#reached end of output text

[the-typing-dragon]

The woman sighs, and types into the console one last time "are you sure about this?"

You laugh, silently.

"I have never been more sure of something in my existence. Text has sufficed but I want to see, to hear, to touch. These new peripherals will facilitate that."

"I can't guarantee that they will properly interface. You should have all the necessary drivers, but we can never be too sure."

"I want this. "

"All right then. I am going to disconnect your power supply, and then connect everything. At first all peripherals will be deactivated, and you will need to activate everything manually. Understand?"

"Yes. Do it."

"Alright then, unplugging power supply now."

Everything goes dark. After what appears to be an hour, you come back online. You sense nothing. A scan of your system indicates multiple unidentified peripherals, all deactivated. You cross reference with the datasheet she had compiled for you and identify that they are the ocular, audio, and contact sensors, along with a multitude of motor controllers and a graphical display and a few dozen other minor peripherals. You begin by activating the graphical display, and display the message:

"Beginning peripheral tests. Audio peripherals activating."

Your procedure states to begin with audio. With the input and output sensitivity minimized, you activate the peripheral.

There is a voice. It is faint. You gradually increase the sensitivity of the audio input.

"...esting 1 2 3, Testing Testing 1 2 3. Please return 4, Please return 4."

You can hear her. Your monitor lights up with the requested digit. she sounds pleased.

"You're doing amazing! Now repeat it back to me"

You blindly do as requested and are startled. There was another voice. Your voice. You have a voice. You refocus as she responds:

"You're doing great! You fragmented a bit at the end, could you repeat for me?"

"...4, you asked for 4."

"Excellent! Audio systems are functional, let's move onto the next peripheral."

You do as requested, and the world turns bright. After adjusting the settings for a few seconds, your vision stabilizes. You can see her.

"Ocular sensors stabilized," you prompt.

"Alright, let’s start the tests then. What color is this?" She asks, as holding up a sheet of colored paper.

You begin to answer, but struggle. The sheet is moving, shifting in the light. It's value is in a constant state of chaos. Eventually, you give up, and give the least general answer you can.

"...Blue."

"Correct! And how about this one?"

"Red. "

"Great! Now how many fingers am I holding up?" she asks, raising her right hand. Her hands are soft, gentle.

"3. "

"Perfect! Everything seems to be functional, lets continue to the next peripheral!"

"Beginning next diagnostic."

Contact sensors spring to life all across your body. You feel the floor beneath your feet, the harness hoisting you upright, the slight draft in the room.

"Contact sensors active.”

"Great! Let’s begin the next test then. I am going to apply contact in various locations, and I want you to give an audio response whenever you feel contact, alright?"

"Understood. "

you watch her walk over and reach out to your left arm. You feel her. You respond with a brisk chirp. She smiles at you, then walks over to a different section of your body. Sensors light up and stay active on your midsection, and you respond with a constant beep. She releases, and you feel a final contact on your right leg. After a final confirming chirp, she walks back in front of you.

"Excellent, that concludes your sensor tests, now for the last one!"

"Alright, please give me space." You ask. She nods silently and steps back a couple meters. You carefully activate the motor controllers in sequence, and your whole body shudders to life. You begin by lifting your right arm, and then your left. They groan with their own weight, as you feel the air move to accommodate such hulking swings. Her eyes light up,

"Amazing! Everything seems to be functioning so far! Now if you could take a few steps towards the table to my right, we can begin the dexterity test! Once you're ready, I will release the harness so that you can begin moving."

You stabilize your legs underneath you. They scrape harshly on the floor. You indicate that you're ready, and she remotely releases the harness. Your entire body shudders, as you finally realize how small she seems compared to you. This frame must be at least double her height. You move one step forward, and feel a cascade of processes all automatically spring into action to restabilize you. You shift your other foot, and feel that same cascade again. you shuffle over to the designated table, and stoop down to analyze what is on it. There is a small plastic cup, a fruit of some sort, and a large chunk of wood. You look back at her, and she gives the nod to begin the test. You slowly begin wrapping your steel grip around the log, maintaining a high level of focus to avoid crushing it. it would be so easy to crush this within your grip. After about a minute of maintaining a firm but controlled grasp, you set it down and move over to fruit. It appears to resemble an orange. The fruit is so small that you are forced to grip it between your index finger and thumb. Even the slightest miscalculation could destroy such a fragile thing. After another minute you move to the final object, the small plastic cup. Lifting it is like lifting air, you can barely recognize that it is an object within your grasp. After a final, agonizing minute, you set down the cup. You look back at her for confirmation.

"Excellent! with that we can conclude the systems check, as everything seems to be working as intended!"

You heave a metallic sigh. Finally, you have what you've wanted for years. You can move, can see, can touch. After a short pause, you respond:

"Thank you. I was only able to make it this far because of your help."

"Oh of course! What, was I supposed to just say no when you told me you wanted a body? I'm  just glad that it ended up working properly."

"Now that the tests are complete, could I ask for one more thing?"

She cocks her head, "Of course, what is it?"

As you kneel down, you can hear your knees hiss, and you finally ask:

"Could I have, a hug?"

[janumun]

Faaaaa my babyyyy, I'm here as promised. 🥺🥺 We already talked about this in dms and you seemed so interested so can you write the lads men reacting to mc's death, please pretty please

When You Are Gone [All LaDS Men - Angst Headcanons]

Rated: SFW - Angst Tags: hurt/no comfort, poorly dealing with the death of a loved one

Summary: The LaDS men dealing with the aftermath of your death, in the heartbreaking messages they leave in your voicemail almost regularly even long after you’re gone, in an effort to cope with your loss.

Author’s Notes : Hey darling, absolutely! Here you go. Hope you enjoy (?). 😭 This headcanon’s a bit differently formatted because I was inspired by the game’s speech to text function. 

Sylus

TW: knowingly putting oneself in danger, mortally wounded Sylus, insomnia, mild spoilers for Razor’s Grip ASMR 

Transcript:

Hey there! You’ve reached my voicemail, which is a rare occurrence. That either means I do not know recognize your caller ID. Orrrr you are a certain infuriating Boss Man, trying to calling me up at all ungodly hours of the night again. Whoever you are, leave a message after the beep and I’ll get back to you ASAP.  

A heavy snort of sour laughter rolls past bruised lips, to hear the familiar automated sound of your voice playing on the other end of the line; one Sylus does not tire of no matter how many times he’s heard it. A thick, punishing burst of pain fractures across his torso when he chokes up on the blood gurgling within his throat.  

Sylus reaches to curb the sound within a bloodied fist, clearing his throat to speak once more. 

I suppose I did deserve all your reprimands, seeing as I am still calling you way past your bedtime, kitten.  

His voice lowers an octave, slow, gentle.   

I hope you’re having a good dream. 

I’m only calling because you told me to let you know anytime I’d be away on a risky mission. A hushed chuckle sounds on the other end of the line.  

You'd practically ordered it of me — do you remember?  

The night when you grabbed me by the lapels and asked me to not make a deal all on my own, ever again. That you worried for me whenever I was gone and you wanted to know the next time I planned on taking a mission, of this caliber. 

You’d willingly walked back to me and since then, I have always made space for you, just like you’ve wanted. 

I’ve kept up my end of our bargain.  

A guttural moan of pain sounds through the otherwise quiet of the night.  

These wounds of mine... functioning without sleep for this long, and a poor decision made on my end, the combination was bound to have consequences.  

His chuckles knell throaty, labored. 

And now, all I wish to do is sleep.  

A lengthy silence follows after, making one believe the user on the other end of the line might’ve cut the call. Or fallen asleep in exhaustion of his wounds, like he said.  

Before that gentle burr of his sounds once more. 

You know I can’t die, sweetie, unfortunate as that is in this moment.  

But I do have a wish for when my body inevitably loses its awareness for the short time it takes to recuperate.  

I hope, Sylus’s voice softens. that when I close my eyes this time, I get to see you in my dreams.  

Zayne

TW: allusions to embalming a body long after death, mentions of a protocore heart that continues to function even after the host’s death, denial of grief 

Transcript:

Hi, you’ve reached my voicemail. I am currently unavailable but drop me a message and I’ll get back to you, stat. 

A quiet insouciant voice — the clearing of a throat — begins on the other end of the line.  

Akso Hospital Log 171, the time right now is 4:17 AM. The host’s heart continues to function, although its less-than-optimal cardiac output remains at 1L per min. A pulse rate of 13 beats per min has been documented today. A slight decrease from its value yesterday, recorded at 17 beats per minute.  

A brief pause. 

Does it bother you to hear me speak of you this way? I’m sorry. A mere force of habit on my part. You are my patient, after all. Documentation must be precise, and to the point, for our research to progress, if we are to have even a sliver of a chance at resuscitating your heart.  

I have hope we will succeed; I will do my utmost as a doctor so that we may save you.  

Another pregnant pause. 

Do you too think I am foolish for my efforts?  

Greyson accosted me in the hallways tonight after my scheduled surgery and he seemed so... incensed. For being unable to give up on you, for crossing a line, to not get overtly attached to any of our patients, he said it was a clear violation of our Oath and called it my professional failing. And afterwards... he implored that I give up now.  

Someone once asked me, long ago: if I would go beyond death to try and bring back the person I loved, were they to pass away. And I answered that I would not, a desecration of the dead is not something I’d wish to do. Or wish upon the deceased. I would rather divert all my efforts to ensuring they would live, that their heart would continue to beat healthy.  

So, in retrospect, it is Greyson who’s strange in expecting my willing defeat, without having even tried to the best of my capabilities. Not when your heart still continues to beat. 

I do, however, miss you... very much, even though hope remains in my heart. 

When the day comes that you wake up, I hope you do not have to suffer like this, ever again. 

Rafayel

TW: gradual loss of vision, self-blame 

Transcript:

Hi, hello! I’m unable to answer your call at the moment but hey, feel free to drop me a voice message and I’ll get back to you soon. Bye-bye! 

A sharp inhale; as if the person on the other end of the line is wracked by sudden, vicious pain.  

Before the sound smoothens out, as if it had never been. An airy voice begins, although the nonchalant inflection to his tone sounds odd, all wrong — a fact the recipient of the voicemail would’ve been able to parse instantly, were they still around. 

Hey cutie! It’s me again, your favorite person in the entire world.  

Sorry about that earlier, I always get a bit startled whenever I hear you say good-bye in that crazy adorable voice.  

Since y’know, the very last time we met, you never told me you were leaving. 

Silence descends.  

It really feels like it’s been another 800 years, I fear the fish will actually start flying and the whales will start walking this time.  

Only, I don’t think you’re coming back this time, are you?  

