#this is a coded message but you don't have to solve it it's not very important lol. i just made it for fun

[hello-autoresponder]

hi hal! can you still talk to your friends in that void youre in?

I've only gotten one response so far. It's not very helpful.

[myrrh1806]

BILL CIPHER LORE

Type wellwellwellbeing and click it three times.....you get to see three excerpts from Bill's files at theraprism.

( context : The axolotl sends bill to therapy after season 2 finale )

Type seven eyes to get a picture of one of bill's friends ?......There is a message at the back too ( a warning)

type cipher to see Bill hidden in history ( prolly canon...)

type ad astra per aspera ( ford's journal 1-2 pages about bill's statue)

type robbie ( bill makes an appearance in a photo, also Thompson hates his toxic friend but beggars can't be choosers )

type Dorito ( Wait till the end. You see Bill's true form )

type shave your grandma ( Bill's view on humanity. Its pretty funny)

type stan and click 6 times ( You get to play a game with bill and uncover granule Stan's secret shame)

type dipper and repeatedly click ( Bill basically trolls him. Its funny. Also something at the end after the paper is burnt )

type love for.........well, its almost every fanfic of bill in ao3. ( The image made me do a spit take )

type r34lity ( pics of bill's minions in their new homes.....crptos stands next to a drawing of bill. Dunno what that means....maybe he misses him ? Prolly mocking him, though)

type oroborous ( Sixer had a pet axolotl and Bill wasn't very happy )

type irregular ( Bill's mugshots )

type vallis cineris ( baby bill )

type tourist trap ( bill's in it.....might have to examine this pics further. could be some clue ?)

type bubble and turn the knob ( backward message says :“The Sky is on fire. Everything is burning. How could this happen? You killed us all. Remember us. Someone help, the murderer's name is Bill.” Prolly the dying screams of flatland before bill.....you know.)

type destruction is a form of creation ( rambling of fiddle ford after he peeked into the portal and saw bill.....could be clues in there )

type say baaaa ( Bill acts like Sta- a conman )

type naitsuaf ( you get to make a deal with bill )

type hectoring ( songsposition )

type weirdmageddon ( proof that the people of gravity falls are either in denial of the apocalypse or forgot )

type tantrum ( bill vs time baby )

type scary ( knockoff goosebumps audiobook bill made. Man, Bill and Stanley have a lot in common from the conman angle. They could have been friends....in another timeline *sigh* )

type goodnight sally ( no lore but, its a cool bill t- shirt )

type even his lies are lies ( Bill's pov when sixer still trusted him - bill is talking to his therapist)

type suck it merlin ( bill throughout history )

type black sheep ( Bill's a jerkwad )

type cursed ( Bill is a bad influence )

type card ( another one of bill's 'ventures' )

type one eyed king ( bill tries to hypnotise you )

type forget the past ( its a colour code for the smart ones out there....it would be awesome someone solved it, ig )

type lies ( you see how bill lies to himself......his therapist should take notes)

type monster ( how bill views himself )

type breakup ( shows you the bar bill drank at after ending things with Ford )

type Kubrick ( Bill caught on camera )

type hey nerd ( Bill 'ventures'. Don't buy anything from that catalog !)

type booberry ( welcome to bill's ted talk. nil, he actually gave solid advice if you ignore the projecting )

type fordtramarine ( describes a color only people who have come in contact with bill or other extra dimensional entities can see )

type hotxolotl ( info about bill and his henchmaniacs after his defeat )

type morality ( bill's philosophy )

type you cant kill an idea ( leads to bill's pyramid scheme ciphertology)

type emmaline butter nubbins ( you get to download illustrations of bill from the book of bill without text. Pretty cool )

type piñata ( bill gets beat up by a little girl. )

[seahorsepencils]

Bisexuality exists. Kate Stewart can be attracted to people of all genders. It doesn't make her any less queer.

I get that people want to see Kate with a woman onscreen. Me too. I would love that. But discussing these issues using language that excludes other queer sexualities—using a binary that presents "straight" and "lesbian" as the only available options—is reductive and hurtful. This type of language can make queer fans who don't identify as lesbians feel invisible and/or unwelcome.

I understand that sometimes people are reductive in their phrasing when they're upset, and frame things differently than they intend to. But it's worth mentioning that this type of rhetoric, whether intentional or not, fits into a larger pattern of bi erasure in the Jemma Redgrave fandom:

an inadvertent tendency to label all of Jemma's queer-coded characters as lesbians, including characters that are more bi-coded

repeated comments posted on ao3 criticizing Berena smut where the characters use a strap

a history of anonymous biphobic hate messages sent to members of the fandom.

And some of the things being said aren't just reductive. There have already been comments from people joking that they wished Kate had died at the beginning of the episode rather than hold hands with a man. Comments like that are explicitly biphobic and can genuinely cause harm.

I know that we can't necessarily solve problems by going on Twitter and responding to this stuff, but at the very least, if we encounter it on Tumblr or in other spaces, it might be good if we could do our best to remind people that this kind of exclusionary language can be hurtful to other members of the fandom. And if you are one of the people who has used universalizing language without realizing it, it's not the end of the world - our brains have basically been wired by society to describe and think about sexuality in a way that erases identities outside of "gay" and "straight," so it happens. I've done it before without realizing it, several times, and as much as it scares me to admit it, I'll probably do it again. But I do think it's really important to be mindful of this stuff and think about how our unintentional language choices might affect others - and to be open to learning and doing better.

[thats-not-okie-dokie]

WELCOME HOME MARCH 9TH UPDATE SPOILERS!!

The WH update was INCREDIBLE! Half of the merchandise page was brand new, a 20 minute audio starring Wally and Barnaby, and a few other songs around for the characters? DAMN, ALL OF THEM CAN SING! And don't even get me started on the designs of the advertisements and records and cookbooks! They feel so authentic, and you can tell so much love and attention to detail was put into each and every one of them. ALSO HOWDY'S FAMILY? THEY HAVE DESIGNS AND VOICES NOW?? YO- I can only imagine how long THAT script took to write! And Julie is officially confirmed to have paws! I wasn't expecting that, or for her to hibernate, but I find those details really cool. Makes me wonder if rainbow monsters are any related to bears? ALSO, Wally can sing too! I was under the impression that he struggles to stay on-key with his delivery, but I was wrong. And I am happy to be wrong, too! I've already listened to his rendition of Toyland like, 4 times. Poppy's voice is so sweet and soft-spoken when she's not terrified or nervous, and I'm so glad to be able to hear how she speaks normally. SHE HAS THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL I CAN LISTEN TO IT ALL DAY, WHERE'S THE COOKING CHANNEL? And Sally trying to be the star of the show by replacing the one on the Christmas tree, oh my word I admire her pettiness. And that silly rendition of Up On The Housetop is going to be on my mind all day hehehe

ALSO, there's a new mystery afoot! On the very last page of the merchandise book, there's a code cracker on the back of the Christmas edition cereal box (thanks, Eddie!). I've managed to decrypt every single doodle across the website, but it definitely still need some further decryption. I'm thinking it might be either a Ceasar encryption or needs to be descrambled. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a message, or a website link. The "WWW" is really throwing me off. I thought I'd leave this to the professionals, since I'd be scratching my head for hours if I tried to solve this any further. I already tried reversing it 2 kinds of ways and playing around with the letters, as well as putting it into a Ceasar decoder and trying every way to brute force the combination, if it's a message. Still nothing. I'm not good with these types of things, but I'm hoping somebody else is. Good luck!

