#since i got no faq and probably need to start

[sexybritishllama]

in further neopets discord news, oh boy is there drama in my awful virtual pet game website today. strap in if you want way too much information on neopets’ broken economy

for some context, an event has just launched called the faerie festival. this is the first event to be run by the ‘new’ TNT (aka. the neopets team aka. the staff) since the leadership change, and they've said in recent editorials that this year’s faerie festival is going to be a combo of two previous popular events:

the faerie quest event, wherein people can get a free quest from a faerie every day in exchange for a reward (something that’s normally limited to random special events and therefore quite rare)

the charity corner, a highly requested event that hasn’t run since 2020, where you can donate random items to get points that can then be exchanged in a prize shop

there’s a LOT of ultimately worthless items on neopets that people gather from doing dailies and things, but charity corner actually gave a use to hoarding all of these, so people have wanted it back for ages. people have been going out of their way to hoard extra junk items for like 2 months now, after TNT teased the event in an editorial

this event was originally meant to start on 20th august, but got delayed 2 weeks, presumably because of issues behind the scenes. people were generally a bit disappointed but relieved if this meant they were going to get a proper, well prepared event without bugs

flash forward to 2nd october, the actual start of the event. nothing actually opens up for several hours on the day- that’s somewhat waved off by the fact that staff presumably need to be in the office to launch everything, a midnight launch isn’t expected

but, eventually, it opens!

well… kinda. there’s one page with one dialogue scene available and a link to an event page for spending neocash (the premium currency that costs irl money). the faerie quest page is giving out free daily quests, which is nice, but literally just the same as they did back in 2020. where’s the item recycling part? did this really need 2 weeks of delay?

the next day, the FAQ page for the event is published neopets support site (but not announced via news). still no sign of the actual event starting- seems like that might not be until moday?

as well as multiple grammatical errors, the FAQ had a few… concerning elements. most notably:

only 10 items could be donated per day

points would be awarded based on the rarity of the item, with the maximum rarity being r200-500, worth 15 points each

this meant people's hoarding of junk items for months was... essentially useless

r200-500 items basically means either hidden tower items (rare, expensive items that can only be bought in an account age locked shop with a purchase limit of 1 per day) orrrr….. neocash items. In other words, players could either spend an exorbinate amount of their in-game currency to buy up items to donate, or they could just hand over their credit card and pay to win

people were Not Happy about this

not long after info spread and the outcry started (and a sizeable number of people cancelled their premium membership in protest), the FAQ was quietly updated to remove mention of donating neocash items. that took away to pay to win element at least

however, now there was a new problem. a tombola man problem.

i mentioned already that the highest rarity items are pretty rare and expensive. one of the least expensive of these is an item called the Squeezy Tombola Guy Toy. you can probably see where this is going already

because you can only buy a maximum of one tombola guy per day from the hidden tower, your only option if you want to buy more than that in a day is to go to user shops. however, in light of the event, people had already started buying and hoarding tombola guy toys. equally, others were buying them purely to sell at a profit. this made the perfect storm and caused the price of the tombola guy toy, which was normally 110k NP, to explode up to 500k, 600k, even 700k within just one day

BUT THEN THE FAQ GOT UPDATED AGAIN. surprise, you can now donate 30 items per day! also they just got rid of the highest rarity tier altogether. the maximum you can get for an item is now 8 points, for rarity r102-r179.

this has now made the squeezy tombola guy toys useless. unless you’re a collector they don’t serve any function beyond that of a normal neopets toy (of which there’s thousands of much cheaper options). the price has now plummeted down to BELOW what it originally was and many users now have piles and piles of the dolls sitting in their inventory, mocking them

so what now? well, because no one ever learns, everyone is now flocking to what is now the cheapest high-rarity item eligible for donation. most are going for omelettes, which have a few different options at r102+. these have also inflated by like 400% from before the event, but unlike the squeeze tombola guys, these are only worth a few thousand neopoints, so not as bad a potential loss in comparison

it’s worth noting that while all this is going on in preparation for the recycling event, neopets is also experiencing insane inflation in a lot of other items right now, including those required for people to complete faerie quests. for example, a Griefer, which cost 5000 np just last week, is now worth selling for 1 MILLION

So yeah. 3 days into the event and that’s where we are so far. who knows what tomorrow might bring

[katieaki]

My ✨ post-apocalyptic Lesbian Cowgirl Mailman choose-your-own adventure✨ has just updated! Read it here for free on my Patreon and vote in the poll! Here is a guide to get you started, the summaries of each part of the story thus far, the complete collected text, and FAQ, all in one place. They have everything you need to know about Lou, her requited-but-complicated love, the religious assassin who just beat the tar out of her, the worst person she's ever met, and the ill-advised journey she is on! There is also a discord where Pony Express readers from all across god's green internet can gather, here!

✨Read the update for free on my patreon & vote on what happens next!

✨ Excerpt below the cut.

“If I stay not-dead, it’s gonna be awkward for me, going back and telling my mama that actually, I ain’t as dead as all that, after all,” Lou said. She passed Artie the end of the blanket and Artie pulled it over herself. It was good to have her thighs covered back up. Lou had a hard time not looking at them.

“You don’t have to tell her,” Artie said. “It’s not like she’d know.”

“She’s my mama, Artie,” Lou said. “I can’t just let her go all around, thinking I’m dead.”

“It sounds like she wasn’t much of a mother to you,” Artie said. “You said she’d be happy if you were dead. So let her be happy.”

“I ain’t gonna lie to my mama,” Lou said. 

It was true that, except for the weekly income, her mother’s life wouldn’t change a lick if Lou was dead. She hadn’t seen her in a decade. They didn’t write each other letters. Her mother had never seen her compete, or even practice. Her mother probably hadn’t seen her in the saddle since her father was still leading her around on Partner, except to see her leaving down the dirt road on the two occasions that Lou had visited home. The only way that she knew Lou was moving around was that her return address changed. Not that she used it. When she’d dreamed about her mother– or visited her, she still wasn’t sure– her mother had said that she’d planned to send Lou a birthday card. It would have been the first thing she’d ever sent her. She didn’t know who Lou’s friends were– or, more accurately, that she didn’t have almost any– or if she had any love in her life. She didn’t even have any sad, lingering possessions of Lou’s to deal with. Lou was as good as dead to her, anyway. 

It was strange. None of this was news to her. She’d been bitter and torn up and guilty about it for years. Decades, at that point. But she’d never once considered just stopping. She’d shorted her mother’s money before, which was how she thought of it if she made any purchase that was anything less than absolutely necessary outside of her meager self-appointed allowance. She’d wished nearly constantly that she had been able to save up a little money to make her feel a little safer, but it hadn’t been possible because it had to go to her mother. She’d had weeks where she couldn’t even afford more than a couple of dances with Venus, which was really what she’d been living for before she left Hereafter. Still, throughout all of that, she’d never just thought that she could stop. Her mother would have no way of finding her if she stopped writing between moves, even if she felt compelled to try, which she wouldn’t. Even if she wrote Lou a letter and it got forwarded on, Lou would perfectly honestly be able to say she didn’t know what it said. 

“You wouldn’t even have to lie. Just don’t go out of your way to correct her misconception,” Artie said. She kept jiggling her foot, then forcing herself to stop, before jiggling it again. 

