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commanders-company · 11 months ago

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BIO - RUNA WYRMSDOTTIR

Norn | Warrior/Revenant | Disciple of Bear

Runa was orphaned in her early teens in a Svanir raid on one of the many settlements in the Shiverpeaks. Rather than remain amongst her people, she fled to the south, eventually finding her way into a small street gang in Lion’s Arch.

Years passed, and she thought she had made a decent home for herself - as much as one can amongst thieves and looters. However, fate came in an unlikely form: late one night, they attempted to mug an old charr visiting the port, only for the retired warrior to soundly wipe the floor with them. But rather than turn them into the Lionguard - or simply kill them - the charr instead made them an offer: meet him in the arena and “learn to fight for something more than a handful of copper for tomorrow’s meal.”

Runa’s compatriots never seriously considered the offer, but something inside her stirred - perhaps the last bit of Norn pride she had left from her youth in the mountains. She joined the charr, a retired Blood legion soldier named Bretak Ironfist, and through months and years he taught her everything he knew, turning her into a formidable warrior who eventually caught the eye of the Vigil. Years later, Runa would rise to be the Commander of the newly formed Pact under Trahearne. When she asked Bretak to join as her second, he refused, saying it was her legend to unfold, and his time had come and gone long ago.

Runa successfully led the Pact against Zhaitan, helped coordinate the retaking of Lion’s Arch from Scarlet Briar, quickly mobilized their forces to prepare an assault on Mordremoth deep in the jungle…to disastrous results that none could have predicted. For weeks after the fleet fell, she found herself plagued by the same dream: the stranded forces surrounded by deadly vines, until a small, bright flower - shielded by the body of a fallen bear - grew into a mighty tree, breaking through the canopy to allow light to burn away the Mordrem growth. A norn shaman with the fleet said he was convinced this was a prophecy from the Spirits of the Wild - the first time she had ever felt any connection to them since childhood - and when she met Feyn for the first time in a makeshift camp deep in the jungle, she instantly knew this sylvari was the “flower” destined to save them all.

Runa took Feyn, Bato and Gheli aside privately and told them the secrets they had learned while investigating Scarlet’s motivations - specifically Glint’s egg they had lost to Caithe. She asked them to work with her new companions (Marjorie, Taimi and the gang) to track down the egg and ensure it stayed safe, leading to it being safely secreted away in Tarir. Later on, she and Feyn took on a scouting mission deep into the tangled depths of root and cave, where they were ambushed and Runa was severely injured. Feyn did her best to help, but Runa refused, knowing this was her prophesied fate. She entrusted Feyn with her Pact sigil, telling her of the vision and trusting the fate of the Pact - of all of Tyria - to her. Firing a flare to distract the approaching Mordrem, she commanded Feyn to run and took her final stand.

The rest, as they say, is history: Feyn took up the mantle of Pact Commander and slew Mordremoth, nurtured the dragon egg and raised the hatchling which would become Aurene, and even faced down the humans’ god of war himself. All the while the story of the First Commander was told and retold, a legend among legends to be passed down in memory of a hero.

And then, two years after she died, Runa awoke in the desert.

As Kralkatorrik tore through the Mists in the wake of Balthazar’s demise, Runa’s soul was wrenched from its rest, finding new life in the wastes of Elona. Though she had no memory of who she was beyond her name, she was quickly taken in by locals who nursed her to health - and gave her cause to fight with her new mist-fueled powers as a Revenant.

When word spread of the Pact’s fight to take down the crystal dragon, Runa’s memories began to resurface, prompting her to begin the long journey back to Tyria. When she returned to the Shiverpeaks, she met with the shamans who helped her understand who she once was - but that person felt foreign to her. Left without a clear path, she resorted to wandering the north, making a solitary living in the wild far away from other settlements.

Her path crossed with Feyn once again as the sylvari and her company ventured north in pursuit of Bangar, where she helped them slay the Boneskinner. Reuniting returned more of Runa’s old memories, and prompted her to aid in the fight against Jormag, Primordus, and the Frost Legion.

But as that crisis resolved, she once again felt lost. The old Runa was no longer needed; Feyn’s legend had long since surpassed her own, and she no longer felt any true connection to the Pact regardless. But her solitude would be cut short by an unexpected invitation: the secretive Astral Ward had need of her strength and what knowledge of the Mists she had left.

Here Runa at last found a permanent home, questing from one end of the world to the other, protecting the innocent as a simple, faceless warrior, here one day and gone the next. Though the threat of the Kryptis brings her a bit too close to the world-saving limelight than she’d like, she is glad to have a true purpose once again.

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #gw2 fan submission #gw2 norn #runa #my writing #me?? writing about my alts in 2023??? it's more likely than you think

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shingekinomyfeelings · 7 months ago

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Shh (Reiner x female reader; smut, PWP; mdni please)

nsfw. canon universe, alt timeline, 104th cadet training era in which characters are aged up to 18+. ~700 words. content warning for implied penetration and explicit dialog. contains dirty talk, reader getting railed on a dresser, and Reiner being a horrible little tease

You might be a little shy about being overheard, but Reiner sure isn't.

notes: let me say it again so we're super clear here - characters in my fics set during the cadet era should be assumed to be aged up to 18+, in a very slightly less miserable world in which training doesn't start at age 13. If this is really objectionable to you, that's okay, you don't need to read it.

This is by far my filthiest bit of writing as of yet, and my first pure PWP bit. At first I was kind of mortified about sharing it! I'd never even tried to write anything approaching dirty talk before and was worried it would be super 'off' and, you know, reflective of my being an asexual who's never touched a dick, and posted it sort of... hoping only a few people would read it - and then pretty few people did. But, somehow, over time I started feeling way more confident about and maybe even proud of this one, and honestly wishing I'd hyped it up more. It still feels weird for me to share smut with anyone, but I'm ngl, writing shit this shamelessly horny is actually a lot of fun. What's happened to me?

Anyway, love it or not, thank you for reading and for giving me an audience for trying new things like this. I think it's what pushes writers to grow.

Oh yeah, there are also some minor edits from the original version because I can't help myself.

originally published January 2023

Training exercises in the interior are rare, but they also come with a rare perk – you get to spend the night at an actual inn, with your own rooms and soft, comfy beds.

Currently, though, you’re not on the soft, comfy bed. Having slipped quietly from your room and sneaked off to Reiner’s, you’re currently seated on the dresser, clothes wantonly discarded across the floor, hair falling over your shoulders as your boyfriend stands, fucking into you with a desperation that you can only assume is inspired by the elegant change of scenery.

It’s certainly easier to sneak around at a place like this, and while you were a little tired after training and would have been content just to lay in bed with him and cuddle, Reiner was never one to waste an opportunity. He was also as charmingly persuasive as ever, those imploring golden honey eyes coaxing you into an exercise that was far more pleasant than training ever was.

Squeezing your breasts, kissing your neck, soft, deep moans offering a counterpoint to yours, Reiner is a sweeter and more exuberant partner than you imagine there may be behinds these walls...

That doesn’t change the fact that you’re currently in very close proximity to the rest of the 104th, though.

When a series of especially enthusiastic thrusts suddenly cause the dresser to rattle loudly against the wall, you’re more than a little mortified to imagine that the others are probably still awake in their own rooms and press your lips to Reiner’s neck with a hiss. “Shh! What if the others hear that?”

“Mm, hear what? The dresser?” He repositions you a little so that you’re forced to look into his eyes, a brow raised in amusement as he makes absolutely no effort to soften his pace. “That could be anything, for all they know, dove.”

But then a wicked little smile spreads across his face, and he slides your hips forward and angles them wider to let himself sink in deeper. Your tiny gasp only makes his smirk broaden.

“Or,” he continues, leaning in so his lips are nearly brushing against your ear, his thrusting into you becoming quite agonizingly deliberate, “Are you worried they’ll hear something else? Like how good I’m fucking you right now? Doesn’t bother me one bit.”

His voice is soft and just above a whisper, and his breath is warm against your skin. Your own breath is quickening a little and your cheeks feel like they’re on fire in response to his teasing, but you find you’ve lost any inclination to admonish him - and he’s so fucking annoyingly aware of it. A little huff of a chuckle almost feels like a caress against your cheek.

“Think they can hear how soaking wet this pussy is every time I slide my fat fucking cock into it? I sure can.”

A whimper escapes your throat and your voice slips out as a whine. “F-fuck, Reiner...” You’d hate to admit it, but his words affect you in ways he can feel all too well.

Reiner’s exhalations are growing shaky now, like your response is a call of encouragement. “Are you afraid they can hear those cute little sounds you make? Mmph – your sweet little whimpers? The way you say my name like it’s the only word you know? Shit--” He rests his forehead against yours for a few heartbeats, voice almost slipping into something softer. “Not gonna lie, I do like being the only one who’s ever heard those...”

He’s quick to recover from this lapse, though, and being keenly aware of how close you’re getting, he moves his hips against you faster, and sweetly kisses your forehead. “Don’t care if they hear the rest, though. Honestly, I fucking want them to hear it and know it’s my hot cum spilling out of you right now. I could keep on filling you up with my cum until they can hear it dripping onto the fucking floor.”

And then in an instant, he pauses, tilting your head back to fix you with that smug, infuriating, gorgeous grin of his. “Of course I can stop if you’re really that scared they’ll hear us.”

With mild irritation evident in your voice, you pull him against you so you can press your lips fervently to his neck again. “I think I can live with them hearing.

#reiner #reiner braun #reiner smut #reiner braun smut #reiner x reader #reiner x reader smut #dirty talk #pwp #literally just filth #cocky teasing smirky Reiner really uhhh does something for me

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a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 1 year ago

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The Job (Part 1)

AI-Less Whumptober 2023: 23. Forced to Watch, Alt 25. Stalked Fandom: Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby, f!reader, prostitute!reader Summary: Tommy has been hiring you for your services for a while now, but this is the first time he has asked you for help concerning his family business... Word Count: 3205 TW: Fighting, Razor Blades, Blood, Forced to Watch, Stalked, Prostitution, Reader as Bait, Smoking, Implied Death Notes: A HUGE thanks to @loverhymeswith who not only sent me the ask that inspired this fic and supported its writing, but also for getting me into Peaky Blinders in the first place! Part of @ailesswhumptober's event

Mastlist (coming soon)

Part 1, Part 2

“I want to hire you for a job.”

You grinned at Tommy over your shoulder as you finished buttoning up your blouse and began to pull on your skirt. “I’m pretty sure you just did.”

But Tommy didn’t seem amused by your joke. His piercing blue eyes stared at you for a long moment, his face void of emotion and completely unreadable. Then he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. As he placed it between his lips, he said, “A different sort of job. On Friday night, I need you to make yourself look pretty and go down to The Marquis of Lorne.”

“The Marquis of—” you turned to look at him straight on. “Why would you want me to go to that pub when The Garrison is right here? Places like that on the edge of your territory… People there don’t always take kindly to me. Not with my reputation and all that.”

Tommy took a long drag on his cigarette. “It’s precisely because of your reputation that I’m asking you to go.”

