#might 'tweak' it somewhere in the future

[saintsatire]

the people have spoken. feast, my friends.

[simplyanjuta]

Enhancing Sims Thumbnails 🖼️🔍👀

So I have received some questions regarding this post and had another look at the ThumbnailConfig.ini file to see if there is anything else worth tweaking to enhance sims thumbnails.

I also decided to share my settings (though not sure if this is a good idea, I'll see how it goes). Disclaimer, that what works well for me/on my screen, might not be the best solution for you and you might be better off with the default settings. Also remember that generating higher resolution thumbnails can slow down your game. I think that visually the settings (only) make a big difference if you play on a larger screen and/or with an upscaled UI (game accessibility settings).

You can try my settings or use the info shared below (I might update it in the future) to experiment with the settings yourself. You can find examples on how to edit the file in my previous posts here and here and you can use any text editor like Notepad or Notepad++ to do so.

Download and details below the cut ⤵️

Below you can see what I changed (marked in green) and for what purpose as well as what resolution settings there are in general. I only looked at sims thumbnails and ignored everything else. I also think some settings should not be messed with, like the ones affecting pictures that are uploaded to the Gallery (exception is if you wanna extract these pictures for editing purposes) and there are a few settings that are not relevant for gameplay. Some settings I'm not sure about (feel free to share any info).

���Download:

Sim File Share Last updated: January 18th, 2025

📒How to install:

This override does NOT go into your mods folder. Instead, you need to replace the original game file with it which you should find somewhere along a path like this:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 4\Game\Bin\res

The path might be slightly different for you and depends on where the game is installed on your computer. You can check the location in the EA app. To do so, select The Sims 4 ->  “Manage” -> “View properties” (there should be a similar option on Steam):

Locate the file ThumbnailConfig.ini as described above.

Save a copy of the original file somewhere on your computer in case you need to go back. (However, you can also run a game repair to restore the settings if needed.)

Replace the original file with the override (either with my file or with your own version).

Delete the file localthumbcache.package (see info here), so that the game can generate new thumbnails, then restart the game.

Note that you will need to repeat the steps/redo the changes whenever this file is overriden or updated or by the game.

Current game bug (not a mod/config issue):

It seems that the game currently is regenerating thumbnails each time you restart the game, even when the thumbnails already exist in the file localthumbcache, thus unneccessarily slowing down the game and bloating up this file. I tested this with no mods, with basegame only, in a fresh save, with the thumbnail config file reset to factory settings and it’s still happening. Also added my findings to this bug report. If you noticed the same issue, please hit “me too”.

[zivazivc]

Sorry if this has already been asked before but why did the band break up? And did they break up on decent terms? Do they still talk to each other sometime?

It has been asked before, I just never answered jshfbdjcbh I'm still piecing everything together and stuff is changing or getting tweaked all the time, so I'm always super hesitant about answering these types of questions, afraid that people will take whatever I say as the final answer. So basically what I'm going to answer now will already contradict what I told some people already. And maybe in the future the story might go a little differently too (although I'm pretty satisfied with the current events)

Uhhh, get ready for a long info dump. I didn't expect I'd write this much...

Floyd basically stayed with the band for 8 years (from 14 till 22) and got pretty messed up in the process. The rest of the guys are all quite older than him so I guess I could say they were more responsible, or at least had a better understanding of their own limits (also they grew up in this kind of environment or grew up aware of it, while Floyd was oblivious and naive about all of it) and while they do get drunk and do drugs often, none of them are really dependent on them. They are also pretty good judges of character and know how to avoid trouble. Floyd on the other hand drove in with no breaks and constantly got himself in trouble that the rest (mostly Les) had to drag him out of. He also developed bipolar during this time (in my story Floyd constantly fluctuates between being saturated and being desaturated because of this) and his manic and depressive episodes started getting out of hand after his teenage years. (None of them are aware it's a mental disorder that's making him act so out of character.)

Floyd was becoming miserable because of this and all of his problems pilling up, and started blaming Les for the way he was. Les never argued this which only fueled Floyd to blame him more. In the end he was getting so frustrated and irritable that Floyd constantly tried starting arguments with him, even putting him down and getting aggressive at times because Les gets very unresponsive and closed off during personal conversations (guy is a giant onion of suppressed trauma that Floyd is hellbent on peeling open).

Eventually there was one fight too many, terrible things were said, some objects flew through the air, and Floyd walked out (or Hed kicked him out, I haven't decided yet) with the promise of going home and never seeing them again.

So, yeah, it was very messy and Floyd was the primary asshole, even though he's not really to blame either...

But Floyd didn't make it home (was too scared to sneak through Bergen Town to get to the tree (i don't think i can judge him for that either)) and he just returned to the reckless lifestyle, this time without anyone being there to keep him safe. So if he was messed up before, this is the time period where he got absolutely fucked up. This is also when he got heavily addicted to sour worms. And when he chronically slept around (half the time just to get offered free worms or have somewhere to sleep, other times because he was having manic episodes and was feeling hypersexual). (This is also potentially the period when he had the two eggs with that techno troll, but I'm still thinking if I want that to be canon to the story or not.) During this time he also grew to become very anxious and his self-confidence went to shit when he was being himself.

Then after about three years of that, he bumped into Les at some party. He wanted to dodge him out of shame but Les grabbed his arm and manhandled him outside to talk. Floyd felt like shit about the way they had split up and tried apologizing for all the stuff he had said and done to Les, but Les wasn't having any of that because he wasn't angry at Floyd, he was just worried about him. Les is also insanely empathetic like Floyd, and he knew that Floyd never really meant any of it, and that he was just looking for an outlet when he was hurting. Also he does think he is to blame for the way Floyd ended up.