“She’s still my mama,” Lou said. “She brung me into the world. I owe her.”

Artie opened her mouth like she was going to say something, then pressed her lips together again.

[askagamedev]

Doing this on anon for obvious reasons but is there any chance of getting hired as an entry level game dev in 2025? I've been unemployed for nearly two years since graduating from uni and I'm just getting rejection after rejection from game companies. All the posts are looking for senior devs, team leads, or managers. I have friends who've given up on the industry entirely. Is there any hope? Or am I fighting a losing battle here...

In times of economic difficulty or uncertainty, the number of overall jobs decreases because the number of cancellations rises. New studios do start up, but entry level positions are rare since most of the new studios are looking for funding and they need the core senior dev team to build enough of a prototype to sell the idea to the money people. Were I in your place, I would do two things - I would first widen my search to look for work in adjacent fields where I could train my primary skills, and I would secondly do amateur game dev in my spare time to use as experience as I apply for new jobs.

The first approach is to get a game dev adjacent job. If you're an artist, this could mean illustration, commissions, contract work, or whatever else. Engineering could mean working in simulation software, B2B stuff, graphics, user interface, server engineering, and so on. Producers should focus project management positions and the like. Designers are probably the hardest to find something nearby, a UX designer position or maybe working in training/simulation software or casino games would be a decent fit. Regardless what it is you find, find something to earn some money while you try to get the real job you want.

Secondly, work on your own game dev project in your spare time. Create art assets, build gameplay systems, create game content, do stuff to level up and grow your skills. The self-driven project experience will be noticed on your resume when you apply to positions. We hiring managers want to see that kind of stuff on resumes, especially if you can't find a job in the field. We know that finding a job is hard, we won't hold it against you when we're hiring at entry level.

It's important to remember that entry level work has lots of applicants. Luck plays as large a part in the hiring process as the resume and skills. This could mean that the hiring manager has already selected a candidate or has a candidate further along in the interview process than you at the time of application, or that we already have an offer out for someone, or that the project has changed and the position is a ghost job that the recruiters haven't taken down yet. As such, it's a numbers game - the more shots you take, the more likely you'll get a response (especially if you take the time to [optimize your chances]). If you really want to work professionally as a game dev, you need determination to keep going. Find something to pay the bills, keep doing it in your spare time, and update your resume before firing off a fresh round of applications every six months or so.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

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Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[emelinstriker]

FAQ - Eternal Servants AU

This post is mainly just to clarify some bigger questions for newcomers regarding my Lego Monkie Kid AU.

Check DISCLAIMER/CONTENT WARNINGS first if certain topics, such as the Nezha discourse, don't come up here.

This post is subject to be edited and changed. I may add more questions in the future.

Why are the characters' eyes void-black?

It's a sign of their infection having reached a certain point. It shows their personalities have been altered, and part of their memories erased, in a way. Their void-black eyes give them night vision, but are also a lot more sensitive to very bright lights.

Why do they all have a white streak in their hair?

It's the Judge's personal mark on the characters he is in charge of. They're deemed as "his creations", even if he hasn't actually physically created them. He has created and altered them specifically for the board. Characters with already white hair tend to have different signifying marks instead. Such as Ao Lie, who has dark green, fading into void black, claws. Those are the marks of the Guardian. Additionally, these have been present on the Champions before they even got infected.

How would the champions react if (insert clearly happy/sad scenario)?

Pretty sure I don't need to answer this as the answer would be clear. In general, the Champions react to mostly their Master's emotions and strife to make them as happy and comfortable as they can. Sometimes it does depend on the Champion and situation's context. But I've received a lot of asks where the response would pretty much be roughly the same reactions, and I'd rather not have to copy and paste the same response.

Why do the Champions have brandmarks?

Brandmarks, in the world of the species involved with the AU, are seen as honormarks that signify one's rank/status. The species in question is rather brutal and lives on a more raw and primal version of the "survival of the fittest" mentality. With their lack of resistance to heat and fire, they're branded as a way to show their rank or faction. Certain marks give more permissions and rights than others, and some may have obtained multiple marks. Brandmarks for them and the Champions are seen as honormarks, but the lowest ranks may disagree. In ESAU, it's the same concept since the palace has adopted many aspects of that species. Though, the process of obtaining these marks is ironically less painful than what the other species goes through.

When is the AU taking place?

The strange happenings started when the Monkey King vanished after having sealed the Demon Bull King away.

Where are the Lady Bone Demon and the Mayor? Are they behind this?

They're not behind the strange happenings nor do they have any influence on the Champions. There was an idea of adding them in a certain way to tell bonus lore. Though, they probably won't be officially added unless I decide to make a full-fledged story for the AU. Such as a full X Reader (not one-shots) or a comic series. Which was also an idea.

What are the rules set by the Judge? And why have they been put in place?

1: The Master must be fully human. For one, the Reader is the human being behind the screen. On top of that, the soul being used for the Master is the exact same human soul from my old Undertake X Reader books, such as "Castle's Pet". 2: The Master must not have powers/inhumane abilities. Again, the Reader is the human being behind the screen. This rule also serves as a way to balance out the dynamic between the Master and Servants. If they have powers, they're not in any need of powerful servants. That does not mean the Reader can't learn self-defense or use weapons you would see people use in real life. Some Champions even encourage this and would offer to teach their Master self-defense. 3: The Champions must not leave their own world. This rule applies to the canon, not any fanon crossovers that have no impact on the canon stories. It's been put in place to avoid the Master System from breaking. After all, if the Champions suddenly vanished from the board, the Master would be unable to play. On the other hand, the Master may leave the board, as long as the soul borrowed is being kept intact and being returned. 4: Upon the death of a Master, any related individuals to that Master must no longer stay in the palace. This rule is for the sake of the Master System. If a past Master's family or friends were to stay, and the next Master shows up, there would be a clash in storytelling. If a Reader's story as a new Master begins it shall not be 5: It is advised to adhere to the orders of an Overseer. If the Oracle appears with a task for a Champion, there is a reason for it. Be it to benefit the Champions, Master, or the game. Failing to comply may result in the Judge having to personally intervene. Though generally speaking, the Overseers won't intervene unless it's to preserve the Master System and make sure the next Master doesn't have to live with any extreme consequences left by a previous Master.

If a Master has children, what happens to those family members getting kicked out of the palace after the current Master dies?

If the children are from a non-Servant/someone from outside the palace, such as a person the Reader met before meeting their Champions, they can live on as normal. Other than being asked to leave the palace to make way for the next Master and not disturb the System, of course. If they're from a Servant, generally no Overseer would intervene either unless they children are immortal. If they're only mortal, the Champions are free to visit their children, but they must never forget where their priorities lie. If multiple Masters have children with the Champions, they usually don't stick around and visit for more than maybe one or two generations before putting their focus solely on their Master... Not that the chance of survival for the children would even be high enough to live till they're old anyway. The infection would get to the children too, and they're not as resilient as the Champions. If they're immortal and remain alive during the existence of multiple Master, this can clash with the life of future Masters and mess with the System. In such rarer cases, the Judge may appear and deal with the issue at hand himself. We don't go into the details.

How is a new Master selected?

