#when i put together the options to vote

[quinnmorgendorffer]

this month's theme for my work's movie club (which i run for this entire global company) is hispanic heritage month and Coco won which means i get to sob pathetically sometime this week in prep for the north america discussion on monday

[hauntingblue]

Rewatching act 2.... yeah ISHA WATCH OUT FOR THE CYCLE ISHA!!!!! NOOOOO

[sonknuxadow]

We'll definitely know in the next 10 hours. (The polls used to be done on Twitter and would break at least 10k, I remember the Shadow one had 50k votes and was very close between Cream and Infinite. They both had 50%, Infinite won by a close few. I think they stopped after Vector. I guess they went with Docs so more outside of Twitter could vote.)

Hopefully, blue hog wins. He's now about 75 votes{1%} behind Rouge.

yeah i remember seeing a lot of posts about cream vs infinite on here it was very intense. and i remember seeing posts for blaze vs metal sonic too.. but i never really see many posts about the more recent ones i guess interest in the polls just kinda dropped over time

anyways DESPERATELY HOPING FOR A SONIC WIN . I NEED HIM TO WIN SO BAD. theres currently a 1 percent difference between him and rouge he definitely has a chance

[causenessus]

COUNT CONTESSA WON YAY!! atsumu and yn's program is about to be so cunty 🥰 thank you to everyone who participated!! especially the 30.4% of us that chose the right option <3

COLD KISSES POLL PART 2 LET'S GO PLEASE PUT UP WITH ME I'M SORRY

i once again call upon my very very rad and cool ice skater readers and the general public everyone's opinion matters !!!! i have new song choices (thank u @eggyrocks & @kitnootkat <3)

[whumptober]

Trope Vote 2024

It's July so... back to business!

This years trope vote is now open for everyone to vote on their favourite tropes - including additions from your honourable mentions!

Following feedback from last year, we will be creating a playlist for the event again, though this time with a twist! Instead of using Lyrics as part of the list, we will use the songs to fit the overall theme/trope of the day. For example, if day one has a theme of 'redemption', then a song like Start Again by the Lottery Winners would fit - and this year we want your suggestions!

The vote will be open until the 29th of July.

If you want to chat about your favourite tropes, the [DISCORD SERVER] is always active for our fabulous community of whumpers.

Similarly, if you're looking for a comprehensive list of the tropes, then under the cut are links to the A-Z lists that Surro put together a few months ago. We can't wait to get the WT ball rolling this year! -Mods Surro, Yenn, Vanne and Kitty <3

[Question Summary + Trope List Links under the cut]

TROPE LISTS:

[A-H]

[I-Q]

[R-Z]

QUESTIONS:

Question 1: 'Which tropes would you like to see for Whumptober 2024?' - Here, there is an A-Z list of tropes with checkboxes next to them. Simply choose your favourites!

Question 2: 'Honourable Mentions' - Here you can list any tropes we have forgotten.

Question 3: 'The Music Round' - If you have a song that you attribute to a trope/theme, let us know! This is entirely optional but we would love to hear the songs that put you in a whumping mood. Please format each one as SONG - ARTIST - TROPE

[writingwithciara]

For The Cameras ~Matt Sturniolo~

summary: a kiss cam produces unexpected results

word count: 1.9k (not as long as normal but a decent length imo)

pairing: matt sturniolo x reader

note: got a sweet message from @lolasturniolo and i loved the prompt. hope you don’t mind that i made it a sorta friends-to-lovers fic 😊

masterlist

“so who are we taking to the game tonight? we have 1 extra ticket and 3 options.” nick looked at his brothers.

"i vote to bring justin." matt said without looking up from his phone.

"really? i say nate." chris looked around the room.

"so you guys bring me back to boston and i'm not even an option for you?" y/n threw her hands up and shook her head.

"if it helps, i was going to pick you." nick smiled.

"if we each choose a different person, we're just right back where we started." matt set his phone down.

"we could always put their names in a hat and pick randomly." chris suggested.

"or, we think about this. both justin and nate have been to a hockey game and y/n has never been to one. plus, we did drag her all the way here. do we really want to be leaving her alone?"

"well, as good of a point as it is, i'm keeping my vote for justin. we don't spend a lot of time with him and i think it'd be nice to bring him to a game while we're here." matt smiled.

"i'm changing my vote to y/n. she deserves to have some fun on this trip." chris looked at his friend and smiled.

"that's two-to-one." nick looked at matt. "so you're overruled no matter what."

"okay fine. but justin gets to go with us to the next one." matt stood up and went to his room to get ready. chris did the same, leaving nick and y/n in nick's room.

"nick, i don't have anything to wear to represent the team."

"don't worry about it. we can buy you something when we get there. don't forget to dress warm. i'll wait for you to get changed then we can go."