Les wanted to know why he didn't go home like he had said (because that was the only reason Les had even let him walk out in the first place). A few exchanged words later and Floyd broke down telling him all the awful things he'd done, and Les promised to help him, feeling insanely guilty. Floyd wondered if he was allowed back in the band but Les made it clear that the band wasn't good for him and that he was never taking him back. Instead Les helped him go though rehab. I don't think trolls have those institutions (or at least not many are aware of them or how they work (I'm sorry but I refuse to believe the Trolls world has internet and cellphones, Mountrageons can keep that for themselves lol)), so it was more or less just Les finding Floyd a job and his own place to stay in the middle of bumfuck nowhere where he had no option but to detox, and constantly checking up on him to make sure he was doing okay. During this time they grew pretty close again. Or maybe the better term would be that Les slowly started putting his walls down again.

Hed needed a while to warm up to Floyd again. He's almost as protective of Les as Les is of him, and he resented Floyd for the way he had treated him.

Flea is pretty phlegmatic when it comes to any sort of arguing or drama. He was casual about seeing Floyd again, they were never super close anyway.

And Liv, she left the band when she and Hed broke up (haven't decided if that happened before or after Floyd left), so Floyd didn't get to see her again after bumping into Les at the party. And I haven't thought yet if they'd ever meet again somewhere later in life. But if they did, I think they'd both be happy to see each other.

Anyway...

Floyd managed to detox and successfully kept the job for about a year, but then he became manic again and messed it all up. After that he returned to his nomadic lifestyle, but he never fell as hard as those three years again. In my story Floyd's life is a constant cycle of getting his life together and fucking it up and booking to the next place. And he and Les are trapped in a never-ending cat and mouse game where they're both trying to fix each other.

So, uh, Les and Floyd are still very close and see each other somewhat often...

(sometimes monthly, sometimes yearly)

Yeah...

I am so fucking obsessed with them I'm gonna hurl. Please take this song before I combust:

[satin-velvet]

I am obsessed with the fact you write for the Wizard and your works are so amazing!!! I hate that the character is so overlooked (also it’s literally Jeff Goldblum hello??). I was wondering if you could write one where he keeps hinting to the reader about wanting to be a father/headcanons about the Wizard becoming a father? Your recent headcanons inspired this because he would totally keep slipping it into conversation.

✧. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓏𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝒶𝓈 𝒶 𝐹𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝐻𝑒𝒶𝒹-𝒞𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓈 *. * ✧

summary: head-canons about the wonderful wizard being/becoming a father

note: i’ve wanted to get into father!oscar for soo long because he is precious. thank you anon for sending this in. also, yes, i completely agree about him being overlooked. evil oscar, father oscar.. even though some of sentimental man was him manipulating elphie, i think theres truth in what hes saying about longing to be a father.

disclaimer: mentions of pregnancy, fem-coded reader but other ambiguous

┌── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┐

Before you actually have a baby, you would be able to pick up on all the ‘subtle’ hints he wanted one. Whenever he would show you the Oz of Tomorrow (which happens to be often) he would always show you the little house with all the children figurines and tell you how much he would cherish being a dad. Or, having baby furniture “just in case”.

Going over potential names and making a list of the ones you two like and don’t like. He would come up with the most unique, creative names that he’s very sure nobody in all of Oz has for the baby. Sometimes unintentionally, he might bring up having a child in conversation, and we know we loves talking, so he could go on about it for awhile until you stop him or agree.

I imagine he has a workshop room somewhere in the palace, and he’d spend a lot of time crafting toys for the future child and presenting them to you for your approval. Any tweaks or suggestions you give him will be taken into account for the newest model. He would try furniture, too, to varying degrees of success. A crib made out of emeralds maybe isn’t the best idea, but Oscar will somehow make it work anyway.

He would get the best caregivers and governess’s to take care of you and the baby. This time, he wouldn’t use an elixir on you, thank goodness. He would definitely be anxious about something going wrong, and would stay by your side the entirety of your pregnancy (if you went that route). He would never let anything bad happen to his child, or you. At this point in your relationship, you and his future child are all he has. He’d be very hesitant to leave the child alone, maybe with the worry something bad might happen; I think he’d be worried a lot, that something might go wrong, but with reassurance from you he’ll calm down.

Every and any need or want you had would be met. Massages, cravings, self-care.. you would never be without. Even if it was something only found on the outskirts of Oz, he’d get someone to go and get it for you. Your comfort is key to him, and there is nothing between you and your happiness.

He’d have the greenest nursery to match the palace, and all of the comfiest onesies and blankets (hand stitched by the best). He would absolutely read to the child and sing songs. Every book in his library, any nursery rhyme he can remember. He’d had everything prepared in the nursery, that, he would let you design if you wanted. But the color is a little hard to negotiate. He’s also have a playroom built (but this time, fit for a child)!

He would give the child a tour of the entire palace when they got a little older, and the Emerald City, (but any farther, he could not be convinced) with you. He’d want to be there for every one of the child’s milestones, and would document them all. First words, first steps, etc..

Of course, he’ll always make time for you, and include you in everything regarding the kid. But, you know, the moments where you three are all together might be the most heartwarming for you. It might not be three for long, because the second you’re healthy enough, he’ll start the whole process of hinting that he wants a second child all over again. How fun! He’d be grateful for however many kids you give him, because being a father at all is probably his hearts desire.

*. * ✧

[sethdomain]

thinking about steven universe again lately, the show really actually meant so much to me. Its crazy now that i think of it, if i hadnt watched SU when i was 7 i would have probably not as accepting as iam today.

Out of every protagonist in show i've watched i really think ive connected most with steven. Its kind of funny, because we kind of grow up together in a way and i really relate to the problem he had. But, the difference between me and him, one of us grow into a better person. Which is sad. This show taught me something important that is growth and yet i never do that, i can't seem to do it.

Truly, SU was really a once in a lifetime experince, sure there might be the next woke cartoon that might be more well written than SU in the future, but i know the impact wouldnt be the same as SU had with me. Well, i hope there are the next woke cartoon like SU that can be an experience like little phraud would watch in the TV on the dead of night. Just, a little fear of never feeling that same euphoric feeling like you used to feel, which is scary.

