#the two investeds mean the same thing I switched from one to the other

[maliro-t]

some game design thinky thoughts.

[cup1dluvhss]

˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊ INTO YOU (P1), written by cup1dluvhs

˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊ after making a small appearance on freakshow in july of 2021 after you begged your mutual friend, claire, to come on, you can’t help but take interest in a certain someone who seems to show the same interest in you. after years of never speaking again, you make an appearance on your other friend mandy’s channel with claire, and after seeing this, that same boy you once knew all those years ago invites you onto his channel with his best friend to record a video.

| warnings: fluff, kinda angsty if u squint, a little smutty + happy ending (this applies for the whole story, so you won’t see much of certain things in this part such as angst or smut)

| taking requests!

| this imagine will be split up into two parts, so i’ll have the other part out soon !

you opened your laptop eagerly, switching on the power button and running a hand through your long hair. after months of begging claire, your fifteen year old mutual friend to make an appearance on her youtube channel, freakshow, she had finally agreed.

claire made zoom call videos with a particular topic each video with three other people whom were all older than her, and you had watched some of their videos and found yourself invested enough to want to meet all of them.

you had been friends with claire for just a few months, and had met her through tiktok where you both became friends quickly. despite you being seventeen, and she only fifteen, you still got along like there was no age difference whatsoever.

despite finding their channel amusing, that wasn’t the only reason you wanted to come on. hamzah, a nineteen year old boy with curly hair and eyes so dark you’d think they were black, had you hooked. every-time you watched one of their videos, your eyes always found themselves looking at him in the top right corner.

nerves began to overcome you when you realised that you’d actually be meeting him, but you knew the only way to do it was to play it cool and act as if you had no idea who he was.

a text from claire appeared on your screen, with a link to the zoom meeting. your hands instantly went to your mouth and you began chewing on your nails absent mindlessly, your mouse hovering over the link. before you clicked it, you looked in the mirror in front of you and fluffed up your hair, adjusting your lipliner and playing with your mascara-coated eyelashes until they were spaced enough to your liking.

before you could find anything else that was wrong with your appearance, you clicked on the link and were brought to the meeting.

you smiled gingerly as you found they were all there waiting for you, chase, haley, claire, and hamzah. a lump formed in your throat as you waited for claire to introduce you to the others, your hand tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear so you would look so awkward just sitting there.

‘everyone, this is y/n. she’s my friend, so don’t be mean to her. she’s also seventeen and a minor so no swearing.’ claire said, a laugh exiting your mouth as you waved at the camera in front of you, chase and haley copying your action with a friendly smile.

‘hi y/n, hamzah says has a surprise today, so i hope you’re ready.’ haley said, before taking a sip from a diet coke before putting it back down on her desk.

‘oh really? what’s going on?’ you asked, trying your best to sound confident and enthusiastic as you spoke. you completely avoided looking at hamzah, knowing fine well if you did you’d be stuttering and slipping over your words.

‘we’re getting some therapist to come on and talk to us about stuff. i know it sounds boring, but we make it funny.’ chase said, his eyes off the screen and keyboard clacking as you observed him. everyone was being so nice, but you couldn’t help but notice hamzah hadn’t said a word to you yet.

‘hamzah? are u muted?’ claire asked, and the second the words came out of her mouth, hamzah’s attention snapped back to the screen, and he cleared his throat.

‘uh—what?’ he asked, the deepness of his voice making the hair on your arms stand up. you were embarrassed to say even his voice made you nervous.

‘hamzah, we have a guest, don’t be rude.’ claire said, tilting her head at him, your heart beating faster when you saw his eyes flicker toward you, a smile finding its way onto his face.

‘what’s up, y/n.’ he said with a wink, leaving you biting your lip to prevent yourself from smiling a little too wide. your cheeks were already red enough from the minute you joined, but now, you didn’t even want to know how flustered you must’ve looked.

‘hey.’ you said, your voice neutral and composed as you gave him a polite smile, claire’s eyebrows furrowing as she observed the two of you on the screen. she chose not to say anything, but she knew what was going on.

within the next thirty minutes, you didn’t think you’d laughed so hard in your life. chase, haley, claire and hamzah were all very different people, but when they were put together, whether talking or joking, they were extremely entertaining.

you had tried your best to fit in with them, your cheeks heating up every-time hamzah laughed at a joke you made or something you had said. you were already following him on instagram, and after seeing how he must’ve taken a liking to you, you were half considering just texting him. would it be so weird, considering you had just filmed a video with him? were you friends now?

when the meeting ended and you said goodbye to all of them, you pulled out your phone and noticed that almost immediately hamzah had followed you back. you swallowed, finding that chase and haley had followed you as well less than a second or two after.

you did like him, and you wanted to get to know him, but you could never make the first move. it just wasn’t in your programming, which is probably why you’d never really had a serious or long term relationship before.

you only hoped he was the type to do the opposite and just go for it, because you were getting embarrassingly desperate to talk to him. you’d thought of just asking claire to ask him what he thought about you, but you knew that wouldn’t settle well with her.

with a sigh, you closed your laptop and put your phone face down on your bed, turning away from them.

[bewitched-hours]

I'm weirdly invested in your university au and I cannot get them out of my mind

So I came here to propose my brainrotting ideas.

Chance and the reader are awfully tired and they go and hang out for a bit; and by hang out I mean sharing headphones and making a playlist together while (unintentionally snuggling into eachother because they're very tired) cuddling until they finally fall asleep

"This au is overrated" I say as I walk out of the door with a weirdly shaped au in my throat

... Alright, time to cook this cute shit-

Forsaken University AU | Part 3

"Sometimes a break is all you need..."

Synopsis: After exams, [Reader] finds a way to bond with Chance in a quiet, peaceful setting...

You finally did it...

The exam season was coming to an end and you no longer had anything to study for.

Chance, who happened to be in your same class to take the same exams, excitedly ran up and hugged you from behind. "We did it!" He exclaimed with a chuckle and dragged you out to celebrate.

Although you appreciate his excitement, you could tell he was barely holding on himself.

He could try as he might but with how long you've known him, you could see his eyebags even through the shades of his sunglasses. He was just as exhausted as you...

"Chance, let's just hang out at the dorms..." You muttered as you stopped before he could get you past the dorm building. He was likely running on caffeine but didn't protest as you gently dragged him to your and Brighteyes' dorm. She was still sitting through her lectures so you just made sure Chance could relax in your room while you grabbed some soda cans for you both from the kitchen.

Returning though, you didn't expect him to be fluffing up your pillows with an almost drowsy expression. You somehow managed to sneak a quick picture of it and send it into your group chat.

Cat_Dealer: [Sent a Picture] Cat_Dealer: Guess even gamblers get fucked over from Exams~ Neighbourhood_Cultist: No fair, you're the first to get out and now get to cuddle before Azure and I?! Cat_Dealer: Lmao, don't think we're gonna cuddle, knowing Chance. Therapy: Don't count on it but don't worry if he flinches. Cat_Dealer: Dunno what that means but aight-

When you looked back up, Chance was giving you a pouty glare as he had their phone in hand. "Exploiting your poor friend~!" He whined dramatically. "I never took you for such an inconsiderate friend!"

You stifled your laughter, simply handing him one of the cans as you sat beside him to look at his phone. He was already switching to his music library and handing you one of his earbuds as you two began making a playlist together to unwind.

It ended up filled with mainly TV Girl, Mother Mother, Metaroom, Banshee and Odetari. A perfect blend of both your tastes in one. It was surprising to hear Chance admit to liking Banshee since you didn't take them as the sort to enjoy more aggressive music but hey, the more you two had in common, the better!

You mostly just sat there, slumped up in a sort of cuddling position but neither of you held the other. It was surprising to even see them so calm putting their head on your shoulder. Oh well, a win's a win and you knew pointing it out would likely not encourage him to be more touchy.

You were both focused on your own things. You were chewing on the strings of your hoodie and chatting away in the group chat while Chance took to distracting themself with bunny videos. Especially of his own little black bean, Spade. Something about it made you wish the cute bun was here to lay on top of you both, considering he was big enough to cover almost both your and Chance's chest in a loafing position.

Such a big bunny was enough to work as a weighted blanket of sorts and the pressure therapy would probably be good right now. Maybe some little squeaks to heal the soul too...

You felt your eyelids grow heavy but almost jolted back awake when you felt Chance go limp against you. He had fallen asleep and nuzzled against your arm a bit in his sleep. It was like having an even bigger bunny right next to you so you figured you'd take it.

You gently re-adjusted your positioning so Chance and you could both be comfortable before snapping a quick picture and using it as a bargain for Brighteyes to come to the dorm quietly when she was back.

You both deserved to rest...

Masterpost

My Usual Rules

Introduction

[maxinehufflepuffprincess]

I Think They Call This Love

Choi Su-bong 'Thanos' x reader

(Hi everyone. I decided to switch things up a little and decided to try my hand with a Squid Game fic. I got the idea for this whilst making an oc and listening to the song 'I think they call this love.' It's been stuck in my head. So Thanos is probs gonna be out of character in this. Idk, it seems to be a pattern with me. Oh well. Please enjoy.)

Trigger warnings: Cursing, hints towards Su-bong's unaliving attempt. Though those words are never actually said.

Taglist. Masterlist. Progress Update.

Summary: Subong asks you to dance to cheer you up after a game.

You were tired. So incredibly tired. The second game had finished. Your hands couldn't seem to stop shaking. Even though it was over, you could still hear the gunshots, you could still feel the fear of playing, of messing up lingering in you. Your fiance, Su-bong or 'Thanos' as he was known, was sitting on your right. One of his hands held yours, his thumb gently stroking your knuckle. He was coming down from his high, which also helped to sooth you a little.

On your left was Se-mi. The two of you had been chatting since she had joined the group for the game, bringing Min-su with her. Though the way you two spoke to each other, it was like you had been friends for your whole lives, rather than just a few hours. There was something about her that helped you to feel at ease, even just a little bit. You thought that was why Su-bong was so chill with her. Why he shot down Nam-gyu whenever he tried to start an argument with her. Min-su was sitting to the side on one of the platforms, trying to ignore the glare from Nam-gyu.

You had just finished telling Se-mi about your plans for after the games. Telling her how you and Su-bong had met at school when he literally ran into you. It had been an accident, how he had helped you up and how you both locked eyes. 'Hello' you both had said at the same time but it was the beginning of everything. That you had grown together. He had seen you at your lowest points, held you as you cried. Always knew what to get when you were on your period. How he learnt to do different hair styles because he was doing your hair relaxed, you both. It scratched an itch inside of Su-bong. She learnt about how you had stood by Thanos through his rap career, encouraged him. How you were his muse and were even featured on a couple of songs. You told her how once the games are done, you wanted to marry the love of your life. How you wanted a nice house, from him to stop the drugs, keep growing as a rapper. How you wanted kids and maybe a dog. And possibly a cat too.

Things weren't always good though. When He had met Nam-gyu, it was when a shift happened. Sure, he had done weed occasionally. But then he began to do more, the pills appeared and it was like he had changed. You still saw Su-bong. When he was sober. When he held you at night. When he kissed you sweetly and told you he loves you. When you'd sit in his lap as he wrote his next song, he claimed you had to be there because 'you inspire me, sweetness.' Some of the best moments were when you cooked together. It didn't matter who knew how to cook a basic meal and who could burn water. What mattered was how well you worked together. How cooking together always had you covered in flour, and Su-bong trying to sneak samples of the food when your back was turned. How he'd wrap his arms around your waist and hold you close.

But of course, when Su-bong wasn't there, Thanos was. Thanos was mean. High all the time. The arguments with him were raw and hurtful. You both were guilty of saying harsh and cruel things. He'd be out late, leaving you to worry at home. He'd beg you to come to a club. And party girl or not, not every second had to be spent in a club. Sometimes it was nice having a quiet night in. Thanos spent money like it grew on trees. He sometimes made bad investment calls. Despite you saying not to. That's when the debt happened. Because he listened to some stupid idiot on the internet to invest in some stupid MG Coin scam.

The debt was what brought you both here. You had tried to sell your ring but Su-bong wouldn't let you. He couldn't let you do that. You had been there on the bridge with him. Trying to coax him down. Claims of 'We'll work this out.' and declarations of love. 'I love you, please don't do this. You're not a failure.' had him back in your arms. And then a man approached you both with the offer of playing a game.

"Baby." You hear from your right. You turn your head to look at Su-bong. You smiled softly at him, though he could see it didn't reach your pretty eyes. He couldn't have that. He couldn't watch you slowly break apart in front of him. Not you. He needed to bring you some joy. Just for a moment. He jumped up and placed his bread down. He plucked yours from your hand and set it beside his. He then held a hand out to you. "Dance with me?"

Dancing together was always fun. From an intimate space in the privacy of your living room, to a full head bopping, head spinning, arms moving, heartbeat racing dance in the club. Dancing together was always perfect. "There's no music." You pouted as you looked up at him.

'I'll make the music, Come on Senorita. Dance with me." You looked at Se-mi. "Watch my bread." And with that you slipped your hand in his. Su-bong gently pulled you up and walked you a little away from your group so you had space to move. "Are you sure about you?" You asked him curiously. Su-bong gave you a look, you knew that look. Of course he sure. He always was when it came to you. He placed a hand on your waist and pulled your body against his. Your free hand laid on his chest, as did your head. The sound of his heartbeat meeting your ear. His heartbeat was your favorite side. His voice being a close second. His heartbeat could sooth you, send you to sleep.

"They say you know when you know. So let's face it, you had me at hello."

He was singing. Like singing not rapping. It was something he did only for you. Normally, when you danced together or he held you in his arms in bed.

"Hesitation never helps. How could this be anything, anything else? When -"

The two of you swayed there together. Wrapped up in each other's warm. Like the world around you had frozen or melted away.

"All I dream of is your eyes. All I long for is your touch. And darling, something tells me that's enough, mmm."

Su-Bong lived for the moments like these. He felt so guilty. If he had been smarter, maybe he wouldn't be in debt. Maybe you two wouldn't be standing in a room with hundreds of people, trying to survive. One more game. That's what he kept telling himself. Just one more game and you could both go home. But maybe it was too late for that. You had voted X, he voted O. Just one more game and you could go home. He had to get you home. You didn't deserve the horrors of this place. A place he had forced you to stay. One more game and then he'll press X. It was a promise to you, to himself.

"You can say that I'm a fool. And I don't know very much, but I Think They Call This Love."

Su-bong smiled at you and gently pulled away before he spun you out and then back into his arms. He grinned hearing you giggle. Hearing you forget where you were, that you had eyes watching you both.

"One smile, one kiss, two lonely hearts is all that it takes. Now baby, you're on my mind, every night, every day. Good vibrations getting loud. How could this be anything, anything else?"

The purple-haired man dipped you and you locked eyes for a moment. He could see it. The smile on your face had reached your eyes.

"When. All I dream of is your eyes. All I long for is your touch. And darling, something tells me that's enough, mmm You can say that I'm a fool And I don't know very much, but I Think They Call This Love. Oh, I Think They Call This Love."

He leaned down, gently pressing his lips against yours in a soft, passionate kiss that held so many promises. 'I love you.' 'I'm getting you out of here.' 'I'll give you the future you deserve.' 'I'll be better.'

He pulled you back up before spinning you around the room.

"What could this be Between you and me? Oh"

You let out a laugh as you spun around the room, being twirled. He smiled brightly as he hugged you back into his chest. You swayed together. The world slowly came back to you, but it still felt miles away.

"Oh, all I dream of is your eyes. All I long for is your touch. And darlin', something tells me, tells me it's enough, mmm. You can say that I'm a fool. And I don't know very much. But I think they call- Oh, I think they call- Yes, I Think They Call This Love."

Su-bong closed his eyes for a moment as he held you close. His chin is resting on the top of your head. He wasn't going to let anyone take you from him. He'd protect you for one more game. One more and then he'd promise to press X. To take you home. To keep you safe. To let you invite Se-mi over as much as you wanted. He just wanted you to keep that light in your eyes. To keep that smile. So he stayed there for a little while longer. With his beloved in his arms, pretending you were both in your living room, dancing together. As long as you kept the smile in your eyes, then he hadn't failed. There was still time to continue your life together.

"This love"

Taglist:

@thecheshireprincess @mocchii-writes

[nayatarot777]

What Do You Love About Your Lover?

This reading applies to past, present or future lovers. Committed or casual.

• Pile One •

Before I get into the reading, you guys may be a little toxic, Pile One 😂.

Something that you love about this person is how they have different masks that they wear with others. There’s something about you enjoying the way that they pretend to not have feelings for you or the way that they simply don’t show how they truly feel. I’m seeing that you can see through the mask but this intrigues you even more. This is giving “I like complicated people” ngl. There’s a way that this person tries to gaslight you out of seeing who they truly are and how they truly feel for you, but you get a kick out of this because you can tell that they’re lying. It’s like you perceive this as somewhat of a positive thing because (to you), this person hiding their feelings is proof that they truly do like you. Or that their feelings must be deep despite them not being a deep person, so it’s more authentic and easy to believe that they actually do genuinely like you. You also love how they’re very self-indulgent. How they focus on themselves and how they appreciate themselves. This person has a high sense of self-worth that attracts you to them and they might be the type to actually try to work on the parts of themselves that are damaged and in need of repair. The following is what makes me think that you guys are my toxic pile: you enjoy how they run away from intimacy. How you have to chase them and try to “tame” them in a way. Their fear of intimacy triggers a “I can fix you” switch in your mind, and you actually love this. Not something that I’d advise to feed into but 🤷🏾‍♀️. That’s what I’m seeing lmao.

Extended Reading: What Does Your Lover Love About You?

YouTube

Personal Readings

• Pile Two •

You don’t seem to have a very serious or committed connection to this lover, but you love how the passion is there all the same. You love how they reciprocate your feelings and your energy. How you like each other equally and things are quite intense and open between the both of you. You love how this person is someone who you can just have fun with. Someone who you can just enjoy your time with - with good sex, good food, good conversation. You love how you’re getting to know this person a lot more. You find them interesting and find yourself awaiting their reply to your messages or missed calls. I feel like this is someone who you actually wait around to hear back from, which may not be your usual temperament with the people who you date. You love how the conversations that you have with this person are rich and go deep. I’m seeing that this person is a chaser. You’ve picked up on their fear of abandonment and linked this to why they’re so open to investing time and energy into you, trying to keep you as happy as possible. And although this type of energy may put you off when it comes to others, there’s something about this person that makes that type of behaviour endearing. You love how they’re so invested into you and how they’re willing to chase after you in a way, which makes you feel appreciated. It feels like this makes you more open to putting energy into reciprocating the energy.

Extended Reading: What Does Your Lover Love About You?

YouTube

Personal Readings

• Pile Three •

You love that your lover is a source of stability for you. They’re just a stable person in general. Someone who offers a lot of security and permanence to the relationship as well as their own life - and, in turn, yours too. This is someone who’s very serious about planting seeds to something that can grow to endure the test of time. They’re not about fleeting desires or quick thrills. However, despite this stable energy, you appreciate how they’re not rigid. They’re actually quite flexible with their routines and their plans in life if it means that it’ll benefit the both of you in the long run. You also love how you can see that they’re healing from heartbreak from their past. They don’t sit and stew in their pain for long. They want to move on from heartbreak and pain that they’ve experienced in their past and mend themselves back together. For some of you, this person is finding freedom from a toxic relationship. For others of you, they’re freeing themselves from addiction and putting themselves back on track to a stable life. You love to see this. You also love how, despite their heavy past, they’re so lighthearted. Their energy is bright and very healing - not just towards themselves but you too. You love to see the way that they recognise the things that they need to heal within themselves. How they’re open to traumas or triggers in their subconscious mind coming to the light of their consciousness. You love how they’re willing to adapt their behaviour and their mindset towards life and the relationship when necessary, for the sake of healing and moving forward into more stability and security.

Extended Reading: What Does Your Lover Love About You?

YouTube

Personal Readings

[blondeaxolotl]

same anon again! (just gonna call myself 🧣anon from now on bc it’s cold and i wish i had a scarf rn) but YES YESSS ABSOLUTELY, that vignette sends me to a craze every time i think about it, i mean how easily floyd pulled jamil in, the “you’re awesome sea snake” and ace acknowledging that they lost both flojami to dance is so good i can’t, you’re right, they’re a match made in heaven like it’s so good

and you sayinf jamil should just break up with floyd—THAT’s THE THING!! he should but he doesn’t bc he doesn’t WANT to end things with floyd and he’s bitter and angry that he has to! it’ll end this way regardless he tells himself. someone has to leave first. so he distances himself instead and it’s TERRIBLE he should’ve ended it but FLOYD IS SO DOWN NOW.

and like, i can’t help but wonder what would happen if jamil DID break up with him from the start instead of going the distance route. it would blindside floyd. he wouldn’t know where it was coming from. he would laugh, “that’s not funny sea snake.” he wouldnt understand why he’s too much NOW when he wasn’t before—he hasn’t done anything different. but the problem has never been floyd being too much! jamil never even said that! jamil just gave a polite “we can’t do this anymore.” impersonal. professional. floyd is left CONFUSED and upset and Jade is um not pleased to say the least.

CAN jamil even break up with floyd. is the question. can jamil be the one to end it. because floyd is jade’s brother. jade and azul have the recording that could ruin jamil’s life and have terrible consequences for his family. you know. the recording that sent jamil to an overblot. SO WOULD HE!! would he break up with floyd. or would he distance himself, try to get FLOYD to break up with him.

actually no. would they date? their second year? and then at some point Floyd erases the recordings and the backups they have, FOR JAMIL, without jamil even asking. and then. third year. and jamil is distant now. (or like you said jamil ends things.) WOULD FLOYD THINK. THAT IT WAS ALL A PLOY. TO GET RID OF THE RECORDINGS???

you have to know you’re a big part of why i ship flojami so much i used to be a kalijami shipper solely but now i have two jamil ships and flojami literally has me invested in a way that’s reserved for only a few other twst ships.

🧣ANON YOU ARE SPOILING ME WITH ALL THIS YAPPING (POSITIVE)

The moment I read the part about Floyd thinking Jamil used him to get rid of the recordings I FUCKING TWEAKKEDD SO HARD. Ong, Jamil would never do that, I don't think even the THOUGHT would've crossed his mind about doing it, he'd be too busy distracting himself from the fact he HAS to distance himself from Floyd (He doesn't, I do not doubt Kalim would've made sure Jamil has every chance to go visit Floyd whenever he wants to, but unfortunately sometimes logic goes out one ear to another when you're stressed/upset). But holy shit, Floyd's head would've made the situation 10x worse than it actually is, my guy has so much going on in his head I don't think being this sad for this long is good for him especially.

Also making Floyd break up instead, thing is I don't think ANYTHING would make Floyd to be the first to break up. you'd have to be REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD if that were to happen (And Jamil is like, full on perfection in Floyd's eyes), bro would be equally if not more attached to Jamil just like how the tweels are with Azul, bros are never LEAVING you are STUCK with them wherever you like it or not.

I FORGOT ABOUT JADE OUUHHHH, I don't know which situation is worse because I'm pretty sure Jamil gains an unwanted enemy (Jade) no matter what situation he chooses (like one thing is to upset Floyd but if Jade gets pissed off then good luck you've been switched to survival mode). The way this could've all been fixed if Jamil just had some self-confidence, like honey you deserve to be happy, literally Floyd is the type of guy who'd visit Jamil multiple times a month HELL MAYBE EVEN MOVE TO SCALDING SANDS MY GUY WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HIM WITHOUT HESITATION.

Shameless pulling out my oc for this as an example but Nori (my Seahorse oc) literally convinced her family to move from Coral Sea to Scalding Sands just so she can be with Najma more often, LIKE IF A LITTLE SEAHORSE GIRL CAN DO IT THEN SO CAN FLOYD

Okay I'll stop here before I go overboard, these are yapping demons I usually keep contained on discord, I gotta CHILL, but lastly I'M SO SO FLATTERED THAT I'M THE ONE THAT GOT YOU (and a few others) INTO FLOJAMI, they're unironically the reason why my twst hyperfixation started, they're literally my blood and fuel to an embarrassing level so I'm very flattered 💜💜💜

Anyways have this crappy doodle of Floyd losing it because god it's funny

[sojourner-between-worlds]

Things about being a Christian I've had to unlearn as an adult:

Spending a lot of time on/ being invested in something doesn't make it an idol. This is not how that works, bestie. Look. I get that the advice "if you spend more time on x hobby than you do reading the Bible and praying" is well-intentioned, but it's just plain Bad. There are a lot of hobbies that take significant amounts of time. Art. Writing. Trade hobbies, like woodworking. I spent two hours Saturday putting in a garden (now that I have space for one!), and not spending two hours and one minute on Bible reading doesn't mean that gardening is now an idol for me. It means I got into a groove and just kept going (and got terribly sunburned for my trouble). What makes something an idol is NOT how much time you spend on it but rather the importance you place upon it. Sometimes important things take five minutes and sometimes they take an hour; the thing that took five minutes isn't less important because it took up less of your time. If your thought process is "this is more important than spending time with God", that is what makes your hobby an idol. (If you are constantly foregoing your time with God in favor of a hobby, then I'd say you need to re-evaluate your priorities, but spending a lot of time on something does not inherently make it an idol. Not to mention that a lot of hobbies can still bring you closer to God despite not spending that time intentionally for that purpose.)

Not having your "quiet time"/ devotions every day does not make you a "bad" Christian. This goes hand-in-hand with the previous point, and there's a lot I could say on this topic, but what it boils down to is this: God understands our human limits and the brains He gave us that sometimes make it difficult -- autism and ADHD and OCD and [fill in the blank]. I'm autistic. So when (well-meaning) people say things like, "you can't get to know God if you don't spend time with Him!" about praying and reading the Bible -- well, 'spending time' looks different for me. Socializing is difficult for me. And while socializing with God is obviously different than with people, praying is still far more mentally draining for me than for most people (especially growing up in an environment where it was implied that you have to 'say the right things' when you pray instead of just allowing it to be a conversation, but that's the next point). A lot of "socializing" for me is simply being present with someone else. This is called "parallel play": you're doing your own thing in the same space as someone else while they are also doing their own thing. This...doesn't translate well to Christianity and what Christianity is "supposed" to look like, unfortunately, so I constantly felt shame that none of the common advice worked for me when it seemed to work for everyone else. Set a time? Executive dysfunction makes switching tasks hard and once that set time has passed, "well, it's too late now". Having a reading plan? I'd miss a day, fall behind, and the shame at that would keep me from continuing to try. And when I did manage to stay on track, quite often it simply became a box to check off and that was it. So, now, I do what I can, when I can. I always get more out of it, and I think God cares more about that than sticking to a plan just so you can say you read every day anyway.

"Don't script your prayers! They'll become repetitive and you won't think about or mean them!" Oh, boy. Once again, I get the well-intentioned meaning here. You don't want your prayers to become rote and stale. But as someone with high anxiety, scripting them is the only way I can survive praying aloud with other people, and, in fact, it means I put more thought into them, not less! But hearing this kind of advice coupled with an environment where it was implied you had to say 'the right things, the right way' was absolutely detrimental to my prayer life growing up. I was always worried about saying the wrong thing, especially as an undiagnosed autistic who was constantly, ya know, saying the wrong things in conversations with people. So I definitely didn't want to say the wrong things to God! But... I also wasn't allowed to plan what to say? How was I supposed to pray then? So I just. didn't pray. For a very long time. Until I learned its just as perfectly okay to talk to God about whatever crosses your mind while you're standing at the sink doing dishes as it is sitting down with a list of things to focus on. (Not to mention that this really is just...terrible advice in general. Kudos to my pastor, who, in his current Sunday night series on worship, actually gave a tutorial on how to personalize praying the Psalms. So, you know, pre-written prayers.)

Purity Culture. Need I say more? Oh, I could write a whole post about how harmful this is, but plenty of people already have, so I'll leave it at this: I wear what I am comfortable wearing now. Something I love about my church is that our philosophy on modesty is this: The greatest sin of immodesty is saying "look at me" instead of "look at God." In other words, modest isn't about what you're wearing so much as what your attitude about what you're wearing is. If you choose what to wear because you want people to notice and stare and give you compliments, then that is immodest no matter how much of your skin is covered up. It's not immodest to wear clothes you like and that you think are attractive (or that help you look professional when its called for), but ultimately your mindset is really not about "dressing to impress." (There is a very thin line between 'modest' and 'immodest' and its not where most people think it is.)

[alpaca-clouds]

Solarpunk and the Internet

Alright, I have promised you all to write a bit more on Solarpunk again, so this is what I am going to do for the next two weeks once more - before doing a week on narratology, and then some more history/religion stuff for the two weeks after. At least that is the plan.

Something I have been considering a lot lately, is the role of the internet in a potential Solarpunk world. Because I think we can all agree that the internet is amazing. Never before the internet exited was it so easy to get any form of information that you wanted. Basically everything is - or should be - just a short search away. And I mean, while Google definitely does not work as it once did, at least for me it still works well enough.

However. Ever since we switched from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, there is a lot of stuff happening on the internet that is an issue. And mind you, there some stuff with Web 2.0, that was also quite important. Most notably it was the first time that minority groups had a voice that really could be heard, and it helped most certainly to find like-minded people.

But I am not even kidding when I say, that most of the issues we are facing today are because of Web 2.0 - and how easy it is with this to spread misinformation. Trump would never have happened, if it had not been for GamerGate, and GamerGate would not have happened, if not because of social media. If it had not been for social media, those hate filled asshole guys who ran that entire thing would have been stuck in some sort of forum, and nobody would have listened to them at all.

At the same time people have become so attached to their social media stuff, that a lot of them fail to interact with the real world. Something that was most certainly not helped by COVID, but it is a thing that we hear so much about how lonely and socially isolated people are. I mean, even the WHO is now talking about it. And of course it is true, that for some people the internet is important in reducing loneliness. (As a queer kid who grew up rural, I can most certain say stuff to that.) But at the time, a lot of people are also so invested in their social media and their followers, who rarely are real friends, that they often forget the real life.

And do not get me wrong: You absolutely can have real online friends and good online friends. It is just that your followers in general are not really that.

Of course, the way in which Social Media is toxic for people and isolating is not made better by the people who tend to run social media. Look at Elon Musk and Zuckerberg.

And all of this makes me wonder: If we were to create that Solarpunk Utopia... What will we do about internet and more specifically, what will we do about Social Media?

Reading through quite a lot of the Solarpunk short stories out there - and some of the few novels there are - it is quite interesting, how the internet does not play a role in most of them. In fact most of the time it is not even brought up at all. We have a genre of mainly science fiction works, and characters in this tend to never use the internet in any way.

From the more than 100 short stories in the genre I have read, I remember a total of 3 that brought up the internet in any major way. And one of them basically was a story focused on an anarchist news organiation that, yeah, posted their news on the internet. The other two were a story about a scientist who was physically very isolated because of their research, and a crime story that featured social media postings as part of the evidence.

I also might note that I once wrote a story for a Solarpunk anthology, that was supposed to feature "Solarpunk and Art", that involved artists collaborating over online spaces for their art projects (that explicitly were commenting on the ideals of Solarpunk). It got rejected for not being "Solarpunk enough".

Which is quite interesting. Solarpunk of course - other than older forms of punkpunk media - very much exists thanks to the internet, right? And yet, it does seem as if the Solarpunk community in general does somewhat reject the internet.

Of course, there is this thing about Solarpunk and being connected to the real world, having more places in your neighborhood that are accessible to everyone and so on and so forth, which is good and right. And I think in some way there is the wish expressed to be able to go out and meet with real people, because a lot of people falsely feel that right now they can. (Once more: Yes, there is things happening around that you would enjoy in the real world. Things were you, as an adult, will be able to make real life friends. Just like in those Solarpunk stories. You just have to look for it.)

Something that bugs me about this though is that the internet is also an unprecedented place for scientific and artistic exchange on any possible level. As a scientist, the internet is so important for exchange for people researching a field. And for artist, too, it is a great place to share their art with more people - no matter what kind of art it is. Not to mention how much information you can get online for free. Be it this specific thing you might need to know right now, or be it just something you want to know about.

Obviously, in a Solarpunk future, there would be no longer an Amazon, or a Facebook or X, formerly known as twitter. But I do think there is some value in considering some approached to how the internet in Solarpunk might look like. What about a user governed form of Social Media? I am always thinking of U in Mamoru Hosoda's movie BELLE. And of course: Good old reliable Wikipedia.

We have to remove capitalism from the internet - but that does not mean that we need to remove the internet completely. The internet was originally developed for scientists to be able to exchange data - and as such it is so much worth.

We might just want to get back to something that is a bit closer to Web 1.0, with some more communally governed platforms in between for social media - platforms that have fact checking of course and will get banned for calling people slurs. And stuff without adds. Duh.

After all, Solarpunk also loves ideas of self-reliability, self-repair and such. But those things get a whole lot easier if you have access to information.

[kaiasky]

ok so a while back I was playing terrafirmagreg. once I got to steam power I switched over to gregtech community pack modern. i crafted the first hv circuit last night so my thoughts

Gregtech is desperately in need of better emi tooling. look this is a long one I made a GH ticket about it. (don't like. bother the author about it i just don't wanna explain twice)

note that this is not gtnh which is the pack everybody says is ultra grindy

Ore veins + high resource demands is fundamentally awesome. If you need more iron, you mine 20 stacks of iron. it is really nice to think in full stacks, and to know that e.g. if you turn 5 stacks of steel into plates you will find a use for them. By FAR the thing gt does best is just make huge ore veins so you're limited by your processing capacities and not raw materials.

Likewise, I like that thus far I haven't unlocked one-block solve-everythings. e.g. for ore processing it seems like I'll be using long lines of thermal centrifuges for the foreseeable future

Not a huge fan of having progression be "voltage" imo. like... LEDs are always gonna run at around 3.3 right. I understand that we're crushed under the weight of IC2 here but yknow.

the tier system as a broad concept I, surprisingly, really like. The goals of a tier feel different enough that it's not just "ok set up the same stuff again" but it's nice how you have to gradually bootstrap your way into being able to make that tier's stuff efficiently. Knowing that e.g. I will probably want a HV assembler helps with the learning curve.

I'm not a huge fan of the wiring and cable loss. "run diesel throughout your base, and put a generator adjacent to any machine you'd like to power" is less interesting than 'build a power station and run power everywhere from it'.

But at every stage gt seems to incentivize running fuel over running power. A fuel line can power lv/mv/hv generators. Even a wood pipe can transport diesel to power maybe 100 machines, while wires scale linearly in cost with the amount of amps you want to run through em.

(Probably this will change at some point, like if I'm gregtech I'm eventually making the only viable power source a multiblock nuclear reactor or something)

multiblocks: wallsharing is cool and I do like the capital investment of building an expensive but powerful multiblock. Buuuuut.... idk. I think especially when they just function like a machine but big, it's like.. eh. I think of create's "sequenced assembly" concept and wish it was applied here. Or just... something.

Item pipes: pretty good implementation. I think a lot of pipe mods err on the side of being too powerful. gt pipes feel like pipes, not conveyor belts/hopper chains (by this I mean that the pipes are kinda a symbolic connection and not a literal physical queue items travel through) but a pretty weak version of pipes compared to others.

I can feel on the horizon the specter of ae2 and I'm never sure how to feel about that. having every item/fluid/power available in one cable is just too much. At the same time, routing it all manually in separate pipes is a nightmare. idk. I haven't played with Create's package frog system but it seems like a good solution to 'how can we not just rely on ae2'.

The mod pack includes the classic gtnh decor mods and specifically the sloped frame blocks. It's interesting how iconic that is as part of the gregtech aesthetic.

I think the 1m^3 machine size is really good. That's silly but I was comparing it to Satisfactory a lot as two games where you need to build factories in 3d first person. and I think it's just a lot nicer to be able to walk around the machines at block scale instead of having machines that are too big.

The fact that a generator producing less than its full amperage does this crazy stutter sound as it rapidly goes off/on is INSANE. like c'mon if something is drawing a steady state 16 eu/t it should supply that & then make a softer whrrr than the normal one. Or have it wait until the internal buffer is 20%,kick on until it's 80%,shut off etc. Awful sound design

[cruyuu]

Now, that JJK is over, what do you think are Yuuji and Sukuna’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Since when that you start shipping them? What are your favorite headcanons of them? What is your fav SukuIta (canon) moment? Do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dyanamic remind you of their ship? Sorry if I ask too much....

Hi anon!

What do you think are Yuuji and Sukuna’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why?

Yuuji's strength is that he's the most compassionate person ever and that he's able to empathize with anyone, no matter what they had done. This, however, is also what I would call his weakness (a savior complex).

Yuuji needs to realize that not all people need saving or to "be better". Sometimes, they just love being the way that they are. Sukuna is the greatest example of this.

As for Sukuna- His isolation is both his strength and weakness. Strength mostly because he's totally independent and doesn't need anyone (as he had said himself). When I say "his weakness is isolation", I do mean specifically "isolation from Yuuji", because Sukuna had never paid anyone else that much mind like he did to Yuuji. All it took to spark that "hate" (interest) was the idea that he's more of a cage than a vessel, btw, which... really says something about Sukuna (that he's a fake idgaf-er).

What Sukuna fails to realize is that everyone gets lonely and longs to find someone who understands them rather than pities, envies or whatever else. Just someone who understands.

Why have you started shipping them? + Since when do you ship them?

To me, chemistry is important more so than if the characters look hot. If two characters do not have an engaging (or unique) dynamic, or if they barely even interact with each other, they'll be boring and hence I won't really invest myself into them to ship them. I hate overrated ships. Sometimes I do get behind them but only if I grow to love those characters first, but I usually attach myself to ships that have an interesting story behind them.

As for "why them really?", I already talked about it here in greater depth (although this answer of mine is a bit outdated considering a lot has happened since then). All in all, these two have a very interesting dynamic in canon and there's just something delicious about them being obsessed with each other so much so that it overshadows everything in their lives. Also; the lying, saying one thing and doing the other, the fact that they started off as complete opposites yet ended up becoming the same... and a lot, lot more.

I started shipping them right at the beginning of the story. My obsession solidified itself further at the end of the Culling Games arc, when Sukuna switched vessels.

What do you love about their dynamic?

You have two "people" who are complete opposites and are enemies. Yet... these two enemies seem to understand and read each other better than all others do. You're conveniently shown that throughout the story- just how much these two do belong together. Yet because they're enemies, they bicker and fight and will never admit it out loud. What's there not to love about two people who are in deep, deep denial that they care about each other because no one else can compare to their other? They will never admit that "that other" checks all the boxes to what they're looking for tho.

It leads to hilarious (contradictions) moments such as:

Sukuna calling Yuuji boring one minute then turning around and saying he improved a lot (with glee). ???

Yuuji ignoring Sukuna at the beginning of the story only to drop the most mind-blowing romantic confession of "being together forever" in 268. ???

Sukuna- who btw hates Yuuji- indulging him as they go through memories together. They also dance! ???

Sukuna apparently losing all that intelligence he once possessed and being in close range to Yuuji despite the fact that he claims to himself that his punches need to be avoided. ???

Yuuji "I will never be like you, Sukuna" cannibalized his half-brothers which is... clearly a Sukuna thing. ???

Since we're on that matter tho, he specifically did it to (and I quote): "Kill that creep." Why is he confessing he can live with him and asking him to come back to him again and again? Does that mean he lied to Choso back then?? Lied to all sorcerers?? ???

Mahito and Sukuna are the same. They're both terrible curses that live to cause suffering and who had also mocked him. They need to die. Mahito nearly meets a brutal death with stone-faced Yuuji chasing after him yet Sukuna... gets cradled lovingly? Gets paraded around Sendai? Gets "Let's try again"? Gets to dance with Yuuji who's happily smiling? ???

And more things. I have to re-read jjk and make an actual list lol

What are your favorite headcanons of them?

Oh, I have a lot of them.

That they cook together, that Yuuji buys Sukuna flowers which he says he'll throw away (but never does) and that Sukuna secretly writes Haiku to Yuuji.

What is your fav SukuIta (canon) moment?

Shinjuku battle 1v1 where Sukuna learns Yuuji can use Shrine is still my #1, but I recently started appreciating the divorce a.k.a the moment where Sukuna awakens in Megumi's body, saying "Remember that I said we'll see something interesting, brat?" and the fight that follows. Considering we know now how jjk ends, it's just... so confusing lol Yuuji's anger feels more like it was because he left him rather than because he overtook his friend's body.

Do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dynamic remind you of skit?

Hannigram from Hannibal and Dracula and Agatha from BBC's Dracula. Like I said I'm a sucker for ships where the characters have back-and-forths, tease each other and behave like everything except like enemies (in the latter's case).

[esoteric-chaos]

Disability-Friendly Prosperity Magic

So let's face it, those who are disabled have a hard time with money in general, either from being unable to work or not having a steady, strong source of income. Sometimes we can monetize our hobbies, admittedly at a limited capacity (some less or more than others).

From our relationship with money, money mindsets, and income streams, it's hard. That's not to shame anyone, either. Some overspend to cope, while others are incredibly frugal.

In this post, I will review some resources, tips, and tricks for the struggling disabled witch.

The Mundane Before Magical

Step one is to make a budget and track your expenses. I'm serious. Sit down, look at where your money is going, and decide on a budget that you can realistically stick to. I use the 50/30/20 rule as a budget, which is 50% Needs, 30% Wants, and 20% Savings. However, I recently switched wants and savings around so I can save for a trip.

Now I do not want you to worry about a big fancy budget method. I don't want you to overthink it. Here is a resource (Canada, but it can be used in the USA) to start one. Focus on your needs like housing, utilities, basic clothing, food, etc. Then go into wants and entertainment, and finally, savings. I suggest you put any debt payoff into the needs category if you have any debt. You do not want a blow to your credit report.

Now do you have any financial goals? Going back to school? Debt payoff? A trip? Even a big medical trip coming up? Here is a resource (Canada, but it can be used in the USA) that can help you create a goal and a plan to pay this off.

Savings, please, your SAVINGS. It is vital to have an emergency fund. Job loss? Death? Vet bills? Children? Dentist? You better believe that piles up. It is recommended if you are single to have at least 3 months of income saved up, with a child and single at least 6 months. Married on two incomes, the same amount. Married with one income, it is recommended without children at least 6 months saved up and with children 9 months. It is vital you have the means to take care of yourself if an emergency strikes. It is never recommended that money be stopped from being put into these accounts.

If you are in debt, look at your debt relief options. Sometimes there are services out there that can advocate for you regarding debt. They will help you develop a plan, understand the relief options, sign documents with you, and develop a credit rebuilding program. These services are out there; even if they are paid, they can help you pay off some of your debt, especially credit card debt.

Educate yourself on investing, basic investing, and financial literacy, in stock markets and everything beyond. Know what kind of accounts you can hold and what could help you in your situation.

Need help applying for disability? Here's a resource for the USA (a lot can also be used for Canada).

The Magical

Upkeep a prosperity altar. Work with the spirit of money like you would any other spirit. Honour it, talk to it, venerate it. Money loves to be valued, moved, not wasted, and used in charity. Most importantly, money takes time. Money takes time to grow and build a relationship with.

This is the most important thing I've learned about money. It wants to be worked with. It's sitting there. It wants to help and aid you in ways that you need.

Work with this altar on Thursdays, incorporating the spirit of Jupiter. Jupiter rules over finances. Long steady finances, not quick finances. Jupiter rules over business, legal and all things finances. Jupiter is a slower-moving planet.

You can also incorporate the spirit of Mercury on Wednesdays along with your Jupiter workings. Mercury is a fast-moving planet, a planet for fast-moving money. However, you must build a long, steady form of finances over quick, easy cash (but sometimes you do need it right now).

You can create a money bowl and work with it on this altar, a Jupiter cashbox (I will make a future post on this), or a manifestation mirror box filled with petitions, sigils and your investment/banking information.

Fill your altar with greens and gold, imagery for wealth and abundance, pocket change, and anything else that symbolizes wealth.

Do not forget to leave offerings for your money altar. A simple glass of water can do but try to do more if you can.

Road opener workings or petition with an offering for the cross-road spirits who can unblock blockages in your way.

Final Take Away

I know this might not help everyone, but I sincerely hope this helps somebody. Financial literacy was not taught to everyone, nor were proper budgeting tips. I wanted to share what I've learned over the years as I believe it is vital information for some of the information I have collected.

Blessings

[serpentinedaydreams]

Introduction! <3

Hi💚 I'm Georgiana, a Hogwarts Legacy fanfic writer new to Tumblr! I've been in the fandom on TT for a while now but wanted a place to talk with other fans and writers. You can call me Georgia, Georgie, Gia, or whatever you prefer, just no George or Jorge please. Please.

🌙

Fun facts about me:

I am a Libra sun, Aries moon, and Capricorn rising (Yes, all cardinal signs. Its rough out here.)

INFJ

Cabin 16

I love to read, but almost strictly fantasy.

I love classic rock and all things 1970s.

My top movies are Scream, Dazed and Confused, Pride and Prejudice (2005), Almost Famous, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Scooby Doo, and Barbie and the Magic of the Pegasus. In that order.

I don't watch many TV shows due to my lack of time and short attention span, but I will happily rave about The Haunting of Hill House until I die.

I loooove to chit-chat, so don't be shy about saying hello!

I am severely ADHD and can be very long winded. You can usually tell when I haven't proof-read a post because my thoughts will be scattered.

I play Hogwarts Legacy on Nintendo Switch🤧 tragic, I know. Due to the poor quality of the graphics and my inability to use mods, I unfortunately will not be able to post or include screenshots in my fics or on here. All images you see are from Pinterest, and I will ALWAYS credit each creator.

I am horrible, and I mean horrible, with technology. Do not expect my posts to look pretty. I spent the better part of an entire day fooling around with different character creators until I nearly cried, and still couldn't even get close to my idea of what Lucette looks like. So, Pinterest it is.

Photo above is by Losersandwich on Pinterest

Things to know about my work:

A Grave Endeavor - My main WIP! This is a Sebastian x MC fanfic that starts at the same place as the game, but really picks up at the beginning of sixth year. It will be mostly canon compliant until that point. I am a very slow writer, and this will be a very long story, so I am currently stockpiling my written chapters and hoping to start publishing on Ao3 and Wattpad by summer. I know Wattpad isn't well liked, but the platform is easier for some people to navigate and I want my stories to be available to all. I personally hate reading fanfics with only a few chapters published because I get impatient and lose interest when there isn't enough to get me fully invested in the story. For that reason, I am waiting until I have most of the events of the game completed so that readers can jump right into the original story that follows.

My two ships are Sebastian x MC and Ominis x Anne

I'm normally not one for crackships, but I think that Imelda and Poppy would be the cutest grumpy x sunshine couple.

I am an Imelda defender.

I hate Zenobia.

My MC is Lucette M. Graves, a half-blood orphan whose mother was a French muggle and whose father was the heir to the once noble Graves Estate, which fell from grace when he chose to marry Lucette's mother.

Lucette is sneaky, smart, outgoing, brave, kind, clever, and adventurous, but also reckless, short-sighted, materialistic, snarky, and a little vain. Her pride is her biggest setback.

Yes, I am aware that some of the listed traits stereotypically belong to other houses, but I refuse to pigeonhole a character into their house stereotype. Real people are multi-faceted and typically possess some level of aptitude for every house. Your house is more so determined by what you value most, what you ask for, and what house the Sorting Hat sees you reaching your full potential in. If it were any other way, Hermione would've been a Ravenclaw and Harry would've been a Slytherin. I refuse to let my major characters lack complexity.

Sometimes I write serious, deep scenes. Other days I want to write vibey, funny, trashy scenes. My sincerest apologies, but this story will likely feel very bipolar. I never claimed to be writing a masterpiece.

Photo of Luce is by Omnias_art on Pinterest and template is by the very talented @kiwiplaetzchen

Untitled Fantasy Novel - My debut novel I've been working on for about 2 years on and off! I'm still not very far in, as my passion lies more with my HL fan fictions, but I am determined to make sure she sees the light of day... eventually.

Imagine living in the very northernmost part of your country, with the river that marks the end of it sitting just a mile or so into the foggy, mossy forest in your back yard. The mystery? The fog gets thicker as you get closer to the treacherous, unsurvivable currents that seem to bring all who attempt to cross to their deaths. Bridges crumble before anyone can cross. The fog on the opposite bank is so thick that no one has ever seen past it.

MC - Lyra Forsythia Bram. Her favorite activity is sitting on a tree branch and daydreaming as she stares at the opposite bank. She is young, naive, and always wants to believe that people and things are good by nature. She and her neighbor, Theo, are both from wealthy families, except his, well... feels like a family. That is, until his father goes missing.

