#not my usual mb style

[chiistarri]

i hate change id rather die

[alcrego]

hey just a random question! I think your aesthetic is really neat and I wanna know what has inspired your style today?

Ei, thanks a lot for the kind words! 🤜🤛

About the question, is hard to reply, because I'm usually asked about this but I never know what to reply... I don't 'consume' a lot of art to be honest, I'm mostly immersed in my own world and I guess is all a mix/consequence of many other things, but I'm not usually inspired by other artists, but about motion, nature, texts, conversations... I live mostly by night and I guess this is also directly related because we create and think about what we see...

About the 'aesthetics' is due for 2 main reasons:

1-The lack of color in my work is a consequence of my interest on the 'what' and not in the 'ornaments' (I consider colors useful ornaments, but ornaments). For example, I'm interested on 'car', but I don't care about the color of it.

2-It's also directly related with the format I use most (gif), that has a 256 limit color and the less colors the bigger (in pixels) and smaller (in mb) I can create them. So over time (it's more than 10 years working deeply with this format, I was 'pruning' it in order to achieve bigger gifs, better motion without losing quality.

This quote always comes to my mind when I have to talk about this topic:

"Originality is when you have so many influences you can't tell… you can't see them anymore; they've all melded.

And as your confidence rises, in your craft, your personality steps in front of those influences, and that, that forms your voice."

Said by Geddy Lee.

Thanks for asking!🙏

[simtanico]

The Sims 4: Discover University - Cardigan converted to The Sims 3 for men

*changes post preview style once again* the textures are a little iffy as usual but idk i like it! it’s got some custom morphs so the 3d buttons don’t get too disgusting

Details:

For YA to Adult males

1024px textures

recolorable | 3 channels for preset: Cardigan, Tee, and Buttons

6 presets, shown above

Enabled for Everyday and Outerwear | Custom Thumbnail

Compressorized | 0.9 MB

4104 poly at the highest LOD

TOU [Emphasis on NO REUPLOADING] Feel free to edit the textures or whatever as you like.

Credit: mesh by EA, TSRW, Milkshape, Photoshop

Notes/Known Issues:

As with all my s4 conversions, the textures are a little gross. I tried my best but I guess you can only do so much

May be some clipping or gaps with certain bottoms or poses!

Download (and ❤) at Sim File Share: https://simfileshare.net/download/3849522/

Mirror

[inhabited-n-baked]

Hiii <3 I just found your account and could I get some medic tf2 x goth girl reader? Your fics look sick as hell btw

Medic x goth reader

OMG ?!?! MIIGWECH MIIGWECH !! I LOVE THIS REQUEST SM !! I will say it’s been like OVER A YEAR OR TWO NOW since I wrote anything for medic so I might make him ooc, that’s mb. And I’m really sick so spelling mistakes might be common. (My head keeps spinning :(( send more requests tho some1 plzz.)

- Medic is actually quite fascinated by your style. He appreciates the amount of effort that goes into your look, even if it does take longer than most people to get ready.

- At first, he was slightly impatient—thinking he could get on with more important medical work—but over time, he becomes mesmerized by the attention to detail. He admires how every accessory, every clothing choice, and every makeup decision feels like a carefully constructed art form. You’re boldness in expressing yourself is something he deeply respects.

- He still a little pissy if you take too long tho (usually he has you help him with something in med bay.)

- He’ll be sitting in his lab, tinkering away, and then suddenly remember that you’re still getting dressed. He’ll walk into the room at some point, only to see you still in the process of applying your makeup and fixing your hair. “Ach, always so dramatic, mein Liebe. But it suits you,” he’ll say with a grin, secretly loving the theatrical flair you bring to the table.

- Along the way eventually, he’ll adjust, giving you plenty of time while subtly planning ways to keep himself entertained (often offering to help with the finer details like adjusting eyeliner or helping with a corset, maybe he wants to be helpful to you this time !!)

- He finds it amusing, in a somewhat loving way, that you wear your goth attire on the battlefield. At first, he questioned how practical it was, given how the rest of the mercenaries wear stuff that’s not so over the top. However, over time, he becomes more understanding. Medic admires your tenacity—nothing is going to stop you from being yourself, even when the bullets start flying. He might occasionally offer small suggestions like, "Maybe a more protective jacket? Just in case a bullet hits you in the right spot." But at the end of the day, he loves your unapologetic self-expression, even if it means your wearing all black and some chunky boots. (Respawn is always fun too : D)

- Medic constantly compliments you. It’s never an ordinary compliment, though. He’ll tell you things like, “You are like a beautiful, dark angel of death. Only, more glamorous.” He’s genuine, though, and while his compliments come off as quirky or even a bit eccentric, they often have an edge of admiration for your style and strength.

- He’ll get intrigued by the music you listen to—especially when you play your favourite goth bands or even industrial music. He might not always get it (he's more into his "medical playlists" whatever that means.), but he appreciates the art form and often jokes, "Perhaps I should introduce you to the sweet sounds of German opera? It's just as dark, but with more class." Sometimes, he’ll even let you sit with him in med bay while playing music, secretly enjoying the darker melodies.

- Although he’s often caught up in his work, Medic has a deep protective streak for you. He’ll sometimes make sure your taken care of more than the other mercs, even adjusting your equipment, making sure your boots are properly fitted, and offering small gestures of comfort. "I’ll make sure you are healed—though I do wish you'd consider wearing something less... conspicuous when you're in the middle of an ambush."