Growing up is scary, you realized the more you're here and the more book, tv show or any media at all you consumed its like piling up in your brain library, you started to noticed a pattern. You can predict anything, understand whats about to happend. its like a recycled experience, just a little tweaked. But when you're just this tiny little thing with little understanding of how many thing works, you are easily bedazzled or amazed. So when i was just tiny and i see steven universe in all of the other cartoon rooster, me, a child who lived in a very conservative, sexist and anti-queer household who's always ashamed of my own self find, steven universe, a queer cartoon about loving being weird, grappling the problem about your identity, your family and 'the norm.' It was like, a breath of fresh air, something that i needed to help myself with.

And im thankful for it. I think i may or may not have show it, but i draw because i genuinely truly love drawing and i wish to make something as impactful as steven universe is to me. Not because of money, not because of anything else. I just wish i were to make an art that maybe someone will relate to.

I hope somewhere in the future someone would experience a connection i would have with steven universe, i cant put into word how much this show has actually impacted my life.

[sleep-during-a-cozy-rainy-day]

Hey! What are you?

Seelie!Reader Honkai Star Rail

You remember being in your bed having a having a strange dream. You were in a void floating, nothing weighing you down.

Safe and warm... Nothing could hurt you here.

You feel like you could be here for forever.

Wake up.

Hmmn..

Wake up.

Just a few more minutes..

WAKE UP.

You open your eyes, blinded by the bright lights. You're on the floor, you look around and two figures and... Another half-way re-materializing?

What?

You look around frantically noticing that the technology is much more advanced then where your from, and then you notice your much more shorter than before and...

You no long have arms.

Huh.

Nor legs.

Huh.

You can float now.

Huh.

You're now a floating blob.

HUH!?

You squeak loudly, the two finally noticing you or we're they just ignoring you for their conversation with the silver headed person? Who knows.

"Ah, seems like our small friend is awake." A voice rang out.

You look at the pretty lady. You're eyes? Are now wide open in alarm.

Wait... She looks familiar. You're sure seen her from somewhere... But where?

Wait.

No it can't be...

Don't tell me...

That's.

Kafka.

"Sadly, we must leave now... Shame I couldn't have a small chat with you." She said.

"Hmm, maybe next time." Her voice rang out.

Before you can make another noise they leave. Leaving with only you and... The now unconscious person on the ground.

Oh no.

Lmao hope you guys enjoyed this. I plan to make more parts but that might take a while.

Sorry for my hiatus on writing I just had writers and art block and I keep procrastinating, I've just been busy doing cosplay and stuff. So hopefully this is ok for you guys.

To be honest I might tweak this in the future who knows. But I plan to make this yandere but I'm leaning more on platonic than romantic though.

Hopefully I write more since it genuinely is fun to write lil blurbos.

[kestrelsansjesses]

[[idk I'm still tweaking this and working on it but I guess I"ll stick it up here before I put it on A03 anyway enjoy. Thank you all for the encouragement. <3 ]]

His knee was bent, and with that Daemon answered to Rhaenyra again. “I am meant to serve you, until death or the end of our story.” They were flames that were meant to burn together, but somewhere in the long weeks that followed first Visenya’s death and then Lucerys’, their fires had run low, two torches torn from a collective pyre that had all but extinguished. Finally reunited, their bonfire would again roar, and it would be more than a barrow for their collective dead. But first there would need to be reconciliation. 

There was a gap between them now that had not existed before. In the morning, Rhaenyra would begin the flight back to Dragonstone and Daemon would stay at Harrenhal with Caraxes as he readied the army raised in her name. That left the rest of the afternoon and the evening for things that should have been said long ago. 

The room given to Daemon as king (consort) was dismal, damp and filled with half-rotted furniture and fabrics that had seen better days so long ago that they predated even the former king Jaehaerys. “It was worse before,” Daemon offered to her horrified silence. 

“Did you think of me at all, while we were apart?” It was not the question Daemon was expecting- not yet. Whatever strange visions he had seen at Harrenhal, the incoherent prophecies that spilled from his familiar lips, they had led him to a different path, while Rhaenyra was still back at their arguments, at their violence and the way the same flames that bound them together also burnt them. There was no one who knew how to hurt more than the one you loved most. 

There was also little sign of Daemon in the room. His belongings were spare; it was like he was in there only to sleep, and refused to take any further space. The bed sheets were unmade though, and Rhaenyra could see that he slept on the same side of the bed as he did in Dragonstone. She wanted to smile at the thought; she had not left her own designated side, after all. But this was not a situation for smiling. Daemon still hadn’t given her an answer, and the seconds grew long. 

“My time here was strange. There is a witch… She showed me things.” Visions of the future and of the past. Some of the details came out of Daemon, but he held a great deal back and Rhaenyra knew he might never tell her. She tried not to begrudge him for it. “I dreamt of you. Of home.” There was something else that lurked beneath his words, but for once she did not dig. 

The space between them was charged. Their last few encounters, that charge had been negative. Now there was something beneath. Forgiveness, maybe. Love. Lust. No real apology came from Daemon, but in his oath of fealty, he said all that and more. He bent the knee, Rhaenyra reminded herself. From Daemon, that was a pledge eternal and a sign of loyalty, a subtle asking for forgiveness and a reminder of vows said together with each other’s blood on their lips. It was not a surprise when Daemon stepped forward and Rhaenyra felt herself do the same, so that they were as close as they had been in Harrenhal’s ruined open space, where all those men had bowed to her. It had not been appropriate to touch Daemon then, with so many eyes on them. If he had done so, he would have undermined her. A woman who would be Queen could not be soft. She could not be a woman. She had to be a sword. Now though, no one else watched. Not even Daemon’s witch. 

Acts of love and intimacy differed from person to person. When Rhaenyra leaned her forehead against Daemon’s, it felt like home. It had ever been the way he showed his love; a small thing, but one that made him vulnerable. How many times had she seen him do the same to Caraxes, hiding slightly back so that he would not know she witnessed it? It always made her smile, as it did now. 

