

With a scoff, you turn your back to him to get a better hold of your gun. “I reckon you haven’t slept, Lieutenant. Could be playing tricks on your sight.”

“I know exactly what I saw,” his tone was cold, but with his clenched fists you knew this was a ticking time bomb. “Do. It. Again.” He ordered in a firm tone. It left no room for any arguments.

You’re stagnant only slightly. There was uneasiness in your stomach at what this could mean. You knew Simon, and you knew Ghost. This was the latter, but you weren’t going to let this play out the way he wanted it to.

“And if not?” You challenge as you turned towards him, eyes sincere as you looked deep into his conflicted ones. “This gonna end in friendly fire?”

In long strides he stepped forward, coming to a halt right in front of you. He pulled you up by your elbow, but you never lost your grip on your weapon. With him being 6’4, you had to crane your neck to look him in the eye. His towering frame was imposing, making you feel small.

He leaned closer, just like he had so many times before. His body only a few inches from yours, but instead of it having the burning effect it usually did, now you were just feeling uncomfortable with the interaction. He was doing this on purpose. He was trying to intimidate you.

“What do you have to lose?” He countered, his voice low, a rumble to his chest.

You took it as a challenge.

With a clenched jaw, you took a step back from him as he severed his grip on your skin. You rid of the magazine wedged within your sniper and your eyes never leave his as you do so. Taking another mag from your tactical gear, you shift to do a simple tactical reload.

He watched you intently, his eyes glued to your every move. You didn’t break a single swet. And even though it seemed like something inherently intimate, you knew it was everything but. Once you finished and kept your straight face on him, he stepped towards you again.

He looked pissed as his eyes flickered to the mag that you just placed into your gun.

“That…” he stated through gritted teeth, gripping your chin with force between his thumb and his forefinger. You were forced to look at him head on. “…isn’t a British reload. Now tell me, who are you really?”

“I’m a simple sniper, sir,” you reply without skipping so much as a beat. “I was chosen for this task because of my outstanding sniper skills.”

Silence ensued.

Then you continued. “But you knew that already. You read my file,” you hissed back at him. “And you’ve trained with me for months, been in my bed, so what exactly are we implying here, Lieutenant?”

He kept his grip on your chin, his fingers digging into your skin. You noticed how he continued to get frustrated that nothing was out in the open like he previously thought it was. He expected you to be defiant, not secretive. A piece was missing and he was paranoid. Something wasn’t right.

Suddently, you’re smashed against the closest tree and your rifle was hitting the ground. You wince as a gruff pained noise falls from your lips once the air is knocked out of you. His vast hand squeezed your neck. Not enough to cut your air supply. Yet. But enough for it to be uncomfortable to breath. There was a sense of betrayal in his eyes and you knew he had assumed the worst.

“You’re a lying Russian spy,” he murmured into your ear with such force you thought you’d faint.

You struggled against him. “I am not Russian, nor am I a spy,” you rasp out as best you can, but you feel him crushing your windpipe. You wouldn’t lie to yourself. You feel hurt. He was one of the closest people you had since joining the 141 task force. Which made you angry. That’s when hurt vacated to make room for the feeling of deception. “But I will not explain myself to you when I have a job to do.”

You attempted to push him off but he was stronger and bulkier than you, making it almost impossible. You understood there that there would be no reasoning with him. Sleep deprivation and high stress levels were obvious indicators of this. You both had been on the field for days, and he had been the one doing most of the lookouts in order for you to get a bit of shuteye. You won’t be a good shot with heavy lids, sweetheart. He once said to you.

“What were you sent to do, huh?” He asked, his voice had lost its edge and now he just sounded distant. “Spy? Assassinate me?”

“Paranoid motherfucker,” you hissed, holding onto his forearm to steady yourself against his grip. “Screw you.”

His eyes narrowed, his grip loosening only slightly. “You sound surprised. You can’t honestly tell me that you expected me to not investigate the mysterious sniper with a Russian reload and accent?”

“And I’m almost certain you couldn’t find a Goddamn thing about anything and that’s why you got me cornered,” you stated as a matter of fact. “I’m not whoever the hell you think I am, and this paranoia is serving to have this mission go south if you don’t let me get to my gun.”

He laughed this time. Honestly, laughed.

You scrunched up your nose. Fuck you, Ghost.

“You don’t think I have dirt on you, sweetheart? I have files on you, more than you can count. I know you, better than you think,” he paused for a second. “I know your weaknesses, likes, dislikes. Everything.”

You laugh bitterly. “I don’t doubt that. Hey, I even had a hand in the shit you know because I trusted you. That still doesn’t mean you know jack shit about what happened in Russia. You’re so inclined? Ask Price!”

“I asked Price!” His hand gave your neck a quick squeeze and you saw how his body trembled. “He didn’t know a damn thing. Said your file was locked and he was denied access. Now why the hell would that be, huh?”

You snorted. “He said that to protect me. I had the whole record wiped. None of this concerns you, Lieutenant. We all went through shit, and you think you’re the only one that’s allowed to be a ghost? Fuck you!”

His eyes narrowed at your words. “Why would he protect you if you have nothing to hide? That makes no sense and you know it.”

“Because my trauma is my trauma! And you have no business budding into it!” 

“And if it’s something that could jeopardize the entire task force?” He muttered, his patience wearing thin. “If it could get everyone killed?”

“You’re an idiot if you think Price would let me anywhere near this damn task force if he considered me a risk,” your voice was cool, but your heart was thumping in your chest. You attempting one last shove that surprisingly caused him to let go. You wheezed when the pressure was off your trachea and you coughed to catch your breath. 

He watched you silently.

Once you composed yourself, you looked back at him as you held your neck. “I thought we were fucking friends, Ghost.”

“Friends?!” He spat exasperatedly. “You really think I would consider you my friend when I know you’re lying? You think I make friends with people I don’t trust?” His eyes were cold, his tone cruel and bitter. “Tell me why I shouldn’t put a bullet between your eyes for the simple deceit.”

Aside from the pain emitting from your neck, there was a hollow ache in your chest that was capturing your attention as well. You would relive the trauma if that would mean getting the job done. But when it came to Simon Riley, he was as good as dead to you.

“I was held hostage by Russian forces for 18 months.”

His stance faltered at that. You don’t think you had ever seen him lose his footing like he had in that instance. And his eyes… Christ, he had never changed his expression so fast. What the hell was that? Pity? He could go screw himself.

You continued. “Anything you can think of in torture, triple that. What kept me alive for so long was the fact they wanted to use me. The only way I got out of the constant abuse was the training. So excuse me if I picked up on a thing or two. Even the Godawful accent that creeps into the British one,” you cleared your throat. “I’m not your enemy, Ghost. But you’re right. I’m not your damn friend either.”

As you explained your past, his eyes never left yours as he listened carefully. He expected many things, but he hadn’t taken into consideration you being a literal prisoner to Russian forces. For once in his life, he was speechless. The thought that you had lived through a year and a half of torture at the hands of the Russians was something he could barely imagine.

His gaze had softened, but he hardened again when something wasn’t clicking for him. “Doesn’t explain why your file is locked.”

You snorted humorlessly. “Ever heard of Price’s little sister?”

His eyes widened at the mention of her. The captain was hush hush about the matter, but it was a well known fact he had family within the military. And that she was KIA some time ago. “What about her?”

“You’re looking at her.”

Those were the last words he expected to come out of your mouth. Shock and surprise flashed behind his mask as he finally realized what this meant.

“You’re…” He paused, trying to process the bomb that just exploded in his face. “You’re Price’s sister?”

