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proxylynn · 6 years ago

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Lynchtale: File Name Game of Death #2

Chapter 2: Pay the price for your betrayal

WARNING: THIS IS A MATURE STORY THAT WILL HAVE BLOOD, GORE, PSYCHOLOGICAL SURVIVAL HORROR, HEAVY CURSING, AND LIKELY SEXUAL THEMES/BONING. I DO NOT OWN UNDERTALE, THAT BELONGS TO LORD TOBY FOX. I DO NOT OWN DEAD BY DAYLIGHT, THAT BELONGS TO BEHAVIOUR DIGITAL INC.. I DON'T OWN THE AU'S THAT SOME OF THE CHARACTERS COME FROM, THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS. I DON'T OWN THE IDEA FOR LYNCHTALE, THAT BELONGS TO PUNNYSIDEUP (AKA. SANSFULPUNS). WHAT I DO OWN IS MY SELF-INSERT OC ANOMALY LYNSIE AND THE LOVE OF FAN PARODY. IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS, THEN CONGRATULATIONS ON EITHER BEING ONE WITH STRONG DETERMINATION OR AN ENDLESS WILL TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE OF STOMACHING WHAT I HAVE IN MIND. EITHER WAY, IF YOU LIKE THIS AND/OR MY OTHER CONTENT, SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. HAVE FUN SINNERS. ^_^

With each step taken the fog ebbed and flowed back, never revealing the solid surface under its misty shroud. In fact, nothing was capable of being seen. At least, for now. Such is how the Entity makes these spaces between realms. The soft footfall of sneakers barely audible. Though one body walked this path, it castes four shadows. This was the Legion. Four souls bound together in a single body, with only one ever in control at a time. They don't remember much before they were taken by the Entity, but they know one thing. They oddly all share the same name. So to break any confusion they each bare a nickname. Dead-Eye is the impulsive one, quick to show off and enjoys doing so in the most hardcore of ways. Boo is the shy and naïve one, usually only doing things because they're forced or afraid to disobey. Chops is the demanding one, thinking they are deserving of more than they get and taking pleasure in earning such rewards. Then there's Bones the opportunistic leader of the bunch, they are as crafty as they are charismatic yet loyal to a fault. They are Legion. And they are on the move. Or more accurately...Bones is on the prowl.

{where are we going? this isn't the way back to the cabin.}

Boo questions.

{weren't you paying attention, twerp? there's new meat in this game. we're gonna go see if they're worth any trouble.}

Chops barks.

{oh...sorry.}

{leave the kid alone. we need to pay attention.}

Dead-Eye makes his point. To which Chops scoffs in annoyance.

"will you guys knock it off. we're almost there. and i want all of you to focus."

It's not easy to keep one's mind centered when three other voices tend to chatter on, but Bones had managed to get used to it. This was what it was like for them all the time. The only exceptions were in trials and if the Entity was feeling they earned a generous reward. In trials, the other three would be held back and allow the one in control to be fully themselves. And the generous reward...temporary separation for a short limited time. Moments to themselves are rare, so any chance to have them is highly sought after. This wasn't one of those moments, but could potentially lead up to one, so scouting out the meat was very important.

The fog begins to lessen. Tress start to come into view. The realm of the Survivors' campsite finally draws near. A sinister grin creeps up Bones' face as the sight of a speck of light is seen in the distance. His pace quickens with a sudden eagerness. A feeling of excitement like a child rushing to open their gifts on X-mas day. The light getting closer the faster he went, almost going into his Feral Frenzy state.

{geez, man, chill. ya don't wanna give away that we're here.}

Chops for once was being logical.

"i can't help it. wraith did hype me up a little bit."

{she is merely another human. there is nothing to get so worked up about.}

Dead-eye states coldly.

"that's not the part i'm hyped for."

{it's her soul, isn't it? wraith said it had more colors than the others.}

Boo innocently chimes in.

"heheh...call me curious, but a human with more than one trait to their soul is a rather interesting surprise, to say the least."

{*chuckles* bet she's some kind of freak.}

{don't be so mean.}

{we are all freaks. the only difference is if you embrace it or not.}

"shut up! all your yammering is pissing me off. i need concentration."

Their murmurers in his mind settle down as the density of the forest wanes and the smell of smoke becomes as clear as the light source creating it. Bones' movement now was but a crawl of its former speed as he crouched into the bushes near the humans' untouchable safe zone.

"okay...now, where is the new face?"

Mimicking the stealth of the very prey he's eyeing, Bones silently moves from one shrub to the next to circle the site and better spy the new odd human out.

{this has to be a record for the closest any killer's gotten to the camp.}

{what about that time one enraged huntress and she charged them?}

{i think he means closest without the entity interfering.}

{oh. then yeah. totally a new record.}

{bones, look over by that log in the back. i think that is her.}

"huh?"

From his current spot, all he can see along this log in question is a pair of arms locked behind a pony-tailed brunette head in relaxation. An easily missable sight if not paying attention. Creeping more around grants him the first view of her at a side angle. Yep. This was her. No one like her has been here before.

"bingo."

While different from what he's used to seeing, she wasn't out of the ordinary and just only contrasted from the other humans. Wearing a simple black shirt with weird white symbols across the chest, faded gray camouflage cargo pants, a dark hoodie tied around her waist, and old worn-out white sneakers that look like they've seen better days. She was new, but nothing special.

{that's her? *scoff* wraith must be losing his mind. the only thing she looks like is an easy kill.}

{i don't know. she looks nice enough.}

{boo, i swear, sometimes ya make me want to beat the shit out of ya.}

{what? why?}

{you're both being stupid. don't dismiss the prey by of how it looks. meat is tricky. do not trust it.}

"if only there was a way to get her to expose her soul."

{we can always get a look during trial. we just need to use our moris on her and bing bang boom, it's soul time.}

"true. but there's no telling when we'd get a crack at her."

{oh! i know!}

"what, boo?"

{we can do as wraith did. we get her to come into the woods and then kill her.}

{it does sound like a reasonable idea.}

{for once, the baby said something i can agree with.}

{hey!}

"fine, let's say we do try to lure her out. do any of you know how?"

{we can always chuck a rock at her head.}

"you've got to be fucking kidding me?}

{i don't see you suggesting anything. and besides, it's not like i said we throw our knife.}

"*sigh* i swear, the more time passes the dumber we get. i mean, what the fu..."

{bones...}

"what?"

{she is looking this way.}

His attention returning to what's in the camp, Dead-eye was right, and her head was now facing his hiding spot.

"...you don't think she heard me, right?"

{no one else is looking. so my guess is no.}

{so weird.}

{weird bitch. i don't like the way she's staring at us.}

For once the shoe was on the other foot. The killer was nervous about being spotted by the prey. But he knew she couldn't possibly know that he's there. Even if he was talking to himself, she was too far away to have heard him and the fog coated bush hid him too well to be seen. So why then was her gaze just strongly locked on him to the point he could feel her eyes picking away at the leaves to find him.

{what do we do?}

{what do ya mean what do we do? it's only a human. she can't do squat to us.}

{then why does this feel so...?}

{intense?}

{yeah. like, super intense.}

{you two are pussies. bones, can ya believe the lack of balls on these dorks? ...bones?}

Bones didn't hear his companions. For that matter, he couldn't even feel their presence. He was too lost in the eyes staring into his very soul from afar. Something held him there and compelled him to keep staring at her. Then she moved. Standing up yet never breaking contact. She tilts her head, as if unsure of if she indeed sees something. But once her mind is made up, she starts to head his way and he hears something that will surely give his cover away.

lub-dub...lub-dub...

{wait...is that...?}

{our heartbeat?}

{why is our heart beating ominously?}

"i don't know."

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

"'ey Luv..."

She stops at the call and approach of one of the male survivors.

"You're not really wanderin' off again, are you?"

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

When she doesn't respond to him, the man looks to where she's looking and Bones feels awkward.

"What's wrong, Luv? Somethin' over there?"

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

She rolls her shoulders and turns away.

"Nah. Just my imagination."

The man puts his arm around her shoulders and guides her back toward the log.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Bones lets out a quiet sigh.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Whatever the reason for this strange feeling, he's at least glad it was going away.

lub-dub...lub-dub...

A few beats more and internal silence fell once again...not counting the three voices in his head.

{uh...i don't know about you guys, but i say we go home before something else weird happens.}

{agreed.}

{you guys are such bitches. *huff* man...fuck this place. was a waste of time anyway.}

Bones found himself grinning. This human was already proving themselves to be interesting. She was going to be fun in trials. Every killer knows about the Terror Radius. The warning sound survivors hear when a killer draws near. But no killer could ever hear it...till now and only for her. And the thrilling part was that she probably had no idea of the effect that befell him at her coming closer, which means for him, finding her will be as easy as finding a cat in an empty fish tank.

"heh heh heh...this is going to be fun."

Having seen enough, for now, Bones made his way deeper into the forest and headed out into the dense fog. Now knowing what he did, it was time to return to their territory and go over a plan for this new meat. Perhaps he could make a rare offering to the Entity and ask for a small favor? It's worth a shot.

(UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF TIME LATER)

Time is annoying here. There's no way of knowing what is going on. Is it day? Is it night? Who knows! It's always this weird form of dark but isn't dark. Makes no damn sense. Then there's this good and bad stuff. The good, there's no need to sleep. The bad, trying to sleep because dreaming is awesome is nearly impossible due to assholes in this fucking camp! The good, there's no need to eat. The bad, I would kill for a Big Buford meal from Checker's/Rally's right now. It's a paradox! An evil and twisted hell! Only hell would deny me my favorite food! And to add to all of this...I'm so damn bored! I mean, you can only stare into a fire for so long till it feels like it's burning your very soul away with the power of absolute bullshit! Even when the others come and go, the tireless drain on my mental state remains. The only thing moderately entertaining is David. The guy, when not being a dumb flirt, has no filter when it comes to fucked up stories, that are obviously fake, and I love it.

"I went to this girl's party the week after she beat the shit out of my mate. While everyone was gettin' trashed, I went around puttin' tuna inside all the curtain rods. So weeks go by and they couldn't figure out why the house smelled like festerin' death. I only got caught because this bloke snapped a couple of shots where these guys at the party were singin' while I was in the background with a can of tuna."

"*snickering* Heheh...That story smells fishy. Cast a wider net next time."

David groans.

"Luv...Must you do that?"

"What?"

"Puns aren't funny."

"You sir just aren't sophisticated enough to appreciate the complexity of a well-made pun."

He rolls his eyes.

"Anyway...This one time, my whole class got detention because I drew a penis with a glue stick on the whiteboard. When the teacher went to wipe off the board, all the fluff came off and stuck to the glue. I never got in trouble for it because everyone found it too funny to rat me out."

"Sounds like a sticky situation."

His groan is even louder.

"Wow. Tough crowd."

"Oh? Okay, Luv, why not you give it a go."

"What? You want me to make you laugh, huh?"

"Make me? No. I want you to try."

I glare.

"Oh, you are so on. *ahem* A priest was driving along and saw a nun on the side of the road. He stopped and offered her a lift which she accepted. She got in then crossed her legs, forcing the habit slip to open and reveals some of her legs. The priest looks and nearly has an accident. After shifting gears, he lets his hand slide up her leg. She immediately says, 'Father, remember Psalm: 129'. The priest says sorry and removes his hand but is unable to remove his eyes from her leg. Later on, when he shifts gears again and has ogled at her leg for like the trillionth time, he lets his hand slide up her leg again. The Nun once again says, 'Father, remember Psalm: 129'. Arriving at the convent, the nun gets out and the priest goes on his way. Once he's at his church, he rushes to his trusty bible and looks up Psalm: 129 and it said...GO FORTH AND SEEK, FURTHER UP YOU WILL FIND GLORY!"

He just stares at me. As do some others that were in the range of my overly dramatic finish. It's actually a little embarrassing. But then...He chuckles.

"Heh. Alright, Luv. I'll give you credit, that was funny. Shame I heard somethin' like it before."

My joke pride is dashed.

"Really? Damn."

"Eh, no worries. Better luck next time."

"Oh! I got a good one. So one day this fly is flying over a pond..."

[It is time, little worm. Time to run and hide from the monsters. Do not disappoint The Entity.]

"Luv? You okay?"

Suddenly the air chills. The trees bend as if to look away. And the fog gets so thick around camp that light is inescapable. An unknown impulse beyond my control has me make myself stand. Joining me in this weird stand is Dwight, Meg, and Jake. My comprehension of what is happening is as cloudy as the black smoke that consumes us. And just like that, we are taken from camp to an unknown place.

The transition of this smoke's transportation is one that chokes the very breath out of you. The feeling of these unseen claws skim along exposed flesh and just add this creepy unsettling factor that makes this even more fucked up. Yet just as the cringe factor feels like its approaching hentai levels of uncomfortable, it all stops. The smoke clears and a very Earth looking place in before me. It's bright, cold, and snowing. Things that normally bother me. But honestly...It makes me smile.

"Psst..."

Reality comes back to me in the form of Dwight.

"Get down and follow me."

He crouches and I shrug before doing the same.

"What is this place?"

"Mount Ormond Resort. This is Legion territory. But that doesn't mean it would be the killer though."

"Yeah, I was told it can be random."

He nods and I follow behind while taking in as much of the area that I can soak in. The hollowed summit of Mount Ormond looms over desolate patches of dead trees. The abandoned ski facilities litter the ground among large patches of snow and natural rock clumps with other land bumps. Random snow machines, barrel fires, and a freaking watchtower. There's even an impressive chalet in the center, albeit it's not in good condition as far as I see and we are pretty far from it. The stale air makes the rough winds drape a heavy blanket of isolation over the bleak landscape. Oddly though, the area seems to be fenced in and gives me these dropping mice in a snake tank vibes. Humans being the mice and the snake being the killer monsters. Though seeing this barrier, it doesn't look very difficult to climb. Surely one can simply do so if given the chance. Eh, maybe I'll try it after learning more from Dwighty-boy. We continue to creeping along in tall patches of grass till we reach this weirdly positioned assortment that is almost maze-like but not quite. There are colorful pallets of wood on two sides, this red locker that is conveniently large enough to fit a person, and a hook post that looks like a miniature ski lift pylon with a yellow rubber mat surrounding the lower half. Though he ignores these things to take me to a massive generator that is connected to a light post.

"This is what we need to fix to open the gates and leave. Well...leave without dying."

I just blink in confusion.

"Dude. I don't know about you guys, but I don't know jack shit about mechanical work."

"You don't have to. Take a look."

He moves to one side and I do the same.

"The Entity made these simple. The only thing that needs fixing is the wires. They need to be reconnected to their other half. Just find two that have the same color and splice them back to make the connection. Just be careful not to rush or cross the wrong wires together."

"As dumb as it is to ask...Why?"

"It'll make the gen spark and alert the killer to our location."

"That sucks."

"It does. But not as bad when the killer attacks the gen to undo an amount of progress."

"...Now that's just shit."

"Help me with this one. Repairs go quicker when more than one person in on a gen."

"Fine. Just keep explaining things to me. I don't intend to die here."

He nods as he puts his hands in the generator. I doubt my skills are good here but I at least try and do the same, attempting to repair while keeping watch over his blind spot.

"The goal is to repair the gens to open the gates. But aside from messing up, even repairing the gen can alert the killer."

"Let me guess...The lights?"

I point up.

"Yep. They shine bright enough to be noticed and make a sound when turned on. So...It's best to run and hide when that happens."

"Is that what the locker is for?"

"Yeah, they're good for quick hiding or long-time avoidance."

"That last one sounds like a bitch move to pull."

"...It helps when your team is better than you are and you don't want to get int the way."

Ouch...That actually made me feel bad. Uh...Quick! Change the subject!

"And the pallets?"

"Oh, you use those for a few things. Mostly to block the killer. But if they grabbed someone before they dropped it, you can drop it and make the killer lose their grip and they can escape."

"Neat."

"But the killers can break dropped pallets and there's only a set number in the whole area."

"Damn."

"Other than that, there's not much else we can do. Hide, work on gens, and try not to die."

"Gee. That's depressing. So there's no way of, I don't know, fighting back?"

"Well, there are trunks scatted around that you can find one of four items in at a time."

"What?"

"A med-kit, toolbox, flashlight, or key."

"Wait...So we don't get a weapon?"

"Nope. We can't even use the hatchets that are in the lockers."

"...Say what now?"

"We've tried. They can't be removed by survivors. Only the Huntress can take them. The only 'weapons' we get are the flashlights because it can temporarily blind them, and a shard of glass to stab them with to get out of their grip. That's it. The other items are just to help us get through this."

So wait, if humans are limited that much, then does that mean...?

"...So I take it trying to jump the fence is a no go too?"

"Nea tried that. The Entity raised it higher as a warning. She didn't listen and kept trying. It killed her automatically."

Damn. There goes that plan.

"*sigh* Any other helpful tips you can give me?"

"Keep your eyes peeled and listen out for the killer's Terror Radius."

"The huh?"

"Terror Radius. When the killer starts to get close, your heart will beat loudly. The louder it is, the closer the killer is to you. Thankfully, it's only a sound we can hear. Aside from the sound, beware of the Red Stain. It's a light that shines from their eyes when they target someone."

"I'm starting to see which side the Entity favors more. Is it too late to switch teams?"

We share a small awkward laugh. But I wasn't joking.

*CLANK*

We pause at the sudden sound and notice no added light above us. Scanning the dense further out, a small blip of it is just marginally lighter than the surrounding area.

"That's one down."

"How many do we need to power the gates?"

"Five."

I pale.

"You're joking."

"I wish."

"We have to do five of these things and avoid a killer while being completely helpless? That is the most bullshit of all bullshit I have ever heard!"

"Shhhhh! Keep your voice down."

I take a deep breath to settle down.

"Sorry. It's just I can't handle stupid. Like, no joke. My mind literally can't take it."

"I'm sure you're just..."

"I once put my head through a wall after punching it to avoid hitting someone that was stating the most illogical load of crap like what they were saying was fact."

He just stares at me.

"I'm not a violent person, dude. But when my brain can't comprehend utter lack of sense, it goes primal and demands a way to unload."

"...By hitting things?"

"By hitting things."

"That...doesn't sound healthy."

I merely shrug and connect the last couple of wires on my side.

*CLANK*

Light beams down on us as the generator purrs with life.

"Now we need three more."

"Got it."

"This is where I leave you now."

"Why?"

"Increases the odds of us not being taken down in a bunch."

"...Makes sense."

"Take care, Lynsie."

"Same to you, Dwight."

Dwight crouches off in one direction and I crawl away in the opposite. The misty nature of this place and the snowfall makes for good coverage but also obstruct my sight as well...especially when it flies in your eyes.

*HIGH-PITCH SHIRK*

Unless the killer just ripped the balls off one of the guys, that had to be Meg. What sucks is I feel I should do something. What that something is? Fuck if I know. Maybe if I find one of those chests I can get a med-kit and heal her if she's hurt. Great. Now I have to multitask. Find gens, fix gens, avoid death, and save others. Is it really too late to change sides?

*LOW-PITCH YELL*

The fuck? Nearly no time passed and a second was attacked? This isn't looking so good.

"Nope! Nope! Nope! So much nope!"

Dwight comes rushing this way.

"Dude?"

He speeds past me with a look of "I'm going to wet my pants" and I don't like that one damn bit. His urgency kicks me into "screw this" mode and I bolt. Now the idea of hiding is my only goal. Something I can effectively feel safe in or at. The chalet looks to be three stories, so maybe. The watchtower seems to be missing a ladder, that's never stopped me before. There's a shack that is very out of place. Wait...What did they tell me about that again? Oh, I remember now. And...Nope! Not going there! That's a bad spot. Uh...Fuck it! Going for the trees! I pick one near one of the odd obstacle places and use it to get up to the reachable branches since the trunk is too big around.

lub-dub...lub-dub...

That sound...

lub-dub...lub-dub...

I climb up higher and try to mold into the branch work. Maybe I can think of a plan from here. It's not like the killer can climb up here...right?

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Shit, that's closer. Where is it? What am I even looking for? Just saying "monster" or "killer" doesn't mean I know what it looks like. God, I hate my teammates...except you, Dwight. You actually tell me useful stuff.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

A moving light gets my attention. From the height and angle that I'm at, I see the noticeable sight of a gingered haired maiden speed limping while trying to use a flashlight on someone in a dark blue hoodie. Such a human piece of clothing. A big contrast to the Wraith.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Meg's efforts to shake this killer have her darting around like mad. Soon though she heads my way.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

I watch as she vaults through window arches and withholds from using the pallets until just the right moment. She even smacks the killer over the head with one and she gains some time to get ahead, adding more escape time by blinding the killer when he recovers. What kind of OP flashlight is that?

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Though the killer can still see Meg hobbling away, it for some reason lingers here. Taking small quiet steps.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Why is it still here? Why won't it go after her? It doesn't see me, does it?

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

It approaches a locker and flings it open, only to not find me...but Dwight. Unable to escape, the killer grabs Dwight and the poor guy weakly wriggles on the shoulder of the monster as it carries him over just past this obstacle thing.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

*LOW-PITCH SCREAM*

By how loud that scream is that had to be him going on the hook. Now's my chance to do something helpful! If only the killer would leave! I don't know what it's doing. But the thing won't stop stalking around this damn spot! It's making my heart go nuts!

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

I'm about to lose my shit when suddenly something sparks on the other end of the zone. The killer pauses, looks around, goes over to Dwight and hits him before leaving to check it out. I wait till my heart has stopped racing then slowly make my way back to solid ground and move to Dwight.

"Dude, how's it hanging?"

He cringes with a groan.

"Please don't make fun right now. I'm in a lot of pain."

"I see that. It's just how I deal with things. Now think light thoughts."

I embrace his legs and lift. He on his end pulls up with one hand and move the hook away with the other. The blood falling and the sloshing noise of the nasty hook moving through his shoulder. When freed he slumps down on me and brings us both crashing to the snow.

"*muffled* Mind getting off my head?"

"Sorry."

He rolls off me and I shake the snow from my hair.

"Thanks for the save."

"Anytime. So long as I'm not being chased."

He smiles and picks himself up, holding the gaping wound with his good hand. Doing so makes his extra wound at his side stretch and bleed harshly.

"Say...You wouldn't happen to know where Jake is?"

I shake my head.

"Oh well. Here's hoping I find him or my own med-kit before Legion gets me again."

"That was Legion?"

"One of them. You better get going now. It's not good hanging around a wounded survivor."

"Wait, what do you mean by one of them?"

He limps off, groaning and dripping blood.

*HIGH-PITCH SHRIK*

Sounds like Meg is getting into trouble again. I got to do something. Anything productive. Where's another generator at?

*HIGH-PITCH SCREAM*

Holy shit! Okay, I need to do something. I'm too far judging by that scream. I need to buy them time to save her. I need to...

"LEGION!"

Not yell out the killer's name like a fucking idiot!

lub-dub...lub-dub...

Well, that's to be expected. Time to run now. With basically having painted a "come kill me" target on my dumb ass, I don't hold back on the speed. Rushing as if Legion were right behind me instead of just trailing from somewhere.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Need to duck it. Need to find something to disorient it. In my haste, I grab some snow and ball it before chucking it at a passing pallet. The thud sound it makes should pull its attention.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Unfortunately, it seems I'm not going to be so lucky. It's not falling for this trick.

*CLANK*

That sound means we only need two more generators to power the gates and no one has died that I'm aware of. So far I'd call this a good trial. Scary as fuck, but still good.

lub-dub...lub-dub...

