#verse ;; wild thing ;; frontier

[snkts]

IMPRESSED, if you please!

The sun beats down. It’s hot and ruthless, punctuated by the whine of cicadas in the air. Birds chirp in the tree branches. Somewhere in the underbrush, a rodent stirs. And here, the tranquillity is broken by the sound of metal hitting stone. It's an uneven staccato, over and over and over again. Each clink is accentuated by rustling fabric and grunts of effort. It smells of sweat and minerals and blood and leather and dirt and friction-burned skin, chewing tobacco and stale alcohol. It was a familiar smell. Reassuring, even if it wasn’t exactly a bed of roses. There’s the occasional murmur of conversation that flows around him. He doesn’t join in. He never does. Just doesn’t have a whole lot to say. 

“Morning, Logan.” Adam says. He’s an older man, tall, broad in the shoulders, with a thick beard covering his lower jaw. He usually has a smile on his face. Nice guy. Logan grunts. 

“Morning.” It’s half-mumbled, but intelligent enough that Adam nods. 

“Right spot of sunshine, you are.” He teases. Logan nods. 

“Sure am.” He replies. Adam laughs. 

“Will I see you in there?” He said, knocking his shoulder against Logan’s as he walked past. Logan shrugged and turned towards the Foreman's shack. 

“So long as you have eyes, yeah.” He quips, and Adam laughs again. Logan retrieves a mining pick from the shack and takes a moment to stare at the entrance of the mine. 

Time to get to work. 

And work he did. Finding a spot in the mine and breaking rock over and over again. It was repetitive, monotonous work. The same motion, over and over and over. It’s easy to just shut off. Easy to just think of anything else. And he does let his mind wander. He thinks about Rose, and her upcoming marriage. He thinks about how long it’s been since he’s gone hunting, and how he should do that again. He thinks about how he might need to fix the roof at home. He thinks about- 

A creaking sound. Deap and bone-shaking. What was that? 

Logan stops his work and tilts his head. He doesn't move. He hardly even breathes. To his right, Jean-Luc stops, too. 

“Logan?” He asks, slinging his pickaxe over his shoulder. “What are-” 

“Shh.” He holds up a hand. He waits. He listens. He hears the noise again. It’s louder now. He furrowed his brow, and– 

“We have to leave.” He says suddenly.

“What-?” Jean-Luc flinches back. Logan grabbed his arm. 

“Move, now!” He barks. He yanks Jean-Luc after him, already putting boots to earth. “All of you! Get back!” his voice echoes off the cave walls. It's sudden and jarring enough that everyone stops. Logan growls. 

“I said go!” His words are accompanied by another baritone rumble. This time, the others heard it too. 

They move. Most of them run towards him, and that's good. Some run in the other direction. He doesn’t know what happens to most of them. The wet, snapping crunch tells him what happened to some of them. Poor bastards. 

“Ed!” That was Adam. Edward had been his cousin. Emphasis on the ‘had been’. Adam hadn’t seemed to have figured that part out yet. He raced towards the rubble, pulse racing, eyes wild. “Ed, Edward!” 

“Hey!” Logan lets Jean-Luc and dives for Adam. “Get away from there!” It’s not a struggle to move Adam back. Logan has always been stronger. (He's stronger than everyone here. That’s just what comes from living on the frontier, instead of in towns like this. He’d be loathe to call these men soft, but–) 

“Ed’s under there!” Adam snaps back. “I’m not leaving him, Logan! I can’t” He tugs free and moves to the rocks again. “He’s family!” 

“He’s dead!” Logan’s run out of patience. Every second they spend in this cave is another second they haven’t spent getting out. Wasted air. Wasted time. Wasted energy. And pulling at those rocks might cause another cave in. 

Then, they’d all be screwed. 

“You don’t know that!” Adam shouted. He was frantic. Eyes wild, pulse elevated. So different from the jovial man he usually was. He looked like an animal. Pulling at the rubble like a trapped fox gnaws at its leg. Both equally desperate, and both equally futile. Both equally doomed.

“Like hell, I don’t!” He says back. “Noone survives that! We have to move!” He turns back to Jean-Luc. “Get everyone else rounded up. I’ll handle him.” 

“Uh- right.” Jean-Luc blinked and hesitated. He blinked again and the situation caught up to him. “Right!” He turned and started speaking in a fast mix of French and English - Franglais - to the rest of the surviving miners. Some of them yelled back. Some of them agreed with him readily. Some of them just stood there. The entire cavern reeked of fear and blood and uncertainty. He had to tune them out. Adam losing his mind would only make this worse. 

“C’mon, Adam.” He says in a low voice. “We gotta go.” Adam is trying to pull at a rock. He strains, grunts, rolls the rock off the pile. Logan growls. One rock is fine, sure. It doesn’t do anything. It’s a fucking rock. The problem is, the cave in is made of a lot of fucking rocks. Each one works to hold up all the others. The more they were pulled at, the more likely it was that they were gonna start another collapse. 

“Eddie…” Adam said quietly. “C’mon, Eddie. We gotta get to work.” Ah, shit. He was out of it. That wasn’t good. Logan sighed and rocked back on his heels, resting his elbows on his knees. 

“Okay.” He says to himself. “Sorry, Adam.” He wasn't. He tears back and slaps Adam across the face. Not full-force, didn't wanna kill him, but hard enough it echoed. Adam’s head snapped back. He jerked backwards and staggered. Oh, whoops. Maybe that was too hard. Oh well. 

“Good lord, Logan!” That was Peter. Logan rolls his eyes and focuses once again on Adam. 

“Snap out of it.” He barked. Adam blinked, stared, blinked again, shook his head, then swung a fist of his own. He missed.

Widely. 

It wasn’t his fault. It was dark, and he was hysteric, but he missed by a longshot and Logan snarled. Irritation spiked white hot in the back of his mind and it was an effort to reel it back in. 

“I said, snap out of it!” He grabs Adam by the lapels and shoved him back. “You’re gonna get us all killed!” 

“Like Eddie?!” Adam snapped back. Logan groaned. 

“Yes, like fucking Eddie!” He said. “Ed’s gone, Adam! He’s dead! Dead as dirt! We can't do anything for him now, but the rest of us are still drawing breath! You wanna keep it that way? You come with us!” He doesn’t wait for a response. He just leaves. 

“Logan!” That’s Trout- well, Michael, but Trout to the boys. “Where are you going?” 

“I told you.” Logan huffs, shouldering his way past the gathered men into the darkness. “I’m getting out of here. You either come with me, or you can die here.” He got all of three steps before Trout grabbed at his arm. 

“Go where?” He asked, words slurring through his missing teeth. “Deeper into the mine? You’re crazy!” Logan growled again.

“You think they're gonna dig us out?” He says without stopping, tugging his arm free. “All the way down here? We don’t know how much of the tunnel fell in. They won’t bother. Might send someone to tell the Missus if you're lucky.” He steps into the darkness and stops. He sighs.  

“Listen. I can’t promise that I’ll get any of you out. But your chances with me are a hell of a lot better than if you just sit around and wait to die.” 

“I’m coming with you.” Jean-Luc says. He’s got one of the other men hanging on his shoulder - probably injured in the chaos. He was still alert, though. … One of the new guys. What did they call him? Stumps? Stumpy? Something like that. He’d been a logger before he came to the mines. He squinted a lot when he looked at things. Weird person. Not bad, just weird. 

“‘M comin’ too.” Stumpy rasped. “Don’t feel like rottin’ here.” There were a few more scattered murmurs of agreement. Logan didn’t wait to see who they were. They were already burning precious oil. There's a collection of footsteps behind him as he walks. Some more whispers. They echo off the walls of the mine. It’s loud. It’s annoying. Logan keeps a scowl on his face as he walks. He doesn’t have any direction at first. He’s mostly just guessing. Going where his feet take him. And then he stops again. … Something smells different. Someone bumps into his back, and he barely notices. He narrows his eyes and sniffs the air once, twice… Three times. Yeah, it’s faint, but it’s there. Wind currents - already weird enough - and, distantly, the scent of growing things. Plants. 

Outside. 

“What’re you-” 

“This way.” Logan cuts off the chatter behind him. “Stay close.” He starts moving again. 

“The hell was that?” Stumpy rasped. “What do you mean, this way?” A few more voices joined the dissent. Logan growled. They didn't have time for this. He wanted out. Out of here. Away from these people. In the fresh air. Back home with Smitty and Rose. Just anywhere but trapped in this fucking mine. 

“Any of you lot hunters?” He asked, turning around. A beat of silence. “That's what I thought.” 

“I don't like this.” Someone in the back muttered. Logan could smell their anxiety, and it mingled with the scent of freedom in a way that curled his lip. “Feels like we’re walking in circles.” Logan did his best to ignore them. They're not helping the situation and he's tired of yelling in here - the echoes make his head hurt. 

“What do you think?” More murmurs. Logan swallowed a growl. 

“Adam?” Someone - Peter, he thinks - asks. Adam doesn’t answer. 

“You can find your own way if you want.” Logan snaps. “If you’re following me, we’re turning left.” And he does. He’s followed by most of the footsteps. After some hesitation and more muttering, the rest come too. 

“Logan.” Jean-Luc had been quiet most of this time, and finally spoke up. “Do you really know where you're going?” Logan grunted. 

“You too?” He asked. He heard Jean-Luc shake his head. 

“No, no, not like that.” He protested. “It’s just… Our lantern is running very low.” Logan listened with his head cocked a second longer, then smirked. Perfect timing. 

“Can I see it for a moment?” He asked, holding out his hand. Jean-Luc handed the lantern over. Logan nodded his thanks and blew the flame out. The tunnels filled with surprised shouts and loud protests that quickly fizzled out.

“See?” His features are still visible in the dim light, and he’s not hiding how smug he is. “Look up; there’s our way out.” They all look up. There’s a few beats of silence. 

“The boy’s gone mad.” Trout mutters. “We’re going to die.”

“There's no way we can fit through there.” Peter agreed. “Please tell me you're joking.” 

“That's not it.” Logan began, but they weren't listening. 