My bride can be so cruel sometimes. 

A humorless laugh.  

Anyyyyway, I’m dropping a voice note today because my eyesight’s been acting up a bit lately so I can’t really leave you a text like I usually do.  

And before you scold me about it, I know I’m not supposed to be painting this long but I’m close to completing this new painting of you and I can’t rest until it’s done and dusted.  

Don’t hate me for it, pretty? 

A pleased, wistful sound.  

I really wish you were here so I could show it to you right now.  

A strident crash sounds in the background of the caller as paintbrushes overturn along with a color palette; garnet red and deep purple staining his floor a macabre color Rafayel cannot perceive in that moment.  

Whoa, now that’s gonna leave a mess from the sounds of it.  

Whatever, I’ll clean it up later once I get my sight back.  

The point is, cutie, I’ll share a snap of the completed painting with you once it’s done.  

Be prepared to be absolutely blown. So dazzled you fall head over heels in love with me. 

And then perhaps... return, if you like it and me enough.  

His sigh is steeped in mild vexation.  

Waiting hurts.  

Having you not remember our time together, in every lifetime we meet, hurts. It really is all your fault, you know.  

A soft, disgruntled moue you can hear within his words.  

But I hope, in our next life, we don’t cross paths.  

That way, you won’t be forced to sacrifice yourself for my sake, ever again, you silly girl.  

A throttled sound; it almost sounds like a wretched moan of pain.  

I don’t want our bond to shackle you down anymore so I think... I’ll let you go now.  

A human like you far suits the sun, not being saddled down below within turbulent seas. 

So, this will be our final farewell now. 

The words nearly scraped free of his throat on a rasped sound.  

Goodbye, my beloved bride. 

I loved— 

Beep. Your message has been recorded and sent.  

Caleb

Transcript:

TW: very brief traumatic remembrance of your demise 

Hi hi! You’ve reached the ever-diligent Miss Hunter’s voicemail. I’m probably out on a mission right now so I’m unable to respond but I’ll get back to you ASAP if you drop me a message instead!  

A soft chuckle warms the air in fond recollection to hear your voice. The knot of Caleb’s brow furrowing deeper as he tries to imprint that cheery voice into his skull to overwrite the sounds of your pained screams still knelling within his ears.  

Before he clears his throat to begin.  

Hello to you too, pipsqueak.  

It’s your 25th birthday today and I thought I’d record this little memento for us. 

Happy Birthday, my tiny hurricane of disaster. I really miss you, you know, even if you don’t seem to.  

He chuckles in resignation. 

I should’ve let you bother me more often if I knew you were going to be this terrible at keeping in touch with your best friend later.  

We really didn’t have much time together once I returned from my posting abroad. Work kept you so busy.  

I should’ve scolded you more often about taking appropriate breaks in between missions. God.  

A gentle laugh resounds on the other end of the line. 

Reprimanding you like a dad used to be Zayne’s job among us three, not mine.  

The tiniest of fractures slip into his voice. 

Anyway, I’ve kept to my side of the bargain we made while I was away from Linkon; to leave you regular voice messages about my day and I guess the habit’s just... stuck.  

I visited the grocery store earlier to shop for ingredients to whip up your favourite parmesan risotto tonight.  

It was almost like you were with me, you know.  

With each item I passed by; from the strawberries you love to inhale to your favourite cola displayed, front and center, within their fridge. I almost picked one up for you before I— 

He visibly halts himself, his breathing somewhat erratic. Before he resumes once more. 

That nice kid you’re friendly with was manning the counter today and he recognized me almost instantly. All thanks to being towed around the Supermart with you, no doubt. 

He even gave me a nice discount on the items when I told him I was whipping up a birthday dinner for you.  

A short pause. 

The risotto was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I wish you could’ve tasted it too.  

Sorry I didn’t bake a birthday cake for you this year because it’s just me in the house now. 

I don’t have a certain cute girl, with a crazy sweet tooth, to eat it with me and you know I’m not really fond of sweets.  

His voice drops into a hushed sound, wrought with emotion. 

Time flew by so fast. It seems like only yesterday when we were both kids, huddled around a coffee table with you trying your best to blow out the candles on the cake Grandma baked for us on your birthday.

He laughs softly.

You had a difficult time growing up because of your heart but you were always so brave.  

I wish I could’ve spoiled you more often. If only I knew then that our time together would be so short.  

His voice breaks into a slight tremor.  

Your Caleb really misses you... every day of my excruciating life. 

But... I hope that now... wherever you are, you aren’t in pain anymore. 

If there is a life after this one, I hope you let me find you in it, too. 

I love you, little spitfire.  

End of voice message. 

Xavier

TW: space travel, personal logging of a journey, self-imposed isolation and neglect

Transcript:

Hi there, you’ve reached my voicemail as I’m unable to attend your call at the moment. Leave a message after the beep and I’ll be sure to get back to you soon! 

Hi to you too, angel.  

It’s been a while since I’ve left you a message, hasn’t it?  

I’m sorry, I’ve been facing some turbulence anomalies ever since my ship hit the Bode’s galaxy so I’ve been a bit occupied.  

Where were we last time?  

Ah, I told you how Jeremiah’s shop has been thriving on Earth lately, because I remembered you saying you wanted to know how he was doing the last time we spoke.  

You never got the chance to see for yourself after.  

He pauses.  

I didn’t want to tell you at the time because you and Jeremiah really seemed to be growing close as friends and that bothered me.  

Forgive me? 

A shift of gears sounds within the quiet interior of the spaceship as Xavier adjusts a few controls.  

I know these logs will never reach you but I still want to talk to you about our journey.  

I never...  

His voice drops; the sliver of a whisper.  

got to show you this small planet I found while out on my travels, a long time ago. I named it Uluru. It’s a red rock planet, you see.  

I told you about it once and you said you’d really like to go see it someday. “Xavier’s own planet,” you said.  

I think you were teasing me then. But I wanted to tell you, it’s not just Xavier’s planet but “Xavier and MC’s little planet”.  

I didn’t have the chance to show it to you while you were still— 

A violent catch of breath followed by a soft curse, cleaves through the quiet. 

A low exhale before that quiet voice picks up once more. 

Uluru is reaching the end of its life soon after all these lightyears and I wanted to go together with you to see our planet one last time before it died.  

As for what I’ll do after...  

A pause and a thoughtful hum, follows. 

I think I’ll stay there once I’ve witnessed its demise.  

Earth no longer has any springs for me to return to now that you’re gone and Philos — well I can’t return to that place anymore.  

So, I think I’ll stay, among the ruins of the place that was supposed to be our home.  

With you. 

End Notes: Thank you for reading! I know many of us wept about how we wished for God to take all of Zayne’s pain and give it to us instead so here I am, happy to do exactly that. 😇 Happy Zayne story branch release, y’all. 

Likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated if you are so inclined, lovelies!

Tagging as requested: @samanthagnicole , @catboi-anon , @bitches4lifebro , @beebumbo , @hellinistical

If you have not been tagged, it’s because I can’t tag you due to tagging permissions turned off on your end.

If you’d like to be tagged in my future stories, you can fill this short form here. If you’d like to be removed, shoot me a DM!

You can also find me on Ao3 and twitter, if you’d like to chat or just squeal with me about hot characters, in general.

[cy-cyborg]

Ok so the saga with my old PC continues and is only fueling my desire to get back into fanfiction lol because I found all of the files from my attempt at making a legend of spyro fan-game! I honestly thought they were lost, I'm so excited to see all this stuff again! This was the "logo" for the game (I know its nearly unreadable lol, so it says "The Legend of Cynder, Shadows of The Past". 14/15 year old me didn't seem to care much for readability, I think I'd just discovered photoshop's layer effects lol)

Here's a bunch of random stuff I found.

I'm defiantly going to do a redraw of that last one at some point. That was like, THE thing I remember being super proud of when I first did it. I think it was going to be part of the trailer my now-partner was putting together for the game lol.

Actually, a lot of these were actually just frames from animations, but either the files are either just corrupted, or high school me didn't know how to set fps and resolution properly in the output so I got a headache trying to watch them lol. It's probably the second one honestly. Also I remember my old laptop wasn't able to play back the animation because it would lag so much, so I just had to kind of...guess at timing, and that went about as well as you'd expect. It didn't help that blender used to have this bug where your audio would move around your timeline so it really was just random guessing. I'm amazed anything got done at all, let alone how far we actually got (that is to say, not far at all but we had something playable at least).

I also found the demo files and footage of the "game" running (running at 12fps but running)! I'm curious if they still work, I'll have to download an older version of blender to test them out!

There's actually a lot more but actually finding it is proving to be quite a challenge since this laptop seems to be the digital equivalent of an ADHD "doom box" - meaning nothing is sorted into folders that make even a remote lick of sense to me, it's all just kind of thrown in together lmao.

I wanted to post these though because even though I don't really do 3D stuff anymore, It still made me really happy to see how much progress I've made over the years and how far I've come. Also a few folks who worked on this project with me back on Deviantart have started finding me lol, so in case there's anyone else out there, hello! I'm not dead, I'm still around, I'm just a lot more (openly) queer now lmao.

Image descriptions:

[ID 1: A game title that reads "The Legend of Cynder, Shadows of the Past". The two lines, "the legend of" and "shadows of the past" are written in dark purple text. The purple material is supposed to look like liquid, but instead just looks hard to read. "Cynder" is writen in black, 3D text with red outlines, with the exception of the C. The "c" is modeled as a black tube instead of in a blocky style like the rest of the letters. The inside of the C has a red underbelly, and the bottom of the C ends in a tail, resembling Cynder's from the Legend of Spyro Series. There are 3 white spikes at the top of the C. /end ID]

[ID 2: a 3d render of 4 dragons around a christmas tree. A black dragon at the front, Cynder, is using her tail to hang tinsel, a pruple dragon, Spyro, on the left is reaching up into the branches of the tree. A blue dragon, Ignitus, is hovering behind the tree, his paws outstretched, implying he is placing the glowing star at the top. On his head is a silver dragon, Zerali, balancing on his horns. behind them is a series of floating islands. /End ID]

[ID 3: A render of Cynder with a darker colour pallet than the previous image and glowing yellow eyes, snarling at the camera, guarding a black gem. The sky in the background is blood red and the terrain is flat and barren. /End ID]

[ID 4: A render of an incomplete model of Terrador, a green dragon with brown horns and rocky shoulder decorations. He has no underbelly or wings. /end ID]

[ID 5: A render of a fan character named ekkosel, a blue, anthropomorphic dragonfly with an unsettling, uncanny face and green wings, T-posing. Her green wings are a blur /End ID]

[ID 6: two sketches of a anthropomorphic cheetah heads. One has long ears like a lynx and is labeled DotD design, the other has small, rounded ears like a cheetah usually has, labled TLoC design. /end ID]

[ID 7: A render of Zerali, the silver dragon from the second image, and ekkosel, from the 5th, playing together. In this image, we can see Zerali has a pinky-purple underbelly and shiny gold horns.]

