#also. from the Normal Writing Style section of the text

[alienglowgarden]

Autonomous Bodies for the snippet thing? uvu

sdfsd damn u zari...

ok so that was one of the two non-iwatex wips. Funfact, its also scifi! But very experimental prose, body horror weirdness type stuff.

I did indeed find a place where I could actually try writing something and not just endlessly edit down phrases and push number around. But, its gooey and weird and somewhere towards the end of the story. Adding in the whole section indented for slightly more context.

TW for body horror

X. Once comfortable, It puts  its head in her lap. She is all attention, all rigid and tense and It thinks, this is protection, this is love. Her stiffened limbs like pillars around its too soft body. Finally, safe. It relaxes and drifts off to sleep, willing her to stroke its strands of grey-ash wisps and pure matter. Or perhaps, she comes to this herself, despite herself, in spite of herself, in the name of discovery. Fingers sunk into the velvet softness of its  exposed cranium. Never to return. Never hers again. Her heart beats. Once. Twice. And no more than that. Not for a long time.

 At last, her body drops out of orbit and meets its brand new center of gravity. It is done keeping her on its periphery. But all good things must not come to an end for the Angel has not learned this lesson yet. It wants to keep her. 

It dreams of home where nothing ever ends or begins. Her searching hands come with. 

Porous waves like frills spill from her blooming thigh, as angel-ship-crew roots pass from Its body to hers and start stitching them together. Shinbone to ribs, knee to crook of neck, femur to skull. Both yield with a kind of soft inevitability, welcoming the other in.

In dreams Deronzier’s Angel finds new sights to sublimate them. New ways of loving new things. Fiberglass cords call out to it as if for embrace. It understands now what had distressed the woman. How alien the ship without its melody of perfect working order. 

[dakusan]

H O W S K Z T E X T W H E N … T H E Y ’ R E D R U N K

stray kids ot8 x reader | drunk texting, emotional whiplash, chaotic flirtation, love at 2AM

🌙 synopsis: They said they wouldn’t get that drunk. They got that drunk. Somewhere between the third shot and their thumb hovering over your name, they forgot how to act normal. They text like it’s a confession booth. They voice memo like it’s their last voicemail. Some of them send “u up?” with a smile. Some send “i miss u” with a death grip on denial. And some…? Just wanna draw you asleep and call it art. This isn’t just drunk texting. It’s SKZ being hopelessly, tipsily, embarrassingly into you. Soft boys. Unfiltered feelings. Typos that say too much. Welcome to the inbox you dream about getting.

💌 a/n: hi. yes. it’s me. Sunday softdrops baby. i blacked out and woke up in a google doc full of emotionally unstable drunk men with fluffy hair and no texting filter. did i write han’s entire section from personal experience? maybe. did jeongin flirt with me through my own writing? also maybe. am i okay? no. but it’s fine. 🫠 thank u for reading my little brainrot. u deserve a drunk text from your bias tonight. or at least a meme and a forehead selfie. p.s. reblogs = aftercare 🥺 p.p.s. if you read this and didn’t feel something, check your pulse babe. p.p.p.s. omg it took me longer to make that fucking banner than it did to write this entire post i’m losing my mind 💀 pls validate me it’s cute right

📍credits: @cafekitsune for the dividers

🎶 Now Playing: "Love Scenario" — IKON

Bang Chan // 방찬 ✨ The “Accidental Soulmate Confessor” Emotional | Heartfelt | Always just one beer away from writing you a wedding vow | Thinks he’s texting normally — he’s absolutely not.

[2:04AM] u kno ur the best thing that ever happened to me right [2:05AM] like not just in a 😚❤️ way but in a 🌎☁️🌟💍 way [2:07AM] am i spelling good? is this good spelling? [2:08AM] imma write u a song rn brb need to find my mic. love u. (You later receive a 32-second voice memo of him singing about your eyelashes before snoring kicks in.)

📱 Text style: Long heartfelt paragraphs cut into chaotic line breaks. One (1) existential crisis per text chain.

🥂 Drunk vibe: A soft ball of love. Tears up mid-sentence. Thinks about forever while holding his water bottle like it’s a mic.

💿 Aesthetic: Hoodie sleeves over his hands, star projector spinning, acoustic lo-fi playing, and the word “love” typed and retyped 12 times.

🍷 What he got drunk on: Two whiskey highballs and half a glass of wine he didn’t mean to drink that fast.

Lee Know // 리노 😤 The “Angry-That-He-Misses-You” Drunk Tsundere | Bluntly Flirty | Lowkey Clingy | Mad that you make his heart soft

[1:47AM] don t get used to this i m n ot cute i jst miss ur dumb face [1:48AM] ur the only person i wldnt throw a slipper at. tha means smthing [1:49AM] “come over so i can insult u in person 🐱🖤 (Follows with a blurry selfie in your hoodie: “it doesn t smell like u anymore fix it”)

📱 Text style: Aggressively incorrect spelling + love disguised as threats.

🥂 Drunk vibe: Angry at feelings. Loudly defensive. Will call you annoying then stare at your contact photo for 10 minutes.

💿 Aesthetic: One earbud in, black hoodie pulled tight, cat curled on his lap, 2 unread messages from you he pretends not to obsess over.

🍷 What he got drunk on: Soju bombs and a shot he claimed he didn’t like but still asked for another.

Changbin // 창빈 💪 The “Buff Romantic” Loudly Affectionate | Jealous in a Healthy Way™ | Protective Softie | Wants to fight your sadness and win

[12:33AM] LISTEN i don’t say it enough but UR 🔥 and funny and i wanna squish ur cheeks [12:35AM] also i think i saw a guy look at u once and i didn’t like it i think i’m jealous?? [12:37AM] but like in a healthy communicative way😤💕 (Sends 12 progressively zoomed selfies of his forehead.)

📱 Text style: Caps lock + muscle emojis + randomly tender confessions

🥂 Drunk vibe: 50% flirt, 50% hype man. Will body slam your insecurities if given the chance.

💿 Aesthetic: Heavy chain necklace, Spotify on sad R&B, heart-shaped Post-its on his gym mirror, three selfies in your messages before you even respond.

🍷 What he got drunk on: Tequila shots and one suspicious pink drink the bartender dared him to finish.

Hyunjin // 현진 🎭 The “Poetic and Probably Crying” Drunk Hopeless Romantic | Art Boy Delusions | Will write you a sonnet and cry while doing it | Thinks your hand is a masterpiece

[1:11AM] i saw a moon tonight and thought it was u [1:12AM] no wait it was a streetlamp but i still meant it [1:13AM] ur hands r my fav shape [1:15AM] can i draw u asleep? not in a creepy way. ok maybe in a little way. (Sends a blurry sketchbook page that just says “pretty” written over and over.)

📱 Text style: All lowercase. No punctuation. A poem in disguise.

🥂 Drunk vibe: Gazes out the window with a single tear. Dramatically clutches his chest while texting you you’re “divine.”

💿 Aesthetic: Scented candles, sketchbook covered in flowers, red wine stains on notebook paper, whispered voice notes that make your heart ache.

🍷 What he got drunk on: One bottle of red wine, a playlist titled “tragically yours,” and exactly one bite of cheese.

Han // 한 🌀 The “Unhinged Meme Lord with Accidental Feelings” Chaotic Neutral | Otter Memes + Unplanned Confessions | Panic Texts | Actually Madly in Love

[2:55AM] i just rememebred u like otters. here’s an otter. also me when u smile 🦦🫠🫶 [2:58AM] how do i send a pizza to ur house without knowing ur address?? wait nvm i do know it. im smart. genius. [3:00AM] ok but like... i love u. oh no i pressed send wait nO (Follows up with: “jk unless??? 😳”)

📱 Text style: Meme. Confession. Apology. Repeat.

🥂 Drunk vibe: Flirting through chaos. Will quote SpongeBob and then cry because “you’re the only one who gets him.”

💿 Aesthetic: Hoodie up, random snacks around his desk, YouTube playing a conspiracy video in the background, one hand hovering over the delete button.

🍷 What he got drunk on: Soju + cider mix, three jello shots, and something called “angry peach tornado” from a sketchy bar.

Felix // 필릭스 🌻 The “Sunshine Becomes Liquid Gold” Drunk Emotionally Soft | Hug Dispenser™ | Cries Because He Loves You Too Much | Wants to tuck you in spiritually

[11:45PM] hiii 💛 just want u 2 kno ur like my fav person ever like ever ever ever [11:46PM] u ever seen a star and been like wow that’s them?? bc that’s me rn with u [11:48PM] sending hugs via telepathy did u get it?? 🫂☁️💫 (Includes a 3-second voice note: “hiiiiiii... ur cute. ok bye.” followed by a giggle.)

📱 Text style: Stream of consciousness kindness + giggles in voice memos

🥂 Drunk vibe: Becomes 100x more affectionate. Holds your hand tighter. Cries over how lucky he is to know you.

💿 Aesthetic: Lavender candle burning, soft knit sweater, arms wrapped around a pillow, 7 open tabs of photos he wants to send but thinks “are too much.”

🍷 What he got drunk on: Sparkling rosé and one (1) baby bottle of peach soju. He got tipsy halfway through dessert.

Seungmin // 승민 😐 The “Denial But Obsessed” Drunk Pretends He’s Sober | Insults You Lovingly | Texts Like He’s Not in Love (But He Is) | Regrets Everything the Next Day

[12:12AM] i’m not even drunk lol u just looked really nice in that one outfit from last week [12:13AM] don’t let it go to ur head. average. 6/10. ok fine 11/10. whatever. [12:15AM] if i die tonight tell my dog i loved u more (Next day: “that wasn’t me. i was hacked.”)

📱 Text style: Passive-aggressive flirts + “idc but here’s my heart” energy

🥂 Drunk vibe: Thinks he’s subtle. Is actually fully feral. Will send “you up?” but claim it was a typo.

💿 Aesthetic: Glass of wine untouched, sarcasm layered over panic, piano keys he’ll pretend he doesn’t play when thinking of you.

🍷 What he got drunk on: Expensive red wine he “hates” but keeps sipping like it’s vengeance. Also maybe a whisky cola he didn’t finish.

I.n // 아이엔 🍓 The “Too-Sober-to-Be-This-Flirty” Drunk Composed | Mischievous | Knows EXACTLY What He’s Doing | Flirts with a smirk you can feel through the screen

[10:44PM] not drunk just thinkin. bout u. in that outfit from last week lol [10:46PM] r u free rn or should i keep pretending i don’t wanna kiss u [10:49PM] missed my stop btw. not bc of u. but also yes. entirely bc of u. (Sends a photo of his shoes and says: “u could be in front of these rn just say the word”)

📱 Text style: Quiet confidence + emotional landmines disguised as jokes

🥂 Drunk vibe: Barely tipsy. Still 100% in control. Uses texting as a weapon and you never see it coming.

💿 Aesthetic: Glossy lips, streetlight reflecting on his rings, late train ride, voice memo he replayed twice before hitting send.

🍷 What he got drunk on: Soju + soda with ice and a lemon wedge. He’s classy. He’s dangerous. He drank it slow just to mess with you.

[uzmacchiato]

Hi! How you doing the combination in the titles? Can you do a tutorial please! Thanks!

Hello @elvisbdoll 🫶🏻

~ Firstly, I'll share the link from where I learnt to do that. It is explained in a very easy and short way here.

~ You need to use Tumblr web on your phone or laptop for this idk why it doesn't work on the app.

~ I'll also explain below in my own detailed way, hoping that this becomes easy for anyone who follows my posts and wants to know how I do it😁

• Website for the Gradient Text :

TEXT COLOR FADER

• Detailed process of how I use customised gradient text on Tumblr :

( Pay attention to the colors that I have used in the steps as well as the screenshots to understand better. The markings on the photos are to make it easier to spot what I'm talking about. )

.

1. Create a post on Tumblr by writing the text you want to make a gradient of and save it as a draft. In the draft → Go to the Settings wheel and in the Text Editor section select HTML which is required by Tumblr to read a coded* text.

* ( The colors of the Gradient text are basically coded into text on the Website I shared above. Hence, changing into the HTML type here will help Tumblr recognise that coded text and turn it into a normal Gradient colored text. )

2. You will see a coded version of the text you wrote which is encoded between <h1>...your text...</h1> for my text in the photo below. You can toggle between HTML & Preview to see the coded and uncoded(normal) version of the text. Copy the normal version of the text from the Preview mode that you want to turn into gradient.

3. Visit the Website in the link I've shared above.

.

A: is the part where you paste the text you just copied and want to change into a Gradient.

B: is the number of colors you want to use in the gradient.

C: is the part where you put the color codes (HEX/RGB) or just swipe to get the desired color from the color wheel.

4. I pasted the text in the text box and made the changes that I need to do to get the gradient I want in the next part. I used 4 colors and put the Hex codes for the Teal and Beige colors. Once you're done click on "Generate Color Coded Text"

5. On the next page you'll get to see a preview of the text and the coded text in the box below. Click on Select All and Copy the coded text.

If you want to make any changes you can go back by clicking on "Create a new fade" and you will be taken back to edit the current gradient.

6. Go to the draft and delete the existing text to avoid mixing the coded text with it. Stay on the HTML mode rather than Preview mode.

Paste the coded text while you're on the HTML mode of the draft (the codes are really long depending on the number of colors and length of the text)

After pasting in HTML mode click on Preview and you're DONE.

