#thank you everyone who has ordered something. my art being in peoples homes makes my heart swell with joy..

[sleepgarden-archive]

He printed beautifully on the textured paper 🌿 I'm shipping this week's orders tomorrow, if you'd like to grab one before then! ♡

[sickness-health-all-that-shit]

When Lip brings home an advanced android in order to test it for the company he works for, Ian doesn't know what to make of him. MIK-940810, or Mickey, seems virtually indistinguishable from a human being, throwing Ian for a loop as he feels an undeniable connection to the android. Their relationship deepens when Ian finds out about something that Mickey has been keeping from Lip and the people who built him. --- There’s a faint blue light shining from the place where Lip’s thumb rests for about two seconds. Ian’s expecting some kind of whirring noise, like when you turn a computer on, but there’s just silence. And then suddenly the blue eyes come alive.

here's my fic for the Shameless Big Bang round 12!! 💖

huge thanks to @whaticameherefor for organising this event and keeping it going, to @too-schoolforcool for the precious beta work and encouragement and to the amazingly talented @cal-tastrophe for this spectacular art!!! 🤩���� so excited to finally share this story with everyone <33

[genevawrenn]

I haven't said too much on the QSMP situation so I am going to try to at least share my thoughts, as of right now.

First of all : thank you to everyone in this project who did their best through adversity and a corrupt management, you all deserve the world.

To the eggs & capys & penguins & every other admin I will remember the characters you gave us for the rest of my life. Thank you, this past year has been one of my best creativity-wise and I have written nearly as much for this fandom as I did DSMP. You taught me a lot about character writing and found families in times of chaos, I will always think of you fondly.

Now, I want to discuss a few of the things I am disappointed with.

Starting off with how the egg arc ended.

Stories, to have full meaning and impact to me, leave the endings at a point where you want what's best for the characters. You want a chance to see the character development bloom [Hideduo mainly] and having it be so abrupt left us all reeling. It was so awfully familiar as someone who came from DSMP, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I do not blame the admins or ccs one bit here.

It's more...I wish there had been at least one last hurrah. Something Avengers level where we watched them all team up, clear out the Federation and maybe the Watcher too, and leave peacefully. Something that gave them all that one last interaction, a reminder of how through trials and trouble anyone on that island would have given their life for any child, their own or otherwise.

Every single person who woke up on that island went through development and due to miscommunication and watching the server slowly perish for months, it feels horrific to watch them all die one by one without being able to see the fruits of their labour. I am begging for fan made content to fill the hole in my heart left by that ending.

It hurts so much because I loved them all so deeply.

I mained Death Family content because I came into this fandom as a crow and adored how their little unit came to be. A son and a daughter with their damaged father who always did their best for one another. Sure, only one *maybe* was good at communication but they all tried. The effort was there. And the old crow hermit on the wall slowly became one of the most trusted members of the island due to the dedication for his family and friends.

Then I slowly became interested in FitMC's content after watching him hang out with Phil for months, and became a huevito instantly. The relationship he created in /rp with Pac was the first time in a long time I allowed myself to indulge in romance-based content [coming from a former SBI main, that should make sense]. I still remember the panic seeing the shipping art covering my timelines and checking boundaries before I realised this was something they both encouraged.

Fit and Pac came to represent a lot in my heart ; two damaged people moving at the pace both decided in order to form the family neither of them ever had. An ex prisoner and a veteran of toxic wastelands found home in one another's lives, enough they allowed their precious children to become bonded with their significant other.

They never said I love you, instead showed it through acts of service and protecting each other without question. They may not have kissed but they were always beside each other within the same space, only a short step away in case either needed support.

I will miss you forever, your characters were fantastic. I hope there are many more collabs in the future, your dynamic means a ton to a lot of people now.

Same goes to many more characters on that island I don't have the energy to do full write ups on but please know, you occasionally show up in my thoughts and another wave of mourning what I love passes over me. Death and Rosa Family were the ones I fixated on, nearly instantly, and I will create using them for a long time. I want to write their characters in a way that satisfies me, I still have to match my level of DSMP writing and beyond after all.

I want to also send appreciation to the streamers I found because of QSMP, it did what was intended and broke language barriers in ways I will forever be grateful to the translations mods that are becoming more common so I can still watch their content.

Cellbit, Baghera, Etoiles, PacTW, Mike, Roier, Luzu, you all are so cool! I enjoy your content and can't wait to watch more in the future.

Philza, Tubbo, Foolish, Charlie Slimecicle, Jaiden, Badboyhalo, FitMC, some of you I knew before and some I got to know better now, I adore you all.

All I hope for at this point is any future project takes what needs to be learned from watching this server slowly implode and please treat your employees right. Especially in creative ventures, we need the hope there can be confidence people are being treated right behind the scenes.

And to any of the QSMP CC's, I beg there are gaming collaborations and meetups in the future. You all have fantastic chemistry and I hope the families that were formed can continue to support each other.

To the admins. Thank you. I could say it a thousand times over and it would never be enough. You endured literal purgatory because you loved the plots and people so much, you deserve only the best in your future.

I intend to indulge in the egg content for the forseeable future, even if at this point I will just be VOD watching but there are still a few POV's I have wanted to watch in full and now seems like the best time. I do have several WIP I wish to finish and they make perfect inserts if I ever need characters for any new plots I imagine in the future.

Saudade QSMP Egg Arc 2023-2024. You taught me a lot within the short period of a year, you united many communities and heres to hoping we stick together long into the future.

I am sorry for the long post, I needed to spill my thoughts somewhere and tumblr's blogging format is ideal.

Let’s keep creating content surrounding the eggs and families we now miss. I understand if many move on but to me, this interest is one I will remember forever and happily talk about to anyone willing to hear me out. Just like Techno, they live on through me as long as I remember them.

[cheesysoup-arlo]

Cady’s Cousin (pt.3)

(pt. 1)/(pt. 2)/(pt. 4)

*beep beep* you hear someone honking outside “that must be Damian” Cady says grabbing her backpack “oh ok I’ll be right there I left my headphones in my room” you say quickly going to your room to grab your headphones then running down stairs and getting in the backseat of Damian’s car. “Heyyy (y/n)” “hi Damian” “ok so we’re gonna pick up Janis then heading to the school and making sure you have your schedule then meet up with the rest of the group” Cady says buckling up in the front seat “sounds good to me” you say buckling up

You guys got to Janis’ house and Damian honked his horn. It took about 3 minutes before Janis clumsily stumbled out her front door and to the car “hi” Janis said with an awkward smile as you two made eye contact “hey” you said with a smile on your face as she sat next to you

You guys get to the school and Cady takes you straight to the office telling the others you’ll be back in a minute. “Hello excuse me miss?” Cady says trying to get the lady at the desk’s attention “oh hello dear do you need help with something?” The lady asks “yes my cousin in new here and I just wanted to make sure she has a schedule and that all of her credits transferred from her old school” “oh I can check that right now, what’s you name dear?” The lady asks you “(y/n), (y/n) heron” “ah yep you’re right there and all your credits seem to all be in order, would you like me to print out your schedule now?” “Yes please” Cady answers for you. The lady gives you your schedule and you and Cady head over to the rest of the group to hang out before school starts. “Hey we’re back” cady says enthusiastically “good morning here are your drinks” Regina says handing each of you your cups “thank you Regina” you say sitting down next to Janis who is sketching and drinking her coffee with headphones on not paying attention. You lean on her shoulder trying to get a glance at her sketchbook, accidentally starling her “AH OH MY GOD” “oh um sorry I didn’t mean to startle you” you say feeling really bad and scooting away a little “fuck sorry I didn’t mean to scream like that” she says taking off her headphones “it’s my fault, don’t apologize, I should’ve tapped you before invading your space” you say feeling like an idiot “it’s ok…do you want to see what I was drawing?” she asks hoping you’ll say yes “oooo yes I’d love to” you say scooting close to her again, she shows you some of her more recent projects. While you two were talking the rest of the group was observing you two from a small distance. “You guys are seeing this right?” Regina said with a small laugh “if you’re referring to Janis being a dorky lesbian then yes I see it” Damian says smiling a little “you know (y/n) isn’t normally this close with people, she normally keeps a decent amount of physical distance but this, this is definitely new” Cady adds to the conversation. You and Janis are practically in your own world, laughing and talking about her different art pieces and the inspiration behind them “wait so you’re telling me that you made this based off a Kids cartoon you were watching while high as fuck?” You say looking at a very colorful detailed drawing that had some embroidery on it “yeah and surprisingly I didn’t stab myself making it” Janis says laughing a bit then making eye contact with you for a few seconds before you both turned away, you looked at your hands and Janis looked up at the sky “Hey (Y/n) what classes did you get?” Regina asks and you hand her your schedule “ooo yay we all have the same home room, break, and lunch this year” Gretchen says looking over Regina’s shoulder at your schedule Gretchen already had everyone else’s schedule memorized since they all got their schedules over break. You and Janis join the rest of the group “Oh damn English first period, I’m so sorry for you” Damian says with a hand on your shoulder “I have English first period too, who’s her teacher?” Janis asks “Ms. Barnes? Is that the new teacher Ms. Norbury was talking about?” Cady asks Aaron “yeah, it’s actually her first year teaching from what I’ve heard” Aaron says

STUDENT: (Y/N) HERON. 12TH GRADE. SCHEDULE

HOMEROOM: ROOM 1802

(SHARON NORBURY)

PERIOD 1: ENGLISH 12 ROOM 708

(HAILEY BARNES)

PERIOD 2: STATISTICS A-B ROOM 370 (SHARON NORBURY)