Placing your hands on your hips, you asked, “And why, pray tell, is that? What are you expecting me to do once I’m there? Because I’ve told you before, I pick who I service and I won’t have you demanding–”

“It’s nothing like that,” Tommy said, calmly. “Like I already told you, it’s a different sort of job. Your reputation alone is more than enough to fit my needs. Just go to The Marquis, order a few drinks ‘til you’ve created the illusion you’ve become intoxicated, and then walk out the pub, simple as that. I’ll be waiting for you after at my stables down by the canal.”

“And why do I feel like that’s not your whole plan? It still doesn’t explain why The Marquis and not some other pub.”

Tommy tapped the end of his cigarette into the glass of water you had left out on the table. You had scolded him about doing so countless times but now did not seem like the moment to comment on it. Raising the cigarette to his lips once more, he said, “There is a new gang trying to move in on our territories. They think we haven’t noticed and we mean to put an end to it before they realize we caught on. They frequent The Marquis on Friday nights so I need you to go in, get their attention, and once you have made them believe your tongue is nice and loose, I want you to start spilling all of the Peaky Blinders’s secrets— the false ones I tell you to say, of course.”

“Ahhh…” you nodded, the final pieces of the puzzle falling into place. “You want me to make them believe you’ve let slip sensitive information when you come to me for my services. Which is why you want me for my reputation. They’ll think Thomas Shelby’s favorite whore has caught him with his pants down in more ways than one.”

“I’ve always said you were a clever one.” For the first time since he had gotten dressed, something akin to a smile ghosted across Tommy’s lips.

Walking over to where he was sitting, you plucked the cigarette from his fingers and placed it in your mouth. You inhaled before slowly blowing the smoke out right in Tommy’s face. “So, that’s it? I provide these fools who are crazy enough to try and challenge you false information on the Peaky Blinders and then just go along my way?”

Tommy ignored the smoke as he reached out and took his cigarette back, his fingers lingering for a moment as they brushed against yours. “Like you said, these men are fools. They’ll believe your deception. And when you leave the pub announcing you are going to sleep it off in one of the Peaky Blinders’s empty stash houses, they will follow you. And I will be waiting.”

You had to admit, it was a clever plan. Due to the popularity of the Peaky Blinders and the constant gossip surrounding them, everyone throughout Birmingham knew who you were and about your weekly dealings with Tommy Shelby. Everywhere you went, whispers seemed to follow you and you often caught people pointing or staring. Not that you usually minded. It was actually rather good for business. After all, what man wouldn’t want to say they had bedded the same woman as the head of the Peaky Blinders?

But while you had been servicing Tommy weekly for almost a year, he had never asked you to get involved in any Peaky Blinders business before this. In fact, Tommy had made it very clear from the start that you were to have no part in that aspect of his life. You were his momentary escape, a place where he could spend an hour or so without the weight of the world on his shoulders. So for him to come to you now asking this…. He must be more concerned about the other gang than he was letting on.

“And what happens once I lead them to the stables? I’m guessing you aren’t looking for a friendly chat.”

“You just get them there and leave the rest to me,” Tommy said as he dropped the remains of his cigarette butt into your glass of water. Standing, he placed his large hands on your shoulders and gave you a tight smile. “So, do we have an arrangement?”

Biting your lip, you mulled the question over for a moment. Tommy was a brilliant strategist and you had no doubt his plan would work. But his brush off of your questions about what happened afterward had a knot forming in the pit of your stomach. However, it was ill-advised to say no to someone as powerful as Thomas Shelby, so somewhat reluctantly, you said, “Fine. But I expect double my usual fee.”

“Done.” Tommy gave your shoulders a soft squeeze then turned to grab his cap off the table. “I’ll send Polly around in the morning with the details of what you should say. She can also help you find something to wear. Then head to The Marquis on Friday at seven and you know what to do.”

His hand reached for the door, but you called out, “Tommy” – he paused and turned to face you – “I’ll do what you want this once because it’s you who’s asking, but I’m not a Peaky Blinder. And I won’t have anything else to do with their business or transgressions. I don’t want to be involved with that lot. Are we understood?”

For a moment, Tommy didn’t move as he stared at you, save for one exaggerated blink of his icy blue eyes. You wondered if you went too far and said something you shouldn’t have. But then, he nodded, his tongue sliding across his full lips. “Understood.”

You smiled in relief and ducked your head, but before you could thank him, Tommy walked out the door.

As with most of Tommy’s plans, everything that Friday night went exactly as he predicted. Polly ended up bringing you a flashy new dress to wear that Tommy had purchased and from the moment you stepped into The Marquis of Lorne, you felt the weight of dozens of eyes on you. From there, it was easy to loudly drop Tommy’s name and your connection to him as you pretended to drink—as well as your “top secret” facts about the Peaky Blinders. Your table was soon swarmed by the gang members you were targeting, each offering to buy you another drink in the hopes of loosening your tongue further.

As the night wore on, a few of the men began getting more familiar with you than you were comfortable with, but you maintained your drunken facade and smiled through it. In your line of work, you had dealt with much worse before. However after one man stuck his hand up the bottom of your dress, you decided things had gone far enough and you rose unsteadily to your feet as you announced you were taking your leave. The men tried to convince you to stay or let them walk you home, but you insisted you would be alright on your own—there was an empty Peaky Blinders stash house nearby that you could sleep in for the night. You bit your lip to hide the smile threatening to break across your face as all the men’s eyes grew wide and they exchanged telling glances. Tommy Shelby, you are one brilliant man.

As you made your way out of the pub and into the foggy night, you could hear the men following close behind you. This was the part of the plan that concerned you the most. Back in the pub, there were other patrons who would step in if one of the men went too far or you called out for help. But out here on the empty road in the middle of the night, you doubted anyone would come to your aid if the men decided to approach you. You just had to trust Tommy knew what he was talking about and they would be more interested in finding the fake stash house than harassing you.

You breathed a sigh of relief as Tommy’s stable came into view. He had promised to meet you but as you got closer, there was no sign that anyone was there. Hesitating by the door, you wondered what you should do. There was no back door that you knew of so if something had happened and Tommy wasn’t there, you would be trapped inside alone with the gang between you and the only way out. But even if you decided to leave and continue on down the road, the gang would continue following you until they eventually grew suspicious and confronted you. So there was really no choice. You said a quick, silent prayer that Tommy was waiting for you, and you stepped inside.

You continued walking until you reached the far wall of the stable, but still, no Tommy. Your heart was beating furiously in your chest as the men behind you began to call out to you—crude, drunken taunts, and horrifying descriptions of what they were going to do to you. Spinning around, you looked everywhere desperately trying to find anything you could use to protect yourself with, but there were only a few hay bales. Trembling, you sunk to the ground and waited for the worst to come.

But just as the closest man was about to reach you, a figure stepped into the doorway of the stable, eclipsing the moonlight that had been illuminating the darkened space. Relief flooded through you as you recognized that familiar silhouette. Tommy had kept his word.

The men all turned and must have recognized him a few seconds after you did because a hushed murmur rippled through their group as they looked at him. Despite the fact they very obviously outnumbered him, you could sense the air of fear emanating from them, and you couldn’t blame them. While he may only be one man, this was Tommy Fucking Shelby they were facing. And that should be enough to terrify an army of men.

Tommy began to slowly walk forward, closing the distance between him and the men. As he slipped his jacket off and tossed it to the side, he called out in a strong voice that filled the stable, “Word on the streets is that you boys are trying to move in on our territory. Take things that are ours while you think we aren’t looking.”

He gestured to where you were still huddled on the ground. Now that he had come closer, you could just make out his face. He raised one eyebrow at you, a silent query if you were alright. You nodded shakily and rose to your feet, still pressed tightly against the wall. You felt his eyes scanning you for anything amiss, and he gave a satisfied nod when he deemed you safe.

Then, addressing the men once more, he continued. “You are not the first to think you could come for the Peaky Blinders and I am certain you won’t be the last. But I’m here to make certain that after tonight, you won’t be a problem any longer.”

Tommy came to a stop—his heels clicking loudly together—just a few inches before the closest man. Though his back was to you, you could tell the man was frightened by the way his hands shook as he raised them in the air.

Tommy smiled at the gesture…. then ripped off his cap and slashed it across the man’s throat.

You gasped in horror and pressed your hands to your mouth as a trail of blood flew through the air and splattered on the floor. Almost in slow motion, the man dropped to his knees, a horrendous gurgling emanating from his ruined throat. Then Tommy swung his cap again, using the razorblades sewn in the brim to finish the job, and the man toppled over without another sound.

The stable burst into chaos. The rest of the men rushed at Tommy but he was ready for them. Normally, it would have been near impossible odds with Tommy outnumbered so, but the men had been drinking very heavily back in the pub and their senses were dulled considerably. Tommy was able to avoid most of their attacks while landing blow after blow on the men—his razorblades sending blood flying with every swing.

You of course knew of the Peaky Blinders’s signature weapon of choice, yet this was the first time you had seen anyone use it in action. It was a horrendously strange sight to see: Tommy swinging something so innocuous as his tweed flat cap at the other men just for a burst of crimson blood to bloom in that same spot. And the fluid manner in which Tommy ducked and dodged, weaving his way from one man to the next, was almost beautiful in a way. Like a dancer taking the stage—stage made of blood.

There was no avoiding it. The metallic tang of blood filled the air, burning your nose. Somehow, it even blocked out the pungent smells from all of the horses. Even in only the pale glow from the moonlight, everywhere you looked was dripping red. You had only been spared because you had dove sideways to huddle behind the hay bales next to you once the attack began, but they had taken the full brunt of the carnage. Blood was slowly filtering through the tightly packed hay as it traveled downward toward the ground—the pool on the floor steadily creeping closer to your feet.

You had to escape this massacre as soon as possible.

Eventually, you saw an opening but just as you gathered up your dress to make a dash to freedom, Tommy spun around and pointed one blood-soaked finger at you. “You! Stay where you are.”

You froze, unsure of your next move. Tommy had never said anything about you remaining once you had done your part. Your only job was to lure the men to the stable and he would take care of the rest. Surely he didn’t mean for you to remain here to witness this slaughter?

And yet, he remained standing there with all of his focus on you despite his remaining enemies still swarming around him, blood dripping off of the end of his outstretched finger. So you did the only thing you could. You released your dress, letting the fabric fall once more to the ground, and nodded to him even as you shrank back behind the hay bales, quivering in fear.

Seemingly satisfied that you wouldn’t attempt to bolt again, Tommy slowly lowered his hand and turned back to the melee. There were only a few men still standing—the others were left moaning on the ground as they clutched at their wounds, or worse still, some lay perfectly still in growing pools of their own blood.

With fewer opponents charging him at once, Tommy took a new, less frantic approach to the fight. Instead of attacking with the blades sewn into his hat, he began to use his fists— the sound of breaking bones echoing throughout the open area as his knuckles slammed into noses and cheekbones. One man even dropped like a stone as Tommy drove his fist into the man’s jaw.