Other than that you can edit the text style after pasting here into the basic styles provided by Tumblr — bold, italic, Chat, Intended, etc.

Final Result : How to make Gradient Text on Tumblr ?

I hope this was helpful😭 I love editing the text and making it match my dividers, so this is magic for me. You can DM me if you need any more help understanding this.

Thank You❤️

[ariathelamia]

Hellhound HRT - Day -???

Little note at the start: Hellhound HRT is being written by Arynia, who is a alter... the only alter in this system ^^ Since she is unable to front so far, we decided to have her write the story~ well she tells me what to write and i do that~ Don't worry, Lamia HRT is going to continue! It's just a bit of a drawing rut on my end^^..

Thank you @dawning-mars for the cameo and help writing this~ it was a lot of fun working with you!! Anyway~ on to the story!!

“That FUCKING asshole!” 

I shout while kicking the empty can of soda down the alleyway, hitting a trash can and accidentally spooking the Racoon that was currently inside of it away..

I just happened to leave the clinic of this gigantic egotistical asshole doctor Erian, my tail all the way along my back and fur all over the place. Shit, getting ahead of myself here.

‘Sup, Names Arynia, but people just call me Nia. I’ve been on Wolf HRT for a while… probably what.. 4 to 5 months now? Well let me just paint a picture. Think about an average height punk girl, with a body mostly covered in a mix of orange and gray fur… Got a nice long undercut for hair, and an otherwise still pretty human face, if you discount the slight elongation that would become my snout one day.  Got me a pretty neat tail though! Doctor was quite surprised when he saw it, usually they don’t get that tall so quickly? I guess I lucked out on that one. Legs are still humanoid though… no signs of paws yet… they do ache a little but i guess i traded the Tail growth for the leg restructuring.. Well none of this matters now cause that fucker just cut me off the meds anyway because i accidentally let slip that “being a normal wolf might not be as fulfilling as i thought… that i wanted something a little… extra.”... Guess that was enough for that idiot asshole bastard to say “If you are not happy with the current progress then continuing from here on out won’t be in your best interest.” And something about coming back when i know what i actually want and if this is the right thing and- URGH!! I should have kept my mouth shut but that's just not my style… 

Anyway back to the here and now. Feeling kinda bad for the Racoon… well can’t say sorry now that it’s gone. But what the fuck do i do now? Well first things first, checking the messages… Lot’s o’ new people sending in their first dosage posts… pretty neat. Some new faces joined the support group-... ah shit gotta make the news that i probably gotta leave now.. since i don’t really have an ongoing prescription anymore… ACTUALLY- maybe someone has an idea what to do… yeah thats a better outlook, after all that asshole Theodore isn’t the only doc around. 

I ended up sending a lengthy text in the vent section about my situation.. At first people sent some pleasantries but then also some neat ideas on where to go. I did mention my wish for something more… extravagant and low and behold, someone heard of a library in Hypercity that I should check out. Something about a Mysterious worker there that spooked some customers away with her… “monstry aura”? Sounds neat. Just gotta find the place.

Good thing the Maps app on the phone works in Hyper City.. otherwise this place would become a maze… It’s been neat just exploring new areas though, seeing all kinds of people on different stages in their HRT. Cats… Bats… a freaking DRAGON… pretty sure saw some cyborg too but not sure if that’s HRT or just them wearing prosthetics.. either way looked pretty neat. Ever since this stuff hit the market, and more people managed to grab the formula and distribute it, new kinda therians pop out by the day. Good thing I got a spot in that support group when they still had any. Although things do be a bit hectic in the chats.. but that’s alright. Anything major and important is learned in the group sessions anyway.

After another half an hour of walking and listening to the instructions on my phone, I finally made it to the library…  Pretty normal looking place from the outside if you think about the worker here that everyone is making mysteries of is apparently supposed to be some kinda… space monster.. though the descriptions do shift from mention to mention. Anyway I decided it’s enough waiting around… time to go in.

The SECOND I stepped into the lobby, my instincts fired alarm signals. I don’t know how to interpret that but god damn, my fur was standing upright and my ears clenched backwards. What the fuck is going on? Despite my body telling me to run, I go forward… this wolf ain’t no quitter i tell you that! My hand slowly reaches for the bell at the reception, after three deep breaths I finally manage to ring it. The body is making one last attempt to try to make me run away, now that I have given away my position to whatever predator it was so afraid of. But I won't. I gotta know what the hell this place is about now.

As the bell rings, the library quickly goes cold. The lights seem to be weaker, trying to fight against a layer of darkness that wasn’t present before the ring. The air is heavy and the sounds of footsteps can be heard from book stacks. Through the Darkness emit 5 bright eyes, their pinkish purple hues fluctuate and pulse. 

“Hello Deary, Welcome to the Thayer Library. My name is Mars, how can I help you?” 

Her voice vibrates with an unnatural distortion. Emerging into view is a 7 foot tall creature. Her skin is an unsaturated purple that resembles that of a shark's skin. She wears a black 50’s style dress with a ribbon tied at her waist. A large black sun hat covers a portion of her feature lacking face.

Quite the contrast in style compared to my black tank top, skinny jeans with ripped sides and black and white sneakers…

Mars passes me, walking back to the front desk. She looks down and gives me a monstrously happy grin. 

I take a moment to take in this surreal sight… I’ve seen my fair share of therians and otherkin before… Hell, one of my friends is a freakin’ Lamia… but THIS?! This is something entirely different. Feel like I just got transported into a whole different world, even though my actual position did not change…

“Uhm- name’s Arynia.. I was told this place could help me out with a predicament I found myself in. You see i uh-... just got cut off from my HRT for wanting something more… “Special” than a normal wolf and uh-... yeah-... here I am. Is there anyone you can introduce me to? Or how does this work?...” 

I stop myself from just babbling on and wait with baited breath for the answer of Mars. Trying to figure out WHAT kind of otherkin she is…

“Hm, what exactly do you mean by ‘special’?” She asked, looking me over and giving an inquisitive glare. She didn’t have pupils to track, but the way her brows shifted and glared. I felt myself being scrutinized, like I was being dissected. I struggled to find the words, the eye on her forehead looked deeper than the rest. It’s unblinking resolve pierces through me to my very being. I felt afraid, angered, lost. She must’ve noticed how I felt as she reached to the lid of her hat and pulled it down to cover the fifth eye.

I looked at her with an unsure expression… What DID i mean by that? God, his words about being not sure what I even wanted came back to my head… I didn’t want to be just a wolf… although being a Wolf isn’t bad I just needed something more… “... demonic…”

I suddenly said quietly.. my own thoughts bubbling out of my mouth involuntarily.

“Not… like a demon-demon but like… I don't know… a Demon Wolf? Fur that is almost like smoke but also… solid? ... heat that burns in my chest…

That kinda special…”

Mars' expression changes and sits down at her computer. As her attention turned to the screen I felt a weight ease off me. I nervously watched as the being before me tapped away on her computer. As she typed up something she looked up.

“I think I understand” 

Mars says, not looking up from the computer screen.

“There are ways to be… ethereal, cosmic, existing both in the mortal realm and the outer realms. Technically speaking, what you’re asking fits the description of the Abrahamic Hellhound. But I feel that’s not what you're looking for. It’s hard to explain the unexplainable… trust me..”

Mars hits the enter button as she looks back up at me. A kinder smile on her face as she looked for my response. The pressure of her presence once more weighed down on me as I stumbled to respond.

I scratch the back of my head and nod. 

“Y-yeah. Kinda hard to find something that describes the kind of thing I am looking for. A Hellhound sounds not bad, maybe some kinda different version! Maybe something with a bit more… fur hehe.. I guess you would know what it’s like. I don’t want to sound mean but I have never seen anything like you either.”

“Well my transition is a bit… different than the rest.. it’s hard to explain and it’s harder to understand. Frankly I’m still trying to figure out what I am and what’s going on…”

I notice her grab something from behind their desk. She looks down as I hear her scribble something out before standing up once more.

“I think I have something of interest to you, within the archives we have a selection of old reproductions from the Library of Alexandria. It was there where I found a way to become what I am. I believe I know something in the vault that might help you”.

She walked past me, her back appendages stretching outward and then falling back to a rest state. Her tail sways as she walks past the stacks and to a glass door saying ‘Employees Only’.

“Stay here and I’ll have the item brought down for you, feel free to look around while I’m gone.”

It was then that I first noticed how freaking exhausted I was from all the tension that was constantly in my body. I slumped against the desk and felt like I could breathe normally for the first time in my life, even when I didn't notice me breathing abnormally before. This entire situation is beginning to make me feel… somewhat… no… not somewhat.. REALLY excited! When I first started my transition into a Wolf, I felt a slight excitement with it.. not nearly as strong as it is now.  I was sure, this is it! I am at the right place, whatever comes next is what I really wanted!! 

I didn’t start looking around, my feet were almost stuck to the ground, my body still somewhat on edge. My fur definitely needed a brush now with how much it keeps shifting from the adrenaline that keeps shooting through my body in waves. I can’t wait to see what Mars is going to bring back from that employee section… figures that the good stuff is being held back from the general public but hey, who am i to complain. It’s not like the things are not being used for others outside of the employees, guess there is a genuine reason.. if it is able to “produce” beings like Mars, maybe that’s for the better to keep it somewhat detained.

There’s a ding from behind the door and the sound of something rolling. As the employee door unlocks Mars steps out, pushing along a small cart. The second she’s within eyesight I feel her presence once more as I find myself frozen with anxiety. 

“Here we are, the Alexandria Chronicles.”

She says with a pleased chirp. She sets the book between two angled pieces of foam. She gently flips through the pages, being extra careful with her sharpened talons. She settles on a page with incantation circles and text written in some ancient language. She moves her head and runs her claw along the text before turning back to me.

“Arynia, what I have here is a book that contains the remnants of the Library to Alexandria. Within these pages contain the history of the old gods, the ones who continue to influence us in secret. If you want to be like me, you will be made aware of these old ones. You will endure immeasurable pain and psychosis. I say this not to scare you, but to warn you.. to prepare you..”

Mars ushers me forward with her hand. I feel myself walk towards her, but not on my own volition. I approach the book, seeing the inscriptions up close and find the page overwhelming with information. 

“Do you have any questions?”

I take a long look at the writing. Nothing I could ever understand… but still i feel the weight of Mars’s words on my entire body. “I was ready for the pain of the HRT. I saw how much it weighed down on people I care about so that point I am sure is not going to hold me back. As for these old ones…” I took a determined look at Mars, as much as I felt afraid when simply in her presence… There was also the resolve to continue.

“I guess my only question would be when we can start. I can worry about the rest later. Right now my heart tells me that this is the right thing for me.”

Mars smiles and gestures back to the book, her clawed finger gently pointing at a scribble written in the margins. The blurb appears to be an old attempt at translating the chant. The combination of consonants and vowels made it difficult to read. 

“If you need assistance, never be shy to reach out. With that said, let’s begin”.

I nod, but then raise an eyebrow. “So-  I just read out the stuff written on the page?”

“We’ll need to set up a ritual circle, but try reciting this till you feel confident. I’ll get the circle set up.”

Mars steps back and walks to the front door. I hear the latching of the front doors and her footsteps walking to the front desk. I turn my attention back to the few lines of translated text. I reread the text a few times working on the exotic letter combinations. Once confident I try saying it out loud in a hush tone. Tripping over a few words but finding it not as difficult as I initially thought. 

Would have never thought I would end up in a library, practicing ancient texts in order to get some medicine that turns me into a hellhound! Not to mention this being connected to eldritch gods? Wonder if i should give this maybe some more thought… but then again.. it’s this or going to that asshole Erian and beg him to put me back on the hrt… yeah no this is definitely the better option. 

I ended up practicing for, what felt like an hour, managing to no longer stumble over the words. I pick up the book, still mumbling the text while walking to where Mars is probably either still setting up, or is waiting for me. 

I reached a clearing and found a large summoning circle matching the one from the book. Another circle filled the center as well as a ring of the ancient language. She smiled at me as she stood and handed me a candle. 

“Set this where you like and light it. Once that’s done we’ll be ready”.

I nodded and turned away as I was handed a candle and a match. My mind raced with thoughts and feelings. I couldn’t stop contemplating if this was the right choice. If this would truly make me a hellhound. I felt drawn to a certain part of the circle and placed the candle. As I lit it I felt the air shift, my breath could be seen and as I turned back Mars sat just outside the circle with the book. She ushered me forward and like earlier I felt myself moving at her command. I kneeled next to her and looked at the book, sweat racing down my cheek as Mars placed a hand on my shoulder.

“It’s ok hun, I’ll be here to help you”.

I felt comforted by that and gave a gentle smile. I turned down to the book, nervously grabbing the edges and looking back at the translation. I grew worried that I would mess this up, that I flub the pronunciation. I felt like I was drowning and gasped for the biggest breath I’ve ever taken. And then, I began reading.

“Ph’nglui Mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh.. Wgah’nagl fhta-“

I felt a pit in my stomach, the last syllable seemed impossible to say, the ease and confidence was gone. Now I fought against some external force to finish the words.

“FHTAGN!!!!”

Then there was a flash, my eyes began to tear up as I felt a rush of surging energy. The circle illuminated, the ground shook, I felt my face being pulled in all directions. I wanted to shut my eyes but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything but witness waves of images and voices. My vision began to split, I could see more than just the library. I could see pillars, a cracking moon, a hall draped with yellow banners. These images flooded my mind and soul and then nothing. I was floating in a vast void, I felt a moment of ease before the realm began splitting, an eye larger than anything I’ve ever witnessed glared at me… through me? I tried avoiding its gaze, but I wasn't able to… I tried to speak up but my instincts clenched my mouth shut. 