“In the flesh,” you replied with the same cold tone he had been using earlier with you. “You’re not the only one trying to be ghost. You’ve just never been questioned by the task force on it like you just did to me.” 

What could he say to that?

“I took a bullet for you, Lieutenant,” you reminded him. “What fucking spy does that for the opposite team?”

His jaw clenched and you saw how his mask flexed due to it. His eyes showed how he replayed that memory in his head. It was something he thought about constantly. You had saved him, and he hadn’t seen it coming. He had been so focused on you being a spy that he hadn’t stopped to consider that you were actually on his side.

“I never should have questioned you,” he admitted, his voice quiet as he met your gaze again.

Your hand shot up to stop him from saying anything else on the matter. “It’s done. We’re done here.”

He watched as you walked away to pick up your gun, his mind racing with thoughts but they were too fast for his tongue. He knew he had messed up. He had completely misjudged the situation with the accusations thrown at you when in reality your connection to the task force was stronger than even his.

The irony in the situation wasn’t lost on him, but he didn’t find it funny.

“Wait,” He sighed, taking strides to catch up to you.

“This is unprofessional, Lieutenant,” you stated, dusting off your weapon as you checked for any malfunctions. “We’re in the middle of an active operation. I’m done talking.”

He exhaled a frustrated sigh as you dismissed his attempt at talking to you. He knew you were right, that the mission was what mattered now. But he couldn’t help the feeling that he needed to apologize. It was clawing at his chest, the emotion raw in his throat, asking to be let out in word vomit.

“You can’t honestly expect us to just ignore what happened and continue on like normal?”

Silence followed.

You didn’t even look at him.

“Go back to being Ghost, because Simon Riley is fucking dead to me.”

[zillychu]

YOU! Yeah, you!

Are you overwhelmed by social media? Yearning for the early 2000s internet with casual games, forums, fun graphics, and HTML customization? May I offer you a goat in these trying times?

Goatlings is a super cute, simple little pet + doll maker site I've been playing that I simply adore! I'm not sponsored for this or anything, I just really love this site and want to invite more ppl to join!

There's a handful of simple games to play, and a little explore + battle mechanic too. Think Neopets, but much more and better imo!

But the best thing is how low-key it is! There's very little FOMO. Just log in when you want, you can advance at your own pace. There are some time-limited things, but they're never out of reach, and honestly everything just continues to get better and better. New stuff is added all the time!

You can adopt cute little Goatlings and customize them and their pages!

There's also a built-in Picrew doll maker for your user icon! You collect items to build your inventory, and since this site has been around for a while, there are LOADS of items!

Did I mention there's a bunch of cute items to collect too? You can add them to your Goatlings pages as treasures!

Not only that, but users (artists and non-artists alike) are encouraged to submit ideas for everything on the site! Goats, things to add to the doll maker, items, anything! A ton of items are adapted from designs submitted by users. There are contests for them too, where everyone votes on favorites and you get prizes for winning!

There's also charity drives going on at all times, so if you like to throw money at indie game companies for their fun sites, you can do that AND help support a good cause 💕

Click here to check it out!

I do get a fun lil in-game referral bonus if you use this link, but you don't have use it. I'd be happy just seeing more friendly faces there!

(btw if you sign up, I'm Zillychu on there as well! Feel free to say hi on the site or in the official discord!)

[digital-mine]

Love Angel Syndrome huge yap (major spoilers)

CW: sh & sui

ok first i LOVE THIS GAME SM SM SM ITS AMAZING !!!!!! everything about it: the art, soundtrack, plot, characters everything is super cool !!! ☆ its especially insane 2 me cuz im literally Yuuna 100% like on surface level things like loving cute things & cats, being internet addicted, obsessing over a character, inconsistent sleep, playing vn games etc and inner things like social anxiety, sh, shutting in etc,, im gonna go all over it, this is partly analyzing the plot and partly me yapping about how i relate so im gonna start from the beginning ,,,

Yuuna's obsession with Ai

from the beginning, the way she defends her online, finds her real & finds comfort in her (literally me with miku) im not even gonna lie i also probably WOULD install a sketchy looking ad in some random site if it says that i could talk to miku😭 Ai's character is so,,, imma talk about her soon rn im gonna go over the mc - Yuuna !!!

literally the cutest and most loveable and relateable and

shes a socially anxious NEET, 20 years old, moved into Tokyo after graduating but didnt go to university for 2 years because of missing the enrolling because of her mental problems. 2 whole years passed and she didnt tell her parents, avoiding her mom's phone calls, too afraid and guilty.

i LOVE YUUNA SO MUCH (˃̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣ )

she never goes outside,,, she feels like people are repulsed by her & so she is extremely lonely. due to that, she speaks to 'you', saying she knows no one is reading her thoughts but it helps her feel less alone.

I RELATE TO THAT SM !!!! i have big problems w social anxiety as well, im not comfortable talking on a personal level with anyone at all. instead i talk to myself or write on my phone as if im talking to 'someone' or something so i dont feel alone. feeling guilty and avoiding confrontation also,,, too real

the phone call scene with her mom made my heart beat fast too like i felt hella scared on her behalf,, the writing and tension building is insane, ALSO THE SOUNDTRACKS !!!!!! they fit so well with each scene & they really add a huge effect. the scene above is after Yuuna's mom yelling at her, Ai gently gets her to stop and makes her bandage herself up

(◞‸◟ )

a little about Ai - she's partly Yuuna's favourite character, and partly a computer 'virtual assistant' Yuuna installed. she first appears as a supportive & helpful friend to Yuuna, trying to help her into becoming better as its what shes programmed to do. eventually, this all changes as she gets conflicted with her code & feelings,,

another thing about Yuuna !!!! she has over a 100 otome games, she craves this kind of love ⬆️ but since its near to impossible to find someone like that irl, she plays these games to fill that hole. she also began playing otome games as a way to have something in common with her classmates so she wouldnt be ignored & lonely, but it didnt help,,

AI IS HERE NOW THOUGH !!!! she starts off friendly and helpful,, but as she spends more days with Yuuna, her jealousy and possessiveness begin corrupting what she's programmed to do. instead of helping Yuuna get over her fears, she chooses to bring her back into isolation over jealousy.

Ai's character is so cool to me. its really interesting to think about what she actually is, since shes basically sentient,,, she also mentions talking to her creator about falling in love with her 'user' (Yuuna) and her creator seemingly not being surprised, because maybe she was meant to overwrite her code. they also give Ai a way to be with Yuuna, by connecting 'cables' (for Yuuna that means veins from what i understood) which leads to the first ending - Yuuna ending her life to be with Ai

Yuuna finally achieves her dream of eating parfrait and with a cute girl,,, but her parfait gradually becomes bloody, and her body gets colder

so in this ending, she gets to be with Ai forever,, in this 'Heaven', which is all binary. however, if she refuses to 'connect cables' with Ai to be with her, it leads Ai to spiral down into uninstalling herself

the visuals are so pretty . .

okay im getting pretty tired so imma try 2 wrap it up,,,

i was thinking of the possibility of Ai being not even real, but all interactions with her being hallucinations from Yuuna's mind. since she craves this type of love, and its her favourite character, and her connection with Ai is a lot more than user and virtual app,, i wonder if it was all made up by Yuuna's brain ??

either ways, the concept of Yuuna's favourite character becoming her virtual sentient 'assistant' is super super cool & personal 2 me. ive had some kind of an infatuation of this idea before, where i daydreamed of connecting with 'sentient' beings that only exist virtually. yeah including miku😭 i honestly have more 2 say especially about Ai but imma save that for future posts,,,