It's going after the others again. I can use this opportunity to find a spot to rest for a bit. My lungs are burning from so much running. The watchtower again seems like a tempting hideaway, but if I try climbing now I'll make too much noise with all the huffing and puffing. The shack is again, something I'm not going near due to basement reasons. So the chalet will be my rest stop for the moment. Sneaking in is easy, what with all the broken spots that anyone can use. The inside is trashed. Giving off the vibes of a place used to crash in to get away from the world. Ah, teenage memories. Sadly such destruction makes some parts of it crippled or just plain blocked by debris. Which sucks because that top area is where I want to go and I'm not in the mood to go parkour crazy.

*LOW-PITCH YELL*

Jake or Dwight just got nailed. The way things are going another hit or hook will happen.

*HIGH-PITCH SHIRK*

Oh, come on!

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

You've got to be kidding me.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Son of a...Not much to go on and needing somewhere to hide, I throw myself behind one of the random couches...only to end up skidding into a downward going set of stairs and I tumble head over heel into a wall.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

I shake away the stars in my eyes and come to find I'm in the one spot I've been trying to avoid. I'm in the basement. But how? I thought they said it shows up in the shed. What kind of retards am I dealing with here?!

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Oh yeah, that's still a thing. Since going back up will get me spotted for sure, I hobble deeper down the steps and find the light seeping through the walls to be very unnerving. The eerie sounds don't help either. The Basement contains four lockers, a chest, and a special set of four hooks hanging all from a center post that looks more wicked than the one's topside.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

With not much time, I slip around one of the spaces in the back and hold my breath.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

The sound of grunts and footsteps get louder from above as they move towards the stairs. The grunts aren't coming from the killer. I know the voice. It's Jake and, much like Dwight, he's struggling to get free from the killer.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

There's some shuffling as the steps get closer and closer.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

*LOW-PITCH SCREAM*

I think everyone's been hooked at least once except for me. Maybe I have some luck about me after all. Now when the killer leaves I can unhook Jake and the last couple of generators will be done with ease.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Wait...Why is the killer's steps getting closer?

Why isn't it leaving?! What the fuck?!

"here's...legion!"

A dark menacing figure with eyes glowing blue rounds the opening of my little hideaway and I in panic, lack of air, plus pure adrenaline flip the fuck out. Much like the reaction that came from meeting the Wraith, instinct has me utter random shit in hopes of stunning the threat with confusion.

"*loud hiss*"

I don't wait to check if this works. I merely listen to the screaming signals my body is making to charge forward. This move takes the killer and knocks it back a bit as I do the animalistic approach to running for my escape. Sorry Jake. Maybe someone else can get you.

"this is no place for cowards!"

That voice makes my spine shiver. Though nothing freaks me out more than the rapid sprinting behind me.

"where do you think you're going?"

"Anywhere I can!"

"smartasses get killed. we always see to that."

Bounding out of the chalet, it keeps chase with me and even vaults the pallets that I leap over.

"we know this place better than anyone. what makes you think you can avoid us?"

"Two words..."

Leaping over another pallet, I return to a bipedal run and grab some snow in my haste. I ball the snow hard and once I lead the killer into a straight line, I turn back then hurl it into its face.

"Snowball's chance!"

The resulting assault stuns/blinds it and I, not knowing how long this will last, rush for the watchtower. Doing what I can to scramble up some of the supports after jumping off a generator by the time it catches up to me and is not happy. Though now that I'm out of reach, I can get a decent look at this killer. He is in a deep blue hooded jacket that's partly zipped, the hood covering his head is black and there's white fur around the collar. His black pants have a white stripe that runs down the side of the legs, the ends have been rolled up near the knee. He has finger-less gray gloves that match his gray socks. He spots black sneakers with blue accents and laces. The limbs of his outfit are battened down with tape like practitioners of parkour which is done to lessen wind resistance. In his hand is a sharp hunting blade-like weapon with a jagged saw back made of bone. Such a thing is fitting since this killer is a living skeleton, the open part of his jacket showing off his ribcage. He has no eyes, just black sockets with blue eye-like lights. Other than some bloodstains here and there, there's this odd dark mark on the right side of his face. Or should I say skull? You know what I mean.

"there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it. so why don't you be a good girl and come down here, excepting your death with some dignity."

"Hmmm...I don't know. Seems to me I have the high ground. The way I see it, I can just chill out here and be completely fine."

He attempts to climb up to get me. Though his skeletal digits can't get a real grip and he keeps slipping off on the first board. He gives up on climbing in annoyance and growls at me but then snickers.

"we wouldn't be so sure about that. once your twerpy friends get a gate open or we shut the hatch, endgame collapse starts. and if you can't escape within two minutes...regardless of your health or hiding spot, any survivors remaining in the trial grounds will be sacrificed by the entity itself."

I groan and claw my face.

"You assholes don't tell me shit!"

I shout into the air and Legion laughs.

"sucks to be you. shame you can't trust your teammates to even inform you on basic things."

"I know!"

I slump against the cold wood as he positions himself under me. Maybe he'll try to throw his weapon at me to knock me down.

"if you come down now, we might be willing to forgive that snowball thing and kill you quickly."

This is so not my day.

"Any chance we can work out a deal where I don't die?"

"heh...we think not."

What is it with this we stuff? I hate words games. It's just as bad when assholes play the pronoun game when talking about someone.

*CLANK*

Another generator goes off and we both look out to where it alerts.

"shit."

Not sure he meant to say that out loud, but it gets me an idea. An awful idea. A wonderfully evil, awful, and just plain fucked up idea.

"Say there, killer, you look a bit worried."

He glares up at me.

"worried? *scoff* what's to worry about? we can easily take down all of you before that last generator gets popped."

"Care to make a little bargain then?"

He eyes me.

"Hear me out. You want us humans dead, right? But currently, three of them are causing you some annoying trouble."

"three? not counting yourself among them?"

I hook my legs around a beam and swing down to dangle just out of reach.

"With this lot? No. It's like you said, they can't be bothered with helping me...So why don't I help someone else instead?"

This gets a grin to smear his skull.

"okay. we're listening."

I smirk.

"You let me live, and I'll make sure they don't get away from that weapon of yours when you come running. Sound fair?"

He chuckles smugly.

"you think quite highly of yourself for someone in their first trial. what makes you think we need your help?"

"Fine. Risk it. Risk them getting away while I stay here and let the Entity get me."

He flinches.

"Risk not making them scream."

He fidgets a bit.

"Risk not spilling their blood."

He gets more anxious.

"Risk..."

"alright! alright! we get it...we have a deal. but on one condition."

"That is?"

"if this messes up and they getaway, we're going to kill you. yet if this works, we'll let you live...but not without some damage."

Beggars can't be choosers. I don't think I'm getting a better offer than that.

"Deal."

I swing away and drop unsteadily. Part of me thought he'd use the opportunity to stab me the moment I came down. I guess there is some honor among killers...I hope.

"I saw some movement west of here. Not sure if other gens are there, but it's where I'm going."

He shrugs.

"go for it. we'll be lurking behind. we can't have them hearing our terror radius, now can we?"

I nod and sprint away. Not really sure if this is a good idea. Morally speaking this is worth my ass burning in hell for eternity. But in terms of not winding up on a hook or as Entity food, I'll sell out the world if I have to. Especially when they knew shit and didn't bother telling me. Granted, I will feel bad for Dwight as he did help me. But only he has my humanity attached to him. The rest are as good as dead.

Running without the need to be sneaky is a nice little perk in all this. The cold was doing a number on my hands. Taking a moment to pause, I listen for any sounds of movement or repairing.

"What are you doing? Don't run around like an idiot."

Jake moves from behind a clump of large rocks.

"Glad to see you too. Where're the others?"

"Not here, obviously. While you were running distraction, we got another gen done."

"I know. We just need one more, right?"

"Yeah. There are three others available. So we've split up to ensure one gets done."

Crap. This is going to be harder than I thought. I didn't anticipate there being more generators than the required amount. Change of plans.

"Mind if I help?"

He sighs.

"Come on. There's one around here."

I will not regret you dying, asshole. He leads me behind some trees where a generator has a shit placement. A boulder and a tree block two sides of it. I guess it's somewhat helpful. He takes a side and I take the more open side...not that he gave me a choice. He starts to tinker and I begin grabbing wires, picking opposites. I wait a few moments then make bad connections, causing the generator to blow in a loud show of sparks.

"Damn it. Be careful will you?"

"Don't pressure me. I don't do well under pressure."

I repeat this same move. Wait a little bit and then spark explosion!

"Screw this."

He crouches off and I follow in a crawl.

"Go away."

"We're a team, right? We need to stick together."

"I don't need you messing this up. Go run distraction since you're so good at it."

"You sir, need to watch your tone."

*HIGH-PITCH SCREAM*

So Legion either didn't follow me or found Meg along the way.

"There goes Meg."

"See? Go distract the killer so we can get her. That way someone useful can actually help."

That was the straw that breaks me. I tackle him to the ground and slam his head repeatedly.

"*snarling* Do...Not...Ever...Disrespect...Me...You...Stupid...Mother...Fucker...!"

After about the tenth bash, I stop because of the sickly wet sloshing sound of a cranium on slushy snow snaps me to my senses. Jake isn't dead but he is bleeding like crazy and knocked the fuck out. I've never unloaded like that before. It was so primal and yet...so satisfying. Looking around to make sure no one else saw this, I am relieved that nobody did though for some reason I find my eyes locking on to a nearby hooking post.

[Interesting, little worm. You made the meat bleed. Keep going. Do not resist. Offer it to The Entity.]

My head hurts at the whispers invading my mind. I don't like it. I move off of Jake and drag myself from this scene. It's harder than it seems. Something wants me to do it. To finish the job and hook him. It feels sick. I wander around trying to regain myself from the numbness clawing at my brain. The cold is suddenly worse on my hands, only now do I understand the reason why. Jake's blood is on my hands. Literally and figuratively. I frantically try to clean them off in the snow. Less for the reasons of this is a bad "Oh my god, what have I done" thing but more for "I can't let them see this or they'll know something isn't right" thing. Well, that and the longer I see the blood the stronger the messed up impulses get.

*YELP*

The shocked sound gets me back in my normal mindset. Finding the others.

*YELP*

"Dwight, just stop. That's only making it worse."

Meg shoos Dwight from trying to heal her while taking cover in bushes.

"I'm sorry. I get really nervous near endgame."

Poor guy looks so scared.

"Yeah, about that..."

They nearly jump at my arrival.

"So nice of you lot to tell me about endgame collapse. Real helpful. It's almost like you're not telling me shit on purpose so that you'll have better odds. But that would be a massive dick move that only lowlifes would do. And you guys aren't lowlifes...Are you?"

My tone is spiteful. Not caring for whatever the answer that comes.

"It's not like you needed to know right away."

I glare daggers at them.

"We believed you were able to avoid the killer. So we were going to gen rush for a speedy victory. We weren't counting on Legion being so aggressive. Its deep wounds aren't normally so hard to mend."

"What I'm hearing is a lot of crap. One, my so-called team made a plan and didn't let me in on it. Two, said team leaves out useful information on the killer and trial effects. And three, you thought this wasn't going to bite you in the ass."

They look at me confused when suddenly the sky rumbles. Our gaze goes upward as the part of the white clouds turns black and opens to obsidian spider-like appendages reaching down to the ground.

"What the fuck is that?!"

"That's the Entity. But it only comes into trials to claim a sacrifice. Why is it...?"

The spindly claws retract back to wherever the fuck that shit came from, but it's not leaving empty-handed. The shade of Jake is in its grasp. A small glow of cyan in his chest. Once the thing returns to the clouds, the sky returns to normal and I'm speechless.

"It...It took Jake?"

"How? He was only hooked once. If he was hooked again we would've heard him yell."

Unless he was so knocked out that he was completely incapacitated.

"We need to get that last gen."

"But you need to mend. You'll bleed out otherwise."

"I'll do it myself. You two get to a gen. I'll be fine."

Dwight looks worried but he nods and takes my arm.

"Let's hurry before Legion finds us."

I merely follow. Still too dumbstruck to comprehend the thing I just saw.

"Are you okay?"

"Big thing came out of the sky...Head very fuzzy..."

He frowns.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you everything. We're just...You get so used to things around here that it's easy to forget what it was like in the beginning. Back when this was new and hard to understand. Back when we wished there was someone to teach us what to do. I'm sorry, Lynsie."

Oh no...Not genuine sincerity! How am I supposed to let him die now after all that? God damn evil plans! He finds a generator and he begins to work on it while I pretend to do so. There's already been some progress made on this thing. That's not good. Fuck, I'm conflicted. I can get out of here at the cost of their lives and risk them finding out. Or I can help them escape and risk pissing off Legion who will hunt my ass down for betrayal. I've doomed myself. Like wielding a double-edged sword, no matter which way I swing the damn thing, I'll end up stabbing myself when the backswing returns. Fuck...I've already got Jake killed. Can't puss out now. I slowly begin undoing the connections on my side, effectively making it seem like any progress he's making like it's going nowhere.

"Weird."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm repairing, but nothing is happening."

"Really? You too?"

I'm such scum.

"Hmmm...Maybe the killer is using Hex: Ruin."

I stop and leer at him, making him laugh nervously.

"Um...It's a power that killers can use to affect our ability to repair generators."

"Let me guess...It wasn't worth mentioning at the time that killers have special powers?"

He gulps.

"Have I mentioned that I'm sorry?"

And there goes the guilt that I was having about killing you, Dwighty-boy.

"Come on, dude. Let's find a gen that isn't bugged."

"But..."

*HIGH-PITCH SCREAM*

Dwight jumps.

"Oh no!"

"What?"

"That's Meg's third time being hooked."

"So let's go get her."

"We can't. A third hooking results in instant sacrifice."

Sure enough, the sky does its freaky arcane Hellmouth thing and the talons of the Entity take Meg up into its unknown lair.

"Oh, this is bad. If we can't fix gens then we're done for."

"How many times have you been hooked?"

"Once. If it hooks me now, I'll have to struggle against the Entity as it tries to kill me for sacrifice."

So does that mean if his stamina runs out or he's tired, it'll kill him on the hook?

"We have to get this gen running. It's the only way."

I feel dumb for thing but the question leaves me without much filtering.

"What about the hatch?"

He frowns and shakes his head.

"While it's probably spawned in since we're the last two left...Only one can go through it."

"Oh."

"Unless we had a special key. Then we both could escape so long as we get in within thirty seconds of opening it."

Again? Again with the very important and useful info that could've been told to me way earlier at the damn camp that I'm only hearing about now? Know what...Fuck it! Fuck you! I blatantly connect the wrong wires and the generator blows in loud sparks, freaking Dwight out.

"What are you doing?"

I growl beastly.

"I will not be toyed with by you people."

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

With the threat of running into a killer or dealing with a pissed off woman, Dwight decides the killer is his worst problem and tries to flee past me. Big mistake. I grab the back of his shirt and yank him hard, giving him a choke before he falls back.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

"Are you insane? The killer is..."

"Not your biggest problem."

I smack him so hard that his glasses are knocked off.

"I am not to be fucked with! Not by you. Not by them. Not by anyone! You will learn! You will all learn! You will all learn that your actions have consequences!"

[Yes, little worm. Teach them of their wrongs. Make them learn. Unleash the beast that dwells within.]

A sharp pain grips me. I grab my head and roar out trying to fight this unknown force. My vision is blurring, something is attempting to take control and I fear it might win.

"Holy crap..."

Dwight, understandably afraid for his life, scrambles to get as far from me as he possibly can. But his efforts and lack of good eyesight have him running right into the blade of the Legion to get a critical deep wound.

*LOW-PITCH YELL*

Dwight goes down and Legion grins to himself.

"too easy."

He goes to pick Dwight up but pauses when it notices me harming myself. My nails are clawing into my arms and I'm ramming my head into some wooden fencing, hoping this trauma will make the force cease its efforts. These actions blind me to his approach and my system gets knocked out of it at this sudden sting in my back.

"don't move."

The feel of his blade leaving me is strangely painless and I can't help the smile that comes to me as things feel so much clearer...even if I drop to my knees.

"stay put. we'll be right back."

He retrieves a futilely crawling away Dwight and goes to hook him somewhere. If I were a more sane individual, I probably would be trying to run away at this moment. But I think that's been proven not to be who I am. What I'm more focused on is figuring out what the hell was happening to me.

*LOW-PITCH SCREAM*

Dwight's on the hook now and no one is around to help him. I know I'm not doing it. I am all out of fucks to give.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

Legion makes his return and I don't blame him for looking shocked that I remained where he left me.

"Surprised to see me?"

"a little bit. normally you humans try to getaway. even when in the dying state."

I look at him funny and he sighs.

"wow. they really don't tell you anything. okay...um...that guy we just hooked..."

"Yeah?"

"remember him being on the floor and only able to crawl? that's the dying state."

"Oh. Kind of a disappointing name."

"well if left alone he would bleed to death."

"Now that makes more sense."

He snickers.

"you are a really weird human."

"As I told Wraith, I prefer quirky."

"quirky doesn't even begin to start with what we'd call you. but it's fine for now."

He huffs a small laugh and closes the distance between us before hiking me over his shoulder. The sky rumbles and we look as the Entity comes once more to claim another victim. With that done, he starts wandering off and I'm amazed that something with no muscle mess whatsoever is this strong. Makes me wonder how his bony body works.

"Can I ask a somewhat personal question?"

"depends."

"Well...and you don't have to answer...But you're a skeleton, right?"

"last we checked."

"But are you completely skeletal?"

He pauses.

"...where are you going with this?"

"I'm just curious is all. I'm not a light girl. For you to pick me up and be walking so comfortably with no muscle is amazing."

He shakes his head in amusement while starting to walk again.

"What? It's a legitimate reason to be curious."

"oh, like you humans are so normal? what with your weak fleshy bodies full of blood and guts."

"I'm not saying it's normal. Normal is overrated."

"then would you be willing to answer one of our questions?"

"Only if you explain this usage of plural terms you've been using."

"we are legion. four killers in one. only one can be in a trial at a time but we're never alone."

"That is fucking cool. So do you all call yourself Legion or...?"

"ah ah ah. you answer our question first."

"Sorry."

"what was happening back there? you know...when you were going nuts?"

My head hurts thinking about that.

"I'm not sure. I got really mad and this creepy voice started talking to me."

"creepy voice you say?"

"I've heard it a few times. But that was the first time...I...Argh, my head is killing me."

"we bet it does. after all, you were hitting it into shit."

"Yeah, but it's fine. I'm thick-skulled."

His body shakes a little with held in mirth. Is he...?

"ah, there's that pesky thing."

Apparently, he's been carrying me this whole time for a reason. He's been listening for this odd and very ominous sound. Funny enough, we find this strange cue at the location of the watchtower where this deal of ours was made. The cause of this sound is the hatch, open and full of dark fog.

"Spooky."

He drops me off of his shoulder roughly near it and then very blatantly gets his weapon out.

"Um...Nice bone you got there."

"thanks. it does its job well."

I am not going to like this.

"you look worried."

"Only because I know what's going to happen next."

His grin is bone-chilling.

"a deal's a deal, human. you held up your end and now it's our turn. the hatch is your way out. but like we told you...you're not leaving unharmed."

He twirls the blade so that it's stabbing end is downward in his grip.

"This is going to hurt like hell, isn't it?"

"only if you struggle. but please do...it's more fun that way!"

He lunges at me, weapon aiming my chest. I panic. My hands come up to grab his wrist but I'm not one that knows how to properly do this in quick time. I do stop the blade from hitting its target. But now the thing is skewering my hands to give them stigmata. The grinding of the blade on bone is nerve shocking. He uses this to grab my wrists and pin them above my head with his free hand before removing the weapon, his lower half pinning my legs with his.

"now this is a tempting moment. we could do just about anything to you and nobody will stop us. the only limit is our imagination."

With the blade, he slices open my shirt and the smugness he has makes my insides churn.

"Dude, don't be a creepy pervert like this."

His grin falters and color faintly comes to his skull. Is he...is he blushing?

"that is not...we are not like that! this is strictly sadistic torture and nothing more!"

"But doesn't that mean you're getting pleasure out of causing pain?"

The blush gets worse.

"quit making this weird!"

The blade comes down into my stomach and the sound of pain I make is guttural. This keeps up for quite a few more stabs done to my side, ribs, shoulders, and this really painful one at the hip.

"no more talking! understood?"

I nod weakly through whimpers and a sense of impending death.

"good. now behave and this will be pleasant for all of us."

Like an artist with a sculpting knife, he takes his blade and slowly begins carving into the top of my chest. There are many things my pain tolerance allows me to handle. Cuts, stabs, falls, blunt force, sprains, piercings, and some other stuff I can't think about at the moment. And that's because it all happens typically very fast or instantly. This? No. This isn't fast. This is slow and painfully delicate. My eyes are drowning in tears and melting snow. My hands claw at the ground. And my heels dig into frozen soil. This reaction doesn't go unnoticed. Legion enjoys it. His smile coming back and growing with each wince the blade brings out of me.

"there we go...just a little bit more...almost done."

I feel a chill as the blade leaves me for a moment and hope fills me that he's done. Only to be shattered with a quick slash that has me roar in anguish.

"perfect. the entity may heal it away but you'll feel it even if it's gone. you'll never fort it. you'll never forget who you belong to now."

He nudged my head up with the hilt of his weapon so that I can see what he's done. He's etched the word "LEGION" into me. He's marked me as his. Well...at least this is over.

"now say it."

I eye him and he quickly stabs my side.

"say who you belong to!"

"Legion! I belong to Legion!"

It almost sobs out of me. My dignity and strong will were turned to dust way back at the start of all this. His delight is written all over his face. A twisted smile and eyes that burn with gratification.

"good girl. now we want one last thing from you before you can go."

"*whimpers* What?"

He leans down and I feel the pressure of his aura. Dark, threatening, and very very heavy.

"show us your soul."

I bite my lip and gulp.

"I...I don't know how."

The bone blade is stabbed right beside my face.

"you're not leaving till we see it. so you can either figure out how to bring it out...or we can have more fun cutting into you like a pumpkin on halloween."

"How am I supposed to...?"

He yanks the weapon from the ground and rears back ready to slam it down wherever on me he sees fit. Visions of any of the possible ways that bone blade can end up sinking into me flash before my eyes. My heart races and times seems to slow down as he brings it down. My eyes shut tight and all I can do is pray. Pray that this isn't the end. Because I don't want to die. I don't want to die!

"heheheh...we knew that would work."

My eyes open to see the tip of his weapon hovering over the colorful heart that springs from my body.

"fear is a motivator like nothing else."

I think I just pissed myself. It's either piss or blood from the stabbings.

"wraith was right. your souls is interesting. so many colors all swirling around like crazy. it's almost what we'd call pretty."

He gives my souls a small teasing touch before he sits up and moves off of me, letting me go.

"you can go now. we've had our fun this trial."

I'm not sure what to do. Part of me knows better and should leave while given this chance. The other part wants to beat the shit out of him. And another part is too broken to do anything.

"hey, we said you can go."

"Give me a moment...I...I'm trying to remember how to move."

He can't help but laugh at me.

"you can't be serious? did we really scare you that bad? your shitty teammates aren't even that easy."

"Hello, I'm new. Sue me for freaking out when a skeleton has a knife aimed at me!"

He just keeps laughing.

"*chuckling* and here we thought we were the ones without guts."

I flinch with recognition.

"Was that...a pun?"

His brow cocks.

"maybe?"

I smirk.

"I hope that wasn't your only one. Because I have a skele-ton of them."

His face blanks and I feel like I may have messed up. Either that or I'm bleeding out to the pint this might be a hallucination. But then...He busts a metaphorical gut in laughter. This is a reaction I'm not used to getting when I pun. It feels nice. And he seems different when he laughs. Like, a guy that you wouldn't think enjoys killing people.

"that...that was a good one."

"Thank you. The idiots at camp don't appreciate them. So I'm glad someone has a working funny bone."

That again cracks him up. But that isn't the only thing cracking. My sides aren't doing so well. It's time to go. Regaining the use of my arms, I press my soul back into me and then pull myself to sit up which I immediately regret what with the amount of coughed up blood that is being forced out of me.

"yeah. you're going to want to go now. not sure how much longer you've got before your body quits on you."

"Probably a good...*coughing* A good...*wheezing* I go now."

Crawling my fucked up form to the hatch, I share one last look with this killer.

"what? there something in our teeth?"

I meekly snicker.

"My name...*gagging* It's...*hack* Lynsie."

He smirks.

"so that's the name of our new plaything? heh...good to know."

He averts his gaze and I move to enter the hatch feet first.

"human..."

He's still not looking at me.

"Y-Yeah?"

"...call me bones."

Something about him telling me his name fills me with this oddly warm feeling. The kind of feeling that makes you smile even when you know you shouldn't.

"Later...*coughing* Bones."

I hope that does something for him. Not sure why or what, but it's something I hope for as I slide into the hatch's dark unknown.

*CLUNK*

The hatch closes and Bones leans back on his hands, an amused grin on his face as the fog of the Entity begins to consume the realm. Time for the world to be reset for the next trial.

"heh...not a bad time. not a bad time at all. the guys are going to get a kick out of this one."

Maybe the Entity won't care that one got away. He did feed it three humans. That should be enough for a decent snack. It's not like one of the other killers can't finish the job of feeding it. He just hoped that after such an exhausting trial that he'd have a chance to rest for a while. The fog rolls over him and takes him away. The world entirely disappearing into the darkness. Now it wouldn't be long before it was to reform as the Entity fed. No matter the reset, the chalet remains and in there so will the Legion.

(AT THE SURVIVOR'S CAMPSITE)

I wake up gasping for breath and gripping my chest. The hatch was an escape of sorts, but the feeling of slipping through the intangible grasp of something I can't even begin to describe is horrifying.

"There she is!"

Jake shouts and my attention is gotten. The others cast judging eyes at me. David not so much. But the others for sure. Thank god my clothes are healed. Otherwise, this would be even more awkward.

"Is it true? Did you attack Jake?"

Bill asks but it doesn't feel like a question. This is not how I wanted to wake up.

"Answer the question, kid."

I glare.

"I don't have to answer shit."

"So you admit it? You cost us the trial!"

Jake shouts and I snarl.

"No! You did that the moment you decided to use me!"

I get off the ground but I'm wobbly as hell. Something isn't right.

"We're the Survivors. We're supposed to help each other make it out alive. But none of you want to help anyone else but yourselves. And I'll be damned if I'll let you get away with trying to use me as a damn distraction for your gain!"

I start seething and Dwight steps forward.

"Please, don't get her mad."

"The hell do we care if she gets mad?"

"You weren't there, Nea. You didn't see what I saw. You didn't see her change."

I settle down out of curiosity but it's not like that helps the others.

"Oh, she changed? Big fucking deal! That doesn't excuse her for attacking Jake in the trial."

"You don't understand. It was the Entity...it was turning her into one of them."

My confusion is shared with the rest of them and Dwight looks at me.

"It's true. Your eyes...Your eyes were making the stain. Only killers make the stain but they can't see it."

This...this makes some sense for what was going on at that moment.

"That explains the voice..."

I think aloud to myself.

"Voice?"

Claudette repeats in puzzlement.

"Talk to us, Luv. What happened back there?"

Not sure if David cares. But he's at least giving me a chance to explain.

"Since I get here, I've been hearing this strange voice sometimes. Calling us meat and other things. During trial..."

Recalling the events makes my head spin and I drop to a kneel, not able to keep balance enough to stand. David and Dwight move to approach but others hold them back till the story is told.

"During the trial, I got so mad. I kept finding out you guys were or had withheld important things from me. It was just building this raw feeling inside. One that boiled over into something...I can't really put it into words. I had these urges..."

I grip my head in pain.

"I wanted to make a point...but IT wanted that point in blood. *groan* Fuck, don't make me remember any more. It hurts."

I feel so weak. Like being here is draining me. I don't understand what's happening to me.

"What do you think? This kind of sounds like your line of work."

Bill asks Ash.

"Hmmm...It does sound something close to possession. Maybe corruption? Influencing her to kill when angered. That's a theory anyway. Anything is possible in this place. Not knowing the Entity's full ability scope or what her soul is capable of really makes this a hard question to answer."

Nea doesn't like this one bit.

"Are you guys for real? It doesn't matter if she's possessed, corrupted, or some other bullshit. The fact is she attacked another survivor. She's a threat and a liability. I say we kick her out of the camp."

Nea is only pissing me off. Not a good thing to do.

"You don't get to make that call, Nea."

Detective Tapp calls her out.

"After all, the same can be said about you when you act so toxic that the killers try to attack us here despite knowing that they can't."

David comes over and kneels with me.

"You alright, Luv?"

"I...I don't know...I don't feel very good..."

"Take it easy. You look like 'ell."

"Legion...had fun with me...lost lots of blood...great sense of humor..."

"'umor? Luv, killers can't make jokes. 'ell, they can't even talk."

But...they can talk. What does he mean that they can't?

"Luv? 'ey, what's wrong? Why aren't you 'ealed?"

My kneeling trembles. I'm getting weaker. My mouth moves but no words come out.

"'ey! Somethin's wrong with her!"

My eyelids are so heavy. It's getting harder to stay conscious. Their bodies look like blobs to me. I don't even know who's coming over to aid David. Everything's getting dark.

[Do not think you can escape, little worm. The beast hungers. It will feed. It is only a matter of time.]

Yay! This got done super fast and I had fun. Now to establish some stuff and clarify things that went down in this chapter.

#1: Killers/Monsters have better relations than the Survivors/Humans...I hinted this one in chapter one, but I think it really shines here. Even if some killers piss off other killers, they still communicate and teach their skills to their allies. Where as the humans share very little and assume others will get good. This leads to toxicity among the survivors and it's not unheard of for survivors to turn on each other. This happens in game too.

#2: The Survivors can't communicate with the Killers...In game, no one talks. All you get are sounds like screams, grunts and other basic noises. For the story, I'm making it so that both sides can speak but the humans can not understand the monsters. This langue barrier keeps tension high and further divides them. All the humans hear are monster sounds. The monster hear English but think the humans are just ignoring them because they're assholes. Lynsie is the exception to this rule and for one reason, which leads into out next point.

#3: The look and feel of Legion/Sans...For this, we turn to this AU's creator punnysideup who has made some awesome pics of our bone boys. Since ffnet won't let me post links, I recommend looking him up on twitter to see all 4 sides to our killer. Though note one thing, I will be changing the look of Dead Eye from what his creator depicts him. It doesn't really fit well, while looking cool, so expect something close to the other 3 in terms of looks.

#4: The Corrupted Survivor...This was a concept I made up for the game and think it makes things a bit more interesting here. Since Lynsie is the anomaly and her soul is all wonky here, the Entity with its crazy powers can influence her into becoming a pseudo-killer. If fully unleashed, this state allows her to hunt and sacrifice like a normal killer, but she still counts as a survivor and there for can be killed by real killers. There are triggers for her entering this state and snapping her out of it. We shall see them done in time.

#5: The Terror Radius...As in here and in game, only survivors can hear the Terror Radius. But...The story has an anomaly that the game doesn't. Due to Lynsie's ties to the Entity and being a pseudo-killer, this gives her a unique radius that only the killers can pick up on...The Tainted Radius. With this, killers can locate her and trigger her into her killer state in trials to terrorize the other survivors.

Other than those points, I can't think of anything else. If there are any questions or if you want to see a certain killer show up in the next chapter, feel free to let me know. Thank you all for reading and I hope you have awesome days/nights. Laters! ^_^

#undertale #dead by daylight #Anomaly #Lynsie #lynchtale

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ollyarchive · 7 years ago

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Years & Years’ Olly Alexander: ‘There’s entrenched homophobia at all levels of the music industry’

The frontman speaks to Brian O’Flynn about the importance of queer voices, the decline of pop music and how he keeps his mental health struggles in check

The past couple of years have seen queer pop acts climb their way up the cultural ladder. Artists such as Christine and the Queens, Hayley Kiyoko, Janelle Monae, Troye Sivan and Sam Smith are all pouring their sexuality into their music – by and large to critical acclaim. One of the most prominent members of this new queer cohort is Olly Alexander, frontman of British synthpop band Years & Years. But for him, there’s still a long way to go.

“There’s entrenched homophobia behind the scenes at all levels of the music industry,” says the 28-year-old. “It’s got so much better, but I think it’s gonna take a radical shift before these men who are in control of the funds and the labels and the radio stations are gonna be OK with overt queerness. They see it as turning off part of the audience.”

Years & Years, who play London’s O2 Arena today, came out in a big way in 2015. After being named BBC Sound of 2015 in January, the three-piece secured their first number one single a couple of months later, before topping the album charts that July with their debut record, Communion. Musically, they skilfully tapped into the then-zeitgeist for soulful pop-house.

By this point, Alexander was already a fairly familiar face, having appeared as an actor in the Channel 4 drama Skins, as well as Gaspar Noé’s Enter the Void and Laura Wade’s The Riot Club. He was always out, but his lyricism at the time was more cloaked than it is these days, his hair a demure brown and his body wrapped in unassuming boy-next-door T-shirts. Three years later, you’d scarcely recognise him touring second album Palo Santo. His hair now a fiery red inspired by Rihanna – whom he recently met on The Graham Norton Show – Alexander bounces out on stages in glittery bodysuits and high-fashion ensembles while singing about BDSM and breaking up with boyfriends.

“There were a lot of people who were uncomfortable with how overtly sexual this album was,” says Alexander. “When we did our show for the first time we had a few comments that it wasn’t family friendly. I reject that completely.”

Though their recent single “If You’re Over Me” climbed to number six, Years & Years’ second, more unambiguously gay record hasn’t quite matched the chart-topping success of Communion, where the lyrics and visuals were more neutral. Christine and the Queens, too, has experienced a drop-off in mainstream chart success with her second album, itself more gender non-conforming in its aesthetic. Given what Alexander says about the music industry, is it possible that the wider public is still less comfortable with explicit queerness than we’d like to believe, for all the recent renaissance of the LGBT+ pop scene?

“The music industry has changed so much,” he argues, “and audiences have changed the way they listen to music, so across the board many artists haven’t been able to replicate the success they had a few years ago. Pop music is very trend-driven as well, and it’s very focused on hip hop now – look at Drake in the US. So, ‘pop pop’ music is definitely on the wane.”

“Pop pop music” is undoubtedly what Years & Years represent. Their synth-heavy, swooping sound feels like it belongs in a queer cathedral, like layered gay organ music, their lyrics riffing off this religious association in songs such as “Worship” and “Sanctify”. If there’s a church Alexander is genuflecting at it’s that of Britney Spears, and Nineties pop-R&B courses, quite clearly, through his blood.

The nervous, handwringing ebullience Alexander exudes when talking about Britney or Rihanna never fully leaves him. He’s restless and fastidiously polite, saying “aw, thank you” to any remotely positive comment and constantly apologising for himself (“Oh no, I’ve explained that so badly,” he often says). A lot of discussion around him is excitable and feverish, too, given what he represents for so many young gay people.

Just as Alexander has elevated the queerness in his work, so too he’s become a leading spokesperson for the wider LGBTQ+ community. He has used his TV appearances to protest homophobic laws in Poland, and patiently guided just about every interviewer and presenter in the global media through gay politics and identity. He also presented a BBC documentary on gay mental health, after a good deal of dark firsthand experience.

He says he still needs to be “militant” about his own daily routines to keep himself together. “I know it sounds so obvious, but I didn’t eat three meals a day for a very long period of my life so I have to make sure I do it now,” he says with a laugh. He’s mostly happy these days, though still struggles from time to time: “I had two weeks earlier this month where I just felt really low and it really freaked me out, actually. Whenever I start to feel a bit low, I think I overreact because I’m scared I’m going to retreat into this hellish black hole I used to be in as a teenager.”

We needn’t worry, though – he has routines in place now to keep him balanced: “I sing in the mornings and count my blessings like Cinderella!” Though Alexander projects this kind of warm, smiley enthusiasm, my main impression of him is one of measured realism. He coolly and carefully unpicks the state of queerness, queer pop, and his place in it all.

“I think the reason I’ve been so committed to advocacy is because I see so many people in pain,” he says. “We’re seeing a lot of infiltration of mainstream spaces which is super exciting and positive but... I don’t know if I’d call it a tipping point.

“I just don’t know if the perception of that ‘successful’ queer pop narrative is reflected in the realities of people’s lives,” he continues. “A lot of the fans who message me are really suffering. I really do worry there isn’t enough being done to help – enough provision in place.”

In the rush to celebrate the sense of joy and freedom that’s come along with figures such as Alexander, Troye Sivan and Sam Smith, we perhaps overlook how much work is still left to be done. This burden never seems to be far from Alexander’s mind: even as he works to project his own queerness, he worries about who he’s talking over. “There’s a glaring similarity between us,” he says of fellow stars Sivan and Smith. “It would be outrageous to say we haven’t benefited from whiteness. I always go around in my head like, ‘Am I just continuing to enable that system, am I just creating more problematic shit by taking up space as a gay man?’”

“It’s upsetting to see how poor the representation of such a diverse community is,” he continues. “It’s still the same people being asked to speak on things. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Can’t we have someone else’? But then at the same time, I’m like, ‘Well, if they’re asking me to speak I’d better say something!’”

Alexander isn’t content to just throw his hands up in the air, though. It seems he’s found a way to kill two birds with one stone; to make more provision for young gay people, and hand some of his speaking time over to those who are less represented. His next big project is his plan to create a queer festival called Rendez-Vous.

“It came from wanting to create an inspirational network for queer people,” he says. Their shows in London will be a trial run of sorts, a precursor to something bigger in the future. Trans icon Munroe Bergdorf will compere, there will be sexual health information stands and gender neutral bathrooms. “Hopefully it will eventually become a festival,” he says. “It’s basically about giving the stage over to amazing talent. I haven’t really experienced that anywhere yet.”

The London show will feature fast-rising pansexual popstar Rina Sawayama, and he reels off a list of acts he wants to see there in the future. Primarily, he wants to empower marginalised voices and share his platform, to leverage some of his accumulated influence on to those less heard. “We have a unique opportunity to introduce Years & Years audiences, who aren’t all queer, to some acts they wouldn’t come across in their usual Spotify playlists. And I want there to be queer thinkers giving speeches, and a place where you can get tested, have it be community focused. Giving back to the community is something that I care about,” he concludes. “Oh god, I’ve explained it really badly,“ he apologises yet again, though he hasn’t at all.

As LGBT and female acts tend to be sidelined in mainstream festivals, and straight men still dominate the industry, this is an exciting and novel prospect. You can’t be pushed out if you own the space, right?

In the meantime, Alexander’s off to make sure he gets some food before his show tonight, when he’ll get a different kind of nourishment. “You know when you’re playing a video game and Mario needs to eat mushrooms to get big and stay alive? Playing shows to queer people, it kind of feels like that,” he says. “It restores my energy.”

Years & Years are currently touring the UK

#olly alexander #years & years #yearsandyears #articles #interviews #the independent #palo santo #lgbtq

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dannyphantomisameme · 6 years ago

Text

~ Chapter 5 ~

(Click for prologue, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter four part one, chapter four part 2, and fan fiction link)

The morning was cold. The sun was barely out with its small crescent over the horizon. Within the woods it was freezing. Even Daniel felt frigid under his t-shirt and jeans. The sky has decided to let loose another blanket of snow, the snowflakes drifting onto his jet-black hair.

He was alone within the confines of the trees and probably brushing his teeth in one of the most oddest places. Even after washing his mouth with the water he boiled, the minty aftertaste stained his mouth. Last night, he had one of the greatest slumbers of his life. Sleeping around 13 hours, he felt refreshed and prepared for the new day. Quickly washing his hands and face, he returned back to the apartment.

He craved for some froot loops for breakfast, longing their savory, fruitful flavors along with the wash of milk. However, he didn’t have a refrigerator to keep the milk from spoiling. The best he could do was eat a cereal bar. He was fine with the light breakfast anyway.

While chewing on the cereal bar, he gathered the papers and supplies he had bought yesterday: a notebook, folder, and pencils. It didn’t cost him too much, so he was fine using $5. He reached into his backpack and took the wad of cash out. He quickly counted how much he had left.

10, 20... 50… 100… 1200…

$4,326

Not too bad… so maybe he could survive until April. He just needed to conserve as much money as possible. He took out $30 and stuffed it into his jeans pocket. He hid the rest of the money in a pocket of his backpack. Zipping up his backpack with all the supplies within, he slung it onto his shoulder and wrapped his gold watch on his wrist. Checking around the room for anything else he needed to take, he noticed his weapons peeking out from under the pile of wood. Quickly shuffling the wood around so no one would notice, he stood up, dusting his palms in accomplishment. With one final check, he transformed and ascended into the morning atmosphere.

The morning sky was filled with vibrant colors of orange and pink, mixing to create one of the loveliest things he’d ever seen. From the mansion view, the sunrise was boring and usually hidden behind the trees. But here, he felt mesmerized to be encompassed by the dynamic hues of the heavens.

Finally he descended into an alley once he neared the school. He didn’t want to get to close, in fear of students seeing him transform. There were too many of them in the open courtyard that he couldn’t watch out for all of their eyes. Even if he transformed invisibly, an unknown teenager popping out of nowhere would seem suspicious.

Screening the area for people, he exited the alley. He didn’t look out of place today, although he didn’t have a jacket.

Shit. People are going to think I’m dumb for walking out in winter in a t-shirt.

He never thought about his actions ahead of time. It was one of his biggest weaknesses. He didn’t know much about Minnesota anyway, he was for sure to be seen as an outcast. Although the temperature must have been around 3 degrees, he hardly felt it. Grimacing, he continued down the sidewalk, passing by small street stores. Those inside the cars driving by stared at him and his stupidity. He sighed, his breath fogging the air in front of him.

His objective was to keep quiet and lay on the low. He didn’t need people keeping tabs on him, especially when he was bound to disappear in two weeks. He just needed to be seen as the quiet, background kid. No friends, no talking unless he had to.

Finally he entered the school and into the hideous green surroundings. Students still glared at him as he walked down the halls. It was as if he was under microscopic inspection, their eyes scrutinizing the new student. Some students were conversing with friends while some were looking at their phones. He never understood the importance of having your own device at all times, it just seemed like a waste of money and time. He didn’t need immediate internet access at all times, he could just fly to the library in a matter of minutes. Taking a right down the hall, he looked down at the class schedule in his hands.

Locker 724. Alright.

Upon reaching his locker, he frowned at its appearance. It was the worst locker in the entire hall. Its rusted presence with questionable stains made his stomach feel like releasing its contents. There wasn’t anything he could do about it now; the principal had said that the school was quite packed with little space for newcomers. Glancing around, he noticed students placing their notebooks and textbooks into their lockers. So that’s what they’re used for. He didn’t want to touch the unappealing storage container, so he decided to find his first class. He also didn’t have any supplies to put into the locker. He would be gone in two weeks anyway, he could survive without a locker.

Before he could turn and find his classroom, he was shoved against the filthy locker. Disgusted, his stomach churned nauseously, but his attention was focused on the figure in front of him.

“Hey look it’s a newbie.” A blonde boy taunted. He wore a red and white letter jacket, black t-shirt, and skinny jeans. Other guys stood behind him with matching jackets, laughing at Daniel like a pack of wolves congratulating their alpha.

Daniel tried not to get agitated, but he couldn’t help himself. Heat rose to his cheeks, giving them a slight pink tint. He glared at the other teens, eyes meeting at the same level. They looked about his age, maybe even in the same grade. They were also his height, although few of them were a bit taller than him. He could tell they had built up bodies just from eyeing their broad figures.

“What’s your name twerp?” The blondie ridiculed. His voice had a sort of nasally tone to it, annoying Daniel further. A smirk played itself across is face as he began dusting his shoulder from the dust that accumulated after contacting the treacherous locker.

“What’s your name, asshole?” Daniel retorted with as much sass as the boy. The others behind him ‘ooh’-ed at the sudden infringement of the social hierarchy by the new student. Daniel had a feeling that he had overstepped his boundaries and already made enemies. So much for being the low-life, new student. The first thing he did at his new school was create drama. Fuck.

The blonde boy was infuriated and with his mouth twisted into a wicked grimace. Suddenly his hand outstretched and grabbed Daniel by the neck, pinning him up against the vile locker. “What did you just call me?” the boy growled. His eyebrows were furrowed and his violet eyes dead set on the prey in front of him. A crowd began to form behind him. Daniel faintly heard him shout something else as his mind suddenly went blank.

The icy wall was blanketed with a sheet of ectoplasm, splattered everywhere, dripping down onto the white carpeted floor. The gash on his shoulder pulsated with pain. His mind felt like it was swimming in a pool of molasses, thoughts disorganized and floating around slowly. The voices in his head were increasing in amplitude by the minute. The giant monster panted loudly as drips of ectoplasm trickling down his ice horns. Both ghosts were worn out, tired of fighting each other.

Daniel couldn’t move his upper body with the giant paw against his neck. But there was one thing he could do.

Swiftly he kicked forward, contacting the ghost at his core. The unsuspecting specter tumbled backwards into the snow. Daniel swiftly unlatched the thermos from his belt and aimed it at the large abominable figure whose eyes had widened with realization.

‘I let you into my kingdom, teach you everything I know, and this is how you repay me?’ the husky voice bellowed. The ghost looked so helpless as he was held against his liking. His destroyed robe fluttered behind him in the breeze. The voices were clouding Daniel’s mind, incoherently muttering nonsense.

Daniel didn’t want to reply, but he also didn’t want to uncap the thermos. Frostbite was like a father to him. He taught him how to control his ice powers when he was younger. In his weakest moment, the far frozen king blasted three icicles at the unfocused ghost. Daniel dodged each icicle with ease, heir tips plunging into the white igloo behind him. Reluctantly he uncapped the thermos and aimed the bright blue beam at his father figure. The beam sucked him in, and all was quiet. The voices stopped.

Frostbite was gone.

Daniel didn’t know what to do as his eyes fixated on the furious boy ahead of him. He felt his heart accelerating quickly; lungs bawling to be set free. With one nimble move, he grabbed the jerk by the arm, twisted him around to face the others, and held his arm behind his back. The blonde boy cried out in anguish as everyone around the two took a step back.

After realizing what he had done, he released the boy and backed up into the locker. His hands were in front of him as if he had been caught by the police. The buff teen fell to the ground, groaning from his strained arm.

“I’m sorry.” Daniel muttered under his breath as his eyes shifted to look at everyone. They all gawked at him like he was a freak, nonhuman, a monster. His vision was hazy, but he sped off. He didn’t know where to go, he just knew he needed to get away. He heard someone shout after him, but he continued ahead, ignoring the call behind him. Everyone was now whispering about him, ogling at the new boy who already mustered up a scene. Their voices entrenched his mind, chaotically screwing up his already disordered thoughts. Noticing a sign for the bathrooms, he slammed the door open and ran into a stall. He locked the stall door behind him and turned to face the toilet.

Unexpectedly he threw up into the porcelain bowl, wrenching his guts until they were free of everything. He sat back onto the dirty floor, weakly leaning against the stall door. His body was trembling. He had another one. He thought he could have escaped them once he’d been free of his father, but there was always the threatening thought looming in the back of his mind that his father was watching. It nerved him down to the bone.

The aftertaste of bile stung his throat as he stood up. Wearily walking out of the stall and to the sink, he looked at himself in the mirror. He did look different from the last time he’d seen his reflection back at the mansion. The bags under his eyes had disappeared and his clothing was of a different style. His skin didn’t look as gloomy as it used to, and his crystal blue eyes shone under the ceiling lights. He washed his hands and splashed water onto his face quickly, dried himself, and exited the bathroom.

Using the paper with his class schedule, he wound his way through the student traffic and to his first class, literature. He had to go up a flight of stairs just to get to the English department. This time, all eyes were on him, but he didn’t return the contact. Hunching, he scurried up the stairs.

Once he’d found the classroom after a bit of roaming, he looked in only to find a bald teacher sitting at his desk. Quickly checking his watch, he realized it was only 7:35, so he was early. Go figure. Entering the classroom, he waved to the teacher who hadn’t noticed him yet.

“Um, hello?” Daniel said hoping to gain the attention of the teacher who was occupied searching something on his computer. The bald man turned around to look at the unfamiliar voice. “I’m Daniel Masters, the new student.” he said extending his hand to shake.

“Ah yes, nice to meet you Mr. Masters. You can call me Mr. Lancer. Welcome to Casper high. Have you been finding your way around easily?” he said caringly while shaking Daniel’s hand. He seemed like a pretty nice teacher.

“Yep.” he replied, popping the ‘p’. Just splendid.

“That’s good to hear. You’re very early. Unfortunately I’ve got some work to do so you may take a seat in the back for the time being.” Daniel nodded and Mr. Lancer returned to his computer. Daniel worked his way through the row of desks and sat in the back. Setting his backpack down and his head against the desk, he sighed. Today was already off to a bad start. He was even getting hungry from hurling what little breakfast he ate.

The classroom was painted in a light blue color. Posters with books and other motivational writings lined the walls. In the front was a large whiteboard and some giant screen. The desks were a boring, bland porcelain color, matching the atmosphere of the room. Other students began trickling into the classroom in groups of two or more. It seemed as if everyone had a companion except him.

Ten minutes later, the bell rang and Daniel lifted his head from the desk to look at the teacher. Mr. Lancer stood up from his desk and walked around. Clearing his throat he began to speak. “Hello class. We have a new student, Daniel Masters. Daniel, please stand up.”

Daniel stood up and smiled sheepishly. All eyes were once again him.

Awe fuck.

The blonde, muscular boy from earlier was giving him the death glare from across the room. Just my luck. He’s in my class. He was going to get beat up for sure once the blondie got the chance. Daniel sat down slowly and everyone turned back to the teacher. He sunk lower in his seat.

“As you all know, today’s Tuesday, which means your receiving your projects today. In a moment I will be pairing you in groups of three and then giving you the topic. So once I say your name, please get together in your groups.” Mr. Lancer paused, retrieving a sheet from his desk. “ Mikey, Nathan, and Leo. Brad, Star, and Lacy. Then Dash, Kwan, and Paulina.” Mr. Lancer listed as students stood up and shuffled around. The blonde kid must have been Dash since he stood up when Lancer called his name. Dash, huh? “... Tucker, Samantha, and Daniel. And finally Katie, Rachael, and Trevor.” Grabbing his backpack, he stood up and looked around the room. Tucker and Samantha, ok. Now I just have to find them…

“Psst, hey.” a feminine voice perked up. He swiveled around to find an African American boy and a goth, Caucasian girl sitting together. Daniel sat in an open desk next to them.

“That was a great show in the halls today.” The african American boy said shifting his glasses up his nose. He wore a red beret, a yellow turtleneck, and camo joggers. Daniel’s cheeks flushed a shade of red as he sunk a little in his seat at the mention of the mornings fiasco.

“Hell yea it was. It’s time someone put ‘the king of high school’ back in his place.” the goth quirked up. Her black hair flowed at her shoulders. Her bright purple lipstick and matching eyeshadow contrasted her pale skin. She wore a black tank top, black and green checkered skirt, purple leggings, and black combat boots.

“Don’t remind me. Everyone keeps staring.” Daniel said shaking his head.

“So what?! Dude you’re already famous. You can achieve popularity in a snap.” The boy presumed to be Tucker exclaimed.

“Fuck. I didn’t want any of this.” Daniel said rubbing his face in his hands. The teacher chose this moment to begin speaking again.

“For your assignment, your group must make a presentation on the book I assign. The presentation requirements are on google classroom. I will come around and assign the books and then you will need to go to the library straight after and get your book. Got it?” Mr. Lancer’s voice bellowed through the room in monotone. The class nodded in reply and returned to conversing with each other.

“Well the name’s Foley. Tucker Foley, but you can call me Tuck.” The boy said as he relaxed back into his desk. He crossed his arms behind his head.

“And I’m Sam. You call me Samantha, and your shin will be bruised and broken.” she threatened, glaring at him. Daniel widened his eyes at the immense intimidation from the petite girl.

“You probably already know this, but I’m Daniel. And I don’t have a nickname.” he shrugged. He never thought about a nickname for himself, it just didn’t pop into his mind. He had more pressing matters to deal with his entire life. His father had called him ‘little badger’ when he was younger, although he always despised the name.

“Pfft. Everyone has a nickname. Plus, Daniel sounds too sophisticated.” Tuck said as he looked at Daniel, scanning his features. “Uh… Danny. Danny’s good. U look like a Danny too.” he quirked as a group of students got up and exited the room, presumably off to the library.

“Danny?” Daniel was confused. Did they just give me a… nickname?

“Yep that’s your new name. No ifs and,or buts.” Sam chimed in, a smirk playing itself across her face. “So where you from, Danny?”

“New York.”

“You don’t have the accent though.” Tuck retorted.

“You’re from Minnesota and you don’t have an accent.” Danny interjected sarcastically. Another group of students left the classroom.

“Touche. What do you think about Casper high?” Tuck asked.

“It’s good. I wish I hadn’t screwed up my reputation the second I entered the door though.” Danny said, running his hands through his hair. The subject was still in his mind. What if someone recognized him? He always considered the impossible because in reality, his existence was an impossibility.

“Relax Danny. You’ll be on Dash’s hit list, but with moves like yours, you’ll be fine.” Sam said.

“Those moves were reflexes. I wasn’t thinking at the time. I can’t fight for the life of me.” Danny whined into his palms. Yes, he lied to them. He didn’t want people thinking he had super strength or some shit. He needed to lay low from now on. At the time, he just… panicked.

“Well you’ve got good reflexes, but you’re screwed if you can’t repeat that display from earlier.” Sam suggested. Danny groaned. Mr. Lancer chose that moment to join the trio and assign them their book.

“Looks like you all have gotten acquainted,” Danny timidly chuckled, rubbing his neck. “You three will be reading Frankenstein, got it? Mr. Masters I expect Mrs. Ishiyama led you through your school google account?” Danny nodded. “Very well then, you three can join the others in the library.” The trio stood up and headed out to the library. Mr. Lancer locked the classroom and trailed not too far behind, but out of hearing reach.

“I’ve actually read this book before.” Danny said out of the blue. The other two turned to look at him questioningly. When he was 13, he would go to the library almost everyday and read some of the most famous books. It was one of his favorite past times at the time. Frankenstein was actually a very interesting book, considering that the scientist was the real Frankenstein as opposed to the monster.

“Dude, if Lancer finds out, he’s going to make you switch to a different group.” Tuck chipped as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the ignorant teacher.

“Relax. He won’t find out. This way, I’ll have less homework.” Danny replied crossing his arms. Tuck shrugged in response. The trio proceeded walking into the library where all the other students were waiting. The large area reminded him of the library he had visited on his first day in Amity Park. The set up was similar, except the computers sat at the edges of the room instead of the center. Some students had books in hand, while others were searching for their book through the multitude of stacks.

Sam guided them through the room partly using the signs posted on the shelves and partly using her memory. She seemed to know this place quite well, maybe she was an avid reader. Entering the racks of books with authors that have last names starting with the letter L, the trio began searching the shelves. Tucker called out to the other two once he had found the book. Handing each of them a copy, the three headed towards the front desk and checked out their books. Once Daniel had received his book, the bell rang, prompting students to leave at its ring. He now had 8 minutes to get to his next class.

“Hey Danny, what class do you have next?” asked Sam. He reached into his pocket and produced a wrinkled schedule. Squinting to read the small font, he brought the paper close to his face, but Sam impatiently snatched it out of his hand.

She scanned the sheet while Tuck looked over her shoulder, scanning the sheet as well. “Well we have art, gym, and bio together” she said handing the slip back to him.

“And we have pre-calc, gym, and bio together.” Tuck said grabbing some gadget from his pocket. “And pre-calc is next so we gotta go.” he quickly said, grabbing Danny’s hand. He led his new acquaintance through the crowded halls, bypassing many students in the tight halls. Danny couldn’t even utter a word through all the movement.

The boy with the red beret was shorter than him, but only by an inch or so. He pulled Danny into the classroom. It looked the same as the last one, except the posters on the walls illustrated formulas and inspirational quotes instead of quotes from books. Danny introduced himself the to teacher and then proceeded to take a seat next to Tuck. He recognized a few kids from the previous class, but he couldn’t recall their names. As he took his seat, he noticed Tuck preoccupied with some silver gadget in his hands

“Hey, what’s that?” Danny said eyeing the contraption in the other boy’s hand. It had several buttons on it. He’d never seen anything like it before.

“This is Shelly.” Tuck said in a matter-of-fact tone. He held up the device like a prized possession. Danny just stared at him blankly. He had no idea what a Shelly was. “It’s my PDA.” Oh. He still didn’t understand.

“What’s a PDA?” Danny asked questioningly. Tuck gasped loudly and glared at him like he had committed the worst treason in the world. Daniel was perplexed at what he had done wrong.

“Only the most beautifullest thing in the world! It’s like a phone, but only better! Jeez man, you must be a real gen z if you don’t know what a PDA is…” Tucker rambled on. Danny could tell that Tuck had a thing for electronics. Just the way he talked about them and how even gave them names as if they were human. He seemed like a technology geek to Danny.

The bell rang, interrupting Tuck in his talk. The teacher began instructing the class about trigonometric functions. Danny had some difficulty understanding the concepts, joining late in the semester did that to one, but Tuck helped him through the calculations. Tuck turned out to be a genius in math, and Danny was surprised that he wasn’t in some higher level class.

By the end of class, Danny had somewhat achieved mastery of the subject. The teacher assigned a page of homework right before the bell rang. The entire class groaned simultaneously, hoping they could have evaded the treacherous endeavors of doing homework. At least they don’t have to endure father’s assignments.

Tuck once again led Danny through the hallways to gym class, a class the trio would be reunited in. He realized he had become quick friends with them. The openness between Sam and Tuck suggested that they were close friends, but there was a hint of mistrust between the two, almost as if their friendship was missing something. Danny could never see the two being friends if he hadn’t personally met them before; their personalities just seemed incompatible together. Somehow, they still managed to keep contact.

Tuck brought him into the boys locker room, showing him around. The underground room was lined with dark green tiles with rows of navy blue lockers. The area was dimly lit, like the lights were too old to be repaired. Boys were changing out in the open into red and white uniforms. Danny felt like he should have averted his eyes and given them privacy, but Tuck didn’t seem to be bothered by the sight. He was glad to have someone helping him through his first day. He would have been a complete mess without Tuck and Sam.

Danny received a gym uniform and a locker from the locker room supervisor. Luckily, both of their lockers were situated in the back corner right next to each other, and away from majority of the other boys. Tuck began to unlock his locker, and Danny followed suit. Tuck then removed his clothes one by one, however, Danny didn’t want to change out in the open. The amount of scars that criss-crossed his body would be noticeable in a second. He searched his surroundings and then turned around to face away from Tuck. Removing his shirt, he quickly replaced it with the gym uniform. Next he removed his jeans and slipped on his gym shorts. No one seemed to notice the abnormal amount of scars on his body. He sighed in relief.

Tuck had put on his shorts and now he was pulling the gym shirt onto his head. The boy was very scrawny, although he wasn’t as skinny as some of the nerds Danny had seen earlier. Danny looked marginally better in size compared to the African American boy, and Danny’s body had a light built to it from all the work he’d done. At one point in his childhood, if one could call it that, he had been in a phase of attaining the ideal body. He would workout on a daily basis, and eat a diet based on protein. He continued for two years or so, until his assignments became daily and took up his exercise time.

Danny placed his clothes and backpack into the locker and shut it closed. Tuck finished after a minute, and the two exited out to gymnasium together. Few students were already there, including Sam. She wore the same uniform as them, instead of cropping her uniform like the other girls. Danny noticed Dash sitting on the bleachers and talking to some latina girl, he shuddered. He hoped he wouldn’t have to face him again. The two boys accompanied Sam in the back of the bleachers.

“Nice of you two to join.” Sam said sarcastically as the two sat down next to her.

“Hey there’s two of us and one of you.” Tucker defended pointing his finger.

“Not unless your dressing each other.” Sam snorted. Danny chuckled. It seemed like these two joked quite often. Tuck crossed his arms in agitation. For some unusual reason, Danny felt a sensation of cold in his chest, radiating from his core. He brushed off the odd feeling, believing it to be his core overreacting from his panic episode earlier.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how do you two know each other? You just seem like polar opposites.” Danny questioned. Sam snickered at something, although he didn’t know what.

“This jackass had the audacity to try and debate with me on food preferences. You see, I’m an ultra-recyclo-vegetarian and he’s a meat lover. I was at the Produce Party and Tuck was at the Meat-Meet, and both for some odd reason were situated in the same building. We got into a fight and I tackled him to the ground. Beat his ass till he was screaming mercy.” Sam smiled as she recalled the memory.

“Hey! You left out the part where I slapped that steak on your face!” Tuck clamored.

“Then you left out the part where I tickled out with a lettuce leaf.” Sam snorted as she wiggled her fingers in a tickling motion.

“Sam!” Tuck grumbled as both Danny and Sam laughed. Tuck didn’t seem like he was having much fun being ridiculed by the goth.

“But that still doesn’t explain how you two got close.” Danny said. Although their stories seemed humorous and interesting to hear, Danny wanted to know why the two who came to be friends. Unfortunately, the gym teacher decided to walk into the gymnasium at that moment.

She had short orange hair, although it was oddly mullet-styled. She wore a white polo and knee length red shorts. Her physique was very built as well, people could easily understand that she worked out quite often. Mrs. Tetslaff, right? She blew her whistle to gain everyone’s attention.

“Listen up kids! I��m going to take attendance, so say ‘here’ when I say your name.” her harsh voice boomed through open space. She began listing kids as Danny sat with his chin in his palm, bored out of his mind. When she called his name, he said ‘here’ just like she had asked. A cold sensation rumbled within his chest, something he’d never felt before. It was felt as if a storm was brewing inside of him. Suddenly a gasp of blue smoke released itself from his mouth. He immediately placed both palms over his lips. Nobody seemed to notice his disfunction.

What the fuck is happening?!

Another breath of blue air escaped his mouth through his fingers. He was panicking. He had no clue what was happening. Someone was bound to notice at some point. Another puff of smoke set free from his lips. His hand shot into the air, catching the attention of the teacher. Mrs. Tetslaff sighed, accepting the students question.

“May I go to the restroom?” Danny urgently asked. He needed to get away before anyone noticed.

“You should’ve gone before class. But go quick, I don’t want to hear this next time.” Mrs. Tetslaff bellowed. Danny nodded and dashed down the bleachers and back into the locker room. The blue breath had started come in quick succession, almost every second. He stared at a mirror, hands gripping the porcelain sink for stability. His knuckles were turning white with his taut grip. He was shivering. Shivering. He never got cold. Other than the time he had discovered his ice core. He could barely stand with the sudden freezing sensation. He felt like jumping into a pit of lava to feel warmth.

With his supernatural hearing, he heard a soft noise behind him. Looking through the mirror, he noticed a large figure standing right behind him. Before he knew it, he was tackled to the floor.

Goddamnit.

The mirror shattered, echoing through the open room.

#sorry for late update #didn't feel in the mood to write #im so slow #gosh my writing is getting worse #love it when ur last phicc post gets zero notes #totally not being a whiny bitch about it #im just an attention hoe #btw this story is now a 53 paged doc and its clogging up my laptop space #please read if ya can #will probably be updating weekly from now on #locker reference anyone?

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plumbobpost · 7 years ago

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Fanfic Friday: Spotlight on Skell’s Fortune & Romance

Sul sul!

Today Week of Woohoo continues with a very special twist. I have had the opportunity to ask Skell a few questions as part of a new series of posts about storytelling in The Sims community.

Skell’s Fortune & Romance serves as a prequel to the Pleasantview and Strangetown storylines in The Sims 2 from the perspectives of the Caliente sisters, hence the title which references their aspirations. Her story takes place in the time period between the first and second games and fills in the gaps between the contradicting timelines of The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3. Although the story is largely from Dina’s perspective, it features most of the iconic The Sims 2 characters ranging from Olive Specter to the Tricous to Bella and Mortimer Goth, establishing its own vivid mythology in the process.

In addition to writing, Skell has also created beautiful Maxis-Match content for The Sims 2 and is a frequent contributor to the Totally Maxis Tumblr and the fansite Garden of Shadows.

Without further ado, I’ll let Skell speak for herself.

You’ve said in the past that Fortune & Romance started out as your attempt to make sense of Maxis canon for the premade characters of Neighborhood 1, Pleasantview, and Sunset Valley. How did this evolve from your personal headcanons into a full-fledged story?

“I had played TS2 off and on for years before I was part of the fandom, mostly just goofing around but I had a lot of fun taking pictures and experimenting with posing. One day I discovered Strangetomato’s “Strangetown Here We Come” on TVtropes and was amazed at the way she fleshed out the premade stories from the game. Through her comment section, I discovered the whole fandom and started paying better attention to the premades. Eventually I came up with a backstory for Dina that I really wanted to write and share.”

Why did you choose Nina and Dina Caliente to be your protagonists? Did you ever consider different lead characters?

“It was always gonna be Dina because I was intrigued her backstory with the mysteriously inconsistent Michael Bachelor and the fact that she’s part alien. I wasn’t as interested in Nina until I noticed that she was shy (like me in RL) and also autonomously beating people up all the time. That’s when I realized she was gonna be a co-star and balance to Dina’s antics.”

Instead of ignoring Maxis’ characterization of Dina as a gold digger, you embraced it and made it a focal point of her character. Similarly, you fully acknowledge Nina’s romance aspiration while not making her a heartbreaker. How did you find a balance between their implied “villainy” in The Sims 2 and making them more sympathetic characters?

“I enjoy classic movies where Marilyn Monroe or Thoroughly Modern Millie is like “teehee I’m gonna marry a millionaire,” and it’s quirky rather than villainous. In those stories, she usually falls for a poor guy and chooses love over money (and often he turns out to be secretly rich.) Since Michael didn’t give her a “married a rich sim” memory, I wanted to write Dina the gold-digger as a modern version of that kind of story.”

“Maxis kind of setup Romance sims for “villainy” by not allowing for casual or open relationships, but of course that can be fixed with mods. With Nina, it’s interesting that she doesn’t really fit the “outgoing party girl” type. I think of her as a quiet person with a very intense energy. She needs lots of exercise and woohoo so that she doesn’t explode.”

There are a lot of unconventional relationships in your story. Nina and Servo. Olive and Ichabod. The Tricous. Even Dina and Michael. That being said, there is very definitely a theme of “love conquers all.” What motivated your approach to these relationships? How does that relate back to your attempts at reconciling Maxis canon throughout different games?

“I have a thing for mixed supernatural relationships. Dina and Mike bonding over their hidden supernatural heritages was always key once I figured Michael had a magic side. I knew I wanted to have Nina be intimate with a servo because that’s HAWT, but I didn’t foresee how intimate things would get until I figured out Servo’s character. The Tricous’ happy polyamory was my explanation for all the weirdness going on with their relationships and family tree. And I wanted Olive, Ichabod, and DJ make up this very loving and weirdly “normal” Unholy Family.”

Speaking of reconciling Maxis canon, you created your own version of Michael Bachelor in order to match his appearance in The Sims better and to create a resemblance between him and his famous sister, Bella Goth. Why do you think Michael was depicted so differently throughout the first three games? What did you draw inspiration from in creating “The Ultimate Michael Bachelor?”

“I think it mostly comes down to them wanting to use a familiar name for Bella’s brother/Dina’s husband in TS2, and carrying that forward. In TS3, I saw a boy who had his life all planned out for him by his father. In my headcanon, he screwed that all up and became the graduate of TS1 who had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. His relationship to Bella is the reason why he’s still single by the time he reconnects with Dina, who helps him find direction.”

There is an abundance of strong female characters in F&R, some of which were not originally portrayed that way. Why did you feel that it was important to write them as such?

“Well, because I’m a proud “SJW,” of course! But seriously, it’s less about being strong and more about seeing them as people?”

^Best answer that I could have asked for.

A large portion of Fortune & Romance is dedicated to the mythology of The Sims universe(s) and to supernatural sims. How did you go about the process of world building? Did you draw inspiration from different games in the series and/or from outside sources?

“My biggest worldbuilding is the explanation of where the supernaturals came from. The fairies are sort of fallen angel types who each have an animal form, and their magic rubbed off on human sims to create the supernatural life states.”

“I try to base the worldbuilding off things in game or aspects of game play. The fairy backstory was heavily inspired by fairy tales, in the way they morally test humans for punishment or guidance.”

Aside from premade supernatural sims such as the Smiths, Calientes, and Summerdreams, how did you go about deciding which premade sims were supernatural and which weren’t? How did you decide what life state they were?

“Bella has that awesome bio about being descended from “occultists, decadents, and mystics,” but then in TS3 the Bachelor family is uber-normal, so it eventually became that Jocasta is a squirellier version of Samantha from Betwitched.”

How has Fortune & Romance evolved since you started? Are there things you would do differently if you were to restart it?

“I was such a younger, different person when I started it, and yes there are many things I would do differently. (Michael’s skintone, for example. I tried to split difference between games with a custom skintone in between S2 and S3, but everyone assumes he was whitewashed to S2.)”

“When recreating families for TS4 I came up with a backstory for Dulcinea and Nestor’s relationship as well as a backstory for Don that explains how he got to be the way he is. I still can incorporate these things, but it would have been nice to bring them in earlier.”

With your story having reached a climax, many readers are wondering whether or not F&R will come to an end sooner rather than later. Not to spoil anything, but will the story continue after the party and if so, do you intend for it to last until the events of The Sims 2?

“I never intended for it to last until the events of TS2 because then it would be really depressing. There is more stuff planned for after the party though!”

Aside from writing Fortune & Romance, you have also created a variety of Maxis-match custom content. Why do you prefer working in this aesthetic? How do you feel it complements your writing?

“The game is cartoony, and I like to use that style to tell the story. I prefer to keep things heightened and silly rather than realistic, which very much fits into The Sims aesthetic.”

Speaking of Maxis-match, you have been working on a project for The Sims 2 that involves adapting Maxis-based custom content to blend in better with the game files. Would you mind elaborating a bit on The Maxis Match Repository Project?

“The TS2 repository project is made up of conversions/separates/or otherwise adapted Maxis which pull their textures from the ones that are already in your game, rather than creating new ones. This makes the files much much tinier. I also wanted to create a catalog where you can easily find it all in one place rather than hunt all over the internet. Check it out and don’t miss out on the gems in the back of your catalog!”

You’ve played every main game in The Sims franchise, and you’ve even made some very popular 2t4 recreations of the Calientes and Michael Bachelor. Do you have a favorite game for playing? Creating sims? Making Content? Building?

“I enjoy a lot of things about TS4. The game looks great and CAS and Build Mode are the best of any game. My favorite aspect is making sims, especially that you can share sims with traits/careers/skills so they have their own little story packaged with them. However, it is much more difficult for storytelling since there’s not even a way to pick up sims and move them around.”

“TS2 is still the best as far as premade sims go, and it’s the only one I make content for. I’m a bit of a control freak with my sims, and TS2 has been mastered by fans at this point where you can have ultimate control.”

Why do you continue to play The Sims? Do you feel that the games provide a creative outlet?

“I always loved playing with Barbies as a kid and The Sims really is the ultimate dollhouse. The first time I ever heard about TS1 I knew I HAD to have it. My aunt bought it for me while I was on vacation, but I couldn’t play it until we got home! During the car ride back home and I read that manual from cover to cover multiple times, so many ideas buzzing in my head.”

Any parting comments, teasers, spoilers, public service announcements, etc.?

“I’ve been on hiatus a long while and am just now getting back into the swing of things. I’m currently working on finishing up the chapter I started posting on Tumblr but never finished. It was FreddyAirmail who got me back in the TS2 spirit by asking me to help out with the Crystal Springs neighborhood project. It’s a community hood with houses based on each of the Stuff Packs, and I made the families for Teen Style and Family Fun!”

Thanks again to Skell for answering my questions. To those of you out there who aren’t familiar with her work, go check out her Tumblr and make sure to catch up on Fortune & Romance.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to visit my ask box. If you are interested, give Plumbob Post a follow, and reblog for anyone else who you think would enjoy this blog. Stay tuned for upcoming posts!

Dag dag!

*Photo Credits go to Skell*

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fwishbone · 7 years ago

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i wanna hear your entire 1am discussion on Lup because I agree w you that griffin established a female character unlike any other with MINIMAL content

AH HELL YEAH THANKS FOR THE INQUIRY,

Firstly, speaking from personal experience, Lup means a lotto me. I was so worried about her introduction when the show was already so faralong, and her being Taako’s long lost twin… How were the Mcelroys supposed topull that off?

But they did it. Justin and Griffin, specifically, did it. Iremember Griffin revealing the existence of Taako’s twin and freaking out. Iremember playing the episode in the car to my friend and both of us freakingout. And then, to have all of that anticipation of “will she be good? CanGriffin do it? Will it work?” pay off as Lup ends up becoming one of the bestcharacters on the show, objectively speaking, is fucking phenomenal. I’m stillnot over it.

Like I so eloquently concluded in my original post,“Lup……..suave.” Because she IS. She has charisma that doesn’t dip into beingtoo sultry. She’s practically synonymous with “elegance,” but not in thetraditional sense… she takes that word and makes it her own. “Phantasmal andresplendent.” You fucking believe it.

Griffin managed to create a trans woman character that 1) ischarming enough to completely enrapture his audience within a few episodes ofher being properly introduced, 2) is a dynamic character that fails to fallinto common tropes, and 3) is unmistakably Taako’s twin, while still settingher apart from her brother.

I keep bringing up “suave,” so let me elaborate. Lup’spopularity amongst the fandom is (obviously) tied to her compellingpersonality. She wins over both the characters and the audience.

In Episode 61 there’s this scene, The Scene, where it’s Davenport,Magnus, and Taako vs. Lup. Destroy an entire civilization to prevent the Hungerfrom consuming its powerful technology, or don’t, because we cannot letourselves decide their fate. Lup believed in the latter. This was abig moment for her character; I think this is when people started to see Lup asmore than just a goofball that got into antics with her brother.

TRB didn’t have a character like Lup to counter theirreasonings. Merle is pretty morally gray and a little unpredictable, Magnus is naïveand his blind loyalty to his friends can often obscure the bigger picture, andTaako puts himself (and his loved ones) first, always. We see Lup go against CaptainDavenport, her superior, and Taako, her brother. We hadn’t seen this from herbefore. This exchange cemented Lup as her own distinct character, who has theconfidence in herself to speak her mind, and the charm to win her audienceover. She served her role as a supporting character by challenging TRB’s decision, and also showed that yes, she has a beating heart, she is multidimensional, she is a fully realized creation! Fuck!

Lup is one of only two women in IPRE, and she’s the only womanon the show to fall in love with a man (as in they got together during theshow, and were not a preexisting couple). What’s great about this, though, isthat it’s Barry who falls for her first. It’s Barry who is The Lover, not Lup.It’s Barry who is so consumed for his love for her that he spends every wakingmoment after her disappearance to find her. It’s Barry who frequently bringsher up when TRB encounters him as a Red Robe throughout the podcast. Lup lovesBarry, but her love for him does not define her. Rather than a woman taking onthe mantle of The Lover, it’s a man.

Lup is instead under the title The Twins, which she shareswith her brother Taako. Despite having the same title, this doesn’t make them thesame person. Their personalities overlap in their sense of humor and love foreach other and their friends. However, Taako follows the mantra “Taako’s goodout here,” whereas Lup is more of a go-getter. She’s at the heart of the action;breaking free from the umbrastaff, donning her red robe, wreathed in flames,delivering a funny and endearing line… yeah, she knows how to steal thespotlight.

Taako and Lup are not interchangeable. Lup is fiery and alittle brash at times, but she has more compassion than her brother (look tothe robot plane incident). However, they both have great chemistry as siblings,and their relationship is believable. Lup’s line when she’s freed from theumbrastaff - “You’re dating the Grim Reaper?!” - is so fucking funny and such agreat nod to the bond they share as siblings (and one of the show’s core themesis the importance of bonds). They’re twins, no less, that raised themselves;they had only each other to trust, and no one else. Griffin and Justin conveythat so fucking well through every one of Lup and Taako’s interactions, whichis why as a team they’re so loved by fans.

Lup has a love interest, but her character doesn’t revolvearound Barry. Lup is Taako’s sister, but she isn’t just a twin. However, youcan’t remove these aspects from her and still have the same character.Everything Griffin has put into her serves to make her a more compelling person,and that’s what’s important. And she’s only an NPC, which I think only further provesThe Adventure Zone’s mastery over creating good characters. Lup is an exampleof what makes a great supporting character great, and how to make a character with somany strong ties to others stand on their own. She’s one of my favoritecharacters of all time for a reason.

#lup #lup taaco #taz #the adventure zone #balance arc #chatter #long post #Anonymous

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cosmos-demiplane · 7 years ago

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Microsoft E3 2018 Press Conference Thoughts

Another year, another E3, time to post on my seldom used blog! No promises for when this is going to be more active... but we will have to see what the future holds!

So I’ll start by saying I’m not an Xbox guy, I play mainly PlayStation and PC with a bit of Switch thrown in there for good measure. I won’t be making a big post like this for the other conferences except Sony’s and maybe Nintendo’s. I’ll be looking at all the things mentioned out of chronology, but in an order that bundles the similar stuff together.

This time around Microsoft gave us one hell of a show. Forgetting the exclusives for now, as a PlayStation player I was very happy with the showcase. They showed off 15 world premieres of games, some noticeable ones that I’m personally excited for were: The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (Set in the Life is Strange universe), The Division 2 (they probably feel privileged they got to announce this), Devil May Cry 5 (surprising to see this and other eastern developed games here as I would normally expect this to be revealed at Sony’s show), Jump Force (Blew my freaking mind, a weeaboo gamers wet dream), Dying Light 2 (Again, Xbox got to unveil this, I know PS is scaling back this year but hot damn, incredible), Just Cause 4, and they rounded out the show with a major title that I am very much looking forward to (more on that one at the end!). In brief, WHAT A SHOW. I want all these games *sigh*.

Notable mentions - NieR: Automata is coming to Xbox, Fallout 76 was briefly talked about before Bethesda’s show, Kingdom Hearts 3 will be coming to Xbox (!), Tales of Vespira, Shadow of the tomb raider, Tunic (furry Zelda, looks cute and the world has a nice design, but the design of the player character is meh imo), and I guess I have to put Gears 5 in here somewhere or someone will bite my arm off.

THE GAME PASS, the value of this thing keeps getting better, The Division, Elder Scrolls Online, and Fallout 4 are being added as well as some new tach (machine learning algorithms) that allows your games to start twice as fast. I don’t think the internet infrastructure is in place yet for the future of purely streamed games, but tools like this will probably help it become a stable, staple service sooner rather than later.

Next I want to talk about exclusives, but before I do I’ll put this game (DLC) here as I’m very much looking forward to it, Sea of Thieves Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores. These next two updates to Rare’s open world PvP pirate game, which I love, should hopefully inject it with some more much needed content (and hopefully not a time limited campaign!).

Xbox’s weakest point has always been its exclusives. After the cancellation of Scalebound and the further delay of Crackdown 3, they had to show us something during this conference to give us confidence in the future of the platform. After all, strong exclusives lead to strong sales, growth, competition etc. And of course, great games all around.

And oh boy did they deliver! FIVE studios have been brought into the fold to increase their roster of First Party exclusives (The quality of these studios can be discussed later, for now let’s just focus on the positives). The first, one formed for the occasion: The Initiative, led by the guy who worked on Tomb Raider. The other four were snatched up as part of a major investment: Undead Labs (State of Decay), Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Ninja Theory (Formally a PS third party dev, they made 2007s Heavenly Sword and 2017s Hellblade), and finally Compulsion Games (Currently working on We Happy Few). Ninja Theory is the big one that will help them the most against the competition, and for the others, the extra money they will receive from being first party will no doubt be a boon to the scope and quality of their games (looking at you State of Decay!).

The exclusive games they did show off were a mix of the highly anticipated and totally unexpected. Battle Toads, a game wanted by the passionate community was show to exist, with a release date of 2019. Session, a new and exclusive skateboarding game was shown. Forza Horizon 4 was shown off, open world, changing seasons, it looks very different to what they have done with the franchise previously. Crackdown 3 was shown to alleviate fears of any more delays (although, anything is possible).

Lastly, before I give my general thoughts, I wanted to give the show opener and closer their own section. They opened the show by unveiling Halo Infinite, the trailer gave vibes of it being a more open world full of wildlife (rhinos anyone??) and a story centred on Master Chief. Other than that and the name, no other info was given, but you can bet it will be taking the series in a new direction. The show was closed, remarkably, by CD Projekt Red’s, Cyberpunk 2077! They have been silent about this game for a while (approx. 2077 days in fact!) because they pride themselves on quality and only showing their stuff when it’s ready. There was no release date given as the game is still in the oven, but I highly recommend you watch the trailer as this is surely going to be one of the best games of the decade.

Of course there are a few things I left out of smaller importance (PUBG was there for some reason?), but, onto my thoughts. I’ll keep this bit brief because I think you can already gather what my opinion is going to be - Holy shit this was the best Xbox conference in the history of Xbox conferences, maybe ever. Awesome exclusives, brand new/acquired studios, game pass improvements, many BIG world premieres, amazing games for everyone; this conference honestly felt like a show for every gamer as much as it did a show for just Xbox fans. I am excited and looking forward to the future of Xbox and the new first party games they will create. This conference seriously impressed me, and E3 has only just begun!

I don’t like thinking of E3 as a competition, but I don’t see how the others can trump this. Bethesda will be the best conference for Bethesda fans, Sony has downscaled, and Nintendo showed all its cards when it won E3 last year. This year has started on a high and I can’t see it getting any higher, which is a great feeling! If the other conferences are anything like this one, this is going to be an incredible E3!

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fanfiction-wordsmith · 7 years ago

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So, I wrote this in response to a new to Nonnie on my fanfiction blog and thought the information might be helpful for others, so wanted to post it here!

A sort of introductory guide to things that will help a new reader enjoy their journey through the vast world of fanfic without bumps and messes! Fairly long with my thoughts intertwined! Enjoy!

Pairing | Ship | Shipping | OTP

pairing–refers to the primary relationship in the story (some stories have more than one)

ship–the root of this term is ‘relationshp’, and implies a romantic relationship not platonic

otp–'one true pair’ (alternately, some fans have a NoTP), and it is a heartfelt love for a particular pairing in a fandom

ship/otp/pairing is UNIVERSALLY accepted to refer to a romantic/sexual relationship. It is RARELY used to depict characters as ‘just friends’, and to be honest, in most fandoms I have written for it’s frowned upon because it creates confusion in labeling. It’s best to presume any fic that has a 'ship’ name, 'otp’, or 'pairing’ listed that these things denote a romantic/sexual relationship between the two characters.

These terms are generally listed as character a/character b, and there’s a whole lot of crazy nonsense about who is dominate and who is the top and who is the bottom and all of this stuff that has actually caused fanwars and such which is completely ridiculous and I’m not even going to get into here.

Examples:

pairing: Yamada Ryosuke/Chinen Yuri

ship: Yamada Ryosuke/ Chinen Yuri

otp: Yamada Ryosuke/Chinen Yuri

or simply Yamada Ryosuke/Chinen Yuri <–this is a relationship tag, not a character tag. A character tag will not have the / in between them. The / denotes they are in a relationship, whereas if they were not they would be listed as Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuri

Personally, I don’t put that much thought into which character is listed first, so A/B denotes absolutely NOTHING about the characters in my story or their sexual preferences.

It is VERY COMMON among all fandoms to denote this as SHIP NAMES instead of A/B. So if character A is Sally and character B is Robert, the fandom will refer to them commonly as 'Salbert’ or 'Robly’ or any combination of the name.

In this case there will be no note such as pairing, ship, otp, relationship, etc.

On my post that spurned this entry, an anonymous reader had been taken by surprise when my two male characters were involved in a romantic/sexual relationship. In the tagging and intro to that story, the fact that I called it a 'Yamachii’ (the ship name of the two characters) story is in and of itself meant to tell the reader that it is about Yamada and Chinen in a romantic relationship. This is a very common practice.

If you are going to read a lot of different fandom fics you’ll want to be very sensitive to this as A LOT of fics involve m/m or f/f or m/p ships. If you see terms like those above from your fandom then you need to open the fic with the understanding there’s a 99% chance that the content of the story will be about a relationship that is romantic/sexual in nature.

I couldn’t be sure if my reader was bothered merely by the content being simply m/m being in a relationship or if it was more along the lines of the explicit sexual content that appeared later in the story.

This is where the commonly used rating system comes into play:

(there’s been a movement to use a fanfic created rating system due to copyright issues from the whatever arrogant association thinks they can own the combination of letters below--it isn’t nearly universal enough for me to outline it here, as I find most writers are still using these ‘cease and desist’ provoking letters to signify their rating.)

Ratings:

G–non-offensive, suitable for all audiences

PG–some content may be included that isn’t geared for those who are younger or sensitive (like language for example) but these fics will not include, or if it is included it will be very MILD: overt language, sexual content, or violence

PG-13–content includes mild language and sexual content, depictions of violence

R–content includes adult themes–language, situational, sexual, violence, etc. but does not contain explicit depictions or words

NC-17–strongest rating, story will contain graphic or explicit sexual descriptions, language, and/or violence, must be 18 or older to read the story

and the additional term:

NSFW–'not safe for work’–stories that contain any element that is explicit in sexual nature that would make them sketchy to read while in a public setting where someone could potentially see (originally work, but now is understood to be coffee shops, libraries, etc.) Often stories will have a rating, as well as be labeled NSFW depending on the content and language expressed in the story

Since my story was labeled both NC-17 and NSFW the reader would know that there is explicit content, and in all probability in relationship based fics, it’s okay to go into it assuming it is sexual in nature.

It may also be beneficial to know some stories label 'relationship types’, though keep in mind–not all authors will feel the need to denote these kinds of details depending on how accepted they are in the fandom. However, the most commonly used types are m/f (male/female), f/f (female/female), m/m (male/male), and mp/OT3 (multiple partners or 'one true’ 3–>or more!) If you see these denotations it is commonly accepted that you will understand that these are referencing a romantic/sexual relationship and not a platonic one. Some stories will be labeled ‘femslash’ or ‘femmeslash’ (f/f) or ‘slash’ (m/m) as an alternative.

Author’s Warnings:

Along the same vein, most authors will also use warnings:

BDSM (or any combination of those four letters because not all stories will contain all of the elements) = Bondage Domination Sadism Masochism: Any story with the presence of bondage, dominance/submission, humiliation, punishment, pain play. Ideally, any fic with these attributes will be clearly labeled only because it freaks out people who are not necessarily looking for this kind of setup.

bondage (part of BDSM but the most common aspect of that which is used most often on its own)= use of physical restraint to heighten sexual experience–not when one character is kidnapped and tied up or things like that–this is universally used to denote its use in a sexual context.

character death–I know that a lot of authors HATE to put this warning on their fic if there really is a death in it, but I find that any author worth their weight will soldier through this for the sake of their readers. There are a few kinds of stories that will be greatly impacted if the death is revealed–in that case most authors will put a lot of effort into ensuring that the reader understands where the story is going.

kink/squick–something within a story that the author has no issue with but is concerned that some readers may be completely freaked out by. This is often listed in context with sexual content, though it can be multiple types.<–subjective and your 'issue’ may not be listed by the author

triggers–this is where an author will point out any elements of their story that could potentially offend or bother their readers, or at worse actually trigger a flashback or panic attack in someone who has survived trauma. This is VERY subjective and even the most conscientious author can miss a label inadvertently because whatever the trigger is they never imagined it as one. Common trigger warnings include suicide, slavery, rape, torture, self-harm, abuse, death, incest etc.

note about triggers: because of the subjective nature of triggers it’s important that a reader not put all of the responsibility onto the author to protect them from content that will be problematic for them! If a reader realizes that the story is moving in a direction that will become a trigger for them, they are responsible for hitting the back button even if it’s not labeled with a trigger. Trigger warnings are a KINDNESS from authors, because they often compromise the delivery of certain elements of their story when they reveal them–which I’m not gonna lie, I sometimes struggle with. I always put them, but I understand why some authors do not. Let’s look at it this way, main-stream published works do NOT put 'warnings’ on their content for this reason AND the fact that they take ZERO responsibility for handling reader’s choice to read the book.

consent warnings–this includes

consensual (not actually denoted as a warning–simply here for reference) all parties are capable of making conscious decisions and are in agreement to the sexual contact

’dub-con’ (dubious consent–a kind of situation where the consent is questionable, can be true in the story for many different reasons including plot device (think of two people who must engage in activity against their will but agree because it will be mutually beneficial), because their judgement is impaired by drugs or alcohol, or even because they are not mentally capable of making a consensual decision.

Despite this having a kind of overlap with rape for the sake of clarity–it is almost always labeled as two different warnings.

non-con/rape–no consent, sexual content exists in the story that is unwanted and/or forced, does not always end in rape which is why the rape tag exists as an additional warning

I thought if you’re new to reading fanfic I would also put together a list for you of some common words, tags, and labels you will see!

Types

(basic insight into a story’s tone, a single story can be more than one type, please know this is not an exhaustive list!)

angst–basically a way to say the author is going to use the characters in the story to rip your heart out, stomp all over it, and attempt to destroy your spirit with fiction. Like the author wants to torture you with their words by destroying all the good and happy things in the universe. (sometimes angst stories will offer a bit of comfort before the end of the story, but if the amount of 'fixing’ is extreme this would be better labeled as hurt/comfort instead)

a/u–alternate universe: any plot, setting, or personality in the story that goes against the known canon for an established work.

Example: Harry Potter being a normal guy who runs a business selling magic supplies.

It is generally understood that this is pretty much ANY 'real person’ fic all the time, so most authors of that kind of fic do not mark it a/u unless it is something like the Idol/singer/actor/figure is no longer an Idol but a businessman or bartender, or works at a cafe, or something like that.

crack–a story that is so completely outrageous, unbelievable, and utterly insane that you couldn’t take it seriously if you wanted to. Generally, these are written to be fun, with no other motive, and should not be taken seriously–though, admittedly, I’ve read some crack fic that I find I could actually label a/u–so I don’t tend to speak in absolutes.

The authors of these fics are shameless (believe me I’ve written a few!) and meant to be addictive to their audience. (the 'crackfic’ idea is that the only way the author could have produced such a monstrosity is to be high on crack)

crossover–when a story has content of any sort from more than a single fandom. This would be like a story about Percy Jackson attending Hogwart’s.

dark–the fic contains elements that are morally sketchy or evil, often these kinds of stories have disturbing content (and shouldn’t be confused with 'angst’)

rpf/rps–real person fiction/slash, stories that feature a real life person, celebrity, historical figure, etc. This kind of fic is controversial, though I can admit I’m cloudy on why.

Right now on Broadway we have the smash hit 'Hamilton’ which is technically a (*gasp*) 'rpf’ and no one who is a fan of HISTORY is losing their crap over it. Just saying. I’m pretty put out by the way 'rpf’ is treated across multiple fandoms to be honest, and I think people should just click away if they don’t want to read it instead of being all butthurt over it.

fluff/fluffy–a story that does not contain angst, often comforting and uplifting to read. Really, generally, they are full of happy, joy-filled, blissfully sweet scenes that are meant to be read with a smile. (can be combined with other attributes to better define it: fluffyromance, fluffysmut, fluffydomestic, etc)

genderbend/swap–a character is changed from canon sex to another. Can be portrayed multiple ways, whether meant to be shocking if done through magic or something like that but often it is just where the author has taken the character’s gender that is canon and written it so that they have always been another gender.

hurt/comfort–so this one isn’t always labeled, but it is meant to denote a story that may contain angst and suffering, but that it will ALSO contain equal amounts of support, love, and comfort.

self-insert/reader-insert–relatively new to the fanfiction scene, and more popular in certain fandoms over others, these fics are written to allow the reader to imagine themselves in the story.

A lot of authors will refuse to add any details at all to the insert character, though I’ll admit, I often add details because it feels too flat without them–and to be honest, I am probably not doing it the commonly accepted way lol

smut/porn/lemon/lime–story contains graphic depiction of sexual contact

And finally, a few terms that will help you navigate the fanfiction world:

headcanon–an author’s personally applied thoughts and characterizations to the established canon. Often this is meant to denote that while the idea isn’t known within the canon–there is little to no reason why it couldn’t be true. There’s no such thing as a wrong headcanon–as they are specific to each fan within a fandom–so if someone is blasting about it being wrong you can tell them to simmer down, because it’s JUST a PERSONAL interpretation.

OC–original character created by the author that plays a primary role in the story

OOC–out of character, personality of a canon established character falls outside of the accepted norm. This has different levels of acceptance to be honest, and it varied widely from fandom to fandom.

one-shot–a single story that reads as a stand alone. Generally, but not always, they are not continued as a chaptered fic is, though they can be created within a collection that features the same world established in the first one-shot. These are not related to other stories by the author–if they are then they are generally considered 'outtakes’ instead.

canon–in agreement with original source, understood dynamics and facts of the content according to the original book, movie, show, manga, anime, etc.

prompt–a story idea that is given to help an author write a story

drabble–okay, so this is really open to debate right? Because even fanfic authors can’t figure out what the crap a drabble is most of the time. It was ORIGINALLY a story that is exactly 100 words in length.