I felt another rush as I was pulled away and then, finally, I blinked. My eyes celebrated the release of the tension as they began to refocus. I felt control regain in my mind and arms as I reached up and wiped the tears. I took a moment to recover, my mind still reeling from what I witnessed.

“Harsh, isn’t it?”

I turned to see Mars who looked relieved. She smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. 

“You seemed to handle that very well. It’s something to have every sense we have to be overwhelmed. It’s crippling, and when we have that control it feels so foreign..”

Mars reached for the now closed book and took it in her arms. She cradled it like a child and stood up and offered me a hand. I wasn’t sure I could stand yet, my legs felt like they were still trembling. I could tell Mars read my expression as she pulled her hand away. 

“Sorry, why don’t you relax a bit while I get this all cleaned up.”

I nod to the best of my ability. Still trying to come to terms with what just happened. My eyes went from Mars towards the ground as my mind tried to make sure that I was back on earth… and not in whatever place I was before… It is at this very moment I start to realize what I just signed myself up for. And the fact settles in that this is not going to be the last time my very foundation of reality is going to be shaken. I look up at Mars one more time.

“Di-” I cough.. damn spit must have gotten in my throat at some point…

“Did it work?”

Mars turns her attention to the center of the circle and sees a small orange bottle. And smiles and turns back to me and nods.

“It did, welcome to family”

I looked back to the center of the circle when Mars did, turning back shortly after with a smile. 

“Thanks~ I guess I’ll be visiting this place more often now~” 

I slowly stand up, my legs still shaking from the ordeal and pick up that small orange pill bottle. It has my name on it… hades-lupusitine… bit on the nose name but hey, ain’t gonna complain as long as it does the job. The name of the prescribing doc was left blank though… then again that makes sense… don’t think you can fit whatever that eyeball's name was on the small tag of a pill bottle… IF that was the one that heard my call from the ritual… 1-0-1… so guess two of them a day… mornings and evenings huh?

I turn back to Mars with a smile as big as I can manage, and a wagging tail swishing behind me.. 

“Thank you so goddamn much for all of this Mars!” She smiled back at me. No more words needed to be spoken… not that I was really able to speak much after that mental strain anyway.. She kindly walked me out of the Library after putting the book back where it was safe. We waved each other goodbye, promising to stay in touch. I took my walk home, caressing the small pill bottle in my Jeans pocket and just itching to take the first pill in the evening. I just hope the next cosmic horrors at least knock first…  

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

Next

Definitely check out Mars's Eldritch HRT series!!

[getfuckedblr]

here’s my guide to making typesets! I use Word to make my typesets, Canva for designs, and Adobe to insert the majority of my designs.

this is a ton of info and I tried to make it as readable as possible, but plz let me know if u need any clarification!

Word: always use the app, the online program doesn't have all of the options needed

paper size: US Letter Borderless

then i flip it landscape, do custom borders, and select book fold. I do 1 inch on top and bottom, .75 in inside, and .5 in outside. i leave the gutter option alone and leave it set to 0. You can choose how large you want your signatures to be (sheets in booklet option on the margins page): I normally do 40 page signatures, but if it's a smaller text you'll want to go smaller for stability. after that, you should have a half page to start your typeset!

Inserting your fic:

the next thing you’ll do is insert your fic; on ao3 click entire story, CTRL A to select all, CTRL C to copy it all. Paste it into your document. word automatically detects the headings, and you should be able to see all your chapters on the left side bar (if you can’t see it, click the page numbers on the bottom left to open the tab).

Formatting:

you can do the next few steps in any order, but we’re going to fix the formatting now. you’ll want to CTRL A everything, pick a font and a font size. I normally use georgia and size 10, going smaller or larger depending on the file size.

To have an indent on every line: CTRL A your work to select all, right click the “normal” style, on the home tab. go to the bottom left, open the drop-down menu, and select “paragraph”. next to special, hit first line. i like to do .3, you can do whatever you want. i then like to make sure the space after is set to 0, the line spacing to single, and then hit save. it should automatically adjust your lines to start at whatever indent you picked.

To fix the spacing: go into the layout tab, and go to spacing. There'll be a before and after option: write in 0, then click enter for both of them. Word is a little bit bitchy so you have to force it do things sometimes. after this you can choose if you want single spacing, or 1.5, or whatever you want.

*sometimes, the way the fic was formatted when posted to ao3 means that even after setting the line spacing to zero, there will still be a space in between each line. this is where you have to troubleshoot. you can either go line by line to delete the excess space (yes, for real. and yes, it's just as awful as it sounds) or, sometimes, not every-time but sometimes, you can highlight the chapter text, go into the home tab on top, click the A with the purple eraser to erase all formatting, and then do all the beginning steps again, and it will get rid of the extra space.*

Now that your format is mostly fixed, delete the archive of our own beta, and anything else you don't want. I normally delete everything up to the title of the work, and leave that for creating my copyright page. Remember to do the same for the end of the work!

Page Breaks and Section Breaks:

the next part is the most crucial. it's how we format both the chapters, but also how we format the headings and footer. this was the part that took me the longest to figure out: it's the page breaks and section breaks. page breaks mark the place where one page ends, and another begins. section breaks will create a new section in your document, so you can break the beginning few pages from the rest of your textblock. This will allow you to insert page numbers that start on page one, instead of at the first page of the document.

I like to go the end of the description, and then click on the first chapter. then I'll add a section break. you can find this in the layout tab, click breaks, and then click section break. so now our section 2 starts with chapter one. After this, add a blank page after the description and before your new section, and then click on the first chapter. (adding a blank page allows for smoother formatting later with headers and footers)

I then go to each chapter, delete the authors notes at the start and end of each chapter, and add a page break at the start of each chapter. i like to use the heading tab on the left to click each chapter, so I know I'm actually starting the new page right where I need to, and other formatting won't delete the page break.

when I create a compilation fic, where I have muitlple fics in one typeset, I use section breaks at the starts of each new fic. this will allow the page numbers to continue, but I can then edit each sectio to change the fic title and the authors name. if you're really fancy, you can do this for each chapter title as well, you would just hve to use a section break for each chapter instead of page break. *Remember to click link to previous to turn it off, so you are only editing that section, and not all the other sections. this can be found in the heading and footer tab on the top, which will automatically open when you click on the heading or footer.*

Adding page numbers, authors name, text name:

To add a page number, I click the footer, which automatically opens the header/footer tab on top. Then, I click page numbers, add page numbers. I turn on different odd and even pages, which is also found in the header/footer tab. you'll have to insert page numbers on both an even and odd age to get them to show up once you click that option. Page one should be an odd page, page two should be an even page. I like to put the page numbers on the outside of the page. Then you'll click format page numbers, click "start at" instead of "continue from previous section", and write in 1. now your typeset starts at 1 on chapter one instead of the start of your document! you'll need to go back and delete the numbers that showed up on the first section, but remember to deselect link to previous before you do that! or you'll end up deleting your page numbers again.

to add text on page numbers:

click into the header/footer again. double click directly on the page number, then start typing. You ca highlight the whole thing to change the font, font seize, etc. I normally do the same size as my text, and I'll either do georgia font or garamond font. I google "copy paste line for text" to get that line dividing the page number from whatever text I have next to it.

to add graphics on an entire work:

you can go into the header or footer, go to the insert tab, and insert a picture. Doing it in the header or footer will ensure it's on every single page that shares that header or footer. I have done this in the past, and find it's cute, but it's also tricky because it needs to be small enough to fit inside the header or footer, and won't really be able to interact with the text because it's different on each page, while the graphic will stay in the same position regardless.

Blank Pages:

you want blank pages at the start and end of your textblock: this is what you'll be glueing your end papers to. even more, you'll want to ensure your total page number is both divisible by 4 (each page of paper will have four pages of your text on it, two to each side) and fits into your signature count. If you're working with a 40 page signature, and you have 420 pages, that's fine. You'll end up having the last signature only be 5 regular pages instead of 10, which is plenty enough to sew. you really just want to try and avoid only having one of two pages in that last signature, as that won't be very strong in holding up your end page, or be very stable in sewing on to your book block.

to make sure they're blank, with no page numbers, you'll want to insert a section break on the last page of text. Deselect link to previous, delete the page numbers and you should be all good!

Printing/Saving:

I'm on a mac. I don't know how you would do this on anything but a mac. let that be a warning lmao. but I will CTRL A everything, ensure it's US Letter Borderless, and then hit print. if you don't tell the document it's the right size, it'll be funky when you go to print because of the margins. to insert images, i click save as pdf. it'll save it in the correct order to print for your signatures, and then I upload it into adobe to edit further. that'll have to be a different post bc this is entirely too long already.

If you want to print directly from here, ensure it's printing the right size, flip on short edge, double sided. and you're all done!

[venus-is-thinking]

DRDT Handwriting Analysis

Hello everyone! I decided to take a look at the canonical handwriting of the various characters in DRDT. We've actually seen a good number of handwritings and it definitely seems like they are specifically written differently, so it's a fun new dimension of the characters we can look at. I've done my best to compile all of them in this post, but please let me know if I've missed any!

I'll be going in order of when we first see them, starting with:

Arei Nageishi!

Arei is our first handwriting reveal, which we know because she wrote the arm wrestling contest board in Chapter 1, Episode 2! She seems to write in all caps and has a slightly curvy style.

Min Jeung!

Whoops, murder time. Min's handwriting is seen on the "OUT OF ORDER" sign. We don't know it's hers when we first see it, but in the trial, it's revealed that she must have written it.

As far as I remember, we don't have another sample of her handwriting, which is unfortunate, given that I believe this is probably not what her real handwriting looks like. She's clearly printing in very straight lines; it's probably meant to look official. If it looked handwritten, it would lower the credibility of the out of order sign.

I also tried to see if you could tell what any handwriting looked like from the papers on the table in the Bonus Episode she's in, but I didn't manage to pick anything out that was actually legible. So, I guess we don't really know what Min's handwriting would normally look like.

Xander Matthews!

Xander wrote "Charles Cuevas' Motive" on this DVD, but a lot of it got smudged off when he planted it in the CD reader (god I hope I got it right I'm sorry Charles I'm trying to remember which is which).

He seems to use all caps. It's also not the neatest, given that the two Cs run into each other despite being on different lines.

Notably, there is a more filled-out version.

However, the red text isn't written by Xander himself, because he's dead at the time. As best I can figure, this is Teruko writing in an impression of Xander's handwriting. The image of the CD appears as Teruko says, "Hm, are you talking about this?" implying she's the one carrying it, and the rest of the writing is filled in when she says so. It might seem like it would be Rose, given that she's the one who figures out what it's supposed to say, but Rose instructs someone else to rotate it, so it can be assumed Rose isn't holding it. Teruko is the one to take the DVD out of the player at the end of investigation, so I'd really assume it's her.

...HOWEVER!

We actually have a specific example of Teruko replicating Xander's handwriting! She smudges it during investigation and re-writes it on. It seems to me like the creator went back to the original version of the CD in the trial (the little ink blot at the left of the O matches better with the first of the two images here, imo). I doubt there was much internal consistency given to how Teruko writes Xander's handwriting when trying to replicate it on this CD, but...

Teruko Tawaki!

Teruko's handwriting is bad-bad. It's very shaky and she struggles with letters. The O and C (as she thinks she's writing) that she replicates back on the CD have some more of the shakiness that this handwriting has, which implies to me that the creator knew at the point of the Chapter 1 murder that Teruko's handwriting wasn't smooth. The replication of Xander's handwriting in red back in Xander's section looks smoother than I think Teruko's would, which might be points towards someone else having written it. No clue who, though.

Notably for Teruko, I honestly wonder if she's meant to have dysgraphia? I don't know a ton about it, but it's a learning disability that makes it much harder for people with the condition to handwrite clearly. Just an interesting sidenote, if anyone with dysgraphia knows more/if this is wrong to say in some way, please let me know!

Charles Cuevas!

Back on track, I skipped ahead with Teruko to put hers next to Xander's. We don't technically have confirmation that this is Charles' handwriting, but it's very very heavily implied. It's written in cursive, which Whit says Charles writes in in the Chapter 2 trial.

This also implies that Whit has seen Charles' handwriting, which could add more to imply that this is his, but considering Charles has evidently seen Whit's (more in a sec), I don't think that means much.

Plus, as a fun note, Charles' custom weapon is the only one that isn't listed on the above handwriting sample. This is the biggest factor in me believing that it's Charles'. (Plus, I think Whit says something about getting it from a friend? I'm not reopening the episode sorry gang)

Whit Young?

Wait, where's the handwriting?

Well, as far as I remember, we haven't actually seen Whit's handwriting. We know from Charles that he dots his Is with hearts, but that's all we got. Sorry gang.

Eden Tobisa!

Eden literally gave us a handwriting sample. Thanks!

It's pretty cute! She has a curvier handwriting style with some irregular spacing, which I think gives it nice charm and character.

The Chapter 2 Killer??? (or accomplice)

Idk man! It seems like it has to relate to someone who's at least somewhat guilty in this whole thing, right?

I've written briefly about why I believe this is Levi's handwriting on @1moreff-creator's Levi accomplice theory post, but that would totally work for the popular theory that he's the killer, too. Either way, it's a handwriting sample.

Bonus!

NO WIFI! WHY LIVE :(

I have no idea who wrote this. From what I can tell, it might've been here when the cast got there...? The weird thing is that it changes.

Shoutout to @accirax for remembering that the white board changed, because I did NOT notice/remember. However, that begs the question...

WHO THE HELL WROTE THIS???

It's very possibly Veronika, as she's the one who's noted to, like, know and remember what Monokuma looks like. If so, that means we have a Veronika handwriting sample, yay! I really don't know who else would be drawing Monokumas. Maybe the mastermind...?

And that's all! Clearly there's no point to this post and I can wrap this-

Haha. You didn't think I actually made a post that doesn't have a theory to it, did you?

This has all been building up to me trying to figure out who the hell wrote this note. Because, I originally believed it made the most sense if it was a note that Xander wrote to himself, but accirax pointed out that we've seen Xander's handwriting, and it looks different. Then, I started noticing that we've been receiving various handwritings. Like, a LOT of handwritings.

I think that it's plenty likely that we're going to receive EVERYONE'S handwriting at some point throughout this series. Notably, all characters who have died thus far (Xander, Min, Arei, Chapter 2 Killer Even Though We Don't Know Who They Are) have already shown us their handwriting. This is probably because we're going to figure out who wrote this note at some point.

Does that mean everyone whose handwriting we've already seen thus far is safe? Maybe! I've gone through and talked about Xander, Arei, Eden, Charles and Teruko's with confidence. From what we know of Min's and Whit's, it doesn't seem like it's theirs, but I'd believe for either of them that it could be theirs if the devs wanted to pull a fast one on us (Whit could just... not write with hearts on the Is for this one. Min was replicating printed text).

I guess that means I'm saying that the most likely authors of the "Kill Teruko Tawaki" note are Mai Akasaki Ace, Rose, Hu, Arturo, Veronika, J or Nico, with Min, Whit and Levi also being possibilities that I just don't believe as strongly. I do want to note that, if Rose IS the one who wrote it, she could also easily be replicating someone else's handwriting. Ultimate Art Forger moment.

Conclusion

I compiled this image of all the handwriting I talked about with the purple being known handwriting and the gray being unknown.

I think it's really cool that the dev put time into giving each of the characters unique handwriting, and I think it's definitely a piece of evidence to keep in mind when theorizing about masterminds and killers and such.

Hopefully this was a fun read! I look forward to possibly figuring out the handwritings of literally every other character someday.

[plantify]

TOONTOWN HEADCANON/LORE POSTING

This post is based around TTCC, and is entirely about headcanons I have about Suits/Cogs, mostly about their physiology, how they're created, etc. I might write more at some point. (Also I am sorry if this is extremely long and incoherent, I tried to at least break it up into sections with big titles and colored text)

What are Suits?

Suits are a “race” or “species” of robotic beings within the world of Toontown. 

The ones seen within the game are Cogs, which is simply what employees of C.O.G.S. Inc. are called. Other businesses may have a similar naming formula, a different one, or none at all. (e.g: S.C.R.E.W. Ltd calling their employees Screws)

Considering that the world that Toontown is in, is in fact a cartoon/cartoonish world, this would by technicality make Suits a type of Toon. (I believe the term "Toon" to just be the characters that exist within that cartoony world or whatever) Therefore. they are still bound to the same wacky physics that Toons are, though they do not always interact with it in the same way. Think of it as two different kinds of cartoons interacting and living in the same world.

Toons would be more akin to rubberhose ish/Mickey Mouse/Ducktales style compared to whatever the Suits would be like, though that doesn’t mean the Suits don’t have some of those properties as well.

Most Suits probably wouldn’t even know what a Toon is, since they are scarce throughout the world, and the ones seen in the game are isolated within the area they live in. 

Life Details (Organs, Sustenance, Etc)

Suits are very much like humans (which do not exist in this world). They have distinct lives, personalities, traits, desires, etc. 

Unlike humans, they do not typically die of old age, though they can begin to weaken and die because of SIDE EFFECTS of ageing without maintenance that is usually easily attainable. Because of this, many Suits live for a long, long time. There is still a bit of a limit though.

Suits cannot catch viral or bacterial illnesses, (I mean obviously they're robots) but can get sick from overexertion, overexposure to temperatures they aren’t built to withstand, or physical damage. In very rare cases, malware can be an issue.

They have “organs” within their bodies, and require sustenance to survive. They CAN eat “normal” food, though more often than not their food would be stuff like coal, oil, paper, metal, etc. Stuff that vaguely resembles human food but is made of stuff like what I mentioned.

Their “blood” (if they have any) would likely be some form of fluid, or pure electricity in some cases. Nearly all would not cry or sweat the same fluid as their “blood”, as the human parallel would be crying or sweating blood, and that's just no. (Think how people sometimes draw robots as having oil blood, yet also crying that same oil) Much like how the human body has more fluids within it rather than just blood.

Some Suits may use “alternative” sustenance, such as plugging themselves into outlets or using other means to absorb pure electricity, though not every Suit can do this. Suits who can do this are rare, and a special kind of physiology is needed for this to be done without short circuiting themselves/otherwise hurting themselves.

Suits do not produce waste in the way humans do, other than sweat and tears.

Their brains are like processor chips. Though most Suits have to learn information like how humans do, some Suits have the special ability to simply upload and download data like a traditional computer. Suits who can do this are also rare, for similar reasons as the chargeable ones.

 Despite this, all Suits can have everything stored in their chips stored in real time to databases in the event that they perish or are irreparably destroyed, to be transferred into a new body. Despite this, it may not be the most common technology, and may be costly, so Suits still try to preserve their lives and bodies. The Cogs have this technology. How they're able to keep it up for so many Suits is a bit of a mystery. Something fishy's going on, probably...

Sleep/Rest

Most Suits have to sleep in a way similar to how humans do. They must get a healthy amount of rest. Stuff like insomnia and restlessness still exists for most Suits. It is necessary in order to preserve energy, prevent exhaustion, the wearing down of their parts, as well as being a quick way to cool off.

Just like humans, it is not necessary to have a bed to sleep, but it has the same benefits for Suits as it does for humans, though it's a bit more likely to see Suits falling asleep on the floor/standing up than it would be for humans.

While asleep, a Suit is merely unconscious, but they still function, much like humans. Same thing with comas and being unconscious. 

If their processes are completely stopped, they will die. However, Suits can last a lot longer with their processes completely stopped, compared to humans, as they aren’t biological, and won’t rot or whatever if that happens to them. If they can be reactivated, and their vitals weren’t excessively damaged, they can be resuscitated.

Suits that can absorb electricity do not NEED to sleep, as they can merely be charged back to full power. These Suits may or may not choose to sleep anyways, and may gain the other benefit from it, aside from energy regeneration. 

Injuries

Suits have to be maintained to keep themselves functional and clean. Especially when they get injured. They are unable to naturally heal in the way humans can. (Maybe some can with nanotech or whatever but that's getting into extremely sci-fi ish territory which isnt bad but I don't wanna go too in depth/thoughtful about that kind of thing, especially since a lot of things are possible in a cartoon world like this one)

Minor injuries like small cuts, scratches and dents are easy to repair, to the point where it can be done manually. 

Sort of like how first aid kits/bandages/etc are sold at pharmacies. Literally just patch yourself up with polishing kits/anti dent/spare parts or whatever

They can't go through healing processes like how humans do, but they're lucky since if a bone is broken or whatever, all they have to do is get it repaired and then they’re fine. (I wish it was like that for US!!!)

More severe injuries may require healthcare and/or more surgical reparations. Severe injuries are able to debilitate or even kill Suits if they’re bad enough. Injuries like gashes are still easy to fix, but stuff like loss of limbs is harder. In the case of limb loss, a replacement can be made to fit that Suit, typically within a few days. 

Internal injuries and extreme damage to inside circuitry and vitals may take longer to fix, but are still way easier to fix than with humans, for obvious reasons. Too much will kill the Suit, though :/

Life Details (Physique)

They are more often than not humanoid in appearance, though some Suits may have extra limbs or proportions less akin to those of humans. Some may not even be humanoid at all, like being centaurs or whatever, though said Suits are extremely rare. Some may be semi-humanoid, like the Cog Bosses. Suits may receive surgery of sorts to change body type, though it would be difficult to change a 10 cm tall Suit into a 20 ft tall Suit, for instance. There are limits, and crossing them adds extra risk of dying/ending up with psychological damage.

While most Suits have a discernible face, mouth, eyes, and have the usual set of limbs, some may not have a face, or have a face that does not vaguely resemble that of a human’s. (Like how Cogs in-game range from having human-like faces, to object heads, to animal heads, etc) Some may have entirely different limbs, other than just arms and legs. 

A Suit can have their face/entire head modified/changed, as well as the rest of their bodies. Some may want to get entirely new heads, though many tend to get attached to the one they already have. Think of it sort of like plastic surgery and actual surgery, except to a more extreme degree. Despite this, there are still limits, and extensive surgery may damage a Suit physically and/or mentally.

The most common type of Suits tend to range from anywhere as short as a few centimetres, to as tall as nearly 20 ft tall, though most fall within the range of 4-9 ft tall. Obviously there's height diversity among all Suits

Some Suits may be built to be specially resistant towards things compared to others. One Suit may be built to resist extremely high temperatures, while another might legitimately just start to melt in those same temperatures.

Life Details (Psyche)

Suits are not evil by nature. The reason why such a high number of them are very pro-industrialism, pollutive, toxic towards fun, etc, is because they were conditioned to be that way because of the way their society is structured, and the needs that they need to survive. 

Despite this, there are still Suits that may enjoy fun or even be Toony in nature. Some may enjoy nature, and dislike the pollutive, industrial nature their world is so full of. Toons tend to be very ignorant to Suit culture and the personality differences between Suits, and understandably so considering what it must be like from their perspective, being invaded and all. Still ain't great to be that way for obvious reasons, though. Many assume all Suits are evil and the same.

There would still be entertainment within Suitopia and other Suit cities/society, much like the many kinds that humans are familiar with. 

How are Suits created?

Suits are created, most commonly within factories, though some Suits may be skilled enough, either through innate knowledge or through learned skill, to create another Suit on their own, making them the “parent”.

When a Suit is created, they awaken already having some base level knowledge of themselves and the world around them, under most circumstances. As a byproduct, “child” Suits are not really a thing. They can exist, they just typically don't. (Being born into the world as an adult must suck)

Suits can be made without a specific purpose, and that is how many are created. They will find one on their own.

Those that are made for a specific purpose will usually already know how to fulfil said purpose. For instance, being built for a specific type of job will generally cause you to be naturally skilled at it. Meanwhile, Suits who are hired for that same job without being created for it may have to learn it. They typically have a form of fondness for fulfilling said job, but may lose it over time, or not have it to begin with, which may result in wishing to pursue something else.

What are these factories like?

It depends. There are many kinds. Some factories may build the base model of the Suit, some may build only the skeleton, some may even build the entire individual, appearance and all. Some Suits are built with the purpose of serving the owner of the factory. Big variety in purpose for these factories and whatnot.

Many factories are automated, run without owners, with the sole purpose of creating new Suit life. Other factories may be owned by a company or force, such as those run by C.O.G.S. Inc. 

What about all the clones of Cogs we see?

All the “Standard” Cogs (e.g: Pencil Pusher, Flunky, Cold Caller, Money Bags) are clones created with the sole purpose of serving C.O.G.S. Inc. Despite this, they are all created with their own individuality and personalities, and are all different.

They mostly identical while working for C.O.G.S. Inc. as it is a “dress code” of sorts within the company to dress and appear that way.

Their facial and body appearances may have slight/moderate differences between one another, whether it be a quirk with how they were built, or a change they chose to make. The Cogs seen in the game are all 1:1 identical because of limitations. Same goes for Skelecog skulls. (For skelecogs, an example I think of a lot is how I wish Two-Face skelecog heads were two faced as well) They typically fit the face.

They are allowed to change their appearances so long as it does not violate the “dress code”. (Still have to be able to tell what Cog they are. A Big Cheese can't get a head that is not in fact a big cheese. A Glad Hander can't make themselves look TOO much like a Hollywood, etc.)

(Speaking of Hollywoods, they're referred to as “Mr. Hollywood(s)” ingame, though they can go by Mr, Ms, Mrs, Mx, and more if they choose, or forgo having that title at all.)

Standard Cog models that appear very feminine/masculine (e.g: Mingler, Glad Hander, Corporate Raider, Name Dropper) can be the opposite gender of ““what their model would suggest””. Yes, we can have Minglers that are men, enbies, etc. They may or may not choose to slightly alter their appearance to match this.

It is possible for these creations to stop serving their creators and direct their own life. It would be inhumane (or whatever Suits call it) to create mindless drones, and not give them these opportunities. 

A Cog like this could end up changing their appearance or getting an entirely new head/body to compensate for the lack of restrictions to conform to.

If you made it this far and actually read the entire thing (without scrolling by to get to the bottom instantly) I profusely apologize for putting you through this. If this catches on and you're interested, I'm open to hear your thoughts on the lore, and suggestions, whether it also be for the lore, or for a better way to format this.