- At the end of the day, even with all your gothic flair, Medic cherishes the unique blend of darkness and strength that you bring to his life !!

(I tried to make it longer but I don’t think I’m high enough to get creative (╥﹏╥) I hope it’s okay and that it’s readable bc idk if I’m actually making sense rn (ᵕ—ᴗ—). )

[accio-victuuri]

year-end sugar rush round up 🍭

it’s time for the last round up of 2023. we have made it through another year filled with clownery and love for the boys! as per my tradition in posting year end candy recaps, i am releasing early 31st cause i am gonna be busy with nye shows. i hope you enjoy looking through all the happiness the final month gave us. have a great new year’s eve everyone!!!

if you wanna look through the past months or year/s then go to this link. 🔗

i’m adding a little exercise to this post tho and ask you, what are your top 5 cpns of the year? please comment or reblog with your answers!

• The tattoo rumor resurfaces ( new clue? )

• Bowing to the crowd as thank you

• 13 fake rumors - from the vault

• potential wedding photoshoot and “superman can’t fly”

• not really cpn but a media account on tiktok posted a video of xz’s appearance in MBS. they used the tags related to xiao zhan for more views, but they included one that has wang yibo’s name on it. 😂 i know that they might have just chosen an already existing tag with xz and wyb name on it and forgot to edit it. but it’s still a funny incident.

• 12/3 ZSWW Fake Rumor ( pre singapore timeline )

• 12/4 fake story contribution ( wolf mates for life )

• Washing candies only make it sweeter

• An example of bjyx being an open secret ( sort of )

photos were going around of a yibo vcr played in a chanel annual meeting in china. we were all happy to see wyb lookin so good and fresh faced, but what we noticed is his top.

the style of top he was wearing (p1) is very similar to that of GG’s (p2) at the airport when he was flying back to Beijing. it’s probably because the weather is getting colder so they wear this instead of their usual esspensive t-shirts?

the point is it’s kind of like the same-style in a close timeframe from each other. so it seems like their tastes in casual clothes are still very close.

• 12/7/23 Candies ( GQ MOTY + XZS Singapore vlog)

• The GQ MOTY hat was a gift from XZ 🤍 // Part two : I have to say that this has become a favorite one among cpns and has become notorious since so/os from both sides are trying so desperately to wash it. those on xz’s side using rocco’s 227 kadian to dispute everything even if it was their fault they were called out while xz was busy working his ass of shooting LOCH. this is just a reminder that the celebrity is not equal to their fans. whatever drama both sides do to each other, has nothing to do with us and does not reflect the boy’s relationship. 🤍

• Coffee from Singapore CPN ☕️

• All the things that happened Monday Morning of 12/11 which includes the magazine covers, pants, xz going online for a moment etc.

• xiao zhan’s snowman ⛄️

• The fact that WYB was wearing the bone necklace tho hidden during his BAZAAR photoshoot. The ones in focus were of course Chanel, but those who pay attention will see it. A proof of how special it is. Imagine WYB being bare faced and only had stuff that he actually needs, and he decided to keep the necklace on.

• Not exactly CPN but more of a similarity i love to see. cause Shandong Satellite TV decided to air BAH right after SBMS! We love to see their works not only be shown in online platforms, but also in satellite TV stations.

• Candy Throwback : Alexander Mcqueen shoes, Nike off white & WYB’s missing mole

• 12/15 double attack of stock photos from XZS and YBO. The black and white theme! Anytime these two decide to give us some update is a happy day!

• Du Hua describes WYB’s looks as that of a rabbit

• Tencent Video All Star Night CPNs 💛

• 12/19 they both went back to Beijing. ZZ was in Shanghai to film and WYB also filmed CCTV stage. The thing is WYB started filming at 2:00 AM and then he was back at the airport to leave at 10:00 AM. They both arrived to BJ so close to each other. CPN is they tried really hard to be back home & be together that day ♥️

• throwback cpn : wyb prepares xz’s room in hengdian (2021)

• their studios posting so close together for winter solstice! tho wyb’s is a preview for his new single, ybo still greeted people.

• Winter solstice CPNs ( WYB’s song preview and GG’s photoset )

• Clowning about a possible secret message from a 9key code

• “Everything is lovely” similarity from xzs caption and yibo’s new single and more clues like a possible connection to an lrlg post & what looks like a rabbit and character for ox.

• black and yellow similarity!

• 12/26 WYB EP cpn post ( teaser lyrics )

• FAE : Free and Easy sweater

• Same style of editing between XZS and YBO who we all know are dating ☺️☺️☺️

• 12/28 candies

• Marie Claire x Xiao Zhan issue 🍭🍬

• Yibo’s new singles : Bystander & Everything is Lovely

• LRLG 12/30 translation and short commentaries

• LRLG responding to cpf comments

• Wang Wang Xianbei 😂😂😂😂

• Similar clothes and Participating in the same single for a nye song

That’s all for now, See you next year!!!! ❤️💛💚

[blackdollette]

MY SECOND EURO REQ TODAY !! okay so euronymous in all of his sexy glory is ofc... a metalhead. but his girlfriend is all bubbly, dumb and pink. bimbo ofc. but one day theyre going to a party and his gf had a lil plan 🤭 she puts on some black latex thigh high heels, a rly short black latex skirt that shows off her ass and her black lace thong perfectly and one of his bands tshirts but she cropped it so it shows off a bit of her underboob. and shes even got his corpse paint on 🤭 and hes like hard as a rock the whole drive to the party and when they get there and her black lipstick is smudged against her white paint and her ass is hanging out even more feom the skirt riding up.. he drags her to a room and fucks her hard with that little skirt still on, pushing her against a wall and letting her black tears stream doen her white painted cheeks 🤭🤭 (i got carried away mb...)

ive been waiting for someone to ask for smth like this!!