"yes sir." y/n began to dig through her bag for something to wear. she pulled out her favorite ransom shirt and a hoodie she borrowed from chris nearly 3 years ago. after she changed into her favorite pair of jeans, nick came back into the room to change.

once everyone was changed, they met out at the car.

the drive to the arena was short and the car was filled with nothing but silence.

when they arrived, nick went to take y/n to get something to represent the team but matt pulled a boston jersey from the car and handed it to her.

"figured you wouldn't have anything to show your pride in the team so i grabbed an extra jersey."

"wow. you're so thoughtful for someone who didn't even want me to come to the game with you guys."

"i never said i didn't want you to come. i just said we barely spend time with justin and he would've loved it."

"i'm messing with you matt. i don't care that you didn't want me to be here."

"i didn't....whatever." matt walked away with nick. y/n pulled the jersey over her head and looked at chris.

"how do i look?"

"you look..really good." chris smiled and the two of them jogged to catch up to matt and nick.

the group looked at their tickets and went to their seats. matt was between y/n and nick, while chris was on the other side of y/n. he made eye contact with y/n as they sat down and he rolled his eyes.

he didn't hate her, nor did he dislike having her around. in fact, he loved having her around all the time.

to him, she was perfect. and his brothers knew it. they were always trying to push them together but y/n would never show interest in him & had only referred to him as a friend. and so born was his hatred towards her.

as the game went on, y/n cheered at the right moments and matt couldn't help but admire her every feature, hoping he wouldn't get caught.

unfortunately for him, chris and nick were in the bathroom when the kiss cam came around. he was still admiring y/n when the camera pointed at them. she noticed the stupid grin on his face and looked over at him.

"i think you should look at the screen, matt."

"huh?" he snapped out of his daze to glance at the screen. the large words KISS CAM flashed in red and his cheeks darkened. he knew he had been caught. he looked at the camera and shooed them away.

y/n stared at him with both shock and awe on her face. part of her wanted to kiss him but the other part of her didn't want to make him uncomfortable. so she just went back to watching the players skate around.

a few minutes later, the kiss cam returned to them and once again, matt declined. this time though, the fans around them booed. it nearly embarrassed matt but as he looked down at his feet, y/n grabbed his hand, almost immediately calming him down.

"thanks." he leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

"not a problem." she smiled sweetly at him and returned her attention back to the players. her hand didn't move from matt's grip but neither of them seemed to mind.

at the end of the 2nd period, the kiss cam returned. no matter how many times matt asked them to leave, they kept coming back. y/n felt matt's grip tighten on her hand so she placed a gentle kiss to his cheek, hoping it would satisfy everyone.

it did not.

the camera continued to point at the duo and all eyes, even the players, were on them.

"i'm sorry about this." y/n whispered to matt before turning his head and kissing him. the crowd finally cheered and the camera crew went away.

but y/n and matt were too wrapped up in each other to notice.

his hand detached from hers and he placed them on her cheeks. y/n smiled into the kiss.

when they both finally stopped kissing each other, the smile on their faces was permanent.

"i hope that wasn't too embarrassing or awkward for you." y/n smiled and went back o squeezing his hand. matt didn't say anything. his earlier focus on the game was long gone and replaced with y/n.

when the game was finally over, y/n stood up and stretched.

"oh my goodness. that was amazing."

"yeah it really was." nick smiled and began heading out.

"it was good but i think matt really enjoyed it." chris smirked, earning a punch to both of his arms by his brothers and best friend. "ouch."

"anyone have to use the bathroom before we head out?" nick stopped outside the bathroom and looked at everyone.

"yeah. i promise i'll be quick." y/n walked into the bathroom and matt felt his brothers staring at him.

"what?"

"so, that kiss was certainly something, huh?"

"it didn't mean anything. it was just to get the kiss cam people off our backs."

"i don't think that was the only reason you guys kissed." chris raised an eyebrow.

"yeah. it looked pretty intense from an outside point of view."

"what do you mean?"

"you guys kissed for like 10 seconds after the camera crew left. you can't tell me that your feelings for her aren't returned."

"please can we change the topic?"

"what are you dorks talking about now?" y/n asked as she walked out of the bathroom.

"the hockey game." matt quickly covered up before the awkward tension got too high.

"it was so good. and oh my god. jeremy swayman is so hot. wow." y/n swooned and began to walk ahead of the boys.

when they got to the car, chris got in the back, allowing y/n to sit up front with matt. the drive home wasn't as quiet as the first drive but the air felt different. like there was something that needed to be said but nobody wanted to say it.

matt put the car in park and everyone got back.

"well, i'm beat. think im gonna go to bed. good night." chris yawned and headed up to his room. y/n followed nick to his room and flopped down on the bed.

"hey, do you have feelings for matt?"

"why do you ask?"

"that kiss tonight seemed very electric. the chemistry between you two was already really intense and if you don't have feelings for him, you need to let him know. because he's been crushing on you for years and the way you kissed him looked like you might have the same feelings."

"god, nick. of course i like matt. what's not to like? he's incredibly thoughtful and he's so cute. he doesn't judge me for my taste." she shot her best friend a look. "he's just perfect in every aspect of the word and...." she paused and sat up. 'are you sure he likes me?"

"when have i ever lied to you, sweetheart?"

"every day since you learned to talk."

"only when it saved your ass." he looked at her as she walked to the door. "but i promise you that i am not lying about this. matt really does have feelings for you."

"okay. if this is some sort of cruel joke, i will never speak to you again."

"and why would i risk that?"

"good point. wish me luck then." y/n took a deep breath and opened the door.

matt was leaning against the counter and when he heard the bedroom door close, he looked up.

"hey."

"hi." y/n stood awkwardly just outside the bedroom. matt put his phone in his pocket and crossed his arms.

"can i ask you something?"

"of course, matt." y/n's composure returned to normal when she heard the worriedness lining matt's voice.

"why does this have to be weird between us?"

"what do you mean?"

"we kissed and now, the air around us has changed drastically. did you....did you not like it or something?"

"of course i liked it, matt. but it's not how i pictured our first kiss happening."

"really?" he finally looked at her face. "h-how did you picture it happening?"

"this is going to sound really cheesy and cliche. are you sure you want to hear it?"

"oh, absolutely." his interested piqued and he found himself moving closer.

"well, when i pictured kissing you for the first time, i always used to think it would happen after you stood up for me somehow. like a knight in shining armor. and then i would run up to you and kiss you. you would be shocked at first but you would kiss back and you would put so much emotions into it."

"how did the kiss cam kiss measure up to what you pictured?"

"it was incredible, sure. but it didn't meet my expectations." y/n smirked. matt took an extra second to understand what she was hinting at but when he got it, he returned the smirk.

"didn't meet your expectations, huh?" he inched closer. "maybe i should change that. i-if you want me to."

"just kiss me, please."

matt wasted no time at all. he quickly grabbed her face and kissed her. all the feelings they had both been building up for years was being poured out into the kiss.

matt pulled her closer and made sure she felt what he was feeling. and when they pulled away, they both couldn't stop smiling.

"how was that?"

"better than expected, for sure. and something i think i want to keep doing."

"i can totally deal with that." matt smiled before pulling her back in for another kiss.

taglist: @worldlxvlys @lolasturniolo @carolinalikesthings @ciarasturn1 @fearfam69691

[julissart]

Attracting like a magnet 🧲

Thanks for voting for this pair, hope you like this doodle comic as much as me (if I told myself from 6 months ago this was a thing I wouldn't believe it)

Thanks for your comment @sampaisleyriot, maybe you will be interested to see this 👀

Since I don't have enough time and still limited writing ability, here's some headcanons of mine about this ship 🤭

Kidsopp headcanons

Things happen fast but at the same time feels kinda slow burn-ish in the few days the canon allowed it

Usopp fell first (oblivious to that info) but Kid fell harder (that man goes all out about everything)

Kid uses "wee lamb" for Usopp, at first just like a nickname but when the sniper narrates the story of Merry it gains a more deep meaning, later adding "my". Usopp decides to call him "rooi" when there's no tension and he feels silly, later becoming just "ro"

Kid sees a notebook where Usopp has designed some tattoos, Usopp ends up drawing on him almost everyday, Kid surprisingly lets him touch his scars and paint on them

Usopp put make-up on Kid just like himself in film red, Usopp gives him a pair of personal size headphones and Kid his older rounded goggles

Kid only teases Usopp because he likes the way the other reacts to everything, Usopp hopes this doesn't awake something on him (it will)

And for that Usopp thinks Kid is kinda of a player, but he's actually pretty loyal when he decides to be

First kiss was a drunk kiss, Usopp hit a dartboard with his eyes closed, Kid thought it was direct at him at first but then saw the bullseye, Usopp said he felt that it would be there at that moment (just casually using observation haki, no big deal, normal Usopp behavior right?)... After a few seconds Kid grabs him and smashes their lips together

Kid brings out of Usopp his bold and daring side, sometimes he not only feel braver but externalizes it more

Lightly jealous Luffy (not in the romantic way but in the "you're MY sniper" way)

Sanji and Zoro being overprotective after finding out he has been talking to Kid (oh boy he's in trouble)

My OP Fanart Masterlist 2025

[poetrysmackdown]

welcome to the 2023 tumblr poetry smackdown

tumblr has developed something of a canon of poetry over the past couple years, and i figured others might enjoy getting a chance to voice their opinions on a few of those poems! poems i chose for the poetry smackdown had to be more or less widely read on tumblr (generally 10k+ notes, most with more or spread across compilations), and relatively short so as to make voting easier. they also had to be complete—there are a lot of popular lines floating around on tumblr that are excerpted from very long poems and/or poems that are inaccessible via internet, and those aren't included here. a handful of poets are represented here twice reflecting my sense of their popularity, but i arranged the bracket in such a way that it won't be able to stay that way past round 2 at the latest. if i missed a poem that is super popular i'm sorry, that said the bracket is staying as is because this was a shit ton of work to put together and i don't want to. ty.

you can get to the polls by following the links below or going to the #round1 tag on my blog. you can also send me propaganda if you want via ask and i'll post it/add it to the next round's post if the poem wins.

happy voting!

sincerely amelia @poetriarchy :)

ROUND 1: ENDS JULY 17 at 6pm EDT

"The Two-Headed Calf" by Laura Gilpin vs. "Butter Dish" by Leonard Cohen (cow poems)

"Poem" by Langston Hughes vs. "A Meeting" by Wendell Berry

"Miss you. Would like to grab that chilled tofu we love." by Gabrielle Calvocoressi vs. "My Sister, Who Died Young, Takes Up The Task" by Jon Pineda

"Hammond B3 Organ Cistern" by Gabrielle Calvocoressi vs. "Hong Kong" by Sue Zhao

"someone will remember us" (fragment by Sappho trans. Anne Carson) vs. "Wait" by Faraj Bou al-Isha trans. Khaled Mattawa

"The Quiet World" by Jeffrey McDaniel vs "Invisible Fish" by Joy Harjo

"Want" by Joan Larkin vs. "Come, and Be My Baby" by Maya Angelou

"Swan" by Mary Oliver vs. "How I Go to the Woods" by Mary Oliver

"The Orange" by Wendy Cope vs. "The Tenor of Your Yes" by Mary Ruefle

"Here There Are Blueberries" by Mary Syzbist vs. "Instructions on Not Giving Up" by Ada Limón

"To The Young Who Want to Die" by Gwendolyn Brooks vs. "A Litany for Survival" by Audre Lorde

"Night Walk" by Franz Wright vs. "Meditations in an Emergency" by Cameron Awkward-Rich

"Summer Was Forever" by Chen Chen vs. "I'm not a religious person but" by Chen Chen

"How to Be a Dog" by Andrew Kane vs. "Scheherazade" by Richard Siken

"I'm going to Minnesota where sadness makes sense" by Danez Smith vs. "Dream Song 29" by John Berryman

"Having a Coke with You" by Frank O'Hara vs. "Having 'Having a Coke with You' with You" by Mark Leidner

ADDENDUM: at 6pm on July 17th (or possibly a day earlier if there's already a clear sweep), I will be releasing a one-day poll that will give voters the option to sub in "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver for the winner of matchup #8: "Swan" vs. "How I Go to the Woods". this is to help correct my significant oversight when I was remembering which two Oliver poems I've seen most on tumblr, and it's the only time I'm doing this kind of thing, so don't suggest it for any other poems after this please. that said, a sincere ty to @darkcomedies for first bringing its absence to my attention! and keep an eye out for this extra poll which i am calling ROUND 1.5: A HAIL MARY (OLIVER)

[farfromstrange]

To my American mutuals.

To those of you who voted Blue and spent the entire election in a state of fear, fearing this would happen, hoping that it wouldn’t, and now feel like their world is falling apart.

To those of you who were hoping the next person in power would be someone determined to protect your rights—your reproductive rights, your rights to love whoever you want, your rights to marry the one you love, your rights to get gender affirming care, your rights to books, your rights to education, your rights to exist, your rights to flee from war to another country (this particular country) without being deported, your human rights.

To those of you who have been fighting and casting their voice not just for your country but the whole world.

I am so sorry.

I know you must be crushed right now. I know it must be terrifying. As a woman, I am thinking of you. I am hoping for you. If any of you need to talk or just scream into the void, or even cry on someone’s virtual shoulder, my inbox is open. If you have anything you want to share on anon, like resources or whatnot and you don’t know how to share or you can’t, share them with me and I will post them here. It’s important that you stick together now. That you don’t give up. I believe in you.

My heart bleeds for you.

And in light of today’s events, I will not be posting anything else today.

(More under the cut.)

For my fellow women: If (or when) the policies proposed by the winning party are put into effect; if a nationwide abortion ban does happen; if you’re a woman in need of life-saving healthcare, I have a very small apartment in a country where abortions are legal up to 12 weeks after a brief consultation—which is available in English if you go to the right place, and longer if something is wrong with either you or the fetus—and I’d offer you shelter and help in any way I can to get you the healthcare you need. I’m aware this is only an option for those with the financial means. For those without, I would suggest you look up planned parenthood and check their resources.

The same goes for other medical procedures (gender affirming care, for example) that might not be possible for you at some point during the next four years. I am here to help in any way I can.

I’m sorry.

- Lisa

[tallerthantale]

Neil Gaiman hasn't been removed yet

Petition for investigation of Gaiman

Petition to fire Gaiman from Good Omens

@shakti-tiger I think a big part of the issue is people thinking Neil Gaiman has already 'stepped down.' That is not the current state of the situation, but if you imagine the perspective of a person starting from that premise you can see why it might not feel necessary to put the removal demand in the petition.

And yes, that's extremely frustrating, but it is not the same as people not caring. It's people being manipulated by a person who seems to have built his character sheet around manipulating people.

So for people not following developments closely:

What we know is that Gaiman's lawyers have informed the media that he has put forward a hypothetical version of 'stepping back' that he is willing to accept. We don't know much about the specifics, but I have a speculative impression. If his terms were acceptable to Amazon / the Pratchett Estate / the other employees of the show, I would expect us to have heard so by now. We have not, so I feel it is reasonable to conclude that what he is proposing is, for whatever reason, not an acceptable offer.

We also don't have anything saying he has been fired from any of his positions. Entertainment contracts almost always have morality clauses that can be enforced even in the absence of convictions. That's because even if it was the sort of crime that reliably produces convictions, that process takes years, and the industry wants the power to be able to respond to public scandal quickly when they decide it is profitable to do so.

Given that we have no indication that Amazon is accepting Neil's offer, or any indication that a morality clause has been enforced on Gaiman, my impression is that there is an ongoing dispute where Gaiman is threatening some form of retaliation against the show if they enforce the morality clause in order to try and bargain for some kind of wishy washy partial but not meaningful reduction of his role.

If that's what's happening, it is mostly going to be in the hands of various legal teams involved, arguing over semantic details we may never learn about. However, I still think fandom can add support to the 'enforce the morality clause' side by expressing that wish to Amazon, either through the petitions that cite the allegations, or if you have Prime, by cancelling along with a message that states you will reactivate when Gaiman is removed. (Or when the show is cancelled if that is your line.) Personally I think removal is the better option for long term industry reform.

I am committed to not promoting the show by making fan content during the run-up and release of Season 3 (and probably for a year or so after) unless he is publicly removed for morality clause violations. There are actual material reasons that represents A CHOICE on my part. I had a lot of concerns that I was going to end up overpromising and underdelivering on fan content, though I never expected this to be the reason why. 100% I stand by the choice I'm making to pause Good Omens fan content, but I recognize for a lot of artists it really is not an easy choice to make. I will always be against any form of harassment towards people continuing to make fan works.

@chocolatepot at the same time it is very difficult to organize boycotting efforts off a platform of 'everyone's choices are equally valid.' The people with the most power to be heard by Amazon are the ones with Prime who are in a position to strategically drop it. Put together a Ven diagram of "people deeply committed to voting with their dollar for social justice" and "people who have an Amazon Prime account they aren't particularly dependent on keeping." How much overlap do you think there is in the middle of that Ven Diagram? Not a lot. A meaningful organized effort would require persuading people to make choices they are not inclined to make, and that does require at some point suggesting that making a different choice is less than ideal.

For people who already don't have Prime or can't cancel because they need it for work, fan engagement is the option that's left. But it's going to be a similar issue with fan works. The artists, writers, shitposters, ect… that have the most influence are also the ones most entrenched into continuing to make their content, in many cases as their form of income. In many cases as their form of social support in the midst of their own ongoing harrowing life circumstances.

I don't come away from this with any clear position on what level of persuasive language is appropriate for organizing action, but I want to encourage everyone to be kind to each other, and consider where others are coming from. Right now I think focusing on keeping people informed that Gaiman has not actually been removed is the best way to go.

[morbethgames]

Halloween Special, Current Projects, New Patreon Content

I am so sorry about the radio silence as of late. Between the stuff earlier this week (yes, that stuff), dealing with deaths of people, and university; I've been very busy and mentally drained. However, the good news is, you can play the mini game of The Bureau, "Witchy Woman" right now! The link is at the bottom of this post! Eventually I'll integrate it into the main game, or put it out as potential free DLC or something, but for now there are no stats and it's not tied to choices from the base game.

Tonight is a special case. The MCT has been called in as a favor after finishing up our most recent case. A friend of Kris's reached out, and the local P.D. has let the MCT take the lead on this one. A house party in the beginning of October up in Maine has turned sour. A party-goer has been reported deceased.

We just finished a job, but in this line of work, there's always another case to solve. So here I am, approaching the residence with my team, about to find out exactly what happened on this cold, damp night.

Because it's not part of a bigger game or story, and the only pacing I had to worry about was that of the investigation, this is much more freeflow than other investigations in the main story. Go back and forth between the crime scene, the perimeter of the house, interrogations, and more! The more you discover evidence, the more new options will unlock in conversations, and you have an evidence log in the stats section that updates every time you find out something relevant to the case.