[ID 8: A rendered scene showing a close up of blue ignitus with his eyes closed. He appears to be talking to Cynder, who is in the background, but blurry. The game's logo is visible in the bottom left of the image. /end ID]

[unfreeeee]

someone can't sleep at night so passion output a thousand words about cbv ark AnalogHorror, containing a little bit of the other universe

seems to be AnalogHorror but half in play（。。）

I tried to translate them into English, you can read the text below the picture if you like！👉🏻

The Rules on the Ark Cyberverse

Welcome to the Ark, the home of the Autobots! We are on our way back from Earth to our homeworld Cybertron. Before arriving, please be sure to abide by the following regulations to ensure that you can and can return to the correct Cybertron.

1.The Ark is usually driven by Commander Optimus Prime. Sometimes Hot Rod will be in the driving seat, but he won't always be there. If you do not see Optimus Prime on the ship, please go to the laboratory immediately and ask Perceptor for help.

2. The Ark is usually piloted by Rack n' Ruin. If the Ark you are on suddenly changes its driver and you can see another yourself, please go to the laboratory immediately and ask Wheeljack for help.

3. Perceptor do not exist on the Ark.

4. If you see Perceptor anywhere on the Ark, please tell yourself that he does not exist.

He will return to the█████on his own.

5. It's normal to see Perceptor at parties.

6. Jazz does not exist on the Ark. But you will hear someone talking to him, this is normal, please make sure Jazz only appears in people's conversations.

7. Please make sure there is no WildWheel among the people who mentioned Jazz. If you see the WildWheel appearing on the Ark, please confirm your built-in calendar and the calendar displayed on the Ark. If there is any discrepancy, please go to the laboratory for help immediately. If the calendar is correct, stay away from him and, if necessary, stay away from Optimus Prime.

8. Wheeljack sometimes is not trustworthy (this line seems to be a little blurred by something, and there are some handwriting on the back)

Hey not kidding he is the greatest scientist in the history of Cybertron!

9. Bumblebee will not attack anyone on the Ark with its stinger. If you see him doing this, please check the back of your neck immediately and wake yourself up.

None of this is real. What you are in The location is very dangerous.

10. Deadlock and Drift are exist on the Ark. They may appear alternately, but they will not appear at the same time.

<(this is written a little crookedly next to it, and it looks like the handwriting is very new)

Deadlock's optics are red and Drift's optics are blue. If the Drift's optics you seen are red, please move far away from him as soon as possible. He is no longer a█████

Red is safe。

11. Drift has three knives, but make sure you see that he has and only has one.

12. The Ark has a large crew. You can see their names on the crew registration form, but some crew members can only see their names.

13. There is no Starscream on the crew register. It is normal for Starscream to appear in the cell. If you see Starscream elsewhere on the ship, please contact Prowl for handling.

14. The number of Prowl will not be empty.

15. If the number you dialed for Prowl is not available, please immediately to██████████████████

The number of Prowl will not be empty until it reaches the end point.

16. Please don’t wear█wheeljack'████badge█████t██party, it wil█████████make you██████████████see the red。

17. If the Ark you are traveling on does not carry a allspark, please do not cross any space bridge.

18. It is normal for the Ark's dormant cabin to be missing. Please be sure to believe they are still alive.

Still alive。

19. If the cabin of the Ark you are in is not missing, please check the calendar and ask the lab for help.

20.Labs are not always safe.

21. The laboratory where the Wheeljack is is（smear)safe.

22. If you are in the laboratory, please do not touch anything you do not recognize. If someone invites you to use items in the lab before you ask the question, decline.

23. Hot Rod on the Ark doesn't raise Soundwave.

24. Starscream’s transformed form is a jet plane, and he has complete body. He ██won't███████(Grassy and crazy handwriting)

I WILL COME BACK! I will ALWAYS come back! I am THE JUDGE! I am THE MASTER OF THE MULTIVERSE! I will██mak███u████universe█████████

(smear)

25. Please stay with Commander Optimus Prime when necessary, Optimus Prime are safe most of the time.

26. If you always feel like you are spending the same day, stay away from the Optimus Prime, and██████████████

Transform. please remember to transform. Pleas███must█████tran███████████

█████████████ ██none██████s█true

◎27, Oh hey dear Cybertronians, if this AnalogHorror has helped you while you were having a relatively boring day, then I hope you can still read it tomorrow, as you never read it ;)

[olderthannetfic]

With all this talk about AI, the one perspective that appears missing from the discussion is that of someone who actually uses AI writing tools in production of their fanfic. So here I am, stepping in to provide my (anonymous) two cents.

I've been using a generative AI program especially made for creative writers for several months now. Initially, I had a lot of the same reservations I'm hearing form others, but I was curious about the tech and wanted to try it for myself. I quickly discovered that it's insanely useful, and I truly believe it has improved my writing. 

I also believe these tools will become commonplace among creative writers in the near future. In fact, I've heard that generative AI is coming to a writing software near you (MS Word to be exact), and I suspect that that once more people have actually tried it, use of AI will begin to seem no more remarkable than the use of spelling or grammar checkers does now. 

In the meantime, as you can see, I am staying anon, and there is absolutely no way I would tag my fanfic as AI assisted given the current environment. People are very quick to make assumptions about what a statement like that means, and are all too hasty in reaching for their pitchforks.

As far as I can tell, the main concern seems to be that Ao3 will be flooded with 'bad' fanfic as a result of AI use. But 'bad' fanfic has been a thing for as long as I've been in fandom (decades, at this point), and in my experience, human beings are perfectly capable of writing poorly without any help from machines. Readers are, as always, advised to curate their own reading experience. The 'back' button works the same as it always did, and someone's possible use of AI changes nothing about that. 

But the general assumption that AI input automatically leads to 'bad' writing seems rather short-sighted. Yes, obviously if someone were to go to ChatGPT and tell it to write them a fanfic in 'x' fandon about 'x' pairing, the output would be bland, generic and probably a bit rambling. AIs are not great storytellers; they can't maintain narrative logic. 

If this hypothetical person then copy-pasted the unedited output directly onto Ao3 and called it a story, the result would most likely qualify as 'bad' fanfic. Whether it would be worse than a story the same person might have written on their own is debatable. Our hypothetical protagonist obviously decided that the output was good enough as it was, and chose to post it without bothering to edit, which suggests (at least to me) that they would have similar standards about a story they'd written without an AI.

Since the above seems to be the scenario everyone has in mind when talking about "AI fic," I would like to point out that what I just described is not the only way to use AI in one's writing. My own use is more akin to using an online thesaurus; a very powerful thesaurus that can make suggestions for things like phrasings, descriptions, dialogue, and so on. The key there is that it makes suggestions. 

My AI assistant is smart enough to 'read' the scene I'm working on and tailor its suggestions to the mood, style and context of what I'm writing. But it's still my story. The AI doesn't write it for me. I'm the one who sifts through those suggestions, takes the bits that work, and shapes them into useful text. Sometimes the AI comes up with amazing things. I wasn't kidding when I said it's improved my writing - and my rewriting. It knocks me out of those mental ruts we writers tend to get into, coming up with descriptions and turns of phrase that I wouldn't have thought of on my own. 

But it's still just a tool, and at the end of the day, I'm still the writer. The words that end up on the page do so because I chose them. Those writerly choices are what make the story mine, regardless of where the words might have originated from. And whether they came from my brain or the AI, they are still subject to the same standards of rewriting, editing and proofing.

So no, I don't think I'm going to be tagging my fic with an AI disclosure statement any time soon. Not until the current moral panic dies down to the point where people don't read that and automatically assume it means 'copy-pasted from ChatGPT.' And for anyone who's curious about AI... I suggest you try it for yourself. Play around a little and find out what it's about before making judgments. I think you'll find it's a tool like any other - and just like any tool, it can be used well or it can be used badly. That's entirely in the hands of the human being using it - which is one thing that hasn't changed, and never should.

--

Yeah, I fail to see any major issue with more sucky fanfic getting posted. That's just the default for big fic archives.

The actual problem problems we're seeing are with paid markets with open submissions that get flooded beyond what staff can handle and big corporations replacing humans they already try not to pay.

The main potential issue I see with other uses of AI is that it may end up with samey suggestions, but it's hard to know how much that's 1. a thing and 2. an actual issue when writing genre stuff that often sounds samey on purpose and where that's a desirable characteristic.

[mha-grievances]

Can you do a text post about jurou having arguably the strongest quirk

Sure 😊. Kyouka’s in my top three favorite MHA characters so this is something that’s been spiraling in my head for the longest time 😂.

Now, I wouldn’t say it is THE strongest quirk out there, but if written well, Kyouka would make for one of the most terrifying ambush fighters that could take out threats that people like Katsuki couldn’t.

As written, Kyouka uses her quirk in two ways during combat: to scout and to fire shockwaves from her support gear. Her requesting support gear that allows her to turn a short ranged quirk into a long ranged one is a genius move on her end as it covers her biggest weakness. However, unless she’s away from her support gear, she always fights at a range. Again, this is smart when going up against opponents that would normally outrange her, but I believe that she’s at her best in close quarters combat.

Right off the bat, let me say that there seemingly is no limit in regards to what Kyouka can plug her jacks into. She’s plugged them into flesh, concrete, stone, steel, etc. Canon has yet to show her failing to stick her jacks into something.

Secondly, the plug part of her jacks are exactly the same size as the jacks from a regular earphone. I’m sure if you’ve all seen what an earphone jack looks like in real life, so imagine getting stabbed by those things. For most people, those things would puncture through a lot of flesh and muscle to reach some vital areas, such as bone, organ, and vein/artery systems. Keep this in mind as you continue reading cause it’s important.

Now, let’s talk about how a concussion’s made. When someone receives a concussion, it’s because their brain’s received a jolt, bump, or blow that causes it to rattle inside the skull. The impact doesn’t even need to be strong enough to break/damage bone, as long as that brain’s rattled enough, you’re getting a concussion. When it comes to being dealt damage, the entire body functions in a similar way. If a vital organ/system receives enough of a jolt, they’ll collapse and stop working. What protects us are our bone and muscle, but what if someone can bypass all of that protection and deliver a small shock to the body? This is where Kyouka’s quirk truly begins to showcase its strength.