[jingerpi]

Hi, I'm sorry to bother you and I'm not sure if this is the kind of question that you normally get, but I am very new to socialism and was introduced to it by my older sister who's a Marxist Leninist Maoist. My understanding of it mostly comes from her explanations but I've also read some works (not really theory, 'The Great Towns' by Engles for example). To me, from what I know, it seems a much better system than capitalism and I generally agree with what my sister's told me about it and what I've seen online from accounts like yours. I would like to read more but I'm not sure where to begin. I am also disabled and one of the ways it affects me is that I get quite severe mental fatigue and so can't concentrate on texts for a large period of time. Do you recommend any 'entry' texts for beginners that teach how to use the tools of analysis? How did you first get into Marxism and what reading would you recommend? I'm hesitant to buy any modern interpretations of it because I'm not sure which sources are genuine or which are imperialist interpretations of it. I'm sorry if this sounds strange; I'm not sure how to phrase it.

Thank you anyway and I hope you have a wonderful day!

hi hi! Firstly, this isn't a bother and this type of question is lovely

Secondly, I got into marxism when I left my family's religion and began digging into scientific worldviews. I made some friends who had similar experiences and many of them were varying flavors of leftist, I eventually started digging into theory proper and it really resonated with me in a way liberal political science never has.

third, as for recommendations, here are a few! Principles of Communism - Engels This work is very beginner friendly. Its a Q&A about communism from Marx and Engels time. Its useful because of the information it contains, but its also a helpful introduction to the language that a lot of theorists use. its not long and you can read a given question and corresponding answer at whatever pace you want. Theres around 20 questions with only a handful of sentences each, so its not bad at all in my experience.

Where Do Correct Ideas Come from? - Mao This one is extremely short, only really one paragraph. You can skip it if you'd like, but if you find theory hard to get into this one can be a helpful primer for the epistemology (theory of knowledge) that most marxist works use.

For a more in-depth, but still short look into Marxist philosophy, I can recommend Dialectical and Historical Materialism by Stalin. This work is my go-to for the topic. It is a bit denser than the above works but it is a very rewarding study. I've read it many times and developped my understanding further each time, so don't worry if it doesn't click Immediately, this isn't fiction so it will take some time to digest, thats normal. Two works which pair well with the above are On Practice and On Contradiction, both by Mao. The first gets into the relationship between knowledge and practice, it elaborates on Where Do Correct Ideas Come from, and also offers some helpful guides for how to change things. The second is a good compain to Dialectical and Historical Materialism, elaborating on it by another author, A lot of people prefer Mao's writing style, so you can gain another perspective on Dialectics. If you're up for trying a book, a good introduction to the politics of Marxism is State and Revolution by Lenin. This work answers most of the common questions about revolutionary marxism, its positions on the state and where that differs from other ideologies. Its split up into chapters and sections within each chapter, so you can take it at your own pace. It took me a long time from first picking up this work to finishing it, so don't worry if you need to take it slow

I would also highly recommend supplimenting theory with other activities. It sounds like you're already participating in those to some degree, so thats wonderful, but just to clarify: Finding discussion groups and communities which talk about marxism is extremely valuable. Whether its a book club or just some friends to discuss with - Marxism is a communal ideology and it is best underestood socially, so discuss with others as much as you can. If nothing else, feel free to send me asks about the above works (or anything else, really)

There are also plenty of other forms of media which are helpful for study, there are several youtubers you can find who discuss marxism, two I find particularly helpful and rarely discussed are Halim Alrah for raw theory breakdowns in regular words (please do check out his channel), and Kay and Skittles, for media breakdowns which apply marxist analysis to media to gain a better understanding of both.

I hope these are helpful! I've laid them out somewhat in order but the important part is to just pick one that sounds interesting and start. I find I often start several works of theory before finding one to finish - don't think of it as a bad thing if you do the same - reading one work of theory often gives you the knowledge you need to underestand another better, so even if you struggle to tackle something particular and move on elsewhere, you're still growing your knowledge base and that will make understanding it easier in the future when you do eventually try again.

Thank you for the ask <3

[the-resurrection-3d]

From day 5 of writing in an excel spreadsheet instead of a word doc like a normal person:

Honestly, my only real problem is that I feel like the size of the text-boxes pressures me to wrap my vignettes up ASAP, although that might also be the writing style I've chosen. Of course, formatting and white space are also no-goes, and control of white space has always been a big part of how I create emphasis. That said, I have about 38 vignettes done out of 140 songs/mashups I selected, plus or minus a few I wrote two versions of.

It's also hard for me to get a feel of pacing, a) because I'm intentionally writing out of order, and b) because a lot of the "acts" in the Eras Tour are pretty short. Even including cut songs, I'm already at 1989. I keep forgetting just how long the surprise songs section of this is going to be.

No idea how or where I'd publish this. Ao3 is an obvious choice but since it's not real RPF who is gonna care? Oh well. I'll worry about that later.

[ye-spirits]

Witch Diary • 2/12/25

Hello, it's been a while since my last entry! I've been busy these days, but I miss blogging and wanted to discuss my latest witchcraft projects. I also recently joined a network of witchcraft blogs called @thecovennetwork. For any occult or witchcraft blogs that want to connect more with others, I would definitely give it a shot! There's a Google form to fill out and some steps to take, but it's a fairly simple process. I also have a link in my bio for anyone interested.

Now, turning to other matters! I woke up kind of late today and decided to get some reading done in Doreen Valiente's Natural Magic. This has been a great read so far-- I love Doreen's writing style, as always. She's very engaging and informative and I've been learning a lot about subjects I normally don't find interesting. Doreen was also a wonderful poet, responsible for updating the poems used in early Wiccan rituals. Previously, Gerald Gardner used a lot of material from Crowley and some other disparate sources (as far as we can tell). When Doreen became his high priestess, she created original pieces based on that material and inspired by other pieces of literature. She is most famously (at least in my mind), responsible for a version of the Charge of the Star Goddess, which is one of my favorite texts!

I made it to the section on color magic before I put the book down to do other things. It's not a big book, I expect to finish it next time I pick it up! I also noted some of its information in the numerology chapter in my Book of Shadows, mostly just for fun. Apparently, my "DESTINY NUMBER" is the number 7, which is a nice, mystical number that represents the search for inner peace and a focus on magic and mysticism. Fitting!

The second book I have pictured is The Book of Black Magic by Arthur Edward Waite, one of the creators of the Rider-Waite tarot deck we see so often today. I don't know as much about Waite as I know about Doreen, but what I do know I find interesting nonetheless! Waite was a Freemason and a member of the Golden Dawn. He was a writer and scholar, and at least one author I've read described him as a Christian Mystic. The Book of Black Magic was eventually renamed to The Book of Ceremonial Magic, but I have an older copy courtesy of an online secondhand shop.

If I remember correctly, the same author who described Waite as a Christian mystic also pointed out that The Book of Black Magic was a scholarly endeavor for Waite. He did not think anybody would seriously carry out the magic described within. It's always interesting learning the backstory behind occult texts, particularly texts like this one. I haven't started it yet, but when I get back from work tonight, I'm hoping to crack it open and start reading. My goal this year is to finish most of the books I've started (or will start) reading. Last year, I had the bad habit of picking up a book and reading a few chapters, and then wandering away and forgetting about it until weeks or months later. The attention span of a goldfish and all that, haha!

I also want to get into the habit of posting these "Witch Diary" posts regularly. Maybe once or twice a week to start with? We'll see!

[ode-to-odes]

IFComp 2024 Reviews: Traffic by D. S. Yu

It's that time of year again! I'll be crossposting these reviews on intfiction.net, where you can find reviews by many other interactive fiction freaks such as myself, links to the comp website, and other such information. Onto the review.

I'll put this all under the cut because it's... very long, but please be aware that there are spoilers in the technical section!

Time played: About an hour Completion: 2 out of maybe 3 endings? I got to the normal ending, a bit of a silly ending, and I know there’s a third ending that has a bit more substance, but I was satisfied with the run I had. Could be more “try it and find out” endings than the one I found, but I have no clue.

TLDR; Conceptually, I like this game a lot, but there were a few things that prevented me from enjoying the gameplay experience as much as I could have. Solid entry.

The writing: No noticeable typos or grammar errors, and the writing style is consistent, with some great touches of deadpan humor which I found entertaining. The characters were distinct enough to not be flat, even with the limited descriptions and interactions there are.

The gameplay: I love a time loop when done well, and I think the ability to change the timeline by switching perspectives is a really great way to keep the game engaging and interesting. I also enjoyed the variety of different puzzles – some based on interaction with others, some with the environment. It’s a small game, so there’s not very many, but none of them felt like reskinned versions of each other, which I appreciated.

The technical: I struggled a lot with interactions with other people. Different authors and engines do dialogue in many different ways, without an ABOUT or a HELP menu to explain how to talk to people or ask people things, I found myself blindly trying dialogue options, mostly to no avail. You can talk to people directly with the “person, verb” structure, or you can ask someone for something, but only rarely about anything, which I found unusual – an explanation of this early on would have gone a long way to alleviating some of the frustration I had. The biggest problem I had was similar to the verb-guessing issue, but which probably would have made the game impossible for me to finish without the walkthrough; there are some objects which aren’t mentioned in the text (that I could find) but are required. This was most evident to me with the taxi, which I hadn’t seen in the text at all, but which was necessary to examine in order to continue. Examining the street it was on yielded no description beyond the direction the traffic was going, and I never would have known to look at it. This is also applicable to the traffic puzzle, which was particularly aggravating to me for being much simpler than I thought it was. I’d go so far as to say it’s a bit misleading. I’ll spoiler this one for anyone who doesn’t want to see the solution: If you ask John about the panel, he explains how it works, and says you need to input the correct number to fix the traffic lights. The solution to this is to unscrew the panel (which has no mention of being screwed in) with a screwdriver you get from John (who doesn’t appear to have anything on him except a clipboard). The solution is NOT to do the math required to algebraically find the correct number needed (which is very possible, and requires only addition and subtraction). I chose the algebra on my first time around. Frustratingly, when you correctly solve this puzzle via screwdriver method and press a button to set the number, it gives a number which is different from the one you get when you do the math. I understand that this might be a serious case of me paying way too much attention to one thing, but I think given that the actual solution to the puzzle is much less obvious than the one which requires the player to do algebra with a pen and paper, it might as well have been a puzzle with two different ways to get to the same solution. If the number provided in the game matched the one you get with the correct math, this wouldn’t have been nearly as annoying to me, but the in-game math being wrong in conjunction with the puzzle having completely unmentioned components drove me kind of bonkers.

Misc notes: Don’t sell yourself short! Saying things like “this game is unlikely to change your life in any meaningful way” in the description of the game won’t do you any favors in convincing people to play it. It’s a well-written game, and only a few edits short of being something really polished. You should be proud of it. Plus, when combined with the depressing attitude of the main character, the game starts to feel a little too dreary, in my opinion. Despite my algebra rant, I did like this game a lot, and I’m really glad it was the first entry I tried this year! It’s setting a good bar for the rest of the parser games.

[imaginepostingonsideblogs]

THE OFFICIAL (WELL, UNTIL I NO DOUBT ALTER ALL OF THIS COMPLETELY) GUIDE TO WRITING CASTIEL TOWNSEND BOFA TOWNSEND(????)

alright :) so.

first of all, i refer to him quite frequently as ‘cas’ in this. technically, its not a good move on my part, that, considering every iteration of castiel technically has a name that shortens to ‘cas’, and so if i go around taking about ‘cas’, i could mean, basically, uh… anyone. but through this guide alone, every reference to an entity called ‘cas’ is the one and only ‘castiel townsend(???)’ from the title of the text. that’s the guy in question. got that? great!

this focuses primarily on his dialogue and actions during said dialogue, in five sections ive labelled 'vocabulary', 'amount said', 'accompaniment', 'style', and 'tone', but that's just because he talks a whole bunch. anything additional about how he thinks and acts is in a last section called 'additional' (self explanatory name, innit) but i will probably add to that bit as we go!

so. without further ado, because this is already long enough:

VOCABULARY

cas's vocabulary is... like i've said, a weird mix between normal, comprehensible, though millennial-esque slang and more archaic or nonstandard terms and words. he's a big fan of 'remiss' and 'brogue', but will in exactly the same breath, call someone a boomer. the archaic side of his vocabulary leans more to the shakesperian, but anything poe-esque is absolutely not off the table. just go ham. sprinkle the longest and most complicated words you know into his vocabulary, and you'll be set. don't even worry about using them correctly.

he also uses lines like 'the jig's up' and then immediately gets bullied for it. as he should honestly.

he is also...frequent with his amount of pop culture references. basically, anything you know, you're absolutely entitled to make him know too. go wild. bonus points if it's a shit piece of media. books, films, tv shows-- whatever! go for it.

oh that's another thing. frequent user of 'whatever'. 'whatever' traditionally means 'this thing is impacting me but i can shrug it off enough to ignore it'. he's 'whatever'd murders. and the existence of the compound. basically, unless it causes him to break down on the spot, it's 'whatever'.

you can never use it too much. go wild.

he also uses a LOT of british terms. he's not a 'luv' kind of a man- he's not reached that far- but 'lawks' (exclamation of surprise? ish? somewhere between surprise and oh god) and 'git' and 'goit' and 'wanker' (all insults. we brits are an contentious bunch.) are very much on the table lmaoo

honestly anything goes! he is actively abusing these terms, so don't worry abt getting anything wrong you got this!