Foggy forests, brass lanterns at night, long white gowns being dragged across fresh dew, and dusty libraries full of secrets are the vibe of this one.

creator unknown

Ominis x Anne Fanfic - Last and, well, kind of the least is my untitled Anne and Ominis fic that is in its very early stages. I don't work on it too often, mostly only when I want to wallow in sadness and misery. Lots of yearning, pining, and forbidden love, all with an undertone of hopelessness. This is on the back burner for me, so who knows if or when it might be published.

One last thing I'm dying to know:

Thats all for now! I'll be sure to update when I publish. I'm so excited to meet everyone in the HL and writing communities on here. Ciao!

Xoxo, Georgiana💚

[okayto]

Mini-Reviews: Recent Mystery Demos

Celebrated the end of finals by playing through a bunch of demos in my Steam library, so let's see how they were!

Escape Tales: The Awakening

A haunting narrative puzzle game that plunges you into a world shrouded in darkness and mystery. Immerse yourself in a gripping tale of loss, redemption, and the echoes of a forgotten past based on the well-received escape room card game.

I'm not familiar with the physical game this is based on—until this moment copy-pasting the description, I didn't even know it existed. I saw a demo for a game described or tagged as "narrative," "mystery," and "story rich" and downloaded it immediately.

The demo takes you through the story set-up, and the first setting (which can include a couple puzzles), and I expect it gives a good taste of what gameplay is like. It's heavy on the narrative; you're doing a lot of reading, and clicking on some static things to complete puzzles, not navigating a 3D character. It was definitely enough time for me to get invested, and I was jolted when the game revealed the demo section had ended. Definitely going to be looking into the full game.

Demo Playtime: Took me 20 minutes

Release Date: October 2024 (demo still available as of post date)

Find It: Steam

Kill the Clock

A narrative time-loop mystery adventure where you relive the same week to solve a murder that keeps changing. Customize your character, roll dice to influence story outcomes, and uncover the truth—before time resets again.

The time-loop aspect intrigued me, but it didn't even come up in the playable demo, which I'm hoping means the game will have quite a lot to do! Not that that's a criticism of the demo; I was enjoying myself so much I completely forgot about the concept that induced me to download it in the first place.

This is a visual novel-style game, with character dialogue and choices. There's limited customization (witness the two base character options above, though shortly after the game begins you're given a chance to make changes to hair and some other accessories), and you also choose a profession that gives you stats in different concepts like combat, persuasion, and bribery—stats that affect your success during the game, as you may need to roll dice to use skills, and higher stats obviously make winning more likely.

I am, frankly, now very invested in finding out what happened re: the murder; I enjoyed all the demos here, but this is the one I keep thinking about most. The art is pretty, and the writing seems fine— the devs appear to be a small team in Korea, and their updates on Steam have mentioned smoothing out the English translation a few times, which must've worked since nothing stood out to me as awkwardly-phrased.

Demo Playtime: Took me about an hour

Release Date: Expected early June 2025 for early access

Find It: Steam

Mysteries of Perception

A detective game where you will see the same scene through the eyes of different characters. Uncover their secrets by analyzing all the clues. Switch perspectives and learn everything about the artifacts of the Distant and the deaths in their wake. Glory to the Stars!

A solid point-and-click title whose strength lies in the intriguing setting we find ourselves in. It quickly becomes clear that this isn't our world; we're looking at archaeology and discussions of history of not just places renamed from our world, but somewhere with a completely different history (of alien visitors? perhaps?).

Gameplay itself is easy to figured out—click on certain things to investigate, and if you can't figure out what, you can cause all clickable things to sparkle if they haven't been investigated yet (but since that's an action, you can avoid it if you prefer hunting everything yourself). You can switch between two characters, getting different perspectives and in some cases different investigation options. The mechanism for solving the scene and moving on requires both investigating, and then using clues in a some of fill-in-the-blank.

I enjoyed this and do plan on getting the full game, but I sense that it may be somewhat short. When the demo finishes, it appears to show that the demo portion is the first chapter of three; I would guess that the second and third chapters may take longer (the things you have to solve definitely got longer from what I could see), but I suspect it's still a fairly short game.

Demo Playtime: About 15 minutes

Release Date: January 2025 (demo still available as of post date)

Find It: Steam

Chrono Crimes

Investigate crimes and solve them... before they happen. Scour future crime scenes, corroborate suspects' alibis, search for incriminating evidence and uncover the truth before the culprit can get away with it.

The most interesting gameplay of the demos so far, It begins looking like a standard visual novel-style game, clicking through dialogue, but then it shifts: you're a new investigator involving time crimes. Your first day, you need to sleuth around an elite high school to solve (or prevent) murders—but the caveat is, not only do you have a limited amount of time on each trip, but if the other characters see you, you're immediately flung out of the past, requiring you to make yet another trip.

This is done in a stylized but 3D environment, and the other characters move around in real time. This means if you make multiple trips (and you will have to make multiple trips), you can start figuring out who goes where when, making it easier to avoid getting caught on subsequent trips. When you finally gather all the clues and safety transport those back to the office, you can begin a preliminary interrogation with your coworkers that's like a visual novel again.

I love the concept. Having to sneak around, observe and avoid characters in real time was really fun, and I can't wait to play more. It does, however, still need some work. The same thing that makes this interesting (real-time character discussions and scenes) means that when you make multiple trips, you'll watch some of the same things over and over. You're kicked back to the present the moment a character sees you, which can be really hard to gauge if you're hiding (or if they came up behind you and you're kicked back to the office for seemingly no reason). You can only retrieve "clues" if you don't get caught AND use the time machine (situated in a closet); if you head back to the office by getting caught or running out of time, the clue doesn't come with you (despite clue being...just information, no physical objects). The dev team is Spanish, and while the English translation is 100% understandable, it definitely uses phrasing and words that sound clunky and unnatural.

Since the game is still in development and doesn't have a release date yet, there's still time to hope the final version will smooth out the issues.

Demo Playtime: Took me just under an hour, but will vary widely depending on how much you can avoid being caught

Release Date: Unknown/TBD

Find It: Steam

Until Then

A fateful meeting sets off a chain reaction, upending Mark's life. People disappear and memories prove unreliable. Uncover a hidden truth with Mark and his friends in this narrative adventure and race to unravel the mystery before it's too late.

A late addition to this post (i.e. I played the demo after the original post was written and queued, but added this because I really liked it), this was a fascinating and beautiful game. The pixel graphics convey way more emotion than I would've expected going in, and I loved navigating through the setting (Philippines) as the main character goes about his day.

The story so far is enticing—teenagers, friendship, crushes, navigating schoolwork, all with the backdrop of a worldwide series of disasters the previous year, and the distinct sense that something is wrong (in a "was that a glitch in the Matrix"-sort-of-way), but the demo portion ends without a reveal.

Gameplay was fun. There are large amounts of narrative conversations, many of which require choosing from 2 or 3 reply options and which presumably can affect the game and your relationships. It's not a traditional visual novel, though, and you navigate from place to place via side-scrolling walking, and I enjoyed a mini-game to grab fried snacks from a pot.

The thing that stands out, however, is how smartphones are used in the game (which takes place in 2015): at times you are carrying on individual or group messaging conversations, and you can actually scroll up and down in the chats, as well as switch between them. The game smartphone is also used at times to scroll a Facebook-like social media—which also allows you to click and see post comments, open news articles, and see user profiles. It was super cool, and really lets you understand more of the worldbuilding without hitting you over the head. Immediately added the full game to my wishlist.

Demo Playtime: 60-90 minutes

Release Date: January 2024 (demo still available as of post date)

Find It: Steam, PS5

If you’re interested in a game described above, it may also be available in other formats or platforms than what I played. If you liked this post, click my “reviews” or “video games” tags below or search on my blog to find more.

[lewkwoodnco]

Now That We Don't Talk - Lockwood x Reader

A/N: very very brief suicidal mention, sooooo much writer's block hhhh (the seasonal depression is depressing), (angst but diluted if that makes sense) add/remove yourself from my taglist in the link beloooow ALSO

🎄Special Announcement! I'll be doing a twelve days of Christmas fic series (1 songfic fic a day leading up to Christmas) BUT I will also be accepting extra holiday-themed requests (if any)!🎄

(speaking of the holidays, thinking of switching to a santa-themed george icon soon hmmm), wc 3.1k

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 3.5 | Ch 4 | Ch 5

TAGLIST | MATERLIST

Moving had been a surprisingly smooth process that she remembered little of. She had to take care to not think too much about the ornaments she was packing or the boxes she was taping shut or the lonely town she was numbly driving towards, lest the rest of her catch up to the grief weighing her down. Her supervisor had looked plenty confused when she explained where she was transferring to, and muttered something about not knowing if there were any visitors there.

As steep as the change was from working in central London to a significantly sleepier town, she seemed to be adjusting fine. In fact, she was liking the peace and quiet. Or at least, she would, soon enough. She'd learn the right habits, like finding contentment in the stagnant void that descended on her windows far too quickly every evening, the same way she'd unlearn bad habits, like him. So no, her biggest problem was hardly the early sunsets here, but was actually what everyone wanted to talk to her about when she called. The one thing everyone - her old teammates, colleagues, friends - wanted to make sure she knew.

"The gala was fantastic this year - though not as fun without you, of course -"

"You'll never believe who showed up."

"He looked very sharp in his suit. He cleans up nice, I suppose - Anthony Lockwood, I mean."

"They've become quite the celebrities, that Lockwood & Co., though the other two don't seem to tolerate the cameras like he does."

"Oh, you should have seen it. Say what you will about Lockwood but does he know how to make an entrance!"

"Were you at the gala this year?"

She sighed for what must have been the fifth time that day. "No, Ted, I was not. You were at my farewell party, remember?"

"Tha' was for you?"

"Goodbye, Ted."