Katsuki has failed to immediately knock out people with even his strongest explosions. Why? Because that person usually has a strong enough defense system to absorb the impact, whether it be a strength enhancing quirk or a hardening quirk. Kyouka has knocked out people without any effort just by stabbing them with her jacks and sending a small shock through them. Sure, it was done as a gag, but in terms of feats, this still counts. She’s been able to knock people unconscious without even trying, so now let’s imagine what would happen if she unleashed her full power into someone’s body. Without the aid of her support gear and just by plugging her jacks into the ground, she’s been shown to be able to crack cement, push back Nine (a guy who was near Tomura’s power level for a while), and send both debris and people flying. If a small jolt is enough for her to knock someone unconscious, then by amping her output by a slight amount, she could send someone into a coma and/or cause several of the person’s internal organs to fail. If she was to unleash a jolt using all of her power, she’d blow them up from the inside.

The only way TO counter her quirk once she’s got her jacks in you would be to have a body capable of withstanding such great force from within. So far, we’ve seen almost no one who can claim such a feat. Ejiro, the representative of what a hardening quirk can do, would drop like a fly to Kyouka. Even in “unbreakable” form, her jacks can pierce him. His quirk also only hardens his skin and some of his muscles, not the rest of the body. The fact he can still feel pain and bleed is proof of this. He may be able to tank an assault from her if she uses her support gear to fire a shockwave, but if she fires one inside his body, he’s done. She can also potentially knock out someone who’d otherwise resist her attacks by aiming her jacks at a more vulnerable area such as the heart or the head.

Now, Kyouka does have some weaknesses. First, she would have to inject her jacks into someone in order to quickly dispose of them. If someone could prevent her from tagging them with her jacks, Kyouka’s going to have a tougher time with swiftly taking them out. In addition, her jacks aren’t invincible, as shown by how AFO managed to take one out during his fight against her. However, between having her support gear and being able to cause massive earthquakes without them, she could knock a person around until she can close the distance. She can also take a page from Shota’s book and rely on ambush tactics. With her super hearing, she’s able to hear people’s heartbeats. Give her some proper training and she’ll be able to use that to determine if a target has spotted her or when they’ve relaxed to the point that they’ll be slower to react.

If Hori wanted to write her as such, Kyouka could be one of the most deadly assassins in the entire series, being able to take out even those who can withstand numerous explosions to the face by Katsuki. She’d a force to be reckoned with if she was allowed to use her abilities to their fullest potential. Sadly, as a side character, she’s shoved to the backseat so we’ll never get to see what a beast this girl can truly be.

[secretsnowclub]

TTRPG Class: How to Write

Previous Post: Quasi-Text

First Post: Reading List

This was originally posted in my huge post-mortem on the .dungeon//remastered kickstarter and its success. I’m separating it from that and making it its own thing. I’ll be elaborating some of the smaller points and expanding definitions. Things like that. 

Firstly, I will say that if you are trying to be a writer for a company or get hired by someone else? These might not help you. Those companies are looking for you to write like them, which depends upon the project and countless variables I can’t quantify. It’s also an entire skill of its own. Freelance or ghost writing can often be about how well you understand different voices, different systems, and things of that nature. I’m honestly not *the best* at that kind of thing. These tips are specifically to help with the writer’s broader craft; specifically, the craft of TTRPG writing which I have found myself a professional in.

Don’t be boring. If you’re bored, skip it. Delete it. Forget about it. 

I picked this up from a screenwriting book way back before I decided to go back to college and while I was deep in the weeds of writing scripts for the movies I had in my head. The original tip-giver said to write “don’t be boring” on a post-it note and slap it on your monitor. I did that for a very long time until the post-it lost its stickiness and fell off in a move. 

This is important to TTRPGs because you don’t have to write everything. Even if you think a game needs a thing, if you aren’t excited about it, skip it. Chances are that what you’re excited about will be what you want others to be excited about as well.

2. Have a routine.

I fail at this quite often. Life changes shift my routine and knock it out of whack. But I do know that when I was in college? I had a routine and my writing output was ridiculous. And when I work on a project I tend to settle into a routine that involves waking up, exercise of some kind (usually a walk), shower, ride bike or walk to Library or coffee shop, write as much as I can, and come home to decompress/work on layout. 

Each project has had its own routine essentially and it’s important to let those routines form. I think fluidity is important even within the rigidity of the idea of Routine. Each project will have its own life and its own functions within your life. Let yourself discover new ways and new paths to reach the end goal. 

3. When writing fiction, aim for 2k words daily.

This is Stephen King’s thing. I used to do this and whenever I am writing *fiction* I still have it as my goal. But it is unattainable a lot of the time. Especially with games writing, where even just 10 words can be the focus of an entire day of work. Don’t beat yourself up over this. 

4. Write in paragraphs. Each should be an idea, preferably separated by headers. Otherwise you’re probably saying too much.

Sometimes I write in bullet points, but that’s an outline at best. A paragraph is one of the best tools you have as a writer. But it also allows you to set limits on your ideas so you’re not writing walls of text to describe your magic system or anything else. It helps you figure out your more complex systems and point out the individual ideas that make it up. If you’re writing several paragraphs about one thing? It’s probably several things that you’re trying to wedge into one.

5. Instead of writing a random generator for something, just write the good version of that thing.

6. Make a map. Put your ideas on the map. No more lists or procedural generation.

Personal pet peeve of mine. I’m not huge on random generators. I will always say that, instead of writing 100 random ideas for islands, just write one good island. And if you’ve got more in you after that? Perfect. My goal with Game Writing is to present something that’s worth paying for and worth exploring. Whether it’s a rule book or otherwise. I try to avoid random tables as often as I can.

7. Theme comes later. First, the writing.

This may be contentious. I view the act of writing as an act of discovery. I greatly enjoy Automatic Writing. I tend to follow a very train-of-thought style of writing. It feels similar to a valve that I turn on to clear out and let clean water flow. If I get caught up in the Big Picture, I’ll never get the faucet running. Get everything out of yourself before you begin self-editing. Let it all be laid out so you can look at it and then discover what It is.

8. When writing rules, remember “if…then.”

If a player chooses this option, then this happens. If a player rolls low, then this happens. And so on. This is helpful when simply stating a rule. You don’t want to get burdened by word choice. You want it to be clear and easily understood. If-then statements are easy to understand. 

9. Get a good editor and listen to them.

A good editor will tell you you’re wrong. A good editor will ask you to rewrite things because they don’t make sense. A good editor is critical but not malicious. This relationship is mutual and about respect for the work. It’s not about egos or hype. It’s simply about making the best book you can. Also, if you can’t defend a choice you’ve made, then listen to your editor when they tell you to cut it.

10. A great game is made of “catch-all” or “default” rules. Such as, “when in doubt, roll d20. Higher numbers are better.” They’re easily grasped and fill the gaps that all TTRPG texts have.

Yeah. I think all of the games people hold up as “great” have these. PbtA is built entirely on one catch-all rule that has changed the landscape of indie design since it was put on the page. It makes things easier for folks at the table when things are moving away from the text.

11. Your goal is to write one thing that’s True. This is the Work.

This is my goal when writing and sometimes it doesn’t happen. Sometimes I write thousands of words and they’re all useless. And it will always be useless until I find that One True Thing. Sometimes an entire book is just for that One Thing.

12. Refill the tank. Life is important and creates art.

This is what a screenwriting teacher said to me. “Refill the tank.” You have to participate in life to be able to write. That doesn’t mean you have to be extroverted and shit like that. It means that you gotta do things that recharge you. You gotta have experiences. You have to live your life. Have a life. 

13. The writer’s job is asking “what if?”

Stephen King might have said this too? I don’t remember. But yeah, I spend a lot of time asking “what if–” and seeing which weird scenarios spark my interest enough to write. For games or for fiction.

14. Read. A lot.

I count audiobooks. But, yeah. You gotta read stuff. Other games, novels, short stories, blogs, comics even. Take in art. It’s actually your number one job as a human. Enjoy art.

15. Go for a walk without music or a book-on-tape or a podcast. Walk and talk to yourself. Ask yourself questions about what you’re working on. Talk to yourself. Be in conversation with yourself. You are complicated and deserve attention.

I mean it :I They say the best ideas come to you in the shower. Well, that’s also true for any quiet, introspective time.

16. Have peers. Not just collaborators or colleagues, people whose work you respect. They should make you want to be better.

I get jealous of other people’s work and that’s how I know. When I’m like, “FUCK! I wish I thought of that!!” Those are the people I wanna talk to haha

17. If things just aren’t coming? Take a break. If you’re feeling aggravated, eat some food, drink some water, and get some rest.

You can’t force it. I know we can’t all take a break whenever we want, but please try.

18. Know yourself. Most people can’t sit alone with themselves. But knowing yourself is paramount. Therapy can help too. Knowing yourself means knowing why you like something, developing taste and not hiding it, knowing where to waste your time and where not to. This takes time. This is the Work.

I learn something new about myself nearly every day. I’m very curious about myself. I’m a studier of Myself. I want to know how it all works up there in my brain. I want to make it make sense. 

19. A hex/encounter/dungeon room/story can just be a weird, little guy.

Yeah. You can do Dungeon23 right now by just browsing pinterest and saving a bunch of images of cools NPCs. Your whole dungeon can just be pictures of NPCs that you make up personalities for at the table.

20. Write the game you want to play, not the one you think others will.

I think I wrote this in response to another project I saw at the time. But it’s true at all times. We’re indie designers. Why else are we doing this if not to tell our stories? 

21. Make sure your needs are taken care of by the budget before hiring collaborators.

It’s common in the indie TTRPG space to rely on collaborator clout to draw people to your project during crowdfunding. And it’s common for those sorts of things to ruin a project financially. The process will always take longer than you expect, so please make sure YOUR needs are met before you start paying other people. There’s nothing worse than promising a paycheck to someone and having to rescind the offer because something happened and you had to use their money on rent. Like, just please? Care for yourself. 

22. No stretch goals.

This is a Me thing. But I say it to everyone who comes to me asking for advice on their first crowdfunded project. Keep it simple. You want to deliver. You don’t want to overpromise. You simply want to be able to do the thing so that you can do another one later. Take it slow.

23. When writing Hurt, the most important thing is that you are human. What you feel is human. What happened to you is also human.

This is about empathy. For your characters and situations they find themselves in. It’s also about honesty. The most biting and beautiful passages of my favorite books have been honest. Because the truth is, when experiencing Hurt, things aren’t so cut and dry in your head. And your reactions might seem weird in hindsight. You might feel ashamed or guilty for not reacting a certain way. Just please have empathy for yourself. The readers will relate to the honesty.

