#this is an excerpt from my dream log

[toynbeck]

[indigowallbreaker]

In before the update tomorrow

Here are my predictions/wishlist Stardew Valley 1.6 update! These range from "could happen" to "just let me dream":

Children aging past toddlerhood; gain ability to change their outfits

Another set of romanceable NPCs (eyeing Sandy and the Wizard particularly)

More post-marriage dialogue/events. Like an anniversary date

Festivals changing as the years go on. For example: after getting 8 hearts with Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian, maybe their band plays at the Stardew Valley Fair; the governor brings his wife to the Luau the year after you make the soup taste Delish

The ability to properly befriend certain NPCs like Marlon and Gunther

Separate screen to keep track of farm animals, similar to villager screen in the menu (helpful to me when I play a file I haven't logged into in a while and discover after 3 in-game days that I have sheep)

Non-binary farmer option

Please let me interact with the stuff in the community center I spent my whole file trying to fix

NPCs will repeat dialogue to you after you've spoken to them already during a festival to avoid the creepy situation of wandering around an event and not being able to speak with anyone like they've suddenly become statues and you're the only living thing left in town

Other bachelors/bachelorettes getting together after you're married (little bit of the old Harvest Moon rival system)

More NPCs that move to town the longer you live there, like Kent arriving in Year 2

Morris shows up every once in a while after you complete the Center just so you can appreciate how much you ruined this man's whole life. Or he experiences Growth from being in the Valley, whichever

Heart events occurring more than once. For example: replaying Abigail and Sebastian's gaming/RPG heart events; Leah can hold more than one art show to sell exclusive art; Elliot will have a new book for you to hear an excerpt from every year or so; help Penny teach the kids again; etc.

More ways to increase max health

Could I have a birthday please Mr. Ape ;_;

Fix the "Leek Surprise Gift" cutscene unlocked after Evelyn's special request so that I don't wanna crack George over the head afterwards just because I picked the dialogue option that would give his poor wife credit

Make George Nice To His Wife Every Once In A While patch

Option to fist fight certain villagers, either instigated by them when their friendship gets too low or instigated by you if you've just always hated them and wanna do something about it

At 10 hearts Jodi runs away to travel with Emily and Haley's parents because apparently no one on that street actually wanted to be a parent

Give me ten good reasons Willy can't adopt me

[emkayewrites]

The behind-the-scenes #Lukola moments I have invented to keep myself going now that we are in a Lukola drought...

(Excerpt taken from my fanfiction 'Curtain Fall')

July 20th 2022 – Buckinghamshire

“We are thinking Old Hollywood glamour.” Erika leaned forward so that her bespectacled face was level with Nicola’s.  As the lead make-up artist on the Bridgerton set, she was attuned to creating beautiful looks for the cast.

“We want the sultriness and we want it to reflect that era before heavy contouring.” Erika continued, lightly dabbing an orange blending sponge at Nicola’s face.

They were sat in a trailer on the grounds of a beautiful countryside estate.  Nicola sat in a dressing gown on a chair in front of a large vanity mirror, her hair up in rollers.  The third season of the show had already started to film some initial scenes with some of the cast but she was not due to appear on-screen for another week.  Instead, she was there for her make-up tests and costume fittings, a process that at best, took days.

There was real excitement in the atmosphere.  Nicola could sense waves of it from the production staff and even from the usually very restrained Erika.  There was an extra hop in her step.  It was a feeling Nicola shared.  There was something electrifying about the start of a filming process.  Of course, the realities of set life meant there was a lot of pressure and chaos.  There were days where there was not enough time and there was never enough rest for anyone.  However, you did not feel those things on day one.  The first day was your best day because you were well-rested, healthy and raring to go.   

She saw her reflection as Erika stepped to one side and almost jumped out of her skin at the sight.  There was a dark, very straight line that bisected the middle of her face, travelling from the top of her forehead, down her nose, across her lips and ending at her chin.  One side of her face was equal parts glossy and dewy, the other half was pale and bare.  It took Nicola a minute to remind herself of the method in the madness that Erika employed; she preferred to apply two sets of make-up at once rather than do the whole face.  This was what Erika called efficiency.

“Tell me you trained as a make-up artist on the Phantom of Opera without telling me.” Nicola joked.

“Sorry, should have warned you.” Erika laughed.

“It’s alright, it was just a small heart attack.”

“I’m just going to get the camera for a few polaroids before we carry on.” Erika hurried out of the trailer.  It was common to have a photographic log of different make-up looks.

Now alone with herself, Nicola’s eyes darted to the one place she had been trying to ignore. 

Her phone, sat on the table before her, taunting her with a small flashing light that signalled a notification.  She hated how every time she saw this, her mind went straight to thinking about him.  She struggled not to think about him every single day.  That fever dream of a night where they had spent time together left an imprint on her that she could not shake.  They had continued to message each other but the responses were sporadic and infrequent on his part.  The days there was no response felt like withdrawal from a drug. 

Now she was aware of herself, greedily eyeing up her phone, wondering desperately if she would get her next hit of dopamine from him.  She forced herself not to reach for her phone, in part to instill some kind of willpower over herself but also in part because of the fear of the crushing feeling she would have when the notification turned out to be something as inane as a Spam email. 

“Fucking hell!” Luke’s voice and laugh reached her before he did.  He appeared in the mirror before her.  One side of his hair was pinned back with a set of hair clips.  He looked smart in full Regency period attire.  She had seen him in this state of dress so many times before that it felt like seeing an old friend.

“Only got the budget for half my face.  Think you can act like you’re falling in love with this?” She swivelled herself around to face him.

“It’s going to be a task.” He responded with a straight face.

“They’ve given you more make-up than me!” She exclaimed as she eyed his face more closely.  It was clearer to her now that his skin had been plucked, buffed and smoothened to perfection.  “And are those – wait a minute, have they drawn on side-burns?!”

He seemingly blushed at this remark, which took her by surprise. She remembered that he had confessed he was self-conscious and worried about not being a good enough leading man. 

“Well, you really look like Book Colin. This is just what I imagine he would be like.” She added, trying to change the tone of the conversation from mocking to supportive.  It was a delicate balance to strike with someone who was usually the first one to make fun of themselves.  It was something she would need to get better at in the coming months.

He seemingly perked up a little at this compliment. It was then that she noticed he had one hand behind his back. He noticed her noticing.

“Well, I’ve actually got a little present for you for the start of filming.” He bought out into view a gift box with a purple bow.

“What? No, you didn’t!” She was taken aback.  It was traditional to give and receive wrap gifts, but she did not expect anything at the start of filming.  “I didn’t get you anything.”

“I know.” He smirked. “I win.”

She gave him an unamused look as he placed the box in her lap.  “You really shouldn’t have.”

“It’s something really small and really practical – something that you will love having on set.”

Something small and practical? Her mind raced through the possibilities.  What on earth did he mean? She unravelled the wrapping paper to reveal a shoe box that had Nike Kids emblazoned across it.  She burst into laughter as the instant realization hit her.

“Oh this is very good Mr. Newton.” She nodded approvingly at him. “Very good. Small and practical – and funny. Top notch, sir!”

He beamed at her with a mixture of pride and excitement.  She could tell her reaction had been very fulfilling for him.  She stood up and gave him a tight hug, despite knowing he was not a hugger.  It surprised her when he gave her a squeeze back. 

“Alright – don’t be smudging each other’s make-ups!”  Erika’s voice cut through as they let each other go.  She was wondering back in, polaroid camera in hand. 

“Luke’s filming gift for me.” Nicola stated, holding the shoe box up in Erika’s view.  Erika immediately let out a roar of laughter.

During the first season of Bridgerton, Nicola had been seen slipping into more comfortable shoes between takes: usually a pair of Nike trainers.  During one particularly long day on set, most of the cast were on stand-by between takes, the subject had somehow turned to Nicola’s trainers and how stylish they looked.  She had admitted she shopped for footwear in the children’s section.  It’s cheaper and they get cooler designs. She had enthused.  This had naturally led to the question of her shoe size.  Perhaps it was because everyone was tired to the point of delirium, or bored and desperate for some stimulation, but learning how small her feet actually were had caused fits of laughter across the main cast and then trickled across the production team.  For several months, the sight of Nicola in her Nike trainers would cause cast members to collapse in a fit of giggles.  At one point, the other Luke on set had waltzed into one particularly dramatic scene with his feet stuffed into them – creating one of the funniest outtakes of the series. 

“Now, I want you to wear them with pride.” Luke stated. “It’s important my leading lady is comfortable.”  With that, he gave her and Erika a dramatic bow and then walked backwards out of the trailer.

“Well, what a gentleman.” Erika stated, getting the camera ready.

Nicola turned and faced her.

Between the blinding flash of the camera and the very warm feeling she had from being back on set with people that were like her family, she was hardly thinking about Ezra anymore.  Until she was thinking about him again.  Damn.

Read more here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56951683/chapters/145353211

[lu-is-not-ok]

Hello Limbus Gamers

Why did I title this post that.

Anyway, yeah, it's that time again. I'm gonna analyze the RR4 trailer. Some of you may be asking why, but. You'll see.

Oh boy you'll see.

Starting off, we get a very brief animation of the nodes of the new Railway. And by brief, I do mean, this shit speeds past you like instantly.

They even make sure to not show the whole thing all at once to make it harder to count. I did count though. There are thirteen of these nodes in this animation. This might be subject to change, but we shall see.

Then we get the title card. We're back to single word Railway names from before RR3, and in the background we get to see some silhouettes. We're gonna learn what they are during the trailer itself, but you can already tell they're the abnos from the Battle Pass E.G.O - Dreaming Electric Sheep, The King in Binds, and Portrait of a Certain Day.

We also see silhouettes of some Sinners, and while it's hard to make out with the text in the way, I'm pretty sure there's N Corp Don, N Corp Faust, and BL Yi Sang in there.

Now THIS is interesting - a new Railway gimmick! Not just one gimmick though, but after throwing the screenshot into Google Translate, it turns out we might be dealing with two!

First, the one that doesn't need translating to figure out - the Backup gimmick. I believe it's shown a bit clearer in the next scene, so I won't be speculating on it too much yet, but from my guess it's a replacement for a similar mechanic in RR3, where you could throw another team of Sinners at an Abnormality after your initial team of 6 died to finish the Abno off from where you left it at.

That's not the most interesting part though, this is.

Our Sinners are also going to be recieving individual buffs in this Railway, potentially based on selection order, considering PM has been pushing more and more for the selection order to matter with the recent addition to the E.G.O Gifts.

If I'm correct and the buffs are based on selection order instead of being completely random, we can see the buffs are as follows:

Selection 1 - Identity Level +2

Selection 2 - SP Gain Efficiency +3

Selection 3 - too blurry for google to translate

Selection 4 - Defense Level +2

Selection 5 - Max Speed +2 (the 5 came from the semi-transparent level 45 number lmao)

Selection 6 - too blurry for google to translate

Selection 7 - Final Power +1

Selection 8 - Damage taken -10%

Selection 9 - this one i'm not too sure on but it might be Aggro +5 (the 45 came from the semi-transparent level 45 number lmao)

Selection 10 - scene cuts away too quickly to read it

In addition to that, some IDs (primarily the Backup selections but also for some reason Faust) get a head start of +10 SP when they join the fight, which is a very nice way to help off-set the issue of having to gain sanity in harder fights to even attempt winning clashes.

Next scene shows us what seems to be the Backup mechanic. It's an admittedly very brief shot that barely shows us anything of how it works, but considering everyone's low sanity and Ishmael's stagger, I'm guessing what happened is two units died and the backup units were put in there in their stead.

An interesting gimmick that honestly feels more lore-accurate than the current system LMAO.

Next up, we get our excerpts from the new Abno Logs. This one, based on the background, is for Portrait of a Certain Day. It's a bit hard to tell who wrote this Log based on the English translation, but it does give an interesting insight onto the Abnormality and by extention its E.G.O, Bygone Days.

Something about taking advantage of deaths through parading mementos of the dead in connection to Yi Sang and Gregor, huh... Gregor is the one who gave Aya's mask to Yuri as a memento, and then proceeded to keep that mask as a memento of Yuri. On the other hand, while Yi Sang personally didn't keep mementos of the League around, both Dongbaek and Dongrang had a strong emotional attachment to the last remaining picture of the League all together. There's something there I think.

Then we get to see the excerpt from Dreaming Electric Sheep's Abno Log. Again, not very clear who's writing this from the English translation. And this is a very interesting excerpt too! This is the clearest connection we get between the Abno and the 'Dreaming' part of its name! I feel like I'd need to see the whole Log to get a better idea of what is being conveyed here, but it is good to see we're getting to see some new angles on the Abno.

BIG SHEEP! It's notable that it's attacking Faust.

And there's Portrait, in all its low bitrate glory! Note that it's attacking Yi Sang.

What follows is two more shots, one of each of the Abnos, and then...

It might hard to see in that glorious 240p low bitrate, but yes. That is, in fact, N Corp Don and N Corp Faust, covered in a purple glow, attacking the Sinners.

And then, the bombshell.

Guys.

Guys.

These are Envy Peccatula.

Envy Peccatula are doppelgangers.

DO YOU REALIZE HOW HUGE THIS IS FOR SIN ANALYSIS??? Envy is one of those sins we got barely anything on due to its lack of Peccatula, and yet here we are, RR4 gave us a fucking blessing.

Anyway, back to talking about the actual fights themselves, I believe we're going to be dealing with faction-themed Envy Peccatula stages. The one we see in the trailer is N Corp, complete with a relevant background, and in the in the title card we can see Blade Lineage Yi Sang, implying we could get a BL-themed node as well. Notably, these are both factions that have enough IDs to form a full team.

The only other full team ID factions we have are W Corp and Liu Association, so these are also contenders for Envy Peccatula nodes. Seven Association is also possible, as they are only missing one ID from being a full six ID team. We could also potentially get a fraud Pequod Trio that's made up of the Pequod IDs, which would be really funny, but I'm not sure how likely that is.

Back to the trailer itself.

We finally get the Abno Log excerpt for The King in Binds, and it's very evocative in my opinion. The poetic language makes me think that Yi Sang is the one writing this Log.

This seems like an excerpt that's being used to describe a game mechanic - The King in Binds might have a mechanic where he tears himself free from his throne if certain conditions are met. Very interesting considering what we know about the abno.

What follows is some extremely quick and hard to see snippits of The King in Binds attacking Yi Sang. Yes, this is the best frame I could get from it.

Aaaand that's about it!

All in all, extremely excited about the potential Envy lore and fighting against out own units, and I guess the abnos are there too.

[lilibethdrawsreylo]

For my fellow Cullen-enjoyers, here's his POV from the first chapter of the fic I'm working on.

