#shopkeep App

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

those thoughts i had abt zephyr and the wanting to live vs wanting to stop fighting and saying "my name is" and your beloved going "i'll tell them your name if you die" got me so bad they overrode my aversion to the idea of marriage and this happened:

[obesecamels]

.

[ladytemeraire]

The main thought ringing in my head at the three-quarter mark of Jenny Nicholson's Star Wars Hotel video is how badly Disney missed the mark on not targeting the demographic of LARPers, cosplayers, and RenFest nerds as opposed to... whoever the hell they were actually targeting, with that combination of experience and price point.

Like. Not to further out myself as a massive goddamn dork, but there was a span of nearly ten years where I was going to the Ohio RenFest at least once a season, every season. And even there, the years where I went in some form of costume and played along with the actors as opposed to wearing jeans and a t-shirt, my experience was so much richer. There was such a different level of banter and playfulness and entertainment when I actively leaned into the immersion. I had so much fun interacting with the shopkeeps and cast members as an elf or random Fantasy Medieval Maiden, because they saw the costume and on some level went, "You! You are One Of Us!" and matched that energy, and thus gave me the chance to match it in return.

(One year, early on, when my "costume" was a frilly blouse, leggings, boots, elf ears, and a hastily sewn cloak, I had a random older gentleman run up to our group, press a gold coin into my palms, kiss the back of my hand in a very respectful and courtly manner, and disappear into the crowd. No context, no further story or plot or interaction, but almost fifteen years later I still have that gold coin on a shelf of tchotchkes.)

Watching every time Jenny tried so desperately to lean into the Galactic StarCruiser/overall Star Wars experience, to actively engage with the story and the characters, only to be lowkey ignored or actively rebuffed or scorned, legitimately broke my heart a little. (The bit in the experience finale where she was like "it felt like we were supposed to respond somehow, but I didn't because it was embarrassing, which is its own form of Force torture" was simultaneously hilarious and extremely relatable and incredibly sad.) Setting aside the issues with the app and tech, let alone the refusal to address legitimate complaints until she took to Twitter, not even getting a hint of reciprocal interaction from the actors when your choices supposedly matter in your overall experience would be so incredibly disheartening.

Ohio RenFest tickets were about $20 when I started going in high school, plus whatever food and merchandise you wanted to buy. Nowadays, even with inflation, they're still only $35 for adult tickets, which gets you access to everything, and you can absolutely get a full day's experience out of that with only the additional cost for food and beverages. I cannot fathom spending six thousand fecking dollars for two days ("two dollars per person per minute" will live rent free in my head for a while) on what is supposedly an immersive experience, marketed as living out your Star Wars story, only to get the absolute bare minimum in return. It really feels like such an indicator of how modern-day Disney is willing to cut corners as much as possible while leaning on brand recognition, and especially on nostalgia, in order to milk every last red cent out of their customers, until they run out of both money and goodwill. And that is so, so incredibly sad.

[dreamymagnolia]

⋆˚｡⋆୨✧୧˚ A Broken Brooch ˚୨✧୧⋆｡˚⋆

zayne x fem!reader

Disclaimer: Hi! This is my first time using and posting a fanfic on this app, hopefully you’ll like it! English IS NOT my first language, so feel free to give me a feedback. Enjoy!

you’re in an arranged marriage with Zayne but everything seemed awkward between the two of you, and Zayne was thinking about getting closer to you

Genre: romance, slight angst to fluff

Warning(s): slight suggestive content (nothing too intense), misunderstanding

Word count: 2,5k

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .

After a long day of work, Zayne found himself parking his Audi in front of an antique shop, his heart heavy with an unfamiliar hope. He had been thinking about a certain vintage red dress his wife is fond of, and it was no longer on display. It had a dashing crimson color and was made of velvet, you used to stop and marvel at it whenever they passed this shop. It’s not like she asked him to buy it for her—like hell she would, they never had a conversation more than three sentences. An arranged marriage had its limitations, after all.

 “As a man, you must break the ice,” his father’s words continued to echo in his mind. Zayne grunted, he had thought this red dress could be a gesture to elevate their relationship, yet there he was. Deciding whether to purchase the dress for her or not took a considerable amount of time for him. Now that the dress was sold, he stood outside the shop, feeling lost.

Inside, he browsed through the remaining selection of dresses, disappointment creeping in as nothing caught his interest. “I guess, I’ll return home empty-handed then.” He thought, resigned to another monotonous evening between the two of them.

Just then, a woman walked in, her voice cutting through his thoughts. “Excuse me, Mrs. Wilson! Did you sell out the red dress that was on display? I have been saving for it for quite some time now.” 

“Unfortunately, yes, my dear, it was sold just today.” The elderly shopkeeper, a hint of regret in her smile.

The woman sighed, “I guess it wasn’t meant for me after all, my mama always said that I look horrendous in red, I wanted to prove her wrong!”

“Oh, I think you’d look stunning in red!” The clerk encouraged the woman, getting her another red dress. “This one has a different material, but it’s equally beautiful, and it comes with this lovely brooch.”

Zayne’s gaze was drawn to the brooch—it was an elegant shape of lily in gold that shimmered in the shop’s light. “That would suit her well.” He thought to himself, imagining how it would look on you.

“I love the lace,” the woman gasped, her disappointment fading. “But.. I don’t think I can pull off the brooch. Do I really have to buy this along with the brooch?”

“Yes, dear, I’m afraid so,” the clerk replied gently.

Without thinking, Zayne stepped forward. “I’ll take the brooch.” He pulled out a $100 bill and took the brooch swiftly, leaving both the clerk and the woman flabbergasted as he turned and left, the shopkeeper’s shout of “Sir! The brooch only costs $30!” faded behind him. 

As he drove back home, he only thought about one thing, this brooch will ‘break the ice’, determined that tonight would be different than any other night. They were husband and wife after all.

Upon entering the house, he was greeted by the warm aroma of dinner. You sat curled up on the couch, lost in a book. Zayne cleared his throat, anxiety bubbling beneath him.

“Hey.” he ventured, his voice tentative.

“Oh, hey.. you’re home. Welcome back.” you replied, your eyes briefly meeting his eyes before returning to your book.

Zayne nodded, feeling the familiar distance between them. “I made some dinner, your usual. It’s on the table.”  you glanced up at him only momentarily.

“Have you eaten some?” his voice was trembling, he tried his best not to sound nervous.

“No, I’m doing intermittent fasting.” you looked up at him, he could tell that there was a hint of surprise in her tone, Zayne had never shown such curiosity before.

“Right,” he said, walking towards the dining table. The food looked delicious, but it felt overshadowed by their silence.

Then Zayne walked into the bathroom in his room—yes, his room—they had been sleeping in separate beds for almost a month now. After changing into something comfortable, Zayne found himself staring at the brooch he bought earlier in his hand, he sighed as he tucked it in his pocket. As Zayne sat at the dining table, engrossed in his thoughts, he noticed that you were still reading your book in the living room. He leaned back on the chair, his eyes drifting back to his food. But his thoughts were far from the food in front of him. He was frustrated, why wasn’t he more engaging in their previous conversation? You had cooked a delightful dinner for him. He sighed quietly, his eyes fixed on the food, but his mind elsewhere. Zayne continued to eat the food, a silent battle going on in his mind. He knew his father wanted him to be closer to you, and sleeping in the same bed as a spouse was a common step in such scenarios. But before getting into that, he picked the brooch he had in his pocket, he held it up to the light hopefully it will help him to have longer conversations with you.

As you finished your book and walked toward your room, Zayne took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. He had to do this, he reasoned with himself. He couldn’t keep avoiding it forever. After washing the dishes, his mind made up. He headed towards your bedroom, his usual stoic demeanor now tainted with a hint of trepidation. Zayne reached the bedroom door, his hand pausing on the doorknob. He took another deep breath, reminding himself that it was just giving her the brooch, nothing more. With a final mental pep talk, he turned the knob and opened the door, stepping into the room, but froze at the sight before him—you were currently changing, you were wearing your nightgown, the top buttons were still undone, revealing a glimpse of her bare skin. He stood there in the doorway, his breath caught in his throat at the sight.

“Z- Zayne???” you stammered, and quickly fixed the buttons, your face flushing.

Zayne snapped out of his surprised daze as he heard you call his name. He quickly looked away, a hint of red tint on his cheeks.

“S- Sorry,” He muttered, clearing his throat. “I didn’t mean to—” He trailed off, still a bit flustered.

“Do you need something?” you asked, attempting to sound casual but failing to mask your surprise.

Zayne cleared his throat once again, regaining his composure. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, his mind still a bit distracted by the sight he had just seen. “I was thinking.. I think it’s best for us to sleep in the same bed.” He blurted out. Wait, that wasn’t the plan— He thought to himself. Your eyes widened slightly at his suggestion, lips parting in surprise. It was too late for him to explain, she looked like she was thinking about it. He didn’t know what to expect – would you agree, or would you reject his idea?

“Sure.” you said slowly, catching him off guard.

Zayne was slightly taken aback by your unexpected agreement. He had mentally prepared himself for a possible rejection, but here you were, agreeing to his request. He let out a small sigh of relief, his tense shoulder relaxing a bit, but he wished that it could be more genuine.

“Okay.” His voice was a bit softer than usual. “I was thinking we could try it tonight.”

“Tonight?” you asked, your eyes widened in surprise and uncertainty.

Zayne nodded, “Yes, tonight.” His voice was firm and steady, despite the racing of his heart.

He took a step closer, his gaze fixed on you, and Zayne noticed the faint blush creeping across her cheeks. “I thought it might be.. nice, to sleep in the same bed and get closer, is that okay?” He explained, his cheeks slightly flushed. It was a rare moment of vulnerability for them, and he felt something stir in his chest—a flutter of hope.

You nodded slightly and hummed, “Okay..”

“I’m going to get ready for bed then..” He said, gesturing towards the bathroom, you nodded, a shy smile forming on your lips.

 In that moment, Zayne felt a flicker of something between them—a possibility, a chance for connection. With the brooch still in his pocket, he realized that breaking the ice might just lead to something beautiful.

 Inside the bathroom, Zayne brushed his teeth hastily, it didn’t go as he planned, yet he liked it?  He was feeling both anxious and confident. After finishing up in the bathroom, he splashed some cold water on his face, trying to cool down his flushed cheeks. On the other hand, you slumped onto the edge of the bed. Reconciling what just happened, you took a deep breath and instinctively grabbed your perfume and sprayed it on yourself. No, you weren’t trying to impress him tonight, it was just another part of your night routine, right? 

 Zayne opened the bathroom door, and your gaze instinctively drew to him. He took a better sight of you in your nightgown, it immediately made his heart rate quicken. You noticed that he was checking you out, you cleared your throat to mask your nervousness. He swallowed hard, taking in the sight of you sitting on the edge of the bed.

He took a step closer. “Ready for bed?” 

You nodded. Zayne felt a strange feeling wash over him as he got closer to you. The soft fabric of your nightgown and the intoxicating jasmine scent from your perfume wrapped around him like a warm embrace. He stopped right in front of you, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked down at you, mesmerized by the way your eyes glistened in the dim light. He hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words, but they eluded him, tangled up in the electric air between you. You held his gaze, the air thickened in tension, you felt a mixture of excitement and fear swirl within you. You felt a hint of vulnerability in his eyes, and it pulled you in, inviting you to step into the unknown, you never thought that gazing up to his eyes this long could be this dangerous.

“Do you ever wonder how beautiful you look?” he murmured, his voice was low and hesitant, sending a shiver down your spine. The compliment hung in the air as your mouth was unable to form a word, feeling the tons of butterflies inside you.

Zayne leaned in, closing the distance, his breath warm against your skin. “Can I kiss you?”  he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, almost like a plea, filled with a mix of hope and uncertainty. You felt the world around you faded, all that mattered was him and the possibility ahead. You instinctively nodded slightly at his plea. 

Zayne’s gaze deepened with a mixture of desire and anticipation as you agreed to his request. He didn’t waste a moment, closing the small distance between you and pressing his lips against yours. The feeling was soft yet passionate, he didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, his hand slowly going on the back of your head to pull you closer. You put your hands on his chest, one hand sliding gracefully behind his neck. Your mind was fogged, instantly blurring the reality of arranged marriage. Zayne cursed himself internally, how could he have ignored your alluring beauty for so long? 

As the kiss deepened, Zayne’s snaked his hand around your waist, their body moved in sync, making you lay on the bed. Suddenly, a loud clunk echoed on the floor, startling them both, causing them to pull away. It was the brooch, slipping off his pocket. He looked at you in panic, while you gave him a perplexed look. He withdrew from you and picked up the brooch from the floor, letting a heavy sighed in disappointment.

“Is everything okay?” you asked, concerns creeping your voice. You sat on the bed and your gaze wandered at the glimmering thing on his hand, “What is that?”

He held out a delicate lily-shaped brooch in gold, and sat beside you, but you noticed that one of its petals was slightly loose and scratched. 

“It was meant for you, I intended to give you this.. I thought it would suit you perfectly, but now it’s ruined.” his voice was laced with a sense of resignation.

“Did you buy it from the antique shop nearby?” you recognized the brooch,

“How did you know?” 

You chuckled softly. “I just bought a dress from them today, and I saw this brooch clutched on another dress.”

“A dress? Was it the red velvet one?” 

“Yes.. How did you know?”

He sighed in defeat. “I’m sorry.. (Y/N).”  he rubbed his jaw, “I was about to buy you that dress so we can get closer, and the fact that it was sold today.. I had to think of another option, so I bought this brooch. Looks like you were one step ahead of me after all.” he confessed, caressing your cheek gently.

Your eyes widened slightly, “But..” you muttered.

“But?”

“I thought you didn’t like me,” you admitted.

 Zayne’s brow furrowed in disbelief “Whatever gave you that idea?” he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Because we’re in an arranged marriage..” you replied, your voice tinged with vulnerability.

“Yes, we’re in an arranged marriage,” he said, his tone a bit softer now. “But I don’t see the reason not to like you, and I’m not the type to lie. I do like you.” 

“Since when?” you asked, a hint of hope in your voice making your heart race.

“It was gradual, I’ve been noticing you for longer than I care to admit, even way before the wedding.”

“I never noticed it before, why didn’t you ever say anything? ” 

“I didn’t want you to notice, I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same, and it might make things awkward between us. I’m sorry.” he admitted, a faint smile of remorse forming on his lips.

“Nonsense, I would love to see it more.. I liked you from the beginning, but you always seemed so distant and cold, so I assumed you didn’t like me.” you brushed your fingers against his cheek gently. Zayne leaned in to your touch, closing his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of your touch. 

“You.. liked me from the beginning?” 

You nodded. 

“I’m such a fool,” he grunted. He couldn’t believe he had been oblivious to your feelings for so long.

“It’s fine, it’s an arrangement after all.”  Zayne shook his head slightly, his gaze meeting you again.

“No, it’s not fine,” he said firmly, closing the distance, his hands resting on your hips, he continued, “It feels like a waste to let these feelings go unacknowledged.” he rested his head on your shoulder.

“What do you mean?” 

Zayne exhaled, locking your gaze, gently pulling you closer. “If I had noticed your feelings sooner, we could have had a genuine relationship, not an arranged one, but looks like.. we can start over?” he smiled genuinely. 

You felt warmth bloom in your chest as you chuckled and nodded, “Yes,” you pecked his cheek, “I would like that.” Zayne felt his heart flutter, “You’re making this easy for me,” he whispered, his voice filled with a mix of relief and affection as he leaned for another kiss, but before he could close the distance, he added, “Your cooking was amazing,” you giggled in his embrace.

݁

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[helpimstuckposting]

The Category System in TMA

I want to preface by saying this isn’t my theory but I cannot for the life of me find the original post, if anyone knows what post I’m talking about please PLEASE tell me, it’s driving me insane

The theory I saw (a while ago, maybe around episode 10?) proposed that categories 1, 2, and 3 all represent nouns. Person (1), Place (2), and Thing (3)

I’m genuinely shocked this hasn’t gained more traction because I’ve yet to disprove this and every single episode just keeps working with this theory, so I wanted to list out every episode as further proof

Episode 1

CAT1RBC5257-12052022-09012024 Reanimation (Partial) -/- Regret [Email]

CAT23RAB2155-10042022-09012024 Transformation (eyes) -/- Trespass [chat log]

Cat1 (person) - reanimated corpse, though I think the focus is more about the person they paid to bring their husband back, which implies there some mystery guy out there with this ability

Cat23 (place, thing) - the magnus institute, and the box with runes that red canary stole

Episode 2

CAT3RBC1567-23092022-18012024 Transformation (full) -/- dysmorphic [video call]

Cat3 (thing) - the tattoo from ink5oul is the main focus, though other ink5oul episodes are focused on them and use cat1 (which has confused people, but this theory explains that imo)

Episode 3

CAT2C8175-03042009-22012024 Infection (full body) -/- arboreal [journal entry]

Cat2 (place) - the garden is what started changing the man making the statement (also seemed to exist as its own entity outside the regular flow of time)

Episode 4

CAT3C7494-19111831-29012024 Collection (blood) -/- musical [letter]

Cat3 (thing) - the violin (the power of the violin still remains even if the object itself changes hands, which means the power lies with the violin and not the people controlling it)

Episode 5

CAT2RB2377-10012023-05022024 Disappearance (undetermined) -/- Invitation [internet blog]

Cat2 (place) - the movie theater (or wherever the movie itself is being played, I assume the statement giver did not make it out of that location)

Episode 6

CAT1RB4824-09022024-12022024 Injury (needles) -/- intimidation [999 call]

Cat1 (person) - Needles

Episode 7

CAT2RC3338-03022016-12022024 Agglomeration (miscellany) -/- congregation [email]

Cat2 (place) - Hilltop Center, Oxford (By episode 20, Oxford has been mentioned multiple times, which is why I think the location is significant here)

Episode 8

CAT2RBC3366-12072023-28022024 Architecture (liminal) -/- hunger [coursework]

Cat2 (place) - the liminal space of Forton Service Station

Episode 9

CAT3RB3354-14101998-08032024 Dice (bone) --/-- fate [Magnus Statement]

Cat3 (thing) - the dice (again, the power of the dice remains the same, even when the dice themselves change hands)

Episode 10

CAT1RB2275-06082021-09032024 Mascot (kids) -/- murder [TV interview]

Cat1 (person) - Mr Bonzo, Nigel Dickerson

Episode 11

CAT23RC5246-06012020-11032024 Tattoo (corpse) -/- compulsion [email exchange]

Cat23 (place, thing) - Padstow civil cemetery, tattoo (the reason I believe this isn't a Cat1 despite it being ink5oul is because we know from episode 20 that the tattoos themselves had special powers, regardless of ink5oul and that ink5oul only started getting their powers after they continuously used the pre-existing designs - this is new information that imo further confirms this theory rather than debunking it)

Episode 12

CAT1RB4728-09032024-13032024 Mascot (kids) -/- frenzy [insurance claim]

Cat1 (person) - Mr Bonzo

Episode 13

CAT3RB4622-17092023-14032024 Gambling (application) -/- self-destruction [voicemail]

Cat3 (thing) - the Zorrotrade investment app

Episode 14

CAT1RB4426-01081995-15032024 Transformation (snake) -/- horde

Cat1 (person) - shop keeper that burst into snakes (the investigator describes no other infestation, and only mentions one hole and one possible squirrel, while the shopkeeper causes all other chaos. We also know that the shopkeeper was being considered by the Magnus Institute before being rejected, like Sam, making this shopkeeper a relatively important person)

Episode 15

CAT1RB6451-22062023-22032024 Hunt (aristocratic) -/- compulsion

Cat1 (person) - Lady Mowbray

Episode 16

CAT1RB1565-30102023-25032024 Tattoo (influencer) -/- cardiac

Cat1 (person) - ink5oul (this one was specifically about ink5oul, rather than the main focus being the tattoo itself)

Episode 17

CAT2RC1147-30111997-04042024 Doppelganger (interdimensional) -/- murder

Cat2 (place) - this one people keep focusing on categorizing the doppelganger, but I think the key focus of the episode is actually the Magnus Institute – Oxford Outreach Centre (another instance of Oxford, another connection to Ep7)

Episode 18

CAT1RC2374-20032024-10042024 Memory (derelict) -/- compulsion

Cat1 (person) - Violet Parker, talking corpse; [ERROR]

Episode 19

CAT13RBC1137-21031684-11042024 Transformation (canine) -/- growth (Crystalline)

Cat13 (person, thing) - Isaac Newton, Diana’s Tree

Episode 20

CAT1RAB2534-12042024-12042024 Transformation (tattoo) -/- Social Media (influencer)

Cat1 (person) - ink5oul (very clearly, this episode is about ink5oul and not about any of their tattoos, though they were in the middle of tattooing a corpse. I think the tattoo is irrelevant to this incident, which is why it's only a 1 and not a 13)

Episode 21

CAT2RBC4254-04011998-12042024 Architecture (landmark) -/- corruption (entropy)

Cat2 (place) - Millennium Dome (also happens to be The Magnus Institute, but I think the main focus is obviously the dome)

I think the *only* one that could be argued as not really fitting is MAGP5 - since you could argue the movie is a thing, and it’s not really the theater as the place, but compared to the odds of other theories that have way more holes this one is so spot on imo

This is the theory I’ve been comparing the categories to every single episode and I haven’t found anything to significantly disprove it, so I just wanted to highlight it one more time in case others haven’t seen it!

[twewynews]

In Solo and Live Remix, Coco had her own shop by the name of "Coco's Secret Reaper Shop"! On iOS and Android it had in-app purchases with real-life currency. Though unlike other shopkeepers, she did not have a Friendship Gauge.

In Live Remix, Coco not only ran a shop, but also acted as a guide to the game!

[faceeeeee]

Geometry dash lore interpretation post

I think it's about time that I spread the lore and concepts that I modified for geometry dash because I'm really invested in the game (gameplay wise and lore wise) so here is the summary (warning: it is LONG):

The geometry dash app or game or whatever you'd like to call it is an actual facility in the middle of nowhere. If you go outside you will literally see thousands of miles of absolute darkness and the only light comes from the facility itself. Now if you enter you will find yourself in the menu where you can go to the official levels made by rubrub himself or head to the custom level section.

The darker areas signify how deep below ground the rooms are. There are also some hidden passageways that connect some places like the passageway that connects the shopkeepers shop with scratch's shop.

And I'd like to clarify that I interpret the levels as portals that the players can jump into (as well as the other characters but they aren't exactly supposed to do that...)

This is the same map but I put the in game screenshots to better understand what I mean.

Anyways now onto the characters:

(I don't have any high quality pictures of this guy, so sorry bout that.) He's the player (based off the default cube that you start off when you first boot the game). He's mostly silent and is the source of this conundrum. He represents the regular player's action: going into the levels, buying stuff from the shop and freeing those who shouldn't be freed. There are other cubes/players of course but they are usually doing what they are supposed to do and they stay out of trouble (unlike this miscreant).

We've also got the shopkeepers. The original three are the shopkeeper, Scratch and Potbor: The shopkeeper is just your regular guy just trying to make a living wage; Potbor is a special security droid that acts as surveillance but is disguised as a shopkeeper (he hasn't got a clue of what he's doing) and is rubrubs dear and precious child robot; Scratch is another robot that was thrown away and forgotten about due to his design being flawed (he is a draft design, so to speak), so he found an old abandoned shop left by another shopkeeper and is currently in hiding whilst selling whatever he can find in the trash bins.

Then there are the other new shop owners. The mechanic is the same species as the shopkeeper but due to an incident he has built and installed implants for himself and has now become a cyborg. He is also responsible for creating scratch, Potbor and the diamond shopkeeper. The diamond shopkeeper is just another regular robot shopkeeper that relies on the diamond plastered in his chest to be up and running. Without it, he is good as dead.

And as for their dynamics....

The shopkeeper and scratch are good buddies and they help each other out. And by help each other out I mean the shopkeeper is constantly panicking and saving scratch's ass from being caught.

Potbor is not aware of scratch's existence but if the two were to meet Potbor would neutralise him on the spot.

The mechanic is aware of scratch's existence (obviously) and constantly regrets not killing him when he had the chance so now he has to deal with him trying to get past his security.

And the diamond shopkeeper is...strange. He isn't the brightest tool in the shed but he makes up for it by being the mechanics bodyguard.

Enough shopkeeper stuff, let's move onto the guardians:

Glubfub or the "Key master" is the giant hulk-like beast that is in charge keeping the "demon guarding" locked up (I will bring him up later) and is the guarding of the vault of secrets.

Spooky or "the Guard" is the Tumblr sexyman and is in charge of... something. Rubrub makes him believe that he has the most important job of all and he takes it to heart. Unlike the other guardians he takes his position as a guardian very seriously (that's why he wears the suit but he doesn't really need it) and is rubrub's #1 fan.

The Gatekeeper is the oldest of the guardians and is the closest one to rubrub. Whilst everyone sees lord rubrub as this omnipotent god (which he kinda is) the Gatekeeper (or the old man as I like to call him) sees him as a coworker and is not afraid to tell things straight to his face. He also guards something (not sure what) as well as the key which unlocks one of the demon guardians locks.

And last but not least you've got rubrub himself and the demon guardian. If you know the Og geometry dash lore there's no need for an introduction. Lord Robtop or Rubrub is the boss of the facility and rarely appears within it's walls, opting to rest in his own private chambers. His mortal form is literally just a cube so he had the mechanic build him a robot body (I know he looks like Steve jobs I tell myself that every day).

The demon guardian was originally just a guardian like the others but decided that he was done with idolising and worshipping rubrub and went rogue. Obviously rubrub wasn't having any of that so he attempted to delete him. That failed and now he is this unstoppable beast that can shape shift into anyone (with some limitations) and wants to destroy the facility and escape the void. Robtop stopped him, however, and locked him away in the basement for god knows how long...till the player arrived.

And ONE LAST THING! If you're as obsessed as me you might notice a certain pattern appearing in some of the designs

Well this symbol is a sign of one's devotion for rubrub and almost every single character that is not being hunted down has it. For example: the Gatekeeper has it tattooed in his tongue, Spooky has it in his chest, and the demon guardian has it tattooed in the back of his head but scratched it of with his claws so now he has a scar.

[prototypesteve]

“One of the Good Ones.”

1) Reinstalls [Social Media App] to check and see how my evangelical friends are doing.

2) Full on Canadian MAGA. A marching band of dog-whistles.

3) Uninstalls.

It’s doubly disappointing because they were super-accepting of my asexuality. But now I’m forced to ask whether that was because even though I explained it’s not at all like pious celibacy, I think they decided to misinterpret asexuality as chaste antisexuality.

There’s this weird side of racism, where racists will “accept” certain subsets of select minorities, because they see some “redeeming quality” in them. People in those accepted groups get the special label, “one of the good ones.” A Japanese shopkeeper who knows his place, a Jewish tailor who stays in their lane and doesn’t make waves. The funny Central American who plays that song we like.

It’s vile, because central to the “one of the good ones” practice (whether it’s racial or something else) is the presumption that there’s a cultural group at the top who get to say who’s included and who’s excluded from society. The top group is always in, and the people they deem “the good ones” are also in, the bad ones are locked out, overpoliced, underbanked, redlined out of real-estate, and worse.

If asexuality is being fetishized as “the good kind of queer” by straight evangelicals who think they get to say who’s included and who’s excluded from society—and I kind of think it is—then I’m going to have some fun ruining that for them.

More later.

[swirlingreblogs]

I’m still reading the post, but I did a quick skim and there’s a couple points I want to add to the Gerson suspicion pile.

When creating the gonervessel, there’s a few names we can give it (or the player) that get a different reaction than most possible names. Kris for one, as shown above, along with a bunch of the main cast of Undertale and Deltarune alike - and Gerson is one of those names.

I very strongly suspect we’re going to see each of those characters in the dark world sooner or later. Gerson being dead means he won’t be showing up in the light world, but the dark world? We know that Darkners have corresponding objects in the light world, and there’s a drawing by Alvin, seemingly of Gerson, hanging in the unused classroom.

Enough to form a darkner based on Gerson, with the weight of hopes and dreams the turtle accumulated in his years of writing and teaching? Maybe. Seems plausible.

But past that notion, the first prophecy Ralsei gives us, with its correlation of light-hopes and dark-dreams - that’s been sticking with me too, and drawing my attention to any time someone mentions hopes or dreams. We’ve got the memorial bench by the graveyard, which we can read in chapter 1 to find the following:

Dreams, connected to the dark.

Writing, connected to dreams.

Old writing, which may be the foundation of the dark world we first land in.

I think it’s interesting the way the town of Ralsei’s kingdom is so blatantly flat, so 2-dimensional set dressing, until we start recruiting darkners from other worlds to give it more dimension.

As though that world was mostly made of drafts of old worldbuilding, with its walls of eyes dripping darkness, those white lumps like sleeping figures snoring away... and those pillars of stone at odd angles looking like ruins or an old battlefield. Although we can’t seem to go back up to re-explore that area, once we go down into Ralsei’s area, the waterfall continues to carry us the shadow crystals if we gather them in other save files. It’s still relevant. 

And maybe it’s relevant to the backstory Seam starts to mention before cutting himself off, and the 100 years that Jevil has implies he’s been sealed away - how long ago did Gerson start his writing career, anyway? Long enough that the backstory of the dark world and his writing are tied together...?

Deltarune Theory: Who Spoke to Jevil and Spamton?

The answer is not as obvious as you may think!

We’re back at it again at Deltarune.

With the current state of the game’s release, it seemed like there wasn’t much left to talk about until the next Chapters come out. But the anniversary update and Spamton Sweepstakes inspired me to finally address the game’s most mysterious, most vague character: Someone.

As far as we can tell, “Someone” is the closest thing to a canon name or alias that this character has. In the past I’ve referred to them as “the strange someone,” in keeping with how Seam first refers to them in Chapter 1.

[Image transcript: Seam saying “One day, he met a strange someone… and since then, he began to change.” End image transcript]

“Someone” is the one who communicated with Jevil and Spamton and currently serves as the common thread linking together the Shadow Crystal secret boss sidequest. Join me on a long journey to uncover who this mysterious stranger is.

What We Know and Don’t Know

So far the strange someone has been addressed by other characters with no pronouns and once as “they” by an Addison who didn’t seem to know them, offering little avenue for speculation there.

[Image transcript: An Addison saying “They must have been helping him,” End image transcript]

This is in contrast to the character behind the tree, who is firmly established to be a man in all of his appearances.

[Image transcript: Narration of a tree saying “Well, there is a man here.” End image transcript]

One other established trait of the strange someone is that they’re described as encountering Jevil and Spamton before the arrival of the Knight and the creation of the dark fountain. This seems like it shouldn’t be possible, given that darkners can only take form once a dark world is created, but it’s nonetheless true.

[Image transcript: Seam saying “But, recently, a strange knight appeared… And three of the kings were locked away.” Jevil saying “But the boring kings found such fun to be a trouble.” End image transcript]

Jevil says that he was sealed away by the four kings—Seam says this happened after Jevil met the strange someone, and the four kings remained in power until the Knight appeared. Spamton’s timeline is less concrete, but the residents of Queen’s mansion refer to his downfall (presumably brought about by the disappearance of the strange someone) as an event that happened some time ago, whereas we know that the Library fountain was created within the past 24 hours.

[Image transcript: An Addison saying “Spamton? … Haven’t heard that name in a long time.” A Swatclhing says “Spamton? This used to be his room…” Queen says “The Roaring Knight… Today, It Deigned To Create This World” End image transcript]

I won’t delve too deep into the “how” of the timeline since I’m not entirely sure about it myself. It could be that the strange someone simply spoke to the light world objects that became Jevil and Spamton and somehow that information was retained in their minds once they became darkners. Alternatively, the strange someone might have some bizarre dimensional/temporal abilities that allow them to retroactively change the history of dark worlds that don’t exist yet.

It’s also possible that dark worlds suffer from a form of “Last Thursdayism,” a term referring to a world that is suddenly created with an artificial history built into it, down to fabricated signs of age and even simulated memories. The term originated as a way to mock the idea of young Earth creationism. Given who I believe the Roaring Knight is, the term may be apt here. Still, this idea wouldn’t fully explain how this strange someone could insert themselves into the fake history of multiple dark worlds.

The fact that this strange someone has interacted with multiple dark worlds makes me skeptical that they could be a darkner. While being a darkner could explain how they could take part in a single dark world’s history, it seems implausible that one darkner could have shaped the history of all dark worlds. Even Ralsei, a “special” darkner who can seemingly travel between dark worlds freely, is still bound by linear causality and has not retroactively inserted himself into another world’s history.

Additionally, Spamton first contacted this Someone by making a call.

[Image transcript: An Addison saying “Somehow, he made the right phone call, and found someone. Or, was he… found BY someone?” End image transcript]

We know from the Spamton sweepstakes and other context clues that Spamton can communicate with lightners and that, as spam mail, this was his primary goal.

[Image transcript: An Addison saying “For some reason, his products never seemed to hit… and the Lightners never even looked his way.” End image transcript]

Thus, it seems likely that he was talking to a lightner when he met this Someone. The strange someone has also been associated with “garbage noise” (more on that later), which can be heard coming from the Shelter at the bottom of Hometown, implying that this phenomenon has a presence in the light world and so does the Strange Someone, however esoteric their methods may be.

The Roaring Knight vs. the Strange Someone

While I’m here, I should make a quick distinction between the Roaring Knight and the Strange Someone. Before Chapter 2 came out I once conflated the two characters in my (outdated) Everyman theory. Seam refers to both the Knight and Someone as “strange,” but with the release of Chapter 2 I’m convinced these two individuals are very different from one another in their methods and likely their goals as well.

By all counts, the Knight seems to be an ordinary lightner who is accessing light world locations through mundane means and opening dark fountains there. This is established in Chapter 2 when we’re told how the Knight opens dark fountains and we see for ourselves how Kris does it—no teleportation or timey-wimey shenanigans required.

[Image transcript: Queen saying “Could Not Anyone Make A Dark Fountain?” followed by Kris opening a fountain. End image transcript]

The strange someone is another animal entirely—somehow they’re consistently beating the Knight to the punch by meddling with histories of dark worlds that haven’t been created yet, and all without leaving any clues to their methods in the light world (that we’re aware of). At the bare minimum the Strange Someone must possess a keen and esoteric knowledge of darkners and dark worlds, including how to interact with them through means outside the norm, likely done remotely.

Whether it’s through astral projection, time travel, teleportation, 4th-wall manipulation, reality warping, or just being really good at talking to inanimate objects, the strange someone has a way with dark worlds that no other character so far can match. Even characters like Ralsei and the man behind the tree, who’ve mysteriously traveled to multiple dark worlds, have only managed to show up after the Knight has made its move.

There’s not much else that can be said about the Strange Someone directly, but there is one thing that they and the Knight have in common: both are recruiting darkners. So far the Knight has enlisted King and Queen, either directly or indirectly by inspiring them to protect dark fountains from the heroes of legend. Likewise, the Strange Someone has also gathered acolytes: the secret bosses Jevil and Spamton.

The Secret Bosses

As of Chapter 2 we can see a pattern emerge regarding the Someone’s recruits. To date, both secret bosses have:

Been outcast characters made from objects that are typically discarded (Joker card, spam email)

Been concerned with freedom

Been at odds with the rulers of their dark worlds while formerly serving under them

Experienced a “rise and fall” in their station prior to the creation of their fountain

Lived in less-than-ideal circumstances as a result

Seemingly known each other

Been deadlier opponents than their fountain’s ruler

Been known by Seam

Made use of vocals in their dialogue or music

Used “The World Revolving” as a motif

Been associated with doors appearing in strange places

Been associated with the word “strange”

Spoken mostly in all-caps

Given out shadow crystals and a choice between armor or a weapon when defeated

Been spareable or fightable with different dialogue and outcomes

Used a super/special attack

Encountered the strange someone who has since vanished

Not discussed the strange someone with the fun gang directly, instead relying on former friends to fill in the gapsIt is through these two bosses that we can try to glean more information on the strange someone and build a case. However, one last thing to go over is the other common thread linking these secret bosses: the Shadow Crystals.

Shadow Crystals

Shadow Crystals are the recurring collectable key items that are obtained from beating secret bosses. They’re described as crystals in the dark world but appear as shards of glass in the light world.

[Image transcript: Kris’ light world inventory, which includes Glass. End image transcript]

Seam describes the crystals as “nearly invisible,” with only their shadows being visible.

[Image transcript: Seam saying “That Crystal… It’s nearly invisible, but you’ve been holding it this whole time. Shadow Crystals, so called because you can only see their shadow.” End image transcript]

Its description reads “A sharp shadow moves like water in the hand.”

Additionally, Shadow Crystals have the ability to show strange visions when they’re used in the dark or light world. Much has been speculated regarding these visions, but all I can say is that they seem to show the world in a state other than what it currently is.

[Image transcript: Narration saying “You looked through the glass. You thought you saw Susie glaring at you, coldly… But when you moved the glass away, you see her looking at you, smiling and making a rude gesture.” End image transcript]

These visions can occur in both the dark and light worlds, implying that the crystals’ power is not solely reliant on the presence of a dark fountain and, by association, further implying that the strange someone might be a lightner. At bare minimum, the Someone would need to have a greater awareness of the light world than any darkner we’ve met.

When used in dark worlds, the crystals show the light-world room that was used to create that dark world. This sort of vision could potentially explain why Jevil began viewing his world as a game, since the unused classroom was filled with toys and game pieces.

[Image transcript: Narration saying “You held the crystal up to your eye. You thought you saw toys strewn on the floor.” End image transcript]

Speaking of Jevil, it’s worth mentioning that shadow crystals were not originally part of his encounter in the Chapter 1 demo. It was only when Chapter 2 came out that Seam noticed a nearly-invisible crystal in the fun gang’s possession. A later patch to the Chapter 2 demo added in flavor text for the shadow crystal after Jevil’s fight.

The fact that Jevil’s fight predates the addition of shadow crystals as a story element in Chapter 2 means that there’s likely very little information that we can glean from Jevil himself or his backstory to shed more light on the crystals. At most we just know that he sees the world as a game due to his interactions with the strange someone.

Although Shadow Crystals have been associated with the strange someone, I think it’s important to clarify that it has not been established that the strange someone is giving shadow crystals to the secret bosses. In fact, Chapter 2 seems to contradict this notion.

Seam specifically states that Chapter 2’s shadow crystal came from the Neo machine in Queen’s basement.

[Image transcript: Seam saying “Oh, is that so? That salesman had found the crystal in the old machine…?” End image transcript]

This was the machine that Spamton became obsessed with once he lost contact with his strange benefactor. It’s unclear whether Jevil discovered his shadow crystal on his own or had it given to him by the strange someone. The latter could be explained by Seam stating that Jevil “met” a strange someone, implying an in-person encounter.

This is in contrast to Spamton, who only ever seemed to interact with the strange someone over the phone. In his case, it’s possible that the strange someone may have told him where to find the shadow crystal but took no direct action to procure the crystal for him. What’s unclear is whether Spamton only gained possession of this crystal once he became Spamton Neo or if he was able to take the crystal from the body in a previous encounter and only came back to use the body as a last resort.

Despite the questions surrounding how and when Jevil and Spamton got their shadow crystals, I think it’s still likely that the strange someone and the shadow crystals are connected in some way, given that we’ve only seen the crystals show up in the hands of individuals who’ve made contact with this enigmatic being.

Who is the Strange Someone?

In order to try to decipher who the strange someone is, I’m going to forego the method I used for the Knight when I laid out a case linearly from each point of evidence. Instead, I’ll go over my four main “Someone” suspects and detail how they potentially relate to the information we have.

Yeah, I’m going to come clean right now: I don’t have a definitive answer to who the strange someone is. Instead, I’ve settled on four candidates that I feel are comparable in their likelihood but each come with their own pros and cons. Since this post is super-long (spoiler: you’ve only been reading the intro so far), you can find a shortcut to each candidate by using Ctrl + F (or your search method of choice) to look for “Candidate 1”, “Candidate 2”, etc. I’ll start with the candidate that most of the fanbase has gravitated towards:

[sincerely-sofie]

i absolutely adore your design for gaia and i cannot say it enough that it was the best thing to wake up to in the morning.. her having hand marks after getting a wee bit too careless with hyper beam after protecting erida and her having eyelash-like markings is just.. so good. no wonder erida fell for that clay dummy. also gaia coating herself with her psychic powers to prevent water from melting her while erida just goes 👍 while getting soaked is the funniest thing ever. honestly i think gaia would insist on covering her instead but erida's ass would just be like "it's just rain water, dear. im okay." and gaia still does that because like Hell shes gonna let erida get sick because shes too stubborn to accept help. my two beautiful beautiful daughters and whatever the hell it is that goes on in their marriage.

(referencing this)

I'm so glad you liked the post!! I was really nervous about taking liberties with Gaia's design and actually kept your introduction post open on the screen beside my art app as I drew them— I was pretty much reciting in my head what you had said in the tags on it about people going wild with their designs and to draw them with scars and stuff all throughout the drawing process ^^;

New joke concept that's likely horribly OOC but still: Gaia blinks at a shopkeeper she's haggling with over prices in a very weird manner. The shopkeeper asks her what the heck the face she's making is for. Gaia responds that no one can resist her charm and that she's batting her lashes at the shopkeeper. Erida has her face in her hands in the background, exhausted, and reminds Gaia that her eyelashes are markings on her body and aren't attached to her actual eyes— she can't bat them charmingly at someone— to which Gaia kinda just goes "Oh. Aw, nuts" as the shopkeeper kicks them out.

[ceaselesswatchersspecialboy]

Hullo.

I am Asking about Kafka. You are now compelled to tell me about your OC. I need to know.

JUMPING AROUND THE ROOM OKAY OKAY!!!!

I had to pace around this ask made me very excited.

Please have a Bonus Kafka while I try to explain him, or at least summarise him.

One of the most key things with him is his name, as though he’s changed a lot over the year or so I’ve had him, one thing has remained, and that’s the fact his story is loosely based on/inspired by Kafka’s metamorphosis, though in a more metaphoric sense. The name was initially a place holder I think, as a nod to his inspiration, but I ended up liking it, so it stuck!

To summarise the general information on him though:

He and his sister grew up in the coastal town of Willowby after their parent’s death in a car crash. They were taken in by their grandparents, neither of whom were keen on raising children again, though they did try, to a degree, but the disdain became evident as the two grew older, and they were left to their own devices more and more with age. Kafka ended up taking on a lot of responsibilities for his sister, and argues that he practically raised her.

With the recent death of their grandmother, and their grandfather having died a few years prior, Kafka has become the sole caretaker of his sister, but, for all his insistence it was he who raised her, he doesn’t actually believe himself cut out for the role. He struggles a lot with his own mental health, particularly an intense paranoia, and fears that his tendency to act on that will impact Unmei and her life more now that he’s meant to be the one looking out for her completely. He doesn’t think he’s enough, and unintentionally pushes her a way because of this, believing she’d be better off with the guidance of his friends or the shopkeeper — Stanley — who they’ve known since childhood and who’s taken on a fairly active role in their lives.

(He doesn’t realise he’s triggering her own fears or abandonment and being left behind).

In terms of the main story, Kafka is the first character to be targeted by a group of ‘spirits’, or, one of the spirits in said group. He ends up encountering her on their sixth investigation. Up until now, most of their ghostly endeavours have been more amusing, a bit of a laugh between friends, but this one is painfully real, and it becomes harder for Kafka to deny that. They’re in an old lighthouse when he sees Unmei run outside after something, and being as it’s beginning to storm, Kafka panics and chases after her. He can barely see between the rain and the late hour, and ends up in a field he does not recognise.

That’s where he meets her.

It’s a girl — eight or nine maybe — donning a mask that resembles some sort of grinning cat. She puts her finger to her mouth, as if to shush him, and he opens his mouth to speak, but is cut off by Unmei barrelling into him, calling his name in distress.

They return back to the lighthouse together, and the ghost hunt is called off early after the others see the state of them. Kafka tries to confront Unmei about why she ran off, but she refuses to say anything, and he’s left more worried and scared than ever.

Then, the haunting starts, and everything gets worse for him. Sometimes you’re just tormented by a girl that may or may not be dead and you just have to go to band practice anyway and pretend you’re normal. He isn’t even sure if what he’s seeing and experiencing is real for a while, and even when he’s sure it might be, there’s always that little bit of doubt in his own sanity, something Cheshire uses against him. It’s also why he elects not to tell anyone that a spirit may have latched onto him from the lighthouse, because what if it’s all in his head? (It doesn’t make it any less terrifying Kafka please tell someone—)

There’s also like a whole thing with Kafka and cannibalism but don’t think too hard on that right now.

Horrors aside, please have some Kafka from my notes app because I was bored in college today and had no signal or WiFi.

It should be noted he’s typically a lot sweeter and more nervous than this when talking to people. It’s just around his sister that he acts louder and sounds meaner. The Cain instinct gets activated and it’s free real estate from then on.

They love each other really.

I’ll stop myself now otherwise I will just go on an essay about him.

I’m also being a little careful I think because Kafka’s story does touch on a lot of mental health related stuff and fears and I’m not sure how to give content warnings for that yet!

[your-talos-is-problematic]

For the First Time In Forever, WIP Wednesday!!

I am being brave and starting it myself today 😟. I know I haven’t contributed in a long time, but I think I’m now at a moment where life has calmed down enough for me to want to write again. Until auditions, but that’s another whole can of worms. Tagging @skyrim-forever @trickstarbrave @throughtrialbyfire @friend-of-giants and anyone who sees this and wants to join!

No TES stuff rn but I do have some Baldur’s Gate writing! I actually finally got myself to write again because I had this whole scene out in my mind and told myself to just write it down before I forgot it. Being able to share the work in progress here was actually a big motivator too!

So, without further ado, here’s a scene that hasn’t happened yet in my playthrough, but oh well. Narrator is my Tav, Tilia- helpful information is that she’s a tiefling draconic soul sorcerer. Also there’s italics on her inner thoughts but those don’t copy-paste between notes app and tumblr properly.

I pushed open the door, stepped in, and stood waiting, silently, for the aging halfling shopkeeper to notice me.

After a few seconds, he looked up, his lightless eyes not making contact with mine, but drawing upwards to my horns. After a short sigh, he explained, “We don’t serve tieflings here,” in the cadence of a line he had said more times than he had the right to.

That’s to be expected. I responded with a smile. “Even me?”

Confusion and annoyance crossed his brow. “I don’t know who you are, girl, but I don’t need to. Devil-spawn aren’t-“

“Aren’t welcome? The number of times I’ve heard that. Tragically,” I said, realizing too late that he wouldn’t get the joke, “it’s exactly what I expected to hear from my own grandfather.”

There was a long, empty silence in the room after that. I eventually disrupted it by hopping up onto a table and curling my tail onto my knees, turning to watch the recognition dawning on his face.

He moved away from the counter to stand closer, still leaving me a wide berth, then brought his eyes up to mine. “You’re leaving. Now. GUARDS!” The two people, both armed and armored, who had been watching anxiously by the door, began to move towards me. It’s a good thing I’d thought of this- coming here alone was risky, so I’d remembered to keep a few spells on hand.

I pressed my fingertips together, pointing my hands in the direction of the two people but not releasing them. All three sets of eyes were trained on the tendrils of poisonous Weave held in my palms. Cloudkill was a bit strong of a choice, but for the sake of my pride, my mother’s heart, and my father’s nerves, I needed this to go correctly.

“It’s not very nice to attack your granddaughter. Now, can I continue my story, please?”Taking his [empty/fearful/annoyed? gaze] as a yes, I continued on, in my best impression of a bard.

“Yes! The little Zariel tiefling baby belonging to you, my good sir, miraculously managed to survive its abandonment. In fact, she- yes, your child is a she, even though you never knew her long enough to find out, lived long enough in Reithwin to meet a man. A tiefling man, no less, coming from a long line of people proud to be tieflings. She swept him off of his feet and they left for Elturel together.” I took a strategic breath, giving him time to recall the fate of that city- my best bet is that the high classes of Baldur’s Gate don’t think about what happened to us all that often. “Before everything went down with Avernus- she survived, no worries- they had a daughter.” Another pause- this time to let my green, scaly wings materialize and unfold. I slid my eyes away from the rest of the room and directly to his own. “A daughter born with the dragonblood that, as far as I know, comes from your side of the family! Isn’t that unbelievable?”

He’d been glued to my words since I brought out the wings, so I slid down from the table, landing face-to-face with him, and let the magic from the Cloudkill flow back into me. Up close, I could notice more details about him- he was definitely the right age to be my grandfather. More notably, there was a resemblance between us- the curly hair, and the nose shape that betrayed me as a descendant of halflings.

“What do you want, little girl?” His tone was exhausted, intentionally- he was deflecting. Nobody wants to hear about the child they abandoned, I suppose.

“I’m [23?]. And I want everything you know about the dragonblood. Then you never have to see me or my family again.”

“Fine. One of the sorcerers in the family wrote a book about it, I think. I’ll look for it.” He turned away, taking a few steps in the direction of the stairs.

“And I want a letter of apology to my mom, written and signed in your hand.”

His head snapped back in my direction, indignation on his face. “No.”

“Yes,” I said, with my best threatening smile. Last resort- Thamaturgy. I let lighting gently crackle across my horns and arms.

“My daughter doesn’t want to hear from me,” he responded.

“You haven’t seen your daughter since she was a day old and you left her in Reithwin. Don’t tell me what she’d want.” I knew this part was going to be hard, but I care about my mother.

[shit happens idk]

“Mhm. I’ll take those books. And I’ll be back tomorrow morning for the letter.” I turned

“Wait a second, girl.”

I turned. Come on. This was going exactly like I wanted it to. With a hint of anxiety in my voice, I asked, “What?”

“Who do I address the letter to?”

“[mom’s name that is some sort of positive quality or whatnot].”

“And you are?”

“Tilia of Tragedy.”

[she leaves]

Now I have to figure out how to get a letter to Waterdeep.

[wyrmmaster]

my wallpaper looks like Akagi's an insufferably smug shopkeep telling me her apps are too arcane for me to understand and every time I open my phone I do a quick speedrun of the potion seller video in my head

(art by Hujita)

[innerbeast]

"haaah..." long, exasperated; a sigh that drifted into a stern quiet. a hardened gaze locked with a bright screen, the pad of his finger pushing and prodding against it with irritated confusion. an impatient shopkeep watched on as dar'khol fumbled through a couple incorrect apps before finding what he needed. "this one?"

receiving a nod he followed the shopkeepers pointed instructions and before too long was finally able to go through with his purchase. a few small bottles rattled within the bag he was given; small portioned tonics and tinctures picked out for their color and scent alone. it's the only way he could distinguish anything.

"would'a been easier just tossin' over a few gil..." though there's some convenience in having everything stored in a tomestone-like device. too bad he couldn't stand to deal with such things.

"now, what was it that paired well with these..." breathing a quiet sigh a hand came to rest upon his hip, the phone still held in the other hand coming to rest against his chin as he glanced over the shops lining the street. from door to stall, person to person -- " 'scuse me!" ...person it was! "not sure if you're more grounded in these parts, but -- i'm lookin' for an herbalist. ya wouldn't happen to be acquainted with one, eh?" // @schleckermaul

[tandonshows]

Casting Call: That Vampire Show Season 2!

Our fiction podcast about being a fan, being a creator, and what happens when the two sides meet is coming back for a second season! We're casting for a few new voices to join the returning cast.

That Vampire Show follows Kat Wright, a high school senior who is obsessed with the hit TV show, “Bloodlines.” After winning a fan fiction writing contest for the show, Kat is given the chance to visit set and meet the cast and crew. When the trip doesn’t go as planned — and she and the creator of the show, Warren Young, have a major fight on set — Kat’s life and the future of “Bloodlines” both spiral out of control. As Kat and Warren try to get their lives back to normal, they’ll clash with each other, their friends, and the entire internet in a fandom war neither of them intended to start.

As this is the second season of an ongoing show, please make sure you are familiar with the events, characters, and style of season one. You can find all links to That Vampire Show season 1 here. 

We're casting for the following roles:

CORA: (she/her, late 30s), The founder of a new fandom based start up that Kat works for. Cora is constantly projecting a cool, calm demeanor; an elder millennial might even use the term “Girl Boss,” though Cora would cringe at the title. Cora has a background in film production, and has left the industry to start an app that caters to fans around the world. She’s unlearning the shame of being a fan, and leaning into the cringe factor of being loudly nerdy. Overall, she’s incredibly passionate about her work, and making the next generation of fans feel safe and seen, a feeling she never had growing up. 

BROOKLYN: (she/her, 21), A fan artist by night, computer programmer by day, and Callum Rainier’s number one fan. Brooklyn and Kat have been internet mutuals for years, and have bonded over their love for “Bloodlines.” Now, Brooklyn works for the same start up as Kat. Brooklyn works as a coder, is blunt but caring, and has a sharp sense of humor. She believes in the power of fandom, so much so that she has left her senior year of college to work for Cora’s company. 

MAYA: (she/her, 20s) A magical shopkeeper and healer, Maya hails from a long family line destined to protect the town of Baker. This means that she often finds herself helping Bex after a night of fighting the supernatural, and helping the other creatures of Baker. The shop sells to both sides of the supernatural war, and Maya and the rest of her family attempt to remain neutral, as hard as it may be.  This is a role from “Bloodlines,” the show within “That Vampire Show.” Please listen to previous episodes of season 1 to hear the tone and style we are looking for. 

For the below roles, preference will be given to actors who feel comfortable voicing multiple characters. Please feel free to record as many of the roles as you feel comfortable with, and indicate any accents or voices you are comfortable performing in in the casting form below. 

CON EMPLOYEE: (Open gender casting, 20-40s) Short and to the point, underpaid and used to the convention machine. Professional and helpful, but not particularly warm. 

EXEC: (Open gender casting, 30-50s) Network Executive for “Bloodlines.” Focused on the bottom line, but has worked with Warren for six years. 

CONTENT CREATOR: (Open gender casting, 18-25) Tik Tok / YouTube style content creators. Please feel free to improvise around the provided dialogue.

If you're interested in submitting, please click here to view the audition material. Auditions are due by 11:59 PST on May 15th, 2023.

[cheemscakecat]

Just me, or….

I think the reason I don’t like Animal Crossing New Horizons is more complicated than just… the reused character voicelines for each personality. Like don’t get me wrong, that still makes me try to get the most aesthetically pleasing recolored NPCs, like everyone else.

But like… I’ve never finished an island. And one of the reasons is that it doesn’t feel like I’m progressing the island as a community. Because it doesn’t feel like one.

Yeah, you can decorate however you want, but unless you have Happy Home Paradise, you can’t upgrade a community. It’s the only area where more NPCs have jobs, and there’s actual restaurants, and a school, and a hospital.

The old games had a city you could upgrade, there was a post office and a police station… Here it feels like you aren’t doing anything but paying for infrastructure yourself, and decorating around cute little plushies who exist to say something nice to you and wander around.

So like….

I want an Animal Crossing style game where everyone has a job. So when I’m not talking to them, they’re still making money and providing a service to the town. Give me NPCs with their own mini games and jobs that I can upgrade. Like imagine it:

Farming mini games that get more industrial the more you upgrade the farm.

Fishing mini games that involve more sorting as you improve your efficiency.

A shopkeeper’s mini game where you can package someone’s order.

A restaurant mini game where you put together all the food orders on the tickets.

Laid back mini games for making bread, jam, and other jarred goods.

A toy making mini game where you customize a prototype to mass-produce.

Banker mini game where you have to do math to give the right amount of interest or change.

So basically, Animal Crossing with a collection of mini games that you feel like you should be able to find on the App Store, but every game that advertises that sort of thing is either full of ads, a falsely advertised match 3, or on Apple Play. And with characters that don’t rely on you to do all the work, you don’t have to constantly grind in a mini game or play each day to get the money for an upgrade.