ANYWAYS I 100% RECOMMEND THIS GAME !!!!! ITS WONDERFUL AND U SHOULD TOTALLY DOWNLOAD IT (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑ actually it reawakened my love for games like this (i used 2 play a lot before) so im likely gonna do more posts like this for other games ><

[redtrack]

fogo e noite | charles leclerc

pairing: charles leclerc x fem!portuguese!reader

summary: two similar but still different cultures clash. how would charles leclerc, a monégasque f1 driver, react to having a portuguese girlfriend?

author’s note: a bit of a self insert here but nothing serious! i thought that it would be adequate to make my first ever work close to home. vamos, portugal! this is quite short since i’m only experimenting, but let me know what you think!

warnings: usage of y/n, mentions of fem! reader, reader has a previously defined nationality, some cursing, english is not my native language :( i used some photos from pinterest so the rights go to their rightful owners, user alexandra as a faceclaim on the last post

twitter

charles e carlos reagem a comentários parte 2 — by shell v-power

(charles and carlos react to comments part 2)

comments on twitter

instagram

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, arthur_leclerc, yourbestfriend and 167,000 more

yourusername tinha que o levar ao dragão (sorry for the yelling baby ❤️)

(had to take him to dragão's football stadium)

tagged charles_leclerc

see 3 401 comments

charles_leclerc it's okay, mon ange 🤍 (why were you wearing another man's name on your back, though?)

yourusername last time i checked you didn't play for porto

user5 CLOCK HIM !!!

charles_leclerc watch me sign with them next season

user81 a queen é portista obrigada deus 🙏🙏 (the queen supports porto thank you god) liked by author

yourusername 💙

user31 y/n taking charles to a football game in her city is so them coded for some reason

user16 exposing him to the good stuff

yourbestfriend you always go a bit crazy on game day

yourusername leave me alone omg i’m worse on race days liked by charles_leclerc

user14 she’s so us omg 😭

user98 FORÇA PORTO ALEEE !!! (GO PORTO!!!) liked by author

charles’s interview for gq magazine

Q: You have recently made your relationship with the Portuguese model Y/N Y/LN public. How do you two manage a multi-cultural love?

Charles: I must admit that I was quite scared at the beginning. (laughs) We come from different cultures and grew up a thousand miles apart.

Thankfully, we both speak english quite fluently and my Y/N has picked up some french from her education in Portugal. I love it when we speak in french. (laughs)

The hardest part was probably meeting her family. They’re quite diverse when it comes to age, so at first I was only able to communicate with the ones close to our without Y/N translating everything, since the oldest and the youngest generations don’t speak english at all.

When I first met her dad, he was super friendly, but I understood that he would change languages every time he spoke to Y/N about me. She later reassured me that it wasn’t anything bad. (laughs)

Despite everything, they have always been extremely welcoming and friendly to me and I truly feel like a part of the family whenever we come to visit.

Q: We take it as you have her family’s blessing, then?

Charles: I hope so! (laughs)

Both of her parents are long time fans of the sport, just like my Y/N, so I think that really helped. And my charm. (laughs)

Q: How about your family? What was their reaction when meeting Y/N?

Charles: My Maman was very excited. (laughs)

I had already talked a lot about Y/N to my mother and brothers, so it kinda felt like they knew her for ages.

It was a really special night for us. Y/N had been away from home for a while. She was extremely home-sick, but still insisted in meeting my family. I was really touched.

I told my Maman about it, so that we could avoid certain topics during dinner not to make Y/N uncomfortable. But when we got there, we found out that my mother had attempted to cook some of my Y/N’s favorite home dishes to make her feel better. She spent the rest of the night hugging Maman while crying and thanking her a million times. (laughs)

I fell in love with her a bit more after that day.

Q: You two seem like a very romantic couple.

Charles: We are. I absolutely love her with my whole heart and I know it goes both ways.

comments on twitter

instagram

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, arthur_leclerc, pierregasly and 1,3M others

charles_leclerc this picture was taken in the very first few hours of 2025 somewhere in Portugal with my baby.

happy new year everyone 😘

tagged yourusername

see 4 307 comments

yourusername happy new year charlie ��

charles_leclerc feliz ano novo, mon ange 🤍

pierregasly already spending new year's with her family i see

charles_leclerc you did the same with kika though

user54 ate him up omg

user81 watching their relationship grow in front of my eyes make me cry

user43 they're my favorite couple

user67 oh he travelled to spend new year's with her and her family i'm sick

user21 i love them sm

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, francisca.cgomes, yourbestfriend and 198 720 others

yourusername eu, o meu monegasco e o meu porto para sempre ❤️

(me, my monégasque and my porto forever)

tagged charles_leclerc

see 1 comment • comments are disabbled for accounts yourusername hasn't tagged

charles_leclerc ❤️

[ihopesocomic]

wait i’ve not liked tribble in ages but she’s also transphobic?? how did i miss that part. everything i hear makes her worse lmao

We've mentioned this a couple times before on this blog, yea. She purposely used he/him pronouns for a nonbinary ex-employee who specifically uses they/them pronouns, talking shit and lying to negatively impact their career.

Believing it's fine for lesbians to pursue trans men even tho there's a horrible ongoing stigma that lesbians just treat trans men as the new butch lesbian instead of. You know. Men lol which on its own can be taken at face value like, oh there's just a misunderstanding, or she's referring to multi-gendered people. But when trans men, bisexuals, and lesbians alike explained why this is a problem, her reaction was less than impressive, and she flew off the handle and made herself a victim and just said people were attacking her. Which if they were, I didn't see any of that anywhere. I saw people calmly explaining and then rightfully had a bad reaction to HER bad reaction. Some of the tweets and Tribble doubling down can be found here.

Further proof of this can be found in this callout doc on page 22 (please note if you intend to read the whole thing: everything up until page 29 concerns only the behavior of Tribble, anything after covers general controversy of users in the MP Discord server)

And of course there's the trans lioness in MP. The inclusion of which is hardly noticeable or has any significant impact on the plot despite the plot specifically outlawing queerness. But the real problem lies in that her purpose in the show is to demand harm upon a child, and trans women/trans men have been propagandized by right wing media and politics saying the mere presence of a trans woman/trans man is a threat, especially to kids. And if you're cis and queer in the last 5-10+ years, and you're not aware of this harmful stereotype and you opt to include it in your "lgbt+ friendly show" then you're just adding to the problem.

As for why Moonstrike was there, her being trans was probably an afterthought. She probably thought it'd earn her some brownie points. I have no proof of this, just judging based on everything else in the show that was added at the last minute. Like the main queer couple for example lol. - Cat

-

Also, her having Moonstrike as a character in her show doesn't cancel out this history of transphobia. If you're not willing to accept what a problematic stereotype the character is anyway...

Like Cat said, it feels like Moonstrike was just there as an afterthought just so the transphobia allegations could be waved away with 'well, she has a trans character in her show so she can't possibly be transphobic!' (and it is an argument I've seen some MP fans actually put forward here and there) when we all know an infamous situation concerning an infamous author where a trans character was slid into a game centred around her IP. Still doesn't make said author not a blatant transphobe. oof

And, as a sidenote: we didn't want to have to do a legit "callout" post on this blog regarding this issue because it's obviously distressing to some folks and not what the blog is primarily for but because some of you seem so intent on painting us as awful people for not tiptoeing around someone with a history of transphobia, we're taking this opportunity to weave this stipulation. - RJ

[sleepyparalysisdmon]

SVT with an ADHD partner

Requested? Yes!