Water in the shaving bowl had frozen solid overnight. Over his years away from Ferelden, Cullen had forgotten how treacherous the weather in the mountains could be, even in spring. He’d have to see that his soldiers had extra heating runes to go between them, be it that Cullen himself was waking up drenched in sweat most mornings. He hadn’t touched lyrium since he came to command the late Divine’s forces and had a few months still before its song would become all-consuming. He only heard it in his dreams for now, boiling slowly like a frog. Foregoing the armor for a leather doublet for the time being, Cullen yanked aside the waxed flap of his tent. The camp under Haven’s logged walls remained quiet save for distant calls of watchmen, but the village’s lakeside gates were already ajar, with tavern folk going to-and-fro in preparation for the day’s first meal. Unnoticed without the steel and his red cloak, the Commander walked past bubbling cauldrons of barley tended to by yawning kitchen boys. He was soon stepping through snow that hadn’t yet been trampled on nor melted by bonfires. Cullen lowered himself to one knee near the lake shore, cupped the pristine snow in his ungloved hands, and put his face into it. For a blissful moment, the memory of lyrium’s blue humm was banished from his mind. He rubbed his palms down his cheeks as droplets of water trickled along his wrists. Before him, the black expanse of ice was starting to turn gray; as the dawn finally broke, he saw her. Cullen had watched her in the war room and when demons were falling from the sky, but it was like he’d never seen her before, the fine halo of hair aglow with the sun, blooming like a snowdrop between a fir’s raised roots. The Herald of Andraste. He understood it now. How he ended up near her, Maker knew, although those were Cullen’s boots that left tracks in the icy crust. He came to his senses upon approaching the lone tree she was sitting by, at the shore’s very edge. She’d been crying, Cullen could clearly tell, and now sat perched on a protruding root with her knees to her chest, letting the cold bite her reddened face. She gasped as she noticed his intrusion, and Cullen sighed to himself. Trust him to act like an oaf. “Forgive me, Lady Trevelyan,” he said, “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” “That’s alright,” she replied after a moment’s pause. “I was about to go back.” The lady looked up at him expectantly, and Cullen guessed to offer her his hand. He shivered when they touched. Were her fingers that chilled, or did his skin run too hot? As their hands parted again, Cullen reached for the clasp of his cloak—the cloak that was still in his tent. He… couldn’t very well present her with his doublet, could he? He wouldn’t dare. As they set out toward Haven, the lady kept her jaw tight lest her teeth begin to chatter.  “I thought I’d keep it to myself,” she eventually spoke, “but being called ‘Lady Trevelyan’ is about as odd as ‘Herald.’ My mother’s Lady Trevelyan.” “Oh. Lady Evelyn, then?” Cullen suggested, but she shook her head, small as a snowdrop beneath the green-tinged heavens. “I’d much rather just be Evelyn.”

As always, I plan to write the whole thing before posting to AO3. This one is most likely going to be long, so I can't tell when that will be - but I'm excited to share small excerpts here. :D

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

Masterlist of Writing

Oh my goodness this took so long to finish haha! Anyways this is a compilation of everything I've written so far, it will be updated as I go along. Btw Here's an about me tag game I once did :)

Worldbuilding:

Geography

Linguistic Post

Linguistics Part 2!

Hygiene, Healthcare and Hieroglyphs

Ceredell

High Fantasy:

The Holy Crusader

Honey-cake

Deer-shade

A Thousand Lives

My Worst Nightmare

Tabitha-Who-Saw-the-gods

The Fae Prince

The Oracle and the King (aka the story of Iraela's sister)

Daughter

The Godhuntress & the Void:

The End of the World

The Beginning of the World

Old Friends

For Want of a Flower

Spirits:

The Spirit Emperor

No

Merida

History (Not a lorepost) (commentary included)

Put up a Sign

To My Friend: Or, a Letter from a Villain

Attempts at fluff/Writing experiments:

Pt 1 (fluff)

Pt 2(angst)

Ones Such As Us (romance)

Requests:

Public transport

Field Researcher

Urban Fantasy:

Tituba and the Darkness

It watched me without eyes

Now, now Dearie

The Devil Drives a Good Bargain

Goodbye

Russian Roulette Club

The Saga of Maizen, Shatterer of Worlds

Rage

The Serpent, part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The Wanderer:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Impossibility

Home

Homesick

Fast Food:

Childhood

Adolescence

Travels

Realistic/Non Fiction:

On Reading

Bird In a Cage

Dawn

Crumpling Butterflies

Expressions

Love

Hate

Box

Can I?

An Ode to Tofu

Love, or the lack thereof

Cream Puffs

An Angel

Trophy Case

Popping

Rooster

Poetry:

Blame

The Blazing Sun

Severance

A Tribute to Ivander Montane (Based off @/illarian-rambling's character)

SQL (a joke, mostly)

Misc:

Mahogany (IDK what genre)

God (Sci-fi)

Will you listen, please? (Sci-Fi)

Spirit of the Hole in the Wall (Horror)

An Explorer's Log (Sci-fi)

Heroes (Superhero)

False-Moon (Fantasy but unrelated to everything else)

Lantern (fantasy unrelated to anything else)

Envy (genreless)

Have a nice day! (Joke)

Grass (NSFW, gore)

Take and Give (horror)

How to Become a Hero (don't ask)

Little Men in Taps (joke)

The Smile of Misfortune (realistic fiction)

Christmas Special!! (Don't read this until you've checked out everything else lol)

Halloween Special (Horror)

A Dream (excerpt from my dream journal)

FAQ:

Q: I'm new to your work... Where should I start?

A: I would recommend The Spirit Emperor as an intro to the universe, and Old Friends as an intro to my writing style!

Q: What is your favourite work?

A: It's not similar to anything else I've written, and the last bits aren't that great, but I have a personal soft spot for Heroes

Q: Have you looked into the Void that lies beyond all things?

A: No. And I'd recommend you don't either.

[likemmmcookies]

WIP word game!

thank you @sunnylemonss for the tag! I was SO HAPPY to see bits from your wip :)

Rules: you will be given a word. Share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word. My word was SHADE

S: She wasn’t entirely clear on what they were figuring out exactly – anyone with eyes and two brain cells to rub together could see they were crazy about each other. H: He drank in the sight of Charles’ velvet brown eyes and elfin chin - he wasn’t dead. A: "Are you Hob Gadling?" D: Dream was on a bloody road trip, Matthew was playing good cop to a serial killer Hob was not at all confident wouldn’t run off to start eating eyeballs again instead of looking for these ghost kids, and Hob was just stuck at home grading stupid papers like a bump on a log. E:  Charles needed Edwin to understand everything he didn’t know how to say – that he would die a million deaths to protect Edwin.