BREAK: A

PERIOD 3: STUDY HALL 407

(BRIAN JOHNSON)

PERIOD 4: THEATER PERFORMANCE 1900

(LINDSEY CATER)

LUNCH: A

PERIOD 5: VISUAL ART ADVANCED 1706

(MAZELY JONES)

PERIOD 6: HISTORY 12 ROOM 1204

(HAROLD BAKER)

“Art and theater, that’s the gayest thing I’ve seen since Damian” Regina half joked “we literally have every other class together plus break and lunch, I guess you’ll be seeing me a lot” Janis said with a laugh “that’s honestly really cool, I’ll have someone fun in at least half my classes” you say with a wink

*ring* *ring* “well that’s the bell let’s head to homeroom” Cady says with a smile putting on her backpack and holding Regina’s hand while you all walk to class, you and Janis are in the back of the group walking close to each other but both focused on your phones, you’re texting your friend from back home and Janis is looking at what yarn to buy for her new project. Once you guys get to homeroom the group decided to sit together until they inevitable get separated for talking too much. “Good Morning class, happy Monday, My name is Mrs. Norbury and I will be your home room teacher this year, I was just informed we have a new student here from Florida so everyone please welcome (Y/N) and be kind to her” Mrs. Norbury says “thank you Mrs. Norbury” you say a little awkward Cady kindly puts her hand on your shoulder to comfort you. The class goes by pretty quickly. “So we’ll see you guys after this class, meet at the tree as usual?” Janis asks “yeah I’m so glad we all have A break and lunch this year” Cady says with a smile then gives you a hug “see you later (Y/N)” “bye cads, bye guys” you say before turning to Janis “follow me” Janis says sticking out her hand for you to grab and you do. You to get to class and sit next to each other in the back of the class. The teacher passes out a get to know you worksheet which you finish quickly then pull out your sketchbook to doodle. You’re doodling for like 10 minutes when you feel a light tap on your shoulder, it’s Janis you look at her a little confused then she shows you her sketchbook, it’s a small sketch of the friend group and to your surprise you see an in progress sketch of yourself. This causes you to blush a little, you’re not exactly sure why but you face definitely felt warm and there was definitely butterflies in your stomach “woah that’s really cool” you say quietly “thank you” Janis says turning away quickly, was Janis- no she couldn’t be blushing from such a simple compliment. The rest of class is pretty quiet with you two showing each other progress from your sketches. Class ended and you went to your next class saying good bye to Janis. Math went quickly and before you know it, it was break so you head to the tree from this morning to meet with the rest of the group. “So how’s everyone’s first day of senior year going so far?” Aaron asks “good, really chill” says Janis “for me it’s been going by really fast but it’s fun” you say “oh my goodness I can’t believe how easy today has been” Gretchen says with a sleepy Karen leaning on her “honestly a lot more boring than I expected” Regina says fixing her hair “I’m having an amazing day, that cute theater boy that I’ve been talking to has 4 classes with me” Damian says really happy “ooo ok Damian” you say hyping him up a bit “I am not having fun, I want to go home” Karen says leaning more into Gretchen “aw Karen what’s wrong?” Regina asks concerned “someone called her stupid because she asked what day it was when it was written on the board” Gretchen says holding Karen close “don’t listen to them Karen, they don’t know you, you’re incredibly smart and amazing, ok?” Janis says upset, Karen smiles a little very appreciative of Janis caring so much. You almost smile at how defensive Janis got for Karen seeing this caring side of her melted your heart in the best way. The break ended and you headed to study hall with Janis since none of your teachers were crazy enough to give you homework on the first day you and Janis talked quietly in the back about the different types of art she liked and how she does a lot of mixed media art. Every time you talk to Janis about art it feels like you two are the only two people on earth and like time stop. When the period ended she decided to walk you to theater since her class was in the same direction. Though you haven’t known her that long Janis made you feel really special, it was weird you felt like you didn’t need to put your walls up to protect yourself, you were just you. Exchanging goodbyes and saying you’d see each other at lunch. Theater was fun and easy, you played a name game

you played a name game so everyone could introduce themselves and then a few other games. The bell rang. Lunch time!

The cafeteria was honestly kind of chaotic but you ended up spotting Cady’s red hair very easily. You sat across from Cady knowing Regina would be siting next to her “hey cads” “hi (y/n) how were your classes?” “Good, how about yours?” “Eh pretty boring” Regina, Gretchen, and Karen come over giggling about something “I’m gonna go get cheese fries does anyone else want anything while I’m up?” Regina says “water please” you say and she gives you a nod “hmm i don’t know surprise me?” Cady says with a shrug. Regina leaves Gretchen and Karen follow as Damian and Aaron come over “no dude I’m telling you sports are way less complicated than that” Aaron says trying to convince Damian to watch some sport game with him “hey Damian where’s Janis?” You say a little worried “oh she’s in the art room she wanted to ask Ms. Jones if she had some yarn Janis could use” “oh ok…is she coming to lunch?” “Yeah she should be back in like 5? minutes” a few minutes later Regina, Karen, and Gretchen come to the table then Janis comes over and sits next to you taking one of your chips “Hey!” You say moving your chip bag away from her and she laughs “what you can’t share 1 chip with me?” Janis jokes “I can but you could’ve at least asked silly” you say laughing a bit “ok after school we should totally go to Regina’s house” Karen said “oh absolutely, my mom said that she misses you guys” Regina say.

Art class goes the same as all of the other classes you’ve had with Janis but this time you paint it’s really good quality paint especially since it’s from the school. You and Janis have been close all day. “Alright last class of the day, have fun” Janis says “you too, see you at Damian’s car?” You say “yeah see you later” she gives your hand a small squeeze then heads off to her class. You were definitely blushing from that, ugh this girl has only been your friend for 3 days but this felt different a good difference.

(Monday 2:00pm) fruit loops

Regina👛: y’all wanna go swimming? Today has been pretty warm and as you all know my pool is heated plus there’s a jacuzzi so like if you don’t want to go in the pool we could just chill

Aaron🧍‍♂️: I’m down I’m so glad you decided to keep swimsuits for everyone at your place

(Y/N): um I don’t have mine I’d be down to just go in my bra and the shorts I keep in my bag

Cads🦁: I have an extra one you can wear if you want (y/n)

Gretchen🌷: omg Regina that’s a great idea

Karen💕: 👙👙👙

Damian🌟: ooo absolutely I love a good swim at the George house

Gretchen🌷: Janis?

Damian🌟: she’s probably asleep or in the middle of a sketch with her phone on silent

(Monday 2:15pm) fruit loops

Janis👾: hey y’all sorry I was in the middle of a really good art jam but I’m totally down for a swim

Damian🌟: HA see I was right!!! do I know my best friend? or do I know my best friend?

Regina👛: ok ride arrangements for the ride to my house. Cady, Gretchen, and Karen in my car then the boys and single gays in Damian’s car

Janis👾: WTF BRO

(Y/N): damn 💀 no need to call us out like that

Bell rings and you head to Damian’s car. Aaron is already sitting in the front so you and Janis get in the back “let’s go queers it’s pool time” Damian pulls into Regina’s driveway shortly after Regina and everyone heads inside.

A/N: I couldn’t figure out how to end this one lol but here’s what I think their lunch table seating arrangement looks like also finally so cute Janis x reader moments lol ALSO LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED WHEN I POST NEW PARTS OF THE STORY IVE SEEN OTHER PEOPLE DO IT AND NOW I WANT TO LOL

[childlikegoblinqueen]

Hi All! I'm GoblinQueen (AKA ChildlikeGoblinQueen) and I write TOH fan fiction

cover art by @lovemoroporo !

A few things about me:

I have been known to stick with a fandom for a VERY long time, so I'll be riding this train for quite a bit.

Fan fiction has become a really important outlet for me. I have been lucky enough to make some great friends within the fandom -- and I enjoy engaging with folks regarding TOH, fan art, headcanons,fics, books, and general geekery.

That said, I am an adult with a full time job and a young family. So just keep that in mind. This is something I do because I enjoy it! I appreciate everyone who puts effort into their writing and am not in competition with anyone.

The fear of burnout is real.

I am an avid reader, a big fan of music and pop culture (I incorporate both into my story telling).

Below is a Master List of links to my current and past fics.

CURRENT PROJECTS!

Bittersweet Symphony (A 90's Human AU with @threegoblinart)

Criminal (A post SCOMverse story.) -- A bit whumpier story featuring retrieval of lost memories and early parenthood. Don't read unless you've finished SCOM. It won't make sense if you haven't.

Sweet Child O' Mine

^^ Link ^^

Years after Belos' defeat and the alliance with the Collector, things have settled into a new normal. Amity and Luz are married and have a young daughter named Azura. Hunter and Willow have also married and have just found out that they are going to become parents!

Hunter looks back on the events leading up to the birth of his and Willow's first child.

Triggered by outside influences which stir fear and doubt within him, Hunter wonders if he is incapable of being a good father given the nature of his own upbringing.

As the pressure builds, Hunter will need to lean on the support of his found family and friends to make it through unsolicited advice, planning a surprise baby shower and the public’s fascination with his past life under Belos in order to protect what is most precious to him.

SCOM is COMPLETE! Below are links to some in-universe stories that do not spoil the main plot.

SCOMVERSE Prequels:

(Before the main story, generally featuring the characters as teenagers developing their relationships and familial bonds.)

Hunter's Trauma One Shots etc:

Back to the beginning. There's one way back to home again. To where I feel forgiven (collab)

The Future's Overdue (collab)

Words like violence (Vee's POV)

If you’re sinking like a stone, carry on. (collab)

Take these broken wings (collab)

I knew the reason I felt hollow.