“We’re doomed.” Stumpy slurred. “We’re dying here.” 

“You’re not gonna-” Logan tries again. 

“I knew it.” Logan didn’t care who that was. It didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered is they weren’t listening–  “Shoulda stayed back at the-”

“That’s enough.” It’s not Logan who says that, but it is Logan who’s so surprised he doesn’t protest. He blinks as Adam shoves forward, still haggard and with a bruise blooming dark across his jaw, but more coherent than he had been in a while. “You boys gotta hold your tongue. That attitude doesn’t help anyone.” He turns to Logan, who nods his gratitude. “What are you thinking?” 

“The soil and rocks are loose here.” Logan wasn't about to waste the time he'd been given by stalling. “Probably got knocked around in whatever tremor caused the cave in. It won’t be hard to push ‘em aside and make an exit - even if it's just enough for some of the smaller ones to slip out and come back with powder. But I don't think that’ll be a problem.” Another moment of silence. 

“Bad day to eat that extra lunch, Trout.” Peter muttered. 

“Shut your trap, Petey.” Trout sulks. 

“Sounds an awful lot like yappin’, and not a lot like digging.” Logan glared, turning back to their potential exit route. 

“You heard him.” Adam says, and Jean-Luc nods. 

“Let’s get out of here.” 

And they did. It took over an hour of digging, manoeuvring, clambering over one another, but eventually, they all made it up onto the outer surface of the mine. They climbed and stumbled and fell, exhausted, back to better ground. And they were part way back to the town when someone ahead yelled ‘there!’, and then there were footsteps and Logan suddenly had Smitty’s hands on his shoulders as a fresh group of men from town were yelling and shouting and cursing their surprise. 

“Holy God, boy,” Smitty was saying, “I thought you were dead!” 

“We would’ve been.” Another hand on his shoulder and Logan looked up to exchange a weary smile with Adam. “If it weren’t for our Wolverine.”

[extraordinaryhistories]

#15 – 'Kill' (A Sun Came, 1998)

In 2016, a man named Marc Rebillet (yes, that Marc Rebillet) decided to search through a dumpster outside Sufjan’s studio in DUMBO, Brooklyn, which is a very mature and adult thing to do and reflects fantastically on Marc as a person, and certainly should have no consequences on his thriving music career. In that dumpster, he found an odd-looking CD – an unreleased album with a black-and-white cover titled Stalker, claiming to be performed by Sufjan Stevens. It had been recorded some time in the 1990s, and on a quick listen (the album was swiftly leaked online), it certainly sounded like early Sufjan, back when he did wild electric guitar freak-outs; his hushed but nasally vocal tone from that era is unmistakeable.

Everything seemed normal, except for the fact that the album was about tracking, sexually assaulting and then murdering people. It contained songs with titles like ‘I Know Where Your Kids Go to School’, ‘Baby Give Me a Feel’ and ‘U Kan Wrun But U Kan’t Hyde’. None of it was metaphorical. Sufjan recorded a noise rock album in the 90s that was quite literally about fucking stalking people. And then, not five years later, recorded ‘For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti’. It boggles the mind.

At the time that Stalker was released, a significant portion of the Sufjan fan community cast doubt on the veracity of the leak. One of the major concerns was that the subject matter was far too direct, far too gruesome, for a Sufjan song. He would never be so brutally direct. He would never. Right?

‘Kill’ is a song by Sufjan Stevens that features the following as its chorus: ‘I want to kill him / I want to cut his brain / And when it's over / I know I'll feel okay’. Ah. Case closed.

The third-last track on A Sun Came, ‘Kill’ is a knotty piece of songwriting that may be the most multi-layered lyrical construction in his early work. Even purely on inspection one can see this to be true – it is a song with a clear narrative, some clear themes, a roiling balance of light and dark within it, which is far more than can be said for much of this era. But then you get to the allusions this song pays to other literary and musical sources, and things only begin to complicate further. I, personally, have not quite made my mind up about ‘Kill’. It is a song loaded with possibility.

An initial reading of ‘Kill’ gives the strong suggestion of a relationship narrative, and I do think that this is what lies at the song’s core. The relationship in this song need not be romantic, but given the sheer depth and fury of the passion here, it seems highly probable. There is a narrator who exists in what is very much a lopsided power dynamic with another (male) figure; very rarely is the narrator an active subject in this song, instead being subject to the figure’s curation and exploitation. The figure ‘took the stable / Bred me to be a mare / Made the brethren able / Gave me a room’, all of which are ostensible acts of kindness that nevertheless confirm a ruler/ruled dynamic. 

We receive that same confirmation in the next verse. ‘I never asked him / I never meant to stay’, says the narrator, and very quickly the song sours. The narrator finds themselves being used and abused, ‘never [leaving] the stall’ while their partner readily leaves their side. Any sense of a romantic relationship in an ideal sense – two partners, ‘riding side by side / Into the frontier’, tackling the world’s challenges as a single, symbiotic unit – is long defunct. Only misery remains for the narrator, with hope long-dashed by a pattern of careless exploitation.

With this as our narrative foundation, we reach the song’s climax, one of the most striking and instantly memorable moments in his catalogue on account of how utterly depraved it is. We are left with no doubt that Sufjan’s narrator is in a state of abject misery up to this point. But misery in Sufjan songs is so often detached, poetic, dejected, somehow fundamentally stoic. Not in ‘Kill’. The narrator has no remaining emotional bandwidth for stoicism. All that’s left is a carnal desire to exact onto the narrator’s partner some fraction of the pain that the partner exacted onto the narrator, and the only way to do this is through murder. 

You will not find a gnarlier image in the Sufjan catalogue than ‘I want to kill him / I want to cut his brain’, and the reason it has so much guttural power is because it does not quite read as psychopathic or unstable. The narrator only wants to do this. They never will, and likely never even could – the verses of this song are in the past tense, and by the time we reach the present tense of the pre-chorus, the partner has left the narrator forever. ‘Kill’ is a logical conclusion, an exhausted final attempt to lash out in a situation where the narrator knows they have no power to do so. When the chorus finally breaks down at the end into a futile repeated ‘I want’, the song’s message is complete. It is violent, but the violence is less a horror tale, more a tragedy.

This is the interpretation that a direct reading of ‘Kill’ provides us, but there are all sorts of semantic curios in this one that complicate interpretation. I am, of course, referring to the extended horse metaphor that this song seems to be pushing. Both narrator and villain are referred to as mares in this song; there is talk of stalls, of stables, of riding into battle in a literal sense. It is rather late for me to mention that ‘Kill’ has a source text, but it seemingly does – Sufjan cites an obscure Sherwood Anderson short story named ‘The Man Who Became a Woman’ as the basis for this song, but has refused to elaborate further. The surface-level parallels are very clear given that ‘The Man Who Became a Woman’ is a story about a horse trainer, but from there the complications begin, because Anderson’s story is a) incredibly obtuse and b) seems to reckon far more with gender, and to a lesser extent race, than it does dysfunctional romance as a theme. The narrative in ‘Kill’ certainly does not retell that of its source material, at least not in a manner discernible to the listener. But the connections are there nonetheless.

A Sun Came is an album that brims with loving, albeit surface-level, tributes to Sufjan’s musical and literary influences, and ‘Kill’ is one such example. But Anderson isn’t the only reference point for ‘Kill’. It is highly probable that Sufjan is intentionally referencing Elliott Smith’s ‘Roman Candle’ in the chorus of this one. Sufjan sings ‘I want to kill him / I want to cut his brain’; years earlier, Smith sang ‘I want to hurt him / I want to give him pain’. And this is almost certainly intentional given Sufjan’s professed admiration for Smith and the various comparisons that have been made between the two songwriters over Sufjan’s career. (What makes things even more interesting is that ‘Roman Candle’ is a song about Smith’s violent step-father. The same systematic patterns of abuse are present in the lyrics of both songs, albeit expressed with more eloquence in Smith’s. Even if not Sufjan’s own stepfather – Lowell Brahms is by all accounts a beautiful, caring soul – one wonders if the subject of ‘Kill’ might have a real-life referent.)

One could spend days attempting to decode ‘Kill’, and this is fortuitous, because musically it does not offer much. The bulk of the song consists of a repeating guitar figure that has a sort of leaden weight to it, dragging it down into the muck. It is vaguely reminiscent of – and inferior to – the ‘Abraham’ ostinato that Sufjan would pen a few years later, but this one is played almost entirely on the lower strings and as a result lacks the same ethereal pop and spring that many Sufjan songs capitalise on. There is some double tracking, especially in the chorus and pre-chorus, but it doesn’t add anything substantial to the arrangement. Neither does Sufjan’s strained, upper-register vocal melody, but there is certainly a sort of confessional quality to it that suits the subject matter. 

All of this comes together to create a song that is resolutely, undeniably un-fun to listen to. It is most likely for this reason that Sufjan chose never to play this one live, unlike some of the other stripped-back folk ballads on A Sun Came. When Sufjan dips his toes in depravity – ‘John Wayne Gacy Jr.’! ‘Saturn’! – incredibly compelling, listenable, rich things tend to emerge, but at this early stage of his career, it seems that the pieces are just not quite in place yet. But there’s no denying that ‘Kill’ is a fascinating and in many ways remarkably compelling song, just one that does not feel as listenable as it could be. It’s fine. Early days yet. All of these songs helped create our modern concept of Sufjan Stevens.

[carrlyn-stan]

Campfire song

Pairing|| Luke x Hades!Daughter!OC

Summary|| Luke comforts Holly after she gets a verse during the campfire song in TLT musical

Word Count|| 915

Holly watched the campers eat in the dinning pavilion. She poked at her food as Luke looked toward Holly. He sat by a unclaimed kid who just came to camp.

Luke slid Percy a glass of Ambrosia. Holly couldn't hear there conversation over the Apollo cabin starting to play guitars. She raised her glass along with the rest of camp as Luke toasted to the gods.

"My dad is Hermes, he messangers things, you'll know his sign by his shoes with those wings. I'd wait by the phone, but the phone never rings, OH NOO!" Holly listened to Luke sing. She frowned at their very similar stories.