"Wait! You've seen the pictures, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't, because contrary to popular belief, I am not obsessed with evrything that goes on at Fittes."

"Well, we had a tiptop chocolate fountain this year. Didn't get clogged once and looked absolutely gorgeous. Anywho, I've recently stumbled upon this smashing business opportunity involving chocolate fountains - they're selling like hot cakes, I tell you! - and I'd love to spread the wealth."

"Theodore, you haven't joined another MLM, have you?"

"What is an MLM, other than an opportunity to invest in yourself?"

"Don't make me phone your mother."

The call ended rather abruptly after that. Only Lucy, as always, was an angel.

"I take it you've heard plenty about him?"

"Who? Oh, him. Yes, more than plenty."

"I thought you might. He has...quite the presence, so the papers wanted to interview him, and he agreed - "

" - obviously - "

"And I think they asked him about you at some point."

Her mouth dried. She struggled to find her voice, forcing it to stay casually disinterested. "Hm? What did he say?"

"Absolutely nothing. First and probably last time I've seen him stunned speechless. Naturally, it's all anyone can talk about."

"Mhm."

"He hasn't talked about you, if you're wondering. Sees it coming from a mile away every time George and I try to bring it up. It's so stupid; we know it, he knows it, and he's always in a foul mood. He keeps thinking, these days...Y/N?"

"I don't care."

"No one would blame you if you did."

"I don't."

"So how are you holding up?"

"Well, Luce, I felt happiness outside of external validation for the first time in...ever, then three months later I'm crying in my bathtub wishing I would die, and now I'm miles away from everyone I ever knew and it's always dark outside and I'm always miserable. I'm doing great."

She could hear the exhaustion in the crackling static of the telephone. It occurred to her that she wasn't much acting all that cheerful either.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think he half-expected to see you there."

She inhaled sharply and sat up in her armchair so fast she could feel a cramp curling in her neck. She didn't dare believe Lucy's words. "Really?" she wanted to breathe into the telephone, and revel in dormant delusions, if only for a moment. Instead, she gingerly sank back into the chair, continuing in a flat voice.

"Well, I don't care about any of that now. Oh, I'm sick of it. All of it. If I never hear his name again for as long as I live, it'll be still be too soon. How's George doing?"

After she hung up, she laid in her chair, watching the shadows from her shutters stretch and fold over her furniture as the sun set. She was thinking about the last party she had been to, a yacht party where some of Fittes' and Rotwell's biggest investors were in attendance. How Lockwood had managed to score an invite was beyond her, but what intrigued her more was the cab ride they shared back to Portland Row.

She had been half-dozing off when she felt a hand cover hers. As she blinked at him blearily, she noticed the rigid tension in his spine, as if poised and waiting for an attack. He was clutching her hand purposefully, as if holding off on warning her about something malevolent that was consuming him. She couldn't see his face, which began to feel no different from the cold, hard window pane it was peering out of.

She stirred, distantly unnerved by his impersonality. He glanced at her, apologetically retracting his hand with a sheepish smile. But that look of consternation remained on his face as he turned back to the window with a furrowed brow, with the air of waiting for something. He visibly relaxed as they approached Portland Row, but she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling even by the time they reached the doorstep.

"You all right?" she was asking, while Lockwood fumbled with their keys.

"'Course. Why wouldn't I be?"

She didn't respond, and the two of them watched him wrench at the key in the lock, trying to steady his mildly trembling fingers.

"Key turns the other way."

He paused his efforts, and after a second or two turned the key the other way. The door slid open smoothly with a click. He held it open, but she just looked at him expectantly. He sighed.

"I'm fine, I promise. I just...get a little nervous around some parts of London."

"Which parts?"

"Some."

"Scared of what?"

"A few things."

"Why?"

"For fun. Look, I'm freezing out here. Can we just drop this?"

That was more than a mild exaggeration; the sun had only just set and the air was still pleasantly balmy. But he looked so beseechingly, and it didn't take much for her to relent when it came to Lockwood, so they stepped inside and shrugged their coats off in silence.

"I'll tell you some day. I'm sure I will."

That was some day too far away. Now she'll never know if, or why he ever felt like that. Or rather, she wouldn't know when he would feel like that. But it was no matter. It was none of her business then, and it was even less of her business now.

She had mostly forgotten about her conversation with Lucy by the following week, which was why her parcel came as a bit of a surprise, especially since she'd mentioned being swamped by a mountain of upcoming cases.

Y/N -

I was thinking about our call the other day. On a completely unrelated note, here's about every gossip rag from the past month I could find at Arif's.

Love, Lucy.

She was beginning to see what was so appealing about these magazines. As ruthless as they could be, they sure knew how to sell a pipe dream to common folk with less exciting lives. The gala was clearly as glitzy and glamorous as it was every year, and the articles held an air of intrigue now that she was quite separate from Fittes. But that quivering excitement became somewhat muffled as she flipped through the glossy pages.

The Anthony Lockwood she saw now looked worlds apart from the Lockwood she left behind. His well-fitting suit, megawatt smile and carefully styled hair made him look expensive in a way that destabilised her. She flipped through photograph after photograph of him looking jarringly luxurious besides walls of text effusing about the success of their latest case, and what an honour it must have been to be personally invited by Marissa Fittes herself. It weighed at the pit in her stomach to see this unfamiliar silhouette of a friend who was become increasingly unattainable, speeding along roads to prosperity faster than she could ever keep up with.

She sifted through the other rags. The most extensive feature was a few pages long, and was centered more on the exciting, up-and-coming agency that was Lockwood & Co. rather than a specific case. There were pictures from their most recent cases, and in each one he looked unnaturally distinct from the last, but in every single one he oozed an appealingly languid charisma. It was good to see him doing so well. She was happy for him. Or she would be, tomorrow, when she had the strength for it. Lockwood was unbearable in a way that made him perfect for a life in the public eye, a life for which she was somehow always deficient. She traced a too-long strand of hair flopped on his forehead in one of the photographs, as if she could magically straighten it out.

She could see him now, thumbing through the pages with an approving tilt to his head, limbs folded uncomfortably in the armchair he always insisted on sharing with her. "No such thing as bad press," he'd claim absent-mindedly, his too-long hair flopping impractically. And she'd watch him with bruised eyes like she always did, wishing for nothing more in that moment shared with him. In other words, wishing for nothing short of what she could never have.

Maybe it was some lingering wish to break herself before he beat her to it. Because that was all it was; dodging blows, lying through pretty teeth, racing ahead to pull one over on him, cursing the feel of his breath on her. There was simply no calm, no respite, only the all-consuming experience of becoming wrapped up in him and losing bits and pieces of herself which would never again be truly hers.

She picked up the telephone again. It felt too heavy in her hand. Numbly, she spun the dial as if on autopilot, keying in her mother's phone number. The dial tone comforted her in some twisted yet cathartic acknowledgement of the emptiness inside of her.

Looking at it now she could see the distinct air of mystery that engulfed Lockwood and clouded her vision. He was never quite fully present; a part of him was always tucked away to be kept secret in some dark corner, and her mind was only too happy to extrapolate, to construct this most desirable yet entirely mythical figment. She felt ragged, winded and worn from battling reality day after day, all alone. And most of all, she felt so very stupid.

Her mother was saying that she had made the right decision. Not that she needed any reminding. Of course her life had taken an upward swing ever since; she'd be a fool to think otherwise. She was positively paralysed with liberty, bedridden with joy, simply immobile with ecstasy!

She was slowly but surely going very insane. Now making eyes at each other, now disconnect, now love, now heartache, now this, now that, but never any peace. Maybe it was some lingering wish to shatter and let the pent up misery dissipate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Months passed. The holiday season arrived, and she choked through the November blues with shivering bones and clammy hands. Even with the slight uptick in visitors, as was expected in the colder months, her life provided little to distract her from her own ghosts under the floorboards. So when she received a consultancy request from Fittes one morning, she had written back and mailed her response all while still holding the jam knife.

The train was crowded and noisy with the bustle of the holidays, but as it chugged along through the fields of snow, she couldn't help but perk up ever so slightly at every sigh and creak of its wheels. There was a spring in her step all the way to Fittes headquarters, where she was supposed to collect her apartment key.

A tall, indistinct figure was walking out of the revolving doors as she approached. She flinched when she realised who it was - Lockwood, who didn't seem much happier to see her either. He looked mostly well, though the corners of his mouth were a little strained, his face flushed in the cold.

"...Y/N?"

"Lockwood."

"You're...home?"

"Yeah. Um, how have you been?"

"Good...good. Busy. As busy as winter gets."

He was wearing a different coat. It was quite similar to his old one, but this one was thicker and more structured, and looked like it was at least somewhat effective in keeping the brisk winter wind out. He looked foreign and unfamiliar in a way he hadn't since...since the Investors Party.

It had taken her a while to pick his face out of the pretentious crowd, given how preoccupied she was with weaving through the thicket of people. It had taken her a eyes minute to adjust to the almost nauseatingly charismatic silhouette of an especially-chuffed Lockwood in a newly tailored but otherwise identical suit. She tried to give him a reproaching look, but there was something infectious in his smooth ease as he larked about in his prime which made her lips twitch despite herself as he waded through the crowds.

"You really shouldn't be here."

"You're clearly not drunk enough yet."

"How did you even get in? This is invitation-only."

"Had an invite, didn't I?"

She pursed her lips, shaking her head slightly. He was hopelessly incorrigible in an oddly fascinating way. Her voice dropped to a murmur as she felt herself begin to relent.

"I ought to...tell someone about you."

"That you're secretly in love with me?"

"That we have an illegal stowaway."

"You're not going to rat me out, are you?"

The pleading look on his face was enough to give her pause. She was already beginning to regret her decision, but he looked so vivacious it was difficult to stay disapproving for long.

"Excellent. Now, would you be so good as to point me in the direction of the bigger spenders?"