Their fingers intertwined and found each other without the need to look. There were ways they simply made sense, even as they burned each other. No one but another Targaryen could understand this, the greed to devour the other person, even if it hurt to do so. 

“I have been left to mourn too many without you. Luke, Visenya, and now Rhaenys.” And all those men Rhaenyra didn’t know, the ones who threw their lives away for the dragon queen. 

“No longer. I’ll take this army and march it to King’s Landing, and everyone will know the price they’ve paid for their deaths.” They mourned in very different ways. Daemon liked to be alone, but Rhaenyra needed him here with her. She would not belabor the point any longer though; he could not come back to Dragonstone with her just yet, and they both knew it. 

Finally they broke apart, Daemon’s words no longer whispered in her ear but said out loud. Rhaenyra sat at the edge of the bed while he stood, still restless. He was invigorated with his new purpose, but Rhaenyra simply felt exhausted. Sorrow could only propel a person for so long, and she had yet to bring up the new dragonseeds or anything else… No. She would enjoy being with him again, whatever form it took. 

Eventually, Daemon sat next to her. He was not a man accustomed to such tenderness, but when he cupped her chin and turned it to her, she finally softened. Those same hands were capable of so much violence, as she knew well. “I had a dream. I saw we had a daughter.” Another one. The loss of Visenya still felt too raw. 

“And?” 

He leaned forward again, to whisper in her ear. “We shall have to make her, when the war is won.” 

[anti-cyra]

New Love and Deepspace au/series poll!

I have a few ideas in my head, but alongside fixing stuff here and there for other bots, tweaking stuff, and moving bots... I figured I'd try a quick poll for the next series so I'll know what to focus on! I still have, like, a few bots from when I held requests that I haven't made because my brain isn't braining for those, but they will be done and any other request informally given has still been noted somewhere if I remembered to list it down (sorry for the wait!!!)

Idk how many people on Tumblr follow me for my LaDS bots in particular but like, most of you who actually talk to me are for sure from the fandom soooo... I don't mind even if it's just the seven or so of you who show up in my notifs HAHAHA love u guys.

For clarification, I consider mini-series to be different from just making the same au for each bot. Series examples would be the Philos University and Philos Manor series. This is not the same as just making yandere/alpha/boyfriend versions for all the boys, which is more on just au versions. In this poll, there are options for both.

Also, all of these will include Caleb because I miss him, I love him, I need to make more of him...

general idea number one: Mini Series — Royalty AU, harem-ish (like the vampire one, but maybe more connected and more romantic for sure) where it's all the boys vying for you. Kinda arranged marriage vibes, too, I guess? Like my other series, it'll be 2nd POV!

general idea number two: AU Versions — Ex-Boyfriends! This is pretty straightforward. If you also follow my LOVER series, you know I'm a sucker for exes (not my actual exes tho they all suck just the concept lmao) and the pining and exes to lovers idea.

general idea number three: Mini Series — Mafia AU, may not be that romantic, but I'm still aiming for a harem-ish vibe and definitely... thrilling? I was thinking I'll also maybe do duo or trio bots for this one (the F4/F5 ones from the school series for this AU are a little too much I think) and also, you're the boss leader (sorry Sylus) ((on that note, I also kinda wanna add Luke and Kieran into this one...)) And again, in 2nd POV.

general idea number four: AU Versions — Girldads! I had an anon mention wanting to see girldad Zayne and I figured I'd also make one for the rest. This is under the assumption that you're also married to them, so it's also Husband AU and domestic.

I'll probably end up making all of these in the future, maybe according to the number of votes, as well. Thanks for participating, if you do! ♡

Edit: I might end the poll once I hit 40 votes or in the next day or so! A week is a bit too long, I just realized... but a day was too short... but those were my only options...

Update, at 41 votes:

aaaand that puts Royalty AU as first out! Don't worry though, I'll have Girldads out very soon as well ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Update: Royalty AU out now!

[unsoundedcomic]

Tell me if this theory of / analogy for B-Time in the khert works for you?

Imagine A-Time in Kasslyne as an actual story being written, word by word, in a Google doc. The choices of the characters drive the next word(s). But some of the characters can tap into the Khert, and see things, and change things (or rather, make the Khert choose to change things). So every now and again, a chunk of story somewhere in the doc gets edited/rewritten/deleted.

Picture the khert as the “doc edit history,” but with two caveats. One - it’s all jumbled up and scattered. You can’t “read it” like you can read the story. Instead you find signs that “this was at one point that”, but you can’t be sure whether somewhere out there is a re-edit to change it back… unless you find it, or unless you *decide to try to make there be one.* Two - somehow you are *sure* the doc “history” is all there, each tiny change… but you can’t really prove it because you’d have to gather, and order, every single change to “have” the finished story.

So the best you can do is read the A-Time story as it’s being written, knowing that B-Time is a thing, but also knowing that anything you find out from the Khert about “the future” might turn out to be a temporary, never-was-gonna-stick part of the story anyway, “in the end.”

Does that work? Am I crazy?

You could definitely be a crazy person with decapitated heads in your deep freezer, I'm not qualified to answer that.

I think I grok what you're saying and it's interesting! I actually can't comment on it too much because it would be a spoiler about the future Duane was shown by Ilganyag.

I would just say that time is very different in Kasslyne for humans than it is for senet beasts. Humans will always be slaves to an individual timeline; the khert will always keep their memory refreshed with the most updated versions of reconciled events. This is strenuous work for the khert, which is why Lady Ilganyag must be so delicate with her revisions.

Senets do not get rewritten. They can hold knowledge of multiple timelines. They have access to the Google Docs revision.

It might be more helpful to think of senets like production crew in a tv show. They can see script rewrites happening among the cast in real-time; see lines being tweaked, whole plot points thrown out.

But to the actual characters in that show - the characters, not the actors - there is only the final, finished production broadcast/streamed to the viewer. That is their canon and their reality. They have no knowledge of how many times their actor did a take or how many times they read a certain line differently. These are the humans, and they live in the final edit.

