#the real dark academia is publishing

[barinemiologist]

Email the author(s). Ask them for a copy. We will be delighted to share our work.

We don't get paid by the journals to write these papers. And if we want our papers to be Fully Open Access to everyone, we usually have to pay them a fortune. So please: email the Corresponding Author, we don't even need to know why you want to read the article or anything. "Dear Author, I would like a pdf of your article [citation here], thanks". Costs nothing and makes us happy to know someone is interested.

[loser-female]

I'm plotting the dark academia thing and the main thing is "dreams die and it's ok"

So much difference from the novel I'm currently writing about someone whose only purpose until the end was trying to find an elaborate way to kill himself, even if he can't die.

[seyaryminamoto]

COMMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

Hello, everyone! My circumstances are getting a little bit more complicated and it's been fairly tricky to find a job over the past year (aaand it's only going to get worse...), so it's time for me to fully, officially, reopen commissions. Some prices have increased since the last time I did this, mainly in the hopes that this reflects my improving skills a little better. Some options are quite costly (particularly the animations and comics) because they demand a ton more work than one might expect. Terms are also more strict than they used to be in order to ensure a more professional dynamic between myself and anyone who commissions me.

Send me a DM if you have a commission in mind, but first, make sure to read through the Read More. I want to expand on what's stated in the final picture to ensure better clarity on the terms of my services:

I'm open to working with any fandom or OC, be it one I'm familiar with or not. I'm also open to working with crossovers, as well as making book/fic/album covers, and even drawing real people as characters of a fandom of the commissioner's choice.

I am open to drawing ship/romance content but, tied directly to the next point...

I reserve the right to refuse any commissions that make me uncomfortable in any given way. This does not mean that everything besides my OTPs and the headcanons I support is guaranteed to be rejected, but it does mean that, if the behavior of the commissioner or the specific subject of the commission does not sit well with me, for any given reason, I will decline the commission. I won't work on something that squicks me, nor with someone who displeases me. No artist should.

Animals, mythological creatures, gore and +18 requests are fundamentally valid but must be discussed thoroughly first. None of these areas are my forte as an artist, as much as I've dabbled in them here and there, so, in order to get it right, I may need extra time and I will most likely modify the base price for any requests that includes these elements.

Payments will be done through PayPal or Wise. The final, full-resolution piece will not be delivered until full payment is completed. Half payment is expected at the start of the process, the second half at the end. The client is entitled to two revisions of the art process to ensure expectations are met. If a piece does not match your expectations after the revisions, the commission will be considered cancelled and you won't need to pay the second half of the expense. Any commissioner who wishes to pay upfront from the get-go does so at their own risk. Revisions are always included, but there will be no refunds if the final piece is not up to the commissioner's standards.

The commissioner is allowed to publish and share the commissioned work across social media, provided it follows the rules of each site (as in, don't post any +18 artworks on sites that do not allow it, pretty much). I can offer basic Glaze and Nightshade in order to protect the artwork from AI theft, to no added expense. Credit MUST be given to me as the artist whenever commissioned pieces are posted elsewhere.

For anyone who wants a list of fandoms I'm better acquainted with:

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Legend of Korra

Bleach

Digimon

Code Geass

Inuyasha

Dragon Ball

The Mentalist

The Dragon Prince

Disney

My Hero Academia

Dragon Age

Hades (Supergiant)

Cowboy Bebop

Hollow Knight

Star Wars

Ghibli Films

Overwatch

Full Metal Panic

Artemis Fowl

LOTR

Farscape

Haikyuu

Fullmetal Alchemist

Naruto

Stranger Things

Spy X Family

Kaguya-sama

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness

Eragon

Thor

Harry Potter

Free!

ASOIAF

Shaman King

K-ON

Critical Role/Legend of Vox Machina

Dungeons and Dragons

Blue Eye Samurai

Arcane

Castlevania

Again, any fandom, character or OC is valid, but I'm far more likely to know what I'm doing and to have my own opinions, for better or for worse, when it comes to anything on this list.

If there are any further questions, feel free to DM me and we'll sort them out!

Thanks for reading so far, and I look forward to working with you!

[aurelim]

Master Post

As I have a lot of posts and am likely to add more, I figured I should create a master post for the entire blog.

Last updated: 12/1/24

DEMO 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 INTRO POST 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 FAQ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 RO INFO

As the Ocean Lures is a 16+ interactive novel about being a Merfolk. Currently, the demo has the entirety of the prologue, chapter one, and chapter two, as well as a sneak peek into chapter three!

You can find discussions of the game in general under the following tags: #As the Ocean Lures, #atol, #atol ros, #atol ro info, #atol faq and #atol prompts

DEMO ★ INTRO POST ★ FAQ ★ CHARACTER INFO

ST4RDOM is a 17+ game about going on your first world tour with your k-pop group ST4RDOM. MC is genderlocked female. Currently, the demo has the entire prologue out.

DEMO ➤ INTRO POST ➤ FAQ

Swapped is a 15+ game about swapping identities with a famous actor. Currently the outline is written, with the first episode already published as of 11/30/24!

You can find discussions of the game in general under the following tags: #swapped-if and #qna

GAME 🕸️ INTRO POST

Among the Haunted is a game created for Halloween 2023! A collaboration between Aurelia Lim and Alby Writes Fiction, the game is centered on you, a single parent, raising two kids while celebrating the spooky day your own way. The game is currently released, but may go through updates once the jams are finished!

Interactive fiction games you can expect to see in the future:

A Greek mythology IF about being a deity who has fallen out of grace with the gods. The only way they can redeem themselves is by collecting twelve items throughout Greece to prove themself worthy. Also, they have to do it all as a mortal. More updates coming soon.

A slice-of-life summer break about going to the seaside and discovering one's self. There will be six characters who will appear recurrently in the sleepy town of Seaside Point, all of whom the main character will have to leave once vacation is over. More updates soon.

A dark academia-inspired murder mystery about attending a boarding school with its secrets. There will be murder (of course) and three classmates who will assist the main character in solving the crimes. More updates soon.

A slice-of-life about letting go of a loved one when it hurts. It follows the main character and their significant other as they take one final journey across the country. Their loved one is dying and there is no cure. Experience heartache along the way, cherish the sweet moments, and perhaps learn to let go. More updates soon.

A mystery IF about discovering a message in a bottle leading to a time capsule from the Roaring '20s. With the assistance of friends, finding it will never be easier. More updates coming soon.

About Me

Asks: Feel free to ask me any questions about the games! Or if you just want to rant about the characters, that’s fine as well :)

Prompts: You can send prompts for any characters! My only rule is that there is no kinks or NSFW...for now. Speaking of...

NSFW: I hesitate on adding NSFW as I am unsure whether or not there will be explicit content. I just don’t know how to write it properly. If I have a change of heart I will update the warnings and announce it. But for now, I will keep it off-limits.

Submits: You can submit a post to this blog. If you do, I ask that it is not inappropriate!

Messages: You can submit a message to me if you think there should be x content in the game or ways to improve. Please no toxicity, however—I am a real human being after all. Please know that I will not be afraid to block and report you if it is inappropriate.

[linseymiller]

anyway here is the real graphic and also my weekly marketing

pls request this book on NG if dark academia, pining ace girls, and characters who think they could solve the trolley problem, actually are your thing

And your lesson of the day - did you know that snakes don't blink? They don't have eyelids! So if you do ever see one blink, that's not a snake.

Isn't learning fun?

[arkus-rhapsode]

Gachi-Bachi: A Tale of Two Roads to Success (A Discussion)

Back again with another think piece on this blog. And while the last two came from an inspiration of topics that I had floating around in my head for awhile, this one came about from me scrolling on twitter (I'm not calling it X) recently and noticing the in real time evolution of two of the arguably biggest battle shonen releases of the 2020s. That would be Gachiakuta and Kagurabachi.

However, this isn't gonna be a simple compare and contrast of the series as works of fiction as I personally feel each one has different qualities that really distinguish them from each other in a way that doing a comparison wouldn't be too interesting. Rather what intrigues me is how they are a fascinating study in how series become big so to speak and despite the overlap in fans, there's actually some pretty key differences in their success stories that highlight greater things in the manga industry in particular. So let's ask ourselves: how did we get here, what role has fanbases played in it, what role has their respective magazines played in this, and just how truly successful are these series?

Background and Rise

Now for those who are just not initiated, I'll briefly explain the premise of these two series.

Gachiakuta by Kei Urana is a series set in a dark fantasy world where an orphan named Rudo is banished to the trash filled abyss after being framed for the murder of his adoptive father. In the Abyss Rudo discovers he has the power to use his magic gloves to turn objects into weapons, which he uses as a member of the Cleaners. He fights trash monsters and criminals in a journey to get back home and take revenge on the one who framed him.

Kagurabachi by Takeru Hokazono is an urban fantasy series set in contemporary Japan that deal with Chihiro, the son of a mystical blacksmith who had forged six magic swords. Chihiro's father is killed by a group of magical mobsters and his swords taken from him. Chihiro, armed with a secret seventh magic sword, will cut a blood path through Japan's criminal underbelly and take revenge on those responsible for his father's death.

I know Im grossly summarizing both works because I'm focusing not on the series themselves but rather the things surrounding each of them. So if you wish to know more, please check them out yourselves and see if you enjoy them. And just for transparency's sake, I have made multiple posts on this blog about Gachiakuta so I think its safe to say I enjoy it quite a bit. While my relationship with Kagurabachi is not that intimate as I actually don't read much Weekly Shonen Jump anymore, I did at least read the first volume just so I can say, I totally see why this got a following. Also just for clarity as I know the internet can flatten time in many instances, I want to point out that while I'd call these series contemporary, its worth noting that they're not exactly same time rising stars. Kagurabachi came out this year, in 2024, while Gachiakuta came out in 2022. A whooping two year lead. Hot did Kagurabachi get so hot? How?

Well if you're familiar with Kagurabachi in even a tertiary form you probably remember this meme.

This was a piece of promo art used by Jump along with a brief summary of the series before it was publishized. Now for a little context, at this time, two of Shonen Jump's biggest action staple series, My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen, were in their twilight stages. And at the time the shonen jump magazine had an interesting assortment of genres probably more than the last two decades. However, while One Piece would still be evergreen and their were action series such as Sakamoto Days and Undead Unluck, there was a hunger for a new battle series. And not just a new battle series, a long term investment battle series.

So when the news came down that WSJ would be releasing a "urban fantasy revenge sword battle series" with an accompanying art that definitely would fit alongside the heroes of the 2000s like Ichigo Kurosaki or Death the Kid, there was a reasonable excitement. Course there was also a bit of an over enthusiasm. Now like I said in my 2000s anime nostalgia post, I don't think this definitively means anything deep that there are just people who got into anime around the 2000s who just enjoy that types of series they were introduced to and were excited for more of that. However, over enthusiasm on the internet, is always prime material for ribbing.

So a lot of people on Ani/manga twitter saw slews of people posting this, and I mean this with no disrespect, kinda bored looking guy drawing his sword and being excited for a series that hadn't come out. This lead to of course memes. Lots of memes.

That this was the best jump manga of all time before a single chapter came out. It even lead to a bunch of people redrawing this promo image several times with different characters each with the same kind of expression. Now of course, this did ignore the fact that there was at least a translated one-shot released by Hokazono that people could at least check out to see if they enjoy his work. As well as the fact this kinda happens everytime there's a new jump rotation. Its just kinda in fan nature to get hyped for something even if all they have is a simple description. But lots of memes tend to flatten out context.

And so it seemed like that was that, the set up for the ultimate punchline. People had some genuine excitement, a bunch of guys on twitter made a mountain of ironic excitement, and now all the series had to come out and not live up to that hype. But then Kagurabachi did come out and the chapter was good. Sure it wasn't change your life spectacular or anything, but for a first chapter of a brand new series, it did exactly what it needed to do: Clearly introduce the stakes of the world, who the main character is, what their motivation is, mixing in some action set pieces, and leaving a little room for intrigue to watch the series grow. It hit the emotional points it wanted and hit the action beats it wanted. The end. That wasn't bad at all. Quite the opposite.

So here we are, left with what was essentially a free marketing campaign for people who probably expected it to get the shonen jump axe like a lot of new action series tended to get and instead they got something pretty okay. If there was ever a group of people vindicated it was those guys excited for Kagurabachi for the start.

Yes I know, meme popularity can be dumb or annoying. And some super fans and hype beasts who want to be there on the ground floor can be kinda cringe, but there is no doubt this was one of the most successful social media campaigns ever for a series that actually was managing to justify it. And for the next few weeks it would keep going and irony was almost completely replaced with sincerity.

The fact this was actually getting Shueisha's social media to acknowledge twitter hashtags and release a promotional trailer for it in English was such a first. Even if you don't like Kagurabachi or are indifferent to it, there is no denying this was unique.

But I've spent all this time reminiscing about Kagurabachi's social media rise. What about Gachiakuta hmm?

Well Gachiakuta was a series made by Kei Urana who had served as an assistant to Atsushi Okubo on the Weekly Shonen Magazine series, Fire Force. Fire Force itself is an odd beast we don't have the time to fully get into, but it was pretty popular for a non jump series and featured Okubo, a creator who has possibly one of the most devout fanbases ever, striking it big with many people's formative anime, Soul Eater. Urana herself was a massive fan of the series and if you've read Gachiakuta you can see the inspiration. However, when it was time for Fire Force to come to a close, WSM had announced that a new series by Okubo's assistant would be starting just before its end. And people were excited right? Well not exactly. Cause you had to be looking in the right places to even notice this announcement.

At the time, WSM series were mostly readable on Azuki. However, there seemed to be a weirdly non commutable relationship with Azuki and WSM's publisher Kodansha. As such it was kinda a gamble if a new WSM series would even show up on Azuki let alone simelpubbed. So it seemed like whatever Gachiakuta was would be Japan exclusive. But as if by miracle, the translation group, Pair of 2+ came in and dropped an English version of the chapter on release. The first chapter of Gachiakuta was pretty strong though mostly for Urana's incredibly striking artstyle. Made even better by the fact that the world of Gachiakuta was a fantasy world. And not fantasy in the way a stereotypical isekai is borrowing from romanticized European fantasy. But rather this sorta grudge world that was capable of having what looked like modern convinces, but there was things like a mysterious trash pit, a bunch of soldiers who dressed in ostentatious uniforms and a ginormous and intimidating trash creature.

I know it might seem kinda like a broken record now, but a big thing in the 2010s era of action manga and anime was a move towards more grounded and contemporary setting with stories. Juxtaposing supernatural or spectacular elements with the modern day Japan structure and order. Plenty of series were popular with this such as My Hero, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, hell even Demon Slayer does the same though set in a turn of the century version of Japan. These certainly have an appeal and obviously they're not going anywhere, but there was a growing perception that fantasy worlds in manga were kinda fading. We weren't really getting a bunch of One Pieces. Were were getting stuff closer to Bleach. So of course, deny someone something long enough and they become enthusiastic for the tiniest taste of it.

So with all this, how was Gachiakuta's first few weeks. Well outside of some territory nods and the obvious "This manga is trash" jokes. It kinda stayed low key. With people relying on scan groups to handle it, there was really no guarantee of consistent momentum. Sometimes it'd take two weeks to get a chapter out in English while the Spanish versions were available. sometimes another scan group may come in a drop a chapter, making it harder to find the series in one place. However, all of this really did end up benefitting Gachiakuta. Because when you remove convenience you end up creating your strongest soldiers. If you were actively looking for Gachiakuta and not just waiting for an app update, that meant you were committed. And committed people had to use word of mouth to get this out there. If there was a moment of big promotion it would be when AniTuber Gigguk's Trash Taste podcast had well know Vtuber (Full disclaimer I know almost nothing about Vtubers or Hololive. I'm sorry in advance if I'm not going into greater detail on their significance) Mori Calliope discuss the Next Manga award winners and give Gachiakuta a shout out.

So, we had Bachibros and the twitter take over, while we had Gachibros and their slowly growing cult classic. Both methods ended up creating some real die hard fans, but the visibility and promotion of both series is very different. And ties into...

How Each Series Respective Company Has Handled Them

So before I start this section, I know I've made social media a big reference point for the success of these series. I want to make it clear that social media popularity isn't a full story. Something may be popular on twitter or YouTube but not necessarily be successful. I think social media can be a good barometer of the actual interest of a series, but not its end all be all for its results. And I think no series really knew this better than Hunters Guild: Red Hood.

For those unaware, Hunters Guild: Red Hood was a series that released in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2021 and was a big darling with Animanga twitter. Its art style, its premise on western fairytales, going for a more traditional dark fable vibe, and of course attractive characters. It was easily the series a bunch of people were calling the next big thing. And then it flopped. It was regularly last place in the popularity polls and its Japanese volume sales were really unimpressive. So it got axed by Jump.

To say this caused an outrage with people would be an understatement. This caused a trend of people really trying to find "the answer." Try and make this seemingly senseless action make sense. Well tragically if you are a manga industry watcher like me you know that this isn't actually all that unique.

For a lot of non Japanese fans, particularly Americans, we never had the accessibility of the Shonen Jump app or the Manga+ app in the 2000s-2010s. If you wanted manga, you were using MangaStream and MangaPanda which had focused on basically the biggest series in the industry. While countless series that have run in jump and other magazines have just been ended after 20 chapters. But that information wasn't available to us in real time the way it is now.

If you're around my age range and know about the shonen jump ranking system, you were probably introduced to the concept through the series Bakuman, manga about manga that was really the first popularized look at how the sausage was made in the Shuiesha offices. A big thing that was a point of tension was the rankings. If a series fell low consistently in the ranks of readership surveys filled up by the ones who purchased a copy of shonen jump and submitted it, then it would be cancelled by jump. Now its important to remember, Bakuman was a dramatized recreation of how Shueisha operated. Things were exaggerated in the name of making an entertaining and tension filled series. In reality, the ranking system is important, however the editorial department of Jump weights multiple factors when making this judgement: what is in the magazine at the time? Is something ending so we can risk having this run longer? Is there a new batch we want to role out soon so we need to free up space? How are the volume sales doing? And has this carved out a viable niche for itself?

While yes its a good rule of thumb to say something in last place is generally in danger for not maintaining interest to keep it around, its not a simple yes no.

Thanks to Shueisha's Shonen Jump App we now get everything as it comes out. We get the future best and the future failures and there really isn't a way to control it. So to see Red Hood a series with some very vocal fans, it was always at the whims of Japanese customers who seemed neither interested in voting for it over other series in the magazine or purchasing its volumes as they came out. It is a hard pill for people to swallow, to have something that they like, that they want to be invested in and tell its story to be cut short.

But I would say that in this day and age while it is hard to witness this, the benefits of the SJ app are phenomenal. The SJ app is a convent subscription service at a reasonable price that offers the first chapter of a series free as well as the latest three chapters free. So even if you want to not subscribe you can still keep up on an official platform. And Manga+ being similar and not region locked. Thanks to this any new series debuting in Shonen will have the eyes of the world audience on it. When there is a new batch of manga that enter the series, it feels like an event. It really is a high risk high reward situation-you run in WSJ and you have the opportunity for everyone even beyond Japan see your work simultaneously, however you will still have to fight and maintain interest and hype for your series on a weekly basis.

As previously stated, Kagurabachi absolutely benefitted from this. And while yes some it was ironic, the fact that the promise of a new battle series was going to be on everyone's screens and have the biggest reach to find an audience is good. Now of course, we have to remember that WSJ still doesn't let non Japanese voters participate in polls, so while you can find a foreign audience it might not be what gets people excited in Japan (Although there have been instances of foreign fans purchasing Japanese volumes). Well jump may have gone an extra mile with this one. Kagurabachi would actually really early into its run cycle be given a recommendation by Gege Akutani author of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Now for those who actually don't know, in Japan, some manga are printed and packaged with a recommendation band that acts as an extra form of promotion. Siting a famous or well liked author giving a series a recommendation and a little image of the series they worked and sometimes a quote.

Obviously getting an on the cover cosign is a bit more prestigious than say, going to your Barnes and Noble and an employee has written why you may enjoy this series. And not just any mangaka, Kagurabachi was getting props from one the biggest mangaka in the magazine with a pretty ravenous fanbase. But for me a big thing that got my attention that showed how much jump was investing was the previously mention Kagurabachi PV trailer. A simple YouTube animation to get people to check out the work, plenty of series get this. But Kagurabachi's was the first to have it in English. A Japanese company acknowledging the server of the global audience is huge and I'd say this already seemed like it was hyped up enough, but then you have an editor of Jump+ openly acknowledging the "#BachiFlex" in an official statement. There's no doubt there is a fanbase and Jump is absolutely aware of that fact. And of course you can't forget those color pages.

So that's how Kagurabachi was doing, how was Gachiakuta doing? Well first we need to talk about Weekly Shonen Magazine and get something out of the way, they do not have a ranking system like shonen jump. Weekly Shonen Magazine actually seems to operate more along the lines of volume sales. waiting for a manga to hit print and see that actual tangible interest of the people who buy it. Because of this, you can see that WSM has actually a much lower turn over rate than WSJ. And that when there is a new series its usually only one or two at a time in a year. So if the series hinges on sales, it should love having a massive reach?

Well sadly, WSM and Kodansha have been pretty poor when dealing with the global market. I mentioned earlier its relationship with Azuki getting official scans out but there was also the deals it had made with Crunchyroll to have a reader for their work. Both services were not the best received, so wouldn't it be nice if Kodansha had a web service like Jump? A simeulpub on the international market. Well enter K Manga and possibly one of the biggest fumbles ever.

I mentioned before that the SJ app was made with the mind as a subscription service, this was done with awareness of what western audience were willing to financially invest in. Well, Kodansha instead responded with a resigned version of their Magazine Pocket app that included a frankly confusing points and ticket system with just straight up micro-transactions. If you're keyed into the Webtoon scene you probably know this type of weird gamification of a service is done in Asia.

Im sure you've heard the famous quote about how piracy is a service problem and not a pricing problem. People would be perfectly happy to spend money on an official release if the way to access it was ultra convenient. And making Americans learn things like 24 hour tickets, and daily prizes, and just having you pay for each individual chapter. Its just really cumbersome and I'd rather get back to reading scans instead. Also to add some insult to injury it is region locked so even if you wanted to purchase this in countries like Europe, you can't.

I will at least say some positives, I think K manga has a much wider range of series available than the SJ or Manga+ apps. As it takes from Kodansha's many different manga magazines like Weekly Shonen Magazine, Weekly Young Magazine, Monthly Afternoon, Monthly Morning, Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, and Magazine Pocket originals. And Gachiakuta was part of the first few titles at launch and it was some good promotion as later that Fall, Kodansha USA would release the English print copies. But promotion through an app a lot of people weren't really happy with.

Speaking of the print side wasn't doing so hot either. As this may be a surprise to some, WSJ is rare in the fact that it makes manga a real center focus of why you should purchase the magazine, meanwhile many other mags use covergirls.

Look Im not gonna say Shueisha doesn't do this, their Weekly Young Jump covers are really raunchier than this with their cover girls. But yeah not exactly the most bright thing for a series when its being paired against glamor girls and quite literally pushed into a corner.

But it wasn't all bad as Urana would actually end up promoting the series through other means. As mentioned before, a pretty popular Vtuber had already devoted time to promote it of her own free will, Urana herself would even be commissioned to draw cover art for them. Urana would do the same for Jpop band cvlte. We'd even have Kodansha ambassador and professional skateboarder Yuto Horigome have Urana in for a session to talk about art and just recently, British rock band Bring Me The Horizon was promoting the series.

Now its my opinion that no series deserves success or deserves failure. It needs to stand on it own merits and the ones interested will come to it. However, I do find it interesting how Kodansha as a company has chosen to promote their work. Even when its going harder (especially post anime announcement) it feels weirdly word of mouth. Getting all these guys from different subgeneres to talk about it while internationally having such a mixed roll out. But maybe that close inter-personality is what makes the Gachiakuta rise story more unique. Sure it doesn't have the same all eyes on me as Kagurabachi has gotten, but in a way its kinda made this more intimate whether once again cultivating fans who are really really faithful to Gachiakuta's success. This comes to a head in the 101st chapter of Gachiakuta with a color page, Urana thanks her friends in it fitting several graffiti names of people who have supported her and the studio that will be making this a reality.

And hey, while I've definitely been critical of Kodansha, there's no denying that, but hey they agreed to give this series an anime so that must mean its a success. Right?

Success?

So I've been mostly talking about aspects of Gachiakuta and Kagurabachi's more social and industrial significance. How they became popular and how they're been treated by their respective companies. But what about results? Why bore you all with all this hot air when I can just give you cold hard facts? Well by sales-yeah Kagurabachi is a hit. Like there's no other interpretation. It is a hit. It debuted at number 4 on the manga sales chart, by two volume on the market it had hit 100K copies in circulation, and is receiving reprint after reprint.

Also this is a bit tacked on because this happened while I was editing, Kagurabachi just overwhelming won the Next Manga Awards print category. By a huge margin and being the second highest number of votes submitted for a series after Oshi no Ko. Like I don't really have much to say but like... Congrats to Takeru Hokazono. Like there's not denying this is a hit. Like I read the acceptance tweet, he knows. He knows people have been gasing him up as "the next big thing" like. I have nothing else to say this is a success.

The Kagurabachi train is a rolling and knowing how hotly people are anticipating it to fill the shoes of success like MHA or JJK, its showing the results to back up those expectations. In fact, this has actually been one of the few times I've seen a lot of anticipation for a series that doesn't have and anime and that anime is probably off for quite a bit. As of the time I'm writing this Kagurabachi sits at 46 chapters.

As for Gachiakuta this was actually the most surprising for me to actually see the Japanese sales figures.

So for all the anticipation its final result is... okay. Like yeah these sales are fine. There's no way it be in danger of being cancelled and like any business would look at this and say its steady. But that's kinda all it it, steady. I always kinda hate talking about sales that are kinda just doing okay. Cause no one ever wants to be told that its not exceeding expectations, but there's no like rubbernecker cratering that can be entertaining. Its doing just fine. And that's really all there is for a series that's manga only for now.

Obviously the anime is announced. Its coming and it will likely get a boost in audiences interested in it (Know if it doesn't get stuck on like Disney+ or Amazon), but that's kinda why I wanted to get this blog post out before hand. Cause I wanted to compare these series as manga. Now of course you have to remember these sales charts are accounting for Japanese sales on debut. So its likely that there is longer tails than we know of for each series. However, its kinda funny seeing Gachiakuta's figures and remember how it won a Next Manga Award in the category of "Global Special Prize." So its not too much of a stretch to say in Japan Gachiakuta is still pretty punk and underground and the value is definitely in that global market. Though I have to have a bit of laugh now a how much that's been a pretty hit or miss effort.

So Gachiakuta is a success story, but its that sort of "A first party Nintendo switch game sold over a million units" type of success. That's good, but its not like making those Mario numbers.

Conclusion

So I'm sure you're asking what was the point of all of this? Why did you spend so much time of comparing the rises of two shonen action series that outside of probably their hardcore cheering section don't really think about their success stories?

Well to me, I'm of the belief that the ultimate goal for a mangaka (And really any creative professional) at the end of the day is to be able to tell their story, entertain people, and make a comfortable living while doing so. The end goal may be the same for many, but the paths to how we get there can vary greatly. If you made it there by blockbuster success or by underground hit. And the fact that those paths can be so varied by factors ranging from independent social media movements and the actions of making a piece of media even available for an audience you want to reach.

When writing this piece, I really got the sense of just how much bigger manga in particular is effecting the more broader ani/manga subgenre. Its not just that thing where only the best of the best we're getting English translation posted on scan sites, we've reached a point where now a global audience can have a series in their reach. Yet their reach varies.

We still don't have the chance to submit surveys in jump and we still don't have physical volumes of manga printed around the same time so we can take into account global sales, but we can hashtag. We can share these on live streams. We can have our own grassroots efforts that are actually having something resembling an effects on the choices of Japan. All of this change in practically a decade.

Will Gachiakuta and Kagurabachi go onto to be pillers of the anime and manga community? Mmm maybe. Their fans are super passionate and the great thing about fans is even though they can be loud, they are the ones helping make new fans. They're the ones making the fan art and fan fictions and reddit posts. For all we know when they get anime they'll pop off harder than before. Or maybe they'll get a bunch of normies who don't get or like them and will tell you how its secretly never good.

Still its interesting to see how despite these two series having so much of the same ground, both of their roads were so different. And that maybe you can't control how things will turn out in the world of social media and corporate management. Sometimes all you can do is your best and stand on your own merits and the people will find you.

Whether they run for 200 chapters each or 700 chapters each or anything down the middle. Gachiakuta and Kagurabachi, here's to you're accomplishments now and here's to many more successful years down your respective roads.

Anyway folks that's my time. I hope you enjoyed this think piece. If you do please drop a like or reblog. It'll really tell me if you're interested in seeing more content like this. And maybe I can share more and more about this industry that I'm passionate about.

[thisliminalspacedaydreams]

Author Interview

thanks for the tag @veryinnovative you already all my life story but let's go at it again

How many works do you have on AO3?

47. Because I have no chill whatsoever.

What's your total AO3 word count?

818,546.

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes: Collars and Croissants 

Runaway Groom 

Le Mange Dieu et le Dévoreur de Mondes 

The Brew 

Goldeneye 

Do you respond to comments?

Not really… I don’t know, I feel like writing my story is my comment and the readers’ comment are their reaction to the work ? I tend to build friendships tumblr more so that ao3 (which I don’t consider to be a social media per se).

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Heartless. It was not planned like this at all, but when it came to write it, that’s what needed to be done.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Most of my smutty oneshots I would say. It’s harder to have a happy ending when you put your characters through horrors…

Do you write crossovers?

Haven’t yet, but I’m not opposed. I love the idea of a Jayvik/Jegulus story set in Harry Potter where Jayvik from Arcane timetravel like in episode 8.  It just makes so much fucking sense. God I would like writing that so much.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

A few people strongly hate I am the moved on. 

Do you write smut?

I’m a theoretical whore 🥳

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not exactly.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yep ! The Dark!James one shot is available in Russian. And someone is working on Runaway Groom in French.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yas. Love a co-writing baby. I have co-written a few published ones, a few unpublished ones, and I am currently writing with 3 people, 4 different fics. I just love a cowrite. There’s nothing like it. With the right people, it just ✨makes sense✨.

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Nothing will ever beat Naruto/Sasuke. Although BKDK is really hitting something in me as of late.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Echoes in Eternity. I have been toying with the idea of writing a bullet point final chapter with what I had planned. But if I do then I fully give up… and I don’t know if I am ready.

What are your writing strengths?

My singularity. I don’t write traditionally, and people either love me for it or can’t stand it. I don't mind being a divisive writer. I don’t want to appeal to everyone, but I want a few people to stumble upon my shit and I be blown away. I want everyone else to think « wtf » and click out. The more I learn, the crazier I want to experiment. 

What are your writing weaknesses?

Description of people and things. I’m into the mental a lot, and I forget to tell people where they are. How they look. Mostly because it’s something I personally don’t care for while reading

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I don’t have a real opinion. It depends on whether I feel like it’s necessary or no. But then I’m not really bothered either way.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

Arcane and My Hero Academia. I wrote a really shitty mha start, but since then I had an idea so I need to rework it.

What's your favorite fic you've written?

They’re always my favourite when I’m writing them . But if I had to pick, then Heartless.  Which is also imo the most underrated one. I re-read it and I still think it slaps. It's not perfect but it's my baby. It's my fav. It's the one I would save in a fire.

I wrote it during a special time in my life and rereading it is always an emotional adventure

I don't necessarily know you all very well, but I enjoy you guys as writers, so....

@twisted-tales-told (I know you very well obvi, my couch has your name on it whenever, you know that right?)

@sophsicle (I don't know you, but your writing is very special to me)

@suixcausa (we have bonded over bookbinding (I swear imma send you your copy of SEMI, it's just cold outside and I have to go to the *post office* and I don't like itttttt)) and also mha dragon fucking... I mean what's not to like. Can't wait to physical meet you one day)

@majjale (we spoke on tumblr briefly but your immortal baku AU fic ended my life and re-started it, and I am endlessly curious).

Cheers

[medusapelagia]

03 - The price of success

written for @steddieangstyaugust (prompt:  The sunset looks lovely, don't you think?") and @augustwritingchallenge (Prompt: Dark Academia) Rating: Mature Relationship: Steve/Eddie TW: demons, enemies to lovers (mentioned), gun violence, murder, major character death, sad ending, magic, demons Words: 1448

(A big thanks to @midsummer-semantics who told me about the Ornamental Pear Tree 😂)

Steve should have known better. There was no way that using an old book he found in the prohibited section of the library to conjure a demon to help him with his college grades was a good idea. Robin tried to talk him out of it, but he did it the same, and it worked.

It worked so well that now he quickly became the youngest professor in the entire Academy, and even his long-time rival Edward Munson had to acknowledge Steve's competence.

Ancient Rome's history and culture? He knows everything, from the most trivial things to the biggest secrets none was ever able to unravel.

But a deal is a deal, and every deal has a price.

The demon told him that he would have claimed his soul the very moment he found love. As if someone could ever love Steve for real.

Steve immediately agreed, but instead of making him sign a scroll with his blood, the demon just said, “The sunset looks lovely, don't you think?” and disappeared in thin air.

From that moment on Steve’s grades got better and better, he won scholarship after scholarship and numerous colleges offered him a place to teach, but Steve never accepted, being at his college and watching Edward Munson struggle was more than enough for him.

Looking behind himself, with a glass of whisky neat swirling gently in his hand, Steve can see all the opportunities he missed in his life.

He lost all his friends, and he never got married or had a life away from college. He devoted his entire life to his studies, and now that he's close to retirement, nobody is here to celebrate with him.

Still, there's a party down at the cafeteria in honor of his old rival, Edward Munson.

Some old students traveled from all over the world to celebrate the old teacher who left such an impression on their young minds. A couple of those have even dedicated their academic success to Edward Munson.

None did that for Stephen Harrington. The only thing he got was a threatening letter from one of his students accusing him of destroying his future. As if a failed exam could do that to a person.

But that’s just Steve’s life. None was there with him when he won his first Award from the Historical Association or when he published his graduation thesis in a prestigious historical magazine.

Not even his parents, who Steve was so desperately trying to impress, gave him any recognition of his academic success like he was always expected to succeed and the fact that he actually did was just a confirmation that he was doing what he was expected to.

He missed Robin, deeply, but he couldn't really blame her for choosing to follow her girlfriend, now wife, to the other side of the globe. She even tried to stay in contact for the first few years, but after facing Steve's stubborn silence, she slowly distances herself from him.

That hurt, Steve can't deny it, but in the end, it was a good thing, if none was close to Steve he would be safe from the demon curse.

He gulps down the whisky in one go and slowly moves toward the fancy bottle to pour himself some more when a soft knock on the door catches his attention.

For a moment he stills, who might be knocking at his door at this hour, he asks himself, frowning at the big wooden doors. Probably a prank.

He turns back toward the chiseled furniture, pouring more whisky, but someone knocks again with more intention.

"Professor Harrington? Are you there?" a familiar voice asks.

"Professor Munson, what are you doing at my door? I thought you were having a little celebration with your acolytes." he snarls back, not hiding the disdain in his tone.

"Yeah. The kids throw a little party for me. It was nice, I must admit it, but I wanted to celebrate with my old enemy. Would you like to join me in the garden? Our bench is still there."

Steve knows exactly what he's talking about, the old wooden bench where they used to sit when they were young, next to the Ornamental Pear tree, or cum tree as Eddie playfully used to call it due to its strong smell.

But that was ages ago, before Steve's deal, when they were studying together and they dreamed of making some great discovery together.

Steve looks at him weary, before deciding that instead of drinking whisky alone in his office he could always drink whisky with Eddie under the cum tree. After all, today was the last day he would be forced to see him.

He grabs the bottle and two glasses, "Lead the way." 

The college is almost cleared out, the lessons ended the week before and only a handful of students and teachers are still there.

They sit under the cum tree, chuckling about their shared past made of academic competition.

"Do you ever think that things could have gone differently if you weren't such a prick?" Eddie asks, sipping his whisky slowly.

"I'm not a prick. I was a man with a goal and I did my best to achieve it."

"And you totally did. Stepping on everyone, not caring about the debris you left behind, but hey, even after thirty years you're still the greatest expert on Ancient Roman History." Eddie chuckles.

"And you were too busy having fun every night and playing that stupid guitar. Did you ask me to come here just to insult me? Because if that’s the case I think I’ll go back to my study."

"Nah. But I wanted to ask you a question. Was it worth it?" Eddie asks, gulping down the last of his whisky, "Was it worth it to spend all your life alone? Maybe I never won a prestigious award or hosted a special on History Channel, but I had a full life and love and now that I'm retiring everyone came to celebrate." he turns slowly, "Your retirement celebration plan was getting drunk in your office."

"There's nothing to celebrate," Steve replies, "I'm going to lose my home and someone younger will teach a course I created from nothing. Why should I celebrate?"

"You never celebrated. Not even one of your academic successes. Why?"

"I just did what was expected from me." 

"Jee… that's sad even for you, Stevie."

Stevie, like he used to call him when they were friends.

Steve looks into Eddie’s eyes, they are clear and honest like always, and he makes a stupid decision.

"Would you believe me if I told you I made a deal with a demon to achieve academic success?" he asks, pouring more whiskey into his glass.

"I think you're drinking too much."

"I did. But the demon told me that the price was that he would have claimed my soul the very moment I found love. Didn't sound like a big deal at the time."

"Exchanging your happiness for a stupid title? It sounds like a big deal to me!" Eddie replies, chuckling.

The whisky bottle is almost empty when Eddie puts a hand on Steve's knee, "You were the biggest regret of my life, Steve. I had a happy life and few lovers but you… you were something else. The other half of my soul. The missing piece of my puzzle. And I asked you to come here because I'm leaving tomorrow and there's one thing I regretted all my life, and it was not kissing you when I had the occasion. Would you… would you let me...?”

It's just a kiss and then they'll never see each other again. It can't hurt, right?

Eddie tilts his head and bends toward Steve, slowly, giving him the time to recoil, but Steve doesn't move and they finally share a kiss.

"I love you, Steve Harrington," Eddie whispers on his lips and Steve would like to answer that he loves him too, he always did, but someone is running toward them and an angry voice screams something about how unfair Steve's grades were and how he destroyed his future. Steve doesn't really have the time to understand what's going on because the boom of the shoot deafens him for a moment before the man lets the gun fall to the ground and runs away. 

The college security chases the shooter, yelling, while Steve holds Eddie's bloody body in his arms.

"The sunset looks lovely, don't you think?" Eddie stutters. The same word the demon said to him when Steve signed his contract, and when Eddie’s body goes limp Steve finally understands that that's the price the demon requested.

[midnightsun-if]

Midnight Sun ROs

I apologize for not publishing this sooner, I’ve been meaning to but kept spacing about it. I know some of you have been curious, so I hope this helps with that!

ROs Parents

Koda Kingston

Appearance: Whiskey brown eyes, that are consistently filled with an abundance of warmth, offsets the medium brown tone of his skin. Fawn brown hair falls to his jawline in unruly waves. He has a muscular physique, reminiscent of a lumberjack, but he’s a big ball of fluff.

Outfit Aesthetic: He doesn’t have one singular outfit type that he wears— as he’ll try anything once. However, he does like wearing flannels over a tank top; being a bear-shifter he naturally runs a little warmer than the average supernatural.

Bear Form: Koda shifts into a Kodiak Bear— a hulking mass of pure muscle and strength (who enjoys getting scratched underneath the chin).

Scarlett Voltaire

Appearance: Dark auburn locks fall to her hips in a mixture of waves and soft curls, offsetting the fairness of her skin. Vibrant green eyes, that don’t seem real at times, are framed by dark lashes, complementing the elegant structure of her face. She has a gracefully lithe physique.

Outfit Aesthetic: Dresses of various types are something you can commonly see her wearing— usually with a pair of killer heels to match— in her signature colors of red, black, or midnight purple. Or a lace corset top paired with tailored pants (and heels).

A Notable Feature: Has a faint English accent.

Cyrus/Cyra Aurelia

Appearance: Lightly tanned skin brings out the vibrancy of their golden-red eyes; eyes that become more red, or gold, depending on their mood. Cyrus keeps his straight hair styled neatly, the platinum blonde strands kept short. Cyra, on the other hand, keeps hers to just past her shoulders. They have a delicately boned body, that hums with strength.

Outfit Aesthetic: As a member of House Aurelia, and the prospective ruler of the Eclipse Throne, they’re never seen in anything except their best. Tailored pants, perfectly ironed dress shirts, and knee high leather boots are things you can commonly see them wearing.

Phoenix Form: They don’t shift often— the spectacle of seeing a flaming bird hasn’t worn off for many people, even if they’ve seen it countless times before. With feathers that shift effortlessly from solid red, to a gentle orange, into blazing gold, they’re quite large for a typical Phoenix— gold talons sharper than any knife.

Quinn Grant

Appearance: Sapphire blue eyes stand out against their olive-toned complexion; filled with a cunning intelligence. M!Quinn keeps his dark brown hair short, only slightly showcasing the natural curls of it. F!Quinn keeps hers to just over her shoulders. They have an athletic physique.

Outfit Aesthetic: Dark Academia is the closest I could come to describe it.

Wolf Form: A massive, bi-pedal entity, their lupine form is a perfect mixture of strength and speed. With a coat of dark brown fur, intelligent sapphire eyes, and razor sharp claws, complementing sharp teeth, they’re quite intimidating.

Caden Randall

Appearance: Warm-beige skin has a deathly pallor that seems to hang around them; an aura that will never leave. Silver eyes, reminiscent of pale moonlight, bring out the inky blackness of their curly hair. M!Caden keeps his to just above his ears. F!Caden keeps hers to just below her jawline. They have a slender/lanky physique.

Outfit Aesthetic: They’re usually in uniform— an ironed black, button-down with slacks and sensible shoes. However, when they’re off-duty, they typically bundle up in various layers; being a phantom leaves them with a permanent chill that they to try to fight back against.

A Notable Feature: Has a beauty mark near their upper lip on the left side.

Sloane Addams

Appearance: Their eyes are a mixture of the softest brown, the sharpest green, and a fiery gold. Golden-brown hair, that always seems to have a tousled quality to it, falls to just beneath their jawline, complementing the light brown tone of their skin. They have a lean body type.

Outfit Aesthetic: Graphic shirts, typically a band-tee of some sort, ripped jeans, and either Vans or Converse shoes— a worn leather jacket, that’s clearly been well taken care of, completes the look.

Wolf Form: Taking on the form of a large wolf— they’ve always hated that their lupine form is just another instance of them being different. Their fur, that’s more golden than brown in this form, complements the ever-changing colors of their gaze; built for speed and agility over brute strength.

A Notable Feature: Has a tattoo sleeve of lilies on their right arm.

Blake Herrera

Appearance: Violet eyes, inherited from their other parent, brings out the tanned complexion of their skin. Wavy, ash blonde hair complements the angular structure of their face. M!Blake has his hair to just over his ears, always casually messy. F!Blake has hers to just beneath her shoulder blades. They have a toned physique.

Outfit Aesthetic: M!Blake typically wears silk shirts with the top few buttons undone, with either dark skinny jeans or tailored slacks, and dress shoes. F!Blake typically wears off-shoulder silk dresses and heels.

Reginald/Regina Presley

Appearance: With blue-green eyes, that are reminiscent of a turbulent sea, allowing for their light brown hair to be perfectly complemented. Their warm-ivory complexion brings out the faint gold highlights within each strand. Reggie keeps his hair short. Gina keeps hers to her shoulders. They have a lean, leaning more towards slender, physique.

Outfit Aesthetic: Oversized sweatshirts and comfortable pants are their go to. Something that they wouldn’t mind staying in for long hours of studying or practice.

A Notable Feature: Has a faint scar through their lip. (Think Lana Parrilla.)

[hazely-sims]

Storytelling Secrets

I was tagged by @nocturnalazure and @mmmatchasims! Thank you both for thinking of me and sorry it took me so long to get to!

I have been on hiatus for an egregiously long time now, but I'm delighted that somebody still remembers the BPR I am working on!

Honestly the first secret is that... there aren't really any secrets. I tend to be a bit too thorough with things so if I try to plan my story too far ahead, I simply will never get around to actually writing it. So I have a very general idea of the arc for the generation and the characters are quite fleshed out. But then when I drill down into the details for the plot, I write a scene, plan out the poses, and shoot and publish it basically right away. Where I left off is pretty close to the end of the piece I have outlined so there isn't really much else in my notes that I haven't already written and published.

I do however have ideas and ✨vibes✨ that I generally want to incorporate for future bits (if I ever get there, welp). So if I ever do manage to finish the first generation, I'm excited for the next one because I intend to give it a kind of gothic mystery/dark academia vibe. None of the plot has been determined so that is very subject to change, but this is basically the one real secret I have!

Before I got busy and rabbit-holed all the way into a new hobby, I actually was working on a scene. I went in-game and blocked out all of the poses and everything, but I never got to go back in and actually shoot it 💀 That scene is also a rather difficult and un-fun part of the story for me, which is also definitely part of the block, so I might actually go back and rewrite it completely.

In terms of actual story happenings, there will be at least one oopsie-baby!

Also—this is just a sims storytelling secret, specifically—Violet and her partner Alli are supposed to be the wholesome queer elders who make us all believe in true love, but in-game they are constantly fighting and breaking up?? Even though they are compatible??? I have to keep cheating their bar back up when I'm shooting so they don't fight 💀💀💀

[edelweisscowboy]

dark academia this, dark academia that REAL DARK ACADEMIERS are at 3AM checking THREE DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS OF THE SAME LETTER A TWINK WROTE OVER 500 YEARS AGO

i'm sitting on my bed, 4 DIFFERENT BOOKS ALL ABOUT THE SAME THING SPREAD AROUND ME, MY NIGHTSTAND IS SLOWLY TURNING INTO AN ACTUAL LIBRARY SECTION, MY "CHILL COMFORT BOOK" IS A BIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL (PUBLISHED IN THE 60's) OF THE HISTORICAL FIGURE I'M WRITING AND RESEARCHING ABOUT.

and also two months ago I CRIED AT HIS GRAVE.

LEGIT. CRIED. TEARS. BAWLING MY EYES OUT. NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING TO MAKE A POINT. I SOBBED.

like i think this is not even "dark academia" this is straight up mental problems.

[honey-from-hell]

Books to Read if You want to Look/Feel like a Literary Snob

AKA dark academia and literary novels that’ll make you look smart but are also enjoyable (in my option).

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Edited by Carmen Maria Machado

This is the OG vampire novel and also the OG toxic queer romance novel. Published in 1872, this book predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by 25 years. The story follows Carmilla and her increasingly possessive relationship with the protanganist, Laura, following a carraige incedent. So, yes, this is a classic, and I know these arn’t always the easiest to read. But is it less than 150 pages, it is queer, and Carmen Maria Machado’s commentary is hilarious and also helps with the reading process.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I feel like everyone knows this book, and it is for sure popular—and for that reason alone, I debated not adding it to this list—but I’m not sure if I would consider it overrated. It is one of the prettiest books I have ever read and it is objectivly good. It is a retelling of the Trojan War told from Patroclus’ point-of-veiw and focuses on his relationship with Achilles. And for sure, if you get one of the pretty editions, you will look like a snob. 

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

This is the most pretenious novel I have ever read. It has its issues, don’t get me wrong, and its preteniouness is one of them. Regardless, it is quite the compelling novel with an interesting cast of characters and a solid twist at the end. TAS is about a group of six young adults who are in the process of becoming part of a secret society that protects the suposidly burned contents of the library of Alexandria. Their intiation process consists of eleminating one of the chosen six. 

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

This 600+ page book is not nearly as prentious as it appears, but I imagine if you’re just wanting to look like you’re into literary horror, this is the book for you. It follows two different timelines and is a bit trippy to think about. It is a book about a book that is in the process of being made into a movie based on real-life events. It is mildly creepy, very well written, and gloriously feminist and queer. 

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

I havn’t read many feminist books written by men, but this one does a solid job, and I’m kind of mad about it. This wonderfully atmostspheric tale takes place in 1666 Conneticuit. It is full of magic, witchcraft, demons, and staight white bible-thumpers getting what they deserve. Also, yes, we are all into the goat man. It’s okay.

These Violent delights by Micah Nemerever

Listen, it's bleak, but in a way that's fascinating and intriguing, and you don't want to put it down. It's about two boys who are the smartest people in the room—one alienated, grieving, and awkward, the other popular, personable, and easy-going. Their friendship turns towards an intense relationship where their toxic sensibilities take a turn for the violent. The question: can they get away with it?

These are not peak snob, but they are the ones I have read/listened to that I would recommend if you're in the mood for something a bit pretentious.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hello, back again! I was wondering if you could recommend games that are available for free or on a pay-what-you-want basis. I’m currently on a tight budget (#collegelife) and I know many people in the same boat. I’m aware of Stars Without Number/Worlds Without Number and a couple of OSR games available in a free no-art edition like Mutant Future. Any others?

THEME: Free TTRPGS (1/2)

Oh my gosh I love this ask. Fear not dear student, I too understand the budget-decimating black hole that is academia, and I come to you with a number of recommendations, as well as helpful hints as to what to look for when you are browsing your favourite ttrpg site! (This is only 1/2) of what I've got in store for you!

1. The Free tag on Itch.io. 

When it comes to finding a free game that works for you, you might have to search a little bit to find exactly what works for you, but there is *oodles* of free, quality games that you can find on this website. I cannot stress how much I love what I find on Itch. Sometimes the core rules are free while additional supplements are what costs money, while others are just games that people wanted to design because they feel passionate about it. 

Kids & Spirits, by Marc Strocks.

I can’t sleep in the new house... Late at night I feel like somebody’s watching. Once I woke up to find a toad on my windowsill so I scared it off. Last night I went on the roof to look out onto the valley. I called out: “I know you’re out there! If somebody’s here, you better say something!” Nobody did.

But then I saw her! I swear a real-live witch flew by on her broom! Dad said witch families used to live in this countryside. They all used to cast magic and stuff together. Well, I don’t think they like each other anymore. I think the covens are at war! And they won’t stop until one destroys the other!

KIDS & SPIRITS is a Studio Ghibli-hack of Kids on Bikes! The system and setting mesh perfectly because: they're about young, impulsive people facing powers beyond their control. In a one-shot or ongoing story, create your own Hayao Miyazaki-inspired tale!

This is a pay-what-you-want game that lets you tell the Studio Ghibli movie that you desire, with tropes to inspire your characters, various kinds of dice to represent the gamut of your abilities, and the beloved Kids on Bikes character connections questions. You’ll begin play with characters who are all connected, if even just because they’ve heard rumours about each-other, and explore a city that you build together in session 0. This is an absolutely charming game, with a spiritual successor in Spiritbound, which resides in the same world but uses the system of Ironsworn. 

If you’re interested in this game, you should also check out my Google Sheets character sheets!

Crypto > exploring // dystopia :: by aseigo.

The year 2100 came and went … adoption of an untraceable digital currency freed Corporations from the State, bankrupted governments and ushered in a new era where the democratic rule of law was replaced by unchecked economic powers. Global conglomerates, self-organizing arcologies, old-money empires, and the pioneers of new frontiers are all locked in a struggle to achieve their ambitions in this world.

Welcome to the cryptoanarchy. We hope you enjoy survive your stay.

Crypto is a tabletop role playing game about exploring a possible future dystopia as citizens of the cryptoanarchy. Suitable for running games featuring cyberpunk, dark future, and/or dystopian political themes.

I check out the newest games on Itch.io pretty regularly, and this one was published not too long ago. It comes with a 68-page rulebook, Fate Cards to generate your character’s backstory, NPC templates for the GM, Character Sheets, Reference Tables, Gear, and more. There’s advice on how to make your character feel real, how to determine the unifying goal of your team, interacting with NPCs, etc. To top it all off, there’s lore that explains how the world works, how it ended up this way, what the Edgenet is, and more. If you want gritty cyberpunk with a lot tools to get you set up, you should check out Crypto. 

The Electrum Archive, by Emiel Boven.

The Electrum Archive is a science-fantasy tabletop RPG, inspired by games like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Ultraviolet Grasslands, Suldokar's Wake, and Cairn. It is being developed through zines that detail parts of the world of Orn and add new rules and procedures for you to use at the table.

The game is set on the world of Orn, a place long ago abandoned by an alien race now known as the Elders. The magical ink left behind in the shipwrecks of these ancient aliens is now used as currency and inhaled by warlocks as fuel for their spell casting. Adventurers called inkseekers venture out into the decaying world beyond the cities ruled over by scheming Merchant Houses to look for Elder artefacts and ink.

This is a fascinating setting with simple character creation that resonates with lovers of the OSR style of play.Your characters will have backgrounds and archetypes that set them apart, but your inventory is absolutely integral to being able to survive, as you’ll have 8 hit points or less and plenty of the monsters you go up against are likely to wipe the floor with you if you go head-to-head. With special rules for travel and exploration, this is a game for a group that wants to explore new and strange places, no matter the danger.

2. Free games on DriveThruRPG. 

This is harder to search through than Itch.io in my opinion, but sometimes the slog of looking through countless pdfs is worth it in finding a game that you’ll get some fun out of. Here’s a few that I’ve looked at in the past, to help you get past that initial hurdle.

Wicked Ones, by Bandit Camp Games. 

WICKED ONES is a Forged in the Dark tabletop RPG about a group of fantasy monsters building a dungeon, launching raids on the surface to gather a hoard, and pursuing your nefarious master plan. Along the way, there's pillaging, rituals, concoctions, contraptions, discoveries deep in the ground, dungeon rooms, traps, creatures, minions, and so much more! You build your dungeon over time throughout the campaign and no two dungeons will ever be alike. You bask in choosing the greater of two evils as your group strives to accomplish its master plan and terrorize the region around your dungeon. However, your vile deeds lure increasingly greedy and powerful adventurers into your dungeon. Can you stave off the inevitable onslaught of heroism that your notoriety brings?

Forged in the Dark games fucking slap and the fact that you can play this one for free? I had to pinch myself. There’s a lot of moving pieces in FitD games that work together, but the one I want to really shout out here is the clocks. Forget keeping track of hit points for enemies - just slap on a clock to represent how close they are to dying, running away, or calling for reinforcements. Players also get abstracted resources, like Gold, which represents wealth, and Dark Hearts, meta points that can be spent to add extra dice to a roll. Do you wanna revel in monstrosity? Do your characters want to play murder hobos? Do you like heavy improv? Check out this game.

44: A Game of Automatic Fear, by Stories You Play.

"Someone you know was just replaced by a machine. No one else knows. You are next."

44: A Game of Automatic Fear is a suspense RPG. You portray people who know a robot conspiracy called Section 44 is replacing humanity. Can you survive before the conspiracy replaces you with a machine?

Set in the backdrop of the early 1950s, a time of high paranoia, 44 works like an Alfred Hitchcock movie with sci-fi elements. The players will create characters by contemplating their personalities and abilities, while the GM will brainstorm the qualities and agents that work for Section 44. The game is part survival-horror, part investigative-mystery, as the players will have to do their best to keep themselves out of the clutches of the mysterious agency by figuring out how to differentiate the replacements from real people.

This game was one of the first games I found when I was dipping my toes into the ttrpg scene and wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend money on this hobby or not, and therefore I hold it near and dear to my heart.

Pandora London and Pandora Paris, by Cascade Studios.

The story of Pandora is one of the most famous and well known of the Greek myths, a tale told to children to encourage them to behave. It is also a lie. One of the most carefully crafted pieces of fiction ever produced in order to hide a greater truth.

Become a participant in a supernatural war that rages in secret throughout the city of London. Battle forces both magical and spiritual as you and those like you uphold the peace and hold back the night.

PANDORA uses the Cascade Roleplaying System, a streamlined version of the role playing system first seem in the Golden Age RPG. Carefully designed to allow for quick and easy character creation and simple to remember in-game systems without losing the depth and freedom of choice that make role playing games so fantastic. Pandora London is the main rulebook, while Pandora Paris provides new factions, more lore, and a new setting to send your players to.

Pandora uses small dice pools of d10s. Characters have shared Traits and unique Skill Trees according to their class, and will keep track of both Health Points and Grace Points, which are player currency to fuel re-rolls and provide bonuses. Meanwhile, in terms of theme, it’s an urban fantasy game that’s more hopeful than Urban Shadows or World of Darkness, and slightly less mythic than Scion. If you like magic mixed with the mundane, Greek Mythology, or a game about going up against supernatural monsters, you should check this game out. 

3. Small games designed from Lasers & Feelings, 24XX and Honey Heist.

One and two-page games may be rules-light and niche, but they’re also a lot of fun! As a student I especially like them because they take up way less space in a backpack than a conventional rulebook, printing them off is relatively cheap, and they’re so low-prep that I can pick them up and run them with little-to-no planning beforehand - perfect for when the GM had to study for three tests that week but still wants to run something.

Luv and Mutants, by Frames.

What will win in a fight for survival against mutated insects, harsh surroundings and other survivors - LUV or MUTANTS?

This one-page game is based on the Lasers & Feelings TTRPG. It is set in a movie inspired world, where a chemical havoc caused all cold-blooded animals to mutate and destroy most of human civilization.You play a group of survivors in this harsh world, testing your skills and teamwork. 

This game follows the standard rules of Lasers & Feelings. You choose one number between 2 and 5, and your character has 2 stats. One stat will favour rolls below your chosen number, while another will favour rolls that are higher. Hitting your chosen number means that something special happens. In Luv and Mutants, this something special is your Super Survival Instinct - you ask the GM a question and they must answer honestly, giving you a chance to change what you are doing or re-roll according to your insight.

If you like survival games or post-apocalyptic games and you don’t want a lot of prep, check out this game!

24XX PREDATORS, by Dice Ghosts.

DINOSAURS ROAM THE EARTH! A terrible earthquake has struck the biggest city in the world, releasing prehistoric creatures that were trapped beneath the earth. After quarantining the area, a team of experts has been assembled to enter the city and meet this ancient threat.

Play as a team of uniquely skilled individuals venturing into a ruined city that has become overrun by dinosaurs. Using your unique skills and training, you will need to work together to survive this metropolis of prehistoric predators and complete your mission.

24XX PREDATORS is an excellent example of the 24XX style of play. Characters are made quickly and die quickly, missions and encounters are randomly generated, and there’s even a list of dinosaurs to throw at your players! This game also has special mechanics for dinosaur and team-based mechanics - you’ll roll to determine what happens when more than one kind of dino shows up on the scene, and scattering in the moment has the ability to help or hinder you depending on what your teammates choose. If you like suspense, adventure and dinosaurs, you should absolutely check out this game.

Cephalopod Squad, by The Mirage Company.

A game about heroic squid children trying to stop evil schemes and be the coolest fish in school. 

Cephalopod Squad is a goofy hack of Honey Heist by Grant Howitt. Honey Heist games give you two stats, and start you out with 3 points in each stat. Failure in one sense moves increases one stat and decreases the other, while success moves in reverse. You will always have a way to voluntarily move your points around as well, as long as you role-play scenes that match one aspect of your character.

This particular hack is pretty much Splatoon: the roleplaying game, so finding art to represent your characters might be pretty easy! If you want a game that’s a bit goofy and light-hearted, Cephalopod Squad is a great place to start!

Finally…

Games I’ve recommended in the past.

ICON Playtest, by Massif Press.

Cairn, by Yochai Gal. 

Reclaim the Wild, by Eldritch Knight.

[bootstrapparadoxed]

creative works & links

AO3 - Ko-Fi - YouTube - Patreon

Novel

adult sci-fi; a queer, existentialist space adventure

Summary:

In the distant future, humans live in a utopia where even death is not the end—for everyone except Amber’s parents. At 25, she is a cynical, aloof Ph.D. in history who resents her sheltered life at home and yearns to find her place in the world. Then, an exciting job offer comes her way—the chance to uncover the mystery of a civilization that disappeared thousands of years ago. Teaming up with the archeologist Lullaby, Amber embarks on a hitchhiking quest to find the fabled Aquamarine Moon and, perhaps, some much-needed meaning in her life.

Publisher’s website | Amazon

You can get a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review on goodreads or storygraph! Send me a direct message or ask for details.

Current WIP

"Offspring of (Un)happy Days", a dark academia horror with a M/M romance - WIPintro here, I tag posts about it as #FrankensteinWIP

Video Essays

"Science Has an Accountability Problem | Dumpster Fire Data"

Do you know how many researchers anonymously admit to fabricating data? The answer is not a number of individuals, it is a percentage. As scientists, we like to believe that we are the pinnacle of accuracy, honesty, and accountability. In reality, we are no different from any other human, just as capable of making mistakes. And it’s time to fully admit to that. Welcome to Dumpster Fire Data, a series in which I analyze the hell out of crumbling institutions.

“Representation DIY: What Headcanons Can Teach You About Autism”

On why representation of minority groups in fiction has such a powerful influence, why I prefer headcanon autistic characters over canon examples, and how headcanon discussions can improve the public dialogue and be an additional push for better diverse media.

“Night in the Woods: Cosmic Horror and Optimistic Nihilism”

An exploration of themes and narrative threads of “Night in the Woods” through the eyes of an exhausted Gen Z anarchist. On the terrifying world that young adults of today were born into and how it affected us, the two ways in which NiTW explores cosmic horror, why humans always look for stories, patterns, and meaning, and whether you can be sane and happy without meaning altogether. 

“Disability and Capitalism” 2-parter

A deep dive into the intertwined history of ableism and the capitalist economy, starting from the dawn of humanity and ending with a hopeful look into the future. Featuring a shitton of citations/research and generously sprinkled with science fiction.

“Squid Game and the Gamefication of Capitalism”

"Squid Game" is a South Korean survival drama that explores themes of class disparity and inequality with a Hunger Games-esque, thrilling plotline. Is the reality show / video game aesthetic of Squid Game just another compelling visual element, or an additional metaphor?

"Is Phylogenetics a Proper Science?"

Birds are dinosaurs, whales are cousins of cows, and fishes do not exist – these are the kind of things you learn in phylogenetics lectures as a biology undergrad. I have compartmentalized this knowledge in my head for years without giving it a second thought. Then, I fell down a rabbit whole of weird philosophy of science papers, and it broke my brain a little.

"Pokemon Evolutions Are Real... Kind Of"

More people have probably heard the word "evolution" in a pokemon game than in a high school biology class. And they aren't even actually evolving, they're going through metamorphosis. Probably. Well…

Short Stories

Short Story: "Satisfied", cyberpunk horror, in HyphenPunk Magazine Issue 7

Selected Fanfiction

One Septendecillion Brass Doorknobs: AO3 - Royalroad - Rebloggable Link

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency S3 as a full novel length (82k words) fic written in my best attempt at the style of Douglas Adams

where fire and ice collide: AO3 

30k long/novella length doctor who and good omens crossover with Tenth and Rose and all the GO characters; mostly focused on the mystery/adventure plotline but it also has tenrose and ineffable husbands tones in the mix

when it’s time: AO3

good omens 20k ineffible husbands slowburn. you know the cold open of E3? it’s 20k more of it. with mutual pining and angst and an eventual happy ending

[hauntedcavallaro]

Introduction:

Bonjour, spooky friends! I'm a 26-year-old writer haunting AO3 as "Halfling_MadMax". My pronouns are She/Her, French-Italian (but fluent in chaotic bilingual energy), I dabble in French, English, Italian (badly), Romanian, and Spanish.

My grand ambition is to self-publish (FINALLY), writing stories that dwell in the shadows of the gothic, the spooky, and the macabre. I’ve always got a bone to pick (and, let’s be real, many bones in my collection). Whether it’s ghost stories, eerie folklore, or tales about cursed love, my heart belongs to the creepy, the unsettling, and the beautifully haunted.

I live for gothic atmospheres, taxidermy that’s more art than oddity, and bones that tell their own stories. The occult? Oh, I’m dying for it.

When I’m not scribbling tales about ghosts, graveyards, and ill-fated lovers whispering from beyond, I’m most likely lost in a musical trance. Hozier and Ethel Cain top the playlist—because, honestly, no one else quite captures that raw, “dance barefoot under the moonlight while the trees whisper secrets and something ancient watches you from the shadows” vibe. Their music feels like the perfect soundtrack for a séance, all haunting harmonies and heartbreak steeped in eerie beauty.

Beyond music, I’m a total sucker for folklore in all its forms—the Taylor Swift album, mythology passed down like whispered warnings, and legends that feel like echoes of a darker time. Ghost stories? Always. Haunted houses, spectral revenge, cursed bloodlines—I’ll devour it all. And speaking of legendary tales, The Witcher owns my heart, but I also love diving into the rich worlds of The Last Kingdom, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and, of course, The Lord of the Rings. There’s something magical about worlds filled with complex characters, epic battles, and just the right amount of doom.

When I’m not immersed in fantasy and folklore, you’ll find me daydreaming in dark academia aesthetics—because who doesn’t want to live in a world of overcast skies, creaky libraries, and a little too much brooding?

So, welcome to my spooky little space! If you love the macabre, the magical, and the melancholy, pull up a chair, light a candle, and let’s get haunted!!

[pancake-shifts]

me in my realities

Hi, I'm Amy or Amelia.

This is kind of an introduction to myself, and so on. But I thought that I could start with writing about my shifting, too. So in this post, I'll just give all of the information about myself that I usually keep the same/very similar in my irs.

First thing first, I obviously use my name. I'm still questioning if I want to use my real second name or if I want to use 'Daisy'.

BUT I don't use my real last name for the publishing reasons, and because I don't think it'd work with me shifting mostly to things from english-speaking countries. So for my realities, I usually use Sawyer or (if it's more victorian reality) Sherwood as my last name.

The only exceptions are my titans/mcu, marauders, cm/b99/the rokie, and my Narnia realities. For my titans/mcu reality, I use the last name Barton, and for my marauders reality, I use the last name Potter. In my criminal minds/the rookie/brooklyn 99 one, my last name is Cozner, and in my Chronicles of Narnia reality, it's Silverthorn.

In all of my realities, I was born in October and also on the same day. The only difference are the years of my birth date, which differs based on the timeline of where I shift to. I'm also usually between the 19-25 age range.

(With that, I also always age my lovers up to my age or I age myself up if they're older than 20 by the time I shift somewhere)

In all of them, I have two parents (usually my dad looks like Jeremy Renner, and my mum like Linda Cardellini). But in my cm/b99/the rookie reality, my dads are Raymond Holt and Kevin Cozner. In my titans/mcu reality, I obviously have the Barton family, and in my marauders reality - obviously the Potters.

I also have two siblings in most of them, except for my current/student reality. My older sister is called Sabrina, and my younger brother is called Adam. OH, and I have a black&white cat, Mickey. In most of my realities, I also am dating or have dated someone that looks like Louis Partridge.

In all of them, I look and act the same, too. Even though, I have been using Ariel Winter and Melissa Fumero for myself on my tiktok (I'm still always and in every reality very much so white). Oh, and rarely, but sometimes I also use Hailee Steinfeld, Lara Croft (for The Quarry) or Ariel Winter in TQ for my hogwarts legacy reality.

In my intended realities, I still have a dark academia style. But it just works better instead of my wardrobe being a complete mess like in my current reality.

I study or have studied English Philology with a translation specialization. I'm also a writer in all of my realities.

And that seems to be all!

(At least all from my scripts, do let me know if you have questions, and I might answer)

Bye <3