#stp: the first draft

[lipstickchainsaw]

The Pristine Blade

I've played a whole lot more of Slay the Princess, and it is excellent, but I've been wondering, why the 'Pristine Blade'?

Obviously it represents the power you have over the Princess in the dynamic, and how that dynamic develops over the chapters depending on your relationship to that power (see the achievement you get for handing the Blade to the Witch: Past Life Gambit, Hand your power to a suspicious character), but why a Pristine Blade?

Most of the voices are happy to call it a knife, or a dagger, or whatever else, or even ask for different weapons, but the Narrator is insistent on calling it the Pristine Blade, every time, which does make sense. It is one of the few constants in these scenarios, next to you, the Hero, the Princess, the Woods (most of the time), and the Cabin. As with those others, it was made fit for purpose by the Creator, perhaps with some details filled in by the Long Quiet's conceptions of reality (one aspect sure is, but we'll get to that).

What is the Pristine Blade?

For this, I'm going back to my Otherverse roots (hi, StP fans, read Pact and Pale), and analysing this as an Implement, which is what the Narrator explicitly refers to it as.

First off, it is a knife. Knives have purposes beyond enacting violence, but this particular one is a knife made for killing, there can be no doubt about that. You can still use it for other purposes, of course (like cutting the Thorn free), but showing up with it still marks you as a killer (and the Princess responds as such).

Secondly, it's small, which means it can, in fact, be hidden. The Opportunist is the only voice to consider this, but it is an important aspect, since it has its effects on you even if not showing it visibly.

Thirdly, it's small. This means that, to do its job, you need to get close and personal. You cannot keep your distance (which is why several voices wish you had something better) and, while it's suggested, in the Nightmare route, that you can throw it, in practice, the Paranoid can only do so much to keep your body functioning, and that kind of dexterity isn't part of it.

This makes it an intimate weapon, which sure is fitting for the dynamic between you and the Princess. Every time you use it, or choose not to, you are saying something about this relationship, and influencing how you both develop in the wake of the cycle of violence and revenge it enables.

But that doesn't explain the insistent terminology.

Why 'Pristine'?

The Pristine Blade is something implanted into the Construct by the Creator, it exists in every reality, and every iteration of the Narrator expects it to be in the Cabin even when it isn't, and every time, it is Pristine.

It is always perfect, almost the platonic ideal of a dagger, cutting through anything except the Razor (including bone!) with ease and it, too, is temporaly 'sticky'.

When you move from one chapter to the next, the scenario the Construct is running resets, except for you and the Hero (and whatever other voice you've picked up), the Princess (and the changes wrought upon her), and the Pristine Blade. And the Pristine Blade, too, remembers what happened, where it's supposed to be:

If you died with it in hand, or having it forcibly taken from you, it will be right where the Narrator expects it to be in the chapter after, but if you gave it to the Princess, either by actually giving it to her, like in the Witch route, or having it fulfill its purpose by stabbing her heart (and boy, there's a metaphor), it will be with her in the chapter after.

But even if the scenario itself states ages have past, the Pristine Blade is still that, Pristine.

Because it is unchanging. It will never be anything other than Pristine. It is, in some sense, stagnant, a constant. In short, it is the Long Quiet's weapon.

The Long Quiet's Weapon

The Long Quiet was created to slay the Shifting Mound, to end death, by putting a stop to change, transformation in all sense, and thereby ridding the world of doom, of the cycle of life and death.

And the weapon to do this is the platonic ideal of intimate violence. A constant, never changing, in this relationship.

Yes, in part this is because the Shifting Mound and the Long Quiet were once one, and their split wasn't perfect, so each carries a kernel of the other within themselves, but how delightfully ironic for stagnant violence to be the thing intended to destroy change in order to kill death. What a perfect encapsulation of the futility of the Creator's mission.

In the final confrontation, the Shifting Mound tries to convince you to join her by pointing out how you are both so familiar with the cycle of violence and revenge, and clearly this means she's speaking your language, and maybe she is.

But she doesn't have to be, because at almost every juncture, you could choose to leave the Pristine Blade behind, or wield it not to be violent. And every time you choose to leave the cycle of violence and revenge behind, to choose not to have power over the Princess, or at least use it with respect to her, it changes things, and it changes them for the better.

[cheeseandcake-from-ao3]

My entry for the Slay the Princess fanart competition! Sorry if the picture quality isn't perfect. "^_^

[captainfantasticalright]

The importance of Richmal Crompton that captivated Sir Terry Pratchett when first reading William The Antichrist- or as we know it today, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch.

Sir Terry Pratchett was once told by a school teacher that he would never amount to anything. That was one of his childhood memories- rotten humanity limiting knowledge. But that wasn’t the only memory of course. Throughout his life, words and stories always kept him company and one of those emblematic authors whose words cut deep through the bleakness and that made an impact was Richmal Crompton. Better known for writing the “Just William” books.

An impact so strong that this was Sir Terry in 2014 dressed as William Brown from Richmal Crompton’s “Just William” for a series of portraits done for an exhibition inside The Story Museum.

An exhibition where 26 authors dressed up as their favorite literary characters and in STP’s words “why not”. Photography by Cambridge Jones.

Now, if you know anything about the origins of Good Omens, you’ll know that it had been previously named William the Antichrist- a draft/ file that was around 5282 words long in 1985, exploring a scenario in which Richmal Crompton's William Brown had somehow become the Antichrist. And that called STP’s attention so much that he even offered to buy it off.

Said draft, had it not been sent to Sir Terry and had he not loved it enough to save it in his computer, would have been lost forever since the original file was lost in a computer crash. Sir Terry auto-denominated himself “The Keeper of the Disk”.

My Tweet liked by Rhianna Pratchett: Forever grateful about the fact that Sir Terry loved the draft of William the Antichrist so much because of (inferably) his love for Just William, that, had he not saved the file in his computer when he first received it, Good Omens would have never happened (the original file had been lost in a computer crash).

The original draft had things like these: (my slides I made from owning William The Antichrist).

You can only imagine why he would have been so enthralled by it. This is what Sir Terry had to say when he wrote Good Omens afterwards:

"I seldom let Neil touch any of the bits involving Adam Young himself." (Locus Mag)

And: Initially, I did most of Adam and the Them and Neil did most of the Four Horsemen, and everything else kind of got done by whoever -- by the end, large sections were being done by a composite creature called Terryandneil, whoever was actually hitting the keys. By agreement, I am allowed to say that Agnes Nutter, her life and death, was completely and utterly mine. And Neil proudly claims responsibility for the maggots. Neil's had a major influence on the opening scenes, me on the ending. In the end, it was this book done by two guys, who shared the money equally and did it for fun and wouldn't do it again for a big clock."

"Yes, the maggot reversal was by me, with a gun to Neil's head (although he understood the reasons, it's just that he likes maggots). There couldn't be blood on Adam's hands, even blood spilled by third parties. No-one should die because he was alive." (Terry Pratchett: HisWorld)

It is obvious to see that the love for William Brown is what took him in and something he never let go throughout.

Even though they had to change the name from William to Adam, the Just William spirit was never far away. As you can guess, the Them are just The Outlaws from the Just William books- renamed and regendered.

Various Good Omens sentences are constructed in a way Richmal Crompton would have written them.

The sentence when Anathema tells Adam that she has lost the Book, and he tells her that he has written a book about a pirate who became a famous detective and it is 8 pages long... that's "a William sentence" or in this case an Adam one.

Sir Terry liked Richmal Crompton so much because she wrote stories that ended up reaching a major kids audience, but that at the end of the day, were stories written for adults. The vocabulary was advanced, the subjects were deep, and she never made you feel like a lost child nevertheless.

Here is a snippet of STP talking about her from that same Story Museum broadcast in BBC Radio 4:

Good Omens would have never been shaped into what it is today if STP had not taken those initial 5282 words and completely rewritten them into 10,000. Bringing the irony and humour that he learned through Crompton and that metamorphosed into something completely Pratchett.

If you would like to read more about the general origins, I compiled all of the info here. (Yes everything “underlined” is because it will lead you to the source).

[graynide]

CU in stp style

okay so I couldn't replicate the exact art style the game so iconically has BUT I love character design so why not try and draw my two favorite guys as my Voices designs.

first draft I was focusing more on Krupp and how big he is. I was a bit rusty and didn't really like the first design so second try is always better than the last. I imagined him to be more of an Owl for some reason. I also leaned more to matching his clothing with the setting!

third try and I Really loved how I drew his hair resembling the Horrible Toupee. though figuring out how to incorporate Cap's iconic cape and indecent exposure was a bit tough. I was thinking maybe he could have feather fur pants to remove when he turns into Cap? but yeah Krupp's Long sleeved polo shirt has a tail end representing his missing tail feather and Cap's makeshift cape represents his Bird Wings

the only thing that stumped me was figuring out who are they as "Voices". Can't figure out right now I already burned out my creative fuel on character design uhhh I'll do that later

but this isn't really all that final, there are still some missing traits on him like him being fat and bald. I gotta do some bird research.

[blacktabbygames]

Which are you expecting to put out first? StP: PC or SH C4? Are you focused on one and leaving the other to do when you're sick and tired of working on the former, or do you allocate a timetable for when you work on each? Basically, how does a two person team where both people work on both games work on two games at once?

As someone who is very excited and loving both (100%ed StP and got several runs going in SH), I really appreciate all the work you're doing giving us these amazing stories!

"Basically, how does a two person team where both people work on both games work on two games at once?" I (Tony) am writing the first draft of The Pristine Cut while Abby is continuing to write the first draft of Episode 5. When the script for a given piece of Slay the Princess is done, she'll switch to art, while I move on to the next part, and when it's fully finished, I handle voice editing and programming and all of that good stuff. And then when she's all caught up on art, Abby's back to the Episode 5 script. The Pristine Cut is going to be first of those two releases — it's a small fraction of the size of the remaining work on Episode 5, which is absolutely enormous.

For reference, the Pristine Cut is looking like it'll add somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 words to Slay the Princess, whereas Episode 5 is looking like it'll add ~400,000 words to Scarlet Hollow, and the writing is always the longest part of development!

Once the Pristine Cut is out, I'll switch over to the second draft of/coding Episode 5. Usually things line up where I get started on that part of the work around when Abby finishes the first draft of a script, and I typically finish around when she finishes art for a given Episode.

[springsketches]

This may sound corny, but I wanted to thank everyone who left a note on my last slay the princess piece. I was in somewhat of an artistic slump and not feeling like my work was very good. I felt like I was improving but the fact that my first piece got the most attention made me feel like my first art piece would be the only work of mine anyone would care about. While I ultimately make art for myself, it makes me so happy when anyone gives it the time of day to reblog or like it. I’m glad people like my STP OC as much as I do! The Knightess is happy and grateful with all the love y’all have given her. I wanted to work really hard on that piece and I feel I did well on it. If people are interested I’d be happy to post more of her whether it be more art pieces or fan projects, it’d be fun to do more with this character. Might post an early draft later. Just, thank you all for motivating me and have a lovely day!

[beartitled]

Hey Bear remember the detailed art where it’s a place and there’s a just filled with different bears, I think it will be a great excuse to practice but idk how to approach it. Any tips?? Or just things you learn when you started drawing those

Hellow 👋

I have a feeling you asked this a while ago, but I only saw it now

If it's the case, sorry must be a tumblr glitch💥

👏a wall of text warning👏/silly

Planning

First thing I usually do is - I plan a lot beforehand

Especially if it’s a drawing with existing characters

Ironically TSP/STP drawings were easier to do for me

Even though bear megadrawings look simpler (I think?)

Basically when you already have a list of character you want to include - you just need to think where to locate them

When you just draw a lot of random characters - you need to design every single one

Which is kinda a nightmare on your brain 💥

The second type is a lot more flexible tho (you can add or remove characters at will, no count needed)

Project stages

I will use TSP + Undertale reblog chain drawing as an example

1) Collecting references - if you plan to draw existing characters, it’s better to gather all the references

Making an additional list of all characters helps too (this way you can track which character you already drawn)

2) Planning the area

Photobashing or finding a good location reference really helps here

Sadly don’t have a photobash I did for this, I deleted everything 💥

This is just an example to demonstrate things 👆

I usually just do a rough sketch on a small piece of paper

You don’t have to have it 100% planned, if characters don’t fit, you can just extend/edit the area

3) Character planning

You have to determine where your characters will be located

The common mistake I see when ppl draw detailed drawings: they draw a singular character and move on to add others

If you’re doing it digitally, this may not be a problem for you (ya know just make a character smaller or move them, problem solved)

But what I recommend doing:

Is drawing shapes where you plan to put characters in

This will help you plan out the composition more and regulate the character amount in different parts of the drawing

Also keep in mind the size of you character

I struggle with it to this day tbh

Usually the characters on the foreground are bigger then the ones on the background (this is one of the art principles used to showcase distance)

But an interesting thing you may notice when looking at illustrations like “Where’s Waldo” series

This principle often may be ignored

It’s still kinda present, but you can pretty much say many characters are -+ the same size

My theory is that it’s done to make every character equal, so the purpose to find Waldo is still challenging

+ I think to keep the whole picture harmonious

I may not know certain principles (the nitty-gritty of detailed art like this)

So keep in mind this is just my experience, do your research too >:D

4) Key characters

This one is a bit vague, but I will try to explain it the best I can

When you have a specific character, who, for example, is way bigger or has brighter colours then the rest

Special bois 🌸

You need to give them more attention

Let’s see an example

- Big creatures on da background - they were drafted first, bc they required a lot place

- Spider Barry - a special area for spider characters

- Thierry - active action, running, led to a chain of characters interacting

- Narry Grilby’s, Bearline, Pixel Alphys - themed areas for certain characters

(my apologies if I made a mistake in any character name here, let me know, I will fix it)

+ Advice for colour: try to keep them the similar saturation, so the image looks harmonious

You don’t really have to have key characters, it’s just my method that makes the process easier to plan out

5) Art part let’s gooo

This part is up to you obviously, different ppl draw differently

For me it’s usually > small draft > sketch > line art > scan > colour

Advice for my traditional artist - ya’ll need a big paper sheet

I usually work on A3 format, bc it’s easier to scan

But the bigger the paper the more detailed characters you can draw

This one as an example

Bc rookie mistake

Too many characters, not enough paper

I used A3, but looking back A2 would work way better here

I used a really thin line pen (005) and didn’t realise the consequences of that 💥

As a result scan turned out not the best quality (+ if you zoom in on the faces 🐻‍❄️🔫)

It was impressive at the time, but rrrr I wish I just bought a bigger piece of paper back then 💥

Just to illustrate the issue

On the top are pens I usually use for comics lineart, the bottom one is 005

And my finger as an obscure reference lmao 💥

As you can see the lines are REALLY DAMN THIN and everything is smol, tiny even

So just keep that in mind 👍

And for my digital fellas

🫵 Big canvas 🫵 big 🫵 the pixels will eat u 🫵

How much time it takes

Practicing concentration and patience is important 💥

This may sound silly, but it does help with finishing stuff

Projects like those require a ton of patience and focus

So just mentally prepare yourself for sitting on your desk for hours™️

From my experience I would recommend to start with small drawings with a small amount of characters

And then gradually build up to bigger amounts and more details

My first ever megadrawing was this piece

Line art took 2 weeks, colouring -+ a week I believe

This was exhausting the first time 💥

After practicing the process became faster and less tiring

The TSP x Undertale took about 4 days (but like full 4 days)

Remember doing lineart in 1 day, taking breaks just to like eat

🫵Ok don’t worry about me🫵

I have a tendency to concentrate on things for a really long periods of time, so it’s not a “🔥I WILL BURN MYSELF OUT WITH THIS PROJECT LET’S GO🔥” type of deal, this is pretty much how I am

If I enjoy a specific process I can spend an entire day doing just that, without getting tired (the only problem could be not enough movement and eye pain, my eternal enemy 👿)

But 🫵 don’t expect yourself to do the same 🫵

Start small, practice, don’t push your limits right away

Take breaks and care about yourself fellas 👏

Good luck with your projects��

Alright

Hope it was helpful, thank u for you question ❤️

For new ppl here, you can check the megadrawings section in navigation (pinned post), if you got interested

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Since I’m out in the field currently, I think that I’m gonna lay out the plans for the summer.

This summer, I will be working on my first draft of my thesis paper and working on curation in the archaeology lab. I won’t be entirely busy, but some of my free time will be working on my thesis paper. I might be doing some Shovel Test Pits (STPs) as well, if just depends on what the department wants me to do.

I will be active, but not daily. 😊❤️

[hello-universe-lovers]

Well, time for my stp au ranting (thanks @neverpathia for getting me off my ass)

For some context, have this:

SLAY THE PRINCESS: THE FIRST DRAFT AU:

(SPOILERS and OC TALK ahead)

Let's start with someone I've been referring to as the Player

(Do not mind that the sketch has a different title name. This was literally the first draft, ironically enough. And some beta voice designs weee~)

Her name is Ley, and her design is honestly what I call the "Pocket OC", a blank slate that I can insert into any universe or fandom with some modifications. For this application, she is the unfortunate Mortal that the Narrator decided would be GREAT at princess slaying!!/s

Contrary to Larry, who only had to do 5 loops to freed the Shifting Mound. Ley has to go through 11 FOR ALL THE VOICES. Since LQ isn't exactly capable of calling the voices back to him like She can. And with the "2 voice per loop" rule, she has to collect em one at a time. Fun times/s

I feel her personality is best described when I go into the routes with her, in contrast to Larry (note that they are in a specific order).

THE PRISONER:

Her first was the Prisoner. Her skepticism of the Narrator and the Princess (expressed by bringing the knife down to the basement) quickly melted away into sympathy for the Princess and resolved to save her. Unlike Larry, she didn't had to cut off her hand. Rather, she cut one of the links with the Pristine Blade, rendering it blunt. When the Narrator took over, the Princess had to bash her head against the wall, knocking her out/killing her (they have the same effect).

In the Prisoner Chapter, she woke up in chains, rather than free, and the Prisoner is her usual self. And to add to her headache, there was a new Voice with the Narrator: the Voice of the Hero (pre-egg crack). She informs her that she's been stuck here for a while, and the knife was out of their reach, presumably upstairs. Ley, not giving up, broke her thumb to get out (since the chain was for Larry's neck, not hers) and did the same for the Prisoner's wrist cuffs. With freedom and a knife again, the Prisoner asked how she was going to get her out of there. She did the same thing she did last time: cutting her free. When asked why she thought that worked and not trust her in her "alternative" plan: she did trust her, but she didn't want her to get hurt for the sake of freedom. Hero encourages her on with her choices, seeing how far a strong will can get you, as well as subtly demonstrating she can still influence this world, even for a human.

But, as the Shifting Mound claims the Prisoner and she finds herself in the Long Quiet. The Mirror is still there, but rather than showing her own reflection, she sees the Hero, in how she perceived the Voice, through her route. She says "Hi" to her (who finally cracked her egg) and comments on how Proud she was of Ley for keeping her good nature, even in such a difficult circumstances. However, their conversation couldn't last long as the darkness of the mirror starts taking Hero away. Hero screamed in fear, and Ley bangs on the mirror, but the Voice returns to the Long Quiet, to where she is meant to be. But she inherited Ley's Chivalry, and it will stick with her

(Don't worry, