#unbound-tales

[hstoryhuh-a]

@unbound-tales ( henry ) : [ 📲 • sms ] —— have you ever had a wet dream with me in it? be honest

[ sms : hrh prince dickhead 💩 ] : you're seriously asking me this?

[ sms : hrh prince dickhead 💩 ] : june told you about the magazine, didn't she? traitor!

[ sms : hrh prince dickhead 💩 ] : damn it. yes. okay? more than one since we're being honest and all.

[immortalmuses]

@unbound-tales sent: meme: "Would you care to backup and explain yourself?" (Henry to Alex)

          Alex freezes at the island counter, mug of freshly-made coffee held poised half way to his lips. None of the downstairs lights are on, so the fact that the American even managed to make said cup of coffee is kind of a minor miracle. His eyes catch the streetlights through the window, seeming bright in the semi-darkness of their kitchen.

          "..uhhhh, no?" Alex finally replies, sounding hoarse and strung-out even to his own ears. He winces, wondering: What time is it again? He remembers it'd been around midnight when he'd told Henry he only had a chapter or two left for his 1L class. The American isn't... entirely sure how long ago -- or how many cups of coffee -- that was.

          "Hen, baby, I think we both know that I have not been explaining myself up until this point..." Alex tries for his most charming grin, the one he's been told shows off his dimples. He hopes it doesn't look too deranged at this late hour. It certainly feels deranged. "... Don't you think it'd be off-brand if I started now?"

[leschanceux]

@unbound-tales wanted something fluffy! -

For as long as he can remember, Henry has been in love with the idea of rowing out into the middle of a lake somewhere with someone on a calm, clear day and just stopping in the middle of the water. So that's what he has planned for the day with Alex - plain and simple, just rowing out with a tiny wooden boat he's hired from a local man and a thermal bag of finger foods, a couple of flasks of drinks and Alex.

As soon as he pulls the first stroke of the oars through the water, Henry feels his bones settling, feels lighter than he usually does, as if he's left the weight of the world on the shore of the lake. "I've always wanted to do this," he shares with the American who had - quite literally - tripped his way back into the prince's life, "---though I'll probably end up with a truly hideous sunburn."

[curseoffrell]

@unbound-tales from here

Elliot had barely been in the US for a few weeks before he found himself drawn to this town, the constant buzzing of his curse under his skin seemed to confirm there was more to the eye than what he had thought was just an ordinary town with a curious name. He had lingered, watching the shop for a while, before heading inside; hence how he had gotten fleeting comments from locals suggesting his avoidance. But, thankfully, no direct order to stay away.

"Do you have books?" He asked, offering the shopkeep a smile most people would describe as charming while he pulled off his rucksack and fished out the ancient copy of Pride and Prejudice he'd... 'borrowed' from his adoptive parents' home. "I'd also take something that would help me sleep."

[firstscn]

@unbound-tales

( text ; hrh prince dickhead ( lovingly ) ): did Philip have a heart attack yet? ( text ; hrh prince dickhead ( lovingly ) ): Zahra says I'm banned from social media for a week. ( text ; hrh prince dickhead ( lovingly ) ): worth it though. :P

[goldenboybarracuda]

@unbound-tales sent a meme // [text: alex ❤] i'll tell you something about my good name, it's mine alone to disgrace. - H

[text: H 🍆❤️]: I don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing

[text: H 🍆❤️]: good morning to you too.

[westwingsolo]

meme:

From: HRH Prince Dickhead > Alex: "You were quite the charmer back there. Do you flirt with everyone?"

[text: HRH Prince Dickhead💩❤️] Oh were you watching?

[text: HRH Prince Dickhead💩❤️] Liked what you saw?

[text: HRH Prince Dickhead💩❤️] Or were you jealous that I wasn't charming you?

[rachelkaser]

2022 Games in Review: My favorite customizable avatars (of me)

Several games of 2022 had character creators. I made myself in each one. How different do they all look?

With many games I’ve played in the past, I would make an effort to create a unique character, someone with a name, story, and appearance all their own. However, in 2022, I made most of them into variations of myself, in appearance and name. I tried not to cheat, but to get as close to my real appearance as possible -- I even included glasses were I could, as I wear those quite often.