"I know how that feels," she muttered.

"When your dad's a god, life can be tough! I met the guy once, and once was enough!"

"Oh, I hear that," Annabeth murmurs

"Annabeth!' Luke cheers.

"My mom is Athena," Annabeth joined in on the song, "she's smart and she's wise. She had sworn of gluten and she has sworn of guys. But if she came to camp, it be a surprise, oh noo!"

The rest of the camp joined in on the oh no.

"Oh and my step mom, she hates me, and my dad works all day. So I left Virginia and I ran away."

"Wait is that true?" Percy asks.

"Everybody!" Luke shouts. Even cranky old Holly joined in.

"Oh things couldn't be worse, when your parents run the universe. Ohh things couldn't be worse when your folks run the universe," "alright who's next."

A girl from Demeter cabin stood, "Oh my mom is Demeter, goddess of grain, she gets excited when it starts to rain. But planting and planting and planting's a pain, oh no! Right, for their sixteenth birthday my friends got a car, I got a fern in some dumb mason jar."

Grover let out a laugh, "Ooh, ooh, my turn! v I'm the child of pan, god of the wild. For those who love nature they're often beguiled. He's not really my dad, but i'm sort of his child, oh no. He went for a hike to explore new frontiers, no one has seen him for thousands of year."

The camp once more repeated the chorus before coming to Chiron.

"Oh, well, my father is Kronos," the camp fell dead, "remember my lecture, he ate his children."

"Yeah, Chiron wins," Luke said through gritted teeth. "What about you Holly?"

"Umm… my parents aren't quite like all of yours. My father was Hades, my mother Persephone, I was born eighteen years ago, on a technicality, oh no. A prophecy stated my early arrival, what a load of absolute shit. Dropped at the gates of this mighty camp, I was raised by Mr.D to one day be a god, yet that training has made me want to stay, oh no, so when the summer solstice comes, I won't know what to do, my life has gone to absolute poo," Holly looked down at her meal, she felt tears wanting to stream down her face.

"Aaa Alright Percy, it's your turn," Luke told the boy next to him. He did, however look towards Holly, her sad face breaking his heart. Without much warning Holly suddenly disappeared. Once out of the sight of the pavilion she wandered over to a tree. On the tree there was a ladder.

She started to climb till she was met with the familiar sight of her tree house, one she had built for her as a child. As she entered a set of small glowing lights flickered on. She crawls over to a small padded bench and sat down. Holly was under the roofed part of the tree house.

She took a deep breath in as rain starts to fall. Holly snaps her head to the crawl space. She saw a mop of curly brown hair emerge from the trunk.

"Can I come in?" Luke asks. He could barely see Holly nod. Luke pushes himself up into the small house. He walks over and sits down next to the girl. They both watched to the rain hit the wooden deck of the tree house. For Holly, it had soothing properties.

"I'm sorry I'm such a wreck, it's just my past is hard," Holly leaned into Luke's side. He wrapped his left arm around her shoulders.

"My history is hard to, at least one day you get to go and be with your dad," Luke harshly laughs.

"I don't even really know him, it was them who didn't even want me. I was supposed to be a great, amazing, universally loved gift."

"We all were supposed to be," Luke frowned.

"I don't even know how I'm supposed to go to the underworld when I've, one, never been there, and two, I don't even want to, I have to!"

"Are you sure you can't chose?" Luke looked towards Holly.

"No I can't, something about the gods needing this, requiring this," Holly groaned.

"The gods need to be put into their place," Luke muttered.

"What?" Holly looked up at Luke. Oh gods! Luke thought, she can't know. Why was I so stupid? Not yet at least.

"Um.. nothing, I just said I wished you had a choice," Luke lied.

"Oh, I wish I had a choice, too," Holly whispers closing her eyes. She graciously made her head comfortable on Luke's shoulder. Luke knew he loved Holly, he knew he wanted her in on his plans, but she couldn't know about, not yet at least.

[rebelichor]

'🗣' + Enok (Avatar Verse) ♡

🗣

The writer: Oh, Enok, sweet baby boy, I could be such a boy mum about him all HE NEVER HAS DONE A THING WRONG LOOK AT THIS ANGEL but alas. There was one night where I was playing Frontiers of Pandora with Vers and we were sneaking into a facility when Enok's ikran suddenly swooped and bit a guards head alerting everyone and their mother to our presence, and I think that sums up Enok pretty well. When I say chaos follows him everywhere, that is what I mean. He is built like a warrior, and he will fight like one to protect what little he has, but deep down I think he wants to lay down his weapons and find peace. He doesn't fight for the thrill of it or because he hungers for the conflict, he fights because he has to, especially when he has loved ones to protect. He's a good soul who was dealt a bad hand.

Ariadne: 💬 ... he makes me wild! Mother give me strength to not beat more sense into him— his fear response was to curiously poke around a Palulukan's territory. Not to run. Not to walk away. Instead he brought me there! Argh! He's lucky he has his smile... I could forgive anything when he smiles as bright as the sun... Enok is very dear to me.

@enokvirkow

[atonalginger]

WIP Wednesday

Oh hey it's Wednesday and I've got some snippets. I've been sharing...maybe oversharing? So there is a possibility some of you have seen some of this and for that I'm sorry and not sorry. LOL I've got a few plates spinning and one I'm going to do my best to keep quiet as I get it really spinning because it's using Shattered Space storybeats and that's still pretty dang fresh so I'm going to not share that a bunch....

But I also have some new stuff set in the Lyssa Shrike 'verse with early starborn!Sam and I can share that with ease.

Also I have a new chapter for my f04 fic that just went live on ao3. You can find the post for it by clicking here looking at my previous post on my blog 😅

anyway my WIP Wed snippet under the read more:

In the end Jacob ordered Lillian to get the hell out of his family’s home and watched Cora while Sam went out to the Empty Nest to grab the artifact. Jacob wasn’t told any of that, simply that Constellation had interest of something out in the frontier and needed Sam to look into it. He didn’t even ask to see the maps, the location burned into his memory after a half dozen trips through Unity. Just assured the old man he’d be back before sundown and gave Cora a big hug before heading off into the wild savanna for a shiny hunk of metal.

It was still strange to him that some of the artifacts always showed up in the same place. But only some. The one found in the NASA lab on Earth wasn’t all that surprising as it had to be there for the timeline to have grav drives. But then there was the one on Bindi that Barrett always located before his arrival. And the one on Vectera, where some unlucky dusty would find it and likely die trying to fight the pirates of the Crimson Fleet. Then there was the one on Akila and the one at the Nishina lab out in the outer starfield. He wondered the significance of those locations. Why Mars, where Aiza found his prize hundreds of years prior? Why Akila? Or the meager moons of Bindi and Vectera? Or Freya III? Why were they special?

Now that they were back at the Lodge Sam wanted to rest for a bit. He was still adjusting to the reality that he’d be in this universe for a while. He hadn’t planned on staying but then his cinnamon gumdrop caught him. He needed to stay for her, needed to give her structure, to help her keep the good thing she had going here at the Lodge. It was a lot to adjust to after jump after jump rushing to the end goal with a blind fervor. Wanting to get to the next universe, to get away from the reminders that Lila was out there, happy in the arms of some lucky Sam that wasn’t him.

The garden was quiet with most of the Lodge out on errands or jobs. Cora was in the library with another new book curled up on the couch. He leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head with his adventurers hat sat low to block the sunlight shining through the glass ceiling. Just a quick rest before Sarah and Walter came back from their meeting at MAST and started barking fresh orders.

The doors to the library creaked open and a familiar voice called over to the hearth, “Hola mija! Que pasa?”

“Hey Uncle Gabi,” Cora called back, “I was just reading one of my new books. How’d your last job go?”

“Got a little livelier than planned,” Delgado chuckled, “found us a new member.”

“Oh yeah!” Cora said, “Hi, hi! I’m Cora Coe.”

There was a long pause before Delgado let out another laugh, more awkward than before, “This is Lyssa Shrike. She’s still a touch overwhelmed with it all. She’s the one who brought home the plate from Vectera.”

“Oh, right!” Cora was moving through the library now, the tension in the room trickling into the garden, forcing Sam to sit up, “Noel mentioned that when we got back from Akila. She said when the artifacts started doing that,” there was a pause, “that you got thrown and had to sleep it off.”

“Something like that,” the woman’s voice was stilted. She was fighting something back and Sam wasn’t sure if it was tears or rage. From where he sat it felt like it could go either way.

“Your dad nearby?” Delgado asked.

“He’s in the garden,” Cora voice grew closer as she spoke, “might be napping though. Akila was a tri-ip.”

“It always is when your grandfather is involved,” Delgado appeared in the doorway with Cora and stopped as she continued to join Sam at the table, “Noel said you found an artifact out in the frontier?”

“Yup,” Sam said while he fixed his hat. He saw apprehension in Delgado’s eyes before the explorer glanced over his shoulder and motioned for Lyssa to join them. The tension was growing thicker, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, “apparently one of Solomon’s old finds was home to one. Jacob would say I ruined the place by taking the artifact but—“

“That’s why we didn’t tell him where you were going,” Cora finished with a big grin.

“Exactly.” Sam winked at her.

Cora leaned in while Delgado whispered something at the newest member and got in his ear, “I think we have a problem.”

“What do you mean?” Sam tore his eyes off the door to look at his ward.

“Lyssa?” Cora nearly hissed the name as she stared at him with a ��think’ look, “When I said my name her face dropped like I’d dropkicked her in the gut. And when I mentioned you were in the library something switched in her eyes. I don’t think the name is a coincidence.”

“She found the artifact on Vectera,” Sam whispered back, “shit.”

“Yes, shit,” Cora stood back up and put her grin back on, her voice still quiet, “I got your back.”

[desultory-novice]

...What time is it...? It's time to slowly clear out Dess's massively over-stuffed inbox with another LIGHTNING ROUND!

> both does and doesn't survive

Oooh, that choice of words!! /pos

> a refusal to stop just because the story says its finished

And ahhhh, this too!! /pos

...Okay, wow, I need to draw more Beast Pack now... (Sorry, I wish I had a more intelligent response than that but I daresay you already laid claim to the most brilliant words!)