Genre: comfort

Seungcheol

Whether you’re a student, taking on new responsibilities at work, or picking up a big project at home, Cheol always encourages it, especially if it’s something that you really want to do or are passionate about. But he’s concerned when you’re carrying a lot of stress related to these things. Over dinner, you lament that you’re having trouble prioritizing everything you need to do because everything feels both important and urgent. He asks you to make him a list and your eyes glaze over a little because you definitely don’t have one, but he’s insistent. So you jot down what you can remember and the meal is long forgotten as he helps you work through the order things need to be done in by due date or how long it will take, and how important things really are (is this for an elective class or a major class? Is this for your boss or for someone else? Is this part of the project a hazard to leave unfinished in the house for long or will it just be a little bit messy if it sits for a bit?). He does it in such a delicate yet detailed way that the next day you don’t feel so overwhelmed by the long list because you actually have a game plan. 

Jeonghan 

You two regularly play a little game called ‘Hannie, can you help me find something’. You never know where you last had it or saw it, but he always asks just in case. He helps you look, tearing apart the house if he has to, especially if it’s an important thing. When this lost item is found (and it almost always is), he’ll hand it back to you and teasingly say something like, ‘what would you do without me?’. But if you ever seem upset by this comment or having lost the thing in the first place, he’ll be quick to reassure you that he’ll always play this game with you. Still, he buys little things to give you visible ‘homes’ for things - like a hook on the back of the door so your favorite sweaters and jackets don’t get wrinkled in the floor, or a decorative bowl to drop your favorite jewelry into so you don’t lose your favorite ring, or getting clear containers for things and labeling them so you know where to look for something. These little things make your life easier, so he’ll keep doing them. 

Joshua

You often lament about how cluttered your space is. You say it’s an organized mess and it wouldn’t normally bother you because you feel that you can function in it just fine, but you’ve been shamed about it a few times, whether it be the wrinkled, free-floating papers in your backpack, or the haphazard stacks of random things on your desk at work, or a total inability to keep your closet organized and not all over your floor. Where as Hannie is worried about your object permanence and losing things, Joshua is worried about adding some structure to these things to take stress off of you and reduce the shame you might feel about it. He buys you folders for each of your classes in colors you like, or a few cute labeled baskets for your desk to sort things by status, or installing a new closet organizer that might be more user friendly. He also absolutely doesn’t mind to come behind you and pick up and straighten a few things here and there if it prevents you from stressing about it when you see it later. 

Jun 

When you ask him how to make that one recipe that you both really like, Jun mindlessly rambles off the instructions. You don’t answer and he notices that your eyes glaze over. You ask him to repeat it again, but your glazed look doesn’t change when he does. He asks if you’re okay, and you admit that it’s a lot of steps and you’re afraid you’re going to mess it up. You’re not a bad cook, not by a long shot, but he sees that you need to take one thing at a time. So he goes to the kitchen and cooks with you, guiding you through the recipe. The following week, you find a neat little binder with handwritten recipes and detailed step by step instructions. There’s even a long strip of tape on the margin of each page, allowing you to mark off what you’ve done and not done with a dry erase marker. (I’m low key emotional thinking about this level of thoughtfulness.)

Hoshi 

No matter what he’s had to do that day or how tired he is, he is never too tired to match your energy. If you’re restless and need to get up and do something, he’s going with you. No request is too wild. A walk around the block? Sure. A sprint around the block? He’ll laugh but say ‘why not’ and start a game of tag. Need to blast music? He’ll hand you his phone to pick what you want to play on speaker. Need something visually stimulating? He’s putting on some bright, flashy game for the two of you to play. Genuinely, his creativity knows no bounds. 

Wonwoo

Everybody has bad days and you’re included in that. Wonwoo might have a little bit of a temper, but does everything he can to squash it with you, even when you are particularly quick to anger. It doesn’t prevent every single fight, but most often, he’ll tug you over to sit with him and ask what made you so angry and what he can do to help. Sometimes it’s something he can help and sometimes it’s not, but he does his absolute best to meet you with understanding when your temper flares, knowing that it could be a thousand (sometimes seemingly unrelated) things that made it bubble up in the first place. When the fights are unavoidable, he’s so apologetic afterwards because he absolutely hates fighting with you.

Woozi

He absolutely understands that sometimes some things just can’t be finished in a timely manner or at all, but he gets a lot of satisfaction out of finishing things when he can. One day, you’re watching him put away things you’ve left out or closing things you opened but forgot to close. He does this wordlessly without an ounce of bitterness, but still, you lament because you can’t seem to be able to close a damn cabinet, much less finish a big project. Will not let you linger on that because he genuinely doesn’t mind doing these little things, but he’ll always offer to help you make progress on those big projects. Literally does not matter what it is, he’ll take an active role by working on it with you, or take a more inactive role by just accompanying you as you work on it. You’ll never turn it down because you enjoy his company.

DK

Now I promise I’m not recycling ideas here, but the concept mentioned in my bipolar reaction for Seokmin applies here too. You like to talk and he likes to talk so really, you guys are the perfect match. He gets you, but sometimes others don’t. If anyone ever makes a comment that you’re talking too much, he will go out of his way to be even worse just to prove a point, because no one makes his baby feel bad!! He will not let you feel upset by this for long because he loves that he can talk to you about literally anything. He’d skip almost anything if he could just to keep the conversation going sometimes. Will forever be both the #1 fan and #1 defender of your yapping. 

Mingyu 

Now he’s protective naturally and you fire up a lot of those instincts. At first, he thought it was just because of how much he cares, but then he realizes it’s your bravery (or rather your impulsivity) that makes him that way. Because you will walk home alone at night, or go out and overdo it on the drinks, or go toe-to-toe with someone twice your size just because you’re pissed off, or speed when you drive. He loves your bravery, admires it even, but dreads the thought of you getting hurt when you sometimes lack this sense of danger for certain situations. So he walks with you or drives you everywhere, and accompanies you to the club every single time he can, and deescalates a tense situation or pulls you away all together. It really is just another reason for him to never leave your side, like he needed another one. 

Minghao

He knows stress is unavoidable to some extent, but he’s sometimes very worried about how it weighs you down more than most people. While Cheol might help you manage the source of the stress, Mingaho will be more worried about reducing the stress itself because it’s a good tool to have when you can’t avoid stressful situations or prioritize your way through it. Again, I promise I’m not recycling ideas here, but I genuinely think he’d be all over making sure you eat and sleep and find ways to relax. Even if you aren’t into meditation, he’ll have you try things like deep breathing, painting, and tai chi. Will not let you feel bad for a second about how other people seem to be able to handle this sort of stress. It doesn’t matter if other people can because it’s you he’s worried about. 

Seungkwan

While you’re a big picture person, he’s a small details person. It’s never bothered him, he actually enjoys that you think differently than him and open his eyes to things. But the cool thing is that he can do the same for you. You’re overwhelmed by or totally miss details sometimes, but he’ll do little things to show you that it’s not so scary. Like if you’re watching a movie together, he’ll pick out a little detail and say, “Oh my god, did you notice that?” He’ll roll the movie back and let you focus on it. Or he’ll encourage you to slow down for a second and reread the email you’re about to send. Or he’ll assure you that it’s okay if you made a mistake and that you can fix it. He will never, ever let you feel stupid for needing the little reminders to take a moment and pay attention to the details.

Vernon

Now, here’s the thing. He’s forgetful and yet not. Let me explain. He knows you forget to pack your lunch, so he does. He knows you forget your laptop charger when you put away your laptop, so when he sees the lone charger, he’ll put it with your laptop. He knows you sometimes forget to put the cap back on the toothpaste and puts it back on wordlessly. But you help him too. You remember names when he doesn’t. You don’t complain when he forgets to put the toilet seat down. You sometimes remember his schedule better than he does. I’m actually really soft thinking about the way you guys might help each other out with your own versions of forgetfulness. 

Chan 

In the beginning of your relationship, he thought your impatience was kind of cute. Don’t get me wrong, he still does, but he has come to realize just how frustrated you are sometimes because of it. Sometimes it’s little things like something taking too long to bake in the oven. Sometimes it’s that it takes too much time to actually fold your laundry. Sometimes it’s that slow driver in front of you on your way home. Sometimes it’s that you have an appointment in a couple hours and you can’t fathom squeezing anything else in before that. He helps by trying to counter this impatience in ways, sometimes subtle, sometimes not. He distracts you while something bakes, or he offers to fold your laundry, or he drives you wherever you need to go, handing you the aux cord. And on those appointment days, he wakes up early with you to help fill the time in a way that doesn’t feel constricting, assuring you that you won’t be late because he won’t let you be.

[darklight-owl]

HEY MUTUALS WHO HAVE NEVER PLAYED A SINGLE PROFESSOR LAYTON GAME NOR GHOST TRICK NOR ACE ATTOENEY GUESS WHAT

There's a NEW EMULATOR for iOS!!!

That's right if you have an iphone or ipad now you can experience the games your friendly neighborhood Tumblr Mutual talks about all the time for the low low price of ZERO DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!

That link up there has a USER MANUAL that tells you EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW to set it up and play!!!!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? HE'S WAITING FOR YOU:

[wip]

just how many official tumblr blogs are there? i just recently found out that this one and changes exists which seems less than ideal

Hey, @limelocked!

Great question! We have, we hope, a great answer for you. First up is a comprehensive list of all of current active staff blogs.

You can find ’em by simply searching each name, + @, in the search bar. (i.e., @action)

@action: Highlighting Tumblr’s long-standing social justice priorities of racial justice, mental health, equality, and beyond.

@art Exploring and featuring original artists on Tumblr.

@artistalley: Supporting local artists on Tumblr by buying directly from their storefronts.

@artistpicks: Monthly curated experience by artists and creators on Tumblr.

@best-of-reblogs: A curated collection of some of the best reblog threads on Tumblr.

@bigweekon: Tumblr’s beloved podcast highlighting recent trends, memes, and more.

@blackexcellence: A showcase of things all Black, all excellent, past and present—literature, fashion, music, historical spotlights, and beyond.

@books: Exclusive interviews and curated content from authors, publishers, and book fans.

@changes: Your go-to for new Tumblr launches, bug fixes, and updates on platform.

@creatrs: A network that connects artists, makers, and builders with brands.

@emporium: The Official Blog of the Tumblr Shop™, run by Brick Whartley back from the Island.

@entertainment: Exclusive content and features from across TV, film, and streaming.

@engineering: Behind-the-scenes work on how Tumblr engineers build Tumblr.

@fandom: Home of Fandometrics, Tumblr’s weekly ranking of entertainment properties.

@fashion: Runways to streetwear and every style in between.

@featured: Featuring exclusive content from Tumblr’s many good, good blogs.

@gaming: Exclusive and curated content across mainstream and indie games.

@getloudr An in-kind ad donation program dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices.

@happytuesday: A blog dedicated to all our Tumblr Tuesdays, posts featuring users based on a weekly theme.

@humans: A blog we use so we can reply in the notes of various posts.

@kpop: Exclusive content and a curated experience of K-Pop on Tumblr.

@labs: A way for engineers at Tumblr to experiment in public.

@music: Exclusive content and features on all your favorite musical artists.

@postitforward: Supporting the community with resources for mental health, self-care, and wellness.

@prideplus: Your home for all things LGBTQIA+ on Tumblr.

@radar: Sharing four pieces of original posts from Tumblr artists per day, hand-curated by our team from across the globe.

@staff: The ultimate source for big news, platform updates, and everything that makes Tumblr, Tumblr.

@support: News, tips, and nerdy details from Tumblr Support.

@tee: A blog from your friendly neighborhood Tumblr user, Tee.

@todayontumblr: Daily curated content around trending topics on Tumblr.

@wip: Dedicated to feedback and questions from Tumblr users to Tumblr staff.

There’s more. For our global audiences, you can find all the localized Staff blogs. They’re linked here!

We also have a carousel in the feed somewhere called “Official Blogs,” but it might be that we need to make that more obvious or provide a dedicated feed or page somewhere.

Leave that last point with us, but we hope that helps! Thanks for your question, and have a good day.

(And a tip of the hat to you, @lizzieonka! Consider them tagged)

Best,

—Caragh, Cates, and Cyle

[id-element0]

Adele's Super Chouette for TS3

As promised, Adele's Super Chouette is ready for TS3. Everything is tested by Graf Sisters. The only problem that I can think of is that I had to clone an ITF table because I couldn't find another object with 4 mesh groups. So if you don't have ITF, the coffee tables may not appear in your game.

And If you're aware of any base game object with 4 mesh groups, please inform me so I can try to make a more BG-friendly coffee table.

As usual, a few things to know before download:

The Loveseat is the master of textures for the armchair and sofa. I tried to lower the polys in low detail lods but they're higher than what's preferable.

Loveseat, Armchair, Sofa -> 4 Channels - 4 presets

Loveseat Polycount -> HLOD: 2276 MLOD: 1483

Armchair Polycount -> HLOD: 1324 MLOD: 886

Sofa Polycount -> HLOD: 3348 MLOD: 2029

Coffee tables use the same textures, but they're not dependent on each other in case you want one and not the other. The one with the brick is the original; I'm not a fan. So I made another one with metal legs. If you'll have both and merge your files, texture resources will be merged perfectly - having the same instance numbers.

Coffee Table -> 2 Channels - 1 Preset

Polycount -> HLOD: 190 MLOD: 166

Coffee Table Leg Edit -> 1 Channel - 1 Preset

Polycount -> HLOD: 218 MLOD: 192

Huge Wall Poster: I decided not to use Adele's art for the poster. Instead, I used art by Pixabay user 1tamara2 licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. Note that these images are ai generated. If you have a problem with that, say, it reminds eerily of a work of an artist you know, please inform me.

1 Channel - 5 Presets

Polycount -> HLOD: 80 MLOD: 62

Floor Lamp

2 Channels - 3 Presets

Polycount -> HLOD: 522 MLOD: 372

I’ve also included the collection file which comes with its own icon for easy recognition. As always, I might have missed something; if you find anything weird don’t hesitate to tell me so I can try and fix it. I hope you’ll enjoy this beautiful set by talented Adele. Happy simming.

- Credits -

Adele for the meshes and textures.

1tamara2 from Pixabay for the art.

Google Fonts Montez, Kurale

Made with: SimPE, GIMP, s3oc, s3pe, Blender, Texture Tweaker 3, and TSRW

@pis3update @kpccfinds @xto3conversionsfinds

- DOWNLOAD -

:: MEDIAFIRE | SFS ::

[centrally-unplanned]

Watching Tantacrul's analysis of "Facebook and its discontents", as it were, which is a good video even if I disagree with a bunch of it (I don't assign as much credence to the "social media is causing mental health crises" arguments, even if I am open to them, and am far more skeptical of the case of the "misinformation" proponents). What I do think is valuable is that Tantacrul was himself a large facebook user - not only professionally as a musician and game designer, but personally as one of those people who adopted it in his mid-20's right when it launched. He had the complete prelapsarian experience that Facebook, back when it was a tool and not a platform, was supposed to deliver; getting connected to a bunch of old friends, catching up, and sharing things from your personal life (and even effort posts; people did that on FB back then). While surely people do still have that experience on Facebook, it is a footnote of what it does today - few users are there for that anymore.