I could tell you that it was part of some experiment or longterm project . . . honestly, I just got lazy. Every time I entered character creation, I just made a version of myself (with one exception) because it was easier. That means that, by the time I was done playing my games of 2022, I had several versions of me off on adventures. Now I want to compare and contrast how they look.

“Why?” I hear you ask. Because it’s interesting to see the differences in style across the different genres of games? Because it’s instructive to stretch the limits of what these games are capable of to best represent our true selves? Why not?

These are in no particular order, except the one at the very bottom, which is basically an honorable mention.

Disney Dreamlight Valley: My time as a Disney kid/adult

Disney Dreamlight Valley was surprisingly good as these games go. I thought it was just going to be a cheap cash-grab title banking on Disney’s good-but-increasingly-overused name. But no, it’s actually a somewhat charming life sim where you, the player character are the Only One Who Can Save the World. I can totally see its appeal for kids and the kid-adjacent adults who need a serotonin fix (ahem).

For that reason, I was surprised that the player avatar is not more cartoonish, for lack of a better way of putting it. I thought it would be an animesque, bug-eyed kid character (though my eyes are on the big side). But no, they’re at best a young adult who’s very into Disney fashion. Honestly, this version of me looks like the one who beat feet all over Disney World with my family between the ages of 15-25. According to my husband, it looks a lot like me -- I just think it’s a younger, thinner version of me.

Pokémon Legends Arceus: My first monster hunt

See the above? This is what I was expecting with Dreamlight Valley. But perhaps it is better suited to Pokémon. What I enjoyed about Arceus in particular is that -- unlike certain other Pokémon titles (see below) -- the character is not a fresh-faced youth who just wants to catch ‘em all. No, in Arceus, they’re a hardened hunter in a world where everyone seems to think Pokémon are dangerous.

But even so, the version of me in Arceus still looks so adorable. They’re like a tiny terrier: Adorable, but a deadly serious hunter. Admittedly, I can’t pull off the scarf-kerchief combo in real life as elegantly as my in-game avatar did. But considering I have no real influence over the character’s features, this one still looks like a decent representation of my inner child.

Coral Island: Living my crunchiest life

Full disclosure: I messed the eyes up in this one, because mine are not almond-shaped. So we’re just going to ignore that and look at the rest of me here (because I’m actually not sure if it’s possible to adjust your facial features post-creation in-game at this point in early access). Admittedly, out of all of them this one probably best captures my general dorkiness, especially with the glasses.

What amuses me about this is that this avatar looks how I would probably look if I did hard labor on a farm. She’s definitely the most willowy version of me that’s still supposed to be an adult . . . and yet her head is still as wide as her hips. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got an enormous noggin in the real life, but I’ve got the hips to balance it out and then some.

Harvestella: Not sure why I even bothered

From one cozy life sim we move on to another -- or at least I thought Harvestella was a cozy life sim. Turns out it’s a Bravely Default game wearing a cozy-life-sim hat. If I’d known that when I started, I wouldn’t have bothered to even try and make myself in the game, because the customization is undercooked. It’s not the worst character creator this year, but it’s a good example of how shallow they can be. Why even have one at all?

Still, I managed to get her to look superficially like me. She’s still not as thin as the Coral Island avatar, if only because she’s got some thighs on her (as do I IRL). Actually, this version of me is kind of the inverse of Coral Island, in that she’s got a tiny head and shoulders on an absolutely stacked pair of legs and hips. Neither one bears a strong similarity to reality, but it’s still fun to see a version of me that aligns with the art style of both worlds.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns: My most optimistic cheekbones

To be fair to Midnight Suns, Hunter already comes with a defined name (sorta), backstory, and personality. So making them look like me was actually going against my natural inclination as a player. But by the time the game launched in December, I was committed to the bit, so I went for it. It was kind of fun to see my in-game self dillydally with the Marvel heroes, if a bit disconcerting.

Funnily enough, this version comes the closest to getting my lips and nose right -- in that they look like actual parts of a human face. But goddamn me to hell and back, I do not have cheekbones that nice. I might attribute those good looks to Hunter’s demoness mother, but I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to be human and I’ve never cut glass with my cheeks.