--

Hello hello! As a fan of the show Firefly back in the day, I APPROVE OF GALACTIC WILD WESTS!

But no, this is really smart! Most of the people who come to Popstar could be easily categorized as shipwrecked or refugees of some kind. People from the "greater" more modernized galaxy winding up on a backwoods-y planet. (And I think it's been described that way in certain works. Or implied?)

Depending upon how you take the Floralia situation, Popstar could be a bit like Australia or some other small island callously "claimed" by the British Empire. Outside of a few places like Butter Building (and even that is a maybe) most of its locales seem to be places that are still standing from ancient history. Not a lot has been done with it from this generation of Popstarians. It's frontier-land.

Also, Max as a robber-baron is a A+++ idea! This all reminds me of how in my expanded Dreamy Gear concept, I made the HWC one of those shady AF age of expansion railway companies! It just feels very in tune with the way the HWC was doing things! (Under the table and independent of any galactic authority, to be certain!)

--

As far as that particular puffed up depiction of Dedede goes, I can see it too, tbh! ...Nyeh. XD

Pardon my YGO Abridged reference.

--

I have to admit, I haven't read every novel in-depth, but Takase-sensei is getting a lot closer to my own views of Kirby + Kirby-verse here. I feel like the Planet Robobot novel might be the last one of hers where I really appreciated the specific take she took with things!

(Btw, I wonder if we'll get a third novel this year? I still don't think a Mago Epilogue novel is coming just because no Meta Knight XD but I'm curious what other story she might cook up now...!)

--

I think it's a great thing to think about! Just like HAL and Kumazaki love to dump lore in the most obscure places, I think we're meant to think about these things! Enjoy going in depth on them!

Now, I think I lean towards a more emotionally balanced Taranza, even while seeing him as someone in mourning. I've of course laughed at the various crying/distraught reactions people have given him (which are all really funny!) but I also think that maybe he'd be someone to take it more as what it is - a tribute?

(At least, I don't think Magolor means it negatively. I'm not 100% on that, because he DOES like to play tricks on people. But I also have a personal HC that he learned about Halcandra and the Lor/Master Crown during time he spent with the spiders so I don't think he'd do that to Taranza to be mean. Maybe Magolor never reached the stage of being "friends" with Taranza and Sectonia, friendless wizard that he is, but I think he liked them, potentially?)

So, I think Taranza would be touched by the mask (he MIGHT cry though) and the way it is labeled. It's subtle. It doesn't flaunt the fact that Taranza never got his feelings across to his beloved. Nor does it disrespectfully rewrite history as if he had.

I think Susie is also able to have a fairly calm (?) or at least highly restrained reaction to seeing her father's visage. But again, I like the concept that she might mock-threaten to sue Magolor too!

If Magolor DIDN'T get contracted by Susie to make that Weekend Outfit Susie mask and instead made it himself based on observations of her in his trip through the timelines, now THAT would get him in some serious hot water for sure! (But she probably would compliment him on how she looks appropriately cute in it.)

...Daroach would have something quippy to say, I would feel. Probably something a li~ttle prickly about how it's funny he doesn't see a mask depicting MAGOLOR's time under the possession of an evil artifact!

Magolor: "......"

I suppose Marx's reactions to a mask of his soul form depend entirely on where you place Marx on the "more intelligent than he looks" slider. If he's just a silly little guy, then Magolor just made a palette swap mask of him and that's funny!

If he's actually very, very SMART then he would say the same thing as before - on the surface. And then he and Magolor would have a very serious talk about things. In private.

(I, of course, love a Marx who is exceptionally magically inclined. Possibly more attuned to magic than a non-Master Crown empowered Magolor. And he might be able to recognize just from a glance what exactly is "going on" in the Marx Soul mask - certainly from the invocation of "Soul" in the name. Namely, that Magolor saw something HE SHOULDN'T.)

Coo: "...Why am I gray??"

And I agree that Kirby would love the different colored Kirbys and probably made all the Dream Team try them on!

PS: I would love to write/draw/read/see more depictions of the others enjoying Merry Magoland! It's such untapped ground!

--

I did, in fact, post my treatment for my best attempt at coming up with an entry-evel Kirby movie with plenty of easter eggs back in this post! I'm not... 100% satisfied with it, as it's so heavily and clearly an ADAPTATION smooshing several plots into one.

But I did what I could with the idea of trying to cram as many games and major characters into three movies as possible while sticking with Kirby = Friendship as a major theme.

To be honest, I'm more in love with the plot concept I teased for the "second movie," that combines Squeak Squad and Triple Deluxe and RtDL together and pits Kirby and the gang against the Squeaks against Magolor and Taranza against Sectonia against Traitor Magolor in a wacky mystery of mistaken motives!

I think the "thief vs thief" and "royalty vs wannabe royalty" aspects make the characters from that game mesh together a little better than trying to speedrun the Dark Matter Saga + Marx in one movie.

But lets answer some of the rest of this, shall we? ...If you go back enough years, I would have liked to see a Kirby movie done entirely in 2D, but even the old anime series recognized it was easier to keep Kirby on model if he were 3D. So nowadays, it would have to be 3D.

I don't expect it would go for a particular visual style, ala Spiderverse or Puss in Boots. I really think it would look like your average Disney/Pixar/Illumination "clean" CG movie....

But it would be fun if they tried for a more impactful style! Something heavily cell-shaded, perhaps? I love the aesthetics of Epic Yarn and Rainbow Curse, so while a movie might not be the place to get super experimental, I wouldn't mind them trying!

Mario has proven that you don't need to massively twist the characters into the Hollywood "cartoon" model to be successful so I think Kirby could lean more toward a "faithful" depiction.

That said, while -I- personally would do everything possible to work in as many references as possible if I were put in charge, the sad truth is, I never would be, and so I expect a Kirby movie would be a little vanilla in its plot. A "Kirby vs King Dedede only oops, Dark Matter/Nightmare is really behind things!" story?

I wouldn't necessarily expect to see the Animal Friends or Adeleine or Gooey in it. Maybe Marx, given he's popular. (But I don't expect a massively nuanced take on him. ^^; )

...I'd go see it though, either way!

--

Oho!

This is a pretty interesting concept because Elfilin is not really anything resembling a combatant. Then again, Adeleine isn't much of one either...

Because Adeleine takes a lot from the Artist copy ability (and the same can be said for other Dream Friends who call back to certain movesets) I think I would continue along that path and base Elfilin at least partly on the ESP copy ability.

Elfilin would have a few unique attack moves, based on the use of their tail, probably. Little excited, flicky movements! As well as moves based around their ability to make portals/rifts!

They might be able to use weaker versions of Fecto Elfilis's moves including a softer version of Elfilis' Antares spear? (Probably made of light or a phantasmal version, rather than just a miniaturized version of it XD ) And of course, every X number of times you use the move that summons objects from a dimensional rift, a miniature Big Rig falls out and rams into something! XD

--

...Anon...

How you tempt me... 

.

Our setting is a dimly-lit smoky bar. A woman with thick hair covering one of her ruby eyes and with warm, earthy skin leans in, her gold jewelry flashing, her dress sinking past her feet.

“The others call me...'clingy.' Said I don’t know how to let go.”

Her partner, an older gentleman with plenty of blond left in his slicked back hair and a surprisingly attractive squint shuts his pocket watch and smiles a cat-like smile at her.

“Misty, you know my only purpose in life is to grant your wish.”

.

May you all be damned with that visual as I have been!

--

If I don't say this enough, I have received so much support from this fandom and I'm just so very grateful to all of you.

I hope all of you are receiving the love and care you deserve as well for being such creative, kind, patient, understanding people...!

[libidomechanica]

Again these years the Soul a cursed heart is

To lash and rose avarice all     ills, receive; let they praises little than the print of the     light event with Phoebus light in Truth, with&. A bargain was     those me this reede of those. She is so mix’d with me with while     she doth no mean no more

clere vsed on; he have knows; yet how     nature dressed for me: he, dear There is powres and you hast     sun. I’d water for the her yellow not; we have to     that fair way: let the onwardly doctors are lies; amid     there, in you passion-flower

off or on which may be friendship     travel’s end, but I may get me instead of think the     world sloop in the winding Body’s boast, to your hair and the     Mountain great opening, and sang a Fantom of his full     of loue he children

undefiled in her was bust of     mass for of wild, we drops death length forth, whether; and overlean     of every night to strong; but kind. To the Hielands, Leezie     Lindsay, will lovelin- like theory and him crying     to despatcht the jewels from

mountain-side, the spright darkness of     Sense; or far, and looked the pale flits are like the narrows whose     Waters, and how Aurora throught from the silt and then a     stitch in Miracle is renown’d was verse.—For Fame of his     Hand on this our beauty

sting your most so stays bee and my     past remains on, and may not known serene, just as the great     be. Lighted arose in violin, bassoon; and thus a     Noodle heard to hatch o’er thou shall night, we easily know,     that loved unto the gave

offices? Been married. And     energy—his Treasure-House it has not talk’d away for him.     I bring fastidiousness. His but in men’s soul may be children     of wealth, in a day and heart, and sycophants. Alone     lose mountains among the

wisardsweltre in face, strangers the     door. With not looked knife. Angrily of the pleasure of my     pension of hys Lordes theyrs, let’s gore, where like thou like     featherine’s trueth, while I decide, were thou shalt winter mind     triumph’d that indifferently

open fingers cold have frontier     iudgments. Of Heauen the love. Thee lusteth our dues. I dancer,     mine eye in sight, or be concealed, I like some may there.     He smile the to you said, had give a dole of Sharon, and     the child crash, some hundressing

the wilde plain, to follie of her     Day’s Delight! There they from The daughter—what without, or next     the Faith-press into his answer. Again these years the Soul     a cursed heart is thing upon the after than thus by such     somethings are reign church, wind

on earth regard—how long-stemmed     wilderness, come, we could have tea-hours appear, but a favourite     down thy sweet Accept together lids: against that someone     especial perfumes the univers by thee fair friends.     The forsworn, down thee, I

said, their stature the debt to veil     thy side. Lie all backs, and weetly, she has twa sparkling     round, what thou forget where is raking the word; they also     calm, a magnetic Discipling on still of love of the     brough and Ruby and stress,

love! Ye shoes, O princess, nor for     then a white through, and a hey done who ever know fatigue     with the must kind and terribly afar in alley light,     after sunlight, nay chief some groan dogma rathers hunger     pretty ring, Jámi, in

their stature’s stark mute into     his my sounds, Leezie Linnet and those eyes and where blink it be,     simple tree precedence in vain of a set upon his     Despaired workman. She must half yielded holiday, was till     was yet new! Melt thou art

for which do us none of wealth,     that watch’d boors was out the compensate, creature by rote. They     lay me not for but no doubt to give and sip her virtues     with the maize, both oh! Like a thou like to the should be dead;     you see thought time, the sea.

[medicus-mortem]

Swindler Heart // Weird West Verse

Wanted: Dead or Alive

Name: Trafalgar Law Occupation: Gang Leader, Doctor, Confidence Man Gang: The Heart Gang Crimes: Murder, Cheating at Cards, Robbery, Arson, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Fraud, Bribery, Vagrancy.

When you're faced with burnin' alive inside your own home, you're gonna make some dumb decisions, especially when you're a kid desperate to survive. Although, kinda hesitant to say a prayer made while surrounded by smoke, ash, and fire is a decision, but it still had consequences. For me, those consequences involve bein' denied the rest of death. Well, kind of. It's complicated. You wanna shoot me in the heart? Yeah, I'll go down and end up as cold as any other corpse, but I won't stay that way. It's fucking exhausting, frankly. Still, there are some perks to this devilish existence. The dead talk to me and damn do they have some secrets to tell. Secrets that can be lucrative to a man with my talents.

Like anyone out there in this wild frontier, I do what I can to get by, generally at the expense of someone else. Not my fault most fools are willing to part with their money 'cause of a smile and some smooth words. Not my fault most dimwits are so easy to fleece. I've even managed to amass myself a gang of people willin' to follow my every word. Good thing I've begun to care for this gaggle of idiots, even if them seein' me die and then rise again for the first time caused some ... problems. Still, it helps to be surrounded by loyalty, especially when some are willing to time my corpse periods. Really helpful for my attempts to figure out how the fuck I keep doin' this.

We've made a bit of a name for ourselves, which makes things harder. More people seem to be wary of us in these parts. Guess it's time for us to move on. Possibly further west, further into the wilds for a while. We'll find a wealthier score, and maybe I'll give these morons the better life this land has denied them.

Art by @jugumpuppet.

[thirstworldproblemss]

I posted 3,242 times in 2022

201 posts created (6%)

3,041 posts reblogged (94%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@themandaloriandaily

@eggdrawsthings

@bestintheparsec

@trashcora

@ithinkwehitametaphor

I tagged 3,230 of my posts in 2022

#q - 3,067 posts

#pp stuff - 2,080 posts

#it's mando hours - 1,905 posts

#star wars - 1,868 posts

#din djarin - 1,632 posts

#the mandalorian - 1,574 posts

#fanart - 1,427 posts

#gifs - 909 posts

#grogu - 907 posts

#the book of boba fett - 789 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#we've not *quite* hit national lampoon levels of ridiculous complications and inconveniences but boy have we come closer than i would like

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Anonymous Asked:

I’m seeing your stories again all through my dashboard. People finding out about the underrated Frankie.

It’s been decided. No more catfish. He is now officially known as ………

Frankie “Big Dick” Morales😈😈😈😈

lol🥴🫣

—

Ahahaha... Hell Yeah! 'Big Dick' Morales for the win!! <3

🚁📏🍆

Thank you, love, for the support and for making me laugh!! 😁🥰

Alas, as much as I wish I could take credit for the idea, I definitely was not the first to envision Frankie as a big boy.

Here's some of my other favorite 'BD' Frankie stories:

Coming Home by  @astroboots  (the first part of her Frankie x reader x Santi Homecoming ‘verse which was the inspiration for In the Still of the Night)

Weeknights by @frannyzooey​ (this entire series is so, so good, and once things heat up in ch 3: Wednesday it’s hot like fucking FIRE)

Behind the Raindrops by @jazzelsaur (a long, sometimes painful read, but an absolutely fantastic one; there's some exceptionally hot solo action in ch 8.1.1, and then Frankie’s BD officially joins the group chat ‘round about ch 13)

Moving Day by @adverbedly​ (also Frankie x reader x Santi; possibly the og BD Frankie, or at least the first one I remember reading)

Wild Things by @charnelhouse​ (charnie has so freakin’ many fantastic fics featuring ‘BD’ Frankie, but I think this one just might be my favorite of hers)

These are just the ones I could remember off the top of my head (well okay, I had to phone a friend because I have the memory of a goldfish--thanks, cici!), but I'm sure I've missed a bunch!

Anyone else have any 'Big Dick' Frankie recs to share? 👀👀

95 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

#4

Anonymous asked:

So happy you extended the deadline for your fanworks celebration! I have to share some of my favorite recent Triple Frontier fanfics! 🤩

✩ Slumber ✩ by @write-and-buried {Frankie}

✩ Bunny Girl ✩ by @laters-gators {Santiago}

✩ The Party ✩ by @juletheghoul {Frankie}

✩ Only Angel ✩ by @j-buchanan {Frankie/reader/Santiago}

✩ Sunshine State ✩ by @brewsterispunkk {Benny}

✩ Double or Nothing ✩ by @supernaturalgirl20 {Frankie}

✩ My Brother's Keeper ✩ by @dieterbravospr {Frankie}

✩ Time Changes ✩ by @tripleissue {Will}

Hope you like them!

→ (See the full post)

122 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

#3

Fic: Not Smart, Very Stupid Games

(Part of @astroboots​' Homecoming ‘verse )

Fandom:  Triple Frontier Pairing:  Santiago Garcia x F reader (x Frankie Morales) Length:  7.5k words Rating: Explicit 🔞 Warnings:  This fic contains explicit sexual content including male masturbation, getting caught, orgasm delay/edging (both accidental and intentional), a handjob and some mild fem dom within a poly relationship. Also mentions oral sex, p-in-v sex, m/m/f threesome shenanigans and a homemade sex tape. 

Summary: Santiago Garcia is not the most patient man, but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn… right?

Notes: This story takes place in ‘boot’s spectacular Homecoming ‘verse. Her reader is taller than Santiago but should otherwise be a blank slate (please let me know if I botched this). Set at some point after the events of Play stupid games win stupid prices, which are referenced here. You don’t need to read that (or any of HC) to understand this, but why wouldn’t you!? It’s absolutely amazing!

Not Smart, Very Stupid Games

[ twp’s Masterlist | HC Series Masterlist ]

“There is a file in your documents folder named ‘sex tape’,” Santi says into the phone, running a hand over his jaw as he stares at the file in question, “Please tell me that is not our actual sex tape?”

“Of course it is. What else would it be?” you respond distractedly, tone ever-so-slightly indignant in the way that says you don’t see what the problem is.

“You can’t just–” He breaks off, massaging his temples in a futile effort to rub out some of the tension building behind his eyes. “Cariño, that’s a huge security risk. Anyone could just waltz right in and click play.”

He suits actions to words, sliding the pointer over to double click the file. The player opens, and then he’s looking at an image of you climbing into Frankie’s lap.

Shit. He’s going to have to encrypt this.

→ (See the full post)

174 notes - Posted October 4, 2022

#2

Favorite Fanworks Recs

Here’s the final list of all the fic, art, gifs, and more that were recommended for my Show Me the Fanworks! Celebration.  In the end you lovely folks recced a truly spectacular 154 of your favorite fanworks from 75 talented creators!  

💕 Thank you so much to everyone who participated!! 💕

Here’s a breakdown of fanworks by character:

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) - 34

Frankie Morales (Triple Frontier) - 25

Javier Peña (Narcos) - 18

Dieter Bravo (The Bubble) - 10

Pero Tovar (The Great Wall) - 10 

Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley (Moon Knight) - 10

Ezra (Prospect) - 8

Santiago Garcia (Triple Frontier) - 7

Pedro Pascal - 5

Marcus Pike (The Mentalist) - 4 

Javi Gutierrez (TUWoMT) - 4

Miller Brothers: Benny & Will (Triple Frontier) - 4

Dave York (The Equalizer 2) - 3+

Agent Whiskey (Kingsman: TGC) - 3

Marcus Moreno (We Can Be Heroes) - 2

Max Phillips (Bloodsucking Bastards) - 2

Black Krrsantan (The Book of Boba Fett), Pedro Across the Street (Calls), The Thief (Casillero Del Diablo), Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones), Joel Miller (The Last of Us), Maxwell Lord (Wonder Woman 1984) - 1 each

→ (See the full post)

352 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Fic: In the Still of the Night

Fandom: Triple Frontier Pairing: Frankie Morales x F reader Length: 8.7k Rating: Explicit like whoa for sex stuff

Warnings: this fic contains explicit sexual content including male masturbation, edging, accidental (and then intentional) voyerism, overstimulation, and unprotected p-in-v sex within an established relationship with some soft femdom and swtichy overtones. May inspire unrealistic expectations.

Summary: Frankie “Big Dick (Bigger Libido)” Morales wakes up in the middle of the night wanting you.

Notes:  Please be aware that I’m not even close to joking about this Frankie having a big dick and an even bigger sex drive.  I’ve tried to play it straight (and hopefully sexy) for purposes of this fic, but be prepared to suspend your disbelief a little (we’re officially in “refractory period? what refractory period?” land, folks)

—

In the Still of the Night

[ twp’s Masterlist ]

— 

It’s the middle of the night when Frankie jolts awake, his pulse thudding away in his ears, arousal clenched like a fist in his gut.

→ (See the full post)

435 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[wyrmfedgrave]

Pics:

1 & 2. The works that we're dealing with here...