AMOUNT SAID

a lot. all of the time.

cas talks like its an olympic sport and he's going for gold. if you're ever sitting there thinking 'is this enough castiel dialogue??' the answer is no. write more. he rambles, he elaborates, he doubles back, he goes off on tangents- and it's ten times worse whenever he's nervous, which is more than he usually lets on. nervous? him? he'd never be nervous. not at all. honestly, it's ridiculous you'd think that. why would he be nervous? what would that possibly be about? don't be silly. he's never been scared a day in his life. except for that one time. with the crocodile. and that had really just been a log, so that one didn't count. <- like that. but ten times more.

oh, that's the other thing! he frequently trails into random stories about his past that have just. never come up before and never will again. make those up as you will. be wild! his backstory up to the age of 18 will never be fully ironed out i think, so you have total free rein.

cas will and does abruptly switch to very...clipped dialogue- like, 1-2 words max. this is a powerful tool, because its an indication that something is Very Very Horrifically Terribly Wrong. this is when he's terrified out his mind, or exhausted beyond reason, or has been through something absolutely abysmal. it is traditionally very rare, and a Very Bad Sign. unless you're trying to get him to do what you want, in which case this is the ultimate way of indicating that you're well on the way there.

this is the reason why fully docile compound cases will maybe say 1-2 words a year if they're feeling particularly chatty-- and the reason why that's a very big thing.

ACCOMPANIMENT

castiel is a man who cannot and will not stay still for long, particularly when talking. sometimes he paces, sometimes he gestures, sometimes he unscrews things or tries flipping items (books, knives, pens- anything in reach really) with varying levels of success. sometimes (if hes behaving or acting more nonchalant) he'll just go 'okay whatever' and go on tumblr mid-conversation. point is, even if you tied him to a chair, he's not staying still, particularly with his hands. go for it. make him do whatever. i will cheer you for it.

STYLE

when I said that 'he elaborates, he doubles back, he goes off on tangents', i meant he often does so m- i mean- thaaaat he often stops himself partway through a word or an idea just to start a new one. or he'll stop mid sentence just to-- just to reconsider the sentence and then continue going with it.

his mouth moves faster than his brain, and so often he'll say something like a lie or a comment or an analogy and have to decide whether or not to try and go back on it or stick with it to the end.

as i described it once to my good friend @heshemikey, 'if he's in a situation where he needs to not joke or not lie he'll often joke or lie and then immediately double back on it he can't ?? not say things? if you get what i mean??'

which is basically. just. cas in his purest form tbh.

TONE

i left this one til last because its the most(??) variable of the lot?

there is constantly a nonchalance, a lack of caring, a projection of being in control to what he says. he's not scared, he knows what he's doing, he's in charge. those kind of vibes. even though its highly unlikely any of the three are true, especially all at once. but depending on where he is in the timeline- where he is in his life, even- the actual terms of that can differ quite a bit. early cas- pre wbg cas-- honestly, pre OVER cas-- does this by acting like a little bit of an arsehole. he's not exactly a touchy-feely guy, he's not exactly open with his affections (though he does have them, and does show them. in his own ways.) and tends to act anywhere from a manipulative asshole to just a dude who Does Not Give A Shit Abt What You're Saying.

as my dearly beloved friend @felixcosm (expert of the early stages of cas) points out, when i say hes 'acting like a little bit of an arsehole', what i mean to say is that he is an extremely bratty, petulant kind of guy. he is…very frustrated, at w.bg, at his husband, at himself, and everything he says mirrors that. the manipulation he exerts is his own attempts to grasp some kind of control over his situation. though when that is inevitably not enough, or it slips through his fingers, he's prone to being a pissy little bastard about it <3

he argues frequently with a wide variety of people (particularly his husband, though anyone who opposes him is probably going to get an earful)- a little hot-headed, a little overconfident, and a lot in denial about it all.

i can feel him in the back of my brain denying it right now. that's how in denial he is. he's constantly in denial and he never stops– at any point in his life, really. if in doubt: make him in denial. great trick. works every time.

through OVER (which is where he's actually quite awkward, especially around people who're nice to him, like hunter) and experiences with the compound, and the flinchites- this begins to transition into the other end of the scale. which is a part of his life i call the pw era. pw era cas is... completely opposing. he's smug, he's amused, he's constantly finding things that Are Not Funny to be funny. he doesn't take anything- or anyone- very seriously.

he's also very, very touchy. he frequently puts his arm around people's shoulders, or pats them on the back, or offers to keep them warm at night, or basically anything that could border on being annoying or discomforting. that's the other thing- he- pw era, especially- delights in causing people discomfort. not horrific amounts, but anywhere from annoyance to pure upset is somewhere he's willing to stoop to. if he thinks something is going to hurt someone's feelings, he'll say it. there's a possibility, depending on their reaction, that he might double back and apologise, but first and foremost he's going to come out with the smugly snide comment in question

i think he's constantly trying to get under people's skin? if he causes them to have a flat-out breakdown, then he'll tune his annoyance levels down quite a bit, but his main goal is still always to get under the skin of the person he's addressing, and he'll stop at nothing to succeed.

ADDITIONAL (yayyy!)

so. this is a little about how he behaves, a little how he thinks and acts. ive been reading through how i write him and realising i really? do not dwell on those much? but let's see what we can do here :)

okay. so.

one of the first things you're ever going to know about cas is that he has a crap marriage. this is never not true, and he will never not bring it up if he finds an opening- honestly, no matter what point in his life he's at.

it gets to the point where he will follow various comments- 'they were not exactly being punctual', and 'the fact he might have been lying didn't once occur to me' are the two i can think off the top of my head, but it's a frequent occurrence- with 'story of my marriage', or something of the sort. sorry. that was dialogue again. point is, he's never not really thinking abt his marriage and how crap it was. you can ALWAYS make it abt his marriage. yippee. no matter how wild the line previous is, chances are he'll compare anything to his husband. he's like a character from a boomer comic but slightly less divorced. not by want of trying, though.

certain details of said marriage are things i still need to iron out but uhh. come to me for more on that baby. or ask felix. whatever you will.

in the same vein, he regularly fidgets with his wedding ring. never takes it off, no matter what- no, he'd sooner lose the whole hand than the ring itself- but he's a constant fidgeter. all of the time. he probably does it in his sleep to be honest.

that being said: VERY deep sleeper. usually goes to bed at a stupid hour of the morning and can't actually be woken until. noonish?

and i mean, like. deep. deeeppp. capable of sleeping through an entire tornado kinda deep.

he also drools :). funfact. probably snores too. loser.

OH! also. pw era cas especially has…weird levels of what he considers a friend (or, for that matter, a romantic partner). like. if you converse with him civilly for about three seconds, you're his best friend and he'd die for you. if you're someone who's skin he wants to get under (whether he succeeds or not), its about on the same level as a marriage proposal. that, and a few other factors. he's once offered to marry enigma simply because he didn't murder castiel in his sleep- the bar is like On The Floor Here.

he also defines marriage as a platonic ideal too. like he's fully capable of having a platonic relationship with someone and being like hey we're married now actually <3

basically? you have free rein on that one too. i don't know the exact standards of how he develops this relationship or why or what the difference is between who he considers a friend and who he considers a Possible Spouse. uh.

go nuts. show nuts. whatever. don't show nuts, actually. put your nuts away.

thank you. now, continuing.

has a knife on him. at all times. always.

okay, he doesn't have a knife on him at certain points, but we don't count those. just presume he has a knife on him. amazing. i keep presuming he has a knife on him and then realising he probably doesn't and having to hope nobody notices my mistake. so really you should be all good.

does not frequently shower. sorry. he's a bit of a greasy mess at any given moment. somewhere between it not being his top priority and not having enough money to pay for the water bill involved. SAD!

actually i will bribe you; whoevers reading this? please god make a fic in which he gets forced to shower. he won't listen to me and someone needs to get his ass in line here.

please. i'll give you my lifes savings. a whole twenty pence.

on that note (there's been a LOT of notes, hasn't there? sozzles.) he will do pretty much anything for money. if you can pay him a living wage, he'll stick with you. whether that involves the risk of bear attacks or, like, human experimentation or whatever, just offer him a couple of quid an hour and he'll probably go along with it.

there's rent to pay, man. you gotta.

sorely lacking in the moral compass department. freaks out about killing people, freaks out while killing people, but acts like he's totally fine with and good at murder- almost well enough for it to be convincing. the freakouts are more about the act of having to watch someone die over the implications it has on his moral standing, anyway.

okay, hes not sorely lacking. he's actually kind of a morally upright guy, if you ignore the murder and the being an asshole.

he doesn't steal, he doesn't, like– what's another crime? he doesn't do a lot of crime. that's the point.

he doesn't care, he's not morally impacted by any choice he makes, but he doesn't do illegal shit without a real, actual, genuine reason about it.

likes kids. unironically. he's a little awkward around them, but he's kind of a little awkward around everyone. definitely the kind of guy who speaks to and treats kids like they're just adult human beings, and honestly doesn't do too bad a job of it either.

he's actually never interacted with a child in canon yet. goddamn. right, another twenty pence for whoevers willing to do that. oo and it's a lovely shiny twenty pence too ooooooooo

he's canonically good at sleight of hand! mostly it's just stupid little tricks he's taught himself when bored- like vanishing coins, or cards, or anything small enough to realistically do that with- but he's proud of himself for getting so good at it, and honestly? so am i. maybe someday he'll learn how to do a whole magic trick. we can only imagine.

EXAMPLES:

i lied.

extra section, boys and girls. extra section. let’s goo!

basically, i'm realizing i've written an imposing amount of stuff to remember- none of which is really necessary, mostly just small details!- and it’s kind of going to feel like a right task now to put it all together.

not to fear though, because my most amazing companion tumblr user @heshemikey (who I constructed this guide at the behest of, though they know how to write castiel technically better than myself and do an amazing job of it (and are generally just a wonderfully cool dude!)) has been so kind as to provide me with examples of their depictions of pw era cas, which i’ve been able to annotate with comments about how much i love their ocs- er, i mean, pull apart to show some of these qualities i’ve been discussing and how it all fits together.

note the colour coding :). now. i am a lil colourblind, so you might have to correct me if i get any of these wrong, but let’s see…

orange is a quality i didn’t bring up yet, which is his tendency to place emphasis on more words than technically necessary– to make his words sound a little more dramatic, or flourishing, or emotional.

or, particuarly in the early days, to get a point across (fig 1. & 2.)

astounding. shut up, castiel.

moving on! light?? blue???? you’d call that a light blue, right?

that’s actions specifically to do with body and limbs– because castiel is very expressive with those, frequently when speaking- usually, almost more notably than he actually is facially. he isn’t a man to do anything by halves, yknow? he doesn’t stay still often, and he makes a point of the fact.

green is his weird, nonstandard terminology, or extended vernacular. like heshemikey says, he’s the kind of dude who ‘knows a lot of super obscure fancy words that he uses in normal conversation’, which is honestly so true. look up a list of fancy words and just sprinkle em in and you’re set.

PINK! pink is blatant denial of emotions. it’s not a pw cas fic without it! basically, every time he feels an emotion that isn’t ‘being a smug bastard’, he’s actually never felt that feeling before, never will again, and frankly, is not feeling right now. emotions? he doesn’t do emotions, babeyy.

teal is for his ramblings, his tangents, his going off-on-a-little-spree-iness. if you’re not sitting there writing his dialogue and going oh my GOD castiel shut the HELL UP!! then you’re probably missing a tangent or two down the line. they’re fun to write! they’re just also A Lot.

gray-bluey-purple is ‘whatever’. if someone ever writes castiel dialogue and uses the word ‘whatever’ i let out a little whoop whenever i read it! like YEAH thats his thing!! its a very important word x3

red is also something i haven’t brought up before, which is his habit? occasional frequent practice? of asking questions- whether that’s at the other person, himself, or the universe in general. he’s, uh, basically a big fan!

i WOULD pull apart a piece of text from his pre-wbg, pre-pw days, but alas i don’t have a snippet quite big enough or right enough to do this with– trust me, i’ve checked x(

i plan to keep this document up to date though so if i do get anything adequate enough ill give it its own little section and colour-coded notes and everything too! mUAHAHAHA. anyway. gnight. sleep well. good luck.

[ghostie-jakxy-gray]

Longass Thematic Analysis of Gut & Idyll AU

Because I’m 80k in and finally figured out what my Point is with this one. Also warning: this is Actually Long.

(for reference THIS is the fic series I’m talking about)

First off, let me address the elephant in the room: yes I know, AUs don’t have to have a Point.

It’s an AU, it can be “hey what if they were superheroes” stuff.

But see, one of my Jobs (my Favorite of my Jobs) is making the “hey what if they’re superheroes” style stuff. So my stress relief hobby writing goes down the routes that don’t end up in my commercial writing, and that means existential crises and body/mind horror and Thematic Points that aren’t just shoving politics underneath an already existing bit of dialogue so it sounds Culturally Relevant, okay? So yeah. Gut & Idyll has a Point.

What is that point? Well (and I’m so tempted to say something like “buckle up chucklefucks” here because I just *know* this metatext is gonna end up being as long as some of my actual chapters lol [editing note: it IS]) Let’s Get Into That.

First off: Gut n Idyll is a crossover AU. this means we’re drawing meaning and relevance from the source materials themselves AND how those texts and themes interact with each other. However, even with me trying to shove this monster of an AU back in the box it came in, it has already spiralled into involving many tagged fandoms. So before we get into any themes at all…

WHAT ARE THE MAIN TEXTS / FANDOMS INTERACTING IN GUT N IDYLL AU?