Need for Speed Unbound: My failed attempt to look cool

Need for Speed Unbound was another game that had, at best, a token character creator. Since your in-game avatar basically spends the majority of their time in a car, their appearance really doesn’t matter because it’ll never be as fancy or familiar as that of your favorite ride. But I tried anyway, because I felt like I could at least look like the streetwise badass I shall never be in real life.

Not to repeat myself, but at least the features on this face look somewhat like mine. Those are definitely my eyebrows. I won’t deceive you, though: I don’t look anywhere near this cool. I don’t have piercings in my ears, let alone other appendages. And I look forward to the day I can dye my hair that shade of purple, so I guess this is me living my ombre dreams through the game.

Saints Row (2022): I’ve got everything but the tats

I might not have believed it, but the one game I played this year with a halfway-detailed character creator was Saints Fucking Row. And yes, before you ask, the game’s quality really is this bad. Also, for some reason the game wouldn’t let me soften the shade of blush I used, so I look literally clownish and not metaphorically here. I’d also never where Santo Ileso fashion personally.

But I’ll say this for Saints Row, it’s the only game this year were I could accurately represent my own thickness. I’m a chunky lady, no denying it, and this is closest I came all year to looking like myself, round of face, thigh, and chest. I don’t have those clean, Southwestern-style tats, but that’s more aspirational than reflective of reality.

Pokemon Scarlet/Violet: My back-to-school look

My hair isn’t actually purple, but I felt that, in the spirit of playing the Violet edition of the game, I should go full color here. Who knows -- maybe my hair will look like that someday! As for the rest of me, well . . . if the Arceus version of me is a seasoned (but adorable badass), this one looks like the most boring student in the entire school. She’s just here to catch ‘em all.

Still, this game’s photo mode is probably out of any I played this year. Posing with various pocket monsters was adorable, and completely in-character for a young student discovering the world. This version of me is not bad at all -- it just suffers by being not as interesting as the rest of my avatars this year.

Horse Tales Emerald Valley Ranch: What even am I?

I don’t know what to say about this one. I’m already on record as labeling this game my least-favorite of 2022. This wasn’t because of the obviously piss-poor graphical quality. Not at all -- there’s nothing wrong with a bit of a graphical lowgrade, especially in a horse game where the intent is depict the rider as an extension of the horse.

No, I hated it because this is not a depiction of a horseperson. These are acceptable street clothes, but I’m not wearing headphones and loafers to ride over mountainous country and beaches. Also, leaving all that aside, why can I not change the colors of my eyebrows and lashes, which are stuck on “auburn?” I do think it’s ironic that they ask you to select a masculine or feminine character while the default hoodie is in the colors of the non-binary pride flag. 

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: My average D&D character

Now presenting my Tiny Tina character, a.k.a. the one time I resisted the urge to just make myself in a game. She still looks close-ish: She has my hair and eye color, but she doesn’t share my name or pretty much anything else about me. But honestly? This was as close as I was reasonably going to get within the context of the game. Because I play Dungeons and Dragons (or Bunkers and Badasses, I suppose) IRL, and I balk at the notion of making someone who looks like me.

Most D&D characters I’ve made have are a far cry from myself and my lived experience. Even when I incorporate elements of myself or my appearance, it’s usually by accident or with a particular goal in mind. I can’t make a version of me 1-to-1 and engage with the game’s premise in good faith. So here you have it: My unbelievably ugly Wonderlands character.

And that’s it! All the versions of me I made this year! No, I’m not going to give an actual pic of myself for comparison -- this isn’t really about realism, but more about how best I feel I’m represented in the worlds of these games. But if anyone has any other in-game avatars they think look better, or if you just want to show me your creations, feel free to tag me below or on Twitter!

[hstoryhuh-a]

@unbound-tales ( alex ) : ( sms ) : i'm worried about you.

[ sms : Alex ] : Why?

[ sms : Alex ] : There's no reason for you to worry. Everything is perfectly fine.