I'm only promoting this now, even though it's been done for a couple of weeks, because it was part of a Jam and I didn't think it would be fair if I got votes from a community built over a few years when others in the Jam would not have had that same benefit. I wanted it to be an even playing field, even if it meant holding out for a bit. So, I apologize for making you all wait.

There are still things I'd like to do for this game, things I'll end up adding, but it is at the very least ready to play. It's 40k words, so have at it!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Right, next up, something I'd like to announce. I'm working on a serialized fiction that I'm (hopefully) planning to turn into a book. The first 3 chapters are going to be posted for free, both here on my blog and on my Patreon, though not quite yet. Chapters after that will be released on Patreon for the people who pay the $5 tier.

I'll be honest, it has been extremely cathartic to go from writing an IF where the chapters are all pretty much the length of a book themselves, to writing an actual book where a chapter is about 4k words. It's a very nice breath of fresh air, and it by no means, entails that I will stop working on Bureau. In fact, it may even help speed up rate of production, funnily enough. Having something to keep my mind turning while having writer's block about a scene in the IF will help me constantly generate ideas, and that's really nice to think about.

A small college town is rocked by a horrific murder. In wake of the events, a couple of friends begin investigating this personal tragedy, determined to get to the bottom of what happened at the Scribe City college. The lesson is quickly thrust upon them that loss leads to pain, but pain is temporary, and loss can be forever. So what comes after the pain? They need to explore that journey together, and in the process, navigate the complicated things feelings that have started to bloom.

The book (serialized fiction for now) , called Love In Stasis, is going to be a 'WLW romance small town college murder mystery'. You will explore the relationships that these characters have and continue to form, and just how messy things get when tragedy sparks love. I have almost 25k words done for it, about six and a half chapters, and I'm going to try to get 50k words done with it by the end of the month. A writing challenge that's totally not tied to the name of any organizations.

If this works out, I could reward patrons with static fiction while not having to worry about providing everyone with constant things tied to the IF itself, and I could work on The Bureau at a pace I'm very comfortable with.

I'm still learning as a writer. I'm still learning new things I like, and how I like to produce content. All I know is that I like producing art in the form of writing, and I most certainly will not stop doing that anytime soon, and now that the Halloween Special is done, I will be getting back to the base game.

Which will start with a complete recoding of the gender variables. I've already started on that process, so no more multiple versions of each chapter. One version. One set of gender variables. Much more condensed coding and script. So, people out there who said that wasn't going to change, I just have to say what I'd said all along. My coding was indeed bad. However I will also say something else I've said all along. I do take criticism.

That being said I'm never using multi-replace and you can't make me. I like being able to read what I'm writing.

More to come in the near future.

Stay Brilliant,

-Vi

https://cogdemos.ink/play/viisbae/the-bureau-halloween-special-witchy-woman

Patreon Link

[the-s1lly-corner]

7 Minutes in Slender Mansion (Opener)

that's right chat! We are going through with the idea! This is only an opener to what's to come, after the fic will be a poll for you to vote in! no characters, only items for you to draw! The winner of course gets a fic for the actual game! depending on how this and the first part goes i may make fics for the other choices! Characters: slenderman, splendorman, masky, hoodie, ticci toby, jeff the killer, nina the killer, laughing jack, eyeless jack, puppeteer, bloody painter notes: reader is gn, speed writing this so the characters mentioned above may not be mentioned in this part BUT will be options in the poll!, this will be shared on AO3 after the first follow up fic is put up, takes place in the mansion we are getting silly in here, reader is implied to be a killer and/or non human due to their presence in the mansion itself cws: none word count: 887

The entire night had been chaotic- with the Halloween season drawing closer some of the more festive inhabitants of the mansion have taken it upon themselves to get into the holiday spirit. From decorating with their own touch of gore to roping in some of the more unwilling into their games and activities. 

You yourself were dragged into it by a hyped up Nina, who would not take no for an answer- even if you were already making your way downstairs in order to get in on the fun. 

Masky and Hoodie stood together quietly in a corner away from the chaos as Toby fought with Jeff over what game should be played that night. You tune out their bickering as you take account of who else had decided to join in that night. Laughing Jack was sprawled across the couch, accompanying Splendor as they both filed through candy. 

Actually, Splendor was the one doing most of the ordering- separating fruit candies from chocolates, as well as keeping ones with nuts far away from the other options. Laughing Jack was merely supplying the candy, drawing them out of a seemingly never ending stash in his pockets. 

You’d have to ask him about that one day… 

“As soon as those two,” Nina jerks her head towards Toby and Jeff, “figure out what game we’re going to play then we’ll get started… in the meantime get comfortable-” You watched Nina’s eyes light up as she spotted Eyeless Jack stepping into the room with a bowl. You couldn’t tell exactly what was in it from where you were standing, but at least it didn’t seem to be organs. 

Maybe.