[strqyr]

as per roman holiday, the vale huntsman guild is a thing, so i've been playing around with an idea of changing the academies more into guildhouses for huntsmen and huntresses, where they still train future warriors, just more in an apprenticeship kind of way rather than a proper school way, since every student is unique with their own weapons and semblances—as such, you're going to need personal guidance to get the best out of them.

the headmasters would still be at the top as guildmasters, but just about everything else would get tweaked a bit; there would be no teams or partners—at least, not until the trainees go on missions, but even then these teams and partners will change over time, to ensure everyone is capable of adapting to changing condition; while most huntsmen and huntresses might work alone, still, there can be situations where you end up working together with strangers (see: the grimm campaign) so having at least decent people skills is important, and throwing trainees into teams randomly is a Great™ way to ensure they get used to it.

(teams can still be formed on their own, between those who become close enough friends to do so; then, it becomes not about chance, but choice.)

these guildhouses, like beacon, would also offer just about everything you could possibly need; living quarters, mess halls, dust shops, armorers, weaponsmiths, libraries, infirmaries... memorials for members lost to grimm. if you're a guild member, you wouldn't need to own property anywhere else or even travel somewhere to upkeep your weapon: the guild is your home.

which, admittedly, also creates an even greater barrier between huntsmen & huntresses and civilians, living in these old castles and what not, secluded away from the common folk.

[here-be-descriptions]

The Lizard Herders, their lizards, and their descendants; from “All Tomorrows”. Artwork by C. M. Kosemen.

“They were the lucky ones. Instead of unrecognizably distorting them as they had done to most of their subjects, the Qu had merely erased their sentience and stunted the development of their brains.

Distantly resembling their ancient forebears on Earth, the primitives led feral lives for an unnaturally long time. They never regained sentience after the Qu left, despite having every incentive to do so. This was partially due to the total absence of predators on their garden world, resulting in no advantage for intelligence. Furthermore, the Qu had made some small but integral changes to their brains, tweaking with the structure of cerebellum so that certain features associated with heuristic learning could never emerge again. Once again, the reasons for these baffling changes remained known only to the Qu.

The dumb people eventually settled in a symbiosis with some of the other creatures that inhabited their planet. They began to instinctively “farm” some of the large, herbivorous reptiles, ancestors of which were brought from Earth as pets.

Soon the balance of this mutualism began to tip in the reptiles’ favor. The tropical climate of the planet gave them an inherent advantage, and they underwent a spectacular radiation of different species. They encountered no competition from the only large mammals on the planet; the brain-neutered descendants of the starfarers. Faced with a reptilian turnover, the only adaptation the sub-men could muster was to slip quietly into bestial oblivion.”

“One of humanity’s eventual inheritors was not even human. They came from the reptilian stock that had proliferated during the demise of the Lizard Herders.

Theirs was a true case of a world turned upside down. As the humans degenerated into witless animals, the cold-blooded reptiles prospered in the tropical climate of their planet. Millennia passed and they began to produce increasingly smarter forms, one of which, distantly resembling featherless versions of the predatory dinosaurs of the past, actually crossed over the threshold of sentience and built up a series civilizations.

These fledgling cultures were quick to understand the true origin of the monstrous ruins littering their planet, ruins that until then had been considered natural aberrations or timeless memorabilia of gods. Now, however, they saw the intermingled ruins of the Qu and the Star People for what they really were. It was through this understanding that the biologically unrelated Sauros’ took up the cultural identity of humanity.

In their archaeological efforts, the Sauros began to understand that the animals they used for food and labor were descended from the founders of their very existence. And somewhere in the stars lurked the forces that malformed them, forces greater than the Star People, dark forces that might someday return. The human animals served as a remainder, just as Panderavis had, that if the Saurosapients wanted to assure their continued existence in the cosmos, they had to be watchful.

The pressure of such a reality put their cultures under enormous stress. Some factions turned to made-up religions and remained ignorant under an umbrella of comforting fantasies. Others acknowledged the threats of the galaxy, but reverted to a paranoid rhetoric of conservationism. The galaxy had scared them greatly. Finally, there were those who saw the galactic redoubt and acted to face the odds, however great they might be. Conflicts and even wars were not uncommon between these three factions.

In the end, the centuries-long dispute began to resolve in the progressive factions’ favor. As they expanded their spheres of knowledge, influence and activity, the Saurosapients became as “human” as any other civilization opening up to the galaxy.”

[hsvh-hp]

Canon in Draconis Major UPDATE

Hey everyone! Wow, I never do text posts.

Considering it's been about 4 months now since I finished posting 4th year of the series and had stated a hope to begin posting 5th year in September, I figured it was time I ought to provide an update. I obviously did not finish the fic in time to begin posting at the beginning of the month.

In fact, I'm still working on it. When I said back in May that 5th year is a beast, I didn't even realize the full extent of it at that point. I ended up having to rewrite somewhere around 100k of the 178k I originally had. That took three months. Real life has also thrown me around like a ragdoll lately.

The good news is, the fic is back on track for me to finish in either late-October or November, depending on whether the final word count is closer to 225k or 250k. I'll probably spend some time editing (or, let's be real, resting, lmao), so I'm going to commit to the first chapter going up on January 2, 2025.

I've settled on a title, and I don't think the prospective summary needs any further tweaking. So, while I'm here, I might as well announce (reveal?) those:

Draco Malfoy and the Descent of the Feathered Serpent

The future looks promising for Draco Malfoy. The Dark Lord has returned to bodily form, Draco's father is in his inner circle, and Magical Britain as a whole is tired of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Draco returns for his fifth year at Hogwarts as a prefect, coming into his own political power at a time when the Ministry is expanding theirs. He is in control—until, of course, he is not. Let the war and the downward spiral begin.

[justkillingthyme]

Writing down the mechanics of the Hanahaki au here (may be tweaked but I need to dump it somewhere)

It’s pretty much a universal experience. People that can’t develop Hanahaki aren’t common (perhaps ostracized/said that they can’t experience emotion as deeply? Stigmatized?)