Early Huntlow relationship stuff. Some fluff and angst etc :

You, Strange as Angels

I Remember skies, reflected in your eyes

Sun says you fly

But traditions I can trace against the child in your face.

Thank You Consequence (Longer, multiple POV story about Hunter's first Thanksgiving after becoming a Noceda)

Huntlow Week Shorties 2023

Parenthood! (Sort of) One shots involving Hunter and Willow being new parents but the baby is yet unnamed.

Believe it or not, hands on a miracle

I Climbed a Mountain and I Turned Around

My Father's Eyes (collab)

Misc:

I'm Telling Y'all it's Sabotage! (Noceda Sibling Shenanigans)

Learn to Fly (Hunter gets used to being a regular kid while Willow is away with her dads)

My Myspace page is all totally pimped out, I got people begging for my top 8 spaces. (Hunter and Gus surprise Raine with tickets to one of the Human Realm’s most talented bards — and a custom made Hawaiian shirt.)

Here's a waiver for you to sign (crack fic involving Hettie Cutburn being obsessed with House M.D.)

Monster of the Week: (SCOM Askew-niverse)

Pre-Scomverse stories where the Hexsquad deals with monsters across realms -- and adolescence (think BtVS ). Some continuity might be a little off, but its basically prequels.

Grimwalker Stories (Scary Tales and other stories involving pre-Belos Grimwalkers.

Older:

Stranger Tides: (My first TOH fic. A Stranger Things inspired retelling of Thanks to Them.)

cover art by lovemoroporo

cover art by @threegoblinart

[thefoolau]

🎪The Fool — a Welcome Home AU!🎭

ㅤㅤPeople are cruel, everyone knows that; and sometimes, a "Home" can be where others like you are.

ㅤㅤBut nice things never last, do they...?

ㅤㅤAfter being discriminated & ostracized by society for as long as they can remember thanks to Kastor's influence, Wally alongside Barnaby go out to find other puppets like them in order to create a circus, where they all started performing together. ㅤㅤHowever, this all came to an abrupt end when Kastor cursed the whole city, making all of them forget everything about the circus out of spite and jealousy; all except Wally, who now has to carry with the burden of remembering, while all of her friends don't.

. . . AU info below !

！﹘Index ,

Boundaries

Characters

Story

Misc

1. ﹕ Boundaries ,

💧 What is ok?

Fan art, edits, cosplays, fanfics, anything creative!

Platonic OC x Canon, Zeze is aroace!

Character interactions of any kind!  In any medium!  I’d love to see them!

Memes or things alike!

Hurt/comfort, angst

Fanon AUs of the AU

Edits! All of this, as long as you tag/ credit me of course!

💧 What is not ok?

Selling mass produced merchandise.

Sexual interactions, both explicit and not explicit.

Romantic OC x Canon, again, aroace!  Not open to relationships!

Anything related to crushes/ atraction to masc/ male characters, not even as a joke. Zeze's a lesbian!

Redesigns, recolors, tracing, etc. without my permission.

Gore, body horror Please respect these boundaries, if not you will be blocked and blacklisted.

2. ﹕ Characters ,

🎭 ; Wally Darling, the trapeze artist!

ㅤ

🌺 ; Julie Joyful, the acrobat!

ㅤ

⭐ ; Sally Starlet, the acrobat!

ㅤ

🃏 ; Kastor (K.W.), the wizard! (antagonist)

the others don't have a reference yet, I'll add them once I make them!

3. ﹕ Story ,

ㅤㅤNo one ever liked them. None of them. They were considered weird, ugly; Dangerous. So they sticked together, supported each other, and thus formed a small family.

ㅤㅤAll of them had Something, were something others didn't like. Wally was too flexible; Barnaby was too big; Eddie was too strong, and all of them were monsters made out of felt to their eyes. They were easy to judge, so people took advantage of that.

ㅤㅤIt all started when Wally found Barnaby in an alley, abandoned and beaten up. They talked, and soon became friends; that's when they had the idea to find others like them, others who were ostracized by society. It didn't take long until they did; through sings, word of mouth and rumors, or by finding them in hidden places like dark streets or abandoned buildings. And so, they formed "Home", a circus of the city's "weirdos". ㅤㅤThey performed for others, with time gained their sympathy and admiration; their shows were fun, unique, mesmerizing. Everyone liked them. But most importantly, They liked doing them. They supported, took care of, Loved each other; they were finally happy, together.

ㅤㅤBut nice things never last, do they?

ㅤㅤIt started just like any other day; Wally woke up in the small room he rented with his share of the money made from the shows, got ready for the day and went out, heading to the tent they performed in to rehearse with the others. It was like a home, only there he felt like he belonged, only there he felt safe.

ㅤㅤBut it wasn't there. Home was completely gone.

ㅤㅤWally felt his heart sank. Did something happen? What could've possibly caused the whole tent to disappear overnight? She quickly approached someone she'd seen in the audience multiple times and asked them about it, but to his surprise, they looked at them with disgust and pushed him away, telling her to never approach them again before walking away, insulting him under their breath.

ㅤㅤShe quickly got up, running to the inn he knew Barnaby was staying at; they'd never seen him there, and added that they'd never let a freak like him stay there in the first place. When he got out, a man dressed in black stared at him from the shadows, mockingly smiling before turning away and disappearing without leaving a trace. Tears were already running down her face, ruining their make up and making other people stare at him with disapproval. "Why?" she thought, dropping to her knees, defeated. Why was this happening to him? What did they do to deserve this? Why was everyone so cruel? ㅤㅤAfter a few hours of walking around, he couldn't deny it any longer. To her horror...

ㅤㅤNo one remembered. Not even those who she thought of as family. ㅤㅤIt was like nothing ever happened. Like Home never happened.

ㅤㅤThis is a story not lost to time, ㅤㅤbut to a man's hatred and jealousy.

4. ﹕ Misc ,

The AU's Spotify playlist!

more coming soon . . .

Farewell, neighbor! Thank you for reading. @:)

[mariana-oconnor]

The Empty House pt 2

Last time on Letters from Watson: a gambler was shot in a locked room, a detective rose from the dead and brandy once more proved itself the true panacea.

This time, we are eagerly awaiting the explanation for Holmes' miraculous reappearance.

"He drew no weapon, but he rushed at me and threw his long arms around me."

So romantic.

"We tottered together upon the brink of the fall."

Look... tottered is not an ominous word. It just isn't. It brings to mind small children, the elderly, and drunk people. 'Tottered' is an amusing word. It amuses me. Usually these descriptions are very visceral and dramatic and moving, but the word 'tottered' just throws me right out.

"I have some knowledge, however, of baritsu, or the Japanese system of wrestling, which has more than once been very useful to me."

Or maybe you're referring to bartitsu? Which is an 'actual' martial art. Or... at the very least the British approximation at one.

I always thought this was made up, honestly, until not very long ago when I learnt there was an actual thing made up for English gentlemen. the pictures are very silly.

"With my face over the brink I saw him fall for a long way. Then he struck a rock, bounded off, and splashed into the water.”

"So rapidly does the brain act that I believe I had thought this all out before Professor Moriarty had reached the bottom of the Reichenbach Fall."

I see being dead did nothing for your ego, Holmes. It has survived completely intact.

"I might, it is true, have reversed my boots, as I have done on similar occasions"

I want to know how this works. Feet are very much... feet shaped. Ankles are definitively at one end of the foot. Boots are designed with this in mind. How does one put on a pair of boots backwards. Walking backwards, I can see, but putting your shoes on so the toe is at the heel? Maybe if you're wearing ballet pumps or something like that with a very wide opening. But walking boots?

How?

"There I was stretched when you, my dear Watson, and all your following were investigating in the most sympathetic and inefficient manner the circumstances of my death. “At last, when you had all formed your inevitable and totally erroneous conclusions, you departed for the hotel and I was left alone."

Not even death can prevent Holmes from throwing shade at other investigators. 'inefficient'? "Erroneous" They're coming to the conclusions you arranged for them to come to.

"I took to my heels, did ten miles over the mountains in the darkness...,"

Don't try this at home, kids.

No really... do not attempt to make a ten mile trek over the alps in the dark. Just don't. Mountain rescue will not thank you.

"As to Mycroft, I had to confide in him in order to obtain the money which I needed."

You mean with your prodigious skills and intellect you couldn't work out any other way to make money. Like... get a job? Also, literally the first thing everyone knows about faking your own death is that you don't contact anyone from your old life. It's rule number one. Don't do it. This is basic stuff, Holmes. I expected better of you.

Always nice to get a Mycroft reference, though.

Florence, Tibet, Persia, Khartoum, Montpelier, Holmes really was out there doing the world tour on his family money while Watson thought he was dead. Classic. It's like canoe man all over again.

"I came over at once to London, called in my own person at Baker Street, threw Mrs. Hudson into violent hysterics, and found that Mycroft had preserved my rooms and my papers exactly as they had always been."

Let me get this straight.

You're in contact with your brother the whole time, who is sending you money

You do high profile things that are relevant to your previous interests (visiting the Dalai Lama/exploration under the name of Sigerson/short but interesting visit to the Khalifa of Khartoum that the foreign office needs to know about/scientific research in Montpelier)

The first thing you do when you're back in the country is go to your former residence with no disguise and reveal your not-dead status to your landlady (poor Mrs Hudson does not deserve this).

There is no way anyone other than Watson thinks you're dead at this point. You have literally checked every box of the 'How Not to Survive Witness Protection' checklist. Congratulations, Holmes. You are bad at being dead. Just casually putting up posters everywhere you go that say 'Sherlock Holmes woz ere'.