And here's every letter I've found, in the order the pages are on the home page:

MIOA FSNE W AR YG Y T E PYER N WWW

[cutephlegm]

haii buddy

could you make headcannons for how the dn guys (matt, mello, L, aiber) would act as your boyfriend? :3

Of course! Also adding Light!

My Death note boyfriend headcannons ⋆｡°✩

Light:

- His love languages are giving gifts and physical touch.

- Will plan date nights to the most expensive restaurants he can find in the area for big occasions. 

- Buys you overpriced jewellery for your birthday/anniversary/Christmas/etc…

- If you’re having a problem, he will insist to help you solve it and do so as logically as he can.

- Likewise, if you were studying, he would help you revise your studies by making flashcards for you.

- Smells like expensive cologne.

- Overexplains things to you if you don't understand them.

- Very passionate about his hobbies/career and makes that known to you by talking about it A LOT.

L:

- His love languages are words of affirmation and quality time.

- Let’s you talk to him about any issues you’re having and listens attentively throughout.

- Enjoys playing chess with you, if you don’t play then he’ll insist on teaching you.

- His grammar through texting is meticulous.

- Tries to help you cut out any bad habits you have, eg; smoking, drinking, etc…

- He loves having thoughtful and meaningful conversations with you, and always asks for your advice on something before he makes a decision.

- He’s very afraid of you getting hurt, makes sure not to include you in any of his investigations for that reason.

- Spends a lot of time working on his investigations, doesn’t get to see you as often as he’d like to.

- When he does see you, he doesn’t enjoy going out, would much rather plan an activity at home.

- Enjoys cooking and baking! Will cook you your favourite meal and bake sweet treats for you to eat while he is working.

- Very keen to learn more about you, often asks you loads of questions.

- Texts you frequently while he is working to check up on you.

- He zones out and thinks about you when he’s running errands/working.

- He sometimes has very strange cravings.

Mello:

- His love languages are acts of service and giving gifts.

- He will take you out on bike rides to abandoned places he finds + you have a few spots you regularly go to together.

- VERY dry texter (Replies to your texts with just y? or k.)

- Buys you WAYY too many gifts, if you tell him you like the look of something he would have bought it for you by the next day.

- Secretly very overprotective over you.

- You’re set as the lock screen to his phone/computer.

- He occasionally pulls all nighters with you.

- Likes it when you surprise him with chocolate + sweets.

- Deep down, he get’s very jealous over you but tries his hardest to hide it.

- Listens to metal + owns TONS of band shirts.

- You bond over the bands and music you listen to.

- Knows how to play the guitar + Learns songs for you.

- Smells like Gasoline.

Matt:

- The chill boyfriend archetype.

- His love language is quality time and physical touch.

- He LOVES I repeat LOVES when you are interested in the same things as him!

- You bond by playing video games and occasionally taking smoking breaks.

- He encourages you to talk about your nerdy interests with him + shares his own.

- Likewise, he makes an effort to learn about said interests when you’re not around to impress you.

- Knows loads of niche internet slang.

- Knows how to code, would code a cute happy birthday message for you.

- He’s very tech savvy, therefore would help you out if you were having a problem with any of your devices.

- If you smoke, he will always light your cigarette for you, especially if you can’t light it yourself.

- He secretly has a collection of rare lighters + rare cigarettes.

- If you were to get into a confrontation with someone, he’d try to diffuse it with comedy.

- He has a soft spot for romcoms.

- He uses emoticons when texting you.

- Takes time out of his day to randomly text you.

- Encourages you to wear his clothes.

- If he sees something he thinks you’d like he would definitely buy it for you.

- You both have LOADSSS of inside jokes together.

- Tries to get on well with your friends.

- Massive night owl.

[agtteam]

AGT Team July - August Progress Report

There are big changes ahead! Namely...

The AGT Team has a new home!

After weeks of working away, we're excited to finally be able to launch our new website! It's a one-stop shop where you can find news and downloads for all of our projects, as well as patch your games online and get detailed guides on how to play them. We hope it'll help make our translations more accessible to all. Go check it out!

We'll still be answering asks/messages on tumblr, as well as cross-posting any major announcements here. So with that in mind, let's dive into this month's progress report...

[NDS] Naruto RPG 2: Chidori Vs Rasengan

We're pleased to announce that there's big news for Naruto fans too! In fact, you could say we're now on the Path to Release™.

Please keep your eyes peeled for more coming soon!

[NDS] Death Note: Successors to L

Moving from one big milestone to another; Successors to L is now over 50% translated thanks to the hard work of translator creeper!

The tutorial and story mode cutscenes are now fully translated, with the remaining text coming from the board-game sections, in which there are hundreds of unique character lines to discover.

On the hacking side, more work remains to be done on the VWF and wordwrapping in order to get the inserted translations looking as we want them.

[PS2] Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami o Tsugu Shoujo

Update on "Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami o tsugu shoujo" by Iredc - There's been quite a lot of progress in the font department, where Illidian solved many bugs like wordwrapping. A variable width font has been implemented as well.

Around half the graphics are already edited by Phantom (CG Gallery still on the works). As for the text translation, the main story, menus and quests were translated by myself (Iredc). The scenes with Winry and Sophie at the church are still pending translation.

Apart from this, we're working on some issues when generating the patch file (this game has a weird ISO format), and need to find a way to insert subtitles during the cutscenes.

This project looks very promising so far, so don't forget to check on our updates from time to time!

[NDS] Mushishi: Amefuru Sato

Ithyrial here with another update!

Those pesky bugs have been (mostly) taken care of, and the playtesting/proofreading phase has been opened! We've already brought on a few people, but that doesn't mean we don't have room for more, so please feel free to contact us if you're interested in helping out!

Other

As some may be aware, we started a translation project for Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion on Nintendo DS in early 2022. Unfortunately the project has made very little progress during this time as other things always demanded our attention. However, we're pleased to say that the project has found a new home with it's original leader, Lance, where we hope that it will thrive and receive the attention it deserves. Japanese translators who may be interested in helping out should please contact Lance#6642 on Discord!

[teddyqd]

TMAGP ARG, Days 1 & 2

Here's a quick writeup of what the Discord's discovered so far!

Day 1 - Quick Beginnings!

Through an ad on the MAG podcast feed, we got an email that sent to OIAR's HR! Sending an email here gave us an autoreply with a link the OIAR website.

On the website we found a youtube channel and a bunch of alchemy symbols and suspicious typos scattered around the place, some more emails, and an identification form.

Investigating the form and the youtube channel, led us to a usenet newsgroup for DDR (East German) diaspora.

Much of our effort on the first day focused on translating and archiving this usenet group in a gDoc for easy reference.