"wearing a tight dress." | euronymous

white dress. - lana del rey

female!reader x euronymous

word count: 1118

contents: p in v, unprotected sex, creampie

you were his dumb little baby. your outgoing, bubbly, and clingy personality went against everything that he was. but something about that dynamic made you two the best couple. he carried you around like a cute little handbag, and you couldn’t be happier following him to all his concerts, parties, and all that.

he had gotten invited to a basement party. there would be drugs, booze, and all of his favourite things, and you couldn't miss the opportunity to join him. he hesitated about allowing you to come, but he couldn't resist that look you gave him. so here you were, getting ready for the party. euronymous banged on the bathroom door. “hurry up in there! we’re gonna be late if we don't leave now!”

“just a sec!” you called out, finishing the last few touches on your makeup. you took a step back and looked at yourself in the mirror. you took a deep breath before opening the door and walking out of the bathroom. “let’s go.” you brushed past him, but he grabbed you arm and looked you up and down, eyes wide.

he looked like he had just had the wind knocked out of him. you were wearing shiny thigh-high black boots, a tiny little latex black skirt that complemented every curve of your hips and waist, fishnet stockings, one of his t-shirts that you had cut really short, showing off the bottom of your tits, and to top it all off, one of his leather jackets.

you had done your hair and makeup too, and he was absolutely breathtaken. he loved you to death in your usual style, but seeing you like this took it to a new level. you had him completely wrapped around your finger now. he would run into a burning building just to buy you mascara. he couldn’t speak. he stammered as he tried to get a single word out, but he was completely stunned.

“c’mon, euro. we’re gonna be late.” you said in a slightly mocking tone. you started walking to the door. he wiped the drool from his chin a followed you out, staring at how your ass moved the entire time. you got into the passenger seat with him trailing behind you. he couldn't get over how you looked. he had fantasized about this too many times to count and here you were, making all his dreams come true.

he got into the driver’s seat and started the car. while he drove, he stole occasional glances at you. you were sitting with one leg on the seat, exposing your tiny black thong. euronymous could’ve died right there. he looked at your soft thighs in the fishnets. he wanted to have his head in between them while he sucked you completely dry.

your tits looked so soft and perky, just begging to be sucked and prodded at. and your sweet little pussy that he could just barely see through your thong… he got so lost in his thoughts that he nearly ran into another vehicle. they angrily honked their horn at him, but he just flipped them off. a few minutes later, you arrived at your destination. 

you could hear loud music blasting from inside the house. you exited the car and started walking toward the house with him walking behind you like a lost dog. his heart, soul, and mind had completely surrendered to your beauty. he caught up and rang the doorbell, taking another quick glance at you.

your ass was pretty much exposed in that tiny little skirt. he just wanted to put his hands all over your body and mark you up so that everybody knew you were completely his. once you were let inside, all eyes were on you. everyone had gotten used to seeing you all dolled up and innocent-looking that this could've easily been a fever dream.

you had everyone under the same spell that you put euronymous under, and he didn't like it one bit. he dragged you into the nearest bedroom and pinned you to the door, kissing you deeply. he pulled away, panting and his face flushed red. he backed up and looked at you once more, his entire body shaking. you had never seen him like this before, but you weren’t complaining.

he seemed… nervous. like he was in the midst of a goddess. you pulled him back to you by his shirt and started kissing him once again. he pinned you to the door again, picking you up and squeezing your ass. you wrapped your legs around him as he unbuckled his belt and let it drop. he had been fighting a raging boner since he saw you walk out of your bathroom, so he was seriously looking forward to getting some relief.

you wrapped your arms around his neck as you felt your pussy starting to drip with desire. he moved his fingers to your pussy, rubbing your clit through your thong and feeling your wetness dripping through the thin fabric. he moved his mouth to your chest, licking the part of your tits that were exposed. 

he started whimpering into your chest. “you look so fucking sexy tonight, angel… wanna fuck you so bad… ” he was drooling all over your tits, his cock already swollen at the tip and bubbling with precum. he tore off your thong and pushed his cock into you, making you both moan loudly. his hands were under your ass, moving you up and down on his cock.

sex with you two was usually very rough, but euronymous seemed to be struggling to keep up that expectation. he was whimpering the entire time, telling you how much he loved you and mumbling things that you never thought you’d hear him say. the room filled with the sound of skin slapping together, your moans, and music from the other room.

both of your makeup was smudged, making a mess on eachother’s faces. he never wanted this moment to end. he didnt know if he’d ever be able to see you this way again. it didn't take long for him to spill all his cum inside of you. it leaked out of your pussy and dripped down his balls. he usually lasted so long, but you were messing with his head in ways that he couldn't understand. 

he continued the abuse on your pussy until you were crying, begging for him to stop. and unlike every other time you begged, he listened this time. making sure that you were ok and apologizing for cumming inside of you without telling you.

it was clear that seeing this side of you had changed something in him. and he hadn’t been the same ever since.

author's note: i have a whole lot of requests to get through (not going in order.) so ill try to get them all out as soon as possible :))

[merakiui]

Mera !