Nina leaves your side to take the bowl from him, her voice melting into the noise of the space around you. 

You scan around the room again to try to find a free space, and as you take an absentminded step forward you bump into someone. In the brief moment you took to look around, Bloody Painter had found himself in front of you.

He hardly makes a sound when you make contact, and he only gives you a glance over his shoulder. He doesn’t say much before continuing his path to one of the few free chairs in the room, right next to where Pup was- leaning against the wall, pretending to check his nails. You could feel his golden eyes boring into you from across the room.

You shake the feeling, being only partly successful… 

You make a dull note in your head that Slenderman was in the room, alone and silent as he always was.

You take a step to the couch and Splendorman makes room for you, offering you a warm smile.

“Reader! I’m so glad you’ve decided to join us!” He nearly chirped as he continued sorting out the candies. Nina briefly returned to set the bowl she had taken from Eyeless Jack onto the table. 

It was only popcorn, thankfully. 

“So what’s the plan for tonight? Are we just going to play games and then that’s it?” You ask, leaning forward to snag a handful of candy. 

Your eyes dart around once more.

“Where’s Jane?” 

“Babysitting!” Laughing Jack chuckled as he dumped another large fistful of candy out onto the table, letting them slide and scatter across the surface. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Splendor’s smile tighten before relaxing in an instant. 

“She wasn’t interested in joining tonight… it’s a shame, she keeps to herself… but at least she’s keeping the little ones occupied,” Splendor said as he reached forward to get right back to his work.

“Ben would throw a hissy fit if he heard you calling him “little one”, you know that right?” You tease. Splendor only shook his head gently, but didn’t say anything else.

You heard footsteps behind you, prompting you to turn around in your seat to find everyone else beginning to gather around- Jeff snagged Splendor’s hat right off of his head and flipped it upside down and dumped something into it. 

“Okay-” He barked out and passed the hat around. “Put something in the hat, we’re playing seven minutes in heaven!” Jeff called out. Several voices broke out, but he shushed them all.

“Not my choice, blame Toby- lover boy here is hoping to get some with his crush- YOU FUCKER-” Jeff hissed as he spun to Toby, who merely looked away. You had heard the impact, he must have kicked Jeff. 

Jeff drew a sharp hissing breath through his teeth, and before long he shoved the hat into your hands. “Here, put something in… or don’t if you want to go first,” He flashed a toothy grin at you. The slits in the sides of his face made it look far more menacing than he probably intended… maybe. “You don’t have to play if you don’t wanna, there’s more planned for tonight,” Jeff added after you didn’t say anything for a moment. 

“If I don’t start it, who will?” You ask.

“Not it!” Laughing Jack immediately called out. In an instant everyone started calling out a variation of the phrase, leaving you dumbstruck and still holding the hat. 

Your mouth twists into a pout, but you don’t make a move to back out of the game.

You reach your hand and pull out…

[ceasarslegion]

I think it's very telling that I've lost tens of followers after saying outright that if you didn't vote you don't get to complain about the results. That was what all the newbies here and some of the oldies were so mad about, eh? That i pointed out how you can't sit on your ass and do nothing and then expect to throw a tantrum when you don't like the results?

If you voted for someone who can ACTUALLY WIN, or have a LEGITIMATE reason you CANT (such as being too young, being turned away at the polling station, or it being a hazard to your safety by oppressive family members) then yes, complain all you want. Scream from the rooftops, cry, do it all.

If you didn't? If you "protest voted"? If you're excusing it with "but I'm uncomfortable with the options :(("? Shut up. You don't get to complain. You made this bed knowing the sheets were filthy, do not expect me to have any sympathy for you when you have to lie in filth.

Yes I'm canadian, but i vote in every. Single. Election. That i can. I put my money where my mouth is, I put the work in where I have the power to. So yeah, i get to complain all I want even about other elections that also affect my country, because I put in the effort and the power i have to make it better.

You built a massive lego tower with someone, watched it collapse while sitting on your ass and doing nothing to try to stop it, and then threw a tantrum when it broke. I'm going to roll my eyes at you and ignore you, and then I'm going to ask the one who tried to reach out and catch it if they want me to help them try to put it back together. It really is that simple

And if you don't like that i firmly, whole-chested believe that, then leave.

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 5 MATCH 4

Derek propaganda:

“Extreme hot take but Derek is the best OL1 love interest. He has the best and sweetest confession in the game. You play video games together. He seems reserved until you actually start dating and find out that he's actually just a gentleman who didn't want to be overly forward with someone he's not in a relationship with. He's a family man. You get to blatantly abuse your 'dating' privileges in front of his brothers. He's just so insanely sweet and caring and makes me wanna cry whenever I play his DLC.”