I don't know how he survived three years, smh.

Also, the fact that he had already thrown Mrs Hudson into 'violent hysterics' and then went and made Watson faint makes that whole thing worse. I get that it's at least in part misogyny, but did you really need to repeat that experiment, Holmes?

In some manner he had learned of my own sad bereavement, and his sympathy was shown in his manner rather than in his words.

RIP Mary Watson (nee Morstan), we hardly knew you. And honestly, neither did your husband.

I observed that as he stepped out he gave a most searching glance to right and left, and at every subsequent street corner he took the utmost pains to assure that he was not followed.

You literally went to Baker Street, Holmes. This is too little, too late. The horse has already bolted, stop locking the doors. I do know that this is all part of your master plan, but given that you were stupid about secrecy the entire time you were away, it's difficult to tell where you started laying a trap and when you were just being dumb.

As my eyes fell upon it I gave a gasp and a cry of amazement. The blind was down and a strong light was burning in the room. The shadow of a man who was seated in a chair within was thrown in hard, black outline upon the luminous screen of the window.

“The credit of the execution is due to Monsieur Oscar Meunier, of Grenoble, who spent some days in doing the moulding. It is a bust in wax.”

Sherlock Holmes here to remind you to always credit the original artist.

"You must remember that they knew, and only they knew, that I was still alive."

And yet they somehow did not keep track of Mycroft sending money overseas? I get that the Holmes boys are geniuses, but still. As previously mentioned, Holmes has not been subtle here. The bad guys are bad at their jobs. Shame on them. Shame on their cows.

"But I cared a great deal for the much more formidable person who was behind him, the bosom friend of Moriarty, the man who dropped the rocks over the cliff, the most cunning and dangerous criminal in London."

Who knew you were alive, but still somehow couldn't put together the myriad clues you were joyously dropping all over the planet for him. Full offence, but he's not that cunning.

"That is the man who is after me to-night, Watson, and that is the man who is quite unaware that we are after��him.”

Anybody have a kernel of suspicion about who that might be?

[marciabrady]

Perhaps you give us your thoughts about Snow White? (I'm not quite sure if you ever gave your full thoughts on her at length)

Hi there- thank you for the question! I've answered it here before and touched on her in my appreciation/defense (so sad you have to defend the original princesses if you like them lol) posts here, here, here, and here.

Ultimately, I think she's the most dynamic, fascinating, and important female character of all time. The original four, generally, are my favorites and I never choose between them because there's something that I connect to about each of them- but facts are facts. Without Snow White, none of the other Princesses would exist, the genre of animation wouldn't exist as we know it, the Disney parks would never exist- Disney itself probably wouldn't exist. Pop culture probably wouldn't, we'd go a completely different way about merchandising and publishing soundtracks, about the princess archetype and there wouldn't even be a basis through which to satirize the fairytales, as has become so common (Shrek, Frozen, Enchanted, Disenchanted, Moana, etc). But enough about her inestimable impact on so many industries- how do I feel about her?

Simply put, I love her. She reminds me of my Grandmother in the most beautiful way. My Grandmother loves to cook and clean, yes, and they're from the same era so there are parallels that seem obvious and they were both viewed as the most beautiful women...but they're the most vibrant and enchanting people. They're so funny and good natured that it's hard for anyone to be cross or have a long face about them. They're such a bright light that you almost assume they're simple minded, because surely no one who's ever lived with all their senses about them would be able to be so...kind and unhardened? But they are far from being simple-minded- they're so sharp and mix beautifully with others and have had such heartbreaking pasts, survivors through and through, but they've been so resilient in surviving their pasts and not allowing it to shape them or the way they see others, that people frequently forget their journey and view them as shallow. You know how the Genie says, "you'll never find another girl like that in a million years" about Jasmine? That's the way I feel about them- that rarity of spirit and joy and voice and beauty. The best friend you'll ever have, being selfless and overly empathetic, yes to a fault, but in a way that puts into perspective once more what living is all about and awakens you to how jaded and cynical everyone around you is and how numb you, yourself, might even be to human suffering? It reinstates the importance of a simple act of kindness and how much of a difference that can make to someone. In a world where women need to be superheros to be taken seriously or have to know martial arts or have to be violent or possess magical powers, I love how human Snow White is allowed to be. Her personality and fullness of life is enough to ensure her place in the stable of Hollywood's stars. It also makes me laugh because it's shown me how insincere people are? I grew up with seeing people say Snow White's short hair is unattractive or that she is unattractive, body shaming her and saying she has a double chin or full arms, or hating her voice. And it's so funny now that everyone seems to want different design types for the princesses, more body inclusivity, that they're touting to not be so harsh about female appearances. But everything people are asking for now are qualities Snow White has always possessed in spades! "Girl boss" Snow White literally bartered her marketable skills she learned as a slave in order to get room and board "no push over" she literally shoved back on the Dwarfs when they tried to disregard her instructions. Even all of the "why didn't Cinderella just leave her household!" people are blind the to the fact that Snow White did run away from home and had to start all over again from scratch, essentially a homeless person in the woods without any resources. No, Snow White is the most unique- the most different in every way possible and the strongest because she is a complete and total individual. To quote Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, she is the earth mother and we're all flops lol there will never be another Snow White.

[chemicalbrew]

2023 game list, part 1: I love complaining!

Once again continuing what has become an honorable tradition thanks to @smash-64 💜

I tried to promise myself I'd be more organized this year, trying to take notes after I beat things, making lists and gifs and everything, as it has become a consistent yearly undertaking. In truth, what happened is that I felt more overwhelmed by this than I did the last three years. The best explanation I can give is a combination of two facts: this year, while not particularly worse than what came before, still saw my confidence in myself tank a bit (i.e. What does this matter when few people read it and I don't bring much things of value to the table?)...

And the fact that I played very few games that really stuck with me, that I enjoyed enough to see through to the end and feel like that had merit, for a lot of the year. When that wasn't the case, it was more than likely I'd been on my nth playthrough of Katana ZERO of the year (more on that in a later post, hopefully).

I probably need help, don't I?..

games I played, but don't have much to say about at the moment without being prompted, aside from 'I kinda liked them, I guess', ordered best to worst:

Purrfect Apawcalypse trilogy (2019-2021) - series of VNs that's genuinely just good fun as you find yourself attached to the characters before you know it. You'll know if this one is for you at a glance. Also, this is how I found out about Panel Royale! LOL

The Witch's House MV (2018) - good old RPG Maker horror with a few decent twists. The remake has good QOL changes.

Gunbrella (2023) - the plot might be forgettable, but you get a gun that's an umbrella! What's not to enjoy?

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) - I played this game, but only in the most technical sense. Literally cheated the fun out of it - either that, or this platformer style is not for me.

Coffee Talk: Episode 2 - Hibiscus & Butterfly (2023) - the most upsetting entry on the list. The writer behind the original game has passed away, and his absence is felt keenly even if you're not aware of the fact - because this sequel lacks charm.

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (2021) - yet another of those cheap and short indie 2D Zelda clones. The definition of the word meh.

Irisu Syndrome (2008) - a unique free puzzle timewaster. Tries to have a story and fails.

dishonorable mentions (the part with the most complaining)

2064: Read Only Memories (PC, 2014) [♪ Home (Not) Sweet Home]

Starts off decent enough, doing the bare minimum to string you along the mystery (which, for most people with standards, wouldn't even be good enough, but I was willing to stick with it for the sake of the neat audiovisual presentation).

As soon as the murder scene is revealed, however, the main plot starts to fall apart, and the longer you spend with the game's writing (which seems to go on and on forever) and characters (about as flat as a pancake fresh off the pan), the more bleak and yawn-inducing they seem (including Turing, who just took longer than everyone else to annoy me).

Do yourself a favor, play VA-11 Hall-A (which this game gratuitously references) instead. You'll get all the benefits of cute pixel art and upbeat soundtrack, but with an actually good story\character cast to match. I swear it says something about 2064 that one of its most exciting moments was seeing throwaway lines from a VA-11 character!

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (PC, 2015) [♪ Climbing the Ginso Tree]

This is a game that won awards back when it came out almost a decade ago. Unfortunately, it feels like it was made to win awards and little more. While the credits scrolling up the screen tried to convince otherwise - with the usual special thanks given to families and pets of the developers - I sat there, unsure of what I was supposed to take from this experience (once again, the less words you try to use to tell your story, the more it usually suffers!).

The heart of any platformer is its movement systems - and, while eventually Ori's tools open up just enough to make you feel at least a little free and alive in its world, they also never go beyond what is almost painfully typical. Double jump, wall climb, ground pound, glide, charged projectile? None of that is going to wow anyone. The way it comes together is not too pleasant, either - Ori's too floaty and the obstacles before him, while painted with a talented stroke, are too unclear in their presentation to make for truly fun traversal. The exception to this is the escape sequences - sure, a lot of the time they're not much less frustrating than the rest of the game, but they're definitely more memorable, to the point where the accompaniment to one was the only part of the soundtrack I could think to showcase.

I don't regret the time I spent on this, per se, but what I can tell you is that it probably didn't deserve the awards. Also, the way the wall jump worked was annoying! Pushing towards the wall to do it feels very counter-intuitive, and with this I found that I much prefer when games have you face away from the wall to register wall jumps, or do not require you to press a direction at all.

Celeste (PC, 2018) [♪ Checking In] + Celeste Classic (2015, played as part of full game) :)

I was in high school when this made waves. I pointedly feigned disinterest as it splashed all over the internet, while making sure to download the soundtrack quickly and listen to it - more than occasionally - over the next three or so years. Lena Raine's work carried me through my school years and empowered me, and all the while I hadn't a clue what playing the game is actually like.