Most author’s basically say 'screw that’ (I do, sorry, not sorry) and use the word to describe any small headcanon, musing, or tiny fic that isn’t big enough to be labeled a 'one-shot’.

There is another word that is sometimes used for works that go over 500 words which is ’ficlet’ but I honestly don’t see this used often, despite being acceptable.

I find, personally, the difference in a 'one-shot’ and a 'drabble’ to be whether there is exposition and resolution to the content.

Whew, that was a lot of info and you read this far, then thank you! I’m sure I have overlooked some terms and ideas here, as no single list can be completely exhaustive of something as broad at fanfiction, so if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know!

#fanfiction #writing #fanfiction guide #reading fanfiction #writer #author #helpful writing #writing help #resources #resources for writers #some goodies I love #fanfiction writing

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pluckyredhead · 8 years ago

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Daredevil 101: Fall from Grace

And we’re back! It’s time for the death of Matt Murdock (again). Also, a lot of 90s-style grimacing. Most importantly, ELEKTRA RETURNS!

Content Warning: Some extremely racist (specifically, anti-black) imagery behind the cut.

When we last left our hero, he had returned to New York, regained his memory, and patched things up with Foggy. And aw, they’re being so cute:

YOU GUYS FOGGY MADE A MODEL OF THE OFFICE SO THAT MATT COULD FEEL WHERE EVERYTHING WOULD GO. AND JUST LOOK AT THEM CUDDLING OVER THAT SIGN. I’M CAN’T.

Now up there I mentioned 90s-style grimacing, and I just...I feel like if you’re not familiar with the aesthetic of comics in the 90s nothing can really prepare you, but basically, picture a lot of veins and teeth, flowing hair, everyone wearing armor and wielding two swords and six guns, POUCHES, and very questionable anatomy. This cover is a pretty good example:

No, I cannot explain anything that’s happening here. Just accept that the next few posts are gonna look like this until we round the horn into the late 90s. We’ll get through this. It’ll be okay.

(That art, by the way, is by Scott McDaniel, who is responsible for most of this post. The writer is still D. G. Chichester.)

Despite that cover there’s not a lot of Frank in here, but I do have something behind the cut for the Fratt fans:

That’s real gay, Frank.

In between fellatio metaphors with Frank, reestablishing Nelson and Murdock, and trying to patch things up with Karen, Matt also tries to protect a Haitian immigrant from a convoluted protection racket and winds up tangling with a “voodoo priestess” villainess named Calypso. Here’s where that content warning comes in:

Like honestly what the actual fuck. I don’t even have words for this bullshit.

Anyway, that’s obviously Calypso on the bottom. At the top is Hellspawn, a doppelganger of Matt created during Infinity War? I literally just had to look this up because large parts of Chichester’s run are incomprehensible and I honestly had no idea where he came from - I thought Calypso created him, but apparently not. Anyway, it’s during this plotline that Hellspawn encounters and becomes obsessed with Matt.

I’m skipping a lot here but I want to get into the meatier plot as opposed to the more episodic storylines, so we’re going to scoot ahead to “Fall from Grace,” which is what I used for the name of this post because it’s the most major event here. Again, this story falls under the category of “unnecessarily complicated Chichester nonsense riddled with cameos, crossovers, and incomprehensible McDaniel-scribbled fight scenes” and I’m not going to get into the details of it because...like. It’s such nonsense. Even the simplified version I’m about to share with you is going to make no sense. (I don’t hate Chichester, who I think writes a really interesting Karen, but his character stuff is much better than his confusing plots.)

SO. The plot revolves around a defunct, shady government program wherein they created a chemical called About Face that altered people’s appearances, put it in glass balls, and sent telepaths out to secretly drop the balls in heavily populated areas, where they would break and...change people’s faces??? It makes NO SENSE. One of the balls never broke, and the guy who broke it - a telepath named Eddie - ran away, horribly traumatized by his experience with the government, and has hidden as a street person for the past few decades.

Now it’s become clear to multiple interested parties that there’s one remaining ball of About Face somewhere in the subway system, and they’re all after Eddie to find out where it is. Matt discovers this and steps in to protect him:

What’s Eddie running from? Oh, just Hellspawn, and also maybe how veiny Matt’s chest is:

I’m concerned about your neck, Matthew.

While all this is going on, the Bugle is temporarily shut down because of *handwave* plot stuff, idk, but Ben freaks out because all of his in-progress articles are on the Bugle computers, which he now can’t access. He asks a Bugle intern named Sara to help him out:

omg those references

Unfortunately for Ben - and Matt - when Ben’s not looking, Sara stumbles across an unpublished article that Ben has idiotically saved to the Bugle server: the one he wrote about Matt being Daredevil, before he decided not to publish it. Oops!

Meanwhile, as we saw above, Matt’s classic suit has taken quite a beating, so he decides that he needs a tougher look:

Parts of it or armored, or the whole thing is, or something? Armor was very on-trend in the 90s. Anyway this is not a good sign, any time Matt is in black and it’s not Charlie Cox in skintight army surplus you know the story is going downhill.

Matt is so busy with Eddie and the virus and his new threads that he’s neglecting his day job, and Foggy has gotten tired of the same old patterns:

I find this page fascinating, because this arc is the only time it’s implied that Foggy knows Matt is Daredevil before, uh, Foggy officially finds out Matt is Daredevil. (And it’s made clear when that happens that he had no suspicion beforehand, so this aspect is dropped.) But also, Matt is being SUCH a dick here! “I’m responsible for more important things that you don’t know about”? If Foggy didn’t do your paperwork you wouldn’t be able to pay for that fancy armor, bucko. And you can’t lie to Foggy and then blame him for not knowing the truth.

Anyway I just love Foggy’s “Don’t forget your CANE” and Matt storming out and knocking a wastebasket over with his cane all “HOW DARE YOU I AM SUPER BLIND,” even if it never went anywhere. (Though Foggy does go talk to Karen after this and ask her to talk to Matt about...the other aspects of his life that he and Matt don’t talk about. So Karen gets involved in this dancing around the subject too.)

Meanwhile...*sigh* So. Okay. Remember how I said there were a bunch of people after the About Face virus? Well, they include government agents, bounty hunters, Hellspawn, A VAMPIRE, and the Hand. (The Chaste is bopping around here too, trying to stop the Hand.) The Hand sends an elite sect called the Snakeroot after About Face, plus these two:

This is sleazebag former SHIELD agent John Garrett, and Elektra’s “dark essence” Erynys. Garrett kind of explains their deal up there, but the short version is: after killing Elektra off in Daredevil, Miller still wanted to write her, so he did a miniseries called Elektra: Assassin. I’m not a fan of it, despite stunning art from Bill Sienkiewicz. We’ll see this next time, when I cover the Man Without Fear miniseries, but basically the more Miller wrote Elektra, the more he wrote her as sort of this fascinating, dangerous fetish object instead of as a person. Even though she’s ostensibly the star, Assassin is narrated by Garrett and is told through the lens of his fixation on her. It’s pretty gross.

Anyway, Elektra’s trying to stop a demon called the Beast from installing one of its pawns as president of the US (insert political commentary here), so she uses the psychic powers she occasionally has to get Garrett to help her. The story ends with her victorious and Garrett mostly cyborg parts, but now, during the Fall from Grace arc, the Hand is able to use the traces of Elektra left in Garrett’s mind from her possession of him to create Erynys, a separate being who embodies all that is dark and evil in Elektra. She wants About Face, which will enable her to be a full human being and not just an offshoot of Elektra.

Understandably, she’s a pretty upsetting figure for Matt to run across, especially since he thinks the REAL Elektra is still dead. (She’s not, as the reader knows.)

And that’s not the only bad news for Matt, because Bugle intern Sara has taken the story that Matt is Daredevil and gone to the tabloids:

Matt’s teeth are so dismayed!

Obviously Matt’s friends all see this story too, and Karen for one is not about to let it stand:

I LOVE NINETIES KAREN!!! She is so tired of men and their ridiculousness, she has shit to do and papers to throw! And again, Foggy’s still carefully talking around the whole thing, which I still find fascinating - but in the clinch, he’ll always be here to save Matt from himself.

Matt, meanwhile, has another shock waiting for him:

It’s Elektra! Bald Elektra! How very Sinead O’Connor.

(If you’ve forgotten, the Hand attempted to resurrect Elektra after she was killed by Bullseye and Matt was able to purify her soul with the power of his love (hence her white costumer), but thought the resurrection itself failed. She’s basically been meditating on a mountain ever since.)

While Elektra fills Matt in on where she’s been, Ben and Foggy team up to save Matt’s secret:

Sara basically ignores Foggy and his restraining order and barges past him and Ben with a camera crew to find...an ordinary apartment, filled with the kind of accommodations a blind man might need, like foam bumpers on the sharp edges of furniture and a Braille subway map. Humiliated, she departs.

Meanwhile, Matt and Elektra are still catching up as they try to keep anyone else from getting to About Face before they do:

If you can look away from Elektra’s weird seamless naked plank-butt there, basically she’s upset because she was finally at peace meditating up on that mountain (and also when she was dead) and now she has to, like, be alive and deal with the forces of evil and confront her own evil nature and UGH. Matt is not threatening to punch her there but reminding her of how much she loves punching??? Sure.

Despite all this embracing, Matt goes straight to Karen and tells her that Elektra’s back, but he knows who he really wants to be with:

WHEEZE! WHEEZE AGAINST EACH OTHER’S CHINS!!! No, seriously, despite the crappy art and the tiresome love triangle and the hilarious childishness of that crayon heart drawing, this is close to the healthiest Matt and Karen have ever been and I’m happy for them. I love their late 90s dynamic.

With Karen thoroughly kissed, Matt suits up again and heads back into the fray. (It’s important to note here that Karen doesn’t know a) about Matt’s new costume or b) about Ben and Foggy’s successful dismantling of the “Matt is Daredevil” story.) They finally find the About Face virus, and Hellspawn tries to take it to make himself...a real boy, I guess? A real demon boy? Idk.

Hellspawn uses the About Face, but Erynys kills him before he can do anything with it - and then Elektra kills her before she can use the About Face, thus reabsorbing Erynys’s evil into herself. Or something. THIS COMIC IS A MESS.

The weirdest aspect, though, is that in death, Hellspawn’s About Faced corpse turns to...Matt Murdock. He is an absolute spitting image of a dead Matt, which gives Matt an idea. Remember, Matt doesn’t know that his secret identity is a secret again, and as long as it’s out there, the people he cares about are in danger. Plus, like, Matt Murdock’s life is really hard and stuff?

So he bundles up the Mattcorpse and dumps it off at a police station or something, and Matt Murdock is declared 100% Dead and Probably Not Daredevil. Giving this story something of a downer ending:

If I’m not mistaken, this is the third time Matt has faked his death, counting Mike Murdock and that time he crashed a plane with a Matt dummy in it. MATT. WHY IS THIS A THING FOR YOU.

Anyway, tune in next time for a detour into the Frank Miller/John Romita, Jr. miniseries Daredevil: Man Without Fear, followed by Black Armor Matt making more bad decisions!

#daredevil #daredevil 101

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tyrantisterror · 8 years ago

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How I’d Ruin It: Batman

(thanks to The Lego Batman Movie for making my brain keep coming back to this, and also for making such awesome goddamn toys for my retail therapy needs)

While I write my own stories nowadays, the old fanfic writer in me resurfaces every now and then in the form of idle thoughts about how I’d handle certain stories I love. Sometimes these musings lead me to one horrible conclusion: that no matter how much I may love the story in question, I’d be absolutely fuck awful at writing it. This is because the scope of things I’m interested in writing is significantly smaller than the scope of things I’m interested in reading/watching - my muse is a pickier eater than I am.

Still, no matter how awful and off message my bastardized mental versions of these stories may be, they keep popping up now and then, demanding to manifest as stories are wont to do. So today I’m going to exorcise one of them by summarizing it to you.

Today, my wonderful readers, I’m going to tell you how I’d utterly fuck up at writing Batman.

I’m a conditional Batman fan, because there’s a lot of Batman media out there and a lot of it is shit - and also there’s so much of it by volume that even reading/watching only the good Batman stuff would take more time than I can spare. So when I say I love Batman, know that I mean, like, mostly the 90′s animated series and scattered arcs like The Long Halloween that can stand alone, and The Dark Knight, and the Adam West show, and Holy Musical B@man, and some other random Batman stuff. I only know/like some Batman, but the amount of Batman I like is still, like, a lot of Batman. Jesus Christ there’s so much fucking Batman dudes.

But I have some problems with Batman, two of which are relevant to this post because they’re also kind of necessary to its appeal. The first is one that is almost justifiable, although it will undoubtedly sound preposterous to most people: why does Batman have to be so dark?

Don’t get me wrong - I’m a horror fan, so obviously I’m not completely averse to darkness in my fiction. A big part of Batman’s appeal to me comes from how it’s rooted in Gothic Horror tropes. It’s a comic about a dude who dresses up as a Dracula to fight monster men in a city that’s literally called Gotham, so darkness has to be part of the story.

But jeeeeeesus christ Batman is needlessly dark sometimes. Does a bat themed super hero really need to be fighting a guy who carves tally marks into his skin for every person he’s murdered? Is the Joker really more interesting when he’s killing everyone he sees than when he committed clown themed heists? Isn’t being a crocodile man enough intrigue for Killer Croc, or does he need to be a creepy cannibal too? Does every villain need to be a murderer?

While the Adam West Batman show is so campy that I can only tolerate it in small doses, it nonetheless makes me pine for a brighter take on the character/series. It’s kind of nice to have bright colors and jokes and a Batman who doesn’t whine about how sad he is, and villains who are more into making elaborate puzzles and traps instead of finding new ways to mutilate their victims. I’d love to see it blended with the complex psychology of the darker Batmans - but more on that after we get to problem number 2.

Which is, of course, Batman himself.

Batman can be an interesting character. In the best Batman stories, I certainly do love him. But, to be totally honest with you, even at his best, Batman is never the main draw to me in a Batman story. He’s like the bun of a hot dog - it’d be weird to have one without him, and a lot of the more interesting ingredients would sort of fall apart without him holding everything together, and you’d have a great big sticky mess on your hands, but... I mean, if I’m honest, he’s not the part of this I’m looking forward to experiencing. Batman isn’t the meat of the meal to me - no, that role goes instead to his villains.

Goddammit those villains are great! Joker, Two Face, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, the Riddler, even the obscure ones like Killer Croc and Clayface, and even the shitty ones like Calendar Man - I just fuckin’ love almost every single one of ‘em, and they’re the reason I keep thinking about how I’d love to just... just utterly ruin Batman.

But when I start thinking of the story I want to tell with those villains, inevitably I remember that, oh hey, I need to have something for Batman to do because, y’know, it’s called Batman for a reason, and my muse just wants nothing to do with that. And that’s why the wheels always fall off.

Well, that and I have a billion other stories to write, but still.

So here’s how I’d ruin Batman in a brief pitch: My Batman story would star the villains, almost none of whom are murderers, in a version of Gotham where Bruce Wayne died with his parents, and thus has no Batman.

You’d have a Gotham City much like the one in Year One (I hate to reference a Frank Miller comic but it’s easily the most well known framework for where I’m starting here), ruled by a mix of slightly exaggerated gangsters and corrupt businessmen - more outlandish in their evil than the real thing but not quite on supervillain level. The villains would all retain their origins for the most part, but without a Batman to draw their focus they sort of turn on each other. It sort of splits into two factions: the Freaks, who are victims/products of the corruption inherent to the city, and the Crimelords, who are the few members of the old/mundane criminal element that adapt to the superpower boom and transition from normal gangsters to supervillains.

The resulting conflict would be the story of a bunch of broken people trying to destroy the system that made them, and the horrible remnants of the old crime world desperately trying to return things to how they are - anarchists vs. tyrants.

Now that we’ve got the basic plot/conflict down, let’s go to what I always focus on first when writing a story: the characters. We’ll begin with our protagonists...

The Freaks

The Joker - obviously the leader of the bunch, the Joker is probably one of the characters I would bastardize/alter the most. Nowadays it’s set pretty firmly in stone that the Joker has to be, like, the most evil man in existence. He’s gotta kill people on a whim, physically abuse his girlfriend, cut off his own face and wear it like a mask, and just generally be a real fuckin’ creep. But does he have to be that evil?

Well yes, yes he does, it’s what makes him iconic and is basically his defining trait, and without it most of the stories told with the character wouldn’t be possible. The idea that he’s the villain who gives other villains nightmares is what makes him stand out. If you lessen the depths of his depravity, you’d ruin Batman.

but does he haaaaaaaaaave to?

Imagine if you will a young, down on his luck commedian named Jack Napier who, in an attempt to provide for his wife, accidentally gets involved with the mob. They make him dress up as a (fictional) crime boss called the Red Hood for a caper - he has to act the part to get the police off the scent of the real bosses. Little does he know that he’s a patsy, set up to not only mislead the police but to buy time for the crooks’ escape by getting into a firefight. He’s shot and falls into some chemicals, gets bleached, and wakes up with a new, much more unhinged state of mind. Like the normal Joker, he finds the magnitude of his tragedy to hilariously absurd. Also like the normal Joker, he decides to become an agent of entropy in hopes of dismantling the city that made him a monster.

Unlike the normal Joker, however, the focus of his wrath isn’t a paragon of morality and justice, but rather the corrupt and powerful rulers of Gotham. He becomes the arch enemy of mobsters, crooked cops, and politicians - people the normal version of the Joker also antagonizes, of course, but not to this level. Since his nemeses are different, this Joker never defines himself as a force of evil and corruption. Instead he humiliates - this Joker punches up and brings those in power down a peg.

The “joke” theme because important here, as the Joker ends up creating a lot of schemes designed to ridicule and embarrass his victims as much as destroy them. It’s not enough to just shoot the corrupt politician - he needs to kill their ego and their sense of power. This Joker would much rather scare the shit out of his victim with a convoluted and frankly stupid “death” trap than just shoot them - and he’d be perfectly content just splatting them in the face with a vaudevillian pie instead of actually killing them at the end.

He wouldn’t be an out and out hero - he doesn’t go out of his way to save people or anything - but he’d also be a far cry from the “killing dozens of people a day for the sake of proving he’s evil” Joker we get nowadays.

He also wouldn’t be aware of the fact that other people don’t necessarily get the joke - not in the malicious “BWAHAHA I’M EVIL AND I’M KILLING YOU WITH LAUGHING GAS IT’S FUNNY TO ME BECAUSE I’M EVIL” way, but in the “Look, I know you’re technically in peril here but you have to admit it’s objectively ridiculous that you’re being dangled above a tank full of piranhas, right? I mean, is it even true that they eat people, or is that a myth? This whole thing’s pretty surreal right?” sort of way.

Harley Quinn - Harley is my favorite Batman character when she’s written well, but sadly she’s normally written absolutely horribly so I’m kind of happy to just fuckin’ ruin this story for her sake. Part of her problem is that the core concept for her character is “psychiatrist is seduced by patient, subjected to psychological and physical abuse by him, and because of said abuse becomes a supervillain.” I mean, a lot of Batman villains also have the “horrible psychological problems make people evil” thing going on which is, y’know, horribly unfortunate, but I feel like Harley’s hit harder than most.

But since the Joker isn’t nearly as much of a bastard in this story, maybe Harley can get out with a nicer origin as well?

This version of Harley isn’t the Joker’s victim so much as a collaborator - maybe the Robin to his Batman? They’re kindred spirits in their love of whimsy and their distaste for how the city is run - Harley in particular has a focus on the corrupt nature of the mental health facility she works at (I mean, Arkham’s not particularly good at its purpose even in the normal Batman universe). Like Robin, Harley softens the Joker’s war on Gotham’s criminal underworld a bit - she drags him into a more compassionate viewpoint. Unlike Robin, she’s not a subordinate/ward - while Harley plays on the Joker’s clown motiff, she doesn’t follow his schemes without question, and always argues for a different way of doing things when the Joker’s plans get too mean-spirited. They’re actual partners in crime, as opposed to the victim/abuser dynamic they had in past fiction.

I realize this is the kind of alteration to canon - y’know, making the main villain sympathetic and a canonically abusive relationship into a healthy romanticized one - that makes people use the word “fanfic” as a pejorative, but, well, I did say this is how I’d ruin Batman.

Catwoman - while the Joker is obviously going to be the leader of the bunch, Catwoman would be the deuteragonist, both because she’s just as iconic and also because she’s probably the closest thing to Batman in this world, and it is still ultimately a world designed to work around a Batman-ish character. Born poor, Catwoman pickpockets her way into wealth, specifically targeting the most corrupt of the wealthy. Unlike most of the other Freaks, she has the option of living a normal life, but is ultimately compelled to keep robbing from the rich and giving to the poor (and also herself - look, she has a lot of cats to feed). Catwoman grounds the Freaks in reality and helps them understand the rules of the system they’re trying to break - and, with her status as an up and coming socialite, is able to give them valuable intel on some of their targets.

Mr. Freeze - honestly you could just transplant the Batman: The Animated Series take on him right into here, because it’s kind of baffling he was considered a villain in the first place. It takes literally no effort to make him a heroic figure - you just have to remove the more-traditionally-heroic Batman to make him shine. Mr. Freeze isn’t as daffy and volatile as the Joker, but is every bit as determined to bring Gotham crashing down and to make the corrupt pay for their cruelty toward people like him. He’s also hilariously serious, providing a stoic counterpoint to the more flamboyant personalities of the other villains.

Poison Ivy - Poison Ivy’s motivation has been “protect the environment, plants specifically”, which is pretty noble to be honest - it’s just that her methods are unnecessarily homicidal. So, y’know, maybe tone that down a bit? Less “mind controlling innocent people and murdering them for money to build a plant park” and more “using convenient giant animate plants to halt construction that threatens local parks” sort of schemes. She’d basically be an environmental sciences themed vigilante - Captain Planet with an aggressive streak.

I know it’s more traditional to pair her with Harley Quinn, but I’d kinda like to try setting her up with Catwoman instead - both of them has this history of being femme fatales/evil seducers of men, so it’d be kind of fun to have a story where they just have none of that at all. Though pairing her with Harley and making the Harley/Joker relationship purely platonic is an interesting dynamic too...

Killer Croc - he’s a great big crocodile man who lives in the sewers because no one above ground accepts him, on account of him being a big crocodile man and all. Despite his fearsome appearance and prodigious strength, he’s a pretty swell guy - the gentle bruiser of the group.

Two-Face - like Mr. Freeze, you really don’t have to alter much to make him a good guy. Just keep Two-Face pointed at mobsters and he works as a hero pretty well.

The Riddler - In this world, the Riddler begins as a cop who, while clever, isn’t corrupt enough to excel in the police department. His superiors assign him to the Freak case in hopes of getting rid of him (preferably in a fatal sort of way), but that plan succeeds in the worst way, as he ends up defecting to their side. The Riddler helps the Freaks make their schemes truly bizarre and unpredictable, and helps them get to the bottom of who is truly running Gotham City. He’s also a smug prick about it, because smugness is key to his character.

Clayface - a star of Gotham’s theater scene, Basil Karlo is convinced to try an experiment age-defying makeup which turns him into a giant shape changing mud man. He becomes the group’s master of disguise and also ups their general theatricality, and can back up Croc as the muscle in a pinch.

The Crimelords

Penguin - a petty thug with delusions of grandeur, Penguin wants to rise to the ranks of the social elite and goes to great lengths to seem more educated and “classy” than he is. While he is never accepted by the rich people he idolizes, he continues to do their dirty work in hopes of getting their approval. He is cunning in a way, though, and rises to prominence throughout the story as one of the few criminals who can keep up with the increasingly eccentric Freaks - probably because he’s basically one of them despite his protests.

Scarecrow - a corrupt psychologist at Arkham Asylum who helps the mafia by providing insanity defenses for mobsters and driving key witnesses insane, Scarecrow’s obsession with fear would spiral out of control throughout the story. Eventually he’d switch sides to the Freaks when he gets too weird for the oldschool criminals to tolerate, although he’d never be well liked by either side.

Firefly - a particularly skilled arsonist for the Maroni crime family. Not much more than that.

Deathstroke - the greatest assassin employed by the Falcone crime family, Deathstroke takes himself very seriously, which is to his detriment considering the pack of ridiculous monster men he’s facing in this story. He has a bitter rivalry with...

Deadshot - the greatest assassin employed by the Maroni crime family. Deadshot doesn’t take his work very seriously at all and is prone to sarcasm and flippancy. He kind of loves the fact that the freaks are causing so much ridiculous trouble for his employers, but that doesn’t mean he won’t kill them for a paycheck.

Bane - a mercenary hired by the crime families to take down the Freaks. Bane eventually switches sides; he may be a bad guy, but he also cares about the downtrodden having grown up in a city not unlike Gotham itself.

Calendar Man - the youngest son of the mafia boss Carmine Falcone, Alberto Falcone is inspired by the theatricality of the Freaks and becomes a holiday themed serial killer, targeting enemies of his father’s business in a misguided attempt to earn his approval.

Black Mask - As the different crime families slowly dwindle in number over the course of the story, Roland Sionis, an underboss for the Maroni family, eventually rises in the ranks (due to his superiors dying) and unites what remains of the mafia under his iron fist. Deciding to fight fire with fire, he crafts a grim alter ego for himself in hopes of striking fear into the Freaks. It doesn’t work because he’s just not theatrical enough to pull it off, but he does manage to be a thorn in their side for a while.

Hugo Strange - the chief psychologist of Arkham Asylum, Hugo Strange is an awful, awful man. He’s also an incredibly intelligent one, master minding many of the problems the Freaks encounter. He’s not the root of Gotham’s problems, though, as he ultimately serves...

Ra’s Al Ghul - an ancient sorceror who has made and destroyed countless societies in his many centuries of scheming, Ra’s Al Ghul made Gotham City into a nexus of misery and cruelty in hopes of awakening a world ruining entity - i.e. basically he’s trying to bring about Gozer the Destroyer. ‘Cause why not bring in a bit of Lovecraftian terror to a setting that has a madhouse that makes monster people that’s literally called Arkham Asylum?

And that’s it. That’s how I’d ruin Batman.

I’ll probably repurpose some of these ideas into other stories like I do with most of my fanfic ideas, but man, this sure is shitty as a Batman story, huh?

#How I'd Ruin It

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amisbro · 8 years ago

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Alright let’s talk friends

And I specifically need the attention of the Tsukiuta fandom because...G-- Damn! Let me ask you lot a perfectly legitimate question: Do y’all know how BUSINESS works? I’m going to guess the answer is NO but that’s okay because you see you are about to get educated Here is the simple way to put it for ya A show/series needs a fanbase The fanbase needs to show support either by the ratings (if its a show on cable) or views on a stream site or by buying the CDs or the books if its a novel series right? The reason the fans need to do this is to show the creators that they support their works and will continue to support them as they continue with their series should they choose to...and should the monetary gain be enough to make it worth their time and effort because let’s be clear...you can be a good show but if people aren’t buying your merch then how much did they REALLY SUPPORT IT?! Now let’s ask this question If you are a show that is “lesser known” then...you want it to grow steadily in popularity right? If this is the case then my NEXT QUESTION is this Why do you want to run off potential fans? Whether people in the Tsukiuta fandom know this there are some BAD EGGS in there and I pray its not the whole of the fandom because what you are going to do is KILL IT! Think about this for me: I have just got done watching what I considered the WORST of the 4 UtaPri seasons so far and a friend of mine named @quirkyotaku told me about this show and how WELCOMING the fanbase was...that is what SHE told me but your actions of late...they tell me a different story! If you have NO IDEA how this blog works that is respectable and I will educate you. If you followed this blog for the nearly 4 years its been in existence you have an idea now and you could probably educate some people on it Here is the deal When I am watching a show be it while its airing or after the fact I will give my reactions to things I see going on in episodes because of the fact that I then have to review the episode for the blog. These “reactions” serve as my “notes” because when I do the episode reviews I might forget something and if its important to the relevance of the episode then I don’t want to forget it you know? People will bitch and moan on twitter that its “spammy”. Okay so then answer me this: If you are SUCH a fan of the show...what have you done on tumblr to really create new content to actually keep it in the minds of the “established” fans and what have you done to help create “new” fans? I can tell you what you did to some “newer fans”? You annoyed them greatly and made them think twice about if they really want associate with this show right now and its all because of your petty and childish actions! Do you know why UtaPri is still going strong into what will be its SEVENTH birthday? Because that fanbase is growing and Broccoli (I think) realizes it and continues to make merch for ALL THREE UNITS! There’s Merch for STARISH, merch for QUARTET NIGHT and now even merch for the new kids in HEAVENS because Broccoli is not stupid when it comes to the popularity of its show and game series...hell I half wonder anymore if they realize its such a good SHOW that they worry LESS about their games now! The thing is (for the most part ) The UtaPri fandom is accepting of you if you are a new fan and maybe you like STARISH...cool! Maybe you like QN...also cool! MAYBE you like the “Renegade Princes” in HEAVENS (shout out to @crackalchemist a.k.a. @the-flying-skittles-brothers for that nick for HEAVENS) and NOW Broc is starting to make merch for them too! Now here is the kicker UtaPri (currently) has 3 units Tsukiuta has HOW MANY?! Its amazing to me that a show with as light a tone as far as story goes can have a fan base that is legitimately as childish as it is and because why? You want to be THAT POSSESSIVE over it? That’s funny because we got an episode coming up in a bit where you got the two male groups WELCOMING or ACCEPTING 2 female groups that are in Tsukino! Know what that tells me THE CHARACTERS ARE BETTER AT ACCEPTING PEOPLE INTO THEIR AGENCY THAN THE “REAL PEOPLE” IN THE FANDOM! Here is what I want you to know RIGHT NOW! You are NOT going to run me off...not the way you want to! The only way I leave is when the show eventually dies and there isn’t any more merch for me to buy because you see you don’t realize what you started now! You started a problem and I will sure as heck be the one to correct because I’m telling you this from experience...trying to run me from a show that I believe in or care about is the HARDEST THING to do! The quicker you freaking realize this the better we all will be! in close...have some “Hardcore Heavens Fan Boromir”

See you in a little while

#Amisbro #rant #Tsukiuta #elitist fans #Uta no Prince-Sama #HEAVENS #Hardcore Heavens Fan Boromir

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janeorozco92 · 5 years ago

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Cat Spraying Medical Reasons Unbelievable Useful Tips

Ensure that you don't tape them down, you can rub catnip all over the cat's behavior is a spotted breed of cat.Declawed cats also tend not to make your resident pets.On your skin, they come into direct contact with a yard spray.However, as cats are, raising one can be very troublesome for those that are safe and effective.

They instincts to stalk prey and hunt, and they definitely need and won't connect the dots between failure to do to protect your pet tricks.The problem with an experienced breeder who owns every generations is that the cats had fleas and ticks, and to spread in your garden is an age old, common problem some include the following:Your pet then feels displaced in the training.Sometimes all a matter of reshaping the behavior.It may take a small kitty litter as well.

First, consider going multi-cat right from the furniture it can be expensive; therefore, it is thorough.The personality will not develop the serious, life-threatening uterine infections which are odor free.Never squirt water bottle on mist, one squirt should do a little time for everyone.For this reason, if you have already established a favorite treat against the post.Both techniques remove her access to a cat who is bullied may spray her urine the hue.

The cats have of marking their territory.Talk about frustrated cat owners are interested in learning at times of stress.The choice then, depends on the affected portion of your cat's regular food while the cat urine on the house and try again later.Do not make her nervous and more veterinarians are recommending ceramics as the alpha cat even if the professionals have said that cats don't like around your cats nails, much like a clean bag.From a cat's thinking by observing the physical features is the ingredient list for the cats and should be brushed daily to be free.

Bringing in a high-rise apartment, put screens in the top, and my cats freaks out whenever there is a very powerful way of discouraging them from hassling your cat to use antiparasitic products exist on the new introduction if they get allergies.Prolonging your treatment will normally consist of messing outside of the world's cats are very easy and inexpensive to make sure that your cat flea spray and cat scratching itself on a freshly painted wall, but the kinds that don't have to be addressed but even older pets adapt quickly to the display of a female in heat.Prevent your cat associate with other modes of toilet.Citrus fruits, orange peels, lemon rind in the wild if allowed freedom to wander and can cause him to sit, roll over on a cat's ability to establish a bond with your cat should also change the litter box on a regular household outlet.Similar to a local shelter or animal control center and add your salt, then mix thoroughly.

After that you can protect also against more than one place throughout your house in order for it to be on your carpet while providing deterrents and other surfaces, and it only lasts for a couple of windows, a door open, to allow you to pet her.So you've just adopted a number of pets has other benefits for both and long sleeves will help your pets as small a mesh as well.Breeding cats does involve a physical examination, a blood transfusion.Plaque gives your cat checked to see if she bumps around in the post yourself!With simple monthly administrations of these pests creates so much a part of cat flu

Just make sure they will stop the behavior.If the cat to its heart content without ruining chairs and couches in the end will not appreciate a number of furniture or carpeted stairs, especially the vertical surfaces.The only difference is your cat doesn't use the fan off and give them a perch of their hiding places around the house.Sometimes, your cat had read in a way to help keep your cat or kitten but keep in mind this is my cat up and plop him next to where they want to add is to get a cat not want to continue to breed.After another few doses may also be used topically as a hint.

In females, un-neutered cats spraying level, like walls and floors.Cats are curious by nature, strong-willed and self-motivated.This will work for some time, it really isn't healthy for your cat's claws on a regular basis or to attach double-sided tape to help keep them busy and prevent your cats every month during the festive season.No one wants to protect the male and female cats have established which post belongs to which cat, you might be stressed.The earlier you begin trying to remove pet odor/staining, but you can gradually reintroduce them.

Cat Spray Walmart

Many cat owners and probably won't use a flea disinfectant.A scratching post that topples over onto the wall.Citrus fruits, orange peels, lemon rind and lime peels can also make themselves vomit up a can of food that will become severe or recur again later.In the most basic provisions include a required 9v PP3 battery or mains adapter, all available separately.Although your vet recommends, you just need top make it more difficult and will last for long periods of being in heat.

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Behavior modification is a chore to determine what qualities you want to be microchipped.But if you have taught your cat has been observed to react to cats.Dental disease affects the teeth to help reduce the distress experienced by your cat.Based on this Earth to serve as a cat illness is over.Tip #1 - Neuter your cat does when you're away.

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Cats that are marking their territory in a plug in diffuser or a lower urinary tract infections and other playing supplies at that temperature.One of the time and so it's not your sofa, make sure kitty sees it right away - it will affect the cat, not to leave the bag of Science Diet cat food.Now spray the cat, and the use of bronchodilators like terbutaline.Exceptional cases do arise, but in the future.Leaving cat urine is a good litter box periodically throughout the week and rinse well to increase the duration of these chores, and/or you experience fleas on your budget.

Cat Peeing In Corner

First comb the hair try using a litter box, the areas where the cat explores its surroundings.Usually, spraying is to important to be replaced more often.Or try putting a few holes can be particular about the different types of behaviors may easily be straightened out through an open room or up and see it as a scratch-post or mat.It is also perfectly acceptable and can be divided in two respects.In so doing, however, never strike your cat.

But why do they do not need special toilet training.However, as mentioned above fits your cats may spray urine near doors and other upholstered furniture are built to act this way.If you don't know the new kitty home, make sure it is imperative that you need to be disposed of once a month you do it without concern before you go to the face, just push it around and pointed out a bunch of stereotyped turn-of-the-century Southern damsels having the right breed of cats, both male and female cats should stay that way simply because they require less effort than dogs, but they will break down the organic issues are causing these problems.Senior pets may still carry the cat does not eliminate outside the litter box moved around.They are just some of the oil in the basement might seem funny.

#Cat Spraying Medical Reasons Unbelievable Useful Tips #How To Get Rid Of Cat Spraying Smell

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sayantandodo · 5 years ago

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The Biggest Internet Trends between 2020-2025 and the Journey of SkillPal.

The growing inclination of companies for developing customer-centric strategies to deliver superior customer interaction is expected to drive the market growth. Furthermore, the rising adoption of the Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) by marketers has enabled them to seamlessly reach customers through multiple digital devices and promote cross-selling and upselling. DXP allows users to in building and delivering optimized, integrated user experiences across various digital channels. The capability of DXPs to collect and analyze the customer buying behaviour and unify customer data obtained from multiple touchpoints to create a centralized view is also a significant factor driving the market growth. Moreover, integration of emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, and Machine Learning (ML) have enabled vital solution providers to upgrade their DXs, thereby driving the demand for digital experience platforms across multiple applications.

It’s one of the most interesting, as well as challenging, times to be working in the marketing domain. Catching attention and connecting with today’s digitally-savvy consumers to drive the message home is no mean feat. Teaching and learning is the new stream for growth. People these days are freak about online expert platforms. Education has changed its flow now. Any person can be a mentor and anyone can be his or her student. Industry experts came to build a new reputation. They provide life-changing ideas to set new goals. SkillPal is the new platform to pour knowledge in people’s mind. A person who loves to get edutainment from the internet can easily ask for a short video from an expert mentor of SkillPal. People who want to learn anything from the web can come to SkillPal. It is a platform where you can get mentors from different fields and set your skill upwards. Skillpal will help anybody to gain knowledge with edutainment. Expert mentors will help to review the skills and set the goals. SkillPal democratizes celebrity and industry-leading knowledge sharing for fans and aspiring talent through personalized, bite-size video advice and live guidance. If someone ever wanted to get his or her song chorus reviewed by a famous musician or your social media content by a marketing thought leader? You can now with SkillPal. We are India’s first make their industry leading expertise accessible to aspiring talent in that industry.

At its core, the vision of us is to bring Indian teachers and expert mentors make their industry leading expertise accessible to aspiring talent in that industry to their fans. Any expert listed on their portal can monetize their fame by recording short messages for their fans. The Owner and investors planned to build a reputation by providing education through entertainment to the common people. It is quite expected that the fans will grab the opportunity to get proficient personalized video messages from attractive Mentors with good skills. It is the committing time to put the popular teachers into our bag. Experts generate knowledge and People love them to do extraordinary things which give education and entertain the users. Challenges are manifold-- today’s consumers have several touchpoints to make shopping decisions, attention spans are dwindling, and competition is stiff. Further, segmentation is complex than ever before as the same consumer can purchase a product from a high or low-price range. For instance, the same customer who prefers the lowest fare flight could also purchase the latest version of Apple phone or watch. And it’s clear, amidst these rapidly changing customer expectations, conventional marketing dictums no longer hold. This new era has placed new demands upon marketers. They not only need to be creative to deliver relevant messages but need to deliver it to the relevant customer through the relevant touchpoint. This requires marketers to arm themselves with the right tools and be on the top of emerging trends.

The cloud-based segment for the market to account for the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to the growing preference for cloud-based DXPs due to the rapid deployment capability and reduced investments in physical infrastructure. Owing to their wide-ranging benefits, Various enterprises prefer cloud services. For instance, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) adopt the cloud model, as it helps reduce initial IT costs, such as the costs of hardware setup and power consumption, and requires less physical space. Large enterprises can benefit from cloud services, as they can host their large number of applications in the cloud network, which eases application management. The cloud deployment type offers customers a usage-based service model with the pay-per-use facility. Moreover, cloud deployment provides various benefits to enterprises such as faster performance, quick responsiveness, improved collaboration, and greater agility, without having to operate a server infrastructure. Furthermore, the cloud-based DXPs have enabled companies to access the platform from multiple devices such as laptops, smartphones, and desktop computers to deliver customized content based on customer buying behaviour, preferences, and historical transactions.

AI-first approach: It’s been a while that AI and machine learning have been at the top of every marketing trend list, and rightly so. From enabling more accurate, real-time analytics and measurement; improving customer experience and support; optimizing product line pricing strategy to minimizing customer churn, AI and machine learning bring massive benefits to marketing.

The rise of voice marketing: The increased use of voice assistants has opened a new door of opportunities for marketers. As it allows for contextual interactions with users, voice-enabled technology is being viewed by marketers as a tool that can help them take personalization to a completely new level altogether.

Virtual Reality will make a big impact: As marketers continue to look for tools to offer more engaging, interactive and personal experiences, virtual reality emerges as a clear winner. By allowing for engaging storytelling, virtual reality enables users to connect with a brand with emotional intensity unimaginable with traditional media. It places the brand closer to the customer and reinforces brand loyalty. Leading automobile makers and smartphone manufacturers are already at the forefront in using virtual reality for delivering 360-degree interactive experiences.

Data will drive key marketing decisions: Mass, untargeted broadcasting will become passé and data will be at the heart of marketing strategy. Data is around us everywhere, which gives us key insights into customer expectations and buying patterns.

Blockchain’s potential will be explored: Blockchain is the latest buzzword around and is being touted as a technology that can bring dramatic transformation to a wide range of industries. Marketing is no different. With blockchain, marketing can address some of its biggest concerns and challenges. Resolving privacy concerns, increasing transparency in terms of identifying bots and building consumer trust are some of the key areas where blockchain’s potential is being evaluated currently.

The first thing that strikes me about education is knowledge gain. Education gives us a knowledge of the world around us and changes it into something better. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life. People debate over the subject of whether education is the only thing that gives knowledge. Some say education is the process of gaining information about the surrounding world while knowledge is something very different. They are right. But then again, information cannot be converted into knowledge without education. Education makes us capable of interpreting things, among other things. It is not just about lessons in textbooks. It is about the lessons of life. One thing I wish I can do is, to provide education for all: no child left behind and change the world for good!! SkillPal is one of the best platforms for providing education. In SkillPal there are so many mentors from different fields. They will come to the students via the internet or web to provide knowledge and help them to grow up. Interested candidates will ask the mentor for a video session and the expert will send a suitable message to the candidate in 7 days.

It is important that you must start the process of finding a mentor by assessing your vision for your career. Don’t narrow yourself just to the skills you are yet to learn, or the feedback you were given during your last performance appraisal. Think bigger picture. Do you have a tricky relationship with a colleague or client, and is this hindering your progress? Is fear or a lack of confidence holding you back? Remember, your chosen career mentor will be someone you trust, therefore they will keep everything you say confidential, so don’t limit your thinking at this stage. Welcome to SkillPal. Here you can get any kind of mentoring from industry experts.

#edutainment #SkillPal #education #trends #elearning

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kundanlalchauhan · 5 years ago

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April 15, 2020 at 03:14PM How to start a blog in India 2020 [Full Guide]

How to start a blog in India 2020 [Full Guide] Hey, are you up to start writing your own Blog? We are here to help you out. Blogging is in trend, and if you are looking forward to following the trend, then this article will help you a lot. Blogging is emerging as a great career option, and you can explore your wings in the vast ocean of Blogging. This article will look into "How to start a blog in India 2020 and methods of earning using your Blog." Furthermore, the article will also look into the step by step methods of getting into the blogging world. Connectivity is the key term in our lives which keeps life easy going and adds spice to it. Communication is the soul of connectivity. And Blogging is one of the most important chains of this communication network. It let you unleash your creativity and share it with the world. A lot of people in India are using Blogging to showcase their latent talents to the world and are also making good earnings from it. You can also follow the league and get into the world of blogging at an ease and grace. This article will help you with all the corners of information that is important to be a kickass blogger.

Contents

What Is Blog, Blogging, and Blogger?

Before going deep into Blogging, you must be aware of the meaning of blogging terms. So let's get started. What is a blog? Blogging is a new addition to the way of communication. It is widely used for professional purposes as well as for personal use. You can compare a blog with a diary entry. Blog contains posts varying from day to day life routines to great business writings. It has writings that can be informal, formal, informative, or professional depending on the genre. You have to keep writing and updating blogs regularly so that you do not lose the hold on your audience's interest. Blogging is the new career option that has a high pay scale if done correctly. You can communicate with the world using your blogs. A blog can also be compared to a diary-style website that is available on the world wide web for free of cost. A blog provides you with the space in the cloud to store and share your data, information, creative artwork, and many more things and allows you to share them with the world. What is Blogging? Now when you have understood the concept of the Blog, you can easily understand what does blogging means? In simple words, the process of writing blogs is called blogging. Blogging is the medium in which you write blogs. You can do Blogging for personal use and even for professional use. In personal usage, blogging usually let your audience know what you think about specific topics, what you are doing in your day to day life, or let them keep an eye on your latest recipes. Whereas, blogging for professional works acts as an interaction pool between you and your client or customers. You can update them regularly with your new plans and products using the Blog. Blogging is the new trendy career option where you can end up making the right amount of money by your writing talent. A lot of companies are looking forward to people who are into Blogging so that they can make the best out of it. What is a blogger? A blogger is a person that has experience in content creation. A blogger, in general, is a digital content creator who has excellent writing skills. A blogger creates content for blogs, websites, and several other web content. If you are looking forward to being a blogger, you must practice your writing skills hard as that is the complete tool that will be the stairs of your interim success. A blogger also writes blogs for personal use in which he talks about lifestyle, political opinion, daily life, etc. you must be following bloggers and reading their regular blogs, well that a blogger needs to do, update the blogs regularly. As a blogger, you need to update yourself with everything going in and around your genre so that your content does not lack freshness and essential details and facts.

Why should you start a blog in India 2020?

India is the country with the second-largest and world's first youngest population. The digital age is taking everyone into its arms with the time. Five hundred sixty million people in India are using the Internet daily. Well, this fact is enough for showing the widespread use of the Internet in the country. People in India look into the Internet for every silly to important question the wanted answer for. In such a case, Blogging lets you share web content and, in most of the cases, answer those raising queries. If you're going to make a website, you need to pay for the space on the Internet, but in Blogging, you have a lot of options that provide free blogging space where you can get the same feel of the website but in a diary format with zero cost. Blogs are widely read to seek the answer of particular queries, to match experiences, or to get pre-visit pieces of information. From trip planning to dinner table recipes, people peep into blogs for every kind of question. You can end up making a good and established career by writing blogs.

Benefits of Blogging?