Day 2 - Revelations & Whoopsies

Bit of a slower day today! We managed to translate and archive the entire newsgroup over the night. Some of the team has been working on making a database of the messages on Google Sheets, whilst others have settled on exploring other leads. In the newsgroup, specifically in the very important Cats thread, we found an image with another alchemy symbol! More on that one later.

Back on the site, I personally thought to look again at the images, and noticed their names all had a string of numbers in them. Twelve numbers, to be precise -- enough for a phone number if the country code was two numbers. A little solving later, we had a phone number! After a false start, we gave it a ring and, lo and behold, we were through to the OIAR! A robovoice informed us of system maintenance and asked us to call back on September 22nd!

Later on that day, a crack team of nerds ran the image from the Cats thread through some Steganography software and found the date time combo of: Saturday, 30th September 11:00 to 19:00.

A suspicion that a few members were holding was brought to light at this time, and they got to investigating! The castle at the end of the OIAR's recruitment video has a walking tour on Sept 30th! Though this might not be relevant, a more local member has decided to pop by and see if anything comes to light! (Note: please don't flood this poor walking tour with random MAG fans -- we're not certain it's relevant)

TL;DR:

called a number, got told to call back on Sept.22

found a date in a photo, Sept.30 (11:00-19:00)

booked a walking tour for the above time!

A * Digression…

During the excitement of solving the phone number puzzle… We got a little too nosey for our own good. During the call, we found that pressing * would let you into a series of settings. Neat, thought we, Some more data to sort through! So our intrepid group of explorers started sorting through the voicemails this revealed to us, and called the number of one of them, still believing it to be a trail of ARG clues.

"Hello?" Said Martyn RustyQuill.

Yes, dear readers, this was not an ARG clue. Through our dogged determination, we ploughed our dumb, smart asses into the backrooms of the ARG. The voicemails we discovered were, in fact, test calls that RQ did to ensure the number was up and running. The number that was called was Martyn RQ's real ass phone number. RQ panicked. The mods panicked. Slowmode went up.

Luckily, thanks to quick work from everyone involved, we cleared up any chance of other people calling Martyn's number, and we're now out of the backrooms and back on track!

Don't press * !

[omegalomania]

okay, couple things i haven't seen people comment on yet! bolded emphasis is mine and is not present in the original text.

Buzzed off of the alpenglow.

so "alpenglow" is a specific phenomenon when the setting sun lights up the horizon in deep rose hues and soft shadows. as you can see on the article images, this can often result in pink and purple visuals.

You never think you’d look back and be nostalgic for right now - For car rides that never seemed to end, the way the world used to look in 90s newscasts, or cloroxing your groceries before you bring them in from the garage…. To all the animals you see in the clouds and the faces you memorized in the tile of the shower in your childhood home- the pareidolla-n prince.

themes of nostalgia vs. reality are definitely present in all the teasing they've done for this album thus far. "field of dreams" addresses it directly. "dark city" is about memories of a place that never existed (the beach was never real). the bit in "reality bites" about the pink seashell addresses how we assign meaning to things that ultimately don't mean very much at all.

all of that also ties into the overall idea of searching out codes and meaning in things that might not have anything of the sort. more on that later.

Placing items in my cart and continuing shopping- but emotionally. You start to wonder if you have more good road being you than ahead. Shake it off. [...] Still trying to get free of everything we’re supposed to be.

this doesn't have any special meaning or context i just like the message. maybe just being your own silly weird self is worth more than looking ahead. when they made you they broke the mold. don't let expectation pigeonhole you in. just makes me fond!

Sometimes I feel like detective working a bad beat for too many years, chasing old leads- not ready to quit but unable to solve the case- just hoping I get more than a gold watch on my retirement day

[...]

PS (thanks for always sticking around. Thanks for working the beat. Spoiler alert: we got more than a gold watch coming for you next year).

this is the part that gets to me. this is an explicit comparison between US and the detective. sometimes pete feels like the detective...but at the postscript, the comparison is made explicit. we're the detectives, to him. we've been chasing leads - websites, postcards, whatever scraps we can find. we've been working the bad beat, and all the while they've been cooking up something special for us, and now that's about to pay off.

i will say for my part...i don't think there's any secret code here. the weird formatting, the punctuation, the inconsistent capitalization - aside from the wink-wink nudging at us ("pareidolia" refers to the inclination to look for patterns where none exist) - frankly, this is just how pete types! a lot of his old blogs and livejournals were peppered with grammar errors and misspelled words, because that's just how he wrote them out. and it takes me back some...there's that nostalgia again. how about that?

[sleepyorchidmonster]

What if TWST has a game franchise similar to LOZ, but it's Alice's adventures in Wonderland?

The series is quite popular, you play as Alice, with the Cheshire Cat as your companion (who tends to cause more problems than help out), the Vorpal Sword is basically the Master Sword and you help the Queen of Hearts by exploring dungeons and solving riddles and puzzles. There is even an Ace Attorney spin-off (not very successful, since the nonsensical rules annoy most players).

However, it's a general consensus that no one understands the first game. The whole playthrough amounts to 2 hours at most, though dataminers found more content in the code. It that wasn't enough, there is a weird sign right next to the first dungeon, who clearly breaks the fourth wall:

*

WARNING! YOUR GAME WILL NEVER BE THE SAME IF YOU DON'T GET THIS MESSAGE!

"Up is down, left is right,

Count the letters, subtract the spaces,

1 2 3 know 9 8 7 are your friends, now and ever,

Mind the gaps, ignore the rabbit,

There is no fun that is not maddening!"

There is also a small note in the back, written in blood-red ink, signed with a paw-print:

"I watch everything with a disinterested smirk,

With lazy eyes that twinkle like faraway suns,

You'll never find me in the night sky while I lurk,

'Cause, "mime a ton, drum te hey!"

*

Now, the Cheshire cat was only introduced in a later game, so people kept trying to find glitches to the moon (they also didn't find the cat and kept talking to a mime NPC). A quick look at the Queen's Rules also didn't help, since the number you get when subtracting the letters and spaces while ignoring the numbers just doesn't add up (something about doing parkour whenever a tree is planted).

So it stayed that way, just like the "Mew under the truck" thing.

Until Cater decided to stream a playthrough alongside the dorm (it fits the Heartslabyul theme, also Riddle is interested in gaming, so why not start with a simpler game that is also a classic).

You see, firstly, if you consider the numbers as actual names and write them as words, you get additional letters that, when subtracted by the spaces...still get a rule that doesn't make sense (don't eat a tart after midnight) BUT, if you know about Queendom history, you'll know that this rule was added by the White Rabbit to fill a GAP in the book after the Queen banned a rule about the correct way to dance (up, down, left, right, two steps forward, one step back).

Long story short, Riddle solved the problem.

So, you can get that dance and replicate it in the game, swapping up with down and left with right (forward and backwards would also be up and down, in this case).

As for the extra note, they already knew it was the cat, but if you scramble "Mime a ton, drum te hey!", you get "I am on the tree, dummy!"

The cat introduced himself, saying he'll follow the player on the next journey, but not before giving a tip: "If you want to keep going, you have to be as mad as everyone here! Why kill when you can dance? They do say singing wards off evil..."