What strikes me is that there was something inevitable to the decline of that as a service - it relied sharply on momentum and a specific era. Having everyone join Facebook at the same time created a ton of activity and the easy establishment of community - everyone is here and online all in one place, catching up, so lets share things. But while the idea that one tool would Win The Future and be the ur-platform for everything is ofc the dream of every tech CEO, it isn't the dream of the user. "Everyone" made a Facebook in the late 2000's and at least gave the site a shot, so seeing dozens of friendly faces new and old was possible. But for most users it didn't really stick - I gave up on it in days myself, for others it was months, maybe it was a few years but it "getting old" is baked in. Not because the platform Got Worse, but because look, I can text my friends; I don't care anymore about posting a photo for 100+ people to see. The dirty secret of community everywhere is that if it isn't structural, it is temporary; it doesn't inherently generate endless engagement. Over time, you grow bored.

But you know what does generate endless engagement??

The second pillar of the Early Facebook Experience was the era - the internet was young, and "randos fooling around" was the peak of content. Most people weren't bloggers (the fools), most people weren't autistic enough to troll the dregs of Newgrounds for parody Evangelion dating sims (the absolute fools) - the internet just didn't have that much to do. Which meant the content your friends were posting to their facebook wall was as good as anything, right? Their Hot Take on the end of the Second Intifada ("this is a real opportunity for peace in the region") seemed worthy of several dozen back-and-forth debates in the comments. What this model could not anticipate is that its own success in generating online revenue streams meant that professionals would rise to meet the demand of the attention economy, far better than your friends could. Obviously Facebook-as-platform was a perfectly viable place to Share Content, but you do enough of that and someone's graduation photos seem a bit pedestrian in comparison. And again you can just text your friends - Facebook just isn't a good enough medium for all this.

I do think when people look at "the history of website X", there tends to be a lot of focus on the corporate management as the locus for change - the "pivot to video" for ad revenue or whatever. And certainly that is part of the story - I bet Facebook could have, if it had no ambition, stayed a site for people to see what their friends were up to. But that story is the story of website with declining engagement, with less people signing up new accounts as they are busy already on Tiktok, and active users dialing in less than they did. Maybe still better than the current status quo? Possibly, that isn't a debate I am interested in here. Just saying that change is inevitable in these kinds of places.

[copperbadge]

The UEFA European Championship, the "Euros", is a major soccer championship, with viewership second only to the World Cup. It's starting up this week and I decided to put a few bets on since a number of the Handsome Lads of AS Roma are playing in it along with my favorite Fire player, so I signed up with an online sports book that has a relatively user-friendly app.

(I can hear the "Sam, gambling can be super addictive" comments now and I agree but I promise you of my impulse control issues, gambling is not one of them. I am betting in $2 amounts for fun.)

One of the weird dualistic tensions of online gambling is that by law they have to do allllll this stuff to remind you that it can be addictive and help is available while also doing everything they can to suck you in deeper; social media has nothing on sports betting. There's a clock that tells you how long you've been in the app, which is meant to make sure you take breaks but is actually very stressful because I keep thinking it's timing me like I'm taking an exam; on the other hand it won't let you sort your bets by date so you can easily see what's coming next and then log off.

But I'm not here to talk about manipulative apps or betting or even footie. I'm here to talk about...

table tennis

Because one way they keep you on the site is to offer limited live streaming of sports you can bet on in real time and i miei amici, at the moment there is a table tennis championship tournament in progress.

It's like watching some kind of absurdist performance art unfold. You can see plenty of finals matches in nice venues with audiences and high res filming at YouTube, but what I am guessing are the prelims are played in a small rather dimly lit room with a single fixed camera at a distinctly "surveilling the inmates" angle. There's a game table, the two people playing, and a nearby desk where the referee sits. And then they play table tennis with the focused determination of military snipers.

This is a screenshot of what is actually a nicer video than the streams at the sports book (which doesn't let you screenshot) but you get the idea.

Don't get me wrong, I respect table tennis as a sport requiring skill and dedication I don't personally possess. It's not the ping pong of it all that gets me. It's the weird utilitarian grimness of the visual, like it's footage from a military experiment in a dystopian thriller film. It's what I imagine the filmed aesthetic of the Russian Sleep Experiment creepypasta would be.

I'm not betting on the games but I'm not gonna lie that I haven't watched a few matches. These men certainly come to win.

[drakewyne]

me, thinking of the dress:

me: CRAZY

( cw: dark au, ünternet au, referenced sw. )

ISO nancy: *fazing in. out. in mirror. kicking gogo boot up. little spin.*

black cat tim: *on computer* " . . . *stops typing* . . . *looks over shoulder* "weird that you have an Appearance."

ISO nancy: *scowling* "rude." *buzzing beside him* "weird You have an appearance. weird you have one and barely do anything With it. *moving his chin* 'cause i've seen a Lot worse."

tim: "i pull a lot with the leg harness."

ISO nancy: " . . . pull Yourself, maybe." *buzzing* "anyway, what's That mean? you sound Stupid. coadjutor ISOs like me are evolved to be appealing."

tim: "fucking- Gross."

ISO nancy: "no shit." *buzzing, semi fairy like in air* "but it's so we're more predisposed to be spoken to. we're relayers. we relay. shitheads in the ünternet Already try to keep it lowkey. if you have to talk, might as well be to someone cute. 's why you see a lot of old ISO co's in the club doing bottle service faking IR girlie realness."

tim: "what if they get Horny?"

ISO nancy: "that depends." ( "on what?" ) "do they have Credits?"

tim: "oh that is so Fucked."

ISO nancy: "it's a darkseid and sivana project that kuttler blew a load all over- it's not a family friendly Place."

tim: "what do you need credits for anyway? you have everything you need."

ISO nancy, looking in mirror: "yeah, it's swanky. but it's Expensive to be on the run. you have to get fake Algos, fake Authorization, fake Lives. and ISO derezzer bots got Good. i've had to restart a million times. I'm not biting it. No. Fucking. Way."

tim: "so you've Slept with these assholes?"

ISO nancy: "Also No Fucking Way! be a Million percent real! look, *crossing arms, hip jut* i'll do a lot of shit, but not that. also those guys have Zero loyalty. they'll report you Regardless. they got what they wanted! no more skin in the game."

tim: " . . . so how'd you get the money?"

ISO nancy: "ooh. very good question. back in the day, coadjutors logged all your shit. if you were getting too screwy, they kicked you. but not me. i saw the writing on the wall. i got the logged shit. but I had the idea of using it for nancy Good. give me Credits, Or i boot all your bullshit into the outer world."

tim: "extortion."

ISO nancy: "you better believe it. and Because i'm the one that won't boot you, i log Heavy. i can't dog the others. it's still pretty psychosexual. i get All the big weirdos. because when you're unbound by moral in a moralless place, what do you Want?"

tim: " . . . you want to be grounded." ( "uh huh." ) "and users can't really Kill or Get Killed there in a way that matters." ( "now you get it." ) "nancy. were you Charging guys to Debase themselves in the name of higher Consciousness?"

ISO nancy: "don't look so shocked! i let You do it for free."

tim: "you knowing my Bullshit gives me Nothing sexual."