Those were the better days.

Now, the things about this game that seem to appeal the most to a lot of people are how refreshingly simple Madeline's moveset is and how much the game respects your time with death transitions and reloading, and the story it tells through heartfelt cutscenes and gameplay working in sync. To which I boldly say... none of those things are good enough.

Having to climb and manage your stamina adds another layer to navigating the rooms, sure, but to my simple ass, that's one layer too many. To the game's credit, there's a setting to make climbing toggleable instead of requiring you to hold down the trigger, and using that was the only reason I managed to push past the hotel and Oshiro (call me a scrub, it was genuinely overwhelming otherwise), but it still did nothing to change how I feel about this mechanic fundamentally.

I get it, it adds precision and verticality to your movement, and, seeing as you're literally supposed to be scaling a mountain, it's more than a natural inclusion... but its existence did nothing but add pressure for me, somehow. I would frequently forget it's an option at all before realizing the room in question expects me to utilize it. Instead of feeling like climbing expands my options, I felt constricted and awkward.

My second issue is much simpler. I'm a spoiled brat, and Celeste's respawning process involving that annoying whoosh sound effect and a transition that, yes, takes only about a second, but is still not quite instant, was not good enough. I recognize that having it be truly instant would not be ideal, either, but I can't help but wish that was the case.

As for the story... It underwhelmed me even back when I was doing surface level research at the time of release, and it's not impressing me now. It's okay, and I recognize why it would resonate with people - the themes of self-acceptance and resolve are plain to see (and just as plain to mull over). But in my time with the game, Madeline never began feeling less like an avatar for my failures and more like an actual character, never changed into someone I would truly like.

By the time I reached the Mirror Temple, I was certain that this game, in most respects, is just not what I would ever want. I pushed towards the summit anyway, and left it feeling profoundly... nothing.

However... Celeste Classic did not have any of those things! That little prototype gem of a game wastes zero time trying to set the stage and make you feel things with ~a story~, doesn't give you any opportunity to climb whatsoever, and neither does it waste your time having the screen fade to black when you die! And these three things, I reckon, are key to why this smaller version, that's supposed to just be treated as an Easter egg now, a relic of the past, and to be forgotten in favor of the project it grew into... resonated with me so much more! I beat it twice! It's lovely! It's what I actually needed Celeste to be!

IT'S COMPLICATED

AI: The Somnium Files (PC, 2019) [♪ MonzAI] + AI:TSF - Nirvana Initiative (PC, 2022) [♪ Nefarious Institute 1]

You know how they say not to judge the book by its cover? This is a story of me learning (once again) to judge a game neither by its reception nor by the credentials behind it. When I plowed through this duology, I came to understand that sometimes, lightning might strike just the once.

Of course, most of my bitter feelings about it stem from just how miraculous of a fuck-up Nirvana Initiative ended up being as a sequel (it's impressive how much it had to twist everything its predecessor stood for to even have a chance at making a mediocre point!), but a lot of the disappointment came from the way the first game carries itself in general, and maybe even from the presence this game has among fans. 'Oh, if you want more of the magic and mystery that you so enjoyed in Zero Escape, you have to try this! It'll be just as good!'

I should have had my doubts from the start, given how little I had enjoyed the ZE series after 999. AI1 flounders in many things, like its obtuse, deeply unfun gameplay loop - most of which is pressing random buttons until you see the most ridiculous shit present itself. There's also the overt reliance on stale and perverse jokes, and a story that can barely do much except trudge to the finish line and attempt to convince you the journey was worth it with a trite dance number, of all things.

But the thing is… even with all that, the first entry was somewhat compelling during its runtime, though most of that comes from its bold novelty. The idea of taking advantage of the surreality of dreams to find deeply concealed truths is fun to occasionally ponder, and there's just enough fluff to the places you visit and things you do to string you along for the ride (though having to check the same spots for flavor text on each revisit to very little results is a deep annoyance I have with both entries). The characters actually got a chance to grow (if not by much… this series' urge to be immature at every turn is nothing short of ruinous, sometimes), and their designs strike a wonderful line between outstanding and cringeworthy that makes them just… stick out in your brain, you know?

So while I thought the song and dance (both the literal and the metaphorical) were ultimately not worth much, I was still convinced, fooled by the magic just enough to see things come to an end; and the resolution itself was satisfying and believable, if nothing else. And with how exhausted I felt reaching this point, I figured that'd be enough.

To me, AI1 is all about finding shards of diamonds in the rough, and it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that its fandom runs away with what little they have to try and improve on it (and often succeed). As such, you'd expect its sequel to take advantage of how much room there is to grow, capitalize on this chance to refine things, and use the few strong themes the original presented (value of bonds and family made both by blood and by choice, finding those you can rely on to carry what you have done forward, etc)... right?

Um, yeah, turns out it twists over itself even more than I'd already thought possible in order to make sense (not to mention seemingly forsaking most of that mess right at the true end in order to approach the established universe from a contrived meta angle). If AI1 can be described as having extremely unrefined gameplay coupled with a decently intriguing story, NI is just about the opposite of that.

While I'm glad they bothered to make exploring the dream worlds enjoyable this go around, there's no way in hell that makes it worthwhile to bear witness to the innumerable ways in which this mess of a sequel sullied the already weak foundations laid down by its predecessor. When I had finished that game, I wrote, on impulse, that 'I haven't been this confounded by a sequel's existence since Chrono Cross'. It just… did not need to happen, like, at all.

Nirvana Initiative posed to me one of the worst questions you can have while playing a game, which is…

'Why am I doing this, again?'

Let's be real, it was mostly for the soundtrack. Unlike AI1, this game had passable music! Though having to watch ANOTHER dance number (like half a dozen times, actually! and no, there's no skip button!) just about had me gagging.

That's not even the worst part about that sequence, no - that would have to be the way it almost actively ruins and undermines what's probably the only passable character arc in NI (and even then, you have to squint hard for it to pass your judgement, given how it starts... gotta hand it to this game for managing to have multiple relationships with genuinely questionable setups involving uncomfortable age gaps).

I wanted to feel touched by the new, somewhat expanded narratives, I wanted to see the world grow a little, despite all the grievances I was certain I would have... But not even halfway through the plot, I realized that my true wish was to just move on. I think that's what I'll do here, as well, as even reminiscing on this chaos is quite dreadful.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch, 2022) [♪ Agnus Colony]

Don't become prey and victim to your own expectations - or to bad advertising.

Xenoblade is a special series, full of wonder and power. Words fail me this year, as they did the year before, when it comes to describing how much of an impact these games - the second entry most of all, a game I think about now and then with a bittersweetness on my heart that I oddly never can get enough of - had had on my mental well-being last year. They might as well have saved me back then, and while getting to experience them was something I'd been planning to do for a while, the specific circumstances it all had happened under were just so special, so exceptional, so wild, that it's hard to think of those days as anything but a gift.

And yet, there are plenty of things in this particular journey I still have to reconcile with. I never settled on what my impression of 1 is, in the end (or, some might say, I never properly played it); I could use a fresher look at 2, and… I never, ever, will finish Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It's a game I once had hopes for, but nowadays don't ever want to think about.

I thought it a privilege, of sorts - the fact that I was there to witness (and acquire) a brand-new release in a series that became dearly important to me. I ended up hearing many things - the trailers, the rumors, the leaks. They all spoke of a definitive resolution to the series, of levels of refinement never seen before, of intrigue so big you can barely take it, of key character appearances we were all dying to see.

Turns out most of what we were so eagerly expecting came with an extra price tag.

The base game of Xenoblade 3 is a mirage, a mere shade of what came before it. The environments are open and vast, but they look more drab than ever - and with the new autowalk feature, it takes even less time to get sick of it. The music takes you on a journey, but you forget what it sounds like far sooner than you'd prefer. The battle system promises lots of options and a nice learning curve, but it only overextends, overwhelms and forces you to grind. The cutscenes look every bit the part of a Xenoblade story, but meander and stretch things out to the point of boredom, which means none of the characters get enough time to grow on the player, either… Though a lot of them would probably go nowhere even given all the time in the world.

And the setting as a whole? Well, it's a simulation, so who cares about it feeling unique or fun? That's the point, the game says, you're supposed to empathize with these characters breaking out of their bonds, out of this miserable existence! Well, I say that things can be made appealing even in decay. You don't have to actively worsen things to make a point.

Future Redeemed is an impressive demonstration of how things could have been. It fixes practically every point where the base game falters - and it is in this part of the game where all those promises that once seemed hollow finally come true. Sort of. The exploration process is smooth as butter in the way none of the games before were, characters are at last back to having defined roles in battle, and all that teasing becomes a thing of the past as 3 acknowledges its own roots and past in full, and you think to yourself… 'If only we'd got this in the base game all along!'

But we didn't. And the credits on Future Redeemed roll far too soon to truly be satisfied. Is this how you wanted the saga to end?

honorable mentions

Butterfly Soup 2 (PC, 2022) [♪ Night Tourist] *I hope you'll forgive me for not finding a GIF for a mostly static VN...

It's so funny. For me it has been two years; for the creator, it'd been five. But I guess time doesn't matter when it comes to maturity, as I feel like both myself and this game have done plenty of growth. And for that, I love it all the more, just as I am now thankful to be able to call Butterfly Soup a short series.

Compared to the first game, the art is more refined, the tone is more consistent, and treatment of serious topics is more grounded - in more ways than one, this sequel is like a fond, yet melancholic look at what you once had, what changed since then, and what you hope to make of things. But between all that, it stays sincere and silly in the best of ways - the ones that make you feel cozy on the darkest of nights, the ones that endear you for a good while yet. Truly, this game was a ray of light in a sea of mediocrity this year.

Road 96 (PC, 2021) [♪ Hit the Road]

Yeah, I know. The fact that I have played a goddamn walking simulator at the behest of a good pal (who might or might not be reading this, hi on the off chance that you are!) is nothing short of a miracle. Not to mention the fact that I ended up having a good time with it!

I'll put it plain: the vibes of this game are almost impeccable. It wastes little time setting things up - it's the turn of the century, and a massively corrupt government is practically folding in on itself as it closes its borders. It's up to you, as you're literally put into a blank-slate teenager's shoes, to go on a desperate journey and see whether or not you make your way out.

Over the course of Road 96, you do this six times, and the people you meet on the way and choices you make with them may or may not shape not just your own future, but that of the whole country. There's nothing for it, then, but hit the road and see what awaits you, as you sit in a car that's probably stolen, blaring music from your carefully curated tapes… or are dropped off on the wayside with nothing but a paltry backpack to speak of… or find yourself biding your time near a gas station… or… whatever it is the game throws at you, as you hope that the strangers you run into actually deign to help.

Yes, the biggest way this game attempts to stand out is with our good old friend, RNG. Even reading blurbs about it, you cannot escape the all-too-typical claims of 'your own personal journey', 'a thousand unique paths waiting for you' and all that… months later, I find myself unable to decide whether this helped the game or harmed it more, as it's definitely smaller than it makes itself out to be.

As a story hook, this setup is clever and delightful, as I tried to illustrate a moment earlier, but the moment you begin to overthink it, you realize that the randomness aspect clashes hard against the continuity the game tries to establish. You, as the player, indeed learn more about the world and colorful characters in it each time you venture forth, but the avatar you control is supposed to be clueless as ever, setting out on a path that is, in fact, not quite their own any more. It's a weird gripe to have, and I found it an easy one to ignore, but I wish something could be done about it anyway.

As for the rest of the plot, let's just say it's... surprisingly binary, and the supporting cast small and not always compelling in turn. The game sacrifices some of the personal intimacy and uniqueness it has built up to make a sweeping, painfully boring statement of 'freedom good, suppression bad' before credits roll, but as damaging as that is to the overall experience, I feel like one can't deny the fundamental appeal of just being asked to go on a journey with sweeping stakes and truly, truly banging music. Seriously, it was meant to be put on speakers and blasted as the world passes you by!

In a word, Road 96 is ambitious, and in a sentence, it is ambitious, yet falling short of itself. Nonetheless, I was impressed by how it managed to worm its way into my heart for a while.

A Space for the Unbound (PC, 2023) [♪ Don't Have Much Choice]

Wouldn't you know it? I had actually played two games involving entering people's subconsciousness to solve their problems this year!

Truth be told, I'd been looking forward to this game for about a year, given that it was published by the people behind Coffee Talk (which, if you recall, I had quite enjoyed). The warm and inviting screenshots on the back-then almost empty store page, showing off awesome art and promising a sweet little journey with slice-of-life tropes and a mystery waiting to be solved… well, to say all of that was alluring is to say nothing, really. I just about jumped when I received a notification for this game releasing at last at the beginning of the year, and wasted little time trying to dive in.

The sad thing is, what you see is not always what you get. The cozy, comfortable, sensible vibes of the early game - running around the city, doing chores at your school, naming every stray cat you come across, watching the protagonist's diary fill up as he crosses all the little goals he had set in life off his precious list… Yeah, those things won't last - definitely not long enough to get you attached to characters living in this world.

As the plot begins to unfold, it fumbles over itself trying to introduce various cliches and supernatural elements, to the point where you recognize the whole experience as a tedious drag as you see exactly where it's heading, and think to yourself that you have heard all this before. It's yet another heartfelt story about self-actualization, and as the game hammers it in harder than ever before, you sigh and wish you could go back to the times of bottle cap collecting and cat petting. Sometimes, simpler is better.

Unfortunately, that's not exactly true when it comes to actually playing A Space for the Unbound. The gameplay is as simple as can be - basically all you do is walk around (quite slowly) and interact with things. I can appreciate how linear the game is, for the most part, but I wish it let us accomplish our goals without wasting too much time! Not to mention, if you try to see everything there is, you have to be prepared to deal with quite a few mind-numbingly repetitive mini-games for far longer than you have to. Don't do that. It'll just sully your impression of the game.

If you're somehow still interested in this after reading this messy opinion of mine, don't be too discouraged - you'll see plenty of beautiful sights, hear some cute music, and, maybe, be affected by the story far more than I was. (Besides, for a cat lover, it's always nice to see others appreciate them!) Just... try not to waste too much time with the game's superficial sidequests.

Tales of the Abyss (3DS, 2011 port of a 2006 release) [♪ The Distribution Base]

There's something ironic in how playing (most of) this game has been one of the best things I have done with my lovely 2DS since I homebrewed it earlier this year... and yet I quite regret not checking how (ahem) easily available the PS2 version is, instead. They may be functionally identical, but the hardware is not - you have no idea how hard some of the goddamn Mieu Fire puzzles become when your character is taking up a mere four or so pixels of an already tiny screen. Man, that was trying my patience at its finest.

These horrors aside, though, what kind of game are we even dealing with here? Well, it’s a Tales game first and foremost. I can’t deny claims that Abyss has a few strengths of its own (most notably, of course, actually bothering to have coherent character development arcs), but it’s not quite enough to obscure the ever-prevalent issues this series has:

exploration and side-questing is still annoyingly obtuse, not to mention traversal is painfully slow in the first half of the game,

some characters (in this case, Anise more so than others, but I'd argue Mieu's whole existence is part of this too) are obligated to suffer because Tales has to meet its unhealthy anime tropes\wackiness quota per game,

the skit system has not, unfortunately, evolved one bit (the amount of times I would skip a skit on accident, because any input halts its playback entirely…),

while I’m inclined to say the battle system is, for the most part, an improvement (the Field of Fonons mechanic is quite a nice change given the foundations of Tales gameplay, I have to admit), any goodwill you might want to give it gets shattered when you realize Free Run breaks bosses in half. And aside from that, it’s just your usual button-mashy fare.

So why did I push on with this game as far as I did, pulling the classic move of quitting right at the final boss instead of, well, any earlier? A lot of that is because I was just in the mood to mash some buttons in bed until I realized I was slightly underleveled for the finale and caught myself groaning at the mere thought of trying to even cheese it. A shame, that, because the ending of this game is pretty wonderful for what it set out to do, and it was the only bit I did not see on my own. It's like my experience with Final Fantasy VI all over again…

That's not all there is to it, though. Abyss has some of what's probably the most involved and curious worldbuilding (once you get past all the awkward made up jargon it loves to throw at you) of any Tales game I know! Not that this says much, because that's a low bar, and I'm not too familiar with the series at large, but it was enough to keep me engaged for a long while. And, as mentioned earlier, it puts in greater efforts than I expected to endear you to the cast as they slowly band together and uncover their own talents, purposes and aims in life - Luke in particular.

I liked him almost immediately - because I'm not too hard to please when it comes to this series, and his design is, I feel, particularly sweet and striking (especially given how nicely the game used the Important Haircut trope with him, and of course, the contrast between him and Asch). But that alone doesn't a good protagonist make - it's the fact that the story allows Luke to make mistakes (from small ones to straight-up catastrophes), get his comeuppance and grow from them organically, at his own pace, that makes him stand out in my mind.

As Luke sheds his sheltered ways of thought and accepts his responsibilities, those that were traveling with him, either out of obligation or by chance, begin to support him more and stand by him in earnest. It all comes together gradually and at a satisfying pace, and is definitely a highlight of the experience to me.

Growth and connection are probably among the biggest themes of the game, so it's nice to see that it applies pretty much equally to both protagonists and antagonists. Sure, it's the job of a Tales' Big Bad faction to be goofy and up to nefarious activities, but beyond that, the group has solid enough chemistry both among themselves and with the party that I actually ended up looking forward to most encounters with them, even if ultimately it felt a little predictable. As an aside, for a game this old, the voice acting was really good and plentiful (though there is none for skits, which sucks), and further piqued my interest in the story along the way.

To conclude, I'd like to say that the biggest thing I learned while playing this game is that I'm a sucker for grounded tales of (ha) self-actualization even this many years later. And also that once you play one Tales game, you truly, to some extent, know them all.

SANABI (PC, 2023) [♪ Warm Hospitality]

Do you want to know why I ended up playing this one? Of course you do, that wasn't really a question. I only bring this up because the answer can be revealed with a single screenshot:

...yep, the inspiration is that blatantly on display. I was expecting it, of course - the Katana ZERO community is the only reason I know of SANABI in the first place, and even as you read people's thoughts on it, the extreme similarity is practically all they ever bring up, be it in a positive or negative light. It pleased me and warmed my heart, while also making me feel wary - it's one thing to be inspired by something, and another to actually carve an identity of your own.

That said, KZ is far from the worst thing to try to replicate, particularly when it comes to visuals - SANABI has some awesome scenery that makes me feel right at home. And while the story at times feels so much like an amateurish copy that it leaves me confused more than anything (I'm sure the awkward English translation sadly does not help matters, not to mention the fact that I'd played this game in an unfinished state - you might expect me to write about it again next year!), the gameplay is anything but.

I'm sure there are quite a few platformers out there that have you use what's essentially a grappling hook to swing through the stages, but SANABI is my first experience with something like this, and in this regard the game absolutely manages to shine on its own. Movement is lightning-fast and responsive, enemy targeting is extremely generous - almost to the point of being handholdy (and, of course, they all die in one satisfying hit - as do you, if you set the game to the highest difficulty. It's nice to be given an opportunity to learn the ropes before engaging with the game earnestly!), and there's something to be said about how the level design has that extreme kind of clarity to it that I always appreciate and favors speed over precision, with how spacious everything is.

My only big issues with how the game plays are how it doesn't seem to be designed with a controller in mind (it is an option, but I found myself moving much more precisely with KBM! Me! Someone who never plays games with that!), and, once again, the just-a-bit-too-long death animation\transition. Being able to skip it helps, but I just yearn for no time to be wasted...

[sarandipitywrites]

NaNo update 11/30

well, that's that for nano this year. i'm so glad i got to participate this year - i might have to make a habit of it. but for now, here's the last bit of The Art of Empty Space for a little while. what's going to happen next? will Lienzo and Baz break the curse? will Lienzo quit pining over Baz and kiss him already? will Lienzo get a pair of pants? only one of these questions answered here; the rest will have to wait until i sweep the mess my plot has become into some sort of order :)

The hazy, cold light of the gloaming stole in through the curtains. Lienzo had watched it creep in, finger by cautious finger, until the darkness had bled away. He needed to get up. He was as rested as he was going to get; the soreness and fatigue of the previous days would have to go away on their own. But he was sore, and tired, and the bed was warm, and smelled like Baz. Baz. He sighed, his lungs replacing the air with something lighter. He burrowed further into the blankets. Baz, still asleep, squeezed Lienzo's waist just that little bit tighter, making his heart clench almost painfully. Why couldn't they stay this way forever? Why did there have to be a curse? Why couldn't he just take Baz home to his maza, where they'd make fun of his weird lizard feet before inviting him in for seafood fritters? Why did they have to read about spells and sigils when they could be reading poetry? Why couldn't he just teach Baz to cook and Baz could teach him about plants and swordfighting and snow globes and the million little things that made Baz, Baz? ...Why had he never asked those questions about anyone else? Restlessness shivered up his legs, crawled under his skin. He pulled away — unsuccessfully, until he wedged his pillow between himself and Baz, giving his bedmate something else to latch onto — and padded across the plush rug to the bathroom. As he went through the motions of bathing and toileting, he turned the situation over and and over like a polished stone. He'd had more sexual partners than was worth the effort of counting. Phi knew about them — there was no hiding anything from them — but they didn't know them. He'd never wanted them to. All of his partners had been for 'sometimes' — when the mood struck. Plenty of people had known him, but he didn't want any of them to know him. He'd never understood that want — the feeling of being flayed open, pinned like a bug under a microscope. He'd never understood why his maza still wore the black-and-red braid they'd made with Xiro, all those years ago. Lienzo didn't feel 'forever.' As he scrunched his braids dry, a bottle of amber liquid on the vanity caught his eye. He popped open the glass stopper and breathed in smoky wood, peppery spice, and deep, dark musk. As he daubed some of the cologne on his fingers and applied it on his wrists and the back of his neck, he stoutly refused to think about 'forever.' There were, unsurprisingly, no clothes of his size in Baz's closet. So, still in his borrowed shirt and undershorts, he stole out into the hall and down the tower stairs. He would go back to his room, find a clean set of clothes, and think through the odd flutter in his chest. He'd always thought better while wearing trousers. When he emerged at the bottom of the stairs, he gasped and flinched back into the shadows. There were people in the keep. Dozens of people, of every size and shape and color, all bustling about, shouting and talking and laughing and hugging and Lienzo didn't know any of them and he wasn't wearing any trousers. "Enzie? Is that you?" A stocky, squareish person with a long dark braid and skin like red river rocks. Aisha. "What are you doing in there? Everyone's been looking for you. They want to thank you — Baz, too." "I— I'm kind of..." He wasn't body-shy. Not in the slightest. But a man had to draw a line somewhere and Lienzo's line, as it turned out, was parading around half-naked in a keep full of strangers. Strangers who wanted, specifically, to see him. Aisha, thankfully, caught on quickly. In less than a minute ze was gone and back again with a tunic in his size, house shoes, the all-important trousers, and even a binder. Ze even stood guard while he changed in the stairwell. Only when he was presentable did ze trot him out to the crowd.

AES taglist (ask to be added or removed!): @notwritinganyflufftoday

[crownmemes]

Sherlock (Series 1) Sentences

(Sentences from Sherlock (Series 1, 2010). Adjust phrasing where needed)

“Who’d want me for a flatmate?”

“You’re wearing lipstick. You weren’t wearing lipstick before.”

“I looked you up on the internet last night.”

“There’s no point sitting at home when there’s finally something fun going on!”

“Look at you, all happy. It’s not decent.”

“Serial killers are always hard. You have to wait for them to make a mistake.”

“I would make some kind of threat, but I’m sure your situation is quite clear to you.”

“You don’t seem very afraid”

“Bravery is by far the kindest word for stupidity, don’t you think?”

“I could be wrong, but I think that’s none of your business.”

“You don’t seem the kind to make friends easily.”

“Did he offer you money to spy on me?”

“Do people usually assume you’re the murderer?”

“I think you should know that I consider myself married to my work.”

“Everyone’s so stupid. Even you.”

“What’s the point in being clever if you can’t prove it?”

“We can’t giggle; it’s a crime scene!”

“Did it never occur to you that you and I belong on the same side?”

“We have more in common than you’d like to believe.”

“I know who you are, and I’d prefer it if you didn’t tamper with any of the evidence.”

“You’ve got the solution that you like, but you’re choosing to ignore anything you see that doesn’t comply with it.”

“I hired you to do a job. Don’t get sidetracked.”

“You heard me perfectly. I’m not saying it again.”

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t very professional.”

“I’ve got a date. You know, where two people who like each other go out and have fun.”

“Thanks, but I don’t come to you for dating advice.”

“What does it tell you when an assassin cannot shoot straight?”

“Don’t worry, the next date won’t be like this.”

“Gratitude is meaningless. It is only the expectation of further favours.”

“Oh, you meant spectacularly ignorant in a nice way?”

“All that matters to me is the work. Without that, my brain rots.”

“Look at that: quiet, calm, peaceful. Isn’t it hateful?”

“No, no, no, I can’t possibly be away from the office for any length of time. Not with the elections so… Well, you don’t need to know about that, do you?”

“Don’t make me order you.”

“Can I help? I want to help.”

“Don’t make people into heroes. Heroes don’t exist, and if they did, I wouldn’t be one of them.”

“The art of disguise is knowing how to hide in plain sight.”

“Come on, we’ve got a bit of burglary to do.”

“I gave you my number. I thought you might call.”

“Is that a British Army Browning L9A1 in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?”

“No one ever gets to me, and no one ever will.”

“I would try to convince you, but everything I have to say has already crossed your mind.”

[xnchxntmxnt]

HI HI OMG I've been putting off submitting for your event but I'm finally doing it lol AND CONGRATS ON 700 I know I'm super late but I wanted to say it

—my name is Jack and my pronouns are they/he

—my date ideas are going to a mall (indoor or outdoor), going to an empty fast food restaurant right before it closes (I consider it a date I want to do this SO BAD), and going to an art museum

—I'm very much a shy and introverted person but when I'm with people I'm close with I'm actually quite chaotic (especially on caffeine oops). I'm actually hilarious and very creative but also kind of pessimistic and judgmental. my hobbies are seeing/being in musicals, listening to music, writing, playing video games, daydreaming, watching tv/movies/anime, and singing (especially in choir).

—I'm going with yuri on ice for the fandom this time (very excited lol)

—I'd prefer if my match-up was male

—pics in a separate ask <3

thank you so much and take your time!!

aaaa jack this was fun i need to write for him more actually. u give me excuses to write yoi and i appreciate it so much <3

your valentine's date is... VICTOR NIKIFOROV.

Alright look

It’s a late flight and he’s whiny and complaining about how he’s tired of airport food

He’s finally back to you for a little while until he has to go for another competition (but this time he’s bringing you with him ok <3)

It’s the day after valentine’s day and he insists he has to do something with you right now because he missed the day (the travesty!)

So. you drive to some fast food joint down the road a bit

And he’s ecstatic and very animatedly talking to the barely-above-teenage kid at the register who is just. Very slowly putting your order in (it’s late, they have no energy and this dumbass just walked in)

But victor is happy to be back to you and nothing will stop him from telling everyone so

He finally relaxes when he gets his milkshake and you both get your food, so he begins to tell you all about his performance and how he did (you already know because you watched it, but let him tell you anyway)

For the sake of not inconveniencing anyone we’re saying this is a 24hr open place

So he spends a while talking about how his competition went and all the lovely people & fans he met while he was out

And he makes this little shocked face and is like. Oh dear! He hasn’t asked about your time at home. 

Poor kid at the register

Anyway you guys go home after what feels like forever and he drives because you're sleepy

Keeps his hand in yours the entire time while hes driving and very carefully brings you up to bed 

[badstargateimagines]

Good morning team! It’s time I address the elephant (Daniel Jackson) in the post with us. I have received a few comments, chief among them being prev, bringing to my attention that the above cursed image of Daniel Jackson is AI generated. Being as I pride myself on keeping the art of human generated bad memes alive, I feel it’s important that I address this and explain myself. I am doing this out of my own volition because oh my fucking god dude I posted ai generated Daniel Jackson and I have to see it anytime I get a notification and I feel like a Facebook boomer rn.

Thank you prev and all the other people who brought this to my attention I love you all so much and together we can stop our favourite memers and mutuals from posting AI stuff. I will break this down piece by piece so I don’t miss anything.