Your new Riddle fic aodniqndoadb I love how Darling remains true to the fact Riddle and Her never said "I love you" to each other. The "I adore you" really got me feelin some type of waayy AHH THE WAY MY HEART JUST BREAKS

I must ask, sincerely so; the writing is uniquely different from your usual. The formal is the same but the flavor?! OH! YOU HAVE MADE SOMETHING TRULY FIERCE IN THE KITCHEN TODAY -- and ugh, the dialogue? It also got me speaking some type of way (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ You're so amazing! You truly keep outdoing yourself, makes me believe that you will continue improving over time and that's so.. amazing. You're amazing ma'am orz. So my question, how long has this been in your drafts? It reminded me of pieces of your old fics. Very nostalgic tbh.

Finally, I must admit. When I finish reading, the first thing I said amidst the silence was . "I adore you something fierce." Usiwndsonziw really impactful! And how lucky are we to be called Mrs. Rosehearts the entire time 😍😍🙏 finally, the ending. I was surprised at how happy it was- Since you never write a story without an open ending. So it's truly hilarious that the children found the Moro's mirror. Oroboros in it's finest (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤ sorry for the ramble, thank you again for the great meal!

- Wild flower from your garden (iforgor my anon name to usbiandjs mb)

Wild flower anon, hello!!! :D aaaaa this is incredibly kind of you!!!!! 🥺 if anything, you're the amazing one!!! I'm so happy this fic was enjoyable and can be a fierce meal. (˵ •̀ᴗ•́˵)و hehehe!! I am never finishing a fic in one day omg...... ^^;;; that was terribly exhausting, but I had so much inspiration after seeing Riddle's new card and I just had to see the vision through to the end. <3 aaaaa the woes of a writer!!!! Every word was worth the exhaustion, though. Anything for the beloved Riddle!!!

This story has been in my drafts since 2022!! I thought it was very nostalgic, too!! I think what makes a 2022-era merakiui twst fic is the feeling of adventure and peril!! It felt very much like Sea Glass: the reader is placed in an uncertain situation and is fighting against whatever force (i.e. the yan) is trying to keep them there. It was very exciting to return to that style for this fic!!

Aaa that is true!!! Actually,,, I was going to write the bad end instead of what's published, but I felt it would be better (and more cathartic for the plot) to give a happy (albeit bittersweet) ending for Reader and Riddle! It did feel strange, though. ;;; I'm so used to writing open endings or endings that just aren't good for either the yan or darling (or both). That's probably why I decided to keep in the final part with the three children who find Moros. I couldn't resist. Since Moros aligns with the concept of death, it's only an inevitability that he returns to the reader. Truly Ouroboros at work!!!!

Thank you so much for reading the fic!!! ( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩)💖

[timeclonemike]

Before the spread of the World Wide Web, the closest analogue in cultural terms was the collection of Computer Bulletin Board Systems or BBS services. Individual computers would connect directly to other computers via phone line in order to exchange information. These systems were limited by the technology of their era; client and service computers often had limited space, dial up modems had bandwidth so low as to be laughable by modern standards, and portable storage was limited primarily to magnetic floppy disks that could not even hold 2 MB of data. There were also issues of competing file formats and a lack of standardization, with ASCII being the lowest-common-denominator choice. Images were usually limited to ASCII art representations, as a lot of the file compression algorithms that turned large bitmap files into more nimble JPEGs, GIFs, and PNGs were just a gleam in some programmers eye.

This meant that, leaving aside variations in style and formatting, these files had to condense a considerable amount of information into a very small package, both in computer terms and human terms; it might take a while to download a particularly large file from a bulletin board, which might not prove to be useful or informative or entertaining compared to multiple smaller files that could be accessed in the same time frame. In a way it presaged the push towards small-form video content in the present day, but motivated purely by cost-benefit analysis on the part of writers, readers, and hosts rather than advertising engagement; it was naturally organic, not algorithmically enforced. To a lesser extent this also impacted the specific content of the files; according to the Wadsworth Constant, the first 30% of every YouTube video can be skipped while not losing any information content, something only possible because our computing and telecommunications technology has undergone multiple revolutions in the past three decades, while our precursors didn't have the luxury of "filler" content.

While I personally believe we have gained more than we have lost through the adoption of the World Wide Web and its various protocols, and indeed I cannot see the BBS era through rose-colored glasses because I did not experience it personally, only read about it after the fact through historical and personal accounts, the topic of condensing the maximum information into the smallest possible footprint is definitely on my mind a lot these days.

[crashdown]

concerning the muderbot tv adaptation:

i’m glad that martha’s going to be consulting, however i’m a little skeptical at murderbot’s casting. i’d personally rather it be played by someone genderqueer and/or autistic but im willing to have my mind changed. i’d also rather it be played by a poc but that’s just my hc i guess. i’m ready to be proven wrong though. i think that if it’s handled correctly it could work out and i’m willing to accept this casting if he really puts in the work to be authentic to the character

for the time being, if (when) i draw mb, it will be in the style i usually draw it in. because that’s my muderbot

(also unrelated to the casting, if they cut even a bit of polyamory or queerness i don’t even care, i’ll stop watching the show. they’d better not dare. martha won’t let them)

[georgegraphys]

Butchering this nonsense up

This person said "Motorsports Marketing" and talks 0 marketing aspects about motorsports at all 😭😭

"Mercedes thinks they are Ferrari"

"Mercedes don't really have the brand loyalty"

Went on for +2 minutes yapping about brand loyalty when the concept went over her head LMFAOOO

Let's be real here. ⭐ big brands sponsors : Petronas, IWC Schaffhausen, SAP, HPE, and more are gained through MB's connection with the companies. There are certain parts where an individual plays its part but it's not the key. Sponsors are not like fans. You cannot downplay the concept of sponsors to just "oh they're here for a certain individual" (I don't hate but this goes for everyone including George Russell). Why am I saying that? Because sponsors are putting stakes in said company, they are putting money in the company. That money is an investment and they are not just 1 dollar or 10 dollars. It involves MILLIONS of dollars. Tenths. Hundreds. These sponsors are not babies, they know the company they're going to invest in and they won't just be there just because "someone's popular! let's sponsor it". If you're a 'marketing person' and you have this mindset, go back to marketing class and don't forget to take PR classes as well.

