#like seasons 1-5 are actually so good?????

[pomrania]

Holiday Cheer! (Which Holiday? Don't Worry)

Time to decorate for the season! Unfortunately everything you have is for the wrong holiday, so you'll need to get creative to make something good.

Assign -1, +0, +1 to ART, SKILL, and CRAFT. When asked to roll, d6 + applicable modifier. 5+: gain point 3-4: no change 2-: lose point 0: flip coin; if tails, "so bad it's good", gain point instead

Design what your display looks like. Roll ART. You can choose to reroll, but must take the new result (you only have so much time to plan).

Get everything set up. Choose if you're going for simple or ambitious. Roll SKILL; if you chose "ambitious", gain/lose two points instead of one (but only gain one on a lucky 0).

Explain how actually this totally fits the holiday. (You can choose to not roll, and let the display speak for itself.) Roll CRAFT. You can choose to reroll with a -1 penalty, but must take the new result.

Reactions by point total: -4: remembered forever, in a bad way -3 to -2: mockery -1 to 1: pity, you did what you could with what you had 2 to 3: mild respect 4: admiration

This is okay to archive off-site. I didn't have enough words available to say that it can be played solo or with a group, and that for group play it's like everyone is doing their own individual display, but I feel it's obvious enough to figure out how to do that, especially if you're the type of people who are willing to play random indie TTRPGs.

200 Word RPGs 2024

Each November, some people try to write a novel. Others would prefer to do as little writing as possible. For those who wish to challenge their ability to not write, we offer this alternative: producing a complete, playable roleplaying game in two hundred words or fewer.

This is the submission thread for the 2024 event, running from November 1st, 2024 through November 30th, 2024. Submission guidelines can be found in this blog's pinned post, here.

[adventures-in-mangaland]

Dead Boy Detectives Fic Recs Part 7

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

So I hear there's been some fandom drama? Guess it's time for another fic rec list! This fandom is so lovely, so let's focus on the positive and give all the love to our writers and artists. You guys are so talented. ♥️

Work It Harder, Make it Better by dear_monday, two_ravens

Olympics AU! And kind of Sk8er Boi? Charles is an Olympic skateboarder at the end of his competitive career and Edwin is a rising star in the world of dressage. They fall in love at Paris 2024. Amazing writing, as always, and I also enjoyed Niko and Crystal as members of the skateboarding and equestrian teams having their own Olympics Romance and Jenny as Charles' world-weary coach.

Twin Flame by Leandra

Another "He was a punk, he did ballet" romance! This time, everyone is alive and the boys meet when Charles watches Edwin perform at his little sister's ballet recital. The romance and Charles as a big brother are very sweet, which is great as this fic also covers some heavy themes. It's set in the 90s so there's discussion of homophobia, the AIDs crisis and Charles' canon child abuse. Suffice to say, his bisexual awakening is quite fraught. Recommended!

Love for Hire by lucrow

Edwin hires Charles to freak out his parents with his obnoxious fake boyfriend. What could possible haaappeeen? And yes, it's a ballet/punk romance too. 😅 Anyway, it's giving fantastic banter, lots of emotions and great use of trope! I also enjoyed Edwin's relationship with his mum in this fic, excellent parental feels.

so I try to talk refined by shadowquill17

Charles finds out about the Cat King taking on his appearance and (somehow) arrives at the conclusion that Edwin isn't attracted to him. Charles having body image as well as chronic self-esteem issues was interesting but kind of heartbreaking. Read it for Edwin's agonised attempts to verbalise his sexual attraction to Charles without exploding. That's love right there.

A Royal Pain(e) (series) by handwrittenhello

Royalty AU! I love a bodyguard romance from time to time and this one is lovely. Lots of yearning.

Turnabout's Fair Play by Like MmmCookies

Edwin enlists Niko and Crystal to teach him how to flirt with Charles. It starts off cute and awkward and ends up Master Of All He Surveys, which is very Edwin.

I will love you (I really love you) by ghostinthelibrary

Charles has a feelings realization and tries to confess to Edwin. Repeatedly. From a cock-blocking enchanted statue to a Hellhound, it's farcical and fun. This fic has been living in my head rent free for months.

seasons of mists by laiqualaurelote

Edwin hires Charles to be the barista in his book shop's cafe. Two cosy AUs in one! And it even comes (appropriately) with its own reading list and fanart! Very cute, excellent autumnal vibes and a superb imaginary book shop. I'm genuinely so devastated it's not a real place. 😭

Ariadne's Thread by hobbitsdoitbetter

In which Edwin is demisexual and trying to make it work with Charles. Love to see some ace spectrum representation!

you know the problem with history (it keeps coming back like weeds) by aletterinthenameofsanity

Amnesia AU! And kind of Secret Relationship? Edwin has Not So Temporary Amnesia that made him forget a whole romantic relationship with Charles early in their partnership. And Charles never told him... Surely this will have no impact on the events of canon?? 😬 I loved this twist on the trope!

scraped to the marrow by Anonymous

Edwin learned black magic in Hell and kind of went to the Dark Side. I love the trope of "Everyone thinks Character avoids violence because they're scared/weak/nice/bad at it, but actually they're a bit too good at it" and this fic does it well. I love regular Edwin, but Lord Bone was also pretty cool.

To Walk Back Into Hell by Asidian

Charles goes to Hell in Edwin's place, so naturally Edwin needs to find a way to rescue him! Interesting Hell lore and I loved all the Charles love in this.

It does not stop by williamvapespeare

Now he's safe from Hell, Edwin finally works through his PTSD. Emotional, but peak Emotional Support Charles for the win!

signed, sealed, delivered by sulfuric

Outsider PoV of the boys and the agency through the years from the perspective of the Ghost Postman. He's kind of underrated as a side character, but there are so many Implications about the Dead Letter Office, so I enjoyed the worldbuilding. And the supernatural community of London gossiping about/shipping the boys (they're just like us, for real). Love that trope.

not so secret by lola_prongs

Social Media/Celebrity AU! In which they're both actors and Charles relentlessly thirsts after Edwin on Twitter. Great use of social media/epistolary storytelling.

Like a record, baby by singtome

Another celebrity/social media AU, but this time Charles and Crystal are budding rock stars and Edwin is their manager. Also Edwin goes viral as the mysterious #HotGuyatUnity after his picture's taken at an event and Charles *tries* to set the record straight. This one's funny, generous with the yearning and UST and is part of a series that also touches on the darker side of the music industry/celebrity, which I appreciated. And it also has this excellent visual representation of the online drama.

@ghostinthelibrarywrites @tumblerislovetumblerislife @shadowquill17 @neurodivergent-fangirling @whatthehorsedoicallthisblog @shazziez @many-gay-magpies @extremely-eager-reader @atariakana @guardianspirits13 @colourmornings @herebehunters @avoiceofnerat @littlepocketuniverse @overlord-of-chaos @fairandfatalasfair @handwrittenhello @every-moment-a-different-sound @williamvapespeare @laiqualaurelote @dear-monday @dear-lucrow @aletterinthenameofsanity @likemmmcookies @bibliomancer7 @c-rowland @nobledragonflying @hobbitsdoitbetter

I've tagged some people again. Let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list!

[quinn-of-aebradore]

the blame falls on jayce's shoulders because he's the one that combined viktor with the hexcore at the beginning of season 2! and then when he comes and then tells jayve he's going to leave, jayce is going to say "i never asked for this" YOU were the one that combined the hexcore with viktor. i know they're both victims but the way people try and act like viktor wasn't being manipulated by the hexcore this entire time annoy me so bad, especially the comments about it i see on tiktok.

Alright anon, I generally agree with you and I am very exasperated with Jayce for blowing a hole in Viktor’s chest, but as with all things. Nuance.

Firstly, regarding Jayce combing Viktor with the Hexcore; there is no way in hell Jayce could’ve known what was going to come of that. Which, obviously, means maybe he shouldn’t have done it if he didn’t know the outcome, but also the second the Hexcore registered that Viktor was in the room, it started gravitating towards him. Jayce tried to hold it back with those tongs and it was stronger than him. I give him grace for that whole situation because desperation and adrenaline are some insane fucking drugs and also because the moment Viktor was back in that lab, his fate was sealed, regardless of Jayce coming into contact with the Hexcore or not. Firmly believe that even if Jayce had set him there and left to go find help, he would’ve come back to find that the Hexcore had merged with Viktor anyway. I think it’s also worth noting that Viktor started this process on his own in Season 1. Viktor was the one who chose to feed the Hexcore his blood and Shimmer, though yes, he was doing so out of desperation. But still, that was his choice, not Jayce’s.

Secondly, about Viktor being manipulated by the Hexcore; absolutely! I 1000% agree with that. I do not think that whatever is appearing to him as Sky is actually Sky, that is Something Else, in a way that’s very parallel to the fake Kino we saw with Mel in episode 5! Viktor does not have the full picture of what he’s been doing with the Arcane and we only have a handful more tiny pieces than he does!

And third, on whatever Jayce saw in his missing time; I am getting the feeling that he witnessed/lived through multiple alternate timelines in which things went Very Wrong, likely at the hands of a heavily corrupted and possessed Viktor, who Jayce could not bring himself to kill. That’s why he’s so adamant about not failing again. I don’t think this perception is 100% accurate to the state of things in the core timeline, but I also don’t think Jayce’s perception of the Arcane as whole is entirely accurate. He’s been exposed to the worst of it, the mind-rending and reality-shredding horrifying potential it contains, whereas Viktor has only been exposed to the best parts of it, the good it can do (even if that’s not exactly what’s happening with him in reality). We don’t know exactly how long is between Act 1 and Act 2 this time around, probably a handful of months, but I am very much willing to bet that Jayce was gone for a lot longer than that from his perspective and came back not only with run-of-the-mill PTSD (as to be expected) but also some seriously magically inflicted psychic damage. I don’t think Salo!Viktor was being metaphorical when he said that the Arcane took Jayce’s mind. His perception of reality has been irreparably altered and I wonder if it’s part due to the lack of this alteration that led to him potentially sparing alternate timeline Viktors who otherwise should’ve died. He almost killed a child, again. Something isn’t right when it comes to both him and Viktor.

Jayce is to blame for a whole lot—the entire end of episode 6, obviously—but I don’t blame him for Viktor’s initial transformation. Whatever comes next, however, does fall on his shoulders. That I won’t dispute for a second, though there is without a doubt more going on there and I am SO excited to see what’s going on behind the curtain with all the weird magic shit.

[maeral33n]

So, I’ve been watching Arcane with my mum. She loves it by the way. (Technically we’re rewatching all of season one again just to refresh our memory and so I can take notes cuz god damn this show has the most meticulous detail in both writing and animation.)

And I’ve decided to share my mums most notable commentary on each episode:

Season 1:

Episode 1-

Mum: What’s up with the weird hair colours? Is this one of those anime’s you used to watch?

Me: No ma. And that’s just how their hair is.

Episode 2-

Mum: Haha, I like Mylo. He’s funny.

Me: 🙂

Episode 3-

*Mylo dies*

Mum: Nooo not him. Why couldn’t the blue haired girl die?

Me: Ma! Why do you want Powder to die!?

Mum: 🤷‍♀️

Episode 4-

Mum: That guy with the weird eye is kind of sexy.

Me: You mean Silco, yeah valid.

Mum: Definitely sexier than your dad.

Me: We ain’t unpacking allat tonight.

Episode 5-

*No commentary*

Episode 6-

Mum: So are Vi and Cait…you know?

Me: No ma they’re just really good friends. Two gal pals is all. A pair of besties.

Mum: …right.

Episode 7-

Mum: *gasp* It’s that black boy from the start! He’s still alive? What’s his name, what’s his name?

Me: Ekko…

Mum: I like him.

Episode 8-

Mum: You could tell Vi was gay from the start. 🙄

Me: Haha Yeah…*sweating because I’m trying to figure out if she meant that in an observant/joking way or a derogatory way*

Episode 9-

Mum: 🥺

Me: 🥺

Mum: I hope Jinx dies next season.

Me: 😦

(Also she loved the music at the end of this episode and she wants it in the car playlist)

Season 2 (Spoilers obvi):

Episode 1-

Mum: I don’t think I like Ambessa very much.

Me: Yeah me neither (I want Ambessa to fold me in half)

Episode 2-

Mum: *see’s Jinx* ugh what now 😒

Me: Why do you hate Jinx so much?

Mum: She killed Mylo.

Me: Fair.

—

Also mum: *See’s Isha* oh no please tell me Jinx isn’t going to kill that kid.

Me: *Sighs*

Episode 3-

Mum: *Cait and Vi kiss* God finally!

—

Mum: This is the prettiest fight scene I’ve ever seen.

Me: I know right!

—

*Jinx gets her middle finger shot off*

Mum: Haha you deserved that!

Me: 👀 *realises I have a psychopath for a mother*

—

*Cait and Vi break up*

Mum: Oh you’ve got to be kidding me. They just got together!

Me, under my breath: Average first sapphic relationship.

(She had so much to say during this episode lmao)

Episode 4-

*Isha and Jinx are playing*

Mum: Oh…so…she actually likes the kid? Whatever his name is?

Me: HER names Isha. And yeah Jinx likes having her around. Kinda like a mother or older sister kind of way.

Mum: oh…

*Cue mum slowly falling in love with Jinx and Isha and their whole relationship*

—

*Jinxs fights off the beast and Sevika runs off with Isha*

Mum: Dear god Jinx please don’t die.

Me: 🥹

Episode 5-

Mum: Jinx is gonna die by the end of this show isn’t she?

Me: Idk, I hope not. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Mum: I can’t believe I’m about to say this but I REALLY don’t want Jinx to die.

Me: 🥹

Episode 6-

*We’re both crying as the episode ends.*

Mum, wiping tears: I hate this show.

Me: same.

And that’s it so far. Will definitely update this when the last episodes come out. This shows is going to be the end of me and I don’t know how I’m going to move on from it lmao.

[bisexual-birdy]

i’m sure this has been mentioned but we need to take a second to appreciate the character growth dean has from season 1 to 4. he used to be the attacker, the shoot first ask questions later, don’t question orders and follow dads lead kind of guy. he was raised that way, raised a soldier. but his interactions with early, god’s soldier cas really shows that he grew out of that mindset. its almost like a mirror of who dean used to be before he realized that john actually wasn’t a perfect man and fucked up a lot. him saying that you always have a choice??? think he learned that the hard way when he disobeyed his dad by saving sam and selling his soul. i think dean regaining control over his own free will because of his dedication to protecting sam, and it being made really fucking clear through cas, is going to be the end of me

[aturnoftheearth]

kitten daddy's not sure he can finish this amv in time for tomorrow

[nofacednerd]

You know something I really appreciated about the Lower Decks finale is that all of the main four kind of got their time to shine in the episode. It also really showed their growth imo? At least with Mariner, Boimler, and Tendi. Rutherford has always been consistently good at his job lol

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

I'm trying to watch at least like, 2-3 episodes of every Stephen J. Cannell show for a self-imposed project and good lord 21 Jump Street is stupid as hell

The actual premise of this show is "some people aren't scary enough to be real cops so we should sic them on children instead"

It's like Saved By The Bell but copaganda??

The dialogue sounds like it was written by elderly school counselors who were afraid of The Gangs and The Drugs

The opening theme sounds like a bad late-80's dub of an anime themesong and/or like something from an early-2000's Sonic game

Maybe it gets better as it goes on but this is truly not a strong start

[anothermonikan]

wait the final chapter of MYM is only 3 episodes,,,,excluding the special,,,,man.

[psalmsofpsychosis]

Some Batman: Telltale thoughts

[this is a Batman Telltale critical post, ye be warned.]

So. There are perhaps no words in the english language to describe with how stupid i feel right now.

I started Telltale Batman because i thought that it's one of the more distinct unconventional Batman narratives that would let you have a more interesting, complex and nuanced relationship between Bruce and Joker— the game even lets you bring all of Bruce's sincere hypocrisy and sentimental selfishness to the surface and have him admit that yes, he can fight the rogues gallery because it takes a madman to know a madman; to love a madman. For a moment i geniunely thought that i can escape the everpresent shadow of DC hays code in the freakshow funhouse that is Batman comics, i thought Telltale had done something different.

But telltale's approach to The Enemy Within is so flaky and flimsy and timid at best— such noncommittal twist on themes of pain and grief. They take on a hefty plotline, "what does it take to actually fight through evil and be surrounded by it? How long does it take before your resolve and your selfhood cracks? When you lose the mask, which one did you truly lose— The ideal persona, the superhero, the crusader, or the person underneath, the casket that holds all your humanity and your heart and your hopes? How long can you stare onto the abyss before it stares onto you?" It's indeed a very Nietzsche approach to Batman— except that a good Nietzsche narrative takes a lot of intentional plot points and honesty of thought and of heart. And Telltale doesn't commit, not to Bruce's characterization, and not to any other character, and definitely not to Joker's journey in any variation of it. The existence of the Vigilante route is useless on every front; Joker is going to turn into a villain anyway, just with a different hello kitty eyeshadow palette and an extra bland consolation lollipop. No good choice Bruce makes on Joker's behalf affects anything whatsoever, and i particularly love the "community and friendship and sympathy do not help the mentally ill and all that ever works is punishment and shock therapy and confinement and loneliness" message the vigillante route puts on the table, charming charming status quo commandments from DC as always.

Telltale Batman could only be revolutionary if it had dared to break comic convention and let the vigillante route play out like Selina and Bruce's relationship always does; very grey morality, irrational, full of tension and trust, unstable, intriguing, inexcusable, irreversible, unavoidable and heartfelt, human. But we can't have nice things in batmanverse, so both Joker routes run on stuck gears and topple and fall into a predictable narrative hole that neither Bruce nor Joker can claim out of.

And on the predictable front? this story is too lukewarm to be a good time for me personally. When you get 84 Batman comics per minute every other Tuesday, all ending the same way no matter whatever the fickity happens inbetween, you have to pull no punches. This is my 53368532th Batman-with-tragic-batjokes-implications read of the week, say something new or forever hold your blue-balling silence, i dont care.

[callilouv]

yipee season of strike controversy solved ty devs >:)

[crownedwille]

if young royals season 2 has a million fans i'm one of them. if young royals season 2 has ten fans, then i am one of them. if young royals season 2 has only one fan then that is me. if young royals season 2 has no fans, then that means i am no longer on earth. if the world is against young royals season 2 then i am against the world

[dennisboobs]

Was considering buying (ridiculously overpriced) Sunny blu-rays to (very, very legally) rip them (for Personal Use archival purposes), decided to test on a blu-ray I already own, realized my external drive only reads DVDs, successfully ripped a DVD, but then was sent down a rabbit hole trying to see if I could use my (again, very, very legally) hacked PS3 to rip the .iso (I can) since it is indeed a blu-ray player with an attached PC-adjacent machine...

Long story short. If you see me spending $70 on seasons 1-5 on DVD and 6 on blu-ray, no you didn't, but also expect a 1080p season 6 bloopers upload in the near future.

definitely not from me, though. no way. i would never do that. i'm not a pirate. i'm just a good ole upstanding wiki admin.

[frigidlyauthorial]

someone stop me from rewatching the first two seasons of cw the flash it’s getting scary out here

[imwritesometimes]

I think the huge chunk in the middle of my wip notebook that is just manic notes, outlines, time lines, entire chapters complete with edits from the last (almost) year that I abandoned should idk... have the decency to tear themselves out and set themselves on fire

[fortes-fortuna-iogurtum]

I am. so tired. :’)