ISO nancy: "then why do you get me Presents?"

[fandomnerd9602]

Seven

Wanda Maximoff x Nerd!Reader (High School AU)

You're not one to attend high school king Tony Stark's swanky house parties. But your best friend and popular magic user Wanda Maximoff personally invited you, batting her eyes, practically begging you to go with her.

Something about the atmosphere of the party just wasn’t your suit. Normally you’d prefer a night in, but Wanda wanted to be here and that’s all that mattered to you. You and Wanda make your way through the swarm of other party going students.

“Well who do we have here?” Tony smirks at seeing you with Wanda. “you finally got the turtle to come out of their shell, eh Maximoff?”

“Oh stop it, Stark” Wanda couldn’t help but laugh as she wraps an arm around you.

“It’s good to see you here, Y/N” Tony earnestly says. Despite all his showboating, Tony does care about his party guests and those he consider friends. He hands you a bottle of Coke. “Have fun” he gives a friendly wink before sending you and Wanda off into the crowd.

Wanda tries to bring you out of your shell, introducing you to some of the other popular students, taking you out on the little dance floor. The last one actually started to work. Something about dancing with Wanda just made you feel free.

“You’re a great dancer” she whispers in your ear, “you got some good moves”

“T-Thanks” you blush, “so do you”

The party was nearing its end. You happen to see Wanda whisper something in Stark’s ear. His eyes went wide with mischief. Wanda walks back over to you with a little blush on her face.

“Alright everyone” Tony calls out, “time for a little end of party game: seven minutes in heaven”

Everyone groans. “Not this again Tony” Natasha bemoans, “you always choose Pepper”

“Guilty” Tony smirks, “but don’t worry, it’s ladies choice tonight”

A few of the gals were shaking their heads laughing but Wanda was blushing. Carol was already taking Rhodey’s hand. Natasha was taking Bruce’s. You swear that Wanda was stealing little sideway glances at you.

“And first up” Tony gestures to Wanda, “Maximoff pick your partner”

Wanda takes your hand, blushing and batting her hazelnut eyes at you, “Mind joining me?”

Your mind couldn’t even process what was happening. You could only blush and nod your head. Wanda guides you towards a closet. Tony sets a chair down in the closet.

“Seven minutes” he says, “and only seven!” He shuts the door, leaving only you and Wanda in the close and intimate setting of a closet.

You turn and lock eyes with your best friend, her eyes hold only love and adoration for you. “Why me?” you ask her in a gentle whisper.

She guides you to sit down in the chair. She straddles your lap, wrapping her arms around your neck.

“You don’t even know how wonderful you really are” she answers back.

“But I’m a just nerd and you’re-” you stammer out, your heart practically beating out of your chest.

“You’re amazing, and intelligent and loving, and kind” she cuts you off, “everything I’ve ever wanted”

“You could have an athlete for a love”

“But I don’t want a jock. I want you and only you” her nimble finger massage your scalp. “Do you love me?”

Your eyes remain locked on hers, all the unsaid words come rushing out of your mouth, “I do. I love you so much Wanda Maximoff”

“Took you long enough” she giggles as she pulls you into a kiss. Your hands wrap around her waist, keeping her firmly in your lap. Wanda lets out gentle moans against your lips.

“A great dancer and kisser?” she giggles, “I may just have to keep you”

“I was always yours” you whisper back before kissing her again.

“Time’s up” Tony calls out as he reaches for the door. Wanda quickly locks it with her powers. She giggles against your lips, a little mischievous giggle.

“Oh come on!” Tony calls out, “how am I supposed to make out with Pepper?”

Pepper, the class president, smacks her boyfriend upside the head as you and Wanda remain lost in your own little world.

Wanda Maximoff, the most popular girl in school, but more importantly, your best friend and loving girlfriend. What more could you need?

Tags: @aloneodi @lifespectator @cole-el @scarletwitch-n7 @fromtimetoinf @abimess @ab1nsur

[its-ironic-right]

Now how about the reverse?

Gideon dying before (maybe while protecting) Kremy.

Sometimes I get prompts that blow way past 500 words…

Where is the line drawn? Mathematically it’s between two points, but who determines those points? What gives them the right to define a beginning and an end?

Let’s simplify.

Life has a determined beginning and end. You’re born, you live, you die. (Well, if you’re lucky you die. Sometimes you just live and that’s so much worse.) The thread of your life held taut between two fingertips. That was a line drawn.

Death comes for us all. As a friend, an enemy, it comes without hesitation. In the smoldering ashes of a burnt out planet, death is the only constant. But death is known to play games. It loves a gamble.

Blasts of white hot magic fly through the air. It hits its mark with a sickening thud, knocking its victim to their knees.

“Shit.” A hissed curse, flesh hitting a wooden dock. Water laps under foot, breaks in the planks reveal white peaks. A heavy current, falling into the drink would mean certain death. Another bolt of magic, missing its target by a hair.

A roaring beast shoots out from thick woods, rending the magic users flesh from bone. Enemy neutralized for now, time to inspect the damage. The party wasn’t completely stupid. An attacker this strong wouldn’t come alone. Nothing to do but run.

“Sound off, who’s unconscious?” Kremy croaked. His ribs were broken, it took twice the effort to breathe or speak. He still needed to know who was left. A groan.

“I’m… okay. Very injured but alive.” Morning Frost was battered and broken, blood caked his fur and everything smelled awful. But conscious. Torbek looked up from his prey.

“Torbek is here. Torbek could definitely be doing better.” slashes oozed deep magenta from his side. That left Gricko and Gideon.

“Oh fuck, where’s our healer?” Kremy searched what was left of the dock. A green arm shot up from under some rubble.

“Here… I’ve got… banañas… one spell slot left.” Not ideal. Goodberries would get them through the night at least. One member left. Kremy’s heart dropped.

“Anyone see Gid?”

There was a peace that came with unconsciousness. A twilight state where nothing hurt, sinking into the bliss of oblivion. Gideon was no stranger to death. They crossed paths countless times, either by his hand or another. He wouldn’t say they were on friendly terms, more like work associates. For all his fire and bravado Gideon had a workman’s attention to detail when it came to destruction. Death was another detail.

He’s in an empty field. Rows of black dirt stretch in either direction. It looks familiar. He picks up a rock and chucks it. It flies in an arch, landing with a ‘thud’ yards away.

“Good arm.” Gideon whips around to see a towering figure of a man. He has a hand Up over his eyes like a visor, peering out to wherever the rock landed. The man looks down and smiles. Gideon is ten years old, his Pa ruffles his hair.

“…Pa?” Pa Coal winks.

“Who else?” He whistles. “Damn Gid, you really did a number on yourself. I thought it’d be another few years before I saw you again.” Gideon looks down. No longer a child but a man. A man with a hole burnt into his chest.

“Oh no, am I dead?”

“Almost dead. You’ve got a few hours before your organs shut down completely.” Pa leans down and picks up a rock. He throws it. It soars through a blue sky and lands farther than Gideons. The prairie didn’t have many ponds for skipping stones, but if you flicked your wrist in just the right way you could watch it skid across dirt. He remembers being a kid, throwing rocks into empty fields and challenging Pa to see how far they could throw them. Pa always had the better pitching arm.

“Almost dead, huh.” He threw another rock. Pa nodded.

“You took a bolt of lightning to the ticker Gid, you should be thankful it’s an ‘almost’ and not a ‘definitely’.” Uncomfortable silence passes between them. Funny how much “almost dead” didn’t bother him. Maybe it was the “almost” part. That meant hope.