Lore-wise, it's pretty much a randomized process as the Master's soul freely pick where and when to reincarnate. Realistically though, the Master is usually the person behind the screen. The AU allows for anyone behind the screen, no matter their gender, race, religion, sexuality, etc., to be a Master, if they so choose to be. Do keep in mind the unspoken rule of the Champions though. They may be willing to serve their Master no matter how they look like and all that, but that doesn't give the Reader a pass on being a piece of shit towards previous or future Masters. Such as disrespecting the shrine that has trinkets of previous Masters. It holds the exact same meaning as going up to another person and disrespecting them for being different from oneself. The Servants can still just kill their Master, after all. There's no rule saying they can't. There's no need for any big reason either. Being a jerk towards other Masters is all it takes. They can simply wait for the next Master and hope they're better.

[jccatstudios]

SoC Comic Adaptation and General FAQ

General

Who are you?

Hi, I'm Claire (she/they)! I'm currently studying to become a professional comic creator. I love drawing fashion, expressive characters, and anti-hero action.

Where else can I find your work?

You can find all my work on my website! I'm also on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. You can find my fan art under the handle jccatstudios, and my original art under jcscottart (only on Instagram and Twitter).

How can I support your work?

Besides supporting my work through your lovely comments and reblogs, you can help monetarily support me on Ko-Fi. Your support helps fund my college education.

Six of Crows: A Comic Adaptation

Why are you doing this?

Ever since I read the duology, I always thought it would make a great graphic novel series. When my professor encouraged me to start a webcomic, I took the opportunity to make the comic I imagined into reality. I want to see the whole series illustrated through comics one day. If I got the chance to make the official adaptation, that would be one of my biggest dream projects. I'm also using this project as an opportunity to improve my skills before I graduate.

Will you post it on (insert webcomic platform)?

Probably not. Most online comic platforms are meant for scroll format, and I'm making a traditional format comic. Plus, I post on so many sites already, so I think adding another would take too much time out of actually creating the comic.

Will you draw the whole book/series?

I wish I could! Since I'm not doing this full-time or professionally, that's quite unlikely. It would take years to complete it full-time, who knows how long as a hobby. I'd love to add a six-volume SoC graphic novel series to my shelf, but that of course can't be done without some serious backing. I'm currently working on adapting Chapter 3.

Where's Chapter 1: Joost?

I never drew it! I started with Chapter 2: Inej because I wanted to draw the main characters first. The first chapter of the comic is the second chapter of the book. I name the comic chapters after the book chapters just to make it clear which part of the book they correspond to.

Can I repost your art, use your art for layouts/edits, etc?

Yes, you may with visible credit. If you use it for your profile layout, put my handle in your bio. If you're reposting it or using my art for edits/collages, put my handle in the description. As long as it's for personal use, you can use my art. Do not sell copies of my art, use it in merch, or use it for any sort of monetary gain. Do not use my art for prompting or generating images.

Can I use your character designs and headcanons in fanart, fanfic, etc?

Absolutely! Please tag me if you do. I don't need credit since I didn't create any of these characters, but I definitely want to see what you create. :D

How do you make the comic?

The comic is made with mostly traditional methods with some digital editing. I pencil and ink all of the pages on bristol board. I mainly use the G-pen nib for characters and technical pens for the backgrounds. Once I scan the pages, I do light adjustments to the line art and correct any mistakes. The gray tones come from a single sheet of ink wash adjusted to be lighter or darker. The bubbles and lettering are all digital.

If anything else comes up, I'll add it here! Feel free to send me an ask if you have a question that isn't on this post.

[eliotlime]

End of October Update

There's got to be a less clunky way for me to title these things but maybe I'll figure it out after a few posts.

Anyway at the top of the order I want to say that uh... the Abacelsus zine is not happening by halloween unforch.. I just started school part-time and it being part-time is still kicking my ass! So tentative release date will be on 11th November unless something else happens....

On the plus side I'm done with the cover so all that's left is the back page and cramming all 24 pages full of drawings 👍

-> As I've said at the end of my previous post I want to make more blog style posts so here's me trying to do that, more under the cut

🔐Abacelsus Zine

I'm still deciding on whether i want to print it A5 or B5 but I'm leaning towards A5, though for the digital release it doesn't really matter lol

As mentioned, I'm done with the main cover so I just need to fill this entire thing with stuff, I said 24 pages but really the total page count is 30. I'm just not counting the cover and the blurb stuff.

I'm half taking a break with this at the risk of burning myself out and half paralysed with starting it. Plus I've kind of been more into Axl & I-no hilariously but I'll always love A.B.A. I think the lack of any real info really lends her well to interpretation which is always fun.

I've never really been one to engage in fandom so I'm probably going to be doing my own thing. That being said if anyone has any suggestions feel free to drop them in my strawpage or ask box :)

🥤 Strawpage & General Socials

The bugs make my pages so decorative, I gotta draw more bugstyle guys.

Speaking of strawpage, I made one of those! It was really fun, I have a short OC info tab with descriptions of some of my main guys. I'd love for you to check it out.

This kind of acts as my ask box for twitter since there's not one there and apparently it's basically my main social media site these days so I'm just mirroring my experience here over there too.

Hilarious timing considering that it's basically collapsing on itself once again, I'll probably still be on that damn site until it implodes but I also have a Bluesky account for those that care about it.

The sky follower bridge extension is really useful for bulk following people from twitter to bsky

I'd love to post there more but there's not a queue function and that's very important to me as someone who is not American and lazy to remember optimal timings.

Did you see? I also have a new pinned for this blog! Wanted to make a new one for a while now, always thought the old one was so freaking long. All the old info is still on my about and faq page though I don't know who actually looks at those.. a relic from years past..

☹ School

Sigh, like I mentioned earlier I'm doing school again! At my big age, but I'm having fun so far! It's part-time but it's still kicking my fucking ass! It's the main reason why I'm a little disoriented this month honestly.

Do you like it? I spent an entire Sunday making my class miro board look niceys and then proceeded to get nauseous from cybersickness afterwards LOL

I'm doing a UI/UX course and I have to say the funnest part about it is making personas, it's like making OCs. Don't particularly like writing though.. but also that's a lie considering the numerous amount of paragraphs in this blog post alone haha

🎁 Merch

I've also gotten confirmation that I'll be boothing again next year in Febuary! So I gotta start locking into making more stickers and general merch. I say this a lot but I do need to look into opening an online store because I just have tonnes of stickers and stuff lying around waiting till the next time I do a convention which is kind of a shame.

Oh, but I will say that if you are from Singapore and would like anything from my previous convention catalogue feel free to shoot me a DM on instagram and I can mail it to you locally, shipping's $2 SGD.

➰Closing Thoughts

All in all, been kind of busy this month with school and various loose threads from September but overall I think I'm doing better! I've also been cooking lately and truthfully that's my biggest achievement this month haha, been also getting really into canned fish. Yummy!

Oh and a last thing is that I've been itching to animate again so I'll end this post with a WIP of a gif I did last night/morning. I almost always never finish my animations but here's hoping this one actually makes it to the colouring stage haha

No prizes to anyone who can guess who these two because of course.

Thank you for reading! I know I can't expect everything to be done in a single month but I just wish I could do everything without getting tired or cybersick! If you'd like to support me, here's my ko-fi page and my itchi.io & gumroad as well.

If you have any questions or just generally want to talk to me, my DMs and askbox is always open! Any professional enquires can be sent towards my email as well: eliotlime@gmail.com

XOXO, Stay weird!

-Eliot :)

[polyamorousmood]

Some remarks on sending in asks to this blog:

No, you don't have to read this whole thing before you send in an ask. This is for people who are confused or anxious. It's going to be linked to whenever I finally break down and make a pinned post for this blog. I'll update this with anything new.

I am not a messiah, prophet, or buddha. I think my opinions are top-notch, but I'm not handing down the word of any god🛐.

I always want to hear poly positivity and success stories! 😍 Even if I've heard it before it warms my heart please please please

📬"ask box is always open" means only that. It does not mean asks will always get answered (though I do my best). I reserve the right to delete any ask without comment.

There are no rules on what you can/cannot ask, but if your question is vague, already in the FAQ (below), I don't have anything useful to say about it, just plain mean, or otherwise something I don't want to answer, I probably won't.

This means you CAN ask things in the FAQ, you just probably won't get a new answer unless you show me how the FAQ answer doesn't apply.

If you want to be a bro to me, try searching/checking the tag for your topic before asking. I try to use tags and make it navigable. Tumblr tries not to, as we all know, so I don't blame anyone for not being able to find something. Don't sweat it

If you don't want your ask flagged as too vague, give details! I can only work with what I got. "How do I talk to my partner about X?" ❌I've already answered that, too vague for me to give a new answer. "I try to talk to my partner about X, but they keep getting hung up on Y, even though they said they were working on it. I've tried A and B, but Y keeps coming up. I can't try C because that is a major trigger for their anxiety. Its been 5 months. Do you have anything else that might help?" ✅Well now I might have something for you.

I regularly sit on asks for days or even weeks. I have a job and hobbies and multiple romantic relationships to maintain here 😅

If you're a repeat anon asker, pick an emoji to sign your asks with so I can know who I'm talking to! I like friends, I don't like calling everyone "anon"

You don't gotta justify previously held opinions. You saying you have since changed your mind is enough to prove you don't think that anymore. You dont have to say "i was young and no one told me and--" its fine. I'm not that judgemental.

FAQ:

"How do I talk to my partner about [insert your problem here]?"

"How do I handle insecurity/jealousy?" start here, read this and probably this oh and also this one I guess

"I have a crush on the wrong person, what do I do?" See here, or check this tag

Any advice on how to start doing polyamory? Assuming you're already dating one person, there's a whole tag for that

"Should I break up with them?" -> yeah, probably. If not that, at the very least you need to have a serious talk and lay down some rules: draw your line in the sand and stick to it. It always boils down to that.

"I'm in a One Penis Policy and I don't like that" This one has two read mores. Open them both.

"Am I poly?" Probably, but there's a tag for that if you want

"Can I call myself poly if--" you can do whatever you want forever.

"I still feel guilty about being polyamorous. Any advice?"

Why are all your answers so fucking LONG? because you deserve a thorough answer

"Are you the motherfucker that made an excel sheet of polyamorous songs?" I am💗 and if you're good at identifying music genres and want to help me with that please DM because I'm bad at that and want to improve the list

"Is there a word for [X]?"/"What does [X] mean?" poly vocab tag

[operationmorewhitecollar]

Shall we play a game?

Nope, not chess or Parchisi. And not even global thermonuclear war. (If you get that reference, you might just be as old as we are!) But no, none of those games are where we're headed. This year, we're hosting a good old-fashioned game of bingo!

That's right, since we're almost two weeks into the new year, we thought it might be time to roll out our new creative challenge, which will continue throughout 2024.

As always, we're in the market for any and all fan creations centered on White Collar, and this year, we're providing prompts in the form of mini bingo cards, with new prompt cards coming out quarterly. (Jan, April, July, October) If you want to play, just let us know (comment here, dm, however you want to get in touch), and we'll get you a card so you can get started!

Some details:

When we say "any and all fan creations," we mean it--let your creativity run wild and make whatever you want to make! Draw, write, paint, record a podcast, shoot a video, whatever your creative preference.

We're using a 4x4 card format, and there is a FREE space, so that means a total of 15 prompts for three months. Complete a line of prompts, get a bingo; complete the whole card during the quarter, and that, dear friends, is a blackout!

Much like our drabble prompts, the bingo prompts are pretty broad, and many (maybe most?) are only one word. They run the gamut from theme words to genre to story length and beyond. (Not to worry if you're making art or some other non-written creations; we've got provisions for swapping prompts.)

Prompts were randomized to create the cards, and the card numbers were randomized to create the distribution order, so the prompts you end up with are strictly luck.

Okay, that's probably the most important stuff to know, except, of course, that we hope lots of you will join in and that everyone has tons of fun creating new White Collar stuff, because we're sure going to have fun seeing whatever you make!

So whenever you're ready, shall we play a game?

(We'll put a few more detailed FAQ items below the cut, but if you've got questions we didn't think of, just let us know and we'll make up an answer.😉)

Q: What can my entries be? A: Any type of creation you choose. fic, art, blog post, essay, cross-stitch, we're not picky. Interpret the prompts any way you like, in any genre, any relationship, any rating, any characters, you get the idea. (Unless, of course, the prompt is more specific.) As long as it's White Collar, it's fair game.

Q: Where do we share our work/how will you know we made something or got a bingo? A: First, put your creations somewhere we can see them! There'll be a collection on AO3 where most types of work can be shared. (We're debating if it's better to have just one collection for the year or one for each quarter; if you've got any opinions on that, feel free to weigh in.) If you're sharing here or on other socials, be sure to @ us, and use #WhiteCollarBingo. But, while we'll be doing our best to keep up, we're hoping there will be so many entries we'll lose track, so definitely tell us if you completed a bingo!

Q: Can I make one story/picture/video/etc. for the whole card? A: You may use as many prompts as you like in each entry, but only 2 prompts per line may be counted toward a bingo. (So you will need at least two entries to achieve a single bingo, and though we may have miscounted, we think that means at least ten entries to make a blackout.)

Q: Are crossovers allowed? A: Yes (and may even be a prompt!), but White Collar should obviously be prevalent in your work.

Q: How long do I have to complete my entries? A: We'll be issuing new cards each quarter (Jan-March, April-June, July-Sept, Oct-December), and in a perfect world, we'd like to receive entries within that quarter. But you know we've never been sticklers for schedules, and the point is to encourage more White Collar creations, so we'll be glad to get them whenever you finish.

Q: What do I win when I bingo? A: Bragging rights, and your name on our (soon to be created) bingo accomplishments page.

Q: What if there are some prompts I really don't want to use, but I want to try for blackout? A: We will provide a max of two alternate prompts. (This max does not apply if you're making non-written creations and somehow ended up with a card full of writing-centric prompts.)

Q: What if I just can't work with the card I receive at all? A: We'll exchange your card one time. Part of the fun is stretching our creative muscles.

Q: If I exchange my card, will any previous entries count toward bingo on my new card? A: Nope. It's a fresh slate, so examine your card when you get it to decide if it works for you.

Q: If I complete my card, can I have another? A: Yep, and we'd be very impressed! (and happy!)

Q: Where did these prompts come from? A: Many suggestions from our followers, and we've been hunting and gathering, too. But we want to have lots of variety as the year rolls along, so please keep those suggestions rolling in.

Q: Can something I made for another challenge count toward a bingo prompt/Can I submit my work to more than one collection or challenge? A: As long as it's new work, and if the other challenge doesn't ask for exclusivity, bring it on! And frankly, we'd love to see more White Collar activity in multi-fandom spaces. Also, we'll surely be hosting other events throughout the year (at least Mozzie Mania and Caffrey-Burke Day), and you can certainly use a bingo prompt for any of those challenges as well.

[spookystarfishzombie]

Just a little 'hello & welcome to my blog' post.

Most people have a pinned introduction post & I thought I should probably get on that. This will also double up as a FAQ post too.

Also, if you wanna buy me tea, you can -> (green tea of course)

First & foremost: FREE PALESTINE! I won't hear any different, go argue with a wall (no it's not performative, as I have been accused of in the past (all because I criticised actors/singers/etc.), I've attended marches, signed petitions, written to my local MPs, attended meetings & help set up fund raising events, so fuck off with your 'performative activism' buzz words, I'm not here for it).

As I run a Stranger Things page, it's worth noting that I do not support the zi0nists/pro-isr*el folks in the show, most notably No*h Schnapp (tagged as 'he who shall not be named (you can blame his stans for that tag)) & Br*tt Gelman (tagged as 'the other 'he who shall not be named''. I honestly think he's downright insane). If you're one of these people that downplays what was said & done by them then this page probably isn't for you. And since some children in the fandom can't tell the difference between criticism and hatred/being an anti, I don't hate these people (well maybe Gelman because he's actively causing my community a terrible reputation), I just hope that through education & compassion they see how wrong & hurtful their words/actions have been.

Thankfully, I've been educated my whole life about isr*el through the Holocaust legacy we have in our family, my great-grandmother having survived it & actively fought against the idea of isr*el, how it's just going end up brainwashing so many youths into thinking they can just turf indigenous people from their literal homes. I've unfortunately been to isr*el when I was a child because my dead beat father seemed to think it was a good idea, even if my beloved great-grandmother pleaded with him not to. Luckily my mom did the right thing & left him & my step-father has been great. He used to blindly support isr*el until he finally educated himself & has felt terrible that this was his mindset for so long. Change can happen, but you need to detangle yourself from isr*el's cluthes & realise that it's more important to protect the real indigenous people of Palestine. Listen to the Rabbi's out in the streets, protesting. Listen to the Jewish Community when we tell you that Zi0nism is a dangerous thing that has weaponised Judaism & played the victim to use as a shield ... okay that got heavy. Moving on!!!!!

Secondly, Hi, I'm Kay (she/her), I'm a veteran of Tumblr, unfortunately. I love watching films, I love to draw, read & have green fingers, yes I'm a plant mama, I just love plants. My prized plant is my monstera because she started off so small & now she's doubled in size. So happy! I also put the B in LGBTQ, I'm very proud of the bi community & love being part of it (biphobes, especially within the queer community, are truly baffling to me - so take your biphobia elsewhere, or better yet, you know, educate yourself? It's not a hard thing to do). I also have crippling anxiety & I'm irritatingly shy, I wish I wasn't but I've always been shy, so if you want to talk to me, you're going to have to be the one to reach out otherwise I'm radio silent (I'm working on it). I'm an adult, so if you're a minor, sorry, I won't be forging friendships. But you're awsome, just know that!

I used to have Texts From Last Night (TFLN) blog for Stranger Things a few years back that was basically the same as this blog (except back then I had thousands of followers *sigh*). I deleted it because a) people were annoying about it, b) people didn't seem to understand that this wasn't to be taken seriously & c) I got chased off the site because apparently labelling Mike as bi was a death sentence. I said fuck it, & deleted. I started it around when season 2 came out & deleted just before season 4. But I'm hoping the fandom is a little more mature now & I can start up with a fresh, new Stranger Things TFLN blog again, mainly because I miss making edits. Making edits helps take my focus off my anxiety. Yay anxiety.

I take texts from the site Texts From Last Night (it's no longer being maintained, unfortunately), then I take screencaps from my own laptop or from a site called screencapped, then throw it altogether (if you want to look at the site for yourself, just a trigger warning, some of the texts are either gross or bigoted - so just a heads up, I obviously filter out those ones from my blog, I don't want that on here).

I do sometimes edit the original TFLN to fit the screencap, so if the original TFLN mentions a name, I'll change the name to say, for example, Lucas or Nancy. I'll change it if it includes ages & place names too, just to fit with Stranger Things. I also sometimes add my own Text to make it flow smoother, for example this one with Steve & Eddie (the post), the original TFLN only had the 'Eddie' part but I didn't think it flowed well, so I made up a 'Steve' text with a made up area code, so it made more sense that 'Eddie' was responding to 'Steve' rather than just having it as a stand alone text (I really over-complicate my descriptions, huh?).

The numbers on the posts are area codes, & the texts aren't colour coded, I just use what ever colour stands out against the background. I also don't do it by ships; I'll find a text that I think is funny & find a screencap that roughly matches up, so please don't request ship/character posts. I'll maybe do submissions at a later date, where you can send in your funny texts but right now, I'm just making my way through the TFLN site.

Not a particularly interesting introduction post but there you go. I ain't got much to say, I guess. But I will say thanks for your support so far on here, you guys seem to be enjoying the posts & that's all that really matters. Much love!

Kay

x

[yeniel]

Emperor Auguste

Just noticed, I never really did a faq. So, I'm not really a "communicant" (does that word exist?!) but I'll try the exercise with the questions people asked me.

Present yourself I'm an artist from France, always was and always will. I'm catholics, no proselytism everyone is my brother, but if you're from a sect, you can take the back door to hell.

How do you work? I do all my drawings by hand, then I chose the ones I like the most -not especially the best ones- and I clean them. Then scan it and put digital colors on it, I only publish online a very small amount of my drawings though. I do the same with my paintings, but I rarely put them online. I usually compile all the drawings I did into books for professional printing to keep a trace of everything I did for my "old" days and my after death heirs. I'm drawing a lot of comics too, but the amount of it is too big to scan it -_-.

Do you use a tablet? No. I never was at ease with it, maybe it's because I'm an Asperger, but I need to feel the paper under my hands and have "full-control" of what I'm doing. Plus, because of the disease, I have a paresthesis on the right side of my body. It's ok now, but there are many stuff I can't do with the right hand, including the work with a graphic tablet, and usually you need dexterity with your both hands for this thing. So, mouse!

What program do you use? My old Photoshop cs2!!! No really I tried the x9 and never got use to it, and some other softwares but NO. I have my habits. I really think it doesn't matter which software you're using as long as you feel good with it.

Do you use android apps? Nope, I know I'm not fun, but the reasons are the same.

What are your inspiration? Before drawing into this "style", I was looking for one that could fit me, and as I was a huge fan of the Escaflowne anime, I started with that. Then I don't know, I didn't read a lot of mangas in my life when I think of it, but I enjoyed Kaori Yuki and Shiori Teshirogi's books. Now I rarely read it anymore. It happened a lot of times for people to send me the list of all the mangas they like, but I didn't know a huge part of the titles xd. For the colors, I just like it that way -u-.