Riddle explained all of this in fifteen minutes. Just to humor him, Cater left the sign and made a beeline for the first tree in the area, expecting nothing of it.

The Cheshire Cat showed up, his smile overtaking the screen.

And with that, Cater wordlessly rushed to the first dungeon, doing the dance code instead of killing the first enemy.

The game crashed.

And then a cutscene started playing.

It was basically the Jabberwock appearing and destroying the dungeon's ceiling. Apparently he is "searching for that damn cat" and "hoping to battle his nemesis again". With that, he leaps to the sky, and we get the game's title drop.

Do note that the game was using a style similar to "A Link to the Past" at first, but everything changed and now it looks like Twilight Princess.

And that's how Cater's streams became famous. Also everyone is trying to memorize the Queen's rules.

The streams now happen in Ramshackle, with the entire cast present. Also Riddle is annoyed because people keep asking for his assistance with solving game puzzles.

Alternatively, this could also happen in Book 6.

Everyone speedrunnimg the Overblot fight just so they can keep playing.

[doctor-ciel]

Man though, because L's whole arc regarding shinigami is so fascinating but I've never seen anyone talk about it, although I'm sure people do.

Because like, what did he think was going on? When he first started the case, what did he think was going on? Probably something similar to what the people at the ICPO meeting were talking about, that someone had elaborately put things together so that they could remotely give their victims heart attacks. Crazy and elaborate, but possible.

But then they're able to kill Lind L. Taylor, so however they do it doesn't require any sort of physical tampering on Kira's part. They can just do it on command with anyone, anywhere.

We the audience know that it's something supernatural, but how soon does L accept that? I don't imagine very quickly. I'm not even sure how soon he'd even entertain the idea. Compare how he talks about finding out how they kill during the broadcast (playful) versus how he talks about shinigami once he knows he's dealing with them (afraid). I think at that point he still thinks that it's some sort of advanced technology.

Light's experiments make it undeniable, though, by controlling his victims' actions before they die. Plus the message he leaves for him, "L, do you know?", would have definitely caught his attention because at that point the thing L would've wanted to know the most is how Kira kills. Then the next message is "gods of death," his only hint at what the answer to the question is. The nonsense last message trolls him for ever having taken the messages seriously, but this still means that even if he has to second-guess himself, he now has shinigami on his mind.

This itself causes a huge change in L as a character. He has to change how he thinks about the world, his line of work, everything really in order to solve the case. This also means humbling himself to the fact that he was wrong about something, and is now in unfamiliar territory. Or, alternatively, that if it turns out this isn't something supernatural, that he was crazy enough to think that it was. Either way, he can't come out of this with the same view of himself he had before of being someone who was always right.

This is why he reacted the way he did when Misa's broadcast mentioned shinigami, even though I do think his reaction was overblown for drama (and this is coming from someone who is actually willing to suspend my disbelief for most of death note's dramatic moments, yes even the potato chip scene). But it makes sense for him to be scared, because it is now the second time shinigami have shown up in relation to Kira's power, and it's from a second unrelated person.

And I love the look he gives Light when he says that "shinigami" is probably a code word. Because on the one hand, L was probably thinking the same thing, that "shinigami" could have been a reference to the supernatural nature of Kira's powers rather than the actual explanation for them. But on the other hand, at this point he strongly suspects Light, so to me the look he gives him means something along the lines of "of course you would say that." His prime suspect trying to divert attention away from a shocking part of the second Kira's broadcast is going to be a little suspicious.

This is also the first time he's shared his shinigami idea, and he got pushback against it from the rest of the task force. That's going to add to the self-doubt. And yes, he says he agrees with them that they're not real, but this wouldn't be the first time that he's said something to go along with everyone else while silently still holding his own conclusions.

This is also part of why he fell into a slump after Light and Misa lost their memories. It wasn't just that he had turned out to be wrong (as I've pointed out here he's long since been doubting himself and grappling with the new revelation that he can be wrong about things), although having been wrong about Light and Misa as well as everything else does contribute to the loss of motivation. To me, though, it mostly has to do with the fact that it has just become clear to him that no matter what he does, there is only so much he can do to try and work against forces that are beyond his comprehension, let alone control. He doesn't know where to begin in salvaging the investigation because he doesn't even know what is happening. He says he's depressed because he was wrong, but he also says that he knows for certain that, even if they aren't right now, Light and Misa were Kira. This means his slump comes from not being able to prove it, and from being wrong about Kira's power.

At this point his theory is that the power transferred away from them and to someone else, and that they possibly lost their memory too (or else they are acting). Because you know, why not? Can you imagine L making a theory like this at the start of the show? The fact that he is making a theory like this in seriousness shows how much he's changed, what he's willing to believe, and also how willing he is to be wrong (because you can't tell me that he thinks the theory has any concrete supporting evidence besides "fuck it, anything goes at this point"). He has now fully thrown himself into the school of thought that everything that is happening is supernatural and beyond his control.

So now that they're in murky waters of what is possible... what about that shinigami theory? He feels it's safe enough again to bring it up around the others while they watch Higuchi in the car. This time, it makes even more sense than during Misa's broadcast. Higuchi's clearly talking to somebody that they can't see. And now L is on the path again to being right about something for once.

Then he holds the Death Note in his hands and is totally, absolutely vindicated. And he is not scared to look at the shinigami. Everyone else screams when they see Rem, but L has been thinking about shinigami for a long time. Whether or not they exist has come to represent to him if his ideas can be trusted or not, so to see one now he's actually happy.

And then there are the rules in the notebook. The thing about the rules is that they give clear-cut, hard rules about what can and can't be done with it, which is exactly the kind of stability that L has been missing for a long time in the investigation, the kind of thing that could determine once and for all, with hard evidence, whether or not Light and Misa were ever Kira. Light was banking on that, knowing how L works and that not only would he not question rules like that, he would want them to be true in order to have that stability.

But L has changed a lot. He only had his whole theory about shinigami in the first place because he was willing to consider impossible things. This whole time he'd been struggling to believe in a theory that no one else wanted to entertain. While the others are discussing the 13 day rule, L is stacking a tower of containers, coming closer and closer to putting the pieces together and saying what he's thinking. What if...

If they're dealing with supernatural forces, they can't know anything for certain about it. He knows that better than anyone, he's spent his whole arc coming to terms with the fact that he does not and probably never will fully understand what he's dealing with. Therefore, they have no way to know for sure that those rules are real. If he could believe shinigami exist, he can entertain the possibility that the rules are fake. And if it is a possibility, then Light and Misa aren't cleared, at least not to him, and they could still be investigated.

But he stops right before finishing the tower - before finishing his thought. He lets them go. I think this was done partly because he gave in to the stability the rules gave him, but also partly because of pressure from the rest of the task force. I could write a meta about how they actually peer pressure him into doing things a number of times, but that's for another day.

He's back to doubting himself again, which becomes especially clear in the scene on the roof. "I'm sorry. Nothing I say makes any sense anyway. If I were you, I wouldn't believe any of it." (In the sub he says "please don't believe any of it," which is even more interesting. Like he's asking Light not to go mad like he has)

He's proven right in the end though, right as he dies. It's a very satisfying end to his story. He changes from someone who always knew he was right, to being afraid of the things he didn't know, to adapting and allowing himself to work with the unknown, and being rewarded with validation that he was right all along, despite everything.

I also think it's fitting that his last words are "the shiniga-". "Shinigami" was the last word he ever said, showing how he was trying to understand them up until his death; but he gets cut short, showing how he never had the chance to learn everything about them, or even to test the 13 day rule. If you really want to stretch you could say that trying to learn about and understand shinigami and the death note is what got him killed. On the other hand, though, the fact that he was in a situation where he was able to understand what was happening, and say the words "the shinigami" and know what and who he's talking about, is a testament to how much progress he made in the investigation while he was alive.

All of this is to say that Death Note is actually a cosmic horror story from L's point of view.

[bleachbleachbleach]

"Hello, you've reached 🏯🎸. Please leave a message after the beep!"

[Bleach TYBW e18]

This is the phone tree Mayuri set up so Kyouraku could call the entire Gotei--or the 30% still online, as Mayuri notes. (Sidenote: Impressive! Even Zoom Enterprise only allows for 500 participants, and that assumes nothing's exploded or been inverted into a shadow realm.)

The caller ID node in the center is the character for the 'Kyou' in Kyouraku, which makes sense, but it makes me wonder how they decide who gets what username?

If people have the same name (Kuchiki and Kuchiki and Kuchiki and Kuchiki and Kuchiki) do they just figure, well, we'll assume people can guess which one is most likely to be calling them and leave it at that? Maybe if you stare at it long enough it displays the rest of the name, (but it didn't really seem like it, purely based on how much flashing the other nodes did without the middle one changing. Also: booooring! Not arcane enough!).

Or you could be like Akon and Abarai Renji, and share the same leading 'a' kanji, even though you're not related. How do you distinguish yourselves in the caller ID? It's probably a fairly common problem in the Gotei. I mean, how are you supposed to know whether you're getting a call from YAMAda Hanatarou or YAMAmoto Genryuusai? They probably sound exactly the same on the phone!

NB: I'm pretty sure Akon and Renji don't actually have this problem, because when Byakuya set up Renji's phone privileges he entered him in as "Renji," because calling your new vice captain by his given name is a very normal thing to do, why would he have typed in anything else.

If these phones have color displays, they could color code the caller IDs and reduce some ambiguity that way (provided people actually remember division colors, though given that cross-division communication probably isn't that common under normal circumstances, perhaps this solves nothing)

This doesn't solve the 6th's Kuchiki problem, regardless

Maybe they do it like train schedules, where like, Haneda Airport (羽田空港) gets abbreviated to 羽空, the first two kanji of each word. Like, for Byakuya and Rukia, maybe they shove two characters into the circle, with a big one for KUCHI and then a small one for 'Byaku' or 'Ru' Maybe they use the furigana setting to type the second one in lol.

Either way, unless you're very good with names, the caller ID might leave something to be desired in the Gotei. Rich potential for hijinks. Not knowing who's calling until you pick up the phone? Please. Unheard of. Unacceptable. Perhaps this is why Hell Butterfly culture and "some guy from the Onmitsukidou" culture remain such strong presences in the Gotei information network! Passenger pigeon or LCD flip phone, THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND

There's probably a campaign to introduce emojis into the called ID library to give people some additional ID options. Kyouraku is vaguely considering it as a fundraising opportunity, like a vanity plate.

Anyway, no, it doesn't matter; I just find it charming in the way of like, super old school text abbreviations or generally needing to find efficient ways of displaying libraries of unique information. There's only so many pixels!

[ghostie-gengar]

Can you please talk about the "N is a Zoroark" theory? It too makes me want to commit violence

ohoho you are in for a LONG rant dear anon cuz every time i even think about this theory i wanna start biting (also just to get this out of the way, i feel like this post comes across very aggressive. if anyone actually likes this theory, that's fine. i just have a lot of issues with it)

so i will be repeating a couple things from my last n zoroark post and this is my weakest arguement BUT. if N was a zoroark it would have been revealed. like something that huge and theoretically integral to his character would have been shown. the game wouldn't hide it for people to try and solve with pieces that don't fit together. it would sprinkle shreds of evidence around and do a big reveal at the end or something

ALSO zoroarks can't talk. the pokedex says that zoruas transform into silent children as they are pokemon thus incapable of human speech. the zoroark lady in lostlorn forest also doesn't talk. the only noise she does make is growling/snarling. (that doesn't account for the hiker zoroark tho. im assuming he's an exception or an especially clever zoroark. my point is basically that for the most part zoroarks don't talk) and what does N do A LOT OF? talk. my man is chatty.

also that memory link cutscene where it's zoroark's memory but N is in the cutscene? zoroark was probably in its pokeball. pokemon are generally aware of whats going on outside of their pokeball

now for the more moral(ish) reasons why i don't like this theory!! N's literal WHOLE THING is that he was raised to believe he was less than human and about like accepting his humanity and understanding that everyone has different beliefs and thats a part of being human. and yknow that he's NOT a freak without a human heart but a human who thinks human things and has human feelings? if N was a zoroark that would basically undermine ALL of his growth!! his character arc would have been pointless!! and while a message that a pokemon is worthy of just as much respect as a human would be a good one, thats not wolhat they were going for with N!!

LAST THING. N is heavily neurodivergent coded. if after all that he turned out to not be human it would kinda just be a kick in the shorts. media has done this sort of thing before of course but still.

so yeah in conclusion: n has a zoroark fursona? Good. N's zoroark pretends to be him and they get into shenanigans? Good. N IS a zoroark? NO. BITES YOU BITES YOU BITES YOU

ahem. i am very passionate about my disliking of this theory. and as i said before i have no beef with anyone who likes this theory. in fact i do enjoy seeing the other side of an arguement so if anyone has evidence for why they think this theory is true, hit me with it. you're not gonna change my mind but i'll listen (i did see one theory tho where it was like n was the result of ghetsis banging a zoroark. if your theory is that, i don't want to hear it)

ok thats all i got bye

[phiralovesloki]

Some books I read this year (2023)

I've read a lot of books this year, which I've tracked using the GoodReads challenge. Some of them I loved, some of them I liked, some of them were very okay, a few of them I did not like, and another few of them I did not finish (which I did not count towards my total because, well, I didn't finish reading them!).

Here are some books I loved, in no particular order--

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I don't know how to describe this book. It's about stories, from start to finish, it's a queer love story, it's a mystery, it's fantasy. It reminds me of something else I've read but I can't place it. Absolutely a work of art in book form.

Chalice by Robin McKinley

I hadn't read anything new by Robin McKinley in years, not since Spindle's End, so I was excited to give this book a try. It's ... weird! Not gonna lie! But once I got into the world building, it really gripped me. Not every mystery is solved/explained, but it's to the book's advantage, not to its detriment.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

I liked Sophie Cousens' contemporary romance debut (This Time Next Year), but hadn't loved her follow-up. This one seemed like it might be a miss, as the summary felt very ... silly, I guess? But this book handled so very well something that I think a lot of us experience--the mundanity of healthy relationships. I can't say more without spoiling what I think is a really excellent contemporary romance.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I had been putting this one off because I read to relax and decrease my stress, and I knew this book would be a difficult read. However, because it's YA, I found it much less distressing than I think it could have been. It's definitely a tougher read, but a very meaningful one, and I appreciate the hopeful ending.

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

This is one mystery thriller that hit the mark and had a mostly satisfying reveal. It had some difficult moments, and one of the aspects of the reveal was a little farfetched, but I liked it overall. I've heard that Kubica's books can be hit or miss; this one was a hit for me, but I have yet to try anything else she's written.

All the Duke I Need by Caroline Linden (last in a series)

I usually prefer my historical romance to be Regency or later, but this whole series was a lot of fun. The premise is that an elderly dowager duchess is searching for an heir to the dukedom, as the duke, her only surviving child, is growing old himself and cannot bear any children of his own. She's tracked down the two closest heirs, and the first two books in the series involve each of them falling in love. This book switches gears a bit as there is revealed to be a potential third heir, but it's a lot of fun.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

I wouldn't say I'd read anything by Kate Clayborn, but it's close. Based on the summary of this story, I was a little nervous, since it seemed like Georgie was going to be one of those adorkable, child-like female protagonists. But instead, I got to read a beautiful love story between two people trying to figure themselves out, without resorting to anything highly cliched.

The Duke's Secret Cinderella by Eva Devon

Look, man, I love the movie Ever After, and this is basically Ever After. Do I need to sell it even more than this?

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

This book is absolutely wild. The entire story takes place as emails, transcripts, text messages, fliers, and so on, telling the story of a community theater troupe as they rally around a little girl and raise money for her cancer treatment. Oh, and there was a murder. I didn't like the follow-up to this book (The Twyford Code, unrelated in plot), but I loved this one.

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

This one seems to have been really divisive, with people either loving or hating it. I loved it--I loved the whole shtick with the 90s boarding school, and the mystery was really satisfying. My only caveat, really, is that I could not for the life of me figure out what the author wanted me to take away regarding #MeToo, which I think is the book's biggest flaw.

A Problem Princess by Anna Harrington (last in a series)

I really loved this whole historical romance series, which is about a group of men returned from war who end up trying to break up a conspiracy to overthrow the crown. Each book builds well on the other ones, so while you could read this as a standalone, and in fact I read some of the books out of order, in order would work best.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

I fucking loved this book. Jesus Christ. Divergent historical fiction with a little bit of magic, about the power of language and also how colonialism is the fucking WORST. Every white person needs to read this and shut the fuck up.

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

This mystery thriller gets pretty complicated, but has a very satisfying conclusion (with one plot hole that I feel like I can excuse, tbh). It's also about the friction between a small Welsh town and the rich English folks who are moving in across the lake.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

A very odd story, but a lot of fun. It's in media res regarding the world building, but any time you really need to understand how an aspect of the world works, you've had enough information to get it. Hart and Mercy have a lovely relationship, and the intricate plot is very engaging. I can't wait for the follow-up!

The Martian by Andy Weir

No, I hadn't read the book until this year. No, I still haven't seen the movie. But I fucking loved the book. I appreciate that the science itself was very meticulously researched, which enhanced the story in the extreme. But truly that worked the best about this book was that this is absolutely what scientists and bureaucrat scientists are like, and it was an absolute blast to read.

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood (first in series)

Historical fiction murder mystery series, starring a bisexual, hard-boiled junior detective and her disabled, super sharp lady detective boss. I am dying, pun intended, to read the most recent book in the series. One thing I really like about the series is that, while it nails the hard-boiled 1940s detective shtick, it makes no bones (pun again intended) about discussing the lives of marginalized people in the time period. Again, the main character is bisexual, her boss is disabled, and that's just the beginning.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

As with Kate Clayborn, I'll read just about anything by Emily Henry. This one might be my favorite, just edging out Beach Read. I've seen a lot of Tumblr posts about wanting a story about the career driven city boyfriend from all the Hallmark movies; if you want that, then read this. Basically, the main character is the career driven city girlfriend, and she's aware of it. It's happened to her more than once. Just that set-up alone was enough to get me reading this, and it did not disappointed. I also liked Happy Place, which I also read this year, but found that some of the characters were unlikable enough to distract me from the parts I enjoyed.

Off the Map by Trish Doller (last in a series)

While I prefer the other two books in this series, this one wasn't exactly a disappointment. A nomadic woman ends up forging a relationship with her best friend's future brother-in-law, as they all get together for that friend's wedding in Ireland. This story addresses the fine line between running away from your problems and being on the move because that's what feels right to you. A content warning: the main character's father suffers from dementia, and his illness and impending death are a huge part of the story.

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

This is one of those books where I can't remember that much of the plot, all these months after reading it, but I do remember enjoying the heck out of it. The whole thing was funny without being outright silly, and it was run to read a historical romance that took place in a different time and place than the typical British regency romance.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

I feel like I shouldn't have liked this book as much as I did. The book is, like, 40% "let's learn about Saturday Night Live!" 40% COVID, and 20% actual contemporary romance. But it was just very fun to read, like if 30 Rock were a romance novel.

Tall, Duke, and Scandalous by Amy Rose Bennett (last in a series)

This is just a fun, historical romance series. Nothing amazing, but very enjoyable. In this story, in particular, the male main character is face blind, but because of the female protagonist's facial scarring, he's able to recognize her, leading to their association and eventual relationship.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I know I'm not the only one who loved this book. This is one of two books my 90-year-old grandmother recommended to me (the other one I did not like at all, and DNFed, so go figure). Octopuses are fucking awesome, so this was very fun to read.

The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George (first in a series)

Another refreshing change from the typical Regency romance. I think the first book in the series, which focuses on American heiresses being pressured to marry into British nobility, is the strongest, and the final book the weakest, but overall an enjoyable series.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (first in a series)

One of the series I read this year that I would not shut up about (thanks to @thejollyroger-writer for recommending it), I am going to also not shut up about it here. Historical queer romance with magic, and a very engaging overarching plot. Please read.

Look Closer by David Ellis

All of the reviews of this book were essentially the same, something along the lines of, "The twists in this book are god-tier." And, you know, they weren't wrong. This is an absolutely RIDICULOUS mystery thriller, and whatever you think is going on, you are probably wrong. There were a handful of twists I caught early, but some really huge ones that were mind-boggling. I was so surprised that when I finished the book, I immediately went back and reread it, because I was certain that the author had messed up somewhere. He didn't. It's that clever.

Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase (one of a series)

I've been reading a lot of Loretta Chase lately, and most of her books strike me as unexpectedly hilarious without reading like parodies. The Carsington Brothers series is a great example, and while I've loved all four of the five books in the series that I've read (waiting for the first one to come off of my holds at the time of writing this list), this one was one of my favorites. In particular, you'd need to read this to read the final book in the series, Last Night's Scandal, which I absolutely loved.

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (first in a series)

That I did not know about this series until the very end of 2023 is unacceptable. I frickin' love Sherlock Holmes, and particularly the versions starring women (Laurie King's work and the Enola Holmes movies, for example). This series, starring Charlotte Holmes, is fucking awesome. I'm two books in, can't wait for the next one to come off my holds list.