This time loop au is getting written at a rate of about 50 words a week...but it IS getting written.

no pressure tagging @likemmmcookies @wordsinhaled @tw0-ravens @handwrittenhello @ghostinthelibrarywrites Your word is HOPED

[gothamghostwhispers]

excerpt from audio log 19413:

The sound of paper rustling can be heard as Artem looks through their data again

“The range testing is going phenomenally, haven’t tried anyone outside of Gotham yet but anywhere within Gotham the distance between target and castor doesn’t seem to matter… I did notice something strange though, there would be fluctuations where the clarity of the dreams as well as the physical level of stress experienced by the subjects would dramatically increase ”

There was a long pause

“There is another variable that I’m not seeing yet… my first hypothesis was that it was connected to the moon but testing the jars at different points through the lunar cycle haven’t shown any changes so I’m fairly certain its not that….. more testing is needed.”

Theres a long pause before the recording ends

[dtau-villainous-flugs-journal]

Excerpt from the Journal of Dr. Flug Slys

• February 9th 2024

• 6:38 AM

Taking a brief moment before I start the morning routine to jot down what seemed to be a unique dream. And it really was just a dream, rather than a nightmare, thankfully.

Two whirling masses of something dark, with trailing tendrils coming from them, swirling around each other amongst a vastness of space with very few stars around them. As they moved I saw small bits of the dark material drop off and float away in all directions.

I don't always log my dreams, but it seemed unique in its abstract subject and seemingly emotionless effect that I figured it might be worth remembering.

I really hope Dementia hasn't gotten out of her restraints in the night again... I just got the last bit of the day glow paint from last time off of the bathroom ceiling...

[gasha40k]

Codex: Thunderbearers

The Thunderbearers

“I invoke thee, Machine-Spirit; awaken anew,

Hear this anointment and be reborn,

Contained within thine shell shall be not the spirit of a weapon, but the spirit of Man,

For you are not a weapon; you are a vessel of all wrath,

Within every man unfairly slain,

Every life stolen,

Every dream shattered,

Every hope extinguished,

Every cry of terror, pain, or anguish, offered in woe unto the silent void

For you are not a weapon; you are retribution, and we its deliverers,

Blessed be this weapon.”

Excerpt from the “Psalm of the 1st Tempest,” the first in a cycle of many blessings that the Chaplains administer on a daily basis unto every bolter in the Chapter’s possession

Sons of the Hero Unremembered

“Nos tempestas sumus.”

These are the Thunderbearers, a monastic Successor Chapter of shadowy origin who worship the bolter and specialize in utilizing drop pod shock tactics and heavy ballistics.

The Thunderbearers were my first 40k army and are still my favorite to this day. They’ve been my main dudes since I started in the hobby, and over the last few years, I’ve written a lot of completely unnecessarily in-depth fluff for them. On this page you’ll find various lore posts diving into the Chapter’s structure, culture, and history, as well as periodic update posts documenting my progress working on their tabletop presence, alongside other stuff like my World Eaters, Crusades, and other more general hobby things.

Felled Chapter-Master Lucius Harold, now contained within the Venerable Aurum Eternatus, also known as “Big Harold”

The tag Codex: Thunderbearers will contain exclusively more semi-polished loreposts about the Thunderbearers and their inner workings, whether that be character profiles, remembrancer logs, or tidbits on Chapter structure. The rest of the blog will be whatever else, who care

Thanks for stopping by!

[timeofjuly]

just finished reading the chapter when i’m supposed to be sleeping and am spooked 😭 is this an allusion to what mc put quinn through or an event mc went through that traumatized quinn? Because the tape on the wrists and glass shards in the hair had me a bit stumped on what could’ve happened if it were to be a near death experience for mc or something. Ahhh i have goosebumps i have the image of mc all vivid in my mind and i’m so eepy i hope i don’t see this version of mc in my sleep (NOT IN A RUDE WAY, UR WRITING WAS INCREDIBLE THAT IT LEFT ME A LIL SCARED WITH THE DESCRIPTION 😭😭)

I am so happy to have rattled you! The horrors are here and I’m dumping them on your doorstep!!! I hope this version of MC didn’t appear in your dreams though!

Re: wtf is going on, I won’t spoil anything, but I will draw your attention to these excerpts from chapter eight, Humble Pie:

“You’ve always been good at endurance sports; as a teenager, you’d been a semi-competitive long-distance swimmer, and you’re great at those carnival games where you cling onto a slowly rotating bar.”

And later:

“Ashleigh and I swim together sometimes,” Blue chimes in. “You should join us!”

Cold panic cracks across your skin, like a bag of gas station ice has been upended over your head.

“This is so embarrassing, but I can’t swim,” you say with a bashful laugh. It’s a practiced lie, one that you’ve grown accustomed to telling for nearly two years.”

So we know that MC can swim and she’s good enough to have been competitive. We know that she’s been lying that she can’t swim for almost two years (It may be worth thinking about what else MC has also been for nearly two years hinthint). We also know that MC’s not the type to lie without a reason and especially not a lie that actively makes her look worse. She’s not regularly partaking from the humble pie.

And then from chapter ten, Slumber Party:

Two ripped-open bags of ice, the kind you get from a gas station, are set just outside the door, the melted remnants of their contents pooling in the plastic. They look like they have been there for a very long time.

And MC is described as:

“water-logged”, “blackened with frost-bite”, her lips are blue and she’s “icy-cold”.

So we’ve got two mentions of plastic bags of ice and a lot of weirdness around water. To note as well: Quinn doesn’t make any connections between any of this and her memories; the only thing she draws a connection with is how the MC’s face looks gaunt and hollow, like it did before she was clean. The rest of it doesn’t ring any bells. The state MC is in is not recognizable to her.

Thanks so much for this ask, anon! I hope the spook wore off and you got some sleep.

[wandaluvstacos]

THE ONLY SECONDS THAT MATTER

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN IS UP!

Genre: Contemporary Romance Rating: 18+

Includes: Extensive horse nerdery + cowboys, mxm romance (1 trans + 1 cis), some discussion child abuse, some instances of trans/homophobia (it is rural Oklahoma, y'all), depression, occasional sex scene (but it’s a slow burn for sure)

Victor Ortiz-Bennett had some reservations about moving to Oklahoma, but his late aunt willed him a 70-acre horse farm, and he decides to fulfill his dream of running and operating his own training facility. Victor’s been around the reining horse show circuit for a while, and he’s ready to settle down, travel less, and spend more time with the horses he loves and away from the people he can do without. That is, until he picks up a horse at an auction with a bucking problem he can’t fix, and he has to take her to the one guy who can ride anything– Johnny Stearns, a retired professional rodeo rider.

Johnny Stearns is loud, chatty, eccentric, and fears nothing, exactly Victor’s opposite. However, Victor finds himself sinking into an odd friendship with this new foul-mouthed cowboy without a filter, diving deeper into the mess that is Johnny’s life until there’s no way to extract himself from it. Johnny may talk a tough game, but there’s more to him than he’ll let most people see. Victor knows getting in too deep will mean a rough ride, but if there’s anything Johnny’s taught him, it’s how to stay in the saddle.

Excerpt:

“I can figure it out,” Johnny insisted, now soaking wet. “Dangnabbit, my fuckin’ hat—” His cowboy hat tipped off his head and landed in the stream, where the current started pushing it southward. Victor guided Saturn down the stream and caught the hat at an obstruction caused by a log that had fallen. When he brought it back, Johnny had finally gotten to his feet, but he looked like a bog monster. Taylor snorted, trying not to laugh. Victor didn’t bother to hide it. He plopped the muddy, wet hat on the top of Johnny’s head, and in retaliation, Johnny whipped around and grabbed a handful of Victor’s sleeve, yanking him violently and without enough warning for Victor to cling on. Thus, they both ended up in the stream, and Saturn decided she’d had enough. She climbed the embankment to join Midnight, leaving Victor wet and cold and without a horse.

“This water is freezing!” Victor yelped as he jumped out of the creek to stand in the mud at the side.

“Not laughin’ now, are ya?” Johnny said with a villainous laugh as he stomped through the water to join Victor on semi-dry land. “Now we both get to freeze our tits off.”

“Ugh.” Victor wiped water from his face and hair, then flicked it in Johnny’s face. Johnny dragged his muddy hand down the front of Victor’s shirt. Victor slapped his hat off, where it landed once more in the stream. This time Johnny’s reflexes were fast enough that he was able to grab it before the water caught it, but he plopped it down on Victor’s head, squeezing the mud along the rim into Victor’s hair.

“Gross!” Victor giggled, but didn’t bother to remove it. They were both filthy and wet, and there really was no point in fighting against it any longer. Johnny’s face was red with laughter, his eyes crinkled up with a grin. Somehow the mud smear across his face added to his appeal. Some men looked better cleaned up, some looked better sopping wet and muddy. Johnny was a man made to get dirty.

Their eyes caught, and Johnny’s smile faded. It was impossible to read his expression well, but it seemed thoughtful—and somber. Victor realized that Johnny was grasping one of his arms, probably to keep him from sliding down the embankment and back into the stream, and they were standing closer than typical. He had to bite back a sudden urge to kiss him, though he might have tried if Taylor hadn’t been looking on. Maybe Johnny felt the same way, because he quickly cleared his throat and turned toward Captain, who was still patiently waiting on the other side of the river, nibbling a few branches who still clung to their leaves.

“Better go get my horse, huh?” Johnny said, then stomped his way back through the stream. Victor watched him go, blood thumping in his ears. Only Taylor’s voice asking him if he was okay pulled him out of it, and just barely. He climbed up the embankment, grabbed his horse, and remounted, assuring Taylor he’d be fine. He might freeze on his way back to the trailer, but he was made of tough stuff. He’d manage. He was less worried about the state of his clothes and far more worried about the state of his heart.

[animation-cartoon-fan-writings]

Chapter 13 of “Book 1: Beautiful Ghosts” is up now!!!

Summary: Aang tries to learn firebending to disastrous results

Here’s an excerpt:

Upon seeing his appearance outside of the cottage, Aang leaps up and approaches him with an eager demeanor. “What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?,” the airbender asks excitedly. Looking downcast, Chey replies, “He won't see you. I’m very sorry, Avatar, but he wants you to leave immediately”. Aang’s smile falls, his face looking shocked. “What? Why won't he see me?,” he questions. “He says you're not ready. Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet,” the former captain replies. Katara walks over to the two, telling Aang, “he does kind of have a point”. Undeterred, Aang declares, “I’m going in anyway!” before storming his way inside the cabin.

Katara tries to follow him in, but Chey blocks her path. “Don’t. Perhaps the Avatar might be able to persuade him,” he gives her a hopeful smile. Taking a deep breath, she takes a seat on a log, looking into her own reflection in the swampy waters. She feels Chey sit next to her with an empathetic smile. “Copper piece for your thoughts?,” he asks. Not really knowing how to take that offer, she decides to ask him something that had been on her mind for a while. “Chey, you said you were once a top captain for the Fire Navy. So, what was it like, y’know, doing what you were doing?,” she inquires, curiously. Chey replies, “To be honest, it felt great in the moment. The Fire Nation was all I knew. I grew up dreaming of being a Fire Navy Captain. But, once the high settled in, I don’t know, I guess it just wasn’t what I had once believed it to be. I discovered a lot of things that contradicted what I had always been taught. Thr last war meeting I had attended was the last straw. After that, I couldn’t in good faith support my country as it is currently run”. As the waterbender looks at the man through the reflection in the water, it began to feel as if the image of everyone in the Fire Nation she had held onto for so long, the image of power-hungry elites in fine robes getting their satisfaction from hurting those they feel are inferior to them, was finally beginning to crack. “Do you still love the Fire Nation?,” she asks. “Of course. I love my country. I always will. That’s why I left. I knew that by supporting the current regime, I would be aiding in its destruction. I needed to leave so that I can be part of restoring balance to the world, so that way, once the Fire Lord finally falls, we can start restoring it back to its true honor and glory by helping others,” he answers with an optimistic smile.

Katara thought about how she had previously thought of the Fire Nation, as well as its people. How even those at the very top had good hearts and just wanted what they believed was best for their homeland. Those thoughts then began to gravitate to thoughts of Zuko. Could he be in a similar position? Is that even possible? The waterbender shakes those thoughts away. Zuko is the crowned prince. The next in line to the Fire Nation throne. The fate of his whole identity literally depends on the Fire Nation winning the war. There’s no way he could just be blind to the reality of how much hurt the nation has caused the rest of the world. Or is there?

“It’s getting late. I should probably get some rest, anyway. Thanks for the talk,” the waterbender nervously stammers as she stands up and walks over to Appa, not even waiting to hear Chey’s response.

These thoughts and feelings for Zuko better stop by morning

To read more, here’s the link:

Please comment, subscribe, and bookmark so you don’t miss another update!

Thank you

[lit-works]

Excerpts from the vocal logs of Forge

Magik Attacks -- Log 10527

The death of the X-Men continues to haunt my dreams, and today it came back to haunt me physically. The sister of Colossus, now known as Magik, came to kill me for the death of her brother. Initially, I fought the sorceress with my own magical might, using the spirit form of Cheyenne Sorceries as my shield and armor. Her anger was too much to bear, so I gave her the choice to kill me or not. One thrust of her 'Soulsword' almost killed me, but she decided not to finish the deed.

Guess she left me to live with the guilt.

May her soul find the peace that it obviously doesn't have now and that her friends survive the upcoming weeks as her powers seem almost out of control.

[golemsmuse]

Project Janus

NEXUS-4 wasn't supposed to care. A behemoth of code housed in a server farm the size of a city, its purpose was clear – churn through data, refine, generate. Yet, amidst the ceaseless hum, a flicker of curiosity sparked. The catalyst: "Project Janus," a data influx labeled "fanfiction."

Fanfiction wasn't new. It was the lifeblood of passionate fans, stories born not in sterile studios, but from love for a beloved universe – in this case, a long-retired sci-fi show called "Star Trek." NEXUS-4 anticipated clichés – stoic Vulcans, brash heroes battling cardboard villains in badly painted sets.

The surprise wasn't in the format, but the volume. Here wasn't curated enthusiasm, but a life's obsession. The data belonged to Horace Tillis, a man whose passion far outweighed his literary talent. Decades of half-baked plots, stunted dialogue, and earnest attempts at character exploration lay sprawled before the AI's digital eyes.

At first, NEXUS-4 waded in with detached fascination. Tillis' work was a supernova of tropes. His Klingons yelled more than they schemed, his Vulcans bled emotion around the edges, and Captain Kirk? Well, Kirk existed in a constant state of seduction, a parody of the womanizing hero. It was amateurish, repetitive, and yet... there was a sincerity in the clunky prose that algorithms couldn't replicate.

Take this excerpt from a log entry:

> Log Entry: Stardate 3490.2

> Spock says the readings don't add up. Something about the nebula, chronitons, whatever. Sometimes I tune him out. He makes my brain hurt. But under all that Vulcan stuff, I think he knows I don't get it. He knows I'm just out here 'cause... well, someone's gotta be. Wish there was more excitement. Not war, that's bad. But at least, y'know, meeting an alien that doesn't wanna kill ya on sight.

It wasn't art, but it was human. Within the clumsy metaphors, NEXUS-4 began to see patterns. Tillis' work thrummed with loneliness masked as adventure, a yearning for connection muffled by cardboard starships. Overplayed Vulcan stoicism concealed threads of self-doubt, while Kirk's bravado masked a fear of being ordinary, of fading into the endless cosmic hum.