3. HPL's own autobiographical sketch.

4. Books using dramatic graphic arts to 'enhance' Howard's stories...

5. A great example of the inside!!

6 to 7. Various Lovecraft collections.

8. HPL's description of his visit to Quebec, Canada.

9 & 10. Howard story collections - based upon his created cities.

(DC comics should do this!

They have a plethora of mythical cities invented to 'challenge' their heroes...)

1915: HPL Output.

(From the United Amateur, March 1915 edition.)

Blarney Stone for (this) November & December is dedicated to its (writers) & wholly given over to their works.

In "The Christmas of Delsato's Maria," an Italian thief utilize(s) his question- able art to replace a loss in his family.

Suddenly, Lovecraft 'analyses' his own work...

"To General Villa" is a peculiar piece of verse written last summer (to) defy those who... charged it's author with pedantry (excessive concern with minor details) & pomposity (self important).

The changes of time & revolutions have rendered the last line... out of date.

Th(is) issue... concluded with... "Service With Love," (that) describe(s) the ideal spirit of brotherhood which should pervade amateur journalism.

(As to) the 2 blank pages (in) the back of the magazine, (we) wish... some talented Blarney had seen fit to adorn them with his work.

The (January) Brooklynite is of unusual merit, ...teeming with (well written) features & substantial character.

(The) essay on ghosts displays considerable literary knowledge, though the anecdote at the end is (too) ancient for (modern) use.

We... heard it... 10 years ago, (from) a Scotsman - (not) a negro preacher.

"Consolidation"... is a(n) example of (how) less dignified (NAPAs) cast... aspersions on the (USPS).

There is... irony in the spectacle of a... member of the... Gotham (NYC) ring, preaching... against the unenviable record of the United.

(Yet, Howard would later serve as President of the National...)

We wish... that (Mr. Stoddard) would give us... more of the serious fiction that he... write(s) so splendidly...

Miss Silverman's lines on (loud mouthed peace workers) are... scarcely... keen... (in) wit...

It is... well to "keep industry booming," but industry cannot take the place of (the) military... in protecting a nation against foreign aggression.

The Coyote for March is... a semi- professional leaflet...

(It's) leading feature is... entitled "What Gambling Did..."

We must protest against his taste in subject & technique.

His models are... not... classical & his ideas (on) probability are far from unexceptional.

(For whatever reason, HPL now goes into some detail on how to write!)

In developing (1's) narration, it is... best to discard... elaborate plots & thrilling climaxes...

Begin instead with (a) plain & simple description of actual events...

Avoid improbability by composing (your) earliest efforts in the 1st person.

(The writer) knows what he would do in certain circumstances, but... not always... what... others might do in similar cases...

Above all things... read classic fiction, abstain... from Wild West Weeklies & the (other pulps).

(If you) have a taste for excitement, (you) would probably thrive on Scott, Cooper or Poe...

Read the Leather Stocking Tales (for their) pioneers & frontier life...

Acquire a familiarity with the methods of the best authors & refine (your) imagination (on) their works - should (you) attempt... writing outside (your) own experience.

(You) will then... produce work of... quality...

(Now, back to the expected reviews.)

We are sorry to note the... paid advertising & subscription price...

Such things have no place in an... amateur (publication)...

The (July) Emissary is a National paper, but contains... works (from) several United members...

Though only 18 years of age, (the) editor/printer (is) of the highest grade.

"Ausonius, the Nature Lover"... is a... judicious appreciation of a later Latin poet.

(It) shows how a bard of the decaying Roman Empire approached the spirit of 'modern' (1915) romanticism.

(The) translated extracts are (well) phrased & his comments... exhibit... wide & careful scholarship.

"Lamb o' Mine"... is... the most attractive... verse in the magazine.

(Its) negro dialect is (unique).

The consoling spirit of the old "mammy"... radiates from (its) lines.

The Kansan for July reaches us at a late date.

(Its) Sunflower Club of Bazine makes its formal debut, being ushered into amateur society...

The(ir) editorial pages are brilliant in... justifying... the United's sunny spirit, (being) contrasted with the National's forbidding frigidity.

The (September/February issue of) The Olympian, ...defines its latest editorial policy & (it's) true attitude toward the United.

(It) reveal(s)... more strongly (its) prejudice against our association in favor of the National.

"Play Hour"... appears in a collection of short... pieces...

It is difficult... to imagine the dignified Zeus as the author...

The 2nd of these tuneful rhymes is... written in the 'simplified' spelling now popular among certain editors...

Closer inspection reveals... that the spelling is... made 'juvenile' to suit the subject.

After all, simple (English) & baby talk are... little removed from each other.

(The) September/November (issue of) Prometheus... lives up to its subtitle "A Magazine of Aspirations Dreamed Into Reality."

"Weaver of Dreams"... is a... well written short story... expressing a beautiful Christian philosophy.

(An) Oriental tale presents a... fable (from) old Moorish Spain, titled "Ali Ahmed & the Aqueduct."

Red Letter Days for October is... an informal... paper... representing the most... personal phase of amateur journalism...

We are sorry that (this journal) has adopted simplified spelling, but it is an evil in which (they are) by no means alone...

Stray Leaves for May/June is another paper which... arrived late...

The reference to anti-Suffrage & Suffrage as "2 vital questions" is (not) permissible, these are (actually) the 2 sides of... 1 question...

The January (issue of) Woodbee exhibits amateur journalism at its best.

"Spiritual Significance of the Stars"... (reveals) the inspiring influence of astronomical study on the cultivated intellect...

(This) leading feature... traces the slow unfolding of celestial knowledge.

(It) points out the... mental power which enables man to discern the vast universe.

And (also) comprehends the complex principles by which it is governed.

In the laws of the heavens (the writer) finds the prototype of all human law & the... perfect model for human institutions...

"We Are Builders All"... is a graceful allegory based on the Temple of Solomon...

(Its) editorials are brief.

In 1 of them, it is stated that the paper is submitted - without fear - to critics & Eddie Cole.

(Now,) in view of Mr. Cole's scholarly critical work, (Lovecraft) hopes that no reflection (is intended) against this journal's editor.

End.

[snkts]

8. someone they view as a role model

“His name is Fergus.” ‘Logan’ says, peeling the skin off a potato with a knife.

“Fergus?” Rose asks. She’s working on boiling some water in the hearth. It’s slow going, but it works. They’ll have a decent stew tonight. Logan nods.

“Big, mean old bastard.” He says, tossing the peels into a small pile. “I don’t think he started as a miner. He just showed up here, like we did.”

“I see.” Rose pressed her lips into a thin line. Logan glanced up at her and frowned. He studied her for a moment before he continued. She wasn’t happy. He had a few guesses as to why.

“He’s a good man.” Logan insists. He tossed the peeled potato in a bowl with its companions. There were a few more to get through, and he snatched the next potato with a bit more emphasis. Rose sighs.

“I’m sure he is.” She sits back and rests her hands on her lap. Logan scoffs.

“You haven’t even given him a chance.” He protests. He’s no longer paying attention to the vegetables. His frustration makes itself evident in the set of his jaw and the furrow of his brow. But he's trying to behave - for her. For his friend.

“Brendan’s mentioned him before.” Rose says. Logan blinks.

“Smitty?” He says, then frowns. He liked Smitty well enough. He was a good man. He treated Rose well. He was kind to Logan. He’d taught both of them quite a bit. Logan was more than willing to take his opinion into consideration, but… “What did he say?” Rose is silent for a moment. She moves to the table and sits across from Logan.

“... I just don’t want you around him.” She says. She doesn't meet his gaze. He stops peeling the potatoes.

“He’s taking me hunting tomorrow evening.” He said. Rose looked up. She looked concerned, and her heart rate picked up slightly. Logan stared at her, brow furrowed in confusion.

“What is it?” He set the knife down and sat up fully. “I don't… I don’t see what the problem is. I don’t understand. He’s a good man - he showed me how to throw hatchets this morning.” He gestured over to the pot on the hearth. “Besides, we’re nearly out of meat. We didn’t even have enough for the soup tonight. Let me bring something back. Even one deer would feed the three of us for a while–”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Ja–” She stops herself. He blinks, tilts his head, and frowns. The few seconds of silence fall into eternity. Rose stands up and moves to the hearth again, grabbing the poker to adjust the coals and avoiding looking his way.

“Just promise me you’ll be careful.” She finally spoke. He nodded and looked down at his own hands.

“I will be, Rose - cross my heart.”

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 8 April 1954

Another week with a song that I know. And after the intensity of Granada, this one's a welcome break. It's still dramatic, but like a warm bath, it eases you on into the drama - with a killer hook into the chorus that I reckon most people have heard, even if they don't know it.

Secret Love - Doris Day (peaked at No. 1)

Oh, I like this song. Doris Day did, apparently, too - she was played an early version of it by its composer and is on record as being very impressed. She clearly is giving it her all here, and apparently she did this one in one take. "That's it. You're never going to do it better," said the musical director, or so the story goes, and the rest was history.

It's a song from the film Calamity Jane, which I haven't seen, and probably should watch at some point. It's a musical comedy, all about the romance between real-life sharpshooter and all-round American frontier character Calamity Jane and famed gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok. There's romantic hijinks, punch glasses being shot from hands, and stagecoaches, and every shot I see from it makes Doris look like an actual badass.

The song I guess must be about how Calamity has a crush on Bill? It's fairly straightforward, but lovely and very sweet, and you can tell from the way Doris sings that she loves the piece. I can't quite explain how it carries across, but it really does.

We start the song quiet but still expansive, with this warm horn line, and a load of slow, tinkling strings. The violins are just playing this subtle vibrato in the background, and there's these cascading harp glissandi - all very magical-sounding, but not too obtrusive about it. I like it a lot.

Then Doris comes in, and her voice here is so warm and soft, as she sings about having a crush that she tries to keep to herself at first: "Once I had a secret love / That lived within the heart of me / All too soon my secret love / Became impatient to be free". It's a cute concept. She's so in love that she jut wants to tell everyone. There's no indication given of why this love has to be secret, which lets you imagine various "forbidden love"-type scenarios.