“- Impossible to dislike

- No, like, literally impossible. OL1 will allow you to be indifferent to it's two other LIs, Cove and Baxter but you actually can't pick that option for Derek. Game decided that You Will Be (at least) Friends With Derek

- This boy is so good!!!! He's a sweetheart and has your back in the best way and he's constantly doing his best to make sure the people around him (especially you) are happy

- This is also a complex flaw of his because he feels like he needs to be the best that he can be and to be worth something

- This both manifests in how he treats others (he's exceedingly well-mannered and does everything for others because he secretly hopes that someday someone will do the same for him) and his career prospects (he takes on excessive practice to get good at football/soccer so that he can potentially get a scholarship and become famous all so he can potenially feel like he's worth something. This is actually a major conflict in his Step 4)

- His DLC also has some of the best moments in the game

- He also has a family and they're also really good and you get to see a lot of them

- His dad is hilarious, his mom is gorgeous and their relationship is very cute

- Meanwhile, Derek's brothers are great. I wanna gush about them because I love them but also play Derek's DLC yourself!!! See how good they are for yourself!!!!

- I will say that these three have a really good relationship dynamic and the development it takes in the 10 years between when you first meet Jorge and Nico as little kids to Step 4 where they're adults (and a teenager, Nico is 16 in Step 4) is genuinely very well written

- If you're into the steamy stuff, Derek also has the best make-out session out of all of the boys

- He's also just. Very funny. This boy will invite you to a waterpark and then ask you if its a date so he knows whether or not it's ok to check you out in your swimsuit

- Or, if you aren't dating by that point (but you do want to to date him), the narration will note how he's trying so so hard not to check you out, he's just trying so so so hard

- Puppy dog face. Look at it. Tell me you can look at that face and not want to smooch him

- His confession is also the best, did I mention it's the best? Because it's absolutely the best one in the entire game

- He has a whole thing about having to confess to you on a ferris wheel and he's so committed to it that he actually avoided ferris wheels for a long time before this confession because he promised himself he'd do it the next time he went on one

- And then he went on one...and he literally doesn't confess when he does it because he lost track of time and he had to get off

- so he asks you to go on the ferris wheel with him again so he can actually confess this time

Just. Just vote for him!!!!”

“He's sweet, polite, and out-going and is always willing to put you first (sometimes too willing).”

“polite responsible jock u r NOT immune to this”

Asra propaganda:

“He GIVES AWAY HALF HIS HEART TO REVIVE YOU okay but like. He's the MCs roommate and they were together for a few years before the MC caught a plague and died and he obsesses over a way to bring them back before succeeding by making a deal with a god to trade half his heart for MC and betraying the emperor. And then when MC comes back but without any of their memories, he takes care of them and teaches them how to live all over again and he never asks for anything in return. On all the routes where you don't choose him he's really supportive and helps you out despite your history and overall he's just really nice and supportive of the MC and is their rock no matter what route you go down. Also he has a pet snake named Faust and I love her she's so <33 

Idk I just appreciate him so much”

"He gave you half his HEART!! He would literally go to hell and back for you!! He wants to take you on adventures all around the world—doesn’t matter where, as long as he’s by your side!! AND he’s nonbinary!!!"

[tinystepsforward]

a good post by a friend, for the usamericans who need to figure out grieving and action. let this radicalise you, not drive you to despair.

molly offers some options here which are probably a lot more accessible to those of you who aren't as far left/abolitionist/commie as i am, and i reckon this is a solid piece to share even with parents or other older people who are realising they need to organise outside of voting for the first time in their lives. some practical advice for looking after yourself, some causes to look at, some space to take, and grace with which to take it.

i've said this before: this stuff is happening in new zealand too. the people who control most of the money in the world have been working really hard worldwide to shift the overton window right, to normalise things that should be unacceptable.

now more than ever is the time for usamericans to learn to sit with their feelings — especially if you're white, if you're cis, if you make good money. to sit with grief, and discomfort, and guilt. to let it move through you, and to feel it rather than try to avoid it, and then to — when you are ready — reach out to the people around you, and build something together, however small. to be willing to imagine a better future. to have enough experience graciously processing your own guilt to not automatically dismiss people in prison or people being bombed or people who have "broken the law", whatever that means.

now is the time to develop your own moral code independent from what is legal. as an abolitionist mine is about harm reduction — and that means being very clear about when my own bad feelings or discomfort are a me problem, feeling them, and letting them go without transmuting them directly into impulsive action. that means not panicposting about how you're gonna be put in camps and your life is over where other people who are more at risk may see it. that means being recognising when you need to communicate and not be conflict avoidant in order to prevent harm, or when you need to step back from something that makes you uncomfortable but isn't harm. that means looking at the small ways your life can include a little more kindness.

be kind to each other — so you can be dangerous together. resilience is built through kindness and integrity in conflict, through doing the hard work of being a person in community. fit your own mask. grieve. breathe through it. then look for the other people picking themselves up. there is always work to do, and more people now ready to do it than ever.