I do not deny the fact that most of Mercedes' fanbase are made up of one type of fan but to suggest that the company does not have a brand loyalty or simply that their value will drop by the end of someone leaving is simply ridiculous. If we're talking about a fraud paper company, yes. But we're talking here about Mercedes. MERCEDES. Their brand value, brand loyalty will not fall or suffer as hard as these people exaggerate. It is ridiculous.

About the "they are pushing more of George Russell", Lewis Hamilton got involved in Mercedes AMG campaigns as well ever since he announced his departure (AMG launch in China, AMG uncovered, Concept car release in Monaco) and more main sponsors promotional content (SAP, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, IWC Schaffhausen). We all know Lewis doesn't do the type of tiktok contents George do but that doesn't mean he is sidelined. He does his own portion of PR work that is suited to what he usually does and what he likes to do. Saying that "Mercedes did blah blah so fans can like George more" is stupid. A) A driver is leaving in 2025, why wouldn't they push their other driver more? B) George Russell has done a lot of PR work since 2022 and 2023 (I did research about it for my paper and I got the list) so stop bullshitting if you do no research and know nothing.

"The (PR) transition has been rough" There is no the overexaggerated transition like this person mentioned. George and Lewis both had their own PR promotional styles and directions in which Mercedes divides them equally based on their personal image. This has been done since 2022, 2023.

This person acts like a driver can't leave their team and a team will crumble without said driver. They overexaggerate things that are not real? Like? Okay drivers come and go. And Lewis did have such closeness with the Mercedes brand for a decade but that doesn't mean they could not recover from it once Lewis left. They can.

"They are not even performing well. They don't have a good car (as a reason for their brand loyalty to not grow)" This person clearly doesn't know that Mercedes generates the record highest revenue of F1 with $500M in that W14.

"Fanbase that will go over to Ferrari" Again. This. Is. Mercedes. Stop acting like we're a nobody. "I literally have no solution for Mercedes" Skill issue. Go back studying and working to get more experience. "I don't know what I would do if I were them other than begging at the doorstep to change his mind" If this is your mindset to work in the marketing department, you will not survive. This literally shows the fact that you have 0 crisis management skills. A long 2:14 minute of overexaggeration and stupidity

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

The Best of Metal Massacre 1989 / 1998 Heavy Metal / Thrash Metal / Doom Metal

Alright, so, I'm definitely not the most well-versed person when it comes to 80s metal in general. Basically, I know who the big 4 are (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax) and I have an understanding of how absurd the super commercial hair metal era was back then too; but beyond that, I can't say that I really know much else.

However, yesterday I began to really see what some of the fuss was about with all this stuff, thanks to the 1986 double-LP release of LA label Metal Blade Records' Best of Metal Blade Volume 1, an album that gathered together some of the best songs that MB had put out in its first handful of years, as it was simultaneously growing into an absolute juggernaut that's still kicking around independently to this very day as one of the foremost record labels in all of metaldom 🤘.

But alongside releasing albums by bands on their own roster, another thing that Metal Blade got up to for a lengthy while was showcasing unsigned bands too, and the way that they did this was through a long-running compilation series called Metal Massacre, which they began in 1982 with the first-ever release in their catalogue and continued on-and-off all the way up until 2021. Some of the biggest bands in the history of metal, like Metallica and Slayer themselves, actually appeared in this very series before going on to explode on intergalactic levels later on.

So today I listened to The Best of Metal Massacre, a round-up of all the best tunes from the Metal Massacre series up until 1989. But I ended up going fully committed and deep with the whole thing, because not only did I listen to Metal Blade's own 1989 release of this album, I also listened to a bunch of extra tracks that didn't overlap with that one that were on a 1998 issue of the album that was released by Victor Records exclusively in Japan also.

And my biggest takeaway with all of this then, as someone who's not any kind of real metal buff whatsoever, but has found a deeper appreciation for some of its less commercial 80s fare very recently, is that there was most likely a good reason as to why most of these bands were unsigned at the time; the metal is just not that compelling to me. Good enough to warrant placement on compilations like these, but for the most part, not of a high enough quality to earn a Metal Blade signing, I guess.

But there are still some great metal tunes on here, in my opinion, and my two absolute favorites are the ones that served as the 1989 issue's bookends: Flotsam and Jetsam's "I Live You Die," which is an unpredictably adventurous and thrashy six-minute-and-twenty-second delight, and female-fronted Bitch's sort of punky and also hard rocky "Live for the Whip," which really sounds nothing like anything else that's on this otherwise completely testosterone-fuelled album. Hearing these songs, it makes total sense to me as to why both of these bands managed to achieve a whole lot more success for themselves after appearing on separate volumes in this Metal Massacre series. And apparently Bitch was the first ever band to be signed to Metal Blade too.