[theunboundwriter]

Unbound Time Universe Piccrew

I made face claims for my ocs in The Unbound Time Universe using this pic crew

Kendyleigh // featured in The Prices We Pay, It All Started At The End, You Will Never Be A God, Against The Full Moon, My Favorite Color Is You, and Diary of an Immortal

Jack // featured in The Prices We Pay, It All Started At The End, You Will Never Be A God, and Diary of an Immortal

Dane // featured in The Prices We Pay

Barrett Daniel // featured in The Prices We Pay and You Will Never Be A God

Hesperus // featured in The Prices We Pay and Against The Full Moon

Cassiopeia // featured in The Prices We Pay and Against The Full Moon

Lyra // featured in The Prices We Pay and Against The Full Moon

Diantha // featured in The Prices We Pay, Against The Full Moon, and You Will Never Be A God

Raelle // featured in The Prices We Pay, It All Started At The End, You Will Never Be A God, Against The Full Moon, My Favorite Color Is You, and Diary of an Immortal

Devereux // featured in The Prices We Pay and Against The Full Moon

Isla // featured in The Prices We Pay and Against The Full Moon

Elian // featured in The Prices We Pay and Against The Full Moon

Willie // featured in Against The Full Moon

Michael // featured in Against The Full Moon

Haven // featured in The Prices We Pay

Forest // featured in The Prices We Pay

Circe // featured in The Prices We Pay and My Favorite Color Is You

Jasper // featured in The Prices We Pay and My Favorite Color Is You

Alistair // featured in The Prices We Pay

Lochlan // featured in The Prices We Pay, and You Will Never Be A God

Arabella // featured in The Prices We Pay, and You Will Never Be A God

Linnea // featured in The Prices We Pay, and You Will Never Be A God

Ambrose // featured in You Will Never Be A God

Cora // featured in You Will Never Be A God

Clotho // featured in You Will Never Be A God

Lachesis // featured in You Will Never Be A God

Atropos // featured in You Will Never Be A God

Aion // featured in The Prices We Pay, and It All Started At The End

Jadyn Young // featured in It All Started At The End

Beckett Windsor // featured in It All Started At The End

[dreadseadreams]

gen tag drop

[curseoffrell]

@unbound-tales from here

Ella shot her the briefest of glares before returning his eyes to the scroll of Fae text that wasn't understandable in the first place... But even less coherent when it continued to change like ripples on water.

"I can't read this. Just because I have Fae magic inside me doesn't make me one." And she did hope that Regina didn't know the nature of that magic.

"There must be another way out of here. It's a maze, so there has to be an exit even without these 'clues'." Ella declared, throwing the scroll to the ground in frustration and turning her focus to the high, marble walls that surrounded them on all sides.

[temtamtom]

Tem | Tem Tam - Multi-Lingual - Italian / Russian - She/He/They - Likes and Follows: @temtamoo

Instagram | Twitter

Blog might be suggestive at times, but not explicitly WFSN. Follow at your own discretion!

General Tags: Art | Headcanons and Musings | Writing |General AU Tag

AU Tags : unbound // a western saga | Spidertalia

General Links: Public Pinterest Board

Feel free to send asks! I’d love to interact with the community more ❤️

Please do not repost my art without permission

Not taking any new commissions

ON A SEMI-HIATUS. Working overtime at the cartoon factory ✍️

[firstscn]

@unbound-tales

(Text: Alex the Strumpet 4rm Queen Bae): "That's the second time my extensive knowledge of Taylor Swift has gotten me laid.

( hrh prince dickhead ; text): it's fucking 2am.

( hrh prince dickhead ; text): what POSSIBLY made you think this could be that important. Also.

( hrh prince dickhead ( lovingly ) ; text): why are you talking to me if you've just gotten laid? Was it that bad? :P

[xboxissues]

New Xbox Games For January 16th to 20th 2023

[westwingsolo]

incoming meme : "Alright, that's it. You're going to bed and I'm not taking no for an answer." - Henry for Alex! (It feels very them)

There was the smallest part of Alex that wanted to ignore Henry, just the teeny, tiniest part of him. He was so close to finishing this paper, and he found the perfect source for his point. He only needed to write another three or four paragraphs on the matter. Shouldn't take him too long.

"I swear I'm almost done. Give me like... and hour and I promise I'll be up.."