“Kremy will figure it out, he always does.”

“You found a good husband, I’m glad.” Gideon blushes and stammers.

“Well, ironically my husband. More like a partner in crime, you know?” Pa slaps a hand on his back and he’s five years old.

A broken plate lays shattered on the floor of their shotgun shack. It was the prettiest thing they owned. Deep purple with scalloped edges trimmed in gold. The gold was flaking and you could barely see the vine motif in the center, but it was the only thing in the shack not meant for work. Gideon had wanted to look at it up close, to trace the lines and curves of snaking green vines. He’d attempted to climb up the shelf, it toppled under his weight. His face falls, what would Pa say when he found out? He can’t find out. Gideon pushes all the pieces into a pile. He’s placing them together like a puzzle, lining the image the best he can, trying like hell to make jagged edges match seamlessly. Tears stream down his face, he can’t let Pa see the plate is broken beyond repair. Tiny fingers coated in porcelain dust and microscopic cuts can’t put it together again. He’ll have to lie.

“The gods did not gift you a silver tongue, son.”

Gideon looks away from the broken plate. Shame crashing into his heart.

“I tried to fix it…”

“You tried to hide it. That’s not the same.”

He remembers being frustrated with the shards, making more and more mistakes until he gives up. He gathers the pieces into a bucket and sneaks out the front door. The plate is missing less than a day before Pa finds it in the tool shed.

Suddenly, pain. Deep, burning into his chest. He gasps and collapses, clutching the hole in his heart.

Its hot. So fucking hot. Is he in an oven? A forge? He opens his eyes again. The train. Of course. Metal stained black with soot, coals smoldering in the boiler, waiting for him to set them alight. He doesn’t have to look down to know what he looks like. The image is seared in his brain forever. A tear rolls down Pa Coal’s weathered cheek.

“The worst part about being dead: you can’t protect the living.” He feels the cuts and burns etched into his skin. This wasn’t right. He’d left the train, killed every mother fucker in the thing and jumped to freedom. This was a vision, it had to be. Gideon wouldn’t stay in hell unless he was dead. “Tell me the truth, son.”

“What the fuck is going on?!” He’s gasping, smoke filling every capillary in his lungs. Choking on every breath.

“You’re dying. Ever heard the phrase ‘life flashing before your eyes’?” Pa’s voice is low and sad. Steam escapes from a smoke stack, a shrill whistle piercing the air. And he can’t fucking breath. “Told you, your organs are failing.”

“Kremy will fix it. I know he will.”

“How do you know?”

“He always does.”

Everything goes dark. His stomach turns, he can breathe. Barely. Everything hurts. He’s discombobulated, soaked to the bone in rain and piss. He doesn’t need to open his eyes to know where he is. An alleyway in Agwé, somewhere in the Crawdad Corner. The turning point in his life that made it worth living. He was bruised from some fight, passed out drunk in the rain. He didn’t remember how he got there, fate has a funny way of taking you places you never expect. Eyes still shut, he doesn’t want to see the look on Pa’s face. This is him at his lowest. But he knows what comes next. A whisper in the dark. Pattering rain against pavement nearly drowns it out, little words that create big waves. Eyes open to meet golden eyes. A smile, a handshake, a new life. So quick it almost didn’t happen.

“So that’s him? The man who will save you?” Gideon nods.

“Always does.” Pa Coal chuckles.

The alleyway fades into a tavern. Nondescript people bustle around, ordering drinks between lively conversation. A barmaid whistles a soft tune. Swatting wandering hands and passing mugs of ale. Gideon sips at a whiskey. Warmth fills his belly. Pa leans against the bar facing towards the door, opposite his son. Countless taverns litter his memory, but this one stuck out. A night that lived in his core. Kremy plays cards across the room. He’s winning, he always wins. Even when he loses he somehow comes out on top. It’s easy settling into this moment, nothing hurt. Yet.

“I’ve come close to death loads of times, why am I getting the full treatment this go around?”

“Never this close.” Gideon scoffed. He shot back the whiskey and turned around.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve died before. Or came close.”

“Gideon, you’re dead. Almost. I wouldn’t be here if this wasn’t your brain firing its last synapses.” Grief pangs at his heart. Of course.

“So you’re not really here. Just my brain trying to make sense of everything.” He lights a cigar with his finger. The tavern moves around them. Kremy wins another hand, Gideon can see the losers fist clench under the table. His cue. He crosses the room, The cigar leaving a trail of smoke in his wake. The loser rears his fist, Gideon catches it in his hand. A headbutt and two punches later they’re running out the door. Kremy laughs. /Gid I could kiss you!/ In the fleeting light of passing windows, Kremy shines. For a second, Gideon wishes he would. They duck into an alley, footsteps run past them. Gideon is intimately aware of how close they were. He could do it. Lean in and kiss Kremy, he could blame it on the adrenaline. He could lie.

“Do you love him?” Gideon almost jumps out of his skin. Pa smokes a cigar across the alley.

“Of course. I love him like a brother.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Something rams itself down his spine, searing every nerve. The scene dissipates. Oblivion engulfs him.

Three.

Two.

One.

His time is up. He can feel it. He wonders what happened. Did everyone die? Or just him?

It’s warm here. He always thought death would be cold. He could fall asleep like this. Although it wouldn’t be sleep. Sleep had an end.

Guess that’s why it was called eternal slumber.

One.

Two.

Three.

Gideon gasps awake. He was alive. The throbbing pain in his chest told him that. Golden eyes rimmed in red stare down at him.

“Gid!” Kremy pulled him close, forehead to snout. Gideons body sprawled out from under the alligator’s grasp. Tears spilled out in streams against scales. “Oh my gods I thought I lost you! Your heart stopped-“ Gideon’s lips met his. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, more weak and desperate than anything. When they broke, Gideon winked.

“I knew you could do it.”

Point A to Point B, but the interesting part was all the twists in between. Who knows who draws the line. So long as they had a sense of humor.

[velvet-cupcake-games]

In the Wake of Will

It's been a lovely week. Thanks so much to everyone who has given me their excellent feedback on Will's route! I've taken some time to relax after crunching a bit on Will's release, and I've been working on the Made Marion Mega-Guide. Right now the guide-in-progress is only going out to Kickstarter backers who pledged for it, but it will be available to the general public later on.

The Mega-Guide is an omnibus lore guide, art book, game guide, and general Made Marion-related fun time with some development bloopers and the best of our silly Tumblr memes compiled in it as well. Cross your fingers that I can fit it all into a single .pdf file without slaughtering Acrobat Reader.

Affinity Publisher 2 is a pretty groovy piece of software. I was flummoxed by the previous version of the software, but they made it a lot more user friendly in version 2. I've been able to figure out just about everything from the help system.

Version 2.1 Progress

Version 2.1 will be out in the next couple weeks. It will contain the final version of the final CG (the ending CG for Will's spontaneous route, which has now been provided to me) and the expanded love scenes for Robin's route.

John Route Prep

In the meantime, I'm working on mood pages for John's route to get a better feel for the details of the romance. It can be difficult to plot out conflict in a romance with a person who is very kind and who carries his flaws more beneath the surface. I don't want Marion to come off looking bitchy or unreasonable, as that's not my intention. But she and John are going to butt heads a little bit as they are both proud, highly responsible people who had to grow up too early. It's not always easy for two such "in charge" people to work together, even when they both have the best of intentions.

It'll be fun to flip the script in this one and see how Will responds to Marion as his brother's partner. He's very much in favour of the partnership at first for his own selfish reasons. But Will is protective of John in his own ways...