Did you think of stopping to draw? I won't explain too much my disease, but I nearly died. So drawing as a pro was my last thought you know. Drawing is a passion for me, I just don't care if I'm popular or not, I just enjoy to draw. Of course when people are buying my books I'm happy, but I'm happy as well to have done it and maybe will do others in the future. It's a revenge on all that this disease stole from me.

You're drawing since long, how old are you? Young one you're impolite, in France, you don't ask a lady about her age!! But I'm probably older enough to be your mom ahahah!

[voxasks]

Hi hi 👋! First off, could I be tagged when ur inbox is open, and two! I started my own ask blog a while ago but still haven’t received any asks. Can I get advice on how to make myself more of a pro? Or smth like that 😅

(  HEYYY  OMG  I'M  SO  GLAD  YOU  ASKED!  i'll  be  answering  this  ooc  because  ...  well,  vox  won't  be  helpful  about  this,  haha!  AND OF COURSE I’LL TAG YOU ! )

    1st   :   get  your  friends  to  send  you  asks!

you'll  need  posts  for  people  to  see  your  blog  and  follow  you,  so  to  get  started  i  highly  suggest  asking  your  friends  to  send  you  questions,  and  bonus  if  they're  interesting  ones!  depends  on  which  fandom  your  muse  is  from  but  just  for  example's  sake,  an  interesting  question  would  be  on  characters'  backstories  as  there  are  many  hazbin  characters  without  a  confirmed  backstory  yet,  so  it  would  be  interesting  to  see  your  take  on  the  character  in  that  specific  angle!

    2nd   :   doll  your  blog  up!

this  is  genuinely  based  off  of  experience,  but  if  your  blog  looks  pretty  and  organized,  people  will  definitely  flock  towards  it  more!  it  might  just  be  an  aesthetic  but  it  really  does  go  a  long  way,  because  at  the  very  start  i  didn't  even  have  any  graphics  in  my  intro  post  and  i  realized  activity  went  up  as  soon  as  i  did  make  a  graphic  and  improved  the  quality  of  vox's  reactions.  if  you  need  help  on  where  to  start,  @hellishradio  has  a  tutorial  on  their  faq  on  how  he  does  his  graphics  for  alastor's  reactions  and  i  personally  use  canva  for  my  own!

    3rd   :   consume/analyze  canon  media  of  your  muse!

your  portrayal  of  your  muse  is  half  of  the  appeal  of  your  askblog!  people  will  stay  on  if  they  find  your  portrayal  is  accurate  to  canon  or  agrees  with  their  idea  of  canon.  of  course,  since  your  running  the  askblog  it  also  should  agree  with  how  you  think  your  muse  should  be  portrayed!  and  of  course  the  best  way  to  answer  asks  the  way  your  muse  would  is  to  study  them  in  that  way  as  well.  ironic  as  it  sounds,  i  actually  really  hated  vox  when  i  first  started  this  blog  meaning  i  didn't  really  care  for  his  scenes—now,  i've  replayed  his  scenes  over  and  over  to  the  point  that  i  can  recite  probably  80%  of  his  lines.  i  even  did  impressions  of  him  and  spoke  in  his  voice  every  time  i  would  type  out  a  response  just  to  be  sure  that  the  things  i  typed  were  things  he  would  actually  say  HAHA  OMG  yeah  but  these  are  just  fun  little  suggestions  to  help  with  your  portrayal!

    4th   :   this  is  important;  if  your  muse  calls  for  it,  don’t  be  afraid  to  be  mean.

obviously  there  are  things  you  can’t and shouldn’t  say,  but  this  was  something  i  was  very  scared  about  when  i  first  started  roleplaying  vox.  you  can  skip  this  if  you’re  playing  someone  agreeable  but  i  thought  this  was  worth  saying  because  i  know  how  daunting  it  is  to  be  mean,  but  believe  me  when  i  say  it  makes  the  biggest  difference,  especially  when  portraying  someone  from  hazbin  hotel.  there  are  a  number  of  characters  besides  vox  (e.g.  velvette,  valentino,  adam)  who’s  insults  are  part  of  their  characterization,  so  definitely  do  not  be  afraid  to  be  mean  if  your  muse  is  naturally  a  mean  person! i think specifying that you’re only playing a character and that all of it is for fun also helps with the nerves!

    5th   :   reply  to  others’  askblog  responses.

it  also  serves  as  a  really  fun  way  to  have  short  interactions  with  others  in  the  fandom  and  a  really  cool  way  to  make  roleplaying  friends  and  mutuals!  it’s  basically  how  i  got  to  be  affiliated  with  the  blogs  in  my  intro  post,  and  of  course  people  from  that  person’s  askblog  will  check  yours  out  too!

    6th   :   an  honorable  mention;  try  to  make  funny  responses  if  and  only  if  you  can!

i  won’t  push  this  point  as  strongly  as  the  rest  because  i  understand  it  also  depends  on  how  your  muse  is  in  canon,  but  i  thought  it  was  worth  mentioning  anyway  because  it’s  what  personally  really  helped  my  blog.  (if  you’ve  been  here  since  the  ‘hdmi  cable’  response,  i  love  you  so  much  thank  you)  i  think  it  goes  without  saying  that  people  remember  funny  responses  more  than  others,  and  with  that  comes  a  smidge  of  extra  entertainment  for  them,  which  will  draw  them  to  your  blog! 

(  i  really  hope  this  helped!!!  thank  you  so  much  again  for  this  question  i  had  so  much  fun  answering  it!  once  again,  hellishradio  also  made  a  similar  post  on  their  faq  if  you  wanna  check  out  their  tips!  )

[divineerdrick]

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Changes for June 20, 2024

Despite multiple balance passes, Codex Space Marine Chapters have struggled throughout most of the edition. The reason for this is unfortunate and frustrating. While their traitor cousins have been diversifying with individual books for their most distinct Legions and plentiful rules for combined arms, loyalist Space Marines have been being slowly homogenized under one book from the original four books they started with. In addition to the lack of diversity and the need for many Space Marine players to buy two books, this creates an issue where any balance changes made to Codex Space Marines effects all Space Marines. If something gets buffed and Blood Angels, Space Wolves, or Black Templars can take advantage of it, then they get even stronger. But if something gets nerfed and there's nothing that helps Codex compliant Chapters, Deathwatch, or Dark Angels, then they get hurt even more. The end result is you have top and bottom factions all coming from the same book.

This will be most focused on Codex Compliant Chapters. I'm not going to make too many predictions as to how this will affect the other Chapters, though it's somewhat inevitable. But this book is just too deep and too complex to make really solid predictions without spending way more time than I'm currently capable of.

Ironstorm Spearhead

Ironstorm has been one of the top detachments in Codex Space Marines since release. It's powerful enough that Black Templars players started switching from their core Detachment to using Ironstorm to synergize with their special versions of all the Primaris vehicles. The sad thing is that for all the power in this detachment, it hasn't been enough for Iron Hands players to see much success with it. Even Ultramarines players struggle, and usually take Vanguard instead. Still, its dominance as a detachment has apparently triggered nerfs.

Target Augury Web

Originally an aura that granted Lethal Hits to vehicles, your Techmarine will now have to pick a single vehicle to benefit. No more squadrons of Vehicles pumping out Lethals.

Master of Machine War

This enhancement gets the same treatment. You now have to select a single vehicle to benefit from the Advance and Fallback and Shoot. While squadrons of Primaris tanks, with their crazy amounts of shots, getting Lethals was definitely a thing, this is the one that probably matters more. Templar players running multiple vehicles up the board to get into melta range was very much a thematic and powerful strategy. Again, it just sucks that every other Space Marine players has to bear the nerf too.

Mercy Is Weakness

Sustained Hits 1 and Crit 5 on vehicles is pretty mean. Combo'd with Lethal Hits and this can get devastating. I'm not really a fan of abilities that target damaged units or trigger off of being damaged. But Strats are a great place for them. This one makes an excellent knockout punch. At 2CP though, I think you're only using this when you can get off the full combo, and probably not when you've got targets of opportunity.

Impulsors and Repulsors

As mentioned in the WarCom article, Space Marines are getting the first pass for being able to put full units in their vehicles. Well, unless you count Ghaz and company finally being able to properly ride in a Battlewagon. This is a small but potentially meaningful change and the only buff Space Marines are getting in the Dataslate.

Errata and FAQ

Our first change is that non-complaint Chapters now work in reverse. Black Templars can no longer take psykers or the non-Templar variants of their vehicles. Space Wolves can no longer take Apothecaries, Devastators, or Tactical Squads. And finally Deathwatch can no longer take Devastators, Scouts, or Tactical Squads. The real nerfs here are to Templars. Space Wolves don't care about Devastators or Tactical Squads, but Apothecaries are definitely useful. Similarly, taking Scouts away from Deathwatch, though canonically accurate, also hurts.

This really just typifies what I was talking about above. Black Templars being able to bring up to six of a vehicle needed to be reigned in, and Space Wolves are currently the top performing Chapter. But the last thing Deathwatch needed was to have Scouts taken away. It's honestly kind of kicking them while they're down, even if it matches the lore.

Master of Deceit has now been re-written to match the new timing on redeploys. Then we get a little buff I can't help but laugh at. I'm sorry, I just find giving the Reiver Lieutenant a little bit more kick on their bolt pistol funny.

For FAQs we get the repeated assertion on just how few rules can be used from Transports, even with Firing Deck. We see the Persisting Rules again, this time for Oath of Moment, as well as more confirmation on targeting units in Reserves. Finally we get confirmation that Auras from Impulsors don't stack, while Banners do not create a named buff and so they do.

Points Changes

For points changes, the Gladiator Reaper and Valiant have been nerfed to match the Lancer, just as we saw with Templars. As with Grey Knights, the Land Raider Crusader has been buffed while the Redeemer finally gets an appropriate nerf. The Repulsor gets a little 10 pts buff, while the Storm Raven gets nerfed a further 20 pts. Finally, to match their reduced utility, Master of Machine War and Target Augury Web both get a 10 pts buff.

I'm gonna be honest, this is pretty bad news. The Chapter that will be least affected by this are the Space Wolves, who are already in a pretty good position. They only occasionally used Apothecaries and they mostly rely on Vanguard and Stormlance. Templars are probably hurt the most out of this, since they've made such deadly use of Ironstorm and the extra vehicles. But they'll either go back to their Index detachment or just switch to Vanguard. All other Space Marines don't benefit from suddenly having one of their Detachments substantially weakened. Again, I weep for the few Iron Hands players that were using Ironstorm to represent their faction. But most players were using Ultramarines in Vanguard, so this won't effect them too much. Probably the biggest hit to them is the nerf to the Redeemer. The best thing that can be said is this might start to bring the balance between the chapters into a better place, thus letting GW buff things more freely. But that's just a possibility for the future. For now, it's not a good day to serve the Emperor.

[askagamedev]

With the announcement of the Switch 2 I was wondering how do games for an older version of a console work on a newer version of the same console? Will they run better from the start or do the devs have to go back and update or unlock something for it to work better?

It depends on how they go to the new platform. There are two main ways of doing this - porting the game project to the new platform or emulating the old game on the new platform.

Porting the game basically means taking the old code and assets and making them run on the new hardware. This involves getting the old game running natively (i.e. the game itself compiles, links, and runs) on the Switch 2. This is usually the choice for newer games and projects - stuff that's more recent usually doesn't rely on obsolete tools or a workflow that is no longer supported. Since we can still use the tools that the game was built with, we (or some contracting studio) can get it working on the new hardware.

Emulating the game means building a virtual machine around the original game that pretends to be the original hardware and modifies the inputs and outputs to and from the game. Emulation is typically done when the game development workflow is no longer feasible - e.g. the game was built with ancient tools on ancient hardware that is no longer supported anywhere. Because we can't modify the original game, we need to build a box around it that we can modify and run the original game within that box. [Click Here] for an an older post that goes into more depth about how virtual machines and emulation work.

The decision on whether to port or emulate is typically driven by what is easiest and most cost-effective. Porting is usually preferred to emulation if available, because it means that the porting team has access to tools, assets, and possibly even the original dev team to answer questions. Emulation means that any gameplay changes tend to be very difficult since rebuilding the original game is probably unfeasible.

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[monards]

so i played symbiosis.

now tell me

1. what do you think happens after the game ends in the basement.

2. what are your headcannon ideas for more endings and/or a ‘true’ one?

3. why exactly is his nickname mint. how is he invasive!! and he isn’t used as a spice either!!! (or is he? a flavouring in magnolia’s sad lonely life)

ommg hihihi!!! I'm so glad you played!!!!! so sorry this is a bit of a late response,, i really had to think about these questions. also very sorry because i actually rambled an insurmountable amount for this,, LMAO. ok brace yourself, hereee we go (adding the keep reading thing because i dont need to be flooding innocent people's home page with this.)

// Honestly,, I dont have a like, huge idea of what happened after that ending (mostly because of the lack of context around a lot of the stuff, and boy do i need context to function!!!) but I think there's a lot of ways the ending in the basement could've technically gone after the cut off depending on how you interpret Mint at that point. We know Mint was always aware of what Magnolia did, as he mentions in his diary entry; but what happened next REALLY depends on how he copes with that as he grew up. Dove obviously got him into school, or some sort of formal education; where he'd then learn about 'right and wrong' which, as far as education systems go; tends to be VERY black and white. Meaning they'd likely respond with full conviction that Magnolia's actions were wrong and completely unjustifiable. So under the situation he had followed and grown into that line of thinking afterwards, there's no doubt he'd probably not have the most happy reaction to seeing Magnolia again,, butttt on the other hand, and what i believe to be the case a LOT more; he grew up being taught that people do what they do for a reason. Magnolia taught him to always do stuff for himself, because more often than not, what's 'right' isn't always the best for you; and it's okay to go against what's commonly known as the 'right thing to do' for that reason!! He'd likely grown aware at some point that most if not everything Magnolia had done while he lived with her, was for him to live. She murdered people because she needed blood to feed him; she hid them deep in the forest because she didn't want to be arrested and risk anything happening to mint, in the case he got into the wrong hands; and OBVIOUSLY it's a bit hard to completely disregard that line of thinking after so many years,, even if that line of thinking may of been a bit altered in him learning about what magnolia had really done to people, and her effect on others. So I could totally believe him just breaking down the moment he saw her again; knowing everything he'd know as of that point He's also, like, the biggest mama's boy i've ever seen in media; so I wouldn't put it past him if, upon seeing Magnolia again, he really did get emotional and just sorta started crying. Because old habits die hard.

// To be completely honest, I think knowing magnolia; both endings worked perfectly well in their own ways!! We know Magnolia really did love Mint, and her different responses to that love is really shown well in both endings :) Ending A obviously shows her wanting to give mint a better future. Just as it's acknowledged in the FAQ, she is a very horrible person; since she's. yknow. a fugitive and mass murderer. But she willingly puts herself at risk of being arrested, and presumably leaves dove who she clearly still loved on some level to likely die after stealing her gun, because she knows that as things were going, she'd never be able to provide Mint the life he deserves. And If anything, Magnolia clearly doesn't want to be as her parents were to her, to Mint. But Ending B is just as good in the regard that it shows the concept of Magnolia not being good for others, and that despite her best efforts; she almost always sours her relationships with those she loves (which is so, so, so great of an idea when you tie it in with 'symbiosis' as the title LMAO) No offense to Magnolia,, but she's like, almost pathetically horrible at conveying her feelings and emotions in any context. She was already blunt and mean in college without much provocation, and she never seemed to show her love for Dove *that* clearly (i mean,, we saw her smile once but that was in their wedding photo. cmon) so Ending B does great at reminding us,, 'hey,, she's still the same no matter what.' At least in this case we know she loves mint, but did mint even know that? By the time he's grown up, he looks just like magnolia did at that age; straight faced, apathetic looking in most cases, and generally not good at conveying anything but negative emotions. And we know for magnolia,, all of that emotion for her was a result of how she grew up (because i REALLY doubt she'd be this cynical and miserable if her parents weren't assholes, no hate) ; so it does so great to show that no matter Magnolia's best efforts, she was really never going to be as good as she wanted to be, because that's just the way she is, that's her effect on others.

// Honestly,, I always just interpreted his name as the sort of tie and relationship between him and Magnolia; and how their connection and effect on each other is far different from her previous one relationship and connect to Dove !!!! Doves, as a whole, are separate from Magnolias (as in the plant species,) because Doves are birds. And that same line of thought carries over to the characters too!!-- Dove had a freedom Magnolia didn't by being able to express herself and show her compassion and emotions without much complication; but though she changed Magnolia in her interactions with her- as we see magnolia was clearly more expressive, and emotionally available with her- she would have never have a permeant effect on her, because anything a bird can manage to do to a Magnolia tree has very temporary effects. (Hence the game's title "symbiosis" ; the interaction and relationship between two organisms !!! ) But Mint is also a 'plant' , (in this context, figuratively and literally ) So in some ways, he's just like Magnolia in that regard, since they're the same 'species' ; in this case being the way they're both 'irregular' and different from those around them. But just like you noted; mint is invasive. The plant itself can permanently alter the area and environment around it and it's generally very hard to get rid, leaving lasting impact. The moment Mint became a part of Magnolia's life, her life was permanently changed. We see she became far more empathetic than before, and her drive for what she did was no longer purely for knowledge, but compassion; and in both endings she so clearly does what she does under the context of her love for him!! And, in the basement ending (Ending B) despite all the time that had passed, she still seems to have those far more 'open' qualities coming about when it comes to him!!; cue her being so much more positively expressive and welcoming upon seeing him, compared to her reunion with dove. so for the most part, that's what i headcanon as the background for his nickname as'mint' !!!! :))

i had soso much fun answering these,, thank you so much kshkshks!!!!!! 💜💜

[arielmagicesi]

Briefly back on Tumblr explanation

Hi everyone,

I haven't been on Tumblr since last autumn because I haven't been on any social media. I am not staying back here on Tumblr permanently, but I am logged back in briefly in order to:

a) clean up anything necessary for potential future employers who somehow find my Tumblr

b) go through my likes and tags to find anything I saved, like recipes or lifehacks or book recs (and reblogging all the posts I wanted to reblog)

c) reconnect with my beloved mutuals and friends from here and find ways for us to communicate that are not Tumblr, Twitter, or Instagram

FAQs section:

How long are you staying? As long as it takes me to complete the above tasks. However, I will be avoiding scrolling down my dashboard as much as possible, and trying to stick only to the above tasks, so I may miss out on any posts you make.

Why are you leaving Tumblr? It's complicated, and I don't want to get into why right now (in order to avoid any random user who stumbles across this post deciding to start discourse with me while I'm trying to just sort through recipes and shit). I'll leave a longer explanation here before I log off for good. SHORT ANSWER: Social media is really, really bad for my mental health, and I'm trying to not do things that are bad for my mental health.

Are you OK in real life? Yes, I'm fine. I have a good support network, I finally got a full-time teaching job, and there's no immediate personal crises or whatever.

How do I know whether I count as a beloved mutual or friend or whatever? I'm gonna reach out to some of you, but if you want to stay in touch, please feel free to just message me or reply to this post. If I know you (aka, you're not a random stranger or bot I've never met) (and also, if you changed your URL a bunch, you may need to remind me who you are lol), I'll probably be down to stay in touch. If you feel uncomfortable messaging me but you still want to stay in touch in some way, my AO3 (same user name) still exists and I still check it and if I ever write another fic, I'll post it there.

What's going to happen to your existing posts? The whole blog as it is will stay up. My account will still exist. I just won't be logged in.

Any other questions: Put them in my ask box or messages, I'm happy to answer them.

[impishjesters]

FAQ

This will gradually get updated over time no doubt, so feel free to check back whenever to see if anything new has been added.

Can we get part 2 of Aggression Distraction?

Aggression Distraction is turning into a series! So unlikely an immediate follow-up to that writing, but there will be more with that universe. I mentioned in a post a while back about my interest and so far the response has been very positive. I’ve sorta got a rough draft planning but it’ll take a while given life being hectic for me.

Can we get a part 2 of—??

It’s entirely possible, it depends on a few factors though. Depends on how many people want more, whether those are polite requests or rude demands (even jokingly) for a part 2. It also depends on if it’s something I can really follow up on, 10/10 times I know people only want a part 2 because I tend to leave things on a spicy cliffhanger and people just want the spice that follows it. I’m not that dumb, you guys aren’t subtle lol.

Can we ask for updates on stuff?

I don’t see why not. Just try not to be spammy about it, and just don’t ask when something will be posted because I don’t even know that. If it’s for requests I don’t typically remember who requests what (most are posted without the requester's name), so unless you remember your request to ask, I probably couldn’t tell you if it’s started or in my drafts ready for posting. (This doesn't include my "anon" emoji list, I have the names and emoji associated set aside for myself to remember you. I'm able to tell you guys apart providing you apply your emoji to any ask.) Now if it’s for a series on AO3 then sure you could ask for an update, I just won’t spoil anything obviously.

What emojis are taken for the “anon” list?

None!

What are emoji anons?

Typically used by actual anons to help differentiate their asks/requests from others. Kinda like giving you a face without a name, you see that face and you know who it is without needing their name. Since I keep anon disabled, you are free to still use the emoji anon system. I keep the affiliated user name and emoji written somewhere else for myself and use the affiliated emoji in responses or requests without using your actual username.