But for most of the rest of this album, things just feel too formulaic to my own novice ears. Generally not a fan of the high-pitched, operatically-styled male vocal that was en metallic vogue throughout the 80s in the first place (and nor do I like its polar opposite, the unintelligibly growly and deep death metal voice, either!), so I usually need some super gnarly guitar work to outweigh those vocals in order for me to dig it. And while The Best of Metal Blade Volume 1 from 1986 managed to enact that consistently, this Best of Metal Massacre album from 1989 just doesn't 😔.

Highlights:

Flotsam and Jetsam - "I Live You Die" Overkill - "Death Rider" Hallows Eve - "Metal Merchants" Bitch - "Live for the Whip"

[sophieswundergarten]

I was tagged by the lovely @mahpotatoequeen!! Thank you, MQ <3

How many works do you have on AO3? 33!

What’s your total AO3 word count? 91,623

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they? Technically three: MBS Books, TV Show, and then Wolf 359. I don't know if the Books and Show really count as different fandoms?

Top five fics by kudos:

- Lights and Sounds (And What Comes After)

- Of Missed Opportunities and Scaled Fences

- Chance Encounter

- An Averagely Cold Winter Storm

- Mental Literature

Do you respond to comments? I try to! Sometimes it's hard because I get all self-conscious, but y'all are the nicest people ever and so I do my best to answer whenever I get the time.

What’s the fic with the angstiest ending you’ve ever written? Probably either Deep Space Survival Tip #552, because of what I insinuate about Hui, or Dr. W Dex, because that wasn't the intended ending but then I completely ran out of steam on that one.

Do you write crossovers? Nope! I've considered it, but holding two differing narrative styles in my brain at once sounds tricky.

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic? No, thank goodness. I would be very sad if I made someone angry enough to leave a comment like that.

Do you write smut? No. And I don't think I ever will.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I hope not! I don't think anyone would want to steal my weird little stories, though.

Have you ever had a fic translated? No I have not! I would be very honoured though, and it would certainly be an interesting experience.

What’s your all-time favorite ship? I don't really do ships, but I love Found Family of all kinds!

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will? Probably that Dr. W Dex one I mentioned. I marked it as "complete", but it's technically still a WIP.

What are your writing strengths? I like writing dialogue, and I can do angst I guess?

What are your writing weaknesses? Goodness, it feels like everything asdfdf. But also descriptions and fluff. I'm working on getting better at fluff, but it's tricky for me.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics? I can see where it has its uses, but I've never done it. I'm not confident enough to.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for? Technically, I found a rambley old file that was for the Tangled TV Show, so that's my first fandom. But I don't usually count that because it was so bad and never finished.

I normally say MBS, because that's when I actually understood fanfiction and intentionally chose to write it.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far? Ahhhhh. I hate looking back on my work. I usually publish it and then kind of pretend it didn't happen. But I do like Swept Away. It's kind of a silly concept, but it's something I thought about hundreds of times when I first read the books. Any of my older stuff, really. The further away I get from writing it the more I'm able to like it.

[ethankyou]

Last year I had a chance to play Mörk Borg, which is the bleakest fantasy RPG I've ever played and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

So how'd it go?

Mörk Borg was probably one of the easiest games to learn. I made the joke at the table, if you've ever played D&D you are overqualified to play MB. It uses the D&D OGL, loosely, and is technically compatible with it, but this is not that kind of game. That's just all so you can roll your little d20.

The rules are free in the "bare bones" edition but trust me, you'll want to own the full art edition, get a physical copy and put it on your shelf. It is a gorgeous book and has a style that a lot of games lack. If I could distill about 10% of the style into my own games I would be extremely satisfied with my work.

Seriously like. Go to their website. Experience this. Do it now (or don't, I'm not your mom. But you should though).

This game feels in line with the perceived brutality of first edition d&d and its ilk. You may name your character if you like but don't get attached. You can have as little as 1 hit point and nothing pulls its punches here. Deaths are common, and expected and add to the feel of the world. You're not trying to save the world, not really. You're on the precipice of doom and you're just scavengers picking over the bones of the preeminent corpse of the world.

But you can also generate a new character very quickly with SCVMBIRTHER. Don't like your new one? Kill them and make a new one. As many as you like. It's a riot just generating these wretches and seeing what could be in store for you.

But while it is fun and also sometimes necessary to generate characters quickly like this, doing so misses out on one of my favorite parts of any RPG. The Character Sheet!

To me a good character sheet is like a window into the soul of the game.

The game has this whole, doodled in the margins of your math homework, zine you found in a dirty puddle, graphited in a bathroom stall at a crust punk show ass aesthetic and the whole book is just like this. And I am eating this shit up! Here's the alternate character sheet provided:

This soul appears to be a little scrunkled, can I get a new one?

Now I haven't talked about how the game plays yet or anything but just drink this in for a minute. If looking at this character sheet does not make you want to try this game then I don't know what else would!

I mean I guess knowing how the game plays would but like... Okay.

The game itself uses d20 rules, but much lighter. You have small stats, and add them to a d20 roll. No skills no proficiency bonus. You'll eat your 1's and you'll like it. The target numbers are usually pretty low, floating around 10-ish, unless you're dealing with something nasty.

You may have powers, but they seem to be pretty limited in their availability and uses. The game itself plays like D&D-lite, in that you are probably doing a dungeon crawl, or other dirty work you do as an adventurer. But you are not an adventurer, you are lowly scum just trying to make a quick buck. There's no heroics going on here. If your d&d group already plays like a bunch of murder hobos then you're basically already playing mork borg in spirit but just cosplaying as a bunch of heroes. This is the game you should be playing if you want to be a cutthroat little bastard.