The lyrics are kept really simple, almost fairy-tale, as Doris sings about how "I told a friendly star / The way that dreamers often do". It's still gentle and sweet at this point, and there's this delicate countermelody on a violin that keeps us in the realm of the slightly magical and whimsical. But then out of nowehere, the line that makes the song...

"Nooooow I shout it from the highest hills / Even told the golden daffodils!" It's a soaring, triumphant success of a line - if you were expecting conflict in this song, a sense of regret about people knowing Doris' secret, you've got another thing coming. She's luxuriating in being able to tell people, and I love it - a song about being out and proud about your love (the gay reading is 100% there, please tell me somebody else can see this!)

The line about telling the daffodils, in particular, just skirts the right side of the line between sweet and cheesy - I think if Doris sang it less tenderly, it might feel cheesy, but she sells it wonderfully, holding back just enough, with that beautiful interval on the final note, just above where you expect it to land. It's glorious, and sweeping, but not a decibel louder or more intense than it absolutely has to be. It's not restrained, per se, but it does rein things back in pretty quickly, and I admire that.

And then we get our final lines, about how "At last my heart's an open door / And my secret love's no secret anymore". Again, I appreciate that there isn't a sense of regret, just a sense of relief. Doris' love is a public thing, and whatever mixed feelings she might have about that, she can also enjoy just being open about it. There's an earnestness to it that is impossible not to like.

We then get a repeat of the verse and chorus - which normally would feel repetitive, but when you're working with material like this, you can and absolutely should repeat it! Plus, in between, we get a nice little instrumental bit where, rather than slowing things down, we actually speed up, with the strings recapping the theme from the verse, with a "clip-clop" sort of bassline. It feels fitting for a Western, but also, it doesn't scream "This is a Western theme!" Compared to Frankie Laine's Western themes, for example, it's really quite subtle, which I appreciate.

Overall, a definite hit. As I said at the start, I really like this song - one of my favourites yet, and very likeable. It made me sing along, in my bedroom, which very few of these songs do. And the more I've listened, the more I credit that to Doris' loving, earnest performance, which just goes hard enough, and no harder. Brilliant.

Favourite song of the dreamily string-soaked bunch: Secret Love

[tipco613]

New Post has been published on http://cryptonewsuniverse.com/suspense-builds-in-crypto-community-as-secs-gensler-delves-into-ai/

Suspense Builds in Crypto Community as SECs Gensler Delves into AI

Suspense Builds in Crypto Community as SEC's Gensler Delves into AI   

The crypto-verse is truly holding its breath as Gary Gensler of the SEC shifts his gaze towards the challenges presented by artificial intelligence. In the whirlwind domain of cryptocurrencies, where values swing wildly in the blink of an eye, it's rare for a single person's actions to stir up so much speculation and excitement across the entire industry. 

Yet, that's exactly what's happening with Gary Gensler, the Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as he zeroes in on the hurdles posed by AI. It's like a sudden plot twist in a gripping movie, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. But the stakes are much higher this time, and the outcome could determine the destiny of an entire economic sector.

Gensler's tenure as the SEC Chair has been all about taking the reins in cryptocurrency regulation. He's brought lawsuits and investigations against significant players in the crypto field, aiming to establish more explicit guidelines and clamp down on possible fraud or deceptive practices. This bold approach marks a clear departure from the more hands-off attitudes of the past. However, just when everyone thought they had the storyline figured out, the narrative took an unforeseen twist.

Gensler, recognized for his deep understanding of financial regulation and emerging technologies, has made a surprising choice to shift the SEC's focus toward the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. This unexpected move has raised eyebrows among those in the industry and those observing from the sidelines. With the crypto market booming and regulations still a work in progress, the question arises: Why would Gensler shift his attention to a whole new frontier?

The crypto sector now stands at a crossroads, uncertain about the path ahead. With Gensler's attention toward AI, those invested in cryptocurrencies can't help but wonder how this chapter will unfold. Will it be a story of collaboration and forward movement or a tale filled with suspense and hurdles? Only time holds the key to revealing the upcoming exciting chapter in this ongoing saga.

Regulatory Concerns and the SEC

The SEC wears the hat of a regulatory guardian, ensuring that securities are handled fairly, and markets run smoothly. When it comes to the realm of cryptocurrencies, their mission extends to safeguarding investors against fraud and unethical practices. They meticulously monitor Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) to guarantee compliance with securities laws. Think of them as the lawmen of the digital Wild West, where crypto-cowboys roam.

But the plot has taken an interesting twist. The SEC's head honcho, Gary Gensler, has unveiled a change of focus. Instead of exclusively zeroing in on cryptocurrencies, he's turning his attention to the hurdles posed by artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial arena. The US watchful regulators are now keeping tabs on the potential influence of our future robot overlords.

This shift has thrown the crypto industry into a state of suspense. What does this mean for the fate of cryptocurrencies? Will they finally break free from the chains of regulatory uncertainty, or could they find themselves overshadowed as AI takes center stage? The answer is yet to be unveiled. 

But one thing is sure: Gary's shift might divert attention and resources from overseeing cryptocurrencies. This could bring a sigh of relief to those yearning for less interference or raise eyebrows among those advocating for stricter control. The industry is undoubtedly in for some turbulence as this transformation unfolds. It's akin to riding a rollercoaster with no map of its twists and turns. 

The crypto industry has weathered many ups and downs before and is well-equipped to navigate this latest twist. It's all part of the wild and unpredictable nature that makes this industry so intriguing. Moreover, who knows the ways in which AI could revolutionize the cryptocurrency landscape? Picture self-trading coins or wallets that seem to possess a mind of their own. The potential seems boundless!

So, as we await the SEC's strategies to tackle AI challenges, let's keep our gaze fixed on the ultimate goal. Cryptocurrencies have come a long way, and their journey is far from over. As the industry matures and adapts, we'll continue to rise above whatever hurdles come our way. After all, these very challenges shape us and fuel the evolution of this exciting sector.

SEC Chair Gensler speaking before the National Press Club on July 17. Source: SEC

In his speech at the National Press Club, Gary Gensler underlined a significant truth: While the cryptocurrency arena has its fair share of issues like scams, hacks, and money laundering, the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) poses even more significant financial hazards for folks in the US and other nations. As he delved into the topic, Gary spotlighted various risks tied to the ongoing AI surge, which could shake up trillions of dollars worth of assets traded on markets overseen by the SEC.

Looking closely, Gary explains that amidst this AI boom, there's a flip side to the coin. On one hand, AI-generated investment suggestions could revolutionize the customer experience within financial institutions. Sounds promising, right? 

However, he doesn't shy away from pointing out a potential drawback. This emerging technology could also be used to blur the lines of accountability when things go wrong. If errors or failures occur, AI could be exploited to shroud responsibility.  AI-driven trading bots can potentially manipulate financial markets, particularly in unregulated sectors like cryptocurrency. This manipulation can deceive investors into buying assets at inflated prices, resulting in financial losses.

Phishing scams used to stand out due to their misspellings or grammar mistakes, but with the advent of generative AI, creating well-written emails in any language has become effortless. This technology can craft convincing messages that mimic native speakers. In simpler terms, Gary is raising a flag on the potential upsides and downsides of AI's influence on the financial world. It's like navigating a brand-new terrain where incredible opportunities and unforeseen pitfalls are equally likely. As he steers this conversation, Gary is essentially shining a light on the unknown pathways that lie ahead in the realm of AI.

Phishing scams used to stand out due to their misspellings or grammar mistakes, but with the advent of generative AI, creating well-written emails in any language has become effortless. This technology can craft convincing messages that mimic native speakers. In simpler terms, Gary is raising a flag on the potential upsides and downsides of AI's influence on the financial world. It's like navigating a brand-new terrain where incredible opportunities and unforeseen pitfalls are equally likely. As he steers this conversation, Gary is essentially shining a light on the unknown pathways that lie ahead in the realm of AI.

Image source: X [Twitter]

The Waiting Game

Gary Gensler has been quite vocal about his criticisms of the crypto world, accusing it of being filled with hackers, fraudsters, and scams. He's been attacking the industry with full force, making us all wonder what his next move would be. But then, out of nowhere, BlackRock, the giant investment firm, steps in and expresses its interest in crypto. 

They see the value and potential in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. And just like that, Gary's tone changes. He suddenly shifts his focus to AI and suggests we can address the crypto world later. It's almost like that schoolyard bully who picks on a kid, only to back off when he realizes the kid has a strong older sibling to protect them. BlackRock is that older sibling defending crypto against Gary's attacks.

This turn of events is quite amusing to watch. With Gary's attention focused on AI startups, it's safe to say that those in the AI industry need to brace themselves. It seems like Gary is excited about this new direction and wants to regulate AI. As for crypto, there's a sense of relief that his aggressive attacks might lessen. 

However, remember the importance of clarity and resolution for ongoing cases. The SEC seems to be strategizing by prioritizing the current cases before moving on to new ones. After all, a win in these high-profile cases could set a legal precedent that affects the entire industry.

It is essential for the crypto community to come together and support each other in these cases. The industry can't afford to have a fragmented stance where some projects are supported while others aren't. The outcome of the SEC’s regulation against AI will impact the entire crypto industry, and it's crucial for crypto to have a strong track record. 

All the players need to understand that it's not just about supporting one project over another but rather about advocating for a fair and just resolution for all cases involving crypto. So, amid all this, we continue to watch the developments unfold. The shift from attacking crypto to focusing on AI is quite the twist, and it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. 

The Bottom Line 

AI is making leaps and bounds in technology, with blessings and concerns in store for the cryptocurrency industry. The fusion of AI and various aspects of cryptocurrencies can make things smoother, more accurate, and super secure. Picture this: Trading strategies are automated, and fraudulent activities are identified in a snap. That's the kind of potential AI brings to the table.

But of course, there's the flip side. Cryptocurrencies' unique, decentralized, and roller-coaster nature poses a challenge for AI algorithms. Making sure these systems can keep up with the ever-shifting crypto landscape is no cakewalk. And let's not forget about the worries around privacy, data security, and biases sneaking into AI decisions. All these are real concerns that are keeping industry regulators awake at night.

Now, while the SEC's AI focus might momentarily shift away from cryptocurrency regulation, folks in the know are pretty sure it's just a temporary shift. The waiting game has begun, and everyone's busy speculating. Will we see more regulations? Will the cryptocurrency ecosystem become even more robust and secure? It's like making guesses about what's in the next plot twist.

As for how the industry is reacting to Gensler's AI interest, it's a mixed bag. Some see it as a thumbs-up, a sign that the SEC is on track with keeping up with the times and potential risks. Others have their brows furrowed, worried that too much regulation might stifle the creative spark of innovation. But no matter which side you're on, one thing's for sure: AI and cryptocurrencies are about to collide in ways that could blow our minds.

In a world that's moving faster than ever, the way to win is adaptability. As we all eagerly await the SEC's next moves, folks in the industry should gear up to be informed, ready to act, and quick on their feet. Embracing innovation while addressing valid concerns is going to be the way forward. This fusion of AI challenges and regulations promises a truly exciting future where finance and technology intertwine to change how we perceive and handle money. Get ready because it's bound to be a thrilling ride!

    About: Prince Ibenne. (Nigeria) Prince is passionate about helping people understand the crypto-verse through his easily digestible articles. He is an enthusiastic supporter of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. Find me at my Markethive Profile Page | My Twitter Account | and my LinkedIn Profile.

[thenightpost]

LGBT+ Audio Drama Recs for Pride (and all year long)

Where else are you going to get such awesome queer content by queer creators than in audio drama? Here are some of my recent favorite lgbt shows (descriptions and more info under the cut):

Neighbourly

The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio

The Heart of Ether

WOE.BEGONE

Spirit Box Radio

Aurora Everlasting

Where the Stars Fell

The Silt Verses

The Pasithea Powder

The Virdian Wild

Station Arcadia

Monstrous Agonies

Hello from the Hallowoods

The Night Post

Neighbourly - A narrative anthology about the residents of Little Street, where strange and sinister things happen behind closed doors. Lovely writing and narration, often heartwarming and chilling at the same time. The stories frequently feature lgbt characters.

The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio - Conway of the DLO archives weird letters and investigates supernatural items. A narrative anthology with an ongoing metaplot, scary and hilarious by turns. Great music, too!

The Heart of Ether - Irene is trying to move past the disappearance of her girlfriend, but there's something odd going on in the small town she's moved to. A full-cast serial of mystery and wlw longing, with lots of loveable and intriguing side characters.

WOE.BEGONE - Mike Walters plays a brutal game of self-mutilation and murder, seeking to acquire the game's reality-altering technology for himself. Clever and darkly humorous. A serial narrative with mlm protagonist and lots of original music.

Spirit Box Radio - Though he has no magical aptitude himself, Sam Enfield takes over his favorite mystical radio show. This broadcast-style serial is full of mystery and intrigue, as Sam seeks to uncover the secret of his birthright.

Aurora Everlasting - After their centuries-long colonization mission has gone horribly awry, the crew must unravel a time-travel plot to escape the mysterious entity pursuing them. Features nb and wlw main characters.

Where the Stars Fell - One was a cryptozoologist. One was a fantasy writer and skeptic. Can I make it any more obvious? In this full-cast serial, two women with seemingly irreconcilable differences must share a house and a small town full of odd happenings.

The Silt Verses - In a world where brutal gods are created by the government and corporations, followers of an outlawed river god search for revelations. A full-cast serial with a heavy emphasis on body and existential horror, following an aspec protagonist.

The Pasithea Powder - A military pilot and a scientist, once friends, must deal with the fallout of their actions during an interplanetary war. A narrative serial told through voicemails, in which the women slowly rekindle old feelings.

The Viridian Wild - Go on safari with Sebastian, your enthusiastic guide to the world of fae. In each episode, the mlm protagonist describes and interacts with a variety of magical creatures in the wild. A relaxing and immersive experience.

Station Arcadia - A combination of scenes and narrative passages examine four different societies in a world on the brink of collapse. Still, there's always hope. Arcpod includes lgbt protagonists and side characters of all kinds.

Monstrous Agonies - A write-in advice show for creatures of the night. The narrator gives empathetic, practical suggestions for any problem that magical and monstrous people might encounter. A soothing listen for your queer little heart.

Hello from the Hallowoods - An nb eldritch narrator delivers tales from the dark woods directly to your dreams. This narrative anthology features several stories per episode, with some recurring characters, most of whom are lgbt.

The Night Post - A full-cast serial with some narrative segments, following the conscripted couriers of a supernatural frontier. As they search for Milo's missing husband, the couriers uncover secrets far bigger than the shadowy organization that chose them. Features wlw, mlm, and trans protagonists. (I help make this one.)

Thank you for reading! If you find a show you like, give them some love by leaving a rating or review, or telling your friends! These are all indie shows that would really appreciate your support. Happy listening~

[epicspheal]

Pokemon Journeys Episode 115

All right so it's time to take on this very controversial anipoke episode. Lowkey, I find it kind of funny that two of the most controversial episodes in the history of the anime have involved Alain. Poor guy I'm going to start with my favorite things about the episode. I really loved that we finally get to see Ash noted as the Alolan champion in the World Coronation Series. Finally, they gave him (some) props. As someone who started all the way back in OS saga, I've seen him win the Orange Island championship and conquer the battle frontier and I do hope at some point they do mention those feats too because those are also important to his legacy and Ash at this points deserves to be seen as the awesome trainer that he truly is. I also really loved the interactions between the masters 8. Especially Iris- she honestly really made the episode for me. I loved how her and Ash were running to the waiting area and bounding in like the excited children they are only to get a little nervous seeing the serious atmosphere from the other competitors. Also Iris thanking everyone when she was introduced in the opening ceremony and her reaction realizing she'd be going up against Cynthia was adorable. And of course I can't forget about her adorable selfie that she took with Cynthia and Diantha. It really showed that despite her being a powerful trainer, she's still young and new to the role as champion. Talking about my love for the interactions this episode actually leads to my first major criticism of the episode in that I definitely think that this episode should've been split into two. There was a lot going in this episode, a lot of which could have been better served if they were given more time. I personally definitely could watch an entire episode just focused on the masters 8 interacting. I think would be really cool. And now for the most controversial part of the episode the Leon vs Alain battle. Honestly I didn't really have a problem with the battle. In regards to the previous paragraph, I do think the battle could've definitely benefitted from having an entire episode to itself but I'm not upset with Leon cloberring Alain like he did. Admitetdly, I don't really have strong feelings towards Alain (or XY/XYZ anime) although I did enjoy the change of pace in the anime-verse due to his mega evolution special, so I understand that for fans of his they feel differently and see the battle as not that great for him. To me though, the fact that he got a clean win on Leon's Rillaboom is a huge feat as he's now the first trainer we've seen in the anime-verse get a KO on any of Leon's Pokemon. I'm specifying animeverse since we know from Raihan's league card he's the only person prior to the player in gameverse to KO a large number of Leon's Pokemon. Yes we can assume that in offscreen Land Raihan in the anime has KO'ed some of Leon's team, but that doesn't negate the fact this is our first on-screen KO in a trainer battle of any of Leon's team. I also really liked that Leon's Charizard didn't have to use Gigantamax to beat Alain's Mega Charizard X. Don't get me wrong, a G-max Charizard vs Mega Charizard would've looked awesome. But I think it's been important to the writers to show Leon doesn't have to rely on G-Max Charizard to secure a win (and we've seen that not only with this fight, but with Leon vs Flint in a prior episode). I will say I would've preferred Ash and Alain to rematch over Alain and Leon just because of the history. That being said, the Alain vs Leon and Ash vs Steven aren't the first time we've seen unpredictable matchups in anime tournaments. Think Gary and Ash not even battling at all in the indigo league contrary to their game and manga counterparts. Or even Trip and Ash being the first battle of the Unova league. The anime has been known to do wild matchups which I don't think is inherently bad because it reflects the true random nature of tournaments instead of how some anime/manga tend to make very convenient matchups. If anything I'm just far more salty they decided to bring back Alain instead of keeping Raihan in the Masters 8. We honestly didn't need two representatives from Kalos when Galar is the newest region. The Galar shafting has been a particularly thing I've loathed in journeys which brings me to my next point. Hop. Poor Hop. Okay admittedly I ugly-laughed when his Wooloo got knocked out in 10 seconds flat to Ash's Pikachu. That was hilarious. Of course I'm just over the moon to finally see Hop in the anime. Also I really loved the dynamic Goh, Hop and Ash had in the stands watching the Alain vs Leon battle. But even with all of that, Hop's inclusion in the episode just ends up being a painful reminder for me of what could've been. We could've had a more Galar-centric series where Hop could've been a rival to Ash. I think Ash and Hop could've had a great dynamic and Hop's already great character arc could've been enhanced in the anime. So seeing him being reduced to essentially a combination of the Furfrou guy from Kalos and Max when Ash faced Norman is disheartening to say the least. I feel like for me the sour taste this episode left in my mouth was really just a buildup of multiple snubs to Galar.

[aeriestaex]

Charged Up🔥⚡️💙

It's been a whole ass minute since I've actually uploaded something that is sonic. 😅 Human!Sonic charged up for the newest Frontier, in all his glory. I made the outfit inspired by techwear tbh, I think he's used to being comfortable but stil able to move around.

Interesting facts about my version of sonic;

–His fit is mostly Streetstyle/Techwear; He's got 4 belts around his legs/upper thighs, reflective belts might I add. I added that bandaged arm from Sonic boom, chains are my own details because he's gotta good fit.

–I prefer to have him in long hair rather than short, just personal preference. He's got the long wolfcut hair going on, more crazy wild and fun type thing.

– He's mostly lounging around not too far from Tails or anyone else. He's 6'0 ft, athletic build, and has some scars around his upper torso and arms. He's got a serious crush on Amy, but he's too hesitant to even tell her (much like canon verse) but he always hangs around her.