They spend the next few hours laughing and entertaining the many important men on the boat and their great deal of important thoughts. She'd excuse herself towards the end of every conversation to leave Lockwood and the glimmer in his eye to close a deal. For someone so adept at climbing the corporate ladder, she was surprisingly poor at fulfilling these adjacent duties.

She hated every second of it, and she drank as much as she could without raising eyebrows to make it all halfway palatable, but it was all worth it then. He had wanted to stay for as long as it would have been polite, so when they finally left, long after the media had made their rounds at the event, his jacket was folded over his left arm and his hand was delicately holding hers.

When she was stuck in her drafty cottage on the edge of nowhere, she'd think about the feel of his fingers curling around her palm more than it was appropriate, and wonder how she ever thought she was somehow better off here.

But that evening's sense of camraderie was long gone. Now, she regarded him coolly, holding him at arm's length. They may have had a rough falling out, but that didn't mean they couldn't still be friends. Just friends. Nothing more. But the vaguely intimate look in Lockwood's eye told her he was in no mood to entertain any kind of platonic notions.

"I didn't know you were back."

She relented. It was the season of giving, after all.

"Only for a while. Fittes hired me as a consultant for a few months."

He blinked at her. "You could have called."

"I didn't think you'd be interested."

"Of course I'd be interested. I'm always interested when it comes to you."

She sighed sharply. It was so easy to get swept up and believe him when he said things like that, that she wondered how she found the strength to leave. He was a bastard, a ne'er-do-well who only knew how to break her heart after promising sweet, simple luxuries in whispers over expanses of skin. She made her lips tremble, her pulse quicken, her heart shake in all the worst ways.

But underneath all that, love was there. Love was there...still.

"Ready to go?"

They turned in unison towards a strikingly beautiful girl with glossy raven curls walking out of the revolving doors. The girl's smile only slipped a fraction as she shook her hand, and she was distantly aware of making some kind of clumsy introduction. They stuttered through some stunted small talk, during which all she was aware of was the blood roaring in her ears that gave the whole scene a distantly muffled feel. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Well, this was...lovely. Shall we go, then?"

The girl turned to leave, but some semblance of hesitation prevented her from pulling Lockwood along with her.. His face still had that same confused look.

"You could have called," he repeated tonelessly, like a broken record. The girl's presence made the back of her neck smart and prickle uncomfortably.

"I might, later."

"Bye. Nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too."

"We're home all day."

The last one was from Lockwood.

"Just...if you want to drop by. So that Luce and George don't have my head on a platter by supper."

"Goodbye, Lockwood."

He was captivating in a way that made her want to keep him all to herself. No one needed to intrude on this tantalising secret they shared. It was at that moment that she made the very unfortunate realisation that she didn't need to say it out loud to make what she had been screaming from the rooftops of her heart any more real - him and her would forever be unfinished business.

And nothing she could do could make the palpitations of her heart any less real either.

As the life she once dreamed of walked away from her, all she was acutely aware of was that it was a lingering wish, some half-thought dream, to sit opposite him in a chilly kitchen on blustery mornings, watching him drink his tea while she got drunk on him.

TAGLIST: @novelizt @avdiobliss @dangelnleif @mischivana @mitskiswift99 @houseoftwistedspirits

[ouroborealis-charnivore]

Crowley dying in s3

I wasn't sure how to start this meta. I've had this theory with possible (big possible) evidence sitting around for ages and I just didn't know what to do with the information.

After I'd already had this information, I only seen a hand full of others talk about it, but none have touched on it in the same way as the things I've found in my research.

So let's get on with it. For reference I'm going to tag @nightingalecottage and their lovely post here. I really recommend reading it. This theory only saw the light of day because of their post and I told them I would tag them with my meta since it lends a lot to it. And I promised myself that I would finish this for them.

Now for the meat and potatoes. I'll break it all down about how I found this information and how it might lend some theory about possible plot to s3.

This got really long so I put a cut.

-Silly narrator voice-

The facts were these.

To start I was doing research for a fic I'm working on and the details don't matter much but I'd planned to make my 'human' crowley a barrister. I was googling famous barristers for inspiration.

This lead me to wikipedia naturally as you do. And as I was looking over the list I saw this.

After seeing this name on the list of barristers in popular culture I had a mini freakout. Mainly because two things NG is a huge fan of Charles Dickens and A Tale of Two Cities is on the bookclub reading list. And I kept thinking why did this seem familiar and this is why.

A Tale of Two Cities is on the list of books that they recommend we read or were found in s2. So after I stopped freaking out I immediately went to the wiki page for this character. I wasn't too familiar with this book so I wanted to know more. As I was now super invested and intrigued. And found this.

Sydney Carton

I couldn't help be blown away by the similarities here between Sydney Carton and a certain depressed snake demon from s2. Morosely asking Shax on a bench in the first episode "What's the point of it all?"

For some context, in the novel Sydney Carton and his later best friend Charles Darnay share a striking semblance and are easily mistaken for each other. This is how Sydney is then able to make the switch with Darnay in the end saving his life.

This brings to mind of the lore that we know that Crowley and Aziraphale were once long ago one character and split into two. Also with the ideal casting choice that Terry Pratchett wanted one actor to play both roles. That would have been really interesting and funny. Also this plays into our favorite duo MS and DT having not worked together before because they were up for the same roles.

Let's move on to

Charles Darnay

Darnay resents his uncle's views much how Aziraphale resents certain aspects of heaven, but is never able to act on very much.

The note about Darnay being tutor of French made me chuckle considering what we know about Aziraphale being terrible at French. With that whole scene centered around it in s2.

Ok so we all are well versed and familiar with the famous Bastille scene. We all know the one and its clear the inspiration here for it comes from A Tale of Two Cities possibly.

Side note Darnay and Carton are both in love with Lucie here, but I posit that in the case of Good omens, Aziraphale is possibly both Darnay and Lucie. Making him the best friend and love intrest.

Lucie Manette

And finally why does any of this matter and what does this have to do with Crowley maybe dying in s3 you ask?

The one important detail in all of this is that at the end of the novel Carton heroically sacrificed himself to save his best friend and for the women he loves. He feels it gave him purpose and felt as if his life finally had meaning.

Two things here. The scene in which Carton swaps places with Darnay being able to pass as him well enough to save his life. Is very reminiscent of our Body Swap from s1. As well as the idea that in s3 this could also happen, but in the sense that Crowley does it to save Aziraphale's life. I clearly have no idea how s3 will play out.

Now I'm not saying that s3 will be as dramatic as all of this. It is still a comedy at its core. As others have touched on in meta and in nightingalecottage's post there are many little hints that point to the similarities and the idea that Crowley maybe doomed by the narrative. In a way, I personally don't think that Crowley's hypothetical death will be permanent. I just do not see that happening at all. A temporary death I could definitely see and it could also serve to show how much Crowley truly means to Aziraphale. The shock of it would maybe be similar to how Crowley thought he lost Aziraphale in s1 and could be a parallel.

In the end this is all speculation and theory. Either way the idea of it all makes me vibrate and I needed to finally share this with someone else. They wouldn't have recommended this book if there wasn't some sort of meaning here right? And its entirely possible I'm looking in the wrong direction.

Overall there are many parallels and similarities here between A Tale of Two Cities and certain parts of Good Omens, I'm sure I may have missed some and I just wanted to end this now before it gets too long. If you made it this far and have any other theories or something you want to add on to this please feel free to tag me. I release this into the void.

[hinamie]

do u have any tips for uhh idk art term....highlight and contour but for art? specifically w digital art? w pencil and paper it feels super intuitive but then when i switch to digital it looks all flat.............

(is it shading? idk what im doing tbsh)

(also hope ur doing well i feel like im crawling into ur asks every two days or smth looking for art tips sorry T_T)

(yuuji comic made me cry so hard btw)

hi rin!!!!!!! that wld be shading/rendering yes hgbhgfjs there’s no One specific term tho so ur all good <3 also omg re: the yuuji comic IM SORRY I KEEP MAKING U CRY GHJKGJDSGHKJ its ok i made a lot of people cry if the death wishes/pos in the tags are anything 2 go by so ur in good company :D i teared up also

i would Also like to apologize in advance because fr me this is one of those Art Things that becomes more intuitive the more u do it so i am a bit. lost as 2 how to explain but i will sukuna voice ganbare ganbare !!!!

it’s all about light sources babes so pick a direction where the light is hitting from and use that as your main point of reference. If u need to remind yourself where the light is coming from i was taught to draw a lil arrow or sun somewhere on your canvas 2 keep track . areas closest to the light or planes that are more Elevated will be brighter than areas farther away or Deeper. When u think of a face, the forehead and cheeks rest Higher than fr example, the eye sockets, so those areas will catch more light and appear brighter. it /is/ kind of like makeup in that way. 

also, shadows/highlights can have soft or hard edges depending on how . uh . intense, i guess?? the angle of the light is. like with a box vs a sphere, the former will have a lot more Cut and Defined areas of darkness because the plane where light hits is cut off more directly by the presence of a corner, whereas with a sphere the Slope means that the values follow more of a gradient. 

tbh tho if you’re still starting out, to practice light sources and shading it actually might be good to scribble and shade some 3D shapes and spheres/boxes or maybe even draw from life so u can really take time 2 pay attn to how light catches different surfaces . it’s boring work but the practice is never wasted !! lighting can be tricky so try and take the time 2 form Good habits :'> references r ur friends here now more than ever.

other than that, which i feel more or less covers the basics n fundamentals, my wisdoms 2 u and any1 else who will have it: INVEST TIME IN2 FINDING GOOD BRUSHES omg i feel like a lot of that New Artist Look (tm) comes from using default brushes —which on its own is fine, but the kicker is not taking time to get comfortable with how to make the best use of them. the fun of the render is getting to play with textures and colours so find some brush settings that help add a bit of personality!! also . resist defaulting 2 the airbrush tool to shade it Rarely cooperates and can muddy a piece. uhhhh what else what else try not to shade with black for the same reasons ???? i'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here but i hope something here was of any value :'>>