Explanation

As we all know, I make these high-quality posts from my state of the art office (my toilet) in my fortified compound (my family acreage) in rural Canada with state of the art editing software (Instagram stories and occasionally affinity photo). Regrettably, due to the nature of my blog being goofy, and my goofiest thoughts occurring around 3am, this has resulted in going on google and finding pictures and images at 3am when I needed to be up at 6am. Being as I was half asleep and that Google now has AI generated images on the first page of search results now, my usually less than stringent quality control missed how fucking bizarre and unsettling that picture is. My fuck up, I will make sure it doesn’t happen again. If it does, we can all throw rotting produce at me in the village square.

Why I’m addressing this

Brother, I fucking hate AI. I’ve already lost one job (content writing) to AI, I will not have it make me lose another (being the shitty meme plug for a niche sci fi show). While AI has its place (writing cover letters to be read by another AI), I don’t think we should have let finance bros touch it with a ten foot pole. Since AI has become the hot button thing lately, with known shitty company Adobe now having AI learning from user’s Creative Cloud files, I have decided to be an old man yelling at clouds over it. AI also, for me personally, makes me extremely fucking lazy and I’m already an object at rest, so AI makes me practically catatonic. The reality of living in a future where machine learning can write fan fiction for you, is that if you don’t lose your brain, it atrophies and bounces around your head like a tumble weed. I hate to prove Aristotle right about anything, but he kinda ate with the whole knowledge and self-actualization thing.

Actions I’m taking

I will not be removing the unsettling uncanny valley Daniel Jackson because: a) if I were to edit the post and take out AI Boy, his corpse would still be dragged around in a victory lap depending on which version is reblogged, and b) it should bring you all comfort to know that this post jumpscares me anytime it comes up in my notifications. With that said, in the future, in order to limit the public humiliation that comes with accidentally posting AI bullshit, I’ll stick to home grown pictures and images from the personal archive. At the very least, I’ll use a search engine that can keep AI off my fucking lawn and in turn off of your lawn.

If I do it again

If this happens again, rest assured it’s by accident. You are always encouraged to tell me if one of my posts contains AI images. Thank you to everyone who brought this up this time because keeping AI bullshit off of our collective lawns is a team effort. I appreciate how nice everyone was in bringing this up and I love you all so so so much. Like I said, I’m addressing this formally so that there’s no ambiguity on my stance, not because I felt any sort of pressure. I think it’s important to extend people the same courtesy they extend me when something like this is brought up and take the effort to explain myself and the actions I’m taking moving forward. If you think that’s unnecessary, then I respect that, but I feel it is necessary to own up to my own fuck ups when they’re pointed out so kindly 💖🥰

Hehehe that is SO me when I hehehehe

[1surfrocker]

12/14/2023

I'm reading The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross and trying to wrap my head around all these composers and what makes them distinct. Classical musical is a big blind spot of mine, but thanks to the music of Jonny Greenwood I've formed an appreciation for 20th century classical.

Here's what I've discovered so far:

-12 Tone Composition is something I want to try. The arrangement has no musical key, and all 12 tones of a chromatic scale are played frequently

-Early 20th century composers all had a very haughty idea of what made music music, and loved to disagree and sling insults at one another.

-In order to become a true genius composer, one must intentionally contract syphilis and succumb to madness.

-Most of these composers were all either nazis or communists.

Here's an idea that the book puts forth. There are essentially three kinds of music listeners:

The "Luxury Trade" - those riding in sedate satisfaction in streamlined trains from Beethoven to Sibelius and back

The "contemporary" music listener - Those who prize obscurantism and make a cult out of the apparent complexities in systematically discordant counterpoint

The "leftist-front" - Those of an educated and urban working background, who want educated, urban spokesmen for their ideals.

These are mostly the author's words as he paraphrases a composer/critic from 1938. But I have to say I agree with them. But I'd re-contextualize the idea to better fit today's culture, and break down the three types of listeners like this:

The "feel good" listener - Prefers the radio hits, music that makes them feel happy or feel at home and will enjoy what they hear as long as it is safe and familiar.

The "hipster" listener - Wants music that's made for art's sake, that pushes the envelope and redefines the boundaries, music that is experimental and bold and difficult, and disregards any musicians or artists that don't adhere to this.

The "political" listener - Those that want their music to make a statement about the government and society, music that inspires change, human evolution, or total revolution.

The reality is that probably very few people are 100% one of these categories. We tend to be a little bit of all three. I like a good punk rock song now and again, but category 3 is probably the least me. Almost everyone who knows me would probably tell you I'm Category 2 given the amount of obscure art-rock I make my friends listen to (you're welcome, everybody!). But I'm also a real sucker for a nice hook, and will throw down with pop music any goddamn day as long as (and I can't make myself clear enough on this matter) it's GOOD MUSIC. (hello Lady Gaga!)

It's interesting to me how Ross describes category 3 as "leftist front." While it's true that there's a lot of music made today that has a strong liberal or progressive message, there's a hell of a lot of right-wing music being made too. Turn on any country radio station in America, for example. Or look at the skinhead punk music scene and their nazi rhetoric. The way Ross writes it, you'd think that there was no overtly right-wing political music being made at all in the early 20th century, which doesn't seem plausible.

Could there be a 4th category of music listener that we're overlooking? and what would that look like?

[haven-gum-rockrose]

11 & 29 !

tumblr ate the fucking shit i was typing for this- lets see if i can replicate.

okay! thanks so much also first of all- really appreciate it

so 11(describe your ideal day) and 29 (three songs you connect with right now)

okay so 11 is difficult cuz im not a very- planning and future oriented bitchbut id probably have to say its a day where i do things? or have an idea or something?

so maybe like- i wake up and do the shit people normally do when they wake up, yall know the deal- the ideal. actually eat breakfast lol. id go on a walk because even hell knows i need the sunlight, maybe pet a dog in the process. Theres a park by the house so id probably go there for a bit. if its an ideal day im not spending it at home. itd be sunny but not too hot- enough to sunburn tho. wouldnt do much at the park, im not a park person, but maybe id make a temporary friend? like the kind youre never gonna see again but while you were talking you made eachother's day just a bit brighter. i probably would have brought my sketchbook or art tablet and maybe i was able to do a really nice drawing or something. Then i remember theres bugs and that- oh also a nice patch of grass is very important for it to be ideal. kidding i dont really mind dirt. but anyways i start heading back because its noon or approaching noon or something. i have absolutely no endurance tho so at some point i stop and just sit on the curb and watch the road for a bit? idk i think it sounds nice.

[obligatory paragraph break] OH! and its one of those days where you're able to consciously recognize the beauty of everything, fucking love those. come back and clean and do laundry and shit because i fucking need to. and then sleep for six fucking hours straight uninterrupted. wake up, see what yall have been up to cuz cuz thats always a highlight, and by then its like 6 or 8? oh also not talking to any family lol- except maybe my sister. yeah, ideal day i talk to my sister for a bit. also i think in order for it to be the ideal day i would have had to help at least like one person, and maybe they said thanks but its not really necessary. its a bit hard to plan for people needing help tho- and seems a bit iffy regardless so - ykno.

anyways its a bit basic for something so long but- idk i dont really think about that stuff much so - take it or leave it.

AND 29 CUZ YOU KNOW IM A FUCKING PLAYLIST BITCH

Girl Anachronism by The Dresden Dolls: probably not great how much i relate to this song on a personal level but it also gives me gender and mentally ill swag ig so its cool. yall i could pull fucking any line from this song and essay on how i relate to it (theres just a couple i couldnt actually)

Toxic Thoughts by Faith Marie: Yall this has been- one of those "my song"s since for the past like 4-5 years or something- 100% played a role in shaping who i try to be and how i view the world. like yeah its a wee bit cheesy the lyrics but like- yall dont know how much this shit impacted me. go as far as to say it mightve played a part in me being here still? idk tho i think i still would be regardless but like- yeah W song for me

EP. 4: Important by Ian McConnell: i need everyone with anxiety to listen to this actually. it goes so fucking hard and its so goofy. absolute god tier exhanple of positive nihilistic philosophy. actually for ease of access lemme do this cuz im not overexaggerating this shits iconic: (maybe not it may just be my philosphy brain likeing the change of perspective on typically negative thoughts and the comedic delivery of it)

[lymphomalass]

"Most of us want to belong"

If you ever feel a bit down because someone or something has made you feel like you don't belong in their "group", well, that's a very human emotion.

It makes sense. In our early history as a species, the human who was alone was more vulnerable to predators. Being together gave strength and resilience. So, the need to "belong" is a bit of a genetic imperative.

But mixed feelings around "belonging" can be more frequent and poignant at this time of year🎄as people choose who they wish to socialise with or give their time to.

It's easy for less thoughtful colleagues to forget to invite one of the team.

This week, I even heard of a family torn-apart by the grandmother hosting Christmas Day saying she didn't "feel comfortable" making up one of her special Christmas stockings for her son's new stepson - when she was giving one to each and every other child in the family! Yes, that was her right, but 😱...

And not everyone has "family" or can mix freely. I can't. I've just not got enough immune system left to socialise with anyone other than small groups of people who I know are being careful of my health vulnerabilities, in places that are at least half-empty. If you're the one who's not being included remember it's their loss too and if possible, go out and find people who want to join in with you!

I chose this art to accompany my words as it got left out too - of a local community project for charity. And it didn't get treated very politely in the process! It's still valid and has gone on to better things at: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/112195722 where you can find it printed-to-your-order on all kinds of print options, accessories, apparel, homewares, and even jigsaws, if you think it could belong in your home.

Thanks!

Sam aka LymphomaLass xx