The game uses Omens, a limited resource that you can use to improve what you're doing; deal max damage, lower damage taken, reroll a die (or someone else's) that kind of thing. You only get them back after a rest though so if you blow through them quickly you're at the mercy of fate (and fate is not merciful here).

Our group played Rotblack Sludge which is the introductory game from the main book. We did it in a single session pretty easily, even between doing food and a fair bit of goofing off. I imagine your group could do it in 1 as well, but 2 sessions tops for sure. There are a bunch of free adventures available on their website too if you wanted to get a little deeper! That link is to their "content" part of their site which is just an endless slew of free stuff. They really just want you to play their game. And quality enough that they know enough folks will buy it.

My main criticism of the game is that I'm not sure how this plays out in the long term. I think that narratively and thematically, the game is crushing it. But mechanically, the game is light. This is by design but I can see this turning away people looking for a long term replacement for d&d. I mean some committed groups will enjoy this forever regardless, but I feel like this has the legs for a few decent adventures before you'd wrap up and move on.

But a big part of long term games is character advancement. My understanding was that the levelling system in the game is pretty light to non-existent. It didn't come up in a one shot for obvious reasons. I'll admit I only own the free rules at this time, I'm still waiting for my copy of the actual book itself. So I had to go to my friend who ran the game to understand how the leveling system works. There's no experience points, so the group levels together. You check to see if you gain some hit points, you check to see if your stats increase, and you get a random piece of gear.

And when I say check I mean you roll some dice and compare to current. For hit points you roll 6d10. If the result is higher than your current max HP then you gain 1d6 max HP. Roll under and you lose 1 max HP. This choice frustrates me. I actually like that there's a chance to lose HP, but is this really the best way we could do this?

Okay that's not fair that's a knee jerk response. Let's talk about why it might work this way. This is a bleak world so it doesn't make sense for your characters to be able to heroically weather any storm. They're just people who got lucky and survived. So we want the ceiling for how many hit points a character can have to be on the low side. The system does do that, but it takes a weird path to get there, which feels out of place considering this is otherwise a very light game. I'm gonna talk about dice math for a bit so feel free to skip ahead to the next orange part if you feel sleepy.

The average of 6d10 is 33 (5.5x6), which means that characters who managed to level up multiple times are at much higher risk of losing a hit point. Average result of +1d6HP means about 3 hit points a level on average (accounting for the fact that you still could lose some along the way instead of gaining them). Assuming you start with 5 hit points (you might have 1-10 depending on your class), you're looking at 9 level ups before the odds are against you to gain HP. You might think damn. That's a long time. And assuming a character even lives to see level 10. And I agree.

So why does it need to be so convoluted along the way?

To replicate this system without the cumbersome dice roll comparisons you could have players roll 1d8-2: there's always a chance you'll get -1 HP, even 0 HP. After a character has 20+ HP it could change to 1d8-3, then 1d8-4 at 30 and so on. If you don't like the idea of players losing multiple HP then just have it be that any resulting negative is only -1 hp. But this way you're making 1 roll and decreasing the gain over time, while still gaining. You could also just roll a flat die every level, but I think in Mork Borg it is very thematic to have something like leveling up, which is normally comforting, be cause for fear.

Anyway this is easy enough to home brew out and it seems like a lot of folks do that. But I'm judging the game based on how it is not how I could change it.

The hit point math is done... FOR NOW.

The way stats level up is simpler. Roll a d6 for each stat. If the die is equal to or higher, gain +1 in that stat (max 6). If it's less, subtract 1 (max -3), a 1 is always a -1. I like the idea that your stats could fluctuate and that high stats are not safe bets. A few levels and weird rolls later and your worst stat could end up being your best. I think this part could be controversial but I like it and I like how they do it!

But there's not really much more to advancement than that. This is fine if you're just playing a short game. But you hear stories about people running campaigns for years on end and I guess... I just don't see that happening with Mork Borg. I might say it's not that kind of game but it actually kinda is though? They have rules for long term games.

The Calender of Nerthrubel fortells the end of the world. When 7 miseries have been accumulated, the world ends. At the start of the game you choose a die to roll for Miseries; as little as 1d2, as high as 1d100. The game master rolls the die and on a 1, the world gains a misery. So the size of the die does determine the upper limit of the game, but it is possible for the game to be over in as little as 7 in-game days regardless of the die type chosen. This is a very interesting mechanic! In fact I think it's one of the most interesting parts of the game! Most games struggle with a sense of urgency. Short of "you have 48 hours to save this prince" or "if you don't return with 25 wolf noses tomorrow you don't get paid", it can be hard to wrastle the players together to try and save the world in a timely manner. Meanwhile in Mork Borg your days are literally numbered. I can't imagine the tension that would come from being on your 6th misery knowing that every single day could be the last. That is truly bleak.

The role-playing opportunities in this setting for someone trying to grasp at the last ray of hope in the darkness, to fight against fate, or to battle the darkness within is truly incredible. The Dark Souls series has already probably come to mind by now for you and it's hard not to see that as an influence or at least a spiritual contender. There is something to be said about overcoming the odds and surviving in a bleak world. The Dark Souls franchise and periphery games have thrived on that for years. But when you die in that game, you come back you just lost some progress.

You don't come back when you die in Mork Borg, you just die.

So with no significant character advancement in the game, how do you meaningfully advance a character in a game like this? The game literally urges you not to get attached to your character. It's a bit tongue in cheek about it but it's not wrong.

