#the delight of misapprehension

[callunavulgari]

Scrapbook 2024 | Pt I

For anyone that’s new to this, this is how I keep track of all of the things that I enjoy and/or create throughout the year. I have literally been doing this since I had a livejournal.

It’s a nice little snippet of my life and helps to organize my brain.

A reminder:

Normal font - Indifferent/Neutral Italicized font - Enjoyed bold font - Loved with an asterisk* - All time favorite (bracketed titles) - Re-watches/Re-reads strikethough - Disliked

Goals are: read 70 books and write at least 50k of original content.

Past Years

MOVIES

January

N/A (yet)

TV SHOWS

January

You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Delicious in Dungeon, s1

Little Women: Limited Series

The Brothers Sun

(Stranger Things, s2)

YOUTUBE CHANNELS

January

Beryl!

Watcher: Making Watcher

BOOKS

January

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells [Fin]

(Sabriel by Garth Nix) [Fin]

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Morena-Garcia

PODCASTS

January

Watcher Podcast

The Adventure Zone: Live In Seattle

VIDEO GAMES

January

LoZ: Tears of the Kingdom, looots of hours [Fin]

(Ghosts of Tsushima), 22 hrs [Fin]

Baldur's Gate, 82 hrs

POSTED FIC

January

you let me complicate you | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 5,219 words | “But I thought—” Eddie starts, sucking in a deep, quelling breath when Steve sucks a mark into the side of his throat. His pulse ticks just a little higher. He tries again. “I mean, you’re straight?”

WIPS | UNPUBLISHED | ORIGINAL

January

600 words of Dead Girl Walking (sequel to you let me complicate you)

152 words of Steddie singing neighbors meet cute

Fanmixes/Spotify Playlists/Graphics

January

2024

put your back into it [a playlist for getting closer to god]

Stranger Things: the Musical

DELIGHTFUL FIC

January

they're going to send us to prison for jerks by greatunironic | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 16k | In which Eddie is TikTok famous, and his personal favorite creator just had an unexpected face reveal.

can't live long on starvation rations by ghostoftonantzin | WWDITS | Nandor/Guillermo | 6k | The temperature goes up, the air conditioner goes out, and Nandor is reminded what it's like to be driven near mad with lust.

in the backseat of your (boy)friend’s car by greatunironic | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 4k | A story about a first time.

Five Times Steve Surprises Eddie by nbfutureboy | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 5k | “We are some kind of after-school dads, my friend… Extra-curricular fathers. A real pair of paternal putzes.”

Let The River Run by astolat | GOT | Jaime/Robb/Brienne | 61k | The deep satisfaction of having made the right choice; of having found a clear-flowing wellspring of true honor to protect.

hold me now, i need relief by ToEdenandBackAgain | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 26k | “Sorry. Couldn’t die without knowing what that felt like.”

think kindly of a stranger by magneticwave | GOT | Jon/Sansa, Robb/Dany | 16k | The dead walk again.

crashing high by brawlite | X-Files | Krycek/Mulder | 3k | Handcuffed in the freezing cold, Krycek comes down on Walter Skinner’s balcony. It’s not ideal, but he’s had worse crashes in his time.

Show Me Your Teeth by entanglednow | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 8k | Eddie Munson apparently didn't get the memo that you can't just bite the people you're interested in. But Steve decides that he's surprisingly willing to hear him out.

I Want to Hold Your Hand by Peachesandpears | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 4k | Steve, on the heels of Starcourt, tries to drown his memories with cheap beer. At least until Eddie Munson checks in on him.

In the Kitchen or the Tulips by teddywesworl | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 34k | Did he touch me? Did he touch me? Did he touch me?

Alive and Kicking by gayhandshake | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 13k | Eddie is laboring under a misapprehension about the nature of his relationship with Steve Harrington.

Vino by teddywesworl | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 39k | Eddie comes back hungry. It doesn’t go the way you think.

Dissonance Theory by colossalflea, teddywesworl | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 30k | In the most exclusive luxury attraction on Earth, Steve Harrington follows a scripted loop of violence and cruelty.

Fight the Hurricane by spqr | Hannibal | Hannigram | 6k | “He’s the best Jaeger pilot we have,” Jack says, grimly.

look what you've done, now i'm a mess by Civil_Hearing | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | “That’s it, baby, look at you,” Eddie coos from beyond the wall.

We Better Make a Start by thefourthvine | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 11k | As soon as Eddie gets to the counter, Steve turns to him and says, “Back me up here. Kissing is no big deal, right?”

smoking guns (hot to the touch) by fivecenturiesverse | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 7k | “Your boner is digging into me,” says Robin, and Steve snorts a tired sort of laugh.

so let's sneak in from the cheap seats, honey by pricklywhicket | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 14k | The Hawkins Public Pool is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 8AM to 8PM, seven days a week. It employs three lifeguards, two of whom work each day: one from 8 to 2, and one from 2 to 8.

steve harrington's six-step guide to getting the guy. by oaseas | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 35k | Lucas needs love advice, Dustin & Robin despair, and Steve's a regular Casanova.

four puffs of farrah fawcett spray (and a mouthful of UD pollen) by oaseas | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 17k | Steve Harrington can take a hit. He can take many hits. In fact, thanks to the Upside Down, there isn't a hit Steve can't take.

STRIKE TEN. by oaseas | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 16k | One double scoop of pining, please!

time you taste it. (don’t need to wait for an invitation) by oaseas | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 5k | Eddie gets a tongue piercing. Steve despairs.

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

January

2023 Movie Trailer Mashup

2023 || Multifandom Mashup

Doctor Who - Here We Go Again

if I could go back in time ┃ steve & eddie

Steve Harrington & Eddie Munson | Make Him Pay

Steve Harrington || No parents, big house

steve & eddie | bad habits [+s4 v1]

Steve & Eddie | One Night

Eddie Munson - Lovely

Steve Harrington | You're On Your Own, Kid

(ST) Steve Harrington | The Babysitter

► Eddie Munson | Heroes

Didn't run away | Stranger Things

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

January

i believe - christina perri

dear arkansas daughter - lady lamb

yes i'm a mess - ajr

goodbye - bo burnham

my sails are set - sonya belousova

and the world was gone - snow ghosts

waiting in the wings - annapatsu

dandelion - gabbie hanna

child of ashes - madds buckley

you will be okay - annapatsu

the jellyfish song - kleonlumi

murder on the dancefloor - sophie ellis bextor

won't stand down - muse

mount rageous - andrew rannells

nothing can take from me - rachel zegler

bad idea, right? - olivia rodrigo

alice - peggy

bring me to life- corvyx

revived - derivakat

you will be okay - sam haft

the sound of silence - disturbed

paint it, black - ramin djawadi

only the lonely survive - marianas trench

red flag - billy talent

sleep walking orchestra - bump of chicken

waiting for the end - linkin park

spice up your life- spice girls

blood - starbenders

waterloo - abba

white rabbit - haley reinhart

closer - nin

sweet dreams - marilyn manson

[dangermousie]

Was thinking of rereading Sharon Kay Penman’s Falls the Shadow, which largely centers on Simon de Montfort, father of Parliament, brother in law of the King he fought against etc etc.

Reading FtS for the first time is actually a super vivid memory - sitting in my college dorm, listening to music and binging until after 3am in non-stop frenzy. It remains my favorite book in her Welsh trilogy (The Reckoning is brilliant but so horrifyingly depressing that she literally had to create a couple of minor fictional characters just so at least someone would escape the grinder and Here Be Dragons is a rare Penman with a happy ending but I still prefer Shadow.) It’s actually probably my favorite of all her novels except The Sunne in Splendour.