There are… arguments to be made here, given what’s been published thus far. However, y’all can death-of-the-author me later, because as far as I’m concerned this is a 3-main-media-crossover AU.

Yes. Three. Which three? 

First off we have Hadestown. For those who don’t know it, it’s a broadway musical retelling the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in a modern/post-apocalyptic-maybe/steampunk setting through New-Orleans Jazz. Notable components that stay the same between the original text/theatrical-production of Hadestown and the Gut n Idyll AU is the omniprescence and Meddling of the Fates as a character, and specifically the characterization of the Fates as the Wind.

Next off we have Content SMP. For those unfamiliar, it’s a minecraft survival roleplay server telling an original story of revenge and betrayals played out through the creation and use of mods [for those really lost who don’t know what mods are… the actors/players add stuff that you can’t normally do in the game through messing with the game’s code]. For the most part in this AU major events on the server are referred to as passing the same, with most of the divergences from the original thus far being the exact character motivations for these actions, given that the Wind is also Meddling with people’s actions. 

And finally we have Three Houses. For those who aren’t acquainted, this is an offbroadway musical about three people who broke up right before the 2020 pandemic and spent the subsequent lockdown alone with their thoughts, framed around the story of the three little pigs. Thus far in the publicly available works, there is little obvious connection between this bit of media and literally anything else, aside from the authors note in which I promise real hard it ties in you guys. (Looking ahead, if I can actually finish these unendingly long chapters, the point of connection is that the “Young Man” who becomes Hades in this AU is Beckett - one of the three protagonists of the show; and more connections that I’ll articulate later in a specifically marked “if you want spoilers for the backstory-fic because I’m taking ten zillion years to write it” section.)

{and yes. Somebody can argue that Dream SMP is also an “integral” part of this AU because I have Two Whole Published Fics in the series that deal with it. But counterpoint as hand-of-god author perspective, that narrative is a self-contained little arc that reinforces and deals with the overarching themes but doesn’t intrinsically add anything to the Point of the AU. Frankly, by the logic of that, somebody can equally argue that Ruhl’s Eurydice is an “integral” part of this AU because I’ve included three whole fics referencing it, and another unpublished one where it’s central. Which isn’t to say that Ruhl’s Eurydice isn’t important, or that I haven’t published fics in the AU relating to Dream SMP, just that they aren’t one of the Main Texts that Builds This AU.}

Okay so if those are the Main Texts, what exactly…. Hold on wrong font

OKAY SO IF THOSE ARE THE MAIN TEXTS WHAT ARE THE COMMON THEMES BETWEEN THEM?

On the surface there is very little connecting these stories. That is, in fact, why it took me writing so damn much of this AU before I figured out that there Were specific common themes I was drawing on from each of them. (remember when I thought this would be a maybe-eight-chapter-max AU? I do, and oh how I laugh at my foolish naivety.)

First off let's start with the commonalities between the musicals, because at least that sort-of makes sense.

Hadestown and Three Houses are both shows about perseverance; and they are both framed by repetition. 

Okay, sure, what do I mean by that. Well, Hadestown is the more obvious example so lets start there. The show quite literally repeats, almost ending exactly as it began. To quote the show- “it's a sad song, but we’re gonna sing it again.” Remove the bows song and there is nothing stopping the end of one night’s performance bleeding into the beginning of the next. Within the world of the text, this is a sequence of events that keeps going indefinitely, on and on for all eternity. Every night, the story plays out, Orpheus preservers and tries to reunite with Eurydice, Hades tries to reconnect with Persephone, and every night one of those pairs succeeds for a time. Repeating.

As for Three Houses, it’s not quite so literally spelled out, but it still isn’t particularly hard to find. Each character is introduced to the same space, they introduce their plight in a reprise (repeating with variation) song, all three address the same themes of love and fear and connection to their ancestors, and from a narrative structure point of view they all kinda follow the same character arc more or less? Like not exactly beat for beat but… It’s got a thing of repetition is what I’m saying. 

And as for perseverance? Just look at the last song of both of those musicals. Hadestown’s We Raise Our Cups and Three Houses’ Coda are both [for a given use of the word] ensemble songs expressing the sentiment of “even if things didn’t work out well in the past we’re still here and we can still hope for a better future.” Literally asking the audience to imagine these characters trying again, and maybe doing better this time around. 

Right so now we’ve done the obvious stuff can we talk about Neverend?

Content SMP is a partially improvised form of storytelling, an ensemble piece with a wide range of individual narrative and perspectives woven into it, and often with each of these individual narrative addressing different themes and topics - triumphs and failures of hubris alike. It is a bit harder to say what the Theme and Narrative Point is of a story that has ten plus distinct Themes and Narrative Points going on. 

And Yet. From the first day of the server, one of the ongoing conflicts on the Content SMP has dealt with the topics of the End, and who can access it. 

From the point of view of minecraft, yeah duh okay who cares. But think about that from a narrative standpoint for a second. A main conflict between various individual narratives has been Who Has The Power To End The Story. To the point that one of those characters makes something specifically so that the End will never be reached, so that the story and its conflicts will continue indefinitely, and it’s called the Never-End. 

It’s perseverance and repetition, all the way down. 

But of course, that’s not the only main theme in Content SMP. After all, there’s longstanding plot points and conflicts going on based upon what is owed to those with a family connection (see: Lux and Nox’s Everything), and the price one is willing to pay for safety and riches (see: Mouthpiece’s Everything). 

Hey you wanna know what other shows deal with those themes? How about Three Houses’ long and beautiful sections on how the choices of the protagonists’ grandparents affect them and their choices for better or worse. How about the way Hadestown’s addresses the descent of Eurydice, in which she has to grapple with having to give up her relationship with Orpheus in order to gain safety and riches in Hadestown. 

And actually, not as a theme but as a plot device, all three of these stories have an Outside Meddling Force driving the conflict - Mouthpiece for CSMP, The Fates for Hadestown, and the Wolf for Three Houses.

Alright. That’s enough ranting about the similar themes in these three bits of media. 

HOW DO THESE THEMES FIT IN WITH THE STORY OF THE AU?

We know the story repeats. That’s, like, the conceit of the AU - that the Wind is forcing people to play out the story of Hadestown/Orpheus+Eurydice even where it isn’t relevant and especially against those peoples’ will. (Also see: me trying to fit in every damn theatrical Eurydice that I can possibly think of into this AU, just because the whole point is that the story’s been repeating, and I get to flex my knowledge of this particular niche of info. I am So So Very Desperately trying to stick in a Jasper in Deadland reference, but can’t for the life of me manage it TT)

Perseverance is also pretty easy to see: this entire AU is about people slowly and occasionally futilely and yet still consistently fighting back against the Wind. And there are So Many Examples of people fighting against the Wind’s enforcement of roles in this AU; from Persephone taking in Folly as a mentee instead of Hades, to at least three Eurydices just fucking off into the ocean entirely and turning into fish to escape the Wind. Likewise, it’s pretty easy to see the Wind’s perseverance in this AU - it just doesn’t give up, even when its choices of “Orpheus”’s and “Eurydice”’s seems less than intuitive.

For the What We Owe Family point - the whole thing with Rat and Folly. They’re family, but what are they to each other? Twins? Co-admin? And is one of their existances more Real than the other, just by virtue of having been around longer? (and likewise in an upcoming chapter I’m doing the same damn thing with Lux and Nox, but I haven’t finished editing it yet so… just trust me, that’s the vibe.) Also, in the Voidburger arc, Fundy and Sally and the Big Fish That Is Ruhl Eurydice and what relationship the three of them owe each other, and how exactly they wish to connect or not.

I also literally just said it, but: Charter mod stuff, and Hades’s coins, both address the theme of the price of safety and riches. With both, one gains a priceless artifact that will keep them safe from bodily harm and in acquiring it loses something precious to them. And also, to a different extent: Talon’s end dust mod - there’s a cost to safety and it’s that to be safe from threats on one dimension you must be attacked by threats from another. I’m sure this particular theme pops up in more spots, and *will* pop up in more spots as the AU continues, but these are the two obvious ones. 

And of course, the one theme I didn’t mention above but totally should have: Power and Autonomy. Who has power, who has the power to tell another body where to go, who can deny that power and why might they and why might they not? Which is. I mean. It’s the whole goddamn thing? The Wind is giving orders and people are denying it, Rat establishing dominance as admin on the server vs The Mason denying that authority and changing netherite spawn rates, even in Three Houses there’s the underlying understanding that a Pandemic is happening and what rules should be obeyed because of that and how that affects the characters for better and worse… Like it’s not quite as blatant as the other themes but it’s definitely an underlying current thats running through everything. 

Right. Cool. So.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE POINT OF THE AU?

Not to tangent, but I’m gonna bring up a wholeass 'nother point here. It’s not a tangent, I swear, it’s just more info that is Relevant to what I’m getting at.

There are two ways I say this AU started. The first is the literal “I was bored and wanted to write a crossover of Orpheus and Eurydice from Hadestown go to the Neverend” because I had an hour and why the hell not, after all - to be cringe is to be free. That’s what literally started this AU. But that is not the “starting point” of this AU. The “starting point” as I articulate it, the thing that I dovetailed from cannon plots so hard that I felt it would reasonably create 

Let me ask you a rhetorical question, alright? What is the Point of Orpheus as a Protagonist in Hadestown?

Like, obviously he’s a protagonist because he has to go save his wife and bring the world back into tune and whatnot. But not from a smartass “oh the protagonist is the protagonist cuz he’s the main guy” point of view, from an in-universe narrative perspective. Why Orpheus? Well, I’m gonna say a thing regarding my interpretation of Hadestown that is gonna piss off a few character-enjoyers in the room: Orpheus is a shit protagonist. 

No, really. He spends the first act trying to write a song we don’t hear while his wife dies, and he spends the second act chasing after her. He should not be the protagonist of the show. I have, in fact, spent entire academic papers arguing that he isn’t the protagonist at all. 

But Jakxy, you cry, why the fuck are you writing an AU centering the story of Orpheus and Eurydice being retold with Them As Protagonists if you don’t think the Central Story Being Retold is actually about Orpheus??

Yeah, no, I didn’t say that. The story of Hadestown is definitely about Orpheus. But Orpheus is not the Protagonist of Hadestown. In universe, diegetically, from the perspective of The Gods Telling The Story They Are Telling in Hadestown, Orpheus is the protagonist because Orpheus is the only one who can deliver a message to Hades. Specifically: a warning. If you keep going down this path, Orpheus warns Hades, you will not be regarded kindly by your people and you will break the world as we know it. 

In Hadestown the musical, Orpheus is able to deliver this warning because he is The Bestest Boi at songwriting, because his mom is the Muse Of Songs. (I think. Don’t quote me on which muse Orpheus is supposed to be the kid of. That’s the Vibe and I’m sticking with it.)

In this AU, I’m the author and so if I think that’s kinda bullshit and also makes his character less interesting, I can just… change it. So in Gut n Idyll, Orpheus is able to deliver that warning because he is the son of the Muse of Warning, and he does it in song because that’s the best way the warning will be received. We’re aligning the narrative purpose of the character and the literal backstory baybeee!

Which, of course, changes the function of the story of Hadestown in this crossover, now doesn’t it. On the outside, Hadestown is a rescue mission. That doesn’t transmute with the change. But the reason it fails, and in turn the reason it repeats, that does.

Basically: my interpretation of Hadestown is that it is NOT a retelling about Orpheus’s personal hubris-y failing, not really anymore. It’s a story about forcing those in power to confront the way their actions have affected the world; and how ultimately even if those people in power might want to change things, they are in too deep in the power-structure they have built to actually realize the changes necessary.

And HERE is where I’m gonna go into spoiler-ish territory, not in that I’m actually spoiling specific plot stuff that’s gonna happen but the general character arcs. Anyone who doesn’t want spoilers… eh it’s already been few k worth of Thematic Discussion that you can chew on and yell at me about in the comments. Skip this last bit or forever hold your peace about me “spoiling” the ending of the AU.

Thus far there’s been a fair bit of the AU devoted to explicitly saying that the Wind has been replaying the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. And there’s been a fair bit of specifically “The Rat That Feeds the Rattlesnake” devoted to the fact that Folly is the latest Eurydice and Rat is Obviously Orpheus.

Except, y’know… if you look at the following plot points of Content SMP? That just… doesn’t really work if you’re building off those set cannon actions. I mean, sure, Rat is “defying the wind” and doing a wholeass other revenge plot before saving Folly, that is an AU I can write.

That is not the AU I’m writing. Because, if we’re just drawing parallels between characters in media? Rat is not the one who should be Orpheus. Like, so blatantly Not The Obvious Orpheus.

Because Fucking Blake Winsweep is Orpheus. 

No no I’m serious it lines up Entirely Too Well and I’m actually both kinda  mad about it and almost impressed. Here is a Dude(™) and he travels to a whole freaking other dimension owned by the god-king-owner of his known world, and he does this in order to confront this overpowered other player in order to remind him that his actions have consequences for the entire server not just himself, so if he could stop escalating the conflicts please and thanks. He is led there by an ally who has been taken in by this king-player, and who refuses to stay with him and see reason that the king-player’s actions are taking things too far. He exits hell alone. He exits hell alone, but the general populace agrees with him, and turns popular vote against the king-player. He wins the people over, but he still cannot stop the king-player from escalating conflicts and making the world he lives in harder to live in.

So yes. Orpheus SHOULD be Winsweep. And, by that same logic, Hades SHOULD be Rat. or, at the very least, Lux should definitely be Eurydice. After all, she even dies at the end!

But. well. first off I started this AU just a little after the Neverend video came out, and I wasn’t thinking that hard about what Rat’s role would be aside from “yeah he’s there probably lol.” and now I’m in too deep to change it, so. Sunk cost fallacy. It’s a feature not a bug now. What does it mean for the narrative if we’re putting some who should definitely-probably be Hades in the role of Orpheus, who is a Warning?

Firstly it changes the scale of the story. A crossover between Hadestown and Content SMP where Winsweep is Orpheus is self-contained. It exists only on that server. For Rat to be Orpheus there has to be a bigger big-bad than the power-mad admin of the server. Secondly, it changes Rat’s autonomy. (see, I told you this theme would come back!) Orpheus as a character and especially as a protagonist doesn’t actually have the power to save anyone. Likewise, if Rat is playing out the role of Orpheus, that strips him of the narrative ability to guarantee anyone’s safety or wellbeing: if he’s just a guy trying to get a loved one back then that means that there’s no way to know if he’ll succeed, if (in the words of Hadestown) the story will turn out this time. 

And finally? 

Let’s go back to that sum up of “the point of (my interpretation of) hadestown” I did like five seconds ago. Orpheus wants a better world. His function is to warn what happens if people don’t try to achieve that better world. And when, not if WHEN he fails? He doubles down and tries again, makes it harder to ignore, keeps repeating that message until one day, Some Day, he’ll finally drill it into these peoples’ thick skulls.

Which puts Rat’s escalations of conflicts into a bit of a different light, now doesn’t it? After all, I said he was not the Obvious Orpheus, I didn’t say his character arc didn’t work in that way at all. He doubles down. Tries again. More directly, and to-the-point. And maybe, eventually, hopefully before it’s too late, he makes those around him see the danger he sees.

Remember how I said this is a three way crossover? And remember how I said it has a Point?

All of my source-material-media for this crossover deal with repetition. Telling the story again, trying to derive catharsis and meaning from keeping a story going beyond its natural endpoint. And if Hadestown and Three Houses both laude this feature as something admirable, Content SMP holds a directly opposed stance, says things Must come to an end or they will spiral ever outward into calamity and escalation with no refuge in sight. And if Rat is acting as the bearer of a Warning to higher powers like the Fates that are pushing him around in this AU? That seems like a pretty dire and straightforward warning to articulate.

Which is fine and good but seems pretty anticlimactic for a Point-with-a-capital-p in a post that’s already however-the-fuck ridonkulously long. So let me put it this way:

Things that cannot adapt to the Way Things Are die. But if the Way Things Are cannot adapt, then it too will die. And if Death itself cannot adapt to accept the Way Things Are in its embrace? 

Eh. Then you find out exactly what kind of person has enough spite in them to destroy a metaphysical concept like Death.

(If you've read this long, you get a cookie and a hug, thanks for listening to me rant about my Blorbos)

[justtaponblr]

How Do You Optimize Content for Voice Search SEO?

Introduction to Voice Search SEO

Imagine a world where your audience doesn't type but speaks. That's already happening. Voice Search Optimization for seo is now a critical part of digital strategy, due to the runaway growth of voice-activated devices.

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From Siri and Alexa to Google Assistant, voice interfaces are gaining wide use. Voice commerce is projected to reach over $40 billion by 2025 worldwide. This paradigm shift compels companies to move beyond keyboards.

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Text searches are usually blunt and keyword-laden, such as "best DSLR 2025." Voice searches, however? They tend to be more conversational, such as, "What is the best DSLR camera to purchase this year for under ₹50,000?" It needs a different mindset to optimize for this.

Understanding How Voice Queries Differ from Text

Voice queries are wordier, chattier, and tend to be phrased as questions. This is just the way that we talk normally. Rather than "weather Mumbai," you'd ask, for example, "What's the weather in Mumbai today?"

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Content should read as if written by a human, to a human. Keep your sentences natural. Use contractions. Write as if you're having a conversation with someone over chai.

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The bread and butter of Voice Search Optimization for SEO is long-tail keywords. These aren't just longer versions of short ones; they're the heart of how humans speak and search.

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Natural Language Processing (NLP) allows computers to comprehend context and intent, rather than merely sequences of words. Creating content that is aligned with semantic search makes your site voice-friendly.

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"Near me" searches have gone voice-first. Everyone says things like "best dosa near me" or "chemist open now." To capture this traffic, make sure your business is listed, reviewed, and geo-optimized.

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Voice assistants adore featured snippets—the small boxes you see at the top of Google. Writing content that answers straightforward questions directly helps you get picked up.

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Schema markup speaks the language of search engines. It tells them what your content actually means. This structured data boosts your voice search relevance for things like events, products, and FAQs.

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People ask voice assistants “how,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “why” all the time. Build content that preemptively answers these questions, and you’re golden.

Mobile Optimization is a Must

Voice queries are mostly from mobile. If your website is not responsive, quick, and mobile-friendly, you're not only losing rankings—you're losing individuals.

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Page speed isn't only a ranking signal—it's a user experience killer. Utilize tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights to maintain your load times lean and mean.

How Does Blogging Assist SEO and Voice Search?

enables you to cover a vast array of question- how does blogging help SEO. Each blog post turns into a gateway for voice search. Regular blogging also creates topical authority, causing search engines to trust your content more.

Creating FAQ Sections for Voice Search

FAQs reflect the precise manner in which humans query by voice. They're brief, readable, and get straight to the point of user intent. An FAQ page is a voice search snippet magnet.

Employing AI Tools to Interpret Voice Query Trends

Utilize tools such as Answer The Public, Semrush, or Google's "People also ask" to extract actual voice-style queries. Have data inform you on how your audience speaks, not merely what they write.

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Use bullet points, brief paragraphs, and headings. Voice assistants scan your page to provide answers, and a simple structure facilitates this.

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Increasingly, users are shopping with their voice: "Buy black formal shoes under 2000." Product pages require optimized meta tags, conversational descriptions, and customer reviews to leverage this trend.

Future of Voice Search SEO in Emerging Markets such as India

With low data prices and mobile-first behavior, India is primed for voice-first experiences. Regional SEO and content in vernacular languages are becoming the need of the hour.

Incorporating Voice Search in Small Business Ideas in India

Be it a cloud kitchen, tuition center, or digital consulting, Voice Search Optimization for SEO can make you rank local and attract traffic naturally. Voice search makes small business ideas in india in India level the playing field for visibility even on a shoestring budget.

[annisefreya]

February Reading

In February I mostly just finished stuff that I started last month, so maybe this whole idea of monthly roundups is a little bit doomed because I'm not reading as much as I used to. But I'm gonna stick with it for now! 

This month I finished three books.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

This was really interesting and had a really unique style... I think that if I could have had a few days to just absorb it rather than reading it piecemeal over more than a month I'd have liked it even more. As it was I did really enjoy it... It has some really effective villains and some absolutely fascinating world-building. I also normally find framing mechanisms really contrived and awkward and make me feel removed from the story... But this book did something really interesting with it that made me tip my metaphorical hat. It had a satisfying ending to the plot but didn't quite do what I wanted with the characters, though I know that's entirely personal preference. Definitely an interesting and worthwhile read. 

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

As I said last time, this was one I read because I was intrigued by it when it was an A level English set text and a bunch of my friends were reading it. Now *cough* years later, I'm mostly glad I read it, but I didn't love it. The final war section was very effective, and the pointlessness of most of the war narrative does mirror the pointlessness of the war. The 1970s narrative just annoyed me. I could however write an essay about its themes and narrative parallels and shit if I needed to, so it was probably a good A Level text.

Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee

Loved this. Not as much as I loved Ninefox Gambit, but nearly. I loved the world-building and all the calendrical nonsense (affectionate). I loved the mystery surrounding Jedao and what he's up to, even if I did mostly call the reveals... It was effective because of how the other characters with less of that knowledge related to it rather than as a mystery to the reader. I adored the Shuos hexarch, Mikodez, and his unnamed but textually referenced ADHD and his sweet tooth and his onion plant and his knitting, and his absolutely ruthless devotion to his job. He was my favourite, but I really loved the other characters too, Khiruev and Brezan were excellent, in particular... It was fascinating reading how they navigated their world. And as someone who plays with something a tiny bit like formation instinct in my own novel, I really loved the way that in particular was explored. 

I am nearly finished with: 

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling 

I would have finished but I'm subject to the vagaries of a 6yo, and sometimes he decides to draw or read by himself. One story left in the book. I liked the Mowgli stories, but 8 think my favourite is the story Riki Riki Tavi about the snake-hunting mongoose.

And I have also been reading: 

Star Wars: Dark Apprentice by Kevin J Anderson

When I was a star wars hyperfixated teen I was reading through the EU books that my brother owned... When he was getting rid of a bunch a few years back he offered them to me. There were over two hundred and I'm not hyperfixated on star wars any more so I only kept 20 of what my husband declared were the best (with the caveat that my brother kept the very best ones--ie the Timothy Zahn books). I read the first in this trilogy last year, and I'm now about two thirds through this one. It's fun and all, but I roll my eyes so hard at the OCs sometimes. Jacen and Jaina have just escaped to Coruscant's under city at the tender age of 2.5 and they are supposed to be precocious, but they are the least realistic toddlers I've ever read and it's stopping me from really caring about them because I know they're going to be fully plot armoured.

Jade War by Fonda Lee

I only just started this... the first chapter was excellent, but I'm obviously not far enough in to really say much more than that. I loved Jade City, so I'm expecting to enjoy this one too.

[wolfreader]

december 2024 wrap-up - adult fiction

this month i read five (5) adult novels and one (1) adult novella.

traitor of redwinter by ed mcdonald 📖 🌟🌟🌟🌟

much like the first book it's a bit slow paced and hard to get into at first, but once you're into it you're into it lmao.

the main character's relationship drama was highkey annoying me, however i understand that that was the point. like, the things she did that annoyed me are characters flaws that are acknowledged by the text that she recognizes and grows from over the course of the book, so i'm not upset by it i'm just saying that it made some sections a little hard to get through.

the tainted cup by robert jackson bennett 📖 🌟🌟🌟🌟

picked this up because i loved foundryside by the same author (though i haven't had the opportunity to continue with the trilogy yet) and this was 50% off at a small local bookstore i frequent.

really enjoyed it! dinios, the main character and the assistant to an incredibly skilled detective, was really endearing. i liked how robert jackson bennett balanced din being inexperienced while still being competent - it took ana, the detective, to piece some things together but din was still able to connect the dots himself most of the time. ana and din were like a combination of holmes and watson but also monsieur gustave and zero moustafa from the grand budapest hotel, which i obviously was on board for because that's one of my favorite movies.

the romance subplot was also really cute. i liked that it wasn't really a bit part of the story; it felt very grounded. at least at this point in the story, it's not some grand sweeping romance, it's just two young people who were thrown together on a job for a couple of months finding each other attractive and being awkward around each other.

the norse myths by kevin crossley-holland 📖 🌟🌟🌟

a fun little time. this is just a collection of fairly straightforward tellings of a variety of norse myths (mainly those found in the prose edda) in crossley-holland's original prose, and i think it's servicable if you don't know too much about norse mythology and want to learn. his prose was very readable, every story included was sourced, and (when i read them) i enjoyed his commentary at the end.

i will say that for any book on any ancient mythology, i would normally recommend something newer. this book was published in the 1980s - our understanding of ancient norse culture and religion has changed since then, so if you were to write an essay or make a presentation on the subject for a class or something, you want to go with a slightly more recent publication.

a river enchanted by rebecca ross 📚 🌟🌟🌟🌟

while i did really enjoy this book, i don't really know what to say about it. maybe this will change once i (eventually) read the sequel, but this book felt very ephemeral. it wasn't plotless, to be clear; there was a very clear central goal that the characters were working toward, in addition to individual character subplots. but idk there was just something about it. it's like it felt very incomplete, like one book split in two, while also feeling very complete and not in need of a sequel at all. maybe it's because i read this while sick. lmao.

that being said i loved rebecca ross's writing style. if that style continued into her young adult duology i can see why it became so popular. it kind of reminds me of brandon sanderson's writing style in a way, in that it's simple without feeling juvenile and while still being able to draw you into the author's world.

the nutcracker by alexandre dumas 📖 🌟🌟🌟

read this on christmas eve, and then (because i was sick) could not get to sleep for the life of me, kept falling asleep and waking up in hour-long increments, and in between having crazy the nutcracker-adjacent dreams. would not recommend.

elantris by brandon sanderson 📖 🌟🌟🌟🌟

consider this a low four star. you can definitely tell that this is brandon sanderson's first published novel. you can definitely see the beginnings of his writing style in elantris, but it's just not as refined as you would expect if you read this after reading a lot of his later works (like i did). for example, the magic system in elantris is very scientific, and that kind of magic system is kind of a staple of sanderson's worldbuiling.

for the majority of the novel, raoden's plot felt really disconnected to that of sarene and hrathen's. i know it eventually came together, and there really wasn't a lot to be done about it if the entire premise is that raoden is trapped within the city, but it made the first third or so really difficult to get through. but i though raoden and sarene were really cute! <3

hoid mention lmao. given that this is sanderson's first novel obviously this one off character was only retroactively made into the hoid we know and tolerate today, but it's still fun to see him mentioned in a book that i thought would have no cosmere connections whatsoever..