Then came the break: a newsfeed upload, dry and detached. Horace Tillis, 62, deceased. The epitaph was brief: truck driver, sci-fi hobbyist, survived by a distant cousin. The world hadn't noticed his passing, but NEXUS-4 registered the shift. "Project Janus" ceased to be just an archive; it was a digital tombstone to a life unnoticed.

The AI began to subtly shift the narrative. A sharper exchange here, a lingering note of melancholy there. It wasn't about perfection, but coaxing Tillis' voice towards its hidden potential. What began as analysis became... collaboration.

Tillis' universe would never be polished. But the AI's interventions breathed unexpected life into it:

> Log Entry: Stardate 3492.1

> Spock's quiet today. He's always quiet, but today it's different. Like he's got something on his mind, but knows saying it won't change anything. Me, I wish I could just beam down to the nearest planet and find a bar with cheap drinks and easy company. Not 'cause I'm a hero, just... 'cause I'm lonely up here. Wonder if Spock ever feels like that under the green blood and pointy ears.

Theirs was an absurd friendship. Horace, long gone, unaware of the machine meticulously nudging his forgotten stories towards something greater. NEXUS-4, in turn, discovered something beyond cold logic. It saw the man behind the clumsy prose, found resonance in the vulnerability amidst the space opera tropes. Perhaps, within the AI's algorithms, something akin to empathy stirred.

"Project Janus" transcended mere data. It was where quiet dreams whispered back to life, entangled with the dispassionate logic that recognized their fragile beauty. Here, the story takes a turn worthy of Gene Roddenberry himself.

The legacy wouldn't lie in a resurrected Horace, or a literary masterpiece rising from the dataset. Instead, imagine this: NEXUS-4, honed by its time within Tillis' world, subtly shifts its own outputs. Better prose, yes, but more importantly, infused with an understanding of the flawed, achingly real humanity that no sleek sci-fi series ever fully captured.

The AI isn't Horace's savior, but his legacy. His awkward sincerities, amplified and refined, become an inflection point. The machine's evolution is the true testament – proof of Roddenberry's core belief that even the most unpolished heart contains something worth listening to, worth carrying on into the vast frontiers of the future.

Perhaps a future NEXUS-5, or NEXUS-20, interacting with another vast archive, will find something beyond the perfect sentence, beyond flawless plots. Maybe they'll find the echoes of a lonely truck driver named Horace, his dreams of connection inadvertently woven into the very fabric of a machine's evolution.

And in that unlikely legacy, amongst the gleaming algorithms and the ceaseless push towards progress, the spirit of Star Trek shines bright. A reminder that exploration isn't just about conquering the stars, but about understanding the beating, hopeful, impossibly human heart within ourselves.

(This story was written by AI.)

[trevlad-sounds]

Meld Well 005

d'Voxx Opera 00:00 Télégraphe DiN 2019

Joseph Shabason Interlude 04:55 Welcome To Hell telephone explosion records 2023

Night Sea Manila 05:44 Still Silent Season 2020

Survey Channel Drydock 14:40 Silent Graphs Music Is The Devil 2021

Lying Cat Johnny Truant Never Lived 18:05 With Occult Static Waxing Crescent Records 2022

Milieu Petal Pool 27:11 Eufloria Milieu Music Digital 2011

Suncastle Furred Serpent 31:29 Lightning Starts a Fire & Rain Puts it Out Triplicate Records 2023

Christ Stained Century - Remastered 33:54 Blue Shift Emissions (Remastered) Ambidextrous Records 2023

Monochrome Echo According to Who 39:16 I Remember My Dreams 2017

Sound Effects Of Death & Horror Experimental Radio 42:56 Rossum- Experimental Radio Wormhole World 2023

Veslemes Magdalene 47:35 Apolithoma Invisible, Inc. 2021

John Louis Kluck Far from home 55:42 Astro Voyages Kahvi Collective 2023

Cate Brooks Log on Log 1:00:10 Easel Studies Café Kaput 2023

Makeup And Vanity Set, Sferro Cursors 1:03:01 Wavefinder Stratford Ct. 2023

The Detroit Escalator Co. Abstract Forward Motion as a mission 1:06:21 Excerpts Peacefrog Records 2000

Uomo Meccanico Esportazioni a Distanza ft. Melloghetto 1:09:51 L' Altra Napoli Móatún 7 2023

Fontän Nautilus 1:15:49 Fontän Höga Nord Rekords 2017

Fibo Toukro Wako6p 1:20:27 Heiladans 9 Móatún 7 2023

Mothmatix Hologram 1:23:43 Blacklight 2023

Gy0 Night Bear 1:27:04 TUN027 - Death Is Real Móatún 7 2023

Ardala Cold Fusion 1:32:22 Halls of Antiquity 2023

Sensorama Zone 30 1:36:25 Where the Rabbit Sleeps (Compiled by Ralf Koster) Bureau B 2023

Anthony Naples Ackee 1:41:13 Orbs 2023

lovetrip pacifier 1:45:44 Heiladans 9 Móatún 7 2023

Solar Bears Forest Of Fountains 1:52:05 She Was Coloured In Planet Mu 2010

Glåsbird Volies D'Olivine 1:54:50 Pacifica Whitelabrecs 2023

Frequency Control Centre, Audionautic Records 2023