It’s funny, there are not that many novels about de Montfort as main - Edith Pargeter’s The Marriage of Megotta features him as a major character (if you want a truly depressing read, boy do I have a novel for you!) and then there is an utterly hilarious Virginia Henley romance novel, The Dragon and the Jewel which turns him and Eleanor into a romance novel couple and it’s totally hilarious:

Father of the English Parliament the way you’ve never imagined him, I bet 😂

Anyway, wish there were more novels about him because he’s had a totally insane life.

I did just get my hands on Elizabeth Chadwick’s A Marriage of Lions which, truly unusually, centers on Henry III’s half brother who fought AGAINST Simon in support of Henry. That will be a truly interesting take.

Side note: de Montfort and Roger Mortimer, lover of Queen Isabel and ruler of England after they overthrew Edward II until he himself was taken out by Edward III, are my favorite relatively obscure Medieval English barons. Insane lives, both of them.

I’ve had a thing for Mortimer ever since I read Maurice Druon’s The Cursed Kings series as a tween. It was very very age-inappropriate (my parents being under the delightful misapprehension that classics, and foreign ones at that, were always appropriate. They did NOT read Apuleius like I did at 10. Or Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer. Or Druon.) N. Gemini Sassoon has a great duology about Mortimer and Isabel. Though she chose to avoid tragedy and end it before Mortimer was murdered. And Anna Belfrage’s The King’s Man series, which is awesome, has Mortimer as one of the major characters (ML of that novel is Mortimer’s knight.)

Anyway, I wish England was more like Korea in making proper period shows about their cool historical people.

[rhinco]

ID (text from linked article):

A screenshot of the title reading "Path of Exile 2 players are calling foul on Elon Musk's high-level hardcore character after he streams his struggles with core game mechanics" by Lincoln Carpenter published 9 January 2025. The subheading reads "Could've been stream jitters, I suppose."

Screenshotted text copied from the article:

On January 7, Musk streamed an hour and a half of Path of Exile 2 gameplay on his current level 95 hardcore character. In PoE 2, surviving into higher levels in the hardcore league, regardless of ladder placement, is an impressive feat: As you progress, the game stacks layers of enemy modifiers, damage resistance reductions, and hazardous tileset modifiers, and dying once in hardcore means your character is toast. Getting a hardcore character into the 80s is impressive; getting one high enough into the 90s to place high on the hardcore ladder is a feat of skilled gameplay and buildcraft.

The gameplay on display in viewer-recorded VODs of the stream, however, is… well, not that.

Odd signs begin appearing as early as 18 minutes into the stream, when Musk enters his character's stash to reveal a tab that's been named "Elon's map." Considering the other tabs aren't labeled "Elon's currency" or "Elon's catalysts," the tab sticks out. Someone of a conspiratorial persuasion might see it as an indicator that, perhaps, another individual had curated the tab's selection of map-generating waystones for ease of gameplay—like if you wanted to be able to show off your high level character without a real risk of getting it killed.

But maybe it was just a fun little way for Musk to brighten up his own day. Who can say what affectations delight the hyper-wealthy?

He enters maps with a full inventory, then repeatedly attempts to pick up items without inventory space. He doesn't have a loot filter active, but can be seen clicking and dragging items into his inventory—a maddening display that would imply he'd have manually sorted through thousands of dropped items to assemble his character's equipment, which could very well have taken longer than the actual gameplay necessary to reach his current level.

This is all, supposedly, from a player who at time of writing has been able to outpace all but 11 people on the global PoE 2 hardcore ladder. Still, it could've been performance anxiety. Even the wealthiest man alive can get a bit nervy when streaming for the peasantry, I guess.

What's most damning, however, is that Musk seems to show a fundamental misunderstanding of how itemization in Path of Exile 2 works. Late in the stream, he looks over his current equipment. Inspecting his weapon, he says it's "only level 62" compared to his level 95 character. In doing so, he's seemingly unaware that in PoE, an item's effectiveness isn't determined by its level requirement, but by its item level—a separate figure that determines which affixes the item can roll with.

He repeats the mistake as he mouses over each item he has equipped. "My equipment's pretty low level compared to my character level, but it seems to work pretty well," he says, even though it's all high-end gear that's been meticulously collected, crafted, and rerolled to maximize his character's build. It's a misapprehension that, frankly speaking, strains belief.

im surprised no one is talking about how elon musk paid people to make high level hardcore characters for him so he could claim it was all his work on livestream only to be immediately exposed as he couldn't even play the game right

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Shall We Dance

In her autobiography Ginger Rogers expressed disappointment over having to work with Mark Sandrich again on SHALL WE DANCE (1937, TCM) after having been directed by George Stevens in SWING TIME (1936). Perhaps Sandrich didn’t approach actors with same care, but his direction is visually graceful and fluid. It’s not just the dance numbers, which Astaire always insisted be filmed with minimal cuts (O! that contemporary film musical directors would get the message! I’m looking at you Ryan Murphy). He also does some good moving camera work in the book scenes and has a lovely shot through the windows of Fred and Ginger’s adjoining hotel rooms as each fights the temptation to use the connecting door.

The script is like a compendium of all their earlier films. If misapprehension (much ado about noting) was at the center of most of their romantic comedies, someone must have thought, “let’s pile one atop the other almost ad infinitum.” That’s mirrored in the film’s best comedy routine, Eric Blore’s attempt to get Edward Everett Horton to bail him out of the Susquehanna Street Jail, with his attempting to spell “Susquehannna” — “S as in… — and then having to spell out code words until he miraculously gets back to “S as in….” But what works for a brief comic bit is frustrating when translated into a 109-minute movie. Anyway, Fred is a ballet dancer enamored of Ginger, a musical star. He wants to mix ballet and tap (and himself and Ginger), but first she thinks he’s a snob, then a prankster, then someone spreads a rumor that they’re married, then someone phonies up photos to make them look married, then… It all gets a little exhausting, and it doesn’t help that it takes almost an hour to get the two of them dancing together.

Fortunately, the film has a top-notch comic cast, a great score by George Gershwin and dynamite choreography by Hermes Pan. Usually in the Astaire-Rogers films the comedy is carried by character players like Horton and Blore, but here even Fred and Ginger get in their licks. Astaire’s impersonation of a self-important ballet star, an act he puts on to twit Rogers, is a hoot (and carries over into some of the dance routines that mix ballet and tap), while Rogers has a lightness about her playing that’s very appealing. When she tries to act like a diva, it’s funny because you know she’s just putting on airs for effect. Sadly, in later years, the diva act would become her dominant acting style as her self-importance sometimes ate her talent.

The numbers are all to be cherished, and there are spots of genius as when Astaire’s dance moves in “Slap That Bass” mirror the machinery in a cruise ship’s motor room or the clever staging of the “Walking the Dog” scene, a dance that isn’t a dance. The roller-skate tap number to “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” is justly famous. What struck me this time out, however, was how perfectly the choreography to “They All Laughed” mirrors the film’s romantic plot (the climactic show-within-a-show would do the same, but as good a dancer as Harriet Hoctor may have been technically, nobody goes to an Astaire-Rogers musical to watch him dance with some other lady). When Fred and Ginger are forced to dance together, a ruse perpetuated by her producer (Jerome Cowan), they start out as a mismatch. Astaire revives his premier danseur from earlier and tries to get her to go all balletic with him.  Frustrated, she throws in a burst of tap, which he then matches. Her growing delight as they switch to tap is some of the best acting she ever did.

This also may be the queerest of the Astaire-Rogers movies. Although Fred’s a very prominent dancer, he still shares his stateroom and hotel room with Horton. You start thinking he’s gone after Rogers to get away from that relationship. For her part, when Rogers rejects Astaire, she tries to get together with an old flame, a wealthy, effeminate man with no chin. There’s a shipboard scene in which Cowan seems to pick up Horton in the bar and gets him drunk. The first misunderstanding that breaks up Astaire and Rogers also breaks up Cowan and Horton. And since you know the stars are going to get together, the real dramatic question becomes whether or not Horton can find a suitable partner, particularly when Cowan dumps him for his bandleader (Ben Alexander). In real life, Horton seems to have had radio actor Gavin Gordon to come home to at his estate, Belleigh Acres. In this film, you wonder if maybe he’ll decide Blore is his only hope of finding romance.

[acalavidyaraja]

Three Principal Aspects of the Path by Je Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa"Homage to the precious noble masters!The very essence of all the buddhas’ teachings, The path that is praised by the noble bodhisattvas, And the entrance for all fortunate ones desiring liberation— To the best of my ability, I shall now set forth.You who are unattached to saṃsāra’s pleasures, And strive to make full use of the freedoms and advantages, You who follow the path delighting all the buddhas— Fortunate ones, listen well, with a clear and open mind.Whilst lacking pure renunciation there is no way to pacify The continual thirst for pleasure in the ocean of saṃsāra, And since all living beings are bound by their craving for existence, You must begin by finding the determination to be free.The freedoms and advantages are rare, and there’s no time to waste— Reflect on this again and yet again, and dispel attachment to this life. To dispel attachment to your future lives, contemplate repeatedly The unfailing effects of karma and the sufferings of saṃsāra.When, through growing accustomed to thinking in this way, Hope for the pleasures of saṃsāra no longer arises even for an instant, And throughout both day and night you long for liberation, Then, at that time, true renunciation has been born.Yet if this renunciation is not embraced By the pure motivation of bodhicitta, It will not become a cause for the perfect bliss of unsurpassed awakening, So the wise should generate supreme bodhicitta.Beings are swept along by the powerful current of the four rivers, Tightly bound by the chains of their karma, so difficult to undo, Ensnared within the iron trap of their self-grasping, And enshrouded in the thick darkness of ignorance.Again and yet again, they are reborn in limitless saṃsāra, And constantly tormented by the three forms of suffering. This is the current condition of all your mothers from previous lives. Contemplate their plight and generate supreme bodhichitta.If you lack the wisdom that realizes the nature of things, Although you might grow accustomed to renunciation and bodhicitta, You will be incapable of cutting through conditioned existence at its root. Exert yourself, therefore, in the methods for realizing interdependence.The one who sees that cause and effect operate infallibly For all the phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, And for whom any objects of conceptual focus have subsided, Has set out upon the path delighting all the buddhas.The knowledge that appearances arise unfailingly in dependence, And the knowledge that they are empty and beyond all assertions As long as these two appear to you as separate, There can be no realization of the Buddha’s wisdom.Yet when they arise at once, not each in turn but both together, Then through merely seeing unfailing dependent origination Certainty is born, and all modes of misapprehension fall apart— That is when discernment of the view has reached perfection.When you know that appearances dispel the extreme of existence, While the extreme of nothingness is eliminated by emptiness, And you also come to know how emptiness arises as cause and effect, Then you will be immune to any view entailing clinging to extremes.When, in this way, you have correctly understood The key points of the three principal aspects of the path, Withdraw to solitude, dear son, strengthen your diligence, And swiftly accomplish the ultimate and lasting aim.This advice was given by the bhikṣu of extensive learning, Lobzang Drakpé Pal, to Tsakho Önpo Ngawang Drakpa."

"The Three Principal Aspects of the Path" by Je Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa is a profound Tibetan Buddhist text that serves as a comprehensive guide to spiritual liberation. Through clear explanations and insightful teachings, Tsongkhapa outlines the fundamental aspects of the Buddhist path, providing practitioners with practical instructions for progressing towards enlightenment.

Renunciation:

The first aspect of the path emphasized by Tsongkhapa is renunciation (Nekkhamma). Renunciation refers to the sincere determination to be free from cyclic existence (samsara) and its inherent suffering. Tsongkhapa highlights that without renunciation, it's impossible to pacify the constant craving for pleasure within samsara. He urges practitioners to reflect deeply on the impermanent nature of life, the suffering inherent in cyclic existence, and the rarity of obtaining a precious human rebirth. Through contemplation and introspection, one develops a strong determination to break free from the cycle of birth and death and strive towards spiritual liberation.

Bodhicitta:

The second aspect of the path is bodhicitta, the altruistic intention to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Tsongkhapa emphasizes that true renunciation must be accompanied by bodhicitta to become a cause for the perfect bliss of unsurpassed awakening. Bodhicitta arises from recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings and cultivating compassion for their suffering. By generating bodhicitta, practitioners dedicate themselves to the welfare and liberation of all sentient beings, aligning their spiritual practice with the altruistic aim of enlightenment.

Understanding Emptiness:

The third aspect of the path is understanding emptiness (Sunyata), the ultimate nature of reality. Emptiness refers to the absence of inherent existence in all phenomena. Tsongkhapa explains that understanding emptiness is essential for cutting through the root of conditioned existence and attaining liberation. He elucidates the interdependence of cause and effect and the emptiness of all phenomena. By realizing the inseparable nature of appearance and emptiness, practitioners gain insight into the true nature of reality and transcend all forms of misapprehension. Understanding emptiness liberates the mind from grasping onto inherent existence, leading to profound wisdom and spiritual awakening.

Conclusion:

"The Three Principal Aspects of the Path" provides practitioners with a clear roadmap for spiritual development and liberation. Through cultivating renunciation, bodhicitta, and understanding emptiness, individuals can progress effectively on the path towards enlightenment. Tsongkhapa's teachings offer profound insights into the nature of suffering, compassion, and wisdom, inspiring practitioners to embark on a journey of profound transformation and spiritual realization. By integrating these three principal aspects into their spiritual practice, practitioners can navigate the challenges of samsara and attain the ultimate goal of liberation from suffering.

[ireneartofseduction]

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[hawkepockets]

elaborating. i have 3 main criticisms of c77 in its current form, and none of them are to do with its issues on release! the bug fixes, 2.0 patch, and dlc have really transformed the game and belatedly delivered on its marketing promises imo and my playthrough was remarkably clean of bugs. i thought the presentation of trans npcs* & bodies was a bit timid but inoffensive, the character creator was a swing and a miss when it came to trans inclusivity but i do think it boldly & sincerely swung before the rest of the AAA game industry. the combat was fun. the open world felt lively to me, the lore is clever and appealingly goofy, and the story, character writing, music, voice acting, and sound design were all elevated. visually it’s stunning. facial animations are a massive W. photomode and wardrobe system delighted me consistently.

*jago & claire

that said, my points against—

1. no faction approval mechanic. i don’t generally like to criticize a game on what it’s not and never tried to be—but this really does feel like a missing element.

night city’s gangs are colorful and visually distinct & each control a different neighborhood, but they’re all equally hairtrigger hostile and have no ability to remember whether you’ve helped or crossed them in previous gigs*. variable levels of hostility & willingness to give quests based on your choices would go far in making these gangs and neighborhoods feel like more than map areas with mobs on them.

*i marked 3 times that gang members brought up that i’d previously fucked with them, but all referred to required major story steps, not player choices or open world activity.

the cops also behave like killer wasps, with a hive mind that lets dozens of them swarm to your location in seconds if you shoot, shove, or accidentally walk too close to a cop… or happen to be caught in the crossfire of some randomly generated gang violence… or jump while an officer is looking at you… but as soon as you escape their sight lines they will rapidly forget what they were doing. you can’t gain lasting notoriety with the ncpd (or cred with the gangs) by killing cops or committing crimes in front of them, nor can you please the cops (and antagonize the gangs) by completing police gigs and narcing on your fellow criminals*. so the city is kind of just covered in wasps…

*i’ve seen some posts and comments under the misapprehension that u can, and that this is a major problem with the game. but it is not so.

2. the corporations do evil cartoon violence and are great at it! like the acts of villainy featured in the main story are truly villainous and fun. but i feel like the realistic corporate violence—the abuse of workers and destruction of communities—happens mostly offscreen and mostly for jokes or set dressing. corporate employees are shown to be stressed and isolated on the job, and termination is often violent and unfair, but outside of the corpo prologue this doesn’t affect the player at all. i don’t think the game has any janitors in it. i don’t remember ever seeing a janitor*.

*edit: my roommate says she found a janitor! ☝️ one.

the map is also thickly decorated with the visual markers of poverty, but since it’s so easy to amass hundreds of thousands of eddies, there are no rent, debt, or cyberware maintenance mechanics at all*, and none of the companions’ storylines are really about needing money or the experience of being working class in this hypercapitalist, “cyberpunk” setting…….

*not necessarily fun, but hallmarks of older cyberpunk games like shadowrun.

like take river, an indigenous ex-cop living in a crowded trailer park with his sister’s family at the edge of town. his storyline is not at all about poverty and barely winks at police corruption—it’s about a nefarious gay batman villain sex pest who kidnapped his nephew.

consumers are consistently mocked for being gullible and exploited in night city, but money isn’t real! class isn’t felt! money and class can’t be not real and not felt in a cyberpunk story. i think @/antisocialxconstruct’s use of “cyberpop” is really really apt*.

*i’m not going to tag rom on an opinion post but u can read what it said right below this on my blog!

like as a counter-example, i think the outer worlds, which presented itself as a facetious space western (not the be all and end all of cyberpunk feat. keanu reeves), did a much better job reflecting current work conditions and bitterly satirizing companies like amazon and johnson&johnson and the golden age robber barons, since it worked wholly with the genuine past & “unthinkable present” rather than speculation on the future, and with characters who are convincingly political and down on their luck.

3. endgame trigger available too early in the game. it was lit up on my map for over 55 hours before i finished the game. literally just hold your fucking horses! i understand that inserting dlcs into the existing main story can be tricky, but it made the pacing feel sort of precarious… wouldn’t be a problem if AAA games were released with completed stories to begin with uhh.

but it was more than just a minor aesthetic annoyance—because of the urgency of v’s storyline, it doesn’t make sense that they would hesitate in rushing to that endgame trigger. as the player i know that there’s more game. as a character, v doesn’t know that there’s more game! they don’t know they can take their time shopping around for better endings than the one you get if you barrel straight through the main story!

so it destabilizes the pacing and suspension of disbelief in a way. draws back the curtain on the fact that, because this is an rpg, the progression of v’s terminal condition is sped or slowed based on how many hours of c77 you want to play. it’s not a real, independent threat on its own narrative timer. if that makes sense?

ultimately though, all the positives i mentioned at the beginning hugely outweighed these issues for me. “the thing that makes u a protagonist is KILLING YOU!!” is a fairly common plot hook for rpgs (e.g. the prothean beacon in mass effect, SAM in andromeda, anchor in da:i) and one of my favorite tropes, but i’ve never seen it built out into a whole main story like this—it was the high of playing “trespasser” but for 85 hours. like the premise is just so up my alley, this hole was made for me. the cast of characters is very dear to me. the game is simply fun to play! and again, music & voice acting—always something that massively weights the scales for me personally.

so that’s my real review 👍 as a cyberpunk narrative i think it failed much more than it succeeded, but for its merits as a game i give it a 7/10. plus an extra star for silverV making me cry. plus another one for phantom liberty. that’s an A minus!

don’t pay full price to grizzle this bocce ball ☝️ but grizz it

it really was a lovely game… flawed 2 b sure but well worth playing. especially for $0 and this long after release

[largethingslargerthings]

Meditative Week of Poetry: John Wall Barger

Ever hear, far off, a grinding, 

some big machine in the wrong gear— 

then realize with a pang 

it’s an animal in pain? 

Once I heard a hawk scree, 

opened my door to find 

a kitten, a stray, gazing at me, eyes cold. 

It’s hard to hear right. 

Just ask the Arizonan mother 

resting her head on the chest of a girl, 

not resting, listening 

to her son’s heart, transplanted 

into this tiny brown chest. 

In antique times those who died abruptly 

they called gods. Since that’s not 

an Arizonan custom, 

the dead boy (still just a boy) leans his ear 

on a splintered wall, 

listening to the dogs fighting 

just beyond it. 

Which is a woman 

breathing.

[baejax-the-great]

Chrysalis

Thanatos x Zagreus | M | Chapter 1 | AO3

Thanatos didn’t notice his body forming until he felt itchy for the first time. It was a curiously human sensation, as was scratching the itch with fingernails he did not know he had, though he never managed anything so uncouth as sneezing or yawning. He thinks the hood was there first before his head to fill it, but he isn’t sure. What he knows is that his body reflects his purpose, and it reflects how the mortals think of him: Terrifying.

He is taller than their greatest warriors, powerfully and needlessly muscular. His face is gaunt, hard, empty of pity. He does not have laugh lines as their elderly do, so despite his lifeless and bloodless skin, he is relatively youthful in their eyes. Those who perceive Death’s physical form are under no misapprehensions that they could possibly overpower him. They cannot, though this has nothing to do with his muscled body or fearsome expression.

Thanatos does not know how much of himself was shaped by their beliefs and how much was shaped from his own; he is not even certain when he began to know his own face, and whether that knowledge locked it into its current mold, but it does not matter. With a human body came other facets of humanity, and Thanatos is no longer merely an immutable fact of nature; he is also a man.  

Zagreus is the only god of the Underworld who was born fully in his body, even if he was dead at the time. He is more human than any of them with his red blood and propensity for dying, always dying, his shade calling out to Thanatos before it remembers it already knows the way home. He is noisy and purposeless and spoiled in a way no god of the Underworld has been spoiled before, and he doesn’t even know it. He strives in a place where there is no need to strive, there is nothing to strive for. He seems to fight his very nature, and that is as human as it gets.

It is his influence, Thanatos thinks, that taught him irritation. That emotion was easy to understand, the mental equivalent of itching, most frequently caused by Hypnos. And it is Zagreus’s influence, Thanatos thinks, that taught him to sense humor in things. This one is harder to describe, where it comes from, why it happens. There was no laughter in the House of Hades before Zagreus, and now there is, still mostly from Zagreus himself. Thanatos did not have a laugh for most of his existence, and now he does, and when he utilizes it, Zagreus smiles as big and brightly as he can. Thanatos experienced a new feeling then, delight, he thinks. He once considered laughter a strange and loud quirk of humanity, but now when he hears it in the world up above, he is satisfied, knowing what the mortals must be feeling.

Before Zagreus, Thanatos never considered what his feet were doing—he had never even noticed if he was standing or hovering until Zagreus complained about him looming over him. He had never considered whether his hair, unwittingly grown, held any value until Zagreus commented on it after he had cut it. He had never wondered whether he was attractive or not. Not until Zagreus. The dead have no need for mirrors, but Thanatos had stood in front of one on the surface and wondered what Zagreus saw when he looked at him.

Read the rest here!

[snowalwayslandsontop]

Livia knew his cruelty wasn't only saved for her benefit. He enjoyed the power he held over every a little too much, taking great delight in ruling over them all with an iron fist. She had already seen him take his anger and frustration out on the Districts when it suited him. Stopping food and medical supply shipments when it suited him. Taking great delight in each Reaping Ceremony and the Games themselves. He wielded his power as if it were a weapon, to cause whatever destruction he was in the mood for on the day. Today it seemed he was hoping to shatter her heart but that meant he was under the misapprehension that she had one. She and Coriolanus were cut from the same cloth after all and he often seemed to forget that. She paid close attention to his words. She knew Coriolanus had no love the Districts or the people that lived out there. He should have agreed with her sentiments. Certainly he wanted to make her angry. He always did know how to push her buttons and took great delight in doing so at every opportunity. But she heard his tone. He wasn't simply thinking about any District girl but she suspected one in particular. Was she somewhere back in the Capitol again, ruining her plans at becoming First Lady? Would Coriolanus really chose some little District whore over her? "Jealous? Of you choosing to lay down with District dogs?" Her voice was cold and harsh, knowing his words had been carefully chosen to get under her skin. But they both knew how to play this game and she wasn't any kinder than he was. "I'm sure they'd jump at the chance to get into bed with you and they'd be pathetic enough to beg for scraps of food from our table." She despised the Districts and she knew deep down so did he. If he did take a mistress that wasn't Lucy Gray, it would be some Capitol floosy. "Just remember, you're not the only one who can take a lover on the side." She certainly had plenty of offers, even after being engaged to Coriolanus. She knew he wouldn't be jealous but she doubted he would appreciate her sleeping with other men and having that knowledge get around. She was his, at least according to the engagement ring on her finger and he wouldn't take too kindly to her defying him.

Livia straightened as he once again insulted her, feeling rage burning in her veins. Any man was lucky to have her and Coriolanus was no different. How dare he stand there and declare that she was no prize. Any other man in the Capitol would have considered her a catch. She was attractive, intelligent, from a powerful and rich family. There had been many suitors over the years, desperate for her hand in marriage. But in the end, she had chosen the man before her. The most powerful of them all. So she could be First Lady of Panem. Perhaps she had made a mistake and yet, the position was too enticing to give up without a fight. "You're such a charmer Coriolanus Snow." Sarcasm was almost dripping from her words. He didn't need to be charming to get whatever he wanted, although she knew that he could when he wanted to be. He had seen him have anyone he wanted wrapped around his little finger with the right words and that smile of his that could even the most frozen of hearts. He was so kind to her parents, because he wanted them in his corner. To support him as President and do what he asked when he decided to use them. He knew Coriolanus planned to use her too but he was making the fatal mistake that he assumed she was already captured because of the ring he had placed on her finger. "If you want to lower yourself enough to date District Coriolanus, no one is going to stop you. Although I would invest is some flea powder since who knows what you might pick up from them." She smirked slightly, knowing her mention of the district whores had gotten under his skin. Was he thinking of Lucy Gray right now? He had such a way of hiding his true thoughts and emotions but right now they were bubbling just beneath the surface and giving her far more than he intended. He was agitated at being found with the earring and anxious enough that he needed to keep checking it was in his pocket. Why did he gave a single earring of Lucy Grays? Why was it so important to him? Had he seen her recently or was this an old keepsake? She needed answers and she would find a way to get them.

[aziraphales-library]

Hello, I'm not sure if you've been asked this before, and if you have, forgive me. But do you know of any fics that expand on the body swap part of the good omens story? Like the missing scene where they swap and practice being each other, or switch again, or something of the sort, in the context of comedy? I'd be absolutely delighted to read some more of those. Thank you for all your work, this blog is phenomenal!

Hi. We have been asked this before, a few times! You can find our previous recommendations on our #bodyswap tag. Here are some more lighthearted ones to add to the collection...

Mixing and Mingling by thundercrackfic (G)

Armageddon wasn't the only time Azirapahale and Crowley shared corporations, just the first. They don't realize the effects are visible until tea with Anathema and Newt.

Actually, Really, For Real by EdnaV (T)

Aziraphale and Crowley need to learn how to move in each other’s bodies. It’s Sunday morning, the clock is ticking, Aziraphale’s waistcoat and Crowley’s hips (or lack thereof) are getting in the way...

Angel of the Century by asideofourown (T)

“Oh, hey,” Crowley said.  “Uh.  So you know the butt-ugly wallpaper in your cubicle, the glowy cherub-patterned one?”  

“Standard issue,” Aziraphale murmured, his eyes far away.  “Whichever angel has been voted employee of the century gets their face on each cherub.  What about it?”  

“Weeeeell, apparently Gabriel was this century’s big winner, which seems rigged, honestly, he probably voted for himself ten million times— anyway, I might have... drawn a bit?  On the wallpaper?” Crowley said with a wince.  

Aziraphale’s eyebrows went up.  “Oh, did you, now?”  

[Crowley vandalizes Heaven's wallpaper]

When It Comes to Fire by fits_in_frames (T)

How to fulfill a prophecy in 5 easy steps, or, Bodyswapping for Dummies.

A (Divine) Comedy Of Errors by WyvernQuill (T)

One (1) restaurant (see Ritz) Three (3) supernatural beings: - One (1) angel (see celestial) - One (1) demon (see occult) - One (1) another angel (see third wheel) Three (3) courses at a very reasonable price (see Valentine's Day Special, "Two Hearts For The Price Of One"), ×2 Twelve (12) red roses (see love) Twelve (12) yellow roses (see friendship) Two (2) tables, not within sight of each other Two (2) separate dinner dates

One (1, but feeling like a good deal more) disaster.

(Or, alternatively: a story of body-swapping, misapprehensions, various shenanigans, and love, in both its truest and most misguided form.)

Obligatory body swap fic but the labyrinthian nightmare tracks of their trains of thought make the trolley problem look like child's play by CardiacCrisis (T)

It's the night after the failed Apocalypse, and the two occult/ethereal beings responsible (?) for it are left with a single clue from a long-dead witch. It's the only thing between them and what's likely to be a very permanent death.

But Aziraphale and Crowley can't stay on topic to save their conditionally immortal lives.

- Mod D

[mimble-sparklepudding]

Saw your tags on a recent post… Now I’m painfully curious.

What are mimbles hygiene/grooming habits? Does he have a favorite soap scent? How about when out on an adventure? And, what inspired it all… Eyebrow tweezing?

And THEN… Favorite type of socks? fluffy ones? tall ones? Does he sleep with socks? How would he react to getting socks for starlight?