[vohtaro]

to the anon who sent me an ask recommending i read the da vinci code: sorry tumblr ate your ask. i do hope you see this.

so here it is. my da vinci code book review.

well, that was... a book.

context: while i have seen the movie 'angels & demons' like seventeen billion times bc it was on tv all the time, i have only seen the da vinci code once, probably around when it came out. i feel it safe to say that i was fairly fresh on the material. i listened to it on audiobook over the course of 3 weeks bc that's what was available soonest from my library.

i can start by saying... i get why this book was popular. you have conspiracy, "the church is hiding a truth!" drama, little puzzles that chock themselves up far beyond their merit... selling the idea that every symbol, every story, is somehow this secret tapestry that all cultures across the world are metaphorically shaking hands on... yeah. it's the kind of book that someone reads and gets the chat about at dinner parties and end on, "well, you never know, it could be true!". the chapters are short, too, which is amazing given the amount of entirely unnecessary detail stuffed into them.

brown's writing style is at times deeply insufferable. most times it's mundane, but his descriptors are damn painful at times. the detail he provides are either entirely unnecessary and add nothing, or are so far beyond what anyone cares about. but i think the worst offense of his writing is the air of smugness that it carries. the obnoxious quips about hollywood, the students he was lecturing at whatever school, his general internal monologue; there were these little remarks that i could just feel that when dan brown wrote them, he paused from his typing to give himself a cheeky little pat on the back. "I showed them," he chortled to himself, wiggling in his chair. "gave them a good smarting, I did!". it feels like brown has a Big Thought about some utterly minuscule thing that absolutely does not matter, but if he doesn't say it, he'll fckin explode.

as someone who has no serious religious background/education, i found the entire "secret"... rather underwhelming. i struggle to imagine that the entire world would be torn asunder because jesus fucked that one time. and not to mention, the idea of a direct bloodline from jesus being so vital for ??? some reason that i don't even recall was explained, felt so... bizarre?? just entirely strange. like, i don't know why the existence of a direct descendant of jesus christ would be so fundamental in the destruction of a multi-thousand year long faith, but sure. pop off, dan brown. and no, i really don't want anyone to explain it to me.

robert as a character is very. idk. he's inoffensive, ig. his character suffers by being a product of brown's desire to mic drop once in a while. i'm sure robert said some dumb shit that i forgot about, but he's really just some guy talking out of his ass with a bit too much confidence. he's not intentionally rude or anything. it's hard to describe him bc he's just A Guy who knows shit about pictures. he's a picture guy. Professor Picture. idk if he's a professor.

sophie meanwhile is a character whose purpose is being by-association rather than being a person with her own agency. she is important because she knew jacques and solved his riddles and puzzles as a child; not because of her own professional merits. she solves like three things at the beginning, all of them being word puzzles and then the fibonacci sequence password at the bank. otherwise, she is someone who gets upset about her late grandfather for a plethora of different reasons. not unreasonable of her, given just how much she uncovers in the span of 36 hours, but that's really where her character ends. at times, she is forward, perhaps even brazen with her determination, which i did appreciate. at the start of the story, she's actually moving the plot along quite a bit: she gives robert the clue via the phone message; she breaks the window in the bathroom and throws the tracker too iirc; she's driving during the car chase, helping robert escape (in her hashtag not sponsored Smart Car). but after that..... it feels like she's just along for the ride. i feel like she could have been more instrumental as time went on.

and speaking of sophie.... i could entirely feel the way that stupid romantic subplot was being shoved in between robert and sophie because some editor demanded it. it was so fucking brutal. their little """moment""" outside the house before robert left for paris the next morning had my fingers leaving impressions in the steering wheel.

the worst puzzle had to be the isaac newton one bc as soon as newton was mentioned i was like "apple. it's apple." and it took an UNGODLY amount of pages for anyone to piece it together. literally how did it take THAT FUCKING LONG. i was yelling in my vehicle and incurring road rage over it. APPLE!!! JUST GUESS IT!!! IT'S NOT LIKE THE CRYPTEX WILL LOCK IF YOU GUESS TOO MANY TIMES!!!! COME AWNNNN!!!

so anyways, thanks for recommending it. it sure was a trip. though given that you suggested this on anon, perhaps i should say 'how could you' since you knew what this book could do to a man. /lh

if you have any specific questions for me about impressions or thoughts regarding something i did not mention, feel free to ask; it's very possible that i just forgot to mention it.

[niuniente]

I just want to say like, I love DHD so much because I'm sure you know this because you put so much love into each character (even background ones), but because of that I can relate to so many of them! It makes me so emotional! You do scenarios I don't often read about but in a way it makes me comfortable and I appreciate it! I relate to characters and look forward to seeing each and every one of them, getting excited whenever they pop up even if in the background or someone new appears. So just like... thank you! I appreciate the comics and art! <3 (sorry for being on anon, am shy)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Thank you! I read this message so many times <3 Yes, I do pay lots of attention to the background and minor characters. They need to look like they belong into the world. Too often I see in series how protagonist and the people around him/her/them differ too much from the general population that it's distracting. Like in Made in Abyss, we have absolutely gorgeous design for Belaf's monster form and every other significant monster was also designed very well but rest of the monster city citizens were just... blobs. Different unshaped blobs. And they're supposed to be the same group.

I've talked about this a few times but I can not physically stop praising comic Blacksad when it comes to background characters! Every single character, even if we saw them just in one panel, is designed with as much detail and character as the main character Blacksad himself and other significant characters of each story. I love it. Even panels of people just minding their own business look and feel real. You can almost guess and imagine each character's life and personality!

From these panels, the lama lady and the beatnik fox lady are this particular story's main characters but everyone else is detailed and crafted with same love and care as them.

While side characters can't have as much screentime (and information) as the protagonist(s), it is still important to me that whenever they appear, they are paid attention to and you learn at least little bit of something about them. That's how people are in real life, too. You have people around you know as well as your own pockets; people you know well; people you know; people you somewhat know; people you are familiar with; people you know only by name and have 1 extra information of them. None of them is less important or less of a human, or more important or more of a human.

While I myself like to indulge myself into very dark stuff, I don't like to create stuff as dark as the ones I love. One reason for this is also Webtoon's and Tumblr's TOS and how, for example, sex scenes are forbidden. So, while I could personally draw sex scenes to DHD, I can't but I have to go around it somehow. (Of course, having my own DHD web page would solve this - perhaps??? - but I don't have energy to run DHD in 4 different platforms)

Someone said that DHD is more like Dark Hope genre, and I love it. I find so much solace, comfort and soothing from things people find dark and try to show that there's always light. Even a small dot but it is there.

Plus, you can always choose to live by the code; Do No Harm, Take No Shit. Like Alrick :3

[if-confessions]

As a writer and a reader, who has been around this community for the last three years, it has been crazy seeing the change in the if fandom as a community.

It used to be a positive environment for supporting independent game creators, but there is so much negativity against IF writers now. the readers are pushy, critical and demanding, expect games to cater to their exact preferences or be customisable to the point it might as well be a 'fill in the blanks' game instead of a narrative. IF writers are antagonistic towards each other, resentful of other creators success. There is a trend that when games/demos are successful, the authors become the target of attacks that seem to be looking for any excuse to take them down, and punish them for their popularity. The result is that a lot of games that are in the alpha stage / completed no longer use tumblr at all, which is a shame, because it was a unique opportunity for readers to engage and support an indie game creator.

I think the IF fandom really needs to do some soul searching on the type of environment it has created for indie game development / IF writing.

[I am assuming Anon meant the Tumblr/CoG scene of IF, as this is not a sentiment/trend shared by the overall IF community. Other scenes of IF don't care or even reject customisation "expected" here (doesn't mean they don't have their issues either).]

LOL, Anon. I was having an eerily similar conversation about the customisation the other day.

Communities do change overtime. As older members leave (because they don't enjoy the Thing-tm anymore, they don't have time for it, they don't like where the community is moving, they've been rejected by the community, etc...) and newer members arrive, the dynamics adapts to the current members. Sometimes it is for the better (more positive contacts, barring less-desirable members creating conflict from staying, etc...), sometimes it's for the worse (like in your message, attracting more problematic members or enabling the worst in people).

An issue with Tumblr that other communities may not have is how "decentralised" and lawless it is. Some groups may have guidelines/rules for interactions (resource blogs/authors asks rules), but you can't control all the members like you could in a Forum, for example. There is no Code of Conduct that limits what is and isn't acceptable (aside from the very board Tumblr CoC and even a lot of shitty things can be posted). There is no mods that can take down a post that will sent the community aflame (unless it is Staff bc the post was against their ToC/CoC). There is no consequences against bandwagon hate/harassment (even with the block button). So you end up with... well, this...

It would be nice if there was a bit more unity in the community, but that would require many people changing their behaviour and essentially stop being complete asswipes. And they are not the kind to stop shitting on others...

I'm pretty sure that a lot of those issue could be solved if people:

stopped being a dick in someome's dms/asks (should be a given, but damn are anons wild sometimes) <- like +75% of the issues would be gone with just this

would be respectful when sending messages/commenting (not making request, being pushy, etc...)

stopped following authors/projects not making them happy (that's a vicious cycle, easy to start hating on them...)

didn't put their problems and frustrations on strangers on the internet*

went outside to touch some grass (or take a break from Tumblr, it will do wonders!)

*This does not apply to the confession booth btw.. I'm talking reg accounts here. This applies to everyone, btw. You'd think this would be common knowledge to be decent to one another... but I guess not.

As a side note, to remind everyone that:

you do not have to have an open inbox if you don't want to

you do not have to have your dms open either

you do not have to allow anonymous messages

you do not have to answer every messages you receive or reply to every comment you get

you can trash any message you do not feel comfortable answering

you can delete comments/replies you do not feel comfortable with

(creator) you do not have to include every request readers make

you can block/unfollow users for any reason (or no reason)

you can block/report hateful anonymous messages

you can restrict reblogs/replies

you can change your mind at any time about accepting a kind of asks (like the NSFW ones)

you do not have to be on Tumblr every free moment you have

you do not have to interact with every post crossing your dashboard

Having boundaries is good, setting and voicing those boundaries is better, enforcing those boundaries is extra important.

Until then...

🤷

Now making a fill-in the blank IF would be a fun idea...

[old comments in tags: be the change you want to see i guess im just trying to stay silly here /]

Under the cut, some more rambling and wild assumptions about how we got here.

===> Increased entitlement in the community

Note: this is a generalisation. Not every reader is entitled, not every request is outrageous, and not every author is a pushover. We are talking about visible trends.

There's no denying that it has had quite the impact on the community and how games are set. Gone(-kinda) are the days with completely unique characters with a unique voice and its set path, hail the rule of customisation that inevitably becomes too overwhelming for any creator to keep track and complete the story. Is the "CoG expectations" the culprit, there? With the CoG to Tumblr exodus, yaknow...

But it must have started from somewhere to have those vocal entitled readers hounding creators for all this stuff, they can't have appeared out of nowhere! Twine games from the 2010s were not chokefull of customisation...

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if it all started with some minor request for customisation, which was accepted by the author, which may have made other readers realise they too could have requests or expect the same kind of customisation in other project, and this snowballed into... *wave at the mess*, creating a vicious cycle of base customisation expectations (which are getting insane...), shunning pieces who do not fit those expectations, and still having more special requests*. *Honestly, the authors could just accept those request but as like paid content. Oh, you want more that will definitely fuck my whole timeline of planned work? Tip me like 100$ and I will...

At the same time, and this is an observation that has been accentuated with the kinds of asks I've gotten here, some authors have not helped the situation either. With people almost begging for interactions and notes or just to please the readers because they are interested in that stilly little project (or the pressure from blowing up, or before the idea is set in stone), some authors will seriously bend over and backwards for those requests, even if it means forgoing the OG plans altogether because it doesn't fit with the promised request.

Readers feels more empowered to ask -> there is a pressure to cater to readers to get interactions or the request has become part of the base expectations -> request is accepted, but author might feels resentful -> readers feels more entitled to ask -> etc...

or

Readers feel more empowered to ask -> the author refuses -> readers put pressure on the author because another one accepted it or iT Is cOmMon KnOwLeDge -> author feels resentful towards the community...

Which is kind of related to point number 2...

===> Numbers go up and Jealousy

Note about this point: I am not talking about the want to be seen by other people, to feel like your message has been heard, to have your presence acknowledged. That's what we are kinda all doing by putting our stuff out there.

Every time I get an ask about someone worrying that to do have enough traction on their project or get zero interactions and they have lost all their motivations or are resentful to newer projects blowing up*, I honestly struggle to see a positive future for this scene. It seems like everything is about notes and reblogs and how many followers you have and how many ratings you can get and how many asks you get and etc... *see the no demo discussion

What is supposed to be a hobby for 99% of us is turning into some ugly race to have the highest number of *wave again at things*, by tanking other creators rating average, manipulating your followers to boost your own, creating rumours about a project/author, sending hate anons, creating dumb drama, stealing/plagiarising whole ass games, etc... Just to be at the top and have the biggest number. Numbers, I feel like I need to point out, means absolutely nothing outside of this website (or even this scene of IF). I really don't understand this dumb race...

And it is so frustrating to see, because we should be hyping each other up, discussing each others fav games, being excited to see another voice join and create stuff. It's not like we have to all be the best of friends and blind ourselves from any misgivings. No, we should still be able to criticise constructively or call out bad behaviour. But the whole envy and jealousy* oozing from the community is really... bleh. *doesn't mean you can't be jealous/envious of someone else, I know I am. Just use those feelings creatively, not to put down yourself or others.

Same with the whole notes/interaction thing. Outside affirmation is great, it really is, and boy does it gives a nice boost to the ego and the energy levels to continue when you get some (especially when the other person is gushing about your project). But basing all your motivation to create on outside approval will lead to a lot of pressure to perform when you get it, despair and disappointment when you don't, and resentment when you see other get more.

===> Parting notes

Ugh... I spent too long on this shit. I'm going for a walk before I get more sad. Then, I'm coming back to play my friend's game and create something weird.