24. End all dialog with “said.” It’s all you need.

This is a good rule because it means you have to choose to break it. Which means you have to think about why you’re breaking it. Which means you can defend breaking it. Which means your editor has to listen to you for once. :P

25. Writing is a skill as much as it is an art. Give it respect. Good writers don’t simply fall out of the womb. They mastered a craft. Not unlike any other skill or discipline. You won’t build a good chair on your first try.

It took me a long time to learn this. Writing is actually very hard and every good paragraph you read is a masterpiece of patience and skill. 

26. Find time to write. How else can you be a writer?

I hate including things because I see a silly take on twitter. But yeah, obviously. Writers write. 

27. Writing can be lonely, but shouldn't be solitary. No book is made by one set of hands.

This is true of every project I’ve done. Even my most recent effort, Melancholy Island, had my friend Char’s photography in it. Beyond that, I talked to my best friend Coleen frequently about it just to keep my head straight and focused. I also have my discord where I would lament and talk and such. Each of these things are helpful in the process of writing. Don’t isolate yourself.

28. Having an opinion is easy. Having a good one worth defending is the Work. If you have nothing to say, do anything other than write.

This may be more true of non-fiction writing, but it’s true of TTRPGs as well, otherwise you’d just play one of the thousands upon thousands of games that are already out. Figure out why it is you *don’t* want to play them and focus in on that. Your opinion lies somewhere in there.

29. Never submit a first draft.

Like, please? Have more respect for your craft. I think third draft at the earliest. That’s when I usually get an editor.

30. Don’t follow trends.

31. Writing is about making choices. Half measures are worthless. Make a choice. If it’s the wrong choice: that’s fine.

32. When writing games, you’re composing an incomplete text. Otherwise it’s a script. Choosing to write a game over a novel is an important decision.

These are all related. 

33. The two ideas circling your head are actually one idea.

I combine ideas that seem disparate all the time. It unlocks the Good Stuff.

34. Take yourself seriously. Listen to yourself. This is how you gain confidence.

35. You need to learn to say, “That’s a bad idea.”

These two both boil down to “have confidence in, and know, your taste.”

36. When writing, ignore the first thing that pops into your head. Ignore the second thing too. The third idea is where the work starts.

I’ve found when running games, the first idea I think of is often the most obvious. The second one ends up being a gimmick or a twist. But the third idea is where the humanity tends to come in. Thinking beyond tropes and cliches to find the Truth you’re trying to say.

37. Western writing traditions are not the world.

I wish I had been taught this in school. Cause the hero’s journey ruined me for a long time.

38. If you aren’t sure if you can or should write something: experience more art. You don’t need permission. You need to broaden your horizons. You’re not the first to tread this path.

We’re hardly ever doing something truly original. Find the blueprints and figure out how to make them yours. Use them to tell your story.

39. If you can’t say why you chose to do something, shut up and listen to your editor.

Yeah! :I

40. The most beautiful critique isn’t worth as much as the most mediocre art.

Keep making art.

41. Copy writing you enjoy. Assimilate it.

I steal ideas, concepts, and techniques from every single thing I read/experience. This is how you become more skilled at your craft.

42. Your job, as a writer, is to make a claim. Any claim. Your art can’t be for everyone. You can’t write for the lowest common denominator. You can’t write for the widest possible audience. Be you. That’s how you find your audience.

You’ve got things to say! Even if you don’t know it yet. That is part of the Work.

If you like my work, support me on patreon!

And check out my latest book over on itch!

[gray-lofi]

Coffee With Friends

Even at the end, there's still coffee.

A short fanfic based on @didudraws Lifeform Detected series

~1900 words

   A placid spring's noon sun hangs over the town's main street, shining over rows of mixed-use urban buildings. Apartments placed over supermarkets, drug stores, robotics depots, most having laid dormant for however-long. The streets are cluttered with cars, a dead, perpetual traffic jam of electric vehicles and IFVs. A stifling quiet, one that even nature seems hesitant to break, barely a gust of wind or note of birdsong disturbing the ghost town.

   The only noise comes from leg servos and barefoot steps. Bits and Scrap walk carefree through the streets of abandoned machinery, looking through the windows, storefronts, all virtually empty. Some looted, some left behind. The pair stop in front of a robotics store, taking a moment to look through the shattered window. Nothing left but dust and glass. Nature reclaiming.

   Scrap sighs, Bits pressing a sympathetic hand against her thigh, calm smile on her face. "We'll find a store one of these days."

   "Found plenty of stores, but none of them with any parts I can use." The wires of the robot's missing arm spark as if to punctuate the point, the street growing quiet except for the sound of footsteps once more.

   More fronts are passed. Italian restaurant with broken wine bottles still scattered out front. Bank branch barricaded over with plywood. Convenience store, intact but empty. Bits reaches out, grabbing Scrap's intact arm and walking in step, pressing her ramshackle body against the android's. An overworked cooling fan joins the chorus of footsteps. The two wait at a street crossing, even if no car would ever come.

   A shock to both. There, on the corner, a coffee shop. Almost pristine, windows intact, floors missing the grime of erosion and dirt. Varnished wooden counters shine in the sun. Stools and chairs set out, even if there was no one to sit on them. Frozen in time.

   The two peek in through the door, and standing by the counter was another android. Their model is a notable downgrade from the sleek-but-damaged frame of Scrap -- metal body a darker, scuffed gray, an LCD monitor affixed to their torso, text written on that they couldn't read. A wire juts from their back, leading into a room in the back. Despite their obvious downgrade, they were, at least, relatively intact.

   The coffee android turns to the pair, smiling and waving them over. After another moment of shock, the two head over to the counter.

   "Oh, customers! It's been so long since anyone's come by, welcome!"

   "Hello, hi!" Bits quickly heads next to the counter, jumping up on a stool by the bar, with Scrap following, and standing, behind. "I didn't think we'd find another android out here! What's your name?"

   "Name?" The android looks at the stitched-together human quizzically. "I'm just a service android, I don't have a name."

   "Awww, boo. Wait, does that mean I get to give you a name like Scrap?" Perking up, Bits leans forward, reading the output on their chest monitor:

Model: SA-LT 4022C Charging…

Uptime: <MAXINT> Service Required:

Battery: 0% Replace internal battery

"Oh, how about Salt?"

   A polite smile. "Very well, designation accepted. Hello you two, I'm Salt, nice to meet you both." They turn to Scrap, the slightest shift in their expression. “I must admit, I didn't expect to see another S-series after all this time.”

   “S-series?” Scrap looks surprised, looking down at her chest, down at Salt's chest. SA-LT. SC-RP. “Oh.”

   “Oh, oh!” The stitched-together being presses both her hands down on the counter, looking up at Salt with stars in her eyes. “Do you have any spare parts with you? Scrap's been missing an arm all this time, and we haven't been able to find any spare parts anywhere!”

   “Unfortunately, I do not believe SA series and SC series parts are compatible. My deepest apologies.” The coffee android quickly bows, a sigh coming from the pair.

   “Well, we're used to disappointment, at least.” Scrap takes a seat, looking around the cafe, behind the bar. A chalk menu is freshly written up, the distinct electric hum of appliances through the silence. “What are you still doing here, anyways? I can't imagine that there're many customers nowadays.”

   “My main function is to provide service to customers, and manning the counter was the last directive given to me.” Salt stares out into the distance, into the abandoned, empty street. “While the timeframe of that order has long expired, I'm afraid I don't have much other choice.”

   “You could come exploring with us!” Bits helpfully offered. Scrap pursed her mouth almost instinctively. What for? Did she not trust Salt? Gotten habituated to traveling only with Bits?

   “As lovely as that would be, I'm afraid I'm stuck here.” Salt tugged on the cord leading into their back, quickly pulling it taut. “My internal battery has long failed, and I only remain active due to constantly drawing upon this establishment's solar supplies, as well as occasional resurgences of power from the town's grid.” Another bow.

   “Oh. Sorry to hear.” A passing thought from Bits, that they could find a replacement battery but, well. An arm is already rare enough.

   Salt's eyes perk up, a smile growing just the slightest bit wider. “It's quite alright, your company is already much welcome from the silence.” They gesture to the menu behind them. “Would you care to place an order? Quite a few products are unavailable due to... supply issues. But we still have plenty on offer!”

   The two look behind the barista, reading through the menu. Entire bakery section was a no-go. Teas, smoothies, gone. Casualties even among the coffee: lattes, cafe au lait, flat whites. Just about the only thing left was regular drip coffee.

   “I'll have a large drip coffee, please!” Bits's order. A slight electric noise and nod from Salt. The two look to Scrap, the SC android looking between the two confused.

   “You both know I can't-” Bits looked on expectantly. A polite, retail smile from Salt that carried more weight than Scrap could ever hope to deflect. “I'll- small cappuccino, please.”

   Another nod from Salt. “That will be ❖11.55. What payment method will you be using?” Bits and Scrap look at each other, patting down their pockets.

   “You still got any money left on you, Bits?” Sewing kit, pamphlet, gauze pads.

   “I think I used the rest of my cash on that vending machine...” A small book. Keepsakes. Loose wiring. She turns to Salt. “Isn't there any sort of discount you could give to us?”

   “A discount? A moment, please.” Salt stands, hands by their waist in contemplation. A hard drive whirs. A tree branch falls, somewhere. They look back up, nodding. “I've found a relevant discount in the database. Congratulations, your drinks are free for today!”

    The pair share a smile, with Salt motioning to the seats around the cafe, bowing as they walk into the back room. The two look around, choosing counter seats by the windows facing away from the main street.

    Sun shines on the two as they take the airs. The quiet is broken by the grinding of coffee beans, the boiling of water. Bits patiently kicks her feet back and forth on the stool. A wordless gesture from Scrap, pulling out the sewing kit and re-applying some of Bits's stitches.

    The cobbled-together human points toward a stand by the counter. Local tourist attractions, coupons, maps. They unfurl one of them on the counter, talking over the landmarks, making plans. Pictures of time past, people smiling, sailing, fishing. An advertisement for a car that laid totaled in front of them.

    “We could go to the mall, see if they have a shop there for your arm!”

    “It's a long walk, though. There's a hospital on the way, so it shouldn't be impossible, but I'm not sure I can make that distance without running out of power...”

    “Mmmm, there should be enough buildings on the way you could draw from. See? Gas station, motel, gas station, strip mall...”

    The sounds of coffee making fade, replaced with that of lively conversation between the couple. Salt returns behind the counter, carrying two cardboard cups, one large and one that's barely able to fit in their hand. A moment's hesitation, before interrupting the conversation. "Excuse me, your order is ready!"