Haha :)

Apologies for my silly tagging, I was just trying to think of an example of something random and trivial and daft. But of course I shall be delighted to answer your questions. After all there is nothing wrong with being random, trivial or daft (I am frequently all of these things).

Mimble is fastidiously hygienic and hates getting dirty or sweaty, especially if there is very little possibility of a hot bath in the near future. Mimble likes hot baths, preferably with lots of bubbles and a loofah, and is not massively keen on roughing it during adventures involving camping out under the stars or fending for himself in the wilderness.

As with a lot of things, Mimble does tend to "put it on a bit" when it comes to getting grubby or frequenting unsanitary locales, and indulges in as much theatrical grumbling as he can get away with. In reality, when circumstances dictate, he will put such considerations aside, such as when journeying to Dravania with Alphinaud or treating the illnesses of street children in Ul'dah.

However, when left to his own devices, Mimble is very keen on grooming and personal care. He has various favourite soaps (people sometimes bring him some back from their travels). At the moment he is quite enjoying some Lemon and Perilla Soap that Tataru gave him - lemon always smells particularly clean in Mimble's view.

When out travelling, especially in places with uncertain lodging arrangements, Mimble always makes sure to keep a supply of soap and washing paraphernalia. At the very minimum he will have nail scissors, tweezers (for ensuring his eyebrows are shaped nicely), a hand mirror, spare soap, tooth powder, face razor, tissues and a cloth. On the occasions when he has had to perform his ablutions out in the wild, under a waterfall or in a stream, he will ensure his privacy by singing, or at least threatening to do so. Mimble's singing is unfortunately (or in this instance, fortunately) so absolutely terrible that it not only keeps away his companions, but also discourages bandits and scares away wild animals.

Mimble is tremendously fond of socks. Especially fluffy warm ones for wearing when tramping around Ishgard or the Azim Steppe. He does have lighter cotton ones for wearing with suits or his normal everyday attire (which is usually some variation of a suit, because Mimble is like that). He will happily wear fluffy lambs wool socks to bed when staying in Ishgard or other chillier locations, but will forgo them when sleeping in Thavnair or Kugane.

Mimble would be delighted to receive socks for a Starlight gift. Being a gentleman, he would be appreciative of whatever gift he was given, but socks are always useful. Probably best to check the size though - he did once accidentally purchase some thick winter knee socks, designed for the fuller figured Roegadyn customer, under the misapprehension that they were a pair of Lalafellin sleeping bags.

Thank you for the ask @healersadjust

[lalainajanes]

For the square “water park” on my Klarosummerbingo card! Might be my worst title ever but it’s actually better than the original one so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Slip and Slide

Caroline speedwalks through the lobby, weaving around people who seem to think it’s the appropriate place for an early morning stroll. “Hold the elevator!” she calls, ignoring the few disgruntled looks she receives.

She hadn’t been that loud, and she’s nearly late for a critical meeting. It’s the first one with a new client, and she’d hate to make a bad first impression.

She’d had to head to the dry cleaners before work, had gotten caught in a traffic snarl in an area she wasn’t that familiar with, and it had taken her way too long to figure out the detour. She should have left her place earlier.

She gets to the security gates, juggling a garment bag, her briefcase, and a portfolio. Her ID seems to be just out of reach, and she jams her hand further into her purse. Albert, her favorite guard, murmurs, “Take a breath, Ms. Forbes.”

She blows one out, frustrated. Rolls her shoulders in an attempt to relax. “Sorry. I’m just…”

“Stressed? I can tell.”

Yikes. Caroline hopes that doesn’t mean her hair has exploded.

She smiles weakly, “Big day today.”

A brand new project, after the last one had been a disaster. Caroline’s comfortable with stress, thrives on high stakes, but she could totally use a win.

Her fingers touch the familiar edge of her badge, and she pulls it out triumphantly. She taps it on the sensor, walks through the revolving gate. “Good luck, Ms. Forbes,” Alfred murmurs as she passes.

It’s a little thing, but Caroline feels a little better knowing someone’s rooting for her.

She’s relieved to spot that one of the elevators is open, a man holding the door, his eyes on her. She doesn’t recognize him, but that doesn’t mean anything. The building has 55 floors, offices for more than two dozen companies within it. He’s dressed in a suit, like the vast majority of the men she sees in the building. His is nicer than most, charcoal grey, perfectly fitted, with a very subtle pinstripe that she only notices when she gets closer. Caroline hurries into the car gratefully. She leans forward, punches 32. “Thank you so much,” she says to him, turning so they’re shoulder to shoulder. “You’re a lifesaver.”

The man on her other side makes a noise, a tiny scoff. Caroline glances at him quizzically. He’s stoic, eyes forward, but she’s sure there’s a hint of amusement on his face.

An arm brushes against hers, drawing her attention. “Feel free to ignore him,” the man who’d held the elevator says. His voice is low, smooth and she’d be charmed by the accent if they’d met in a social situation.

Or any situation, if she’s honest.

“My brother would probably describe me as more of a troublemaker.”

Huh. She hadn’t have figured brothers. They’ve both got attractive and well-dressed going for them but little other familial resemblance. Caroline’s head swings back, “Are you a trouble maker?”

His amusement is plain. His full lips curl, and deep dimples appear in his cheeks.

Oh yeah. Definitely a trouble maker.

“I’m about twenty minutes early for my meeting today; how much of a trouble maker can I be?” His tone is playful, a touch too innocent to be believed.

Damn it. Caroline does not have time for an attractive man this morning. At least she hadn’t changed into the frumpier outfit in the garment bag. Hopefully, she’ll run into this guy again.

“I think I need more info. Could be a one-time thing. I’m almost late for my meeting, which is wildly out of character.”

“Not the trusting sort, are you?”

Caroline shrugs, raising her brows expectantly.

He laughs briefly, “Well, I did send an email ahead to inquire about the coffee preferences of the team I’m meeting. I’m stopping at one of the cafes to pick it up now. Would a troublemaker do that?”

“Hmm, maybe. Could be an underhanded tactic to get on a good side before the trouble starts.”

Dimples’ brother chimes in again, dry this time. “I believe your assistant sent that email. And that she learned the practice from my assistant.”  

Dimples glowers, and Caroline must admit this is a delightful distraction from her anxiety. She glances up at the panel above the door and is disappointed to find they’re almost on her floor. “If you’re going to the café on 36, I recommend the oatmeal raisin cookies. Most people go chocolate chip. Trust me, that’s a mistake.”

The elevator pings, the doors sliding open. Caroline smiles, hitches her briefcase higher on her shoulder. “This is me. Thanks again.”

The receptionist spots Caroline, stands up, a sheaf of papers in her hands, and Caroline’s reminded about how much she has to do. She hurries out, her heels clicking across the shiny tiles of the lobby.

She still glances back at the elevator, can’t help smiling, pleased, when she finds her new friend from the elevator watching her as the doors close.

Even if she never sees him again, he’d made her morning a little brighter.

Now, though, it’s time to work.

* * * * *

Fifteen minutes later, Caroline’s pacing in her office. She’s pinned her hair back and changed into the purple pantsuit she’d picked up at the dry cleaners. It’s a great color but not the most flattering fit. The pants are fine, but the jacket’s boxy, and she’s wearing a plain pink blouse underneath, buttoned to her throat, a thick silver necklace threaded through the collar. There’s a pair of glasses perched on her nose, and she’d changed into sensible flats.