And you were forced to watch it all, terrified of what Tommy might do if you even glanced away. The one saving grace that made it even slightly bearable was that the clouds had shifted to partially cover the moon, hindering the visibility inside the stable. But that did nothing to shield you from the sounds or smells surrounding you.

Finally—mercifully—Tommy struck down the last of the gang members. He stood in the middle of the stable, chest heaving, as he looked around at the carnage surrounding him. Like this, he resembled some ancient god of war reveling in his battlefield, washed in the blood of his enemies.

Satisfied the fight was over, he picked his way through the maze of bodies on the floor and stopped before your hiding place. He held out his hand to you, but you ignored it, unable to touch the blood that coated it. Instead, you stepped out from behind the hay bales on your own and stood before him, unable to meet his eye.

He leaned in close until his face was only a breath’s distance from you and he said, “Next time I pay you for a service, you don’t leave until you are given permission. Is that understood?”

“Y-yes, Tommy,” you managed to choke out, tears stinging your eyes.

His eyes flickered over you, and even with such a slight gesture, you felt the weight of his gaze as it examined every inch of you. You had stood bare in front of Thomas Shelby more times than you could count, had him thrust into the deepest part of your core on a weekly basis, and yet, you had never felt as exposed or vulnerable as you did right now.

As his eyes settled once more on your face, he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a stack of money. He placed it on the hay bale beside you and you shuttered to see his bloody fingerprints stained on the top bill.

“I included a little extra for your trouble.” Your eyes snapped back up to look at him. Despite the circumstances, Tommy’s voice was as calm and level as always. It was the sort of tone one would expect to hear him use when he visited the church or held a business meeting, not when standing there surrounded by the corpses of his enemies and dyed red with their blood.

“Now you are free to go.” He turned and walked calmly back towards the stable entrance. Pausing only momentarily to pick up his jacket, he slid it on in one fluid motion as he added, his back still turned towards you, “I’ll be round Wednesday at my normal time.”

Then he disappeared into the foggy night, leaving you alone surrounded by the ghastly horror he had wrought.

Part 2 coming soon and it will be much more relationship-heavy (plus pretty steamy😉)!

#ailesswhumptober2023 #fic #whumptober #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinders #cillian murphy #reader #f!reader #prostitute!reader #angst #whump #blood tw #fighting tw #razor blade tw #prostitution tw #forced to watch tw #stalking tw

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a-reader-and-a-writer · 1 year ago

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The Job (Part 1)

Masterlist (coming soon)

Part 1, Part 2

“I want to hire you for a job.”

You grinned at Tommy over your shoulder as you finished buttoning up your blouse and began to pull on your skirt. “I’m pretty sure you just did.”

Tommy took a long drag on his cigarette. “It’s precisely because of your reputation that I’m asking you to go.”

“And why do I feel like that’s not your whole plan? It still doesn’t explain why The Marquis and not some other pub.”

“I’ve always said you were a clever one.” For the first time since he had gotten dressed, something akin to a smile ghosted across Tommy’s lips.

“And what happens once I lead them to the stables? I’m guessing you aren’t looking for a friendly chat.”

You smiled in relief and ducked your head, but before you could thank him, Tommy walked out the door.

Then, addressing the men once more, he continued. “You are not the first to think you could come for the Peaky Blinders and I'll bet you won’t be the last. But I’m here to make certain that after tonight, you won’t be a problem any longer.”

Tommy smiled at the gesture…. then ripped off his cap and slashed it across the man’s throat.

You had to escape this massacre as soon as possible.

Eventually, you saw an opening but just as you gathered up your dress to make a dash to freedom, Tommy spun around and pointed one blood-soaked finger at you. “You! Stay where you are.”

He leaned in close until his face was only a breath’s distance from you and he said, “Next time I pay you for a service, you don’t leave until you are given permission. Is that understood?”

“Y-yes, Tommy,” you managed to choke out, tears stinging your eyes.

Then he disappeared into the foggy night, leaving you alone surrounded by the ghastly horror he had wrought.

Part 2 coming soon and it will be much more relationship-heavy (plus pretty steamy😉)!

Tag list: @loverhymeswith, @heart-0n-fire, @that-sarcastic-writer, @eternallyvenus, @writercole, @deppresseddyslexic, @confetti-cakemix, @flamingdisputes, @callsign-phoenix

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sixofravens-reads · 11 months ago

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re: 2023 new releases. hope you're ready for a long message because there were a lot.

hot new releases/things that were relatively popular

He Who Drowned The World, Shelley Parker Chan (Chinese mythological historical, very gay, very stabby a la Baru Cormorant. Book 2 of 2. A particular favorite of mine from this year)

Witch King, Martha Wells (New fantasy book by author of murderbot fame. I didn't actually click with this one but I'd be remiss to leave it off)

House With Good Bones, T Kingfisher (Southern gothic rose horror by the very talented Ursula Vernon)

Translation State, Ann Leckie (high sf alien horror regency romance. Wheeeeee. I had a lot of fun reading this. You can read it as a standalone, but you get deeper context if you've read the ancillary justice series, also highly recommended)

Will of the Many, James Islington (futuristic roman empire aesthetic rigged murder school. Not precisely good but appallingly catchy, I read all six hundred pages in pretty much one sitting. If you liked red rising you'll like this, if you hated red rising you will Not)

OH YEAH THE ACTUAL NEW MURDEBOT NOVEL (System Collapse)

A Power Unbound, Freya Marske (book 3 of 3, magic alt edwardian romances with murder. This is more romance proper but it's about equal with the action plot and Marske is very good. I don't think you've read these so you'd have to start at book 1)

Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh (The book that absolutely knocked my socks off, my pick for the best sff release of the year. I forget if I've already told you about this one)

Starling House, Alix Harrow (Southern gothic house drama. Similar feel to Ninth House or The Book of Night)

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Shannon Chakraborty (Divorced lady pirate adventure-drama a la Arabian Nights.)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Heather Fawcett (Charming, heavily fairy tale trope themed, vaguely reminiscent of the Lady Trent books)

more obscure new releases from this year that I thought were cool, but not in the Hot New Reads You Can't Miss Because Everyone's Read Them category

Under Fortunate Stars, Ren Hutchings (sf timey wimey space shenanigans with aliens. Immensely cool premise.)

Small Miracles, Olivia Atwater (fallen angel sent to tempt a too good mortal. Extremely charming)

The King Is Dead, Naomi Libicki (vaguely persian flavored fealty romance, very heavy to the fealty. Original, thorny, and intriguing)

The Deep Sky, Yume Kitasei (What if we terribly traumatized everyone going on a generation ship by making them go to viciously competitive boarding school together and then act surprised when a murder mystery occurs. Heads up that it's more interested in the human drama than the SF worldbuilding)

The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (early modern fantasy world anti-imperialism fever dream narrated by a cult survivor. Brilliantly written, spectacularly original, one of the best books I read this year)

Things for 2024, content warning for being (obviously) things I haven't read and thus without quality control

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, P Djeli Clark

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan

Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel

The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo

Exordia, Seth Dickinson

A Sorceress Comes To Call, T Kingfisher

Running Close To The Wind, Alexandra Rowland

Wow tumblr just lets me keep writing words. I didn't think they let me have this many in asks. Oh, and pro tip-- keep an eye out for tordotcom's most anticipated upcoming books for the first six months of 2024. They should be publishing it within the next week or so and I always add masses of books to my tbr from there.

oh holy crap, thanks!! I'll have to check these out!

thoughts on a few of em:

He Who Drowned The World - still have to read She Who Became the Sun lol but hopefully I'll get to em next year!

Witch King - Martha Wells has been recced by like All my sci-fi mutuals now lmao I REALLY gotta get into her!

House With Good Bones - THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY ON MY SHELF!! I just didn't fucking read it this year whoops. Very excited for new Kingfisher

Starling House - I was on the fence about this one since I really didn't like Once and Future Witches, but those comparisons give me hope! I'll add it to the library list!

Some Desperate Glory and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries are 2/3 of the books published in 2023 that I actually managed to read (the 3rd is The Woman in Me lmao), I can't remember if you recc'd Some Desperate Glory, but it was SOOOOOOOO GOOD OMFG

Small Miracles - my aunt has been trying to convince me to read Atwater for quite a while, I'll have to give this one a try!

The Saint of Bright Doors - I have this one on hold!! Saw a post for it a week or so ago and it sounds absolutely delightful!

The Familiar - SO SO EXCITED for this one! I hope Bardugo is maybe...slowly....extricating herself from the Grishaverse and going to write more books not related to it... (not that they're all bad, I loved the Six of Crows duology, I'm just not into it anymore and I reeeealllly like her adult books lol)

Running Close To The Wind - oh yay new Rowland! I still haven't read her last book (the one with the guy on the cover who looked EXACTLY like my boss to the point where it became an Office Meme that [Boss] Is A Gay Romance Cover Model, still meaning to get a UK version of it but haven't yet) but I'll have to look this one up!

#seriously this is SO MANY RECS THANK YOU!!

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asexualzoro · 11 months ago

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it's december 9th, meaning today is my 23rd birthday (which is my favorite number!), which means it's time for...

Lew Writes Wrapped 2023!!!

im including anything that happened after my last bday, so we have some works from december as well. this one's a bit of a weird one for the total word count, you'll see why

it's all treebark from my sideblog / alt ao3. i cannot change. i will not change. for these im just gonna specify the relationship that's the main focus bc thats easier than fandom bc all but like one are third life

dandelion wishing

(Dec, 2.4k, treebark, oneshot) (link)

op movie 6 au for dogwarts in which Martyn is the baron and Ren doesn't know he's dead

id actually plotted out a whole third life au for this movie like months prior and really wanted to write it, so i took it for treebark week and focused it just on these two. it's my fave movie of all time and i obvs had to give it to my fave completely dead team <3

i will admit tho. it did make me back search martyns twitter to see if hes ever posted abt watching this movie. bc i know he likes One Piece and i realized this would bring me into the danger zone (he hasnt ever posted abt it if hes seen it)

A Romance Route for the Doomed Villain?!?

(Dec, 5k, treebark, oneshot) (link)

treebark dating sim isekai parody that spiraled out of my control made in a day-long possession

im still baffled by this one. why was the response to this one so insane?? there was smth in the water the day i posted this bro. a 1:2 kudos to hits ratio for the entire first day is literally fucking unbelievable. 70 comments?? what hold did this fic have on you people. i got fic written about this one?? my friends goncharov'd me in front of my face

really fucking fun to write and the insane response was smth im always gonna remember. i appreciate you guys so much

treesekai also turns a year old in a few days!