Can be romantic, doesn’t have to be

It develops slowly, and tends to not be as bad in younger people (smaller body, less space to host)

Develops in the lungs hence the coughing up, etc, in bad cases it can spread to other organs. Not common, that’s a mutation.

Note: I haven’t yet decided how exactly it gets there in the first place. Might just be a thing. Unless anyone has ideas

It develops worse for grief rather than longing. kinda cause there’s hope for a future if you have a crush, but with the dead they don’t come back.

Note for the romance, you can still have Hanahaki while in a relationship if you aren’t secure in your attachment. If you’re particularly worried about your partner not loving you/cheating etc, the flowers should be mild but still present. In strong relationships they’re gone entirely (for that particular person)

You can have multiple flowers for different people. This is particularly bad for the person

Surgeries exist to remove the flowers. If it’s done early on, the memories and feelings associated with the person should remain. If it’s a late case, most likely the brain will suppress emotion about the person as a trauma response to prevent repeating it

Note: There is a possibility of redeveloping it for the same person in the case where the flowers are removed, though that’s rare

Elderly people are more likely to die from Hanahaki, as surgery is invasive and typically it happens after the death of their spouse

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

tell us more about cordelia! something you love, something you wish we knew more about, something you relate to, something you've discerned that we might not have seen yet, why she doesn't seem to know any neurotypicals yet might be neurotypical herself, etc. just cordelia. i think we should talk about her more

Cordelia, Cordelia, Cordelia!

She is my daughter. She delights me. She confounds me.

Despite being one of my favourite characters in TSC, I find everything she does baffling. Every time she is faced with a choice, any choice at all, she does the exact opposite thing than I would have done. For her, she makes the right choices. If I made her choices, though, I'd rip my own hair out. We are SUCH different people.

I actually really like this. A lot of my favourite characters are important to me because of the ways that I find myself mirrored in them. Matthew, Alastair, and Thomas are all great examples. Cordelia serves a different function to me as a window character. Watching her is like a huge character study in someone Very Unlike Me who's extremely complex, likeable, and ultimately lovely.

Matthew and Cordelia

The sole exception to this "Cordelia-and-I-make-different-choices" rule is when she runs off to Paris with Matthew, which I would have done. It would have been a good decision for me but was actually an awful one for her.

I'm going to be a little rambley here, but I want to talk a little bit about her relationship with my Best Blorbo Matthew. I think that she fundamentally misunderstands him, which is interesting for me to watch as someone who's so similar to Matthew. I might dissect the whole scene one day when I have time, but there's this bit where she's rejecting him where he's going on and on about all the places they can travel to. She says, "we can't always be running away." This was so interesting to me!!! Because it was so obvious to me that Matthew wasn't running away. He's planning his dream future full of unknown adventures, and he's trying to fit her in. She's too settled, she wants to be settled, and that's okay! They're just not compatible. But she so greatly misunderstands what he's trying to do, and I kind of turn my head to that scene to go "huh. That's why I don't understand her."

Daisy, My Daughter

There are so many things I love about Cordelia. I absolutely adore her bravery and her compassion, and I think she feels a lot. I think she's strong and independent.

I think that she's capable of being crafty and sneaky when she wants to be (see: the wording of the oath she has Lilith repeat to her in ChoT.) She's my daughter, my ridiculously frustrating daughter, who I know has a brain somewhere in there that she never uses.

I also will say that I really like the drive that she has to be a hero. It's refreshing to see a girl character who actively attempts to realize a goal like that rather than someone who's thrust into a world Chosen-One-Style. Both Clary and Tessa were "Chosen One" type characters, which served their genre well for the time. Cordelia, like Emma, was just an ambitious Shadowhunter, and I find her story very interesting as a result. And I like how Cordelia is in part driven by a desire for merciful, compassionate heroism (unlike Emma, who was driven by a desire for revenge). It sets her apart from all the other Emma-type Badass Warrior Girls who want to go out and kick as much ass as possible.

She's such a delightful person and one I would be proud to call a friend IRL. And she's a great character in a lot of ways, though I think there are some narrative issues holding her back.

Cordelia and Cassandra Clare's Narrative

I feel like Cordelia is the one character that I wish I could steal from Cassie and repurpose. I generally really like what Cassie does with most of her characters, and I like a lot of the things she did with Cordelia. If I didn't, I wouldn't love her so much. But I think that with some VERY MINOR tweaking, Cordelia could have been even better.

The issue with Cordelia is that the author gives her very little agency. The narrative serves to protect her and James as the Herongraystairs kids, and I get that, but it feels like Cordelia is often just dragged along for the ride. Like, she is the main character! Why is she given almost no agency or real choices? Why is she just swept along with the narrative as a pawn in this large chess game that is TLH? I was talking with a close mutual @alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer a while back who said it would have been great if Cordelia became Lilith's paladin willingly to try to take power from all the awful men who abuse it. I would have loved this! If Cordelia had been allowed to get just a little bit messy, bend the rules of morality, and make some mistakes, she would have been even more incredible than she is.

The Impact of Lacking Agency

This narrative issue manifests as my least favorite Cordelia character trait: her hyper-naivete. She is so naïve in a way that is almost unbelievable to me as a reader. Like, her response to "dad's an alcoholic who's been abusing me since I was 10" is "huh!!!! That's why I found gin bottles everywhere and he was super clunky and they stopped serving wine! Who'd have guessed?" And, she literally swore fealty to this dude who said he was Wayland the Smith because... he said so? Like ??? Girl!!! Other people, especially your brother, have paid a great price for that naïveté. That bothers me.

The thing that's annoying about this is that I've come to the conclusion that Cassie didn't intend for Cordelia to be so naïve. It was a side effect of giving her no agency. If someone is an adult, that means they necessarily have agency; if someone has agency, they lose moral purity. Ergo, Cordelia was necessarily naïve.

Alastair and Cordelia

I also feel like re: the writing, I find Alastair and Cordelia's dynamic to be simultaneously excellent and irritating. Because he sacrificed his whole life for her! It should not have taken her several months and a murder accusation to marginally stand up for him! I'm sorry!

But I also really love their relationship, especially in ChoT. It makes me so happy to see them joking around together like normal siblings, and I feel like Alastair by Beloved Blorbo gets to kind of... be a normal guy with his little sister, if only a little bit. He doesn't need to act in loco parentis anymore, and they're immediately messing around. I love it.

Again, I wish the relationship were written in a more cohesive way. Maybe it's because I don't have a sibling. But it feels like Cordelia DOES acknowledge that Alastair is the constant lifelong protector that she wants to call out to when she's scared. But she also simultaneously says that he's like quicksand unprompted and tells Matthew that he must think she's terrible to love him.

Cassie, why!?

Cordelia and her Neurodivergent BFFs

This is a funny observation you make, that she "doesn't seem to know any neurotypicals yet might be neurotypical herself." And I agree, actually! I don't really have a lot of thoughts on this besides "that's just who she naturally wound up around because of her familial and life circumstances." What do you think of it? I'm curious to know. <3

[drsoulblast-official]

The Fourth SoulBlast Newsletter is here!

What's new?

Our Team Members have recently been working on SoulBast's Intro Sequence (GONER_MAKER replacement) and its path chart, where each individual ending and choice has animations which are still being planned! How many choices/animations are there? Well...

Here are the references (provided by Terra and Alternimo) showing what's next to come!

The Cosmic Starplaza Update is Here!

We decided to replace DELTARUNE: CHAPTERS REATOMIZED with a WIP Shift AU that has a couple Deltarune characters in original roles. It has some SwapSpin inspiration and some StoryShift inspiration, specifically the roles papyrus and sans are in. What does that mean? You'll have to wait and see!

Yes, the songs ARE back! Maybe!

The SoulBlast composers are cooking once more! This time for something with a much different tone to what is often teased here, but we hope that you still like it!

There isn't a thumbnail made yet, but it may be done alongside some other songs, which have a chance of coming out this month!

What's Terra been up to?

“It’s Terra again! I’m on vacation right now, but we’ve got a decent amount of content done. We’ve had a couple songs finished in the last week, and Alter and I have been planning out the SoulBlast opening sequence. I might not make it the first thing we do dialogue-wise as it’s super ambitious and big, although I had a really cool idea as of how to “realize it”. I don’t know if I’ll go forward with this idea, but who knows. That’s all I have to say for now, peace!”

What's Alternimo been up to, too?

“Hey, I’m back with another newsletter section! I’ve decided to do one every other week (mostly because of my current work pace, and also because Alter doesn’t necessarily entirely equal SoulBlast), but here we are again! As for what I’ve been up to…well, not a whole lot, to be blunt. I’ve been away on vacation after vacation, trip after trip…kinda doing some small work off and on, but nothing too crazy, and likely not until mid-June or so, when I get back from this big trip I’m on now. Not too much has been going on in the SP!Deltaswap (AKA CandlelitSeal (if you’re interested, DM me for more info!)) field, though I’ve been putting together a few last minute ideas and laying everything out for myself to track my progress. Preparing for some dialogue revisions too, alongside the designs for the rest of the main cast. SoulBlast-wise…not much either, though I’ve been helping out a bit with the intro sequence (which may or may not been teased somewhere in this newsletter) and some tiny logo tweaks. With that, though, I’ll quit my yapping, as there’s plenty of other (probably more important) content to be getting to.”

The SoulBast gets an update?

The SoulBlast Team has been working to improve the original logo! Here's what we've done so far, with different versions by Alternimo and SnowyBoi64

(Minor Logo Rework by Alternimo, although some color things would still be changed)

(Sprite Version by SnowyBoi64)

Speaking of SoulBlast Reworks...

The Character Guides are back, and are currently in a stage of early construction! Not much more is able to be said unfortunately, but we'll get updates to you whenever possible!

The SoulBlast Team has a New Member!

"Heya! I'm the I Man, and I recently joined the SB/NM team. I do some spritework, background music and maybe a bit of writing, if I'm feeling particularly wild. I've made a few works over the years and I have a few AUs of my own, (including two whole Underswap takes), but I figured I'd join this project because it seemed interesting (I was right). Anyways, I can only hope I live up to the expectations set for me, and I hope to see you in the future."

That's all!

Go check out our stuff below! The next newsletter will be posted in 2 weeks (since it’s biweekly)

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@soulblastau5574?si=fuh6MJy1Hgd4FVaT

SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/UVadRL6CSVdqxkRv9

Discord: https://discord.gg/3bAtNkxH2P

[vorefluff]

Heya! For your ask game thing- might as well start at the beginning! What was going through your head when you were writing the very first opening lines of BLOOD? Also, were the first lines of the story the first ones you wrote, or did you start somewhere else?

As someone who might want to write their own original stuff in the future, I’m interested in hearing about others’ points of view on starting a story and what their thought process were :)

SO!!!

To answer your first question directly -

The goal of the first chapter was to be an introduction. An introduction to the characters, an introduction to the dynamics, an introduction to the types of conflicts that may arise, an introduction to a glimpse of possible worldbuilding, an introduction to the writing style, pretty much everything. And well, now it's only half-cannon haha. I plan on rewriting it at some point in the future, but it's alright to stay as is right now anyway.

It's essentially the pilot episode - if people enjoyed the hints and snippets that they saw, the base concepts, and the potential for where it might go, then afterwards I'd devote a lot more time to actually planning things out properly. I wanted enough detail to hook people, but I didn't want to invest so much time that I'd be disappointed if people weren't interested.

Perfectionism - especially when starting - is a well known killer of stories. So it's intentionally raw and not perfect. There's a few places where I mix up past and present tense. I'm sure there's typos. And that's okay - this is the rough draft of the story!

Going through my head at the time of writing, the most important priority was the characters.