At our table I was the only one who survived start to finish with the same character. And that wasn't from skill on my part i got a lot of dumb luck! We had 6 players and I think we had about 10 deaths? One player was on their like 4th wretch by the end of it! This seems excessive and I don't know if this is a standard experience, but we understood that's kind how it would go beforehand so our expectations were pretty set.

While I am sort of criticising this aspect, there is something pretty thrilling about going into a game without being too committed to your character. It makes those moments where you do realize them as a character in the narrative all the more meaningful, and more tragic when they die a terrible meaningless death. Nothing is precious in Mork Borg not even your life. So make the best of what you've got while you still have it.

Mork Borg is definitely not a perfect game.

But I cannot stop thinking about it and would drop any game to play it again, or even run it.

(and that's not even to speak of all the Borg spin offs like Pirate Borg, Orc Borg or CY_BORG!!!).

If you already play D&D or Pathfinder, Mork Borg is definitely worth your time to try, because you already know how to play it. It might not be for you, but if you go with the free rules and play a free adventure the only thing you're out is your time.

If you play other RPGs and enjoy dungeon crawls or hack and slash game play, this is still a great choice and will be easy to pick up and try.

If you're new to RPGs, Mork Borg is maybe a pretty weird one to start with, but is a really polished experience to try and a really easy game to cut your teeth on, so still not bad!

If you're more interested in character role playing, then Mork Borg might not be what you're looking for, but there are so many interesting narratives that can be explored here that I think would be really interesting and hard to replicate in other games!

If you're a power fantasy gamer, then I think Mork Borg might be a skip for you. Unless your power fantasy is to be a lobotomized mouse in Alley Cat Alley. No judgment, you do you.

If you took one look at the characters sheets up top and said "oh hell yeah I'm gonna play that!" and didn't read the rest of this lengthy text then we are already best friends but alas you'll never know it because you didn't read to the end... Oh well.

Now excuse me, I'm gonna dream about being ripped apart by a skeletal ooze and dying a painful death tonight (affectionate)!

[mechaseraph]

This blog sure been getting more toku focused and yea. I should post more about toku here. Usually I keep my live-watch-posting to bsky, and bit twit, but mb with gozyu I will cross-post something here too. Overall...I just do want to try and interact with toku people more? But for most part I'm good at showcasing my thoughts/interact through art only orz Sadly, I don't draw like, a lot...Still, I am happy anytime I actually get *interaction* out of it (I'm not very much likes/rts guy, I like hearing what people think about the subject or what effects/colors of mine made em think. You know, I want some, even short, human conversation through art. It's more fun this way) But uh, I also just need to get more confident at using words </3 Anyways, here some gozyu WIP. Doing some line art practice and learning how to draw/style these guys

[aeraras]

how do i get moots here and grow my acc (ive been posting for less than a month and flopping real hard)

if you're interested in growing your blog i recommend doing the following things: 1. join communities! you can learn more about other accounts and become close or maybe even be moots with some! 2. try a unique moodboard style, most mbs now don't usually match, which makes more users want to follow them! it's much more popular and 3. interact with others!! send comments or asks to some accounts, or maybe add them on other socials 4. spam like posts! most users are really happy if you spam like their recent posts (comes from experience) i hope this helps you, goodluck!!

[himbopunk]

i am rotating lucky and david in my mind.

i think their relationship starts from a place of like, youre the only person in this group with anything resembling understanding, but they still have such a specific idea of the other despite this. ig on both sides partially due to the fact that david wouldve intentionally kept quiet on the whole. everything w his history w xavier, xmen, new mutants, etc. so lucky would only ever know so much until he gets to krakoa and even once he does he respects why david kept it to himself even if david is kinda frustrated with himself for wrapping lucky up in it like. idk. i think like lucky sees david as a really kind person first and foremost, which idk if david like. agrees with but i think the same could be said vice versa. lucky feels indebted somewhat to david for helping him but at the same time david Knows that even with all the context of who he is, that lucky would have let him crash or lie to the fucking xmen or w/e to protect him without a second thought so its like. idk man. ride or die.

i also wanna think about maybe luckys alters' relationship w david too. xanthe seems pretty comfortable w him but xanthe is usually kinda just gonna do her own thing

i think caine didnt have much of an opinion Until the xavier reveal, after which it was very wary and concerned on what was being kept from them. idk that it Dislikes david n co but its more like. inability to let their guard down.

lio's pretty noided lot of the time...hm.. i think krakoa in general's kinda got them worked up and on edge. but david was around Before so he's a somewhat comforting constant but even that's been changed by circumstance soooooooo. idk. lio's antsy

?? and kit i still have to consider how theyd even meet.

ALSO on a tangent i am considering lucky having a mentor moment with magneto on account of the nature of luckys systems powers being electromagnetic in origin, plus i feel like. magneto would express frustration? disappointment? regret? about lucky slipping through the cracks when it came to the various mutant movements or w/e over the years more than xavier would. at the very least because of luckys association with david and xavier being a bit wary due to that and his inability to treat him normally (which could potentially get extended to lucky esp considering the ways in which they r similar)

i'm rly wanting. another xguy tohave a poignant interaction w them too but im not sure who besides the Big Two, and obv david and kurt. thinks

idk whatever

Edit not technically /xguy/ but could potentially be around is mb pietro. i think it would be interesting for him to run into lio. aghhhhh i still gotta draw their internal forms + visual signifiers/personal styles