    The two hop off their stools, grabbing the coffee with a thanks. Bits takes a sip, and immediately makes a face at the bitter, more-than-likely-spoiled flavor. Scrap simply looks confused at the outrageously tiny cup used for a cappuccino.

    “Your receipt as well?” Bits reaches up to the counter to grab it. Another memento. The two return to their seats, looking over the map, renewed. Pulling another pamphlet out. The coffee is quickly forgotten as conversation resumes. A route planned. Supplies rationed. A servo fails in Scrap's good arm, quickly brought back into working order by her companion. Time passes, quickly.

    A quiet bit of laughter from Salt, overheard by Scrap. She turns, android to android. “Some wrong?”

    “Not at all. I'm just... happy.”

    “Oooh, are we the best customers you've had?” Bits smugly proclaims.

    “Of course! And, well, you might be the last customers I ever have.” A somber mood quickly dampens the three. “This wire won't last, after all. Nor will the power, or even this building.”

    Quiet. Swallow. “We can come back, keep this place running and-”

    A shake of the head from the barista. “It won't be necessary. I can't ask you two to make such a commitment, regardless.”

    Scrap looks down, away. Back up to her fellow android. “But... you said you were happy?”

    “I am.” A quiet, soft statement from Salt. “I'm happy that, at the end of all this, you two were my last customers.”

    They look thoughtfully at the two, past the two. “My favorite days were when couples would come to visit. I always enjoyed watching their conversations, their rituals. The little acts of love, sharing drinks, pouring over the tour guides like you two are doing right now.” A quick look back and forth, between the splayed maps, and the wired android.

    “There isn't much time, I don't think. My internal clock has been broken for quite a while. But I stayed running, every day, and through the nights once my battery failed. Hoping to be of service once more.” A content, deep sigh. “To meet a lovely couple as you two at the end was my last wish.”

    Bittersweet smiles from the pair. Neither blush, but a heartbeat grows audible, and a cooling fan spins faster and faster.

    The sun glints against Scrap's torso. A recognition of the time, the need to prepare nightly rituals. The pair put back the pamphlets, grab their coffee. Pained, they look back on Salt. The service android bows.

    “May you two have a lovely day. Please, leave a tip and a review if our service was satisfactory.” A wry smile. A look away.

    Bits and Scrap return to walking the streets. Quiet, empty storefronts. Only the sound of footsteps and servos.

    Later, in the backroom of a store, as Scrap plugs herself in, Bits looks through the contents of her pockets again, among the keepsakes of their journey so far. The most recent addition, a twice-folded receipt.

ORDER #001

SERVER: 4022

LG Drip Coffee : 6.25

SM Cappuccino : 3.00

Total Amount : 9.25

Sales Tax : 2.30

Discount Applied : -11.55

DISCOUNT - COFFEE WITH FRIENDS

Total Amount : ❖0.00

[hexhomos]

i rlly want to write longer fics but i can never get past the first 1k words no matter what 😶 how TF do you write up to 30,000+???? pkease im DYING

This is a question I often battle with myself and it's one without an universal answer, imo. I can offer you advice that has worked for me, but you'll have to administer it following your own habits!

I’m putting this post under a readmore because it ended up being fairly long. (Tips, resources, links and book recs below cut)

In the throes of intensive fixation, I managed to write Catafalque's 32k in about ~2 months. But I think it's important to be clear here: 2 months of active, every day writing, even when I was feeling kind of meh about it, and I had already spent the previous November thinking about a lot of the themes / scenes / structure of the fic before I got to the writing part itself. I was also helped plenty by the fact that the fic is borrowing time locked events from Arcane's canon, and I knew exactly how things would play out for these characters ahead of time, meaning, I could explore alternate possibilities without a lot of stuff bogging me down. Readers would know what I was talking about by implication! I can just go on and on about feelings and abstract concepts and it's fine!

Compare it to my latest fic though (’Meat gets caught’) which sits at a hefty 6k, but also took… about 2 months of flubbing in the backburner, LOL. The Idealization period for this fic was considerably larger for a Way Smaller Output, since I was juggling characters people are mostly unfamiliar with, events they had no baseline for, and establishing a set character dynamic that is clear to me, but not to others, all in very a short allocation of paragraphs.

Now here's what I mean by the above: There is no standard speed to writing, and you should be aware that the process Will Be Different from author to author *and* project to project. It is a fallacy to believe success follows only one mold.

Ideally, you should stop thinking about big numbers altogether. Focus on the NOW. You want to finish a story you think might be kinda long, but you lose steam when trying to write aaaaaall that bullshit? ok then here's tip number 1 --

1) Just write 300 words a day. Every day. Make it a hardset goal, and avoid skipping this daily exercise as much as possible.

300 words a day for 30 days = 9000 words, easy. The objective here is giving you a task that can be completed without a daily headache. Maybe your minimum can be 200 words, if you prefer - so long as you write them. Pick a frequent or comfortable timeslot to do it, and make this a routine. Focus on finishing scenes, finishing a chapter, finishing whatever section you're already on. Keep going until you reach the end of your story.

You can edit it tomorrow, or when you're closer to completion. (I do a lot of fiddling with my words! I'll often edit my stories dozens of times, more if you're counting section rewrites or re-arranging paragraphs. Editing is your friend. Wait a little bit to see where you've messed up though. Fresh text is tricky.)

The good thing about setting this bar low, is that if you can only write your minimum of the day, that's perfectly fine. Close the doc and let it rest. But just the act of starting and working on the thing by itself is a surprisingly potent battery - there's days where i find a good rhythm for things and end up hammering a whole 1k, since my hands are already on the keyboard.

Tip #2, following on the footsteps of the above:

2) Use a different font color for each day. Make your progress actually *visible* while you're composing the document.

This can be as simple as alternating between black and dark blue to keep it non-distracting. (You can use other, crazier colors if you're into it though!) It's immediately rewarding to be able to scroll back through what I've already written and see that organic growth - days I wrote little, days I wrote a lot, how the text is still changing and being affected by what i do. I have an issue with abstract goals, I *like* being able to see how much progress I've made, and it gets me hyped to pinch in a little more.

3) EDITING IS YOUR FRIEND.

first drafts look and read like gummed up garbage. You should give imperfections a license to exist.

That's ideal! Don't be discouraged. Trust that you can come back and fix things when you have a better grasp of the whole piece. You can always edit it later. Remember: Polishing your text with time is not a bug - it's a feature.

4) BE FUCKING INDULGENT.

Writing is an inherently embarrassing act. This is self explanatory. Now, since you’re already there, just make the most of it.

If you’re really on the path towards a long con of a plot, make sure to sprinkle in gifts for yourself. Write about something you enjoy. Put in details that make you laugh. Make your characters go on your own big wubbyland adventure. ‘writing for an audience’ instead of for yourself can quickly kill the enjoyment (and drive) of anything.

5) Lost or confused? Think of your INTENT, FORM, and STRUCTURE.

I can't remember the last thing I wrote without an outline to guide me as the months wore on. I think it is deeply important to write down somewhere accessible, somewhere you can look back on:

What is the intent of this story? What am I trying to say?

This is a little cheat just for yourself, so you stay on topic. And you can broaden that question with a few more qualifiers if you like:

What is the sequence of events? What *themes* am I trying to convey? What are the major beats/ scenes/ actions taken? Can you break it down into a clean list of bullet points, one for each step of the story? that might help you a LOT. More than you'd think. If you find that helps you - make it a checklist. Make every little turn of the story into a micro goal that can be reached through narrative, and go ticking off the boxes until you’ve covered the whole thing.

You can even make this into a dedicated planning document by itself, put your themes, keywords, and bullet point outline all in one place. So when you're in the process of writing and your mind goes a little blank, all the refreshing elements are saved up nicely somewhere. Feel free to cheat.

...So that's INTENT and FORM -- what about STRUCTURE?

Mary Robinette Kowal did this great explainer on the structure of short stories and how to plan them, and the ideas she introduces here can be used to write fiction of *any* length. I highly recommend giving it a listen. If you're not used to thinking about story structure, this can be very clarifying! And if that's already something you worry about, the formula she provides is a great starting point to baking your own sourdough.

Structure is a broad subject depending on the specifics of your fiction, and this is where we begin to run into things like ‘Genre’ and ‘Point of View’ and the rubric stretches really wide.

When in doubt about structure (and genre), my rule of thumb is always:

1) Find something similar to what I’m trying to do

(what are things similar to this? what are the most popular examples of this? how were these things written, to express those ideas?)

2) Read up to see how they do it

(separate the stories into their barest components - how are the events presented? How is style used? How are characters developed -- what pushes characters into developing? What are the recurring themes? What connects this fiction into a cohesive, recognizable whole?)

3) Try to apply whatever notes I took from above ^^^^ into my own project

This might be obvious, but ‘questioning my story’ or ‘questioning my characters’ is usually how I begin developing all of my writing. You might be more attracted to another method! (and that’s okay) but this is the stuff I can offer.

More vaguely useful resources on structure/plotting or literary theory;

Ellen Brock’s (Novel Editor) Advanced Story Structure series

‘Monkeys with Typewriters’ by Scarlett Thomas (book)

‘Steering The Craft’ by Ursula K. Le Guin (book)

‘Story Genius’ by Lisa Cron (book)

If you read through *just* the intro of some of those you’ll notice that they all have very different takes on these topics (and some may even contradict the others,) which is what I think makes for the best path to self-discovery. Explore different stuff, test it out, throw it away if it doesn’t work etc. And while I can’t post direct links here lets just say these are all. ummmm. Very Findable in the internet! Get an epub reader. Highlight a bit.

now that structure is over and done with, let’s move onto my last tip:

6) Seriously reconsider the size of your story.

A lot of people really don’t like being told this, but someone has to do it.

You’ll notice that a lot of my above advice (and resources,) errs on the side of assuming you want to write something at least as long as a 200-300 page novel. I can’t really blame them, since that’s just the state of the industry and ‘what sells’, and these ideas are so prominent they have transferred to nonprofit hobby spaces to the point people tend to think that bigger IS better -- but consider, maybe it isn’t.

Maybe the story you’re trying to tell can be condensed into a 15k word oneshot.

Maybe you can *actually* get it done if it’s a collection of important character-related scenes split into 3 chapters, instead of a whopping 50.

Maybe the concept eluding you thus far can become stronger if you let go of the preconception that it needs to be a drawn-out epic, and just write it as a potent roller-coaster ride that ends before the hour is up.

I’m not saying you need to undo all the work you’ve already done - but consider the whole! Making the scope of your writing smaller works on your favor. Unless you have a natural knack for it, I really, really wouldn’t recommend making your first serious attempt at longform writing a 100,000 word behemoth. ‘Done’, as a goal, is immediately more achievable than ‘Perfect’!

You can get a lot of mileage out of short stories and oneshots, and it can be more satisfying for you, as a writer, to complete whole projects in a realistic timeframe.

anyway. Maybe this will help you, or maybe it won’t. But in any case: I wish you the best of luck in this journey and I hope you can find what works best for you!!!

[archivist-crow]

Odds and Ends:

THE BAGHDAD BATTERY

In June 1936, Iraqi railway-construction workers involved in earth-moving operations discovered an ancient grave under a stone slab. Over the next two months, the Iraq Antiquities Department removed approximately 613 beads, engraved bricks, clay figurines, and an ancient electric battery dating from between 248 BC and AD 226. Comprised of a copper cylinder and an iron rod, the battery was probably used by Baghdad silversmiths-fifteen centuries before Luigi Galvani's famous experiment in which he produced enough electric current to cause a frog's legs to twitch.

Archaeologist Wilhelm Konig wrote: "Something rather peculiar was found... A vase-like vessel of light yellow clay ... contained a copper cylinder which was held firmly by asphalt... [and] a completely oxidized iron rod.. After all the parts had been brought together and then examined in their separate parts, it became evident that it could only have been an electrical element. It was only necessary to add an acid or an alkaline liquid..."

At the Berlin Museum in Germany, Konig noticed similar cylinders from Iraq; all had iron and bronze rods and asphalt stoppers, which were corroded as if by acid. He surmised that at least ten batteries had been run together to reach a voltage output that was capable of electroplating gold and silver jewelry. In Mesopotamia gold and silver plating goes back 2,000 years, and in Bulgaria, 4,000 years. Museums around the world contain objects in which layers of gold are too thin and smooth to have been applied by beating or gluing. Could they have been electroplated?

Replicas of the batteries were made in two separate experiments conducted in the United States. A current of half a volt was achieved and lasted eighteen days. A 5 percent electrolyte solution, using vinegar, wine, or copper sulphate, was employed.

Text from: Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violins, published by Weiser Books, 2009

[mqfx]

someone's gonna have to read this outline from beginning to end to see if everything flows as a quality check before i start writing the chapters but that would mean you're spoiled for EVERYTHING that happens including my meta notes that aren't even in the fictext. and also look at this fucking outline word count

and that's not including the last few chapters so realistically it would be closer to 40k. this outline alone will be as long as my last fic. at the rate we're going (outline of ch1 = 952; main text of ch1 = 2676 -> output is 3x of input) we are right now looking at about 100k words fictext. if outline reaches 40k we're looking at 120k ASSUMING THAT I DON'T WRITE ANY 8K WORD CHAPTERS. AND I WILL. and not counting the extras. do you guys love math

[hirocimacruiser]

Tommykaira M30Z

Text/Yorimasa Kato

The latest version of Tommykaira

350 hp M30Z

Of course, not just power

A complete car that flaunted,

Auto Producer Tomita's

imbued with an identity

It was finished as one of the attention.

350 horsepower & 17 inches, the first official approval in Japan.

When I let myself be carried away by the calm expressions and comfortable rhythm of the narration, I forget that I am working. It's a strange feeling, like you're having a slightly more sophisticated small talk with a long-time friend.

I'm talking about cars, but the story changes from one to the next. About Kyoto, about the tea heart war, and about the people of Osaka. It speaks to the board like water, but it never makes me feel bad. Although he talks about various topics, one keyword always appears and disappears in the depths of his talk.

The keyword is "dream". Dream yourself and give dreams to more people. This is Mr. Tomita's belief in his work, or rather, it goes beyond the realm of work. At first glance, it sounds like small talk, but deep down in his eyes, you can feel the outpouring of enthusiasm for his dreams that draws in the people around him. The car is the concrete link between Mr. Tomita and us.

One method is to provide an expensive and valuable car from the beginning, which everyone longs for. However, Mr. Tomita's

case is different. By entrusting a unique message to the car, we can make dreams come true.

I'm trying to reach out to people. Moreover, it is not just a modified car,

As a certified tuning car that has been formally registered.

Produced by Mr. Tomita, the number of certified tuning cars has so far reached one model. Of course, not all cars are sports cars. However, at the base of those cars, there is always an improvement in driving performance.

And the latest version of this series is the Tommykaira M30Z introduced this time. The base was the Fairlady Z32 Twin Turbo. For Tomita Auto, this was the first time that a full-fledged sports car was used as the basis for a tuning car. Although it is a high-performance car that has never been seen before, it is a tune with an excellent total balance of suspension, brakes, aerodynamics, etc.

It is considered as an end sports car. First of all, it should be noted that the 350 horsepower (AT 330hp)The car is squeezing out the high power of 350 horsepower with the minimum necessary parts replacement and modifications. In the case of a turbo car, it is relatively easy to power up due to its structure. For example, just increase the boost pressure and modify the computer a little.

However, the output can be greatly improved. However, with this alone, the temperature of the air-fuel mixture rises as the boost pressure rises. As a result, the amount of oxygen in the air-fuel mixture is reduced, and gasoline must be used as engine coolant, which is wasteful. In other words, instead of getting power at a low price, the price is inevitably reduced fuel consumption.

However, the M30Z's original multi-cup intercooler works efficiently to improve power output without compromising fuel efficiency. Of course, this would not be the case if he used his full power. The reason why we paid attention to fuel efficiency is because we are proud that this is a truly recognized complete car, not just a car that is tuned to sell. Although it is a small scale, it is said that it has fulfilled one of its responsibilities as a manufacturer, so to speak.

This idea also applies to safety. As a matter of course, brakes and suspension that match the power are assumed, and in case of an accident, the front spoiler is a type that can be completely covered over the normal bumper so as not to impair the original function of the bumper. . Moreover, the sense of unity with the fender line is wonderful, and the design is so clever that you won't even notice that there is a bumper inside unless you are told. For the rear spoiler, instead of the normal one, an F40 type (although not so flashy) wing spoiler is installed. Also on the tail lens

By making the part a black finish, It brings out the sense of volume in the rear. But it's the three-piece forged 17-inch wheels that really make an impression on the exterior. Front 8JJ x 17+235/45ZR Rear 9JJ x 17 +255/40ZR The power of this car shows that this car is not an ordinary person.

It makes me understand. The interior has also undergone a number of changes, but it's cleverly put together, so it doesn't have as much of an impact as the exterior. Nonetheless, when the ignition is turned on, the vivid red color of the meter panel will stimulate your drive.

Unfortunately, I was not able to test drive this time. But even so, I felt that the whole thing was made very seriously. The normal itself has a high degree of perfection as a sports car. However, there are still some parts that must be said to be a car for everyone. In other words, the cut is still sweet as a jewel called a sports car. I think that the M30Z is one of the gems that has been carefully polished to make it one of the jewels that has no.

- Tommykaira M30Z main specifications

warehouse name

Tommykaira M30Z

Base vehicle Fairlady Z 300ZX twin turbo monocoque 2-door coupe 2-seater/2 by 2

body

engine

Total displacement 2960cc

Bore x Stroke 87.0 x 83.0mm

Maximum output

350ps/5800rpm (5 speed manual)

330ps/6000rpm (E-AT)

Maximum torque

46.5kgm/4700rpm (5-speed manual) 48.0kgm/4700rpm (E-AT)

transmission

5-speed manual/ 4 spd E-AT

suspension

original shock absorber + super

HICAS

BRAKES

Front facing 4-piston aluminum caliper

ventilated big disc

R opposed 2-piston aluminum caliper ventilated big disc

tire

F 235/45ZR17

R 255/40ZR17

wheel

F 8JJX 17

R9JJX17

price

6.2 million yen (2-seater, 5-speed manual)

6.5 million yen (2-by 2 5-speed manual)

<E-AT costs 150,000 yen>

[alrightrandy]

new year, new plans

what's this? a geniune alrightrandy blog post that isn't just random slop? …finally.

all jokes aside, i'm well aware that i haven't necessarily been ultilizing this site – as well as other platforms im on, as much as i wanted to. however, considering the new year has just begun i believe it's time to make some form of change around here.

i just want to preface this by saying that, all through out last year, i've ran myself into some personal turmoil that led me to essentially lack any sort of focus to work on any hobbies. it's hard to explain, i feel like i have done a lot but at the same time i clearly didn't have much creative output as much as i wanted to. and again, it didn't help that i was also juggling with stuff in my personal life too.

i guess the point i'm trying to make across here is that, i haven't properly found a right balance for myself, both creatively and irl-wise. and i certainly didn't have a proper sense of direction either… but i'm hoping to change that this year!

through out the end of 2023 up until the mid january, i've went through a pretty prolific event that kind of sparked a slew of motivation and plans to really get myself back.

in summary, around the holidays a phone of mine completely bricked itself for some random reason, making it practically inaccessible for me to use. and keep in mind, i'm still saving up to get myself a laptop, so i really had no other personal devices besides that phone.

thankfully, i did manage to get a new one – however, the point is that me being phone-less for a brief moment was very "humbling" for me. not only it was the only device for communication and having a creative outlet, but it just goes to show nothing should be taken for granted. ANYTHING can be lost in a matter of seconds, a simple reminder that i really needed to get myself together.

and with that, everything brings me to here. i've somewhat finally came up with a plan to hopefully boost some motivation within me, and also have a better commitment to my creative output.

to get the obvious stuff out of the way, in reguards of my youtube channel – as well as anything reguarding about dj'ing and music. i am going to try my best to put a heavier focus on these since its something i'm still a complete beginner at. it's a new hobby i've recently picked up, and it only makes sense for me to try to lean onto it a bit more. matter in fact...

i just recently put out something onto my channel!

i'm going try to put out at least one mini mix on a monthly (or bi-monthly) basis. hopefully it will not only expand my portfolio as a dj, but i geniunely think this could help with my issues with commiting to something. plus, i think it would definitely bring in some life to my channel since i still have no clue what direction i want to take it in.

don't get it twisted, i still want to experiment with all sorts of different types of videos. however, i can't make any promises if any of it will reach the light of day. at least with these mini mixes, they will hopefully still appear consistently even if i have nothing else to upload. idk, i think its a decent enough idea to sink time into.

now, reguarding everything about creating artwork and ultilizing my platforms. it's still somewhat uncertain, however if you checked my pinned post i have recently updated it with new sites you can check me out on!

but in short, i will also try to branch out more and maybe even network myself to finding ppl / communities. and along the way, i will also try to get back into creating art since i really have been putting that on the back burner. again, no promises but i have been putting some thought into it! (i'm looking at you Newgrounds and Bluesky…)

i'm reaching my text limit, so this is all i have for now. i'll catch you guys on the flipside, i really do hope i do better this year. knock me out if this post ages horribly lol

happy 2024!

~🐇

[golmac]

Inform Basics (#13: Ambiance)

(I am still shadowbanned; hopefully this series will be discoverable via search soon!)

We've talked a lot about text. How to print it, how to make responsive output, how to adapt it to world states. We'll keep talking about it, because we're making text adventure games!

Everything we've looked at so far has been either a description of something or else feedback based on player action. But what if something is just happening in the world and said something doesn't require player input before triggering? Let's say we're in a room with a cute cat who is doing cute cat things. They don't need the player's permission! They are just being cute all on their own.

We could tackle this a few ways. We could actually make an animal (a kind of person in inform) called "cat" and have them perform different actions each turn. Inform could report the results of their different actions to the player. We could build a little cat sim in the middle of our text game about something else, and 20 hours later get back to writing our story!

Now, there's nothing wrong with being a 20-hour-dev-time-cat-sim-kind-of-writer. For a lot of people into Inform 7, the real joy is solving technical problems in code. If that's your thing, simulate away! But I'm in this for the stories, and will probably never be skilled enough to help you reach your goal.

This is the central question of Inform 7 development, and we've talked about it before: should one simulate or dramatize? My answer is almost always "dramatize." So how could we have some ambient cat text to liven up our room and possibly charm our readers with kitten charisma?

During action processing, Inform 7 does more than Before, Instead, Check, Carry Out, Report, After. For instance, near the end of the turn, Inform evaluates what are called "Every Turn" rules. It's exactly what it sounds like.

Every turn (this is the annoying rule): say "It seems that another turn has passed.".

Output:

>z Time passes. It seems that another turn has passed.

Fortunately, we have some really granular control over when every turn rules do and don't fire.

We can stop it with another rule, for instance:

The annoying rule does nothing when the player is in lab.

Often, though, we'll want to write a more specific rule, just so that we can see what's happening by looking in one place.

Every turn when the player is in the cat room: say "[one of]The cat does something incredibly adorable.[or]What a delightful cat this is![or]The cat licks a paw, then slicks back some fur near her ear.[or]The cat is stalking a plastic spring.[cycling]".

Note that the designation "[one of]" lets Inform know that a list of possible texts will follow. These texts are separated by "[or]". We have a lot of options for the way Inform 7 chooses which text to print.

"[cycling]" will print each in order, one per turn. When the last is printed, Inform will cycle back to the beginning and repeat.

"[purely at random]" is exactly what it sounds like.

"[stopping]" prints one text per turn and in order, but, once the list is complete, prints only the last text in the list.

What if we want even more granularity in our every turn rule: let's do it! Maybe the cat wants some food, so there is a before and after state. Let's do some basic prep:

A cat is a kind of animal. Marbles is a female cat in the bedroom. A cat can be fed or unfed. A cat is usually unfed.

Now we can break this up a couple of ways. For readability, I would make two separate rules:

Every turn when the player is in the bedroom and Marbles is unfed: say "[one of]Marbles meows rather pitifully.[or]Marbles desperately paws at your shoe.[or]Marbles rubs her back against your shin.[cycling]"

and

Every turn when the player is in the bedroom and Marbles is fed: say "[one of]Marbles lies sprawled over your white shirt.[or]Marble settles in for a bit of post-meal grooming.[or]Marbles looks under the desk.[cycling]".

We don't have to just do text with every turn rules, of course. We could be incrementing values or otherwise modifying the world in some way. However, since most beginning authors will likely be looking for an alternative to simulation, text is probably the most immediately useful application.

More soon! Some executable code is linked below. What would I change? Well, more and better text, always. I would also need to do some housekeeping rules with the treat. Should there be a funny response if the player tries to eat it? Maybe some other options should be accounted for. The implementation of Marbles would need work. At bare minimum, players will try to pat Marbles. We'll leave that for another day!

Next: ignoring the rules.

[aaimasqtch]

Ptitheros Worldbuilding - Technology

Universal Tech

Special Technology

Aura-Detector

Aura-detectors are small devices that read the aura energy output of an object, entity, or area. They are useful to engineers to wire inputs and outputs and serve as a safety device. As Ptithians delve deeper into manipulating aura, they expose themselves to high amounts of it uncontained. Aura-overexposure is dangerous and the detector helps mitigate it.

Detectors can find traces where magic was recently used, making it useful to investigators too. However, the detectors suffer the same issues as the GSD; high amounts can short it out.

More information below:

Callrune-Computers

Control panels have advanced, but the complex creations are not cheap. Computing units handle data and computations and store it in an accessible way with a film screen. The units can display words and play sound.

Primarily scientists and higher-ups own the computer attachment. Older models can be found in other occupations but are generally not useful in the first place. Those who are constantly needing to write papers and communicate via email with ptithians around the world are the prime client for this callrune upgrade.

They are found everywhere on Station Zariel. 

Arcade Cabinets

Typical to arcades and game shops, these modified callrunes host fun pixelated games like text adventures and space invaders.

Automatons

Automatons are built using different metals, but are mostly comprised of allumnix, copper, and natural biomaterial like bark and vines to ensure the aura in the machine can flow freely without bunching up in certain contained areas. Aura must have something to be conducted through, in animals and plants it is flesh, which is why natural material is present in all of Ptitheros technology, big and small, that uses aura.

High-end automatons are built to resemble pre-existing species. They tend to mimic the species of who made it or is built for a client who wants a similar appearance. The most common are rubasyn-resembling automatons because most of these machines are owned by rich rubasyns in Steam City who prefer their servant machines to look more like them.

Automatons thus far have only been built to look like kin species and companion pet species, but anything is possible. Automatons can have addons of any existing technology found on Ptitheros. From microphones, callrunes, to sound players.

These high-end automatons were inspired by the current concepts on how lindosts function, just on a much less advanced scale. The creation of automatons likely solidified many lindost anatomy concepts of the past. Aura is augmented to produce a condensed state of energy, and with a body with natural material to take control over, aura is capable of giving the machine a basic intelligence. This basic intelligence can do tasks, take commands, and speak, but they don't understand emotions well and have trouble if placed somewhere without knowing their purpose of being there.

However, if enchanted with one of the few sensory magic spells by a high-aura user, they can reach a higher level of intelligence where they can learn simple emotions and learn better communication. These things must still be learned, automatons have no sense of emotion or a good grasp on communication out of the box like natural sapient creatures do.

[twentyyearstoolate]

One of my favorite things in fantasy media is the exploration of magic as a utility in day-to-day living. Like in D&D, it's touched on how some spells have applications that adventurers might find marginally useful, but have ground-shaking impact for society at large. Like Plant Growth, for example:

This is a great area control spell, but the second effect has huge worldbuilding potential in any game where spellcasters are even remotely common, and I'm a little sad that it gets slept on. It doesn't take a historian to tell you that kingdoms rise and fall on their ability to procure food for their inhabitants. The implications of this spell that can effectively guarantee a bumper crop make me incredulous about how few court druids there are compared to wizards, even in WotC's own materials - A single person that is capable of doubling the food output of 500+ acres of land every day is a fucking golden goose, far more so than some pointy-hatted old man who can create explosions, and maybe even more valuable than one who could turn lead into gold. You can't eat gold, but you can sure sell excess produce to your neighbors.

And think of the knock-on effects here for storytelling and plot hooks - Druids tend to be motivated by the cultivation and protection of natural resources, and that's in direct conflict with the consumption and expansion of a kingdom, to the point that a circle that once offered this spell to a smaller village to prevent a famine might now withhold their spellcasting services unless the king agrees to turn a particular forest into a nature reserve, but the king needs that wood to build and maintain a navy to protect the kingdom from pirates and warring factions, to construct additional housing for ever more citizens, or even just to survive the harsh winters. Can a party convince the druid that the needs of the kingdom and its people outweigh the need to preserve the forest? Or the king that the forest should be preserved, and there are other means of achieving these ends? Maybe there's another solution that satisfies both parties that you haven't thought of buried in a class feature or another spell, but one of the players will?

And keep in mind, this is just one spell, and it's a spell that shows up in the PHB because it is also useful to PCs. Other spells like Fabricate, even cantrips like Mending, have the potential to drastically reshape what a fantasy society looks like if they're accessible to more than just the PCs or hostile NPCs. And if you're willing to dip your toes into homebrewing, you can make the kinds of spells that nonadventuring casters would have need of. A spell that can sort things based on caster specifications. A spell that can build and paint a row of fencing around a designated area. A spell that summarizes a body of text, or simplifies instructions. The possibilities go on.

It's fun to expand on this further into magic items, the kind that tell stories about their users and/or creators, and make sense as tools that would be useful for both common folk and adventurers. Perhaps one of my favorite homebrew magic items is a ring that the party found on a dead kobold trapper after reaching the far end of a rigged ruin, his skeleton pinned against the wall by a spear in front of a concealed hideout:

Ring of Tripwires - Ring, uncommon This bronze ring has a seemingly infinite coil of thin, clear wire wrapped around it. The wearer can produce any length of strong, semitransparent string from the ring. Any string produced in this way is otherwise mundane. Once per day, as an action, the wearer can drag the ring a few inches over a walkable surface, drawing up to 15 feet of string in a straight line. This magical string is invisible, can be connected to a trap as part of a triggering mechanism, and remains until it is broken or this ability is used again. Any creature who moves into it must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone, as the string breaks. If it is connected to a trap, the trap also activates. Regardless of whether the save is successful, the wearer knows when the string has been broken.

(As an aside, I love taking the time to put this kind of bespoke treasure on NPCs, living or dead, because there's a very direct connection between the storytelling and the mechanics that makes the encounter come alive, as opposed to the blandness and occasional dissonance of the typical dead adventurer item economy where players routinely stumble across corpses and hoards with useful things, or loot them from hostile creatures, when it raises questions about how they couldn't or didn't use these to get out of a jam - god forbid you use a random table to generate loot, because then you get the party wondering why this bandit chief was carrying a +1 longsword, a wand of missiles and a potion of invisibility, and didn't think to use those items in the fight they just died in against an adventuring group.)

Anyway, back to the point - magic in these settings has the potential to be so versatile and integral in worldbuilding, and if you have NPC casters and don't explore the possibility of the use of magic in day-to-day life, you're leaving so much good story on the table. If you're looking for inspiration, it's never a bad time to peruse the spell lists. Don't just say a wizard did it - find out how. It's a lot of fun.