She’d learned her lesson last time, at the first meeting where she’d been the project lead. She’d been called ‘Honey’ and other more annoying pet names and asked to serve coffee and fetch snacks. She’d received skepticism when she’d introduced herself. By the end of that first meeting, Caroline had wanted to scream her credentials – a B.A. and a Master’s in Civil Engineering, a whole pile of certifications, several prestigious internships, and stellar work references, thank you very much – at most of the people in the room.

Ultimately, the project had been successful, but Caroline had experienced frequent bursts of frustration that bordered on rage. Her suggestions were met with questions that made it clear her intelligence was doubted, her corrections with condescension, even though she’d usually been the only one in the room with any significant scientific expertise.

Expertise that’s kind of crucial in designing a water park. It wouldn’t have been a good look, or a sound investment, if guests were to end up injured or dead after paying exorbitant ticket prices and expecting a fun day.

Her skin has thickened considerably, but Caroline hopes that’s less necessary this time. Her boss had assured her that this job would be easier, and Caroline’s choosing to believe her. It’s even potentially exciting – these clients own several international resorts, the park she’s pitching on will be built in Spain.

Being project leader, she’d traveled to oversee construction on the nightmare build, but Tennessee doesn’t carry quite the same appeal as the Spanish coast, at least from the photos Caroline’s seen.

At the very least, it can’t be a worse experience. She hopes.

She hears Katherine coming her way, takes a final deep breath before Kat breezes into her office. “What are you wearing?” Kat asks, sounding both mystified and vaguely disgusted. She pauses in front of Caroline, fingers pinching her lapel and tugging. “Is this polyester?”

“Maybe. I thrifted it.”

Katherine’s face twists in the sort of revulsion one would expect if Caroline confessed to grave robbing the ensemble.

“Ew, why?”

“Figured I needed a costume. To make sure that this time, no one in there thinks to call me ‘sweet cheeks.’”

She’d been paired with another designer last time, Matt Donovan, who was a nice enough guy but had been pretty useless in the having her back department. Caroline likely wouldn’t have cried into her Ben and Jerry’s quite so often had Katherine been her partner. Kat has the unique and impressive ability to make demands and issue orders and have people thank her for it.

Kat snorts, “Elijah Mikaelson would never. He’s aggressively polite. I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I doubt Niklaus would either. I assume he has the same hot accent.”

That’s a new name. Caroline doesn’t like surprises. “And who is Niklaus?”

“A brother. And a business partner. He wasn’t originally scheduled to be here but is unexpectedly in town. What do you think the British equivalent to sweet cheeks is?”

Caroline’s eyes go wide, a few puzzle pieces clicking together. British brothers, twenty minutes early for a meeting. What are the odds?

Crap. Had she been flirting with a client? In front of another client?

There’s a tap at the door, her boss’ assistant’s head poking in, “They’re ready for you in the conference room.”

Ugh. Maybe she’s cursed.

* * * * * 

The presentation goes fantastically.

Katherine had been correct – the Mikaelsons don’t seem to labor under the misapprehension that a conventionally attractive blonde woman can’t grasp complex concepts. They’d shaken her hand when she’d arrived; Niklaus (or Klaus, as he apparently prefers) had looked a bit puzzled when they’d been introduced, Caroline had chalked that up to the outfit. He’d said it was nice to see her again. Explaining her mad dash to the elevator, and Klaus’ assistance, to the room had broken the ice nicely.

Kat kicks them off, and her design is gorgeous; Elijah and Klaus appear suitably impressed. When it’s Caroline’s turn, her nerves fall away by her second PowerPoint slide. She knows her stuff backward and forward, and she’s incredibly pleased with her innovation.

She also begins to feel less bad about the flirting once she sees that Kat throws Elijah a few looks that are borderline inappropriate for the office (that he seems pretty pleased with).

They ask questions, pour over the mock-ups and technical drawings Caroline and Katherine had prepared. Their ideas are actually good, which is a nice contrast for the last project. She’d done far too much lying and finessing to attempt to steer the previous park into a less terrible direction. The Mikaelsons have far fewer notes than Caroline had anticipated, and she promises to put together an update ASAP. They schedule another meeting.

She thinks Klaus’ handshake lingers when they say goodbye, but maybe she’s just riding high on adrenaline and imagining things.

She kind of hopes she isn’t. It’s probably too messy to date a client, but a girl can fantasize, can’t she?

Caroline helps herself to the cookie tray, pleased by the generous helping of oatmeal raisin she finds. Kat’s disappeared, but she knows their boss will want to debrief. Caroline collapses into one of the conference chairs, pulls out her phone to check her messages.

She replies to a few emails before she notices one that’s just arrived.

 Hello Caroline,

I enjoyed your presentation today. I look forward to the next.

Warmly,

Klaus

 She grins to herself, slumps lower in her chair. Clearly, she hadn’t imagined anything if Klaus is emailing her when he’s barely out of the building. She takes a risk and sends a slightly more casual reply than she’d usually attempt at this point.

If he reacts badly, she can up the formality later on. If he doesn’t, well… she’s only fostering a good working relationship. That’ll be essential if they land this contract.

And she’s like 90% sure it’s in the bag.

 Hi Klaus,

Thank you!

The photos your team sent over of the location were gorgeous; both Kat and I were inspired. I think this is some of our best work to date. I’m excited to dive into the updates and meet again next week.

Best,

Caroline

P.S. Thanks for the cookies.

His reply comes minutes later.

Caroline,

I believe it. Your work is impressive, as I’m sure your new ideas will be. Have you ever been to Spain? The pictures hardly do it justice.

Warmly,

Klaus

P.S. You’re welcome. Which coffee order was yours?

 Well, that’s the opposite of a bad reaction.

Caroline sets her phone aside, tells herself she has to be smart here. She’s reasonably sure she’s not doing anything that’s prohibited. The emails will speak for themselves, and they live on the company server. Neither she nor Klaus are offering anything untoward for the contract. If things go well, she may just have to fill out an HR disclosure form. She’ll double-check the firm’s code of conduct.

Just in case.

[recreancyrpg]

BASICS.

NAME. Felicity Pembleton AGE. 23 ALUMNI HOUSE. Slytherin BLOOD STATUS. Muggleborn FACECLAIM. Hunter Schafer

HISTORY.

Felicity thought she had her life figured out. More importantly, her parents thought they had her life figured out. Her future was supposed to start at Eton where she’d make the sort of connections she’d need later in life, leading to a career at the family law firm, a wife and kids, a big house and a membership at the local sporting lodge. It was all very pat, very staid... very easy. But when the opportunity presented itself, Felicity chose a harder path. She chose magic - and to be herself. Witchcraft hadn’t exactly been in any of the Pembleton’s plans, nor had disappearing to school somewhere in the wilds of Scotland of all places, to be taught be a disheveled bunch of weirdos. Growing out her hair, dressing in long robes, and divesting herself of the boy’s name they’d picked for their “son” definitely hadn’t been. But Felicity was a lot of things her family had never counted on her to be, not least of all stubborn.

That came in handy when she was sorted into Slytherin House. Apparently there had been a wizarding family who shared her surname some decades ago (distant relations who’d fallen off the family tree sometime before the Crusades, maybe? Maybe, but nobody could prove it and even if they had, that was probably too old and withered a connection for Felicity to qualify as anything but a mudblood to her new peers). Their line was no longer extant, but the coincidence was enough to let Felicity coast into her new world on the presumption of halfbloodedness. Felicity didn’t know enough to correct anybody at first, and by the time she figured out their misapprehension she had also learned enough to know better than to tell the truth. Besides, she was in the process of taking the Attisgalli Corrective Draught for the first time and finally letting herself be herself, and her new friends were all so delighted to help her explore what being a witch meant! Confessing that she was also a muggleborn would have just been messy.

That messiness came home in full during her fifth year, when a chance comment by one of the examiners come to mark the O.W.L.s revealed that there were no more magical Pembletons in the Ministry’s files... which meant that Felicity was the first in generations, how exciting! The examiner thought so, anyway. Her fellow classmates were less elated. Overnight, Felicity found her social standing turned upside-down. She went from being the silly, charmingly ignorant, but always enthusiastic, halfblood to being something else. Something lesser. Something muddy. She didn’t lose all her friends, but those who stayed were few and even they sometimes kept their distance, not wanting to be seen being too chummy with that mudblood by anyone who mattered. Felicity understood; she knew how these games were played. But that didn’t mean she liked it.

She sought out new friends, new status. She never expected to find a war, but that was what was waiting for her - for all the wix like her - outside school. It wasn’t Dumbledore who offered her a chance to join the Order and fight for herself; he didn’t much care for Slytherin girls who’d spent most of their schooling jockeying amiably for position with the rest of the dungeon-dwelling halfbloods. But somehow Emma Vanity had talked her way into the old man’s confidence, and she’d been impressed enough with her former dormmate - both with Felicity’s spellwork and with the way she kept her chin up when her world fell down - that Emma thought she’d be a good addition to the cause (and might make Emma look good too, which was always a helpful factor in Slytherin calculations). Quick wits make for quick wands, after all, and Felicity has been fighting for the chance to be herself almost all her life. It’s not much of a difference doing it via duels.

CONNECTIONS.

EMMA VANITY. Felicity was the baby of her year, barely making Hogwarts’ age cut off. Despite them only really being a few months apart, Emma took the older girl thing to heart, guiding Felicity in the best ways to be a witch. They were in the same year and had almost all the same classes; they giggled and gossiped together in the dorms. Emma thinks of herself as an almost big sister, even if she had to distance herself slightly after the news of Felicity’s blood status came out. GWENDOLYN LOCKHART. They took opposite paths with their surprising bloodlines - Gwen, a squib from a magical family; Felicity, a muggleborn from a non-magical family. Felicity thinks they could get along because she remembers what it was like to be shunned in her own house. However, getting too close to a non-magical person as a muggleborn could give the wrong idea. It’s worth it to at least get to know Gwen first before she decides.  REMUS LUPIN. The only other person in the Order Felicity knows is using the same drought as her is a werewolf and if that isn’t her luck. Being a muggleborn, she doesn’t have the same bias towards werewolves as her pureblooded classmates, but she’s heard enough stories to be wary. Not to mention the children’s books her parents used to read her as a child. It’s rotten, too, because she’d would’ve liked to get to know the bloke. 

FELICITY IS OPEN.

**Note: Felicity has not yet joined the Order. Upon an acceptance, a plot drop between Emma Vanity and Felicity will occur which will allow her into the organization. 

[iamakiller]

(OOC message) Hi. I want to start this out by saying I am NOT trying to come off as rude in any way, just wanting to express something that has bothered me a bit. I know whoever runs this blog has put a lot of time and effort into it and you have done an amazing job with your writing. I just...don’t understand the choice to take such a sharp turn to basically only RPing with direnightshade. If you have a story concept in mind (like the direction it seems like you two are going in), why not discuss and collaborate on a fic piece together instead of excluding everyone else from the RP on this blog? The blog started as an inclusive place for everyone and has become the opposite in lieu of a storyline with one person and I just think some people’s feelings have been hurt (which seems silly over RP but I digress). I don’t necessarily mean for this message to be published and responded to (do with it what you will), again I am just expressing a viewpoint here. Regardless, thank you for your wonderful writing.

There is no OOC here, Anon. You are speaking to the man himself, albeit at some unidentified future point. (Although what I will say is that the election results turned out to be rather interesting, and yet again our great nation has found itself in some uproar.)

While I appreciate you expressing your opinion so frankly, one point rather concerns me. And that is the use of the phrase "The blog started as an inclusive place for everyone." This indicates that you - and possibly the others you have mentioned - may be laboring under the misapprehension that my place here is to serve and please others.

That is not what this is about.

That was never what this was about.

If that was the impression I gave, then I can only apologize. (I seem to be doing a lot of that these days.) I had thought my selfish intentions were quite clear from the beginning, but of late I have learned that even I can occasionally be wrong.

But ... this has always been about the art, sweetheart.

You are welcome to remain until the end, to see how this story plays out. You - and indeed everyone else reading this message - can of course continue to send me messages, which I would be delighted to receive, and shall endeavor to respond to in a timely manner. I would very much like to be friends.

However, sadly for you all, my majestic cock now belongs to one woman and one woman alone. And so does my heart.

Thank you for your message.

[radiounidadsai]

MENSAJE SAI DEL DÍA

DOMINGO 28 DE FEBRERO DE 2021.

   OM Sri Sai Ram

¿Cuál es el paso fundamental en el viaje espiritual que nos permitirá experimentar el verdadero deleite de la mente y el placer del espíritu? Bhagawan nos lo recuerda amorosamente hoy.

 No solo en la India, sino en varias partes del mundo, la gente se está interesando en el conocimiento y la práctica del yoga. Aunque hay muchas escuelas de yoga, la más importante es Patanjali Yoga. Patanjali define el yoga como la regulación y el control de las tendencias de la mente. Sin controlar los sentidos, no podemos alcanzar la felicidad en ningún ámbito de la vida ni en ningún esfuerzo. Si dejamos ir nuestros sentidos de una manera salvaje, el resultado será tristeza y alegría. Hoy la gente no presta la debida atención al control de sus sentidos. Algunas personas tienen el malentendido de que pierden la esencia misma de la vida si controlan sus sentidos y se niegan a sí mismos los placeres de los sentidos. Ésta es una idea equivocada. No debemos pensar que estamos impidiendo que los sentidos realicen sus funciones. El verdadero significado de este proceso es que los estamos dirigiendo y regulando por los canales adecuados. ¡Entonces podremos disfrutar del verdadero deleite de la mente y del verdadero placer del espíritu!

  Capítulo 17, Lluvias de verano en Brindavan, 1972. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

  OM Sri Sai Ram

Which is the fundamental step in the spiritual journey that will enable us to experience the real delight of the mind and pleasure of the spirit? Bhagawan lovingly reminds us today.

Not only in India but in several parts of the world, people are getting interested in the knowledge and practice of yoga. Though there are many schools of yoga, the most significant is Patanjali Yoga. Patanjali defines yoga as the regulation and control of the tendencies of the mind. Without controlling the senses, we cannot attain happiness in any walk of life or in any endeavour. If we just let go of our senses in a wild fashion, the result will be sorrow and joy. Today people are not paying proper attention to the control of their senses. Some people are under the misapprehension that they miss the very essence of life if they control their senses and deny themselves the pleasures of the senses. This is a mistaken idea. We should not think that we are restraining the senses from performing their functions. The real significance of this process is that we are directing and regulating them along the proper channels. Then we shall be able to enjoy the real delight of the mind and real pleasure of the spirit!

 Ch 17, Summer Showers in Brindavan, 1972.