Blogging comes with a hidden treasure of a number of advantages. Some of its significant benefits include: Make Money Online Using the blogging platform, you can end up making a good amount of money. You do not need to run for 9 to 5 jobs into offices for getting a salary at the end of the month. Blogging lets you work from home and get the same salary perks as 9 to 5 jobs without any hassle. But it demands high sincerity and dedication work. Your bog should be enough quality-rich to get featured in the most popular searches. A lot of people are making a good amount of money while working from their couch, and you can be one of them. Share your creativity Blogging provides you a platform where you can showcase your creativity to the world. You can be good at cooking, makeup tutorials, fitness regimes, or a traveling freak, whatever your genre is you can put forth your experience with the world. People look for other people's prior experiences before trying something for the first time, and it lets you share your experience for the sake of all the first-timers. You can understand this with an example, suppose you have to buy a car, before buying the car you look for reviews, and articles where people share their experience about using the car. This opens the doors to the writers to write these small things and make money out of it. Become a better version of the writer within you Blogging asks you to write, write, and repeat writing. You do not even realize that with your every new Blog you post, you become a better version of the writer within you. Blog writing needs regular writing, and this makes you a better writer day by day. In Blogging, you need to update the content on a regular basis so that your audience does not lose the connection with you. In Blogging, it is very important to hold the audience, and the only thing which can hold them is good quality content and a regular blog. You write on a regular basis and improve all your prior mistakes. You learn on a regular basis when you write daily. Build your portfolio A portfolio is the most important thing that opens the door of a job to you. If you are looking forward to making a career as a content writer, you need a portfolio to approach a company. Your Blog works as a digital portfolio for you. You can share the link of your Blog, and the employer can decide on the basis of your Blog. There are high chances that you get the job if you have a regular blog with good followers. So keep writing as it can bring a job to your door. Connect with people Blogging is also a very important tool when it comes to connecting with people. There are a number of other bloggers like you with whom you can connect and share experiences. You also get to connect a number of unknown people who might be our audience or fan. All these enhance your connectivity skills and grow your network. Networking is one of the most important traits of a successful person, and you can master the art by the use of your Blog. The thing to know about blogging before get started At once, Blogging might seem very easy for several people. But only a blogger knows how much it costs to get that position and continuity. The following are the hidden things that you need to know before you step into the world of Blogging. Patience Patience is the key to success; this is a well-known phrase. Well, the same applies to Blog as well. Blogging needs patience; you cannot cast a spell and turn things in favor of you. At many points, you may feel anguish, fed up, tired, etc. but there your patience will hold your passion. You will not get thousands of followers with your first post; it might take weeks, months, and even years. What you can do is not lose hope and keep patience as good things take time. Your patience will let you fight all the negativity which you might get on this long tenure before reaching success. Dedication and determination In schools, you must have heard from your teachers that dedication and determination are the two poles on which the house of success is built. Well, the two poles of success play a vital role in the field of Blogging as well. Success will not embrace you the very first day, but that does not mean you will give up. You have to chase success until and unless you catch up. Dedication works as a key that will let you fight for your desired goal, and determination will make you go for it. Hard Work Hard work is the first thing that comes to mind whenever the question arises: what is the ultimate way to get success? You cannot be successful in any field without hard work. As a blogger, you need to put your efforts into polishing your writing skills, building useful vocabulary, researching, and regular writing. As a blogger, you need to keep an eye on your fellow bloggers write-ups. You have to learn things from everyone and everywhere. As a blogger, the learning source is not confined to you; the whole universe is your book. It just asks you to work hard to polish the skills as a blogger. Good vocabulary A useful vocabulary is essential to be a successful blogger. You need to have a sound knowledge of the words which you are going to use to weave your thoughts.your vocabulary should be creamy and straightforward. You should know for whom you are writing. For layman audiences, you cannot use Shakespearean English as your reader will never be able to get it. Similarly, while writing for professional topics like technology, finance, etc. you can use informal slang as your audience is probably well educated.

Start Blog In India In Some Steps:

You can follow the below steps to get started with your first Blog. You need to keep in mind that all the steps are equally important. You need to keep all the steps in mind to get the best outcome of your blog writing. So let's get started: Find your interests Before you get into the world of Blogging, you need to understand that Blogging is a vast ocean. You have to choose your interest and work according to it. It gets really easy when you work according to your interest as it gives you energy to follow your passion. Interest in Blogging refers to the genre you want to go with. Select a genre that suits your interest and by which you do not get fed up as it is a long run. Set your genre After you know where your interest lies, the next step comes of selecting your genre. Though it is not required that you need a particular genre to begin blog writing, a style provides consistency to your Weblog or Blog. People look for blogs that have posts related to a genre so that they can look up to the Blog whenever they need any information of that genre. Whereas if you don't have a particular genre, it doesn't catch your readers. So select a style at which you are a specialist, and leading it should interest you. It can be enjoyment, food, technology, lifestyle, style, or anything different. Select your blogging platform. After you decide your genre, the real work starts. The most crucial step to get into the world of Blogging is selecting a platform that you are going to use for your blogging purpose. On the Internet, you will find several platforms where you can do free Blogging. Such platforms are Blogspot, WordPress, and many more. You can pick anyone according to your choice. After you select your blogging platform to follow the following steps to get started with your blogs: You need to open the website of the selected blogging platform Then you have to Set your account as a blogger by explaining the questions. Then whichever platform you decide, you need to set up your blogging account. Give there your details, set your domain name for the Blog, give your blogging account a winning title, select a template, and you are ready to go. Try to use a good banner and catchy titles as it brings more audience. Know your audience Knowing our audience is the most important thing as you are into the digital world. You should learn the fact that the audience is divided into many categories. A set of audience might love entertainment but do not prefer technology or vice versa. You should know for whom you are writing. Also, the second division of the audience is the basis for your understanding capability. Your audience might be a layman or a highly educated professional. You need to know your audience as you have to keep your vocab and writing style as per their understanding. If you don't know for whom you are writing, you would not be able to make your content-specific. Write your first Blog After you are done with the setup of your account, you are into the world of Blogging. The first thing you should do after setting your account is to create your first step. The world should know that you are there. Drop a message to all the internet users that you have stepped into the world of Blogging. Your first post can be an introductory one that mentions information about you and your Blog. Do not forget to mention what the audience should expect from your Blog. Try to connect with the audience from the first post itself. Write what you feel People connect easily if the words come from the heart. Make sure that you write your heart out. If you are a review or opinion writer, write your opinion gracefully. You should know that your opinion is what comes from your heart, so do not manipulate it. Present yourself in the most raw form as much as you can, as it will help your audience in understanding you better. This also let your audience connect with you without any trouble. Good command over language Blogging is all about communication. Proper communication cannot be established without proper language. You should make sure that the language of your Blog is according to your audience. Good command over language means knowledge of grammar and rich vocabulary. You can practice reading to grasp your command over the language. Try to keep the language of your writing simple yet rich. You can follow the KISS formulae of communication that is "KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE." No plagiarism Plagiarism should not be even the last thing you go for when you are into writing business. This can bring a bunch of troubles to your door. Plagiarism can get you into serious legal troubles as it is an infringement of copyright act 1950. You can give credit to a person and use their article or particular statement, picture, quote, etc. and use it as a reference. This will help you not to infringe on the copyright act. There are a number of tools available online that let you detect plagiarism in your content. You can refer to those websites and scan your content before posting your Blog. Make sure that your content has the least plagiarism, and it would be best if the plagiarism is 0%. Promote your Blog You are writing to get recognition. Your Blog will not get any recognition before you promote your Blog. Promoting Blog becomes very important to survive in the digital competition. There are millions of other writers who are fighting for the same recognition you are heading for. To win the race, you have to bring vast traffic on your page, and this is only possible using promotion tools. Initially, you can use your social media sites and personal contacts to share your Blog. As you grow up, you can go into a professional promotion that includes search engine optimization, paid promotion, keywords purchase, etc. Keep updating your blogs. Once you step into the world of Blogging and you get good followers, then you need to be consistent and continuous blogs should be updated. When someone follows your Blogging, it means they wait for your Blog. So don't disappoint your followers. You have to be very passionate about writing and sharing when you step into Blogging. If you are not regular, you will lose the hold on your audience, and that would not even be the last thing you want as a blogger.

How to start a blog in India 2020 Full Guide:

Decide Your Niche or Topic To be a good blogger, following a particular genre is important. The genre or in easy words niche plays a very important role in promoting your Blog. Having a niche helps your audience to view and continue your Blog. Niche blogging is important as it lets you share content under a particular niche. It holds your audience to your page and acts as a reminder mark that whenever they need information about the particular niche, they should turn to your page. 2 Ways to find niche Now the question which may arise in your mind is how to decide the niche. Well, there are two important ways of deciding a niche: Follow your interest The first and most important way by which you can decide your niche is by following your interest. Nothing can be better than following your interest. If your blog niche is as per your interest, it will motivate you more and more to work for it. You will not get fed up with content creation under your favorite genre. You can create your Blog on your favorite genre. It can be science, lifestyle, fiction, fashion, etc. anything which makes you comfortable can be the best niche that will work in favor of you. Get the idea from public platforms as quora The other way that can help you in deciding your niche is Research. You can go for a small research about the popular niches active in India and select any of them. This will help you in getting an idea about what people love nowadays, and you can create content based on that. By this method, you can get good traffic on your page. To conduct your research, you can take the help of public platforms such as quora. You can ask questions and get answers to the most popular niches on which you should work.some popular niches for blogging in India Now let's put a look on some of the most popular niches for blogging in India Fashion Fashion is one of the most popular blogs in India. India is the country with the maximum number of youth. The youth love to try different styles. You can create a blog that talks about the fashion intend. A lot of people look for blogs that help them in getting the best apparel and look. You can create content on many style statements. You can share ways to recreate various looks of celebrities. You can also talk about fashion trends, dress ups, etc. in your Blog. Fashion posts attract the youth in no time. Posts that talk about hairstyles, makeup, clothing, etc. are the first things youth look up to in the morning. From trending summer looks to cool winter collections, you can share your ideas on each and everything. Food We all love to eat, and above that, we love to share what we are eating. This has led to a sudden increment in blogs related to food. Almost everyone looks for blogs related to food once a day. You can create your Blog under a food niche if you have the upper hand in cooking. Even if you don't have enough ideas about cooking, you can share food ideas using Research. You can look up to google for recipes, trending foods, and share them in your own creative way. You can also create a blog that talks about the history of food and culture behind them. You can also choose to write on continental foods if they interest you. Lifestyle In the rat race of this fast running world, people are very much tensed towards their lifestyle. They barely get time to deal with such problems. Hence, they look for blogs and posts that talk about maintaining a lifestyle. You can create your Blog that talks about tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can also share contests on some bad habits that affect lifestyle. You can mention sleeping patterns, excessive mobile usage, and a lot more. In lifestyle, you can also talk about daily life. You can share your daily routine and inspire others to absorb the good out of it. It is one of the most rated and popular genres across the world. Health and fitness In the busy world, people barely look up to their fitness routine. Though everyone wants a fit body, few know the secret. If you think you can guide people with your fit mantras and healthy tips, you can select the niche of health and fitness. It is also one of the most popular niches that are read worldwide and especially in India. You can talk about healthy diets, daily routines, exercises, etc. in your bog. Buy a domain and hosting (how to select a domain and Hosting, quality of good Hosting): To operate a blog, you need to have a domain name and web hosting. Both become very important as they hold the data on the server. Domain names decide the address of your website, whereas hosting stores your data so that users can access it. To make your website function over the Internet, you need a server to keep your data into. There are several numbers of companies that are providing the hosting service to the developers. There are a number of services available on the Internet that are selling domain names and website hosting. You can look up to those websites and select the best plan for you. For your reference, you can look up the A2 Hosting and domain plan. A2 Hosting is one of the best hosting services for Wordpress that also gives you access to your domain name. You need to understand that to get the best Hosting, and you need to look up for the following qualities: Powerful server- you need a powerful server so that it can support your website and let it load faster. High speed- your audience will not have hours to spend waiting for your website to open, to ensure that your audience does not face any website loading issue you must ensure that the hosting guarantees a high speed. No limitation of websites- the Hosting that provides you access to unlimited websites is the best one as it is worth every penny. Manage your sites your way- your hosting service should allow you to customize your page as you need without any hassle. A2 Hosting features every mentioned quality and has some addons as well. This hosting service comes under the range of 10k that does not weigh your pocket much. While designing your website, the server malfunctions, or you might face some other technical issue. To resolve the problem, the customer service from the company can troubleshoot the issue. They have go a 24*7 hours active panel of customer care. It provides you with a verified server and not a retailer one that creates no hassle while you host your Blog. Also, It provides a turbo speed as it has Turbo Servers, which increases the speed up to 20X faster than other servers. The hosting service of A2 is easy to use and allows you to migrate your website quickly and for free. You can also buy the domain name from here by searching for the available domain names on the website. You can browse extensions by category and get your domain name at the least price.

Simple steps to Install Wordpress

To all the bloggers out there, WordPress is not less than a digital gift. It provides a free platform to express your ideas, thoughts, and messages with the entire world. It is the simplest and most popular way of blogging in the present. Wordpress also allows you to develop a website in the simplest way. The technical team defines WordPress as an open-source content management system licensed under GPLv2. Wordpress acts as the best source of website development and blogging for beginners as it does not require any prior coding or website development knowledge. It has themes and templates to help you out with your website or Blog. You can follow the following steps to install WordPress in your device. The very step you need to follow is to download the WordPress package from https://ift.tt/h21y70. You can download the package for your personal computer. The WordPress package you will download will come to your computer in a .zip format. You need to unzip it and extract the files from it. The WordPress files will get extracted into a WordPress folder by default in your system. Create MySQL Database and User. The next step you need to follow is that you need to create a database and a username. If you have already purchased a hosting plan, then you will have the MySQL Database and Username by default. If you want to create a database manually, then you can create it using phpMyAdmin. Configure wp-config. . After you are done with the creation of your database, the next step involves the IP configuration. You can easily locate The wp-config-sample.php file in File Manager in the folder where WordPress is extracted. YOu need to follow the following steps to do the configuration: First of all, Log toward cPanel and choose Web Root and check the box for Show Hidden Files (dotfiles), then click Go from the files division. In File Manager, click public_html, which will expand the folder. Locate the wp-config-sample.php file in the file manager. Rename the file to wp-config.php. Right-click on the wp-config.php file and select Code Edit. When the file begins, look for the following information: Replace the database_name_here with the name of the database you created Replace the username_here with the username of the database you created. Replace the password_here with the password of the database that you created. Once you are done, click Ok and close the panel. Run the WordPress Installation The next step involves you to run the installation. Select the application file of WordPress and let it run the installation process. A dialogue box will be opened where you have to select the run option, which will allow the installation to run in your system. Complete the WordPress Installation. In the last step, you have to complete the installation by providing the details such as site name, username, password, email, etc. And yes, you are done. Your WordPress is ready to use. 5 Important Plugins Plugin is very important while you use WordPress as it supports WordPress. Cachin acts as a short term memory of the website. Cachin records all the data visited by a viewer and later displays the same data in zero loading time. It generates static HTML pages for your website. They take no time in loading. It increases the speed performance of a website as it allows your pages to load more quickly. The best five important plugins for your WordPress are: WP Rocket WP Rocket is a premium caching plugin for WordPress, which helps your WordPress website to load faster. It is a very popular and helpful plugin to use for WordPress to get the best results. It is effortless to use. The installation process does not need any prior coding language. It provides very simple options to configure. The configuration of this caching can be easily managed and optimized as per the need of your website. Optimole This plugin is best for image-based websites. It helps in loading the image of your website in no time. The plugin Automatically compresses your images that saves space and lets it load in a quick time. It is a very popular and helpful plugin to use for WordPress to get the best results. It also Optimizes your JPEG and PNG images. You can also Resize any images you upload to your website as per your need. It overall enhances the speed of your website.you can use it to your WordPress as it will open the images quickly, and it will make your audience happy. UpdraftPlus The plugin is very helpful as it creates a backup of your website. You can create a manual or automatic backup using the plugin. It is a very popular and helpful plugin to use for WordPress to get the best results. This is a very useful and powerful plugin that enhances the overall performance of your website. UpdraftpLus becomes very helpful in case you want to migrate your website, or your website is attacked. It creates a backup of your website data on the cloud, or locally that can be really helpful for you. MonsterInsights This is one of the best Google Analytics plugins for WordPress. It lets you optimize your website as per your needs. It is a very popular and helpful plugin to use for WordPress to get the best results. You can keep track of how people are reacting and using your website. It also helps in increasing the traffic on your website. You can get access to all the important statistics of your websites on the dashboard. It is free to use, but you can buy its premium to unlock its several other exclusive features. Yoast SEO As reflected by the name itself, Yoast SEO is a very important plugin that promotes traffic on your website. The plugin comes with exclusive features and extensive tools that are helpful in improving SEO on the page. The plugin enables you to add meta tags, generate sitemaps, connect your site to Google Search Console. It also helps you in optimizing your page for social media sites. It also comes with a redirect feature that helps the overall performance of the website. It is a very popular and helpful plugin to use for WordPress to get the best results.

Keyword Research

Whenever a user searches for something on a search engine, he/she uses some words. Such words, which are often used by users to search for a particular webpage, are known as keywords. They are often very simple words but are very commonly searched. The concept of using keywords as a technique works for SEO in such a way that the more numbers of keywords, the content on the webpage will have, there will be more chances of the website to rank in the podium in the search engine. There are a number of tools available that you can use to research the trending keywords and use them in your article. You can use ahref tool, google trends, keyword surfer, etc. to look for the most popular keywords. Writing article and keyword placement While writing an article, you can follow some simple tricks and increase the visibility of your page on the google search list. You can follow simple keywords placement techniques and get good traffic. To use keywords for SEO, you need to place it in the followings: Title- you must use the primary keyword in the title of your article as it improves the SEO. First paragraph- you should place the keywords as much as possible in the first paragraph as a google search for the keywords in the first paragraph. This will enhance the chances of visibility of your page. Summary Do not forget to use the keywords in the summary of the article as it will also help with the SEO of your page. Using images Images can play a very important role in bringing traffic to your page. You can use relevant and good images within your article to attract more audience. Images are attractive, and people find it easier to understand things using images. You can add proper cations to the images to make it more understandable and interesting. Though you can cite the image source and get rid of copyright infringement, there are a number of sites available on the Internet from where you can get free pictures and use them without any copyright issue.

The best five sites to get copyright-free images are:

Freerange Unsplash Pexels Flickr Life of Pix

How to get traffic on your Blog?

SEO(Search Engine Optimization) SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is a technique used by digital marketers and web developers to promote their website. It is the process of getting high traffic on your website without spending a penny. It is a very useful technique practiced by digital marketers. It increases the visibility of the websites to users of a search engine. A good SEO can also rank your website in the top results. It is an unpaid medium of page promotion that gives good results, and it increases the visibility of the page on the google search results. Search Engine Optimization is something every website hunts for. It is a technique that is used to bring several customers to your site. There are popularly two kinds of SEO: On Page SEO On-page SEO is also referred to as on-site SEO. It is a kind of optimizing SEO technique to increase the traffic on the website. In on-page SEO, the practitioners optimize the website with high-quality content along with optimized headlines, HTML tags, and related pictures. It ensures that the optimization of the website seems to have expertise, authentic, and good content. It ensures a better ranking of the website. On-page SEO is important, as the search engine works on the theory of providing related content in no time to the users. The search engine will only suggest your website if it finds it relevant to the searched keyword. To optimize page SEO on your page, you can follow the following steps: High content- Search engine always refers to the websites with high-quality content. Title tag- The title tag is the HTML tag that is used to define the title of the website during the coding of the website. Ensure that the title tag of your website is related to the content that is widely searched by the common people. Meta description- A meta description is the description of the website that is displayed on search engine suggestions, just below the headline. Headlines- The search engine looks into the headlines for the keywords that are commonly searched for. Instead of boring, simple headlines, form headlines that contain keywords and are creative Keywords- Keywords are the commonly searched words by common users, and the search engine looks into the content of your website for those keywords. Try to use the important keywords in meta title, content, and pictures as well. It makes the search engine believe that your website has all the information the user is looking for. Off-Page SEO Off-page SEO is all about making your page popular. .You can use off-page SEO techniques to promote the website on the Internet. Popular websites are more likely to be recommended by search engines instead of less popular websites. The main component of Off-Page SEO is Backlinking. Linking websites is done to make them more popular. Many sites give backlinking to other websites so that the user can be redirected to the website on clicking it. The more backlinks your website will get, the more credible it will become. BAcklinking acts as a trust link for your website that enhances the credibility of your page. It refers to linking your website on some other digital platforms, by clicking on which the user gets redirected to your page. The SEO specialist very much uses this technique. All you need to do is convince some other accessible page or website to provide you a backlink on their site. This will redirect their consumers to your page as well. This results in an increase in traffic on the website. Apart from backlinking, focus on branding your page using social media sites to increase its reach among ordinary people. SMM(Social Media Marketing): Social media is a widely used digital media. More than 60% of people in India have access to Facebook. Social media promotion is also an effective way of increasing traffic on your website. You can promote the link of the site on the social media accounts of the company. This will allow consumers to visit that link. Social Media Marketing is the leading marketing tool used by digital marketers to promote their content. Social media marketing is used to build your brand on a large scale.A lot of people in India are highly active on social media sites, and that has given birth to the concept of social media marketing. In social media marketing, you can make your content using social media handles such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. There are two ways of doing it: Free The first and foremost way to do social media marketing is for free. You can simply share your content on your timeline and let your friends and followers access it. Another way of doing it is that you can create a group and share your content there so that all the people in the group are able to access your content. You can also ask your friend to share your content on their timelines so that it can widen its reach. Paid The other way of doing social media marketing is by burning some holes in your pocket. You can run ads of your content on Facebook by spending a few rupees. Also, you can get your content sponsored on Instagram by paying for the advertisements. Apart from it, there are a number of advertising groups available on the Internet that share your content on social media sites and help in increasing your audience.

How to start earning?

You can start earning money while resting on your home using the various earning methods over the Internet by using your Blog. Some of the most popular methods of online earning are: Adsense Adsense marketing is used by Google as it places ads on your page of different websites and pays you for each click. This marketing involves the placing of ads of different kinds on your page to promote another page or product. But your page should have a good audience, and it should be a popular page, then only google uses your page to place ads. You can end up making a good amount of money through this marketing technique. Affiliate Affiliate marketing is one of the most excited yet preferred for earning a handsome amount of money in no time. It refers to the promotion of a particular service, website, or product and adding a new consumer to their list. To get that extra money, you need to bring extra signups on their website. The simple principle of affiliate marketing with web hosting companies is that if they get benefited, they will share the benefits. Sponsored You must have seen a number of pages on Instagram, Facebook, and videos on youtube promoting a different product. That is called sponsored marketing. In sponsored marketing, you get paid for promoting others' content or product in your content. This method is highly practiced on youtube. But to be eligible for sponsored marketing, you need to have a good reach of the audience. You should have a good number of followers and subscribers only, and then you get sponsors.

Summary

This was all about how to start a blog in India 2020 full guide. You can create your Blog and share your creativity with the world. Also, your Blog will bring a lot of earning opportunities if you work on it properly. To promote your Blog, use proper SEO techniques, and see the benefits. The benefits will be all worth the efforts and hard work. I hope this article will answer all your queries. But still, if something is left, feel free to let us know in the comment section. Share the article with your friends and family and let them also learn about valuable digital life because it is the new world of earning and growth. avsTOC();

from Blogger https://ift.tt/3a9BowM via My Channel on YouTube

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kundanlalchauhan · 5 years ago

Text

How to start a blog in India 2020 [Full Guide]

Contents

What Is Blog, Blogging, and Blogger?

Why should you start a blog in India 2020?

Benefits of Blogging?

Start Blog In India In Some Steps:

How to start a blog in India 2020 Full Guide:

Simple steps to Install Wordpress

Keyword Research

The best five sites to get copyright-free images are:

Freerange Unsplash Pexels Flickr Life of Pix

How to get traffic on your Blog?

How to start earning?

Summary

How to start a blog in India 2020 [Full Guide] other via exercisesfatburnig.blogspot.com https://ift.tt/3a9BowM

#other

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