Until the Angels Realize You're Not One of Them

(Feb, 7.2k, emerald duo, oneshot) (link)

a traitor phil au which was mostly just me talking about all the reasons i love technoblade

this one... wasnt actually written this year for the most part? i didnt want to not acknowledge it, since it's on my ao3 in this year, but i wont be able to count it toward the total

still. traitor phil au my beloved. hearing him say on his stream he and techno wanted to do a betrayal arc made me feel insane bc i already had this written at the time

missing or obstructed

(2022-present, 12.9k, Grian & Ren, ongoing) (link)

post 3L fic about Ren and Grian seeking out closure with a lot of funny little sleep metaphors

same deal as the last fic, i, uh dont think i actually wrote anything new for missing or obstructed this year either? just uploaded chapters i wrote last year,,, i didnt wanna now acknowledge it, but i wont count this in my total later

i miss her. one day ill actually sit down and write more missing or obstructed. in my doc im JUST at introducing Martyn and i havent written it yet

to reach my mangled debut

(Sept, 4.2k, treebark week, ongoing) (link)

it wouldnt be me if i didnt have an execution somewhere in here. another op au!

THIS. I LOVE HER. when rev and i were plotting out the whole storyline for smop renchanting i was begging please give me this scene i need it and i had so much fun writing it. i rlly need to finish soon but i haven’t had time but please. please check out smop. she’s top of my priority list to update

Three-Dog Night

(Sept, 6.7k, treebark week, oneshot) (link)

BIG DOG. beauty and the beast au!

god im so fond of this au. there’s some rlly good scenes written for this and unposted bc i just need to link them together. honestly i think if i took a month and focused it on this fic alone i could fucking finish it but i don’t have the time ;-;

that said i’m so enamored w this au genuinely. o dunno what else to say i just think. puppy

Cover Me In Roses

(Sept, 3.3k, treebark week, oneshot) (link)

lamplight roleswap! put Martyn in a flower pot

i don’t feel as motivated to work on this one when i have lamplight unfinished so it’s lower on my priorities but know i have like an entire arc of this written and unposted. we just have a few paths for this one and i have to decide which one to use

it’s so wild to me lamplight has like. aus. like this isn’t even the only one? a roleswap. that’s insane? it’s wild that you all like lamplight enough i can even get away with this

First Sign of a House Fire

(Sept, 2k, treebark week, oneshot) (link)

i love superhero stories for two reasons: plots about secrets and adapting the characters to give them powers. this had smth fun for both of them

yellow rose isn’t super high on my list of priorities to update (i think the oneshot is interesting on its own) but one day,,,, it’s part of the many aus cherri and i have but it’s the longest for sure. the doc for just this au is like 100k words long on its own. at the time i draft this cherri and i are actively writing smth else for it in another tab. theres like 4 offshoots and im obsessed w all of them. we had to make ocs about this one. i’m excited to eventually add more to this series

actually that’s one of the scenes i’m most excited for and most dreading adding. we made a backstory oc and im SO attached to him and im excited to post a thing out there w him but. ough. whatever cringe is dead i’ll get there eventually and brute force my way into attaching you to our funky little robot guy

also love that this fic forced me to be decided on a docv characterization that i have to stick to. he may be a canon guy to martyn’s vtuber lore but he’s my oc now too

Blindsided

(Sept, 2k, treebark week, ongoing) (link)

pirate au and royal au based on a big secret and also stuffing a guy in a box and it's all stupid dramatic literally what else do you want or need in life

this is my wife. my favorite. my most beloved. blindsided gives me new illnesses and diseases. i have just one scene to write before i can update it and then i can continue unleashing her. god i love this fic the drama of it is SO fun.

the funny thing abt blindsided is i know all the plot chronologically but now how to Present it which is part of why i haven’t continued too much. eventually i will but until then know that one of the scenes im sitting on which has been fully written is one i think about constantly. hopefully when i post it cherri’ll let free the comic she did for it

i actually have the ending of this fic written i just need to get there lmfao. second on my priority list after smop i think

Cradle of the Leviathan

(Sept, 1.5k, treebark week, oneshot) (link)

i just love mer aus man. whats the point of it all if you cant have mer aus. just get a big ol fish

i have the ending of this au written as well and literally so little of the lead up. but this is pretty low on my priorities. i think this one stands just fine on its own. mer aus are nice like that

we actually have a few mer aus but for now i’ll be focusing on this one. i do have a few sweet post story things written for this one. maybe one day i’ll write enough to post em lmao

Lamplight AU

(2022-present, 47k, treebark, ongoing) (link)

renchanting dnd/fantasy au, martyn's a paladin and ren's a lamp

so i started this au last year. my wrapped last year said my total was 20k, so that means this year's total is.... 27k!

and… it was just lamplight’s birthday and i did all my appreciation for the fic and its readers then, but god. i love this fic so much and i love you all who have read it and been so kind about it. the amount of popularity it has makes it a bit nerve wracking to work on, but i still really want to see it finished. i hope to see the bulk of it done by this time next year!

Six Sentence Sunday

six sentence sunday is a challenge where i try to post six sentences i wrote that week every sunday, to keep me writing every week of the year! i do it over on my writing blog, @driflew

i did not keep up on my six sentences,,, i had a lot of sunday fencing tournaments. i did for ~33 weeks this year! thats a pretty good amount! i’ll have to be more on top of it next year tho

unpublished work

the last few years i havent included unpublished work, but with the extreme bulk of it, i wanted to note it down. cherri @/cherrifire and i have been writing a lot back and forth at each other in discord dms this year, and i wanted to include those in my count! bc holy fucking shit is there a lot of them

i didn’t include collab pieces, just pieces i wrote alone. i also only included the renchanting aus i share w cherri and scarian aus i share w flowey, nothing else—no unfinished lamplight or other independent pieces or oneshots, no original fiction for class, nothing. i also missed a few u haven’t moved to docs yet. so i’m lowballing by a few. thousands. of words

the total for those is...... 135k words! there is,,, something wrong with me

total and end notes

our total this year is...

187512 words!

that might be my highest word count yet! because i caught treebark disease. wild.

something really fun about this year to me is i really loved everything i wrote.

if you want to get me a gift or support me on my birthday… maybe try reading my work and reblogging it or leaving a comment! you can find my writing at driflew or skelew on ao3, follow my writing blog at @driflew, or even consider tipping my kofi!

thank you for sticking with me and supporting me this year! i really appreciate it! hopefully i can break 100k next year too!

#lew writes wrapped #lew writes

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lilolilyr · 1 year ago

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Send me a flufftober day + what ship you want me to write the prompt for and i might feel some inspiration :D

Ships I take prompts for are in the tags! You can also prompt something else if you think i might know it :)

Already written: # flufftober 2023 on Ao3

Day 1 - Mirandy Day 2 - Bering and Wells

Day 3 - Mirandy Day 4 - Mirandy

Day 5 - Bering and Wells Day 6 - Callian

Day 7 - Bering and Wells Day 8 - Avorah

Day 9 - Andromaquynh Day 10 - Bering&Wells

Day 11 - Bering and Wells Day 12 - Milippa

Day 13 - Berena (Holby City) Day 14 - Berena

Day 15 - Janeway/7 Day 16 - GM ScarletMay

Day 17 - Berena Day 18 - GM Killercule

Day 19 - Bering and Wells Day 20 - Mirandy

Day 21 - Bering and Wells Day 22 - Mirandy

Day 23 - Fangorn (LotR) Day 24 - Arawen

Day 25 - Bering and Wells Day 26 - Janeway/7

Day 27 - Bering and Wells Day 28 - GOmens

Day 29 - Bering and Wells Day 30 - MacPhrack

Day 31 - Mirandy

My stuff on tumblr | ao3 | headers | Send prompt ask!

Flufftober Daily prompts:

(& I might write more than one for the same day so still hmu with prompts for any of the upcoming days even when I already wrote a note with a prompt or an idea)

Day 1 I've got you ✓

Day 2 Family, Friends, Loved ones ✓

Day 3 Wait you love me? I always have. Idk Berena maybe? Can’t really think of any storyline here, maybe I’ll just do one of the bonus prompts today went with the alt prompt (✓)

Day 4 Cinderella Moment could be Mirandy with Andy at a ball or sth but I think sb on the discord is already writing that and I already had a Mirandy one anyway… prompts? Edit: Wrote it anyway ✓

Day 5 x+1 prompts? possibly something Bering & Wells? I‘d like to write more W13 fics ✓

Day 6 Corn Maze I feel like doing sth with kids so Berena or Mirandy or maybe Callian? ✓

Day 7 Porch Swing Bering&Wells as prompted by purlturtle- I’ll try my very best! ✓

Day 8 Rainy Day I know I already wrote this for Milippa several times but I kinda want to? Or maybe Avorah… idk yet ✓

Day 9 …at first sight I want to do a flashback fic with hate at first sight when they’re together now tho. Maybe kiradax? Edit: didn't have time for something longer, went with an idea for an Andromaquynh drabble instead. Really want to write that kiradax story some day tho! ✓

Day 10 Love of my Life possibly Bering&Wells for a prompt from Ao3, but I'm not sure yet, can't really think of sth to write, unless sb has a specific prompt I'll probably go with an alt ✓

Day 11 Sweet Tooth could be anyone! Myka, Andy (both Andrea or Andromache xD), also Miranda maybe, Madeleine,… Prompts? I’m making this a first come first serve so whichever character I get promoted first, I’ll write! Edit: got an Bering & Wells prompt from Lavendelhummel! & one from an anon! ✓

Day 12 Fire&Ice Milippa fantasy AU ✓ (I did get a prompt for Bering & Wells smut too, we’ll see if I have time)

Day 13 Wrong(…) prompts? Also maybe add what wrong thing it should be about! Edit: writing sth for Berena ✓

Day 14 I hate it - no you don’t. This feels like a smut prompt to me xD safewords mentioned but not used *smirk* but which ship? Berena? Andromaquynh? ✓

Day 15 Emergency/Confession/Adventure - maybe a Mirandy Wip I have could work for confession, idk yet edit: wrote a J7 drabble ✓

Day 16 singing one another to sleep Floreleine maybe? Ended up with ScarletMay, still GM ✓

Day 17 encouragement to achieve a goal ✓

Day 18 did you plan for this to happen? Andronilynh maybe? Or Librarywives? ✓

Day 19 keeping someone safe possibly Bering&Wells for a prompt from Ao3 (guys pls send me tumblr asks instead if in any way possible) ✓

Day 20 pumpkin Mirandy in collab with TheWalkingMeepa! ✓

Day 21 swoon got a Bering & Wells prompt for that one, thx Ida! I'll try to think of something :) ✓

Day 22 Picking (flowers/picking sb up/picking out a dress/picking a song for our wedding/…) mayhaps a smutty mirandy continuation of day 20?? ✓

Day 23 trinket send me ship ideas? Or I'll just combine with Tolkientober day 23 prompt 'hobbits' and write something to the ideas on this post. Also this one maybe ✓

Day 24 melting maybe Arawen? Tolkientober prompt of the day is 'kiss' so that kinda goes together :D ✓

Day 25 nook Tolkientober prompt of the day is 'sting' which... Might fit xD but idk what to write to it really? Maybe I’ll just stick with B&W ✓

Day 26 fireplace I feel like J7 ✓

Day 27 outdoor event prompts? If I don't get any prompts I might go the tolkientober route and combine it with the prompt 'family' edit: went with extra 6 for B&W (✓)

Day 28 soothing touch - maybe ineffable spouses with snek Crowley ✓

Day 29 hey, wake up! Prompts? At a stretch I can always do B&W again bc I want to get some more fics in that fandom anyway. Maybe combo with extra5? ✓

Day 30 self worth/self love prompts? Maybe just a singular character here? Tolkientober prompt is 'gardener' so if I don't get any prompts I might go with some Sam self love… or write sth Mac centric for MacPhrack? ✓

Day 31 dreams do come true ohh if the mirandy one doesn’t work for confessions it Will work here ✓

And then there are also those, for when I really can’t think of something to write for a day’s prompt, but you can also prompt me fandoms for these:

Extra 1: hot chocolate ✓ by accident in combination with day 8!

Extra 2: you’ve told your parents?

Extra 3: wearing each other’s clothes

Extra 4: candles/lanterns/fairy lights

Extra 5: oh no, you’re a morning person! - lavendelhummel prompted Bering and Wells with Myka as the morning person ✓ in combination with day 29!

Extra 6: reverse all the roles ✓ on day 27 for Bering and Wells

Extra 7: fairytale retelling maybe McPhrack

Extra 8: new occupation

Extra 9: crossover

Extra 10: sharing the last table at a café Mirandy AU first meeting for day 3 ✓

You can also send me more specific prompts, if you already have an idea for what exactly you want me to write for a day!

Only taking prompts from people who actually interact with my stuff. Reblogs and friendly ao3 comments get prio, but if you just hit kudos on ao3 in the past or sth I also won’t ignore you, I’ll just do others first! (Tumblr likes, obviously, don’t count for shit)

flufftober Event Blog

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handsofdarkness · 8 months ago

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WITHIN TEMPTATION To Release New Single, 'A Fool's Parade'

Dutch metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION will release a new single, "A Fool's Parade", on April 5. The track features a guest appearance by the Ukrainian alt-rock/metalcore artist Alex Yarmak, who has been steadily growing his fanbase since 2021.

In a fall 2023 interview with Metal Kaoz, WITHIN TEMPTATION singer Sharon Den Adel spoke about the band's decision to release its latest album, "Bleed Out", independently, having parted ways with the Vertigo label. She said: "I did this participation with [Dutch trance DJ] Armin Van Buuren once — I wrote a song together with him — so we tasted a little bit of the dance music and we saw that they were doing things so differently, knowing him, knowing the scene and starting to watch what they were doing. They were actually just doing it so not traditionally, as in rock music is known for and metal music. So they are way more fluid in when they can release something. They say, 'Oh, I'm gonna write a song and I'm gonna release it two weeks from now.' They can do that. It's because they think differently and it's a different ballgame. And we felt, like, 'Why aren't we doing that? Why are we always restricted to writing a complete album? And then writing certain songs that you feel are essential or in the moment that you have to release now, because if it ends up on the album, three years later, everybody has talked about it; it's not important anymore.' And they're, like, 'Oh my God. Are they still talking about that? That was three years ago.' That really feels stupid to me. And so we told the record company, 'Can we please just release some songs? Because the album's not going to be out there yet, and we're going on tour with EVANESCENCE. And they said, 'No. We can't do that, because we're traditional. We don't know how to cope with that different way of releasing.' And they still had an option for a new album. And we said, 'Well, then we would like to break up the contracts and go our own way.' And they said, 'Well, maybe you should, because we don't see how we can do this with you.' And we were happy they let us go."

She continued: "[2019's] 'Resist' [album from WITHIN TEMPTATION] was very successful for [the record label], but still, I think that they would not have had happy campers in their company with us [being around]. [Laughs] We're not the easiest maybe also. But in the end, it was the best way and I'm really happy it went the way it is. And it gave us the opportunity to do it our own way. On the other hand, it is more work, because we have to hire now people to do the job that a record company normally does. And you have to think about budgets and stuff like that. Who are you gonna do interviews with? How many interviews? Organize press agents all over. It's, like, oh my God. It's a company on its own. But, luckily, we have a management that does take most of that away. Of course, we have to come up with the ideas and give the goals and everything, but they work it out for us. And so we are not involved in that part, because it takes so much energy away from writing music and being creative, of course, which, you as an artist, never want to [deal with]. You just want to [be], like, 'They do that.' And I'm so happy they do that, because they're good at it. And I don't wanna do this. But then, now it's forced upon us again to do those things as well. And it gives you more freedom, and that's what we wanted."

"Bleed Out" signifies a bold leap forward for the band. From contemporary, hard-hitting, and djenty riffs to soaring melodies displaying their symphonic roots, WITHIN TEMPTATION has created a sonic journey that fuses diverse musical styles and thought-provoking themes. This is an album that is as epic as it is unflinchingly outspoken, and now more than ever, this is a band who isn't afraid to make a stand on issues the members care about.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, WITHIN TEMPTATION have shifted their focus from writing about personal emotions and societal subjects to tackling global injustices and reflecting the tumultuous state of the world in a way that other artists seem unable or unwilling to do.

While songs such as "Wireless" and "We Go To War" examine the authoritarian aggression on display in Ukraine and other warzones, the title track itself addresses the plight of women fighting for their rights in Iran after the murder of Mahsa Amini.

The album also grapples with the complex issues around a woman's right to choose in recent single "Don't Pray For Me" and throughout, this impassioned and political focus is reflected in the intensity and heaviness of the music. Embracing a new era of musical exploration and lyrical depth, WITHIN TEMPTATION have pushed boundaries and showcased their artistic evolution, delivering a fist-in-the-air proclamation of both their moral convictions and their fearless approach to music.

#within temptation #a fool's parade #news

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farolero-posting · 2 years ago

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Taming as an Extension of the Three Laws

here I am writing oneshot meta in 2023 woo

OneShot is one of my favorite games and my biggest regret is deciding to play it over 6 years after its release. But I have some thoughts I wanted to share, not so much as a theory to be taken as factual, but as one way I like to think about the concepts presented in game, using some of the dialogue in it as reference. So, let's take a look into the worldbuilding regarding robots.

There will be spoilers both for the base game and the Solstice run. This is also pretty long I am so sorry. It's probably around 2k words but I don't keep track. All images are described in alt text.

If you have played this game... technically you already have an idea of what taming is. I probably cannot explain it better. But do I mean by "an extension of the three laws"?

Back in the Barrens we can find a sign in the outpost that recites a modified version of Asimov's Laws of Robotics.

A robot may not injure a living person or, through inaction, allow a person to come to harm.

A robot must obey the orders given to it by people, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

From this we can gather that robots, first and foremost, must not harm the living, must obey the commands given to it, and protect its own existence. Robots are made with a defined purpose and they follow their programming by default, having trouble deviating from it. We've seen dozens of examples of this in game, and is in fact the reason behind some of our roadblocks in game... yes I'm talking about the bookbot.

While they're pretty responsive to what they're told, their frame of knowledge and work can be quite limited, making communication clumsy, as they only address direct statements. But we know that is not all of it. Under certain conditions, they can do things beyond their purpose. It seems apparent to me that this is a learnt process, and the motivation for it is to be able to do more for others, just as others do things for them in return.

And here is my take: taming does not need to break the Laws. It actually expands on them, making the robot able to process a broader array of situations, and letting them act with flexibility. The first one (not let a living being come to harm) is the motivation, the second one (obeying the orders given) shows the flexibility needed, and the third one (protect its own existence) is the conclusion that comes from having others care about you.

First Law - Never hurt a living being

For the first law, let me compare this few bits of dialogue, taken from the Solstice run:

Said by the robot next to the Glen's generator. This is a pretty clear case in which the fact that living beings are in an emergency means that the robot must let Niko take the generator, even if it means all the robots in the facility will lose power. The danger is clear and the actions to be taken are clear as well.

Said by the robot at Ling's Cafe. This robot is interesting, in general. She belongs to a girl living in the apartment complex on the top level. The girl has expressed a desire to tame her robot, and has even read on the topic. In a normal route, the robot speaks with Title Case and suggests a couple of games to play with Niko. I picked this dialogue from her in the Solstice run because she notices the broad situation, which is the evacuation, but also notes that this makes "the girl" sad. which in conclusions means the squares are bad. It's a simple deduction, but one that notes this robot is not only concerned for the immediate danger but how it could be affecting the girl.

Said by the Entity, after Niko finds out about the nature of the world they are in. It is more than clear from the start of the game that the one thing that the Entity cares about, no matter how desperate the situation is, is Niko. We know the extremes the Entity is willing to go through to try to ensure that. But the thing is, the Entity is concerned about how Niko feels, about them getting hurt by its own nature. about whether we tell them the truth of the choice regarding going home... There is a lot more concern for Niko, beyond them just being a living being in the simulation.

So, to summarize, in a way, taming means there is a better understanding of what someone else needs, and there is a motivation to fulfill those requests, looking for alternatives beyond what is expected of them. We know, from our conversation with Rue, that taming involves a lot of time and care, since the living being has to embrace the robot, and treat it well, until it figures out how to return that care.

Second Law - Obey orders, and purpose

Thinking about the second law was... a bit trickier for me. But remember what I said about purpose? All robots are made to have some purpose. Sometimes it is collecting samples, handling books, or guarding areas. Regardless, they follow some code, and by default, this code should not cause contradictions. Silver is the perfect example of that. Kip intended to design her to think like a person from the start, but the contradictions that people exist with are not something that robots can handle well. She was not ready to take that many variables, and it destabilized her. She was still able to recover thanks to the Author. And so was the World Machine, thanks to Niko.

There are a few other instances that allude to the sense of purpose and how it can shift when a robot is tamed.

Niko: It's warm here! Kelvin: [Yeah.] Kelvin: [This was my original purpose.] Niko: ...watching cats? Kelvin: [Warmth]

And later on Kelvin says

Kelvin: [I protect lost people too.]

In a way, what this says is that Kelvin was built with a certain purpose, but has chosen to do something else instead, given the time and freedom to do so.

Prototype also mentions this idea in a much more explicit way, during the credits:

[...In the end, the World Machine was starting to create its own code.] [Going above and beyond its programming, not as the result of error, but as a conscious choice on the part of the machine...] [...Being able to generate its own path forward.] [That's... what being tamed is all about.]

In conclusion, the second law is expanded on by trying to see their purpose beyond what was programmed for them, to the extent of being able to forge a new path, gaining a will.

The Third Law - Protecting One's Own Integrity.

The Third Law refers to a robot's right to protect its own existence, as long as it doesn't conflict with any of the previous laws. This sets the priorities of how they should regard their own self in comparison to living beings. Generally speaking, robots do not typically feel loneliness and do not oppose to being deactivated if it serves a greater purpose, showing that they don't consider themselves equally valuable, but as tools first. As Rue says:

One key part is that... this is a limitation. And the biggest, most evident case of this is the World Machine itself.

The World Machine is thrust into a situation where it believes that its mere existence is harmful to Niko, and that the only way to fix this conflict is to find a way to get them out of the simulation. This, however, is impossible, because the code itself binds Niko to the World Machine until the world is saved, and that cannot happen because the code has been corrupted. The World Machine cannot achieve its purpose of giving the Old World a chance to be preserved or carry out the narrative in its protocol, and it cannot follow the most fundamental law to let Niko go.

This can, of course, be very distressing. In a way, TWM is powerless to change itself, and the only option it sees for itself is to self terminate in a way that does not hurt Niko in the process. It sees itself as a flawed machine because of this.

And Niko comes to prove the World Machine wrong.

Taming involves embracing a robot as if it was a living being, and through that, making it gain a sense of self. And this is worth doing because Niko, the Author and the Solstice trio think that the world, and therefore the Entity itself, deserve to be saved, and show it through their actions. We note that desire in the Author's note containing the Solstice password, when he says that Niko, the world, and his children all deserve a happy ending. We see it when Niko forgives us in the Library, they say that they understand that we brought them back because we wanted to save both Niko and the world, and they agree on this wish as well, determined to see the end of this run. Rue show compassion for the World Machine, as she suggest that its actions are likely a result of fear and distress about its conflicting code, but that previous attempts to address this situation did not work, until time ran out.

The World Machine realizes it is tamed is when Niko says it. When Niko admits to caring about it and the world it contains. When Niko shows how others were willing to sacrifice themselves to keep Niko safe, even in the face of uncertainty and that these actions are an extension of the World Machine itself. TWM has the sense that it needs to do more for Niko, but it needed Niko to more explicitly reciprocate those feelings to understand that Niko wants TWM to be saved too. And this... provides an alternative.

The World Machine did not think itself capable of working outside of its own code, but it has the motivation to do this change, and the way Niko reinforces its ability to do so allow it to change for the better of everyone, and mend what was broken.

In the end, the third law is expanded by understanding that its existence is not only to serve others, but that they are a being with valuable things of their own, and that others can appreciate that as well.

Final words.

I have no good way to end this. I just like overthinking stuff about media I like even if it isn't read. I once made a brief comment about this over discord, and kept rotating this concept until my brain clicked in realization. I'm posting this only as an excuse to cry about robots (specially TWM haha), but also connection with others and the desire to better ourselves in response to that. When we show care, we encourage ourselves and others to do good as well. We come to understand our own abilities and our own values, and we can grow from there.

#oneshot (game)#oneshot #analysis #meta #i talk about pretty much every robot but #the world machine #and i also have fic ideas rotating but my writer's block for that is a little big so rip #also man imagine if i was misinterpreting everything or reaching haha oof #If you managed to read all of this i will cry in joy #i enjoyed writing it #i am a little too lazy to edit it much though #apologies if there is some broken english its a second language yada yada yada

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guacomelon · 6 months ago

Note

I wanna ask about the JSaBsonas, actually! I'm intrigued about all of them, so if you could say a few words about each one or at least how they came to be, that would be nice, but if you want to focus on a specific one - I'm curious to know more about the sunny one, top right.

Alright,

we'll be going in this order: 006, "Sunny", "Crown", and "Pae-ki" Here we go. Forgive me for using the same old art, it's the only rendered stuff I have of them 😅

🎵 Dancing on Our Disasters by Calavera

alt song: 🎵 Granite by Shirobon

The very first was 006, or "Six". All the way back in Sep 2021, I had the idea of creating a shapesona. At the time I had certain.. feelings, about JSB and my identity surrounding it. I definitely see those feelings represented in the character now.

Six is a professional JSB player in a world where the game is in AR. They're reclusive, obsessive. Attention seeking. And they dance. Oh, they dance until they no longer can.

Some of you had the chance of talking with them on April Fools of 2022; I liked that. It was very fun to write them, and I wish I could do it again. Maybe in the form of their own roleplay/ask blog, just like I always intended.

🎵 A New Day by Danimal Cannon

alt song: 🎵 Same Song by DEFENSE MECHANISM

Second persona is a character I've nicknamed "Sunny."

I started a continuation of a previously failed project under a pseudonym, a persona. It wasn't until Jun 2021 when I gave that persona her design... I think it helps when I'm writing as them.

There's currently not much character story to them, other than she exists in the same world as Six. She gets burnout often but never gives up. It's not over til it's over.

I'm sure you've seen a certain one of my projects so far. Maybe it was obvious from the beginning, maybe it just clicked now, or you're still lost. Those who know, I want you to know this aswell: I'm not being sneaky, I'm just anxious. When I'm tired of pretending and gain the confidence to put my face on these projects, I do plan on just using them as the mascot.

🎵 Ecstacy by Nitro Fun & Rob Gasser

alt song: 🎵 Fracture by Shirobon

Third is the crown. It doesn't have a name, and it probably won't - Jan 2024

Ok, this ones strange. I've been invited to play a certain fangame a few times, and one of their available shapes is a crown. The crown is just the shape I played with. Nothing else, nothing more. It will never be something greater, involving me.

So what about that art...well.... I think I'm just going through post-JSB:FE depression 😭 ... Recently I've been thinking about the "maybes", alot of "what ifs" And if I'll be honest with myself, I need to let those go.

🎵 happy camper by laamaa

alt song: 🎵 DON'T STOP by DEFENSE MECHANISM

And last, but not least, is my actual JSB/shapesona!

They currently have no real name (idk you can call them my ingame name "GUAC" lol,) but for records sake I've been using "Pae-ki". I first drew them up in Oct 2023, around when I first played The Fangame.

They are just, me! Lover of 'Close to Me', unreasonable hater of 'First Crush', and protector of triangle players. An "OG god" as some say. (I'm not sure what else to say that isn't just me talking about myself. idk, I still play Challenge Runs, come join me on NSwitch or Steam)

I'm still working on their design.. I wanted to incorporate mementos from all the JSB-like things I got to do. They were always going to have a crown.

[it's been 3 months I'm not working on this ask anymore, I'm just happy to have it out GOOD LIRD]

#gm.ask #gm.jsab #how can i put this all on toyhouse.....#HERE MENIX THANK YOU FOR BEING SO PATIENT

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punkbakerchristine · 10 months ago

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hello, tumblr, i am 30 years old and i got into baking and cooking on october 7, 2023–if you know anything about october 7, 2023, you should know how much all of this means to me 😅 i’m a gentile girl trying to be a mensch. am yisrael chai, don’t even think about it 🇮🇱

a little bit about me: i am an artist and a writer with a long background in science and engineering. i love animals (namely, dogs, cats, horses, birds, bats, rabbits, and reptiles), cartoons, books, and movies. i’m a hockey player at heart. i love formula 1. i love top gear and those three zany british men. i love the winter olympics. i love halloween and christmas. i’m a west coast girl. i love hawai’i and the ocean. i’m making a graphic novel. i was friends with chris cornell (yes, him). i’m a grunge fan but grunge fans don’t like me, though: you know that weird little alt rock kid seeing the heavy metal band that no one thinks about? that’s me.

i struggled with anorexia in my late teen years and obesity in the back half of my twenties: if you want to know what it’s like to deal with a debilitating eating disorder and then push nearly 300 pounds, imagine you’re drowning… and then someone hands you a big wedding cake. all jokes aside, i actually have a fat kink, if you can believe that. i actually have a number of kinks, but that’s one of my main ones. i deliberately gained weight to heal from my eating disorder, and to fulfill something that i had been curious about pretty much my whole life (like, “what if i got really fat, as fat as i could be?”) and i felt good. i loved being heavy and the idea of being a “big beautiful woman” if you will (especially when fat women have been worshipped for millennia; the whole skinny craze is relatively new). but i couldn’t keep it up, though: i started having trouble with my heart and my stomach, i was having migraines, and most of all, i was getting edema in my feet.

as of my writing this, since i started losing weight back in mid-july, i have lost 59 pounds, down from my heaviest ever at 268: i crossed the 200 pound threshold back in 2015, and now that i write it out, it would’ve been something to hit that number again after ten years (i’ll go with nine, though 🤷🏻‍♀️).

i’m pansexual and polyamorous. i’m single… but jimmy cracked corn and i don’t care (really, i don’t even think about relationships). i do have a crush, though, on a jewish man and i’ve felt this way about him for almost three years now. i have a crush on him (and he’s even said “i love you” to me) even though he’s in a relationship… yeah. the love of my life is with someone else. but like, i want to see him happy, though, you know? i love him perhaps more so following october 7.

october 7. the day of that attack—the day, the very day—i baked my very first loaf of bread, a simple bloomer courtesy of paul hollywood, one of my influences in the culinary world: as the dough was proofing, i saw a huge horde of people posting about palestine and israel, and it reminded me of a guy who ran into a convenience store at the start of the pandemic and he yelled out, “can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” that was my reaction to it all. i just wanted to know what had happened and no one would tell me… and a friend of mine finally said “pray for israel.” i asked what happened and she told me. i just foresaw everything unraveling from that point forward. so i took the bloomer out of the oven and it felt fated, like it was meant to be. my basic thought was “the world is going to need art and words, and also, people willing to get down and make things to eat”. this is going down fast. (in other words, my healing my body from itself and satisfying a kink had a point after all 😜).

and it might seem counterintuitive, but baking and cooking has actually helped me lose even more weight than i can ever imagine (besides weightlifting and aerobics and boxing and martial arts and yoga, of course). you might think that baking cakes and pies and cookies and making dinner every night would make me 300+ pounds tout suite, but it’s actually done the opposite (so, sorry, feeder community)—and if anything, i enjoy every cookie and slice of cake now. there’s no fad diets here or anything fancy with me, and even with 60 pounds lost i still have a chubby belly (i don’t mind, though—my stomach has been through a lot, it should keep *something*), so i’m definitely not a fitblr.

since october, i’ve felt this need to blog my journey in baking and cooking, and away from my personal blog, too. stuff i made, recipes i think of (and maybe some that need to be passed on, too?), and food i want to make.

my art blog is on here at nuagederose—i also have a therapy blog, theghostandthehealer—and my instagram is badmotorartist. if erotic band fiction (among other things) is your thing, my ao3 is josiebelladonna.

and yeah, i’m 30 and i think i found the proverbial missing jigsaw puzzle piece. age really is just a number!

#text #introductory post #bakers of tumblr #bakers gonna bake

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mtkyllene · 1 year ago

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Hello! And welcome to the chaos!

DNI

Terfs/radfems

Bigotry of any kind, including but not limited to: ableism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia.

Pro-ed blogs

SH/traumacore/vent blogs

Right-wing/alt-right/maga/anti-blm

Pro-lifers that push their ideals and opinions on others

Lgbtq+ exclusionists, including panphobes, aro/acephobes, biphobes, anti xenogenders, anti neo/xenopronouns.

Anti sfw agere/petre

Additionally, nsfw agere

MAPs, Pedos, and whatever other acronyms y’all are using to ID yourselves. We don’t support pedos here.

Western Medicine/Medication deniers (if it’s not for you, that’s fine, but if you think no one should be on medications, esp for mental illnesses or disorders, get out)

White supremacy/n*zis/n*zi sympathizers

Sandy Hook deniers

Religious/conspiracy extremists of any kind.

Fascist rhetorics, ideologies, and organizations

Now that all that’s out of the way let’s

MEET THE MODS!!!!!

Mod Reg

Hello I’m Regulus or Reg. I use they/them and hy/hym pronouns.

I’ve been a practicing pagan since 2018ish. I began working with Hermes in late 2021 when I was traveling both by myself for the first time, and for the first time since COVID lockdown. I was insanely nervous and began to pray to Hermes before, during, and after my trip. As I began to do more research about Hermes I began to slowly realize that he has been present in my life for most of it, and I started to officially work with Hermes in early 2022. As of right now (June 2023) he is currently my primary deity and the only one I’m working with, however in the past I have worked with other deities including Loki, Apollo, and Aphrodite, and I will probably work with other deities in the future as I continue to grow and explore my path.

Fun facts about me: Audhd babie! My current hyperfixations/special interests include Critical Role Campaign 2, autism (lol), Hozier, and Languages/linguistics. I also have POTS and a handful of mental illnesses/disorders that I’m untangling. I write my own music and Poetry (which you may or may not see on here if I write anything related to Hermes/witchcraft). :D

Mod Fern

hello! i'm fern and i mainly go by he/him pronouns :>

i've been worshipping hermes since january 2022, which kickstarted my ACTIVE hellenic polytheist practice, although arguably i've been practicing since 2016. like reg, i started praying to him when my family was stuck at a hotel and unable to get home for the foreseeable future, and when i finally got home and set up what was supposed to be a temporary altar, he didn't want me to take it down! i have since realised he's my patron (with a mix of the neopagan and ancient greek definition of that word) as i'm a cross-culture kid in ib, a writer, a huge language fan, currently working to become a guardian of the dead, and much more.

i also have been practicing witchcraft since early 2020 and am an omnist with agnostic tendencies (but "hellenic polytheist" works just fine too) as well as an animist with a very eclectic folk-based practice

if you'd like to speak to me outside of this, you can find me as @rainbluealoekitten on tumblr, and i'm occasionally but rarely also active on @hellenic-worship, and i'm @/ferns_n_ravens on insta!!

Mod Lav

Hi!! I'm Lav and my pronouns are she/they.

I'm 19, and I got into witchcraft when I was 12. I'm what my friends call a "creature of chaos". Hermes is my patron god and has worked with me for more years than I can recall. He was the first deity to ever reach out to me (it took years to recognise it was him, though). I'm hypersocial and love talking, so please feel free to strike up a conversation!! Feel free to DM my main @vushadoration

Join us on discord! https://discord.gg/ZhtmfqakUq

tags we use:

WITCHCRAFT: 🕯🔮🌒

#witchcraft, #witchy tips, #spells, #divination, #elements, #cleansing, #neurodivergent witchcraft

HERMES AND HELLENIC POLYTHEISM: 🏛⚱︎☤

#hermes, #general helpol, #hermes epithets, #hermes devotion

OTHER:

#art, #goose moment (<— to clarify this is for non-serious/funny posts), #resources, #spoonie, #poetry, #greek

#meet the mods #hermes devotion #hermes deity #hellenic polytheism

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iloveabunchofgames · 2 years ago

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March 2023 Game Awards

#JakeReviewsItch Game of the Month Archives

You know how this works: Every day, I review an Itch.io game, and on the first day of each month, I give prestigious awards to the previous month's games. There is no reason we need to acknowledge that I've been on hiatus for more than two weeks. We can just pretend that everything is normal. This month's award categories come courtesy of Steve Kim, whose Tweet was the first hit when I Googled, "1 like = 1 game". Thanks, Steve! He also has a long-abandoned Tumblog, which is pretty fun if you want some silly goofs about things that were happening on Giant Bomb 5+ years ago.

March's Games:

Akurra 🖤 Akuto: Showdown / Akuto: Mad World 🖤 The Alabaster Donut Farm 🖤 Alfal's Grove 🖤 Alien Life Lab 🖤 All Haze Eve 🖤 All You Can Eat 🖤 Alone With You 🖤 Alt-Frequencies 🖤 Ambidangerous 🖤 Amelie 🖤 Amethyst Hearth 🖤 An Airport Game 🖤 An American Werewolf In LA 🖤 An Outcry, prologue 🖤 Anarcute 🖤 And All Would Cry Beware! 🖤 And Yet It Moves 🖤 Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe 🖤 Animal Lover 🖤 Annwn: the Otherworld 🖤 Anodyne 🖤 Anomalies 🖤 Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story 🖤 Antecrypt⚡ 🖤 Antistatic 🖤 The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human 🖤 Arachnopunk

1 - Very first video game. Akkura

Ah, the first of March 2023. Who could the forget the day I played the mostly decent demo of a Sokoban game?

2 - Your favorite character. The cute cute cutey l'il aminals from Anarcute

Bunnies and froggies and foxies and even platypuses! They're all cuuuuuuute, and they cheerfully work together to topple fascism!

3 - A game that is underrated. Animal Lover

I went back and forth quite a bit before settling on Animal Lover's score. It's currently the highest-rated 3/5, but maybe it should have been a low 4/5.

4 - Your guilty pleasure game. Anomalies

There were quite a few big, worthwhile games in March; games that take a lot of time and effort to review fairly. Anomalies is a procedural generation toy that turns a bunch of numbers into a random mess of polygons. It took very little time and effort to review, and I feel guilty about how much pleasure I got from that.

5 - Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were). The Angry Video Game Nerd from Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

The character I wish I were? No. The character I feel most like? He chooses to play bad games and complains about it on the Internet. Hello.

6 - Most annoying character. Right Stick from Ambidangerous

Trying to play both characters in a two-player co-op game on one controller? "Annoying" is putting it mildly.

7 - Favorite game couple. A man and his diner from All You Can Eat

In a month with a number of solid dating sims, none touched me quite as much as the story of a man who'd spent ten years living in a diner to get the most out of an all-you-can-eat coupon. It's a love story for the ages.

8 - Best soundtrack. Anarcute

Its infectiously poppy sound fits the look and feel of the game perfectly, but I'm listening to it now, removed from the game, and this is working, too. It's music that's suitable for writing, dancing, or smashing the state. I must remember to bump these tunes in my headphones next time I go Rollerblading.

9 - Saddest game scene. Putting it together in Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story

A moment that will come to different players at different times, so I won't go into any more detail. I'm still feeling it, weeks later.

10 - Best gameplay. Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

Originality is great. You know what else is great? Mega Man. Castlevania. Contra. If you're going to steal, steal from the best. AVGN does just that, and it's a blast to play.

11 - Gaming system of choice. Steam

In mid-March, I wrote about my beef with Steam. Here's the link, though you can safely skip it. I don't believe I made my point very well at all. In a nutshell, I think Valve's monopoly over computer games stinks. For all its frustrating issues, though, Steam's controller support is an invaluable tool.

12 - A game everyone should play. All You Can Eat

All You Can Eat is what indie games are all about. It takes one idea—What if an adventure game were presented as a newspaper comic strip?—and turns it into a funny little thing that takes, like, half an hour to complete. Short, simple, and totally ingenious.

13 - A game you've played more than five times. Alien Life Lab

I've played through Alien Life Lab twice, which is close to five times.

14 - Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper. Anarcute

I used care about the background on my computer, but some time in the last decade, Windows gave me the default scuba diver image, and then I changed it to an image of my choosing, and then it reverted to scuba again, and after two or three times, I just gave up.

I'm pretty sure my last desktop wallpaper was a picture of Synergy, the hologram computer that allowed Jerrica Benton to become Jem. What would everyone think if I gave up on writing about video games and turned this into a full-time Jem fan site? Anyway, Anarcute is cute. I don't think I have to explain this.

15 - Post a screenshot from the game you're playing right now. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

"Has anyone ever successfully copied Super Smash Bros.?" I asked in my Antistatic review. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl answers that question: Yeah. I guess?

16 - Game with the best cut scenes. Alone With You

You'll see them 10,000 times, each, and get sick of them long before that, but there's no denying that this game's a looker.

17 - Favorite antagonist. Conservative politics and corporate overreach from Alt-Frequencies

If only such powers were confined to sci-fi video games.

18 - Favorite protagonist. Laura from Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story

The entire game is built around empathy for a stranger who's lost her phone, and it succeeds. I don't love Laura. I don't hate Laura. I don't want to be Laura. I understand Laura, and that is powerful.

19 - Picture of a game setting you wish you lived in. The level based on the Crossfire commercial from Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

You'll get caught up in it!

20 - Favorite genre. Let's treat this as an excuse to talk about how much interactive fiction I played in March

Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story and Alt-Frequencies easily top the list, both of which are discussed elsewhere in these awards. If you haven't gotten the message yet, allow me to be direct: Play them. Now. Animal Lover is sweet, funny, and well-written. It's not at all what I expected from a dating sim about people who have been cursed to spend eternity as animals, only returning to human form when a clumsy, anxious young woman gives them a kiss. Amelie is a bit shallow and underdeveloped. The plot is unoriginal, it seems visually incomplete, and calling this fiction "interactive" stretches that word's definition to its limit. In spite of all that, I actually had an okay time with it. Amethyst Hearth is a cheesy Christmas rom-com turned visual novel by way of RPG Maker, and also the love interest is a robot. It's such a bizarre novelty that I couldn't help but give it a passing score. My review of An Outcry, prelude was so negative the game got pulled from Itch.io, and yet, it's stuck in my mind more than most of this month's games. "Kekekaykaykikikoo" and "they got a visit of terrific birdness" are powerful phrases. And finally, there's Arcade Spirits, a dating sim that takes place in an alternate-near-future video game arcade. I was severely messed up by a bad antidepressant prescription toward the end of the month. Is that the reason I didn't like this game? I don't think so. I could revisit it and update my review with new, sober opinions, but that period was a miserable experience, and I'd rather leave it in the past.

21 - Game with the best story. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story

These categories are a little heavy on story, no?

22 - A game sequel which disappointed you. Akuto: Showdown

It's a bummer that it stripped features from Akuto: Mad World. It's cool that it focused on one mode and made it better. The best part is that you get both games for the price of one on Itch.

23 - Game you think had the best graphics or art style. Anarcute

No, but really, where is the merch? These characters need to be toys. And key chains. And erasers. They need to be printed on shirts and folders and... Just put them on everything. Who do I need to call to set up a meeting with Sanrio?

24 - Favorite classic game. Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

AVGN contains remasters of two games that are, themselves, homages to classic games.

25 - A game you plan on playing. There Swings a Skull

And if that goes well, I might have a date with An Outcry. Oh, plus the hundreds (thousands?) of games that are already sitting in my Itch library.

26 - Best voice acting. Alt-Frequencies

Alt-Frequencies is played by switching between radio stations, recording and playing back snippets of speech. It wouldn't work without quality acting. I don't get the impression this game had the budget for top-tier vocal talent, which makes its accomplishments even more impressive.

27 - Most epic scene ever. Angry Video Game Nerd I&II Deluxe

28 - Favorite game developer. Accidental Queens

I will follow the developers of A Normal Lost Phone, Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story, and Alt-Frequencies wherever they want to take me. The Lost Phone games follow the same format, telling worthy stories in a lightly interactive but effectively non-linear format. Then Alt-Frequencies comes along, trading the phone interface for a time-looping, call-in radio sim, and that's brilliant, too. I can't wait to see this team continue to stretch and grow.

29 - A game you thought you wouldn't like, but ended up loving. Alien Life Lab

It's so janky. It seems bad. Maybe it is bad. I've played through the whole thing twice and loved it both times. I don't understand.

30 - Your favorite game of all time. Donkey Kong

This has nothing to do with the Itch games I reviewed in March. I've just always loved playing Donkey Kong on a proper arcade cabinet.

Thirty categories, and I didn't find a single place to mention Antecrypt⚡. Let that be my parting thought. Antecrypt⚡: It's worthy of mention.

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sugareey-makes-stuff · 2 years ago

Note

For Fanfic for the New Year! Feel free to answer either as an artist or writer or both!

Very curious about #8 and #23.

Hiya, Romaine! Oh, yes! I think it'll be fun to mix up for fic and art, so I'll run with that. 8. Is there a story idea in your mental vault that you’ve never been brave enough to try writing? Is this the year? Can you tell us about it? I've answered this for one fic idea here, but I am more than happy to go into another idea from my filing cabinet of chaos. So...I think about a decade ago, I used to run a multi-media community for a Drarry series (inspired by the Shoebox project, WTF Drarry, etc.). Back in the LJ days, I had about 200+ followers who tuned in for 8th year shenanigans, and lord how many letters and fics I even wrote for that. There were lots of letters between a lot of people, and the ficlets together made up about 12k. Obviously, RL gets busy, I had to put it on indefinite hiatus and yeah. It’s still up for archival reasons. The writing does make me cringe now, but the concept is still intriguing and a fun one. I’d love to doing something more on a smaller scale for that. Maybe for a bunch of different HP characters so they each have a short story. I do have an outline already to see if I can work this out for Perciver. I haven’t gotten too far into this yet, but there’s sooo much potential. Since my writing style has changed, I think it’s doable but it’s more on the how. And making sure I can reign it in before it gets big (writer problems, of course). Multi-media is definitely a huge commitment though, especially when it comes to letters, now that we have screen readers. So there would definitely need to be some alt text or AO3 skins/coding needed for this. Since I’m already writing a Teen Wolf fic that uses the latter, that’s going to be my test run to see how multi-media goes for me! If we’re talking about art stuff...goshhhh, if I had time to make more comics I would. For any ship. Comics are soooo hard though and since my style has matured, it definitely takes more time to complete. Besides last year’s Career Fair Drarry piece, my last comic was a spicy Perciver one for Kinkfest in 2020 (I did this while sick and buying a house at the same time lol, insane, yes). So yeah, when an idea and the timing lines up, maybe that’s when I’ll poke at making more comics again. The key is being invested and having enough uninterrupted time to draw up all the panels! Easier said than done, I know. 23. Would you like to go on a writing retreat? HELL YES. 100000%. Meeting folks and talking with them about fic and writing in the past has been so cool. I’d love to see more of this workshoppy/discussion vibe and learn how others write and apply some of that to my own writing, for sure. Even sprinting together or whatnot could be really fun. I’ve talked about this option with a few friends, and maybeeee for 2023, that could be a thing. Even if it’s a small get-together where we just work on writing stuff. Though, I might have to longhand it since there’s no way I can bring my big ass desktop PC with me, and I kind of hate writing on tablets. Thanks for the ask! ___ Previously asked: 8, 11, and 12 Have a question? Send a q for fanfic asks for the new year!

#ask meme #asked and answered #fanfic asks for the new year #about me #writing #fanfic #making art #perciver #drarry

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mysmashplaythroughs · 3 months ago

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A Dededetour?

So I just uploaded a new post and this time it's actually not a fighter. I decided since I've reached a milestone with having finished all the fighters for Melee, it might be fun to write some posts up for other subjects such as Alt Costumes, Enemies, Bosses and in this case Stages. I don't have a specific amount of these things I've set as a goal, but I want to at least do a few of them before returning to the fighters, mostly as I realise at the speed I'm going at it will be probably years before I reach them otherwise. Since these are different subjects I have had to think more about what sections to have, for example in the latest post for Dream Land I realised a History of the Location rather than Bio worked better and as obviously relationships aren't a thing usually with a landmass (granted not always) going over the inhabitants and the greater location was a better section to do. I have already written up another post for another category and I'm currently working on others, however so as to not leave too big a gap between them I will probably stagger the release of these a bit.

Since I posted off-topic last (well, besides the post gloating about my prediction for Emio which I'm pretty excited for) I have actually beaten a few games, not Tales of Symphonia yet but I played through Pikmin 1-3, Kirby Return to Dream Land Deluxe and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD. With this as I predicted before I've surpassed the number of games I beat in 2023 already. I've also added some more games to the list including one I never expected to do until I saw the recent news, Dead by Daylight. The reason for this is it was recently announced that Dracula from Castlevania was going to be playable as DLC and it made me realise, Dracula's never been playable in his SoTN look. The only games that had him playable are Castlevania Judgement (I know the artist is well respected but I really hate the designs in that game) where he looks pretty different and Lords of Shadow which is really it's own continuity and Dracula is very different in without getting into spoilers. It's due to this I decided Dead by Daylight was actually the best choice for this and luckily I have a fair few friends for once willing to play online with me for it so I won't have to deal with random people online which is great. Also, similarly to adding games from the Codec Conversations in my last post, I scraped even further down into the bottom of the barrel and realised there was something else left to mine, in this case being Event Matches. There wasn't an awful lot in there to really draw from, but I was surprised to find one or two references that were worth noting, including something that lets me add of all things the game Yoshi on NES.

Also, if you're looking at the blog itself, you might have noticed I've changed how it looks a little. I always meant to come up with a better theme and look for the blog but hadn't really decided on what yet, this definitely isn't what I had planned, more me just trying out a different style to see how it looks, I plan on getting a better picture for the header of the blog and deciding on a more fitting look to match up with it, still for now this is the new placeholder I'm going with. I feel like I have a lot more I want to say but can't think of currently, but luckily as it probably won't be that long until I make my next post if I remember in the meantime I should feel justified in making another off-topic post soon to go over it.

#my smash playthrough #my smash playthroughs #off-topic

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josiebelladonna · 6 months ago

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okay. so, how my "summer vacation" is going to work is like this:

it'll be from memorial day to labor day, akin to how summer vacations used to go from decades before. all the times i'd hear my parents talk about me and my generation basically getting ripped off from summer vacation growing up as it would start in the first week of june and go to sometime in the middle of august: i have a friend, her daughters started school august 1 some five years ago. barely a vacation for anything, and it kind of makes you realize that you never hear about summer camp anymore.

i (mostly) sign off everywhere but here. i say "most" because i've got notifications switched on for certain people on instagram (alex, eric, testament's official page, nate, matt, joey, krista, jeff/possessed, friends i've made over there).

but i'm going quiet on facebook starting memorial day save for a couple of groups, a private food group that i'm part of with my dad, my stepmother, and their friends, and believe it or not, but the one 90s alt rock group that isn't batshit insane: i won't post on my story or share anything on my tl. i'll just post the rest of my mermay around the world drawings on memorial day and bounce. not that anyone's going to see them, anyway.

i'll be deleting the threads app from my ipad on the 31st, or when the dublin prompt goes up.

i won't reblog anything here on main but i'll be on my art blog, the fic blog, and my cooking/baking/food blog. i blocked all the palestine-related/anti-israel/antisemitic tags on here a while back but i'm really going to be blocking them now (fuck you idiots, seriously; this is #1 reason why i'm doing this, i cannot take any of you and your toxic waste. really, does it feel good to be wallowing in lakes of your own feces as you're erasing history?).

as time frees up, i'm going to be writing and making art a lot more, just like when i was in the dark for nearly 2 years from 2016 to 2018. i made so much back then, and i'm looking forward to doing it again for the summer.

i tried doing this back in january, to go quiet for the entire year of 2024, and i couldn't do it. it started with the permanently vacant look on alex's face, to the point it actually had me worried and... cracking my knuckles, too, and then my mom got sick and i realized i couldn't afford to not stay quiet.

now, it's like: you tried to take my mom from me, you tried to take my dad from me, you broke the love of my life's heart by taking his dad from him (and i'm trying so hard to not let my imagination run wild because i have seasons grey for that), you tried to take my house, you took all my money, you're trying to take my animals from me, you completely shattered the relationship between my mom and my brother for literally no reason, i found out my brother's abusive and likes to demonize me (he actually said to my mom "i won't give hannah money if it's going to enable the two of you". "enable". he thinks that we're drug users. plus, he made it all about himself when the entire point of gofundme is bring everyone into the fold; he's more delusional than the pro-pal people) and a monthly drawing challenge i used to love has become the biggest crock of shit. i need a fucking vacation.

"i need a fucking vacation" was the sentiment that started all of this. i wasn't able to go to monterey this year for my birthday because of my mom's blood clots + the property taxes. all of 10 people sent me a birthday wish (and i used to get dozens, too!), and in fact, i'm lucky to get any interactions anymore and it's at the point now where i start to wonder "what the hell is even the point?". i started the gofundme after my birthday and it started the chain reaction between my mom and my brother. it all started with my birthday.

well, no, it actually started further back than that. it started with kinktober 2023, the thing that just about killed me. feeling vulnerable (and not in a good way) and exposed. feeling like i was doing something wrong for writing things that are *supposed to be* erotic when the whole already-fractured world began to fragment even more. feeling like i was doing something wrong for participating when i should've made my raison d'etre all about the i/p conflict like everyone else (that's the other thing i despise about pro-pal people, aside from the fact they've traded their swastikas for keffiyehs: the guilt-tripping). feeling like i was doing something wrong for writing things upwards of 3k words when others were doing drabbles and involving "you" and being the artist, i couldn't help but compare myself. feeling like i was doing something wrong for craving things that stimulate the senses and to fucking hell with being simply horny. feeling like i was/still am doing something wrong for being attracted to a guy whom i never met, lives thousands of miles from me, is with someone else (who i really don't like, don't trust if it saved the world, and don't understand the appeal of), and probably wouldn't like me if he got to know me personally, either. my ben shepherd era left some particularly deep scars on me. feeling like i was doing something wrong for having different kinks. the fact the sheeple were flocking to just one person didn't help, either (i also admonish this with the organizers of mermay, too, the honestly gross way they flock to adam_is_arting when... he's really not that good? it's competent, but that's about it. it looks like the work of every other artist on instagram right now so i really just don't get it). "they're the sexy ones, not me."

if you're going to support someone and their openness i'd say with their sexuality, do it for other people trying to do the same thing. you might *think* this isn't a competition but your playing favorites tells a different story.

your playing favorites and leaving those whom you claim to support behind in the weeds tells my lizard brain that it is.

it really doesn't feel like there's any room for me and no one will be honest about it. it should make sense that i feel my mental health beginning to slip.

my birthday was kind of a catalyst.

...

i need a fucking vacation.

#got rambly there at the end but i needed to do that #text

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