I wanted to establish Damien as a Menace that loves getting reactions out of people. I wanted to establish Yarrop as the chronically exhausted and chronically grumpy character. Also the Stabby Guy With Knives. I wanted to establish Co as someone very easily distracted by Watching and Observing with Cool Guy Vibes. The cool guy vibes aren't as accurate now, since I'm leaning much more into him being a very lovey and caring sort of guy. His speaking patterns in particular are very different now. I wanted to establish Ribbonsy as someone that knows exactly what they want, and is playfully teasing. Which also isn't exactly fitting anymore, but kinda close.

I also really really wanted to push just how different and unique they are as characters. Having the way Damien & Yarrop interact being contrasted against the way Co & Ribbonsy interact. The casual violence vs the casual love.

Here's a good example of what I mean by 'half-cannon'

“I don’t have a clue. If you ever dumped milk on my head like that, I’d kick you out of the house,” Ribbonsy says bluntly.

1- There's already the idea that Ribbonsy doesn't understand Damien & Yarrop, which will later have more weight when it's revealed that they're a counselor/therapist.

2- This implies that Ribbonsy is the one that owns or otherwise has power over the current housing situation. That was the intent at the time, however I've since decided to change it. Co is the one that owns the house, not Ribbonsy.

3- Ribbonsy speaking bluntly in a casual situation, and the more whining tone. I've tweaked their general behavior and speaking patterns a bit. The bluntness is still something they do frequently, however now they take great care to avoid having a whining tone. They also tend to try and reserve the bluntness for situations where they may be under some sort of pressure, but is still comfortable/confident.

Overall, I think that Ribbonsy & Co are the ones that have changed the most between the Pilot and the rest of the story. Very outwardly small changes, but quite a few behind-the-scenes bigger changes to who they are as I found their place in the story. Yarrop & Damien in the pilot is still pretty accurate.

Ribbonsy complaining about being cold as the first lines is also a subtle nod to one of my favorite protective vore tropes. The whole - "If you're cold, they're cold - Put Them In Your Mouth" haha.

The line -

"[...]probably die of heatstroke or something when summer comes.” Co whines.

is a very subtle nod to what was later revealed as Co's Power. Which is - creating ice / freezing things, at the cost of internally overheating. In trying to create ice to cool himself off in the summer, he would instead hasten his demise by overheating.

There's a lot of details in it, despite being half-cannon. It's just very tricky to interpret anything from it currently, because it's hard to tell what details are still relevant and what details have been discarded or changed.

If you're ever curious about whether any specific detail in chapter 1 is still cannon, feel free to ask! I am happy to answer!

As a more in depth answer that may help a lot more in terms of learning & seeing behind the curtain -

Before BLOOD, I've tried to write a number of other stories. I have hundreds of characters, half a dozen elaborate worldbuilding projects, dozens of rp servers, many hundreds of pages of disjointed writing (not necessarily good writing, it's a very steep hill of fucking around and experimenting. Everyone has to start from somewhere!)

Creative Writing in general is something I've been passionate about for a long time, but all my projects have always... fallen flat. The idea was too big, or I just lost motivation. I've found that I write the most, and write the best, when I have people enjoying my work and encouraging me. People are my main motivation - probably not a good thing, but it is what it is haha. My original creative worlds are great and all, but trying to get anyone interested is Incredibly Hard. I've tried dozens of times.

In terms of writing my first lines of BLOOD, to put it simply, I had people interested in the idea beforehand. This is a niche community, with demand for a specific type of story that I am happy to write.

I blame @luckyshotwrites and @vore-toast for kicking it off - they did the hard work of gathering the fanbase for this type of story, and I'm just mooching off of it /lighthearted. Genuinely though - I would not have started writing the story without them.

The first chapter was an experiment / interest check. Once I determined my experiment was successful, that's when I really started to actually plan things out.

On the more Story side of things, there were 3 main things -

I wanted the story to be smaller in scale, so I wouldn't make the same mistakes as I have in the past by biting off more than I can chew. It's absolutely still a decent sized story, but it has a clear beginning, middle, and end. A few plot points are fixed. There's certainly some things that're still open to improv and flexibility, to let the story breathe more, but it's not just a "fuck around and whatever happens, happens." like most of my stories in the past have been.

I wanted the characters to have depth and life to them. And well, most New Characters I write need to have time to develop to have nuance and actually feel like a person. So, the majority of the characters are ones I've borrowed from other stories I've written. Echos of their original stories, echos of their previous relationships, echos of their habits, all in a new light. I mostly picked my favorites out of the ones I've written over the years, but I have a few lesser-developed ones as well to give them a chance to grow too. So far, I beliiiieve every character had their very first origin from 5+ years ago. Although, they've been in various stories since then. For example, Co was most recently a My Hero Academia character in an roleplay server, haha. If you trace his origins alllllll the way back, he was an Undertale AU character I made. Same with Arasi, Marduke, and half of what went into Roxi too. Roxi is sorta a blend of 2 characters I had. (unfortunately, I have recently realized that most of them have Something Fucked Up with their eyes, because a lot of them had their first origins as something edgy & 'cringe' from me Being A Teenager back then. Which uhhhhh oops. time to figure out how to change that plothole into A Totally Intentional Story Telling Device. Probably. Something like - physical representation of lacking foresight, 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind', or 'it's all fun and games until someone looses and eye' or something else idk. Peek behind the curtains.)

I have a passion for Breaking Tropes and Breaking Stereotypes. Non-linear and non-standard paths to healing, a wide variety of relationship dynamics. The guy that gives stoner vibes has been clean & sober for several years. The Therapist Character having a lot of personal development and isn't just a tool to progress others. Everyone Is Autistic (because I'm autistic) and it fits none of the popular sterotypes. The guy that experiences hallucinations is Just A Guy and very humanized. A weird guy, but that's not really related to the hallucination part.

I think I had more to say but it's getting kinda late, and I gotta get up early tomorrow wups. But anyway yes!!! If you read this far and you're still interested, please send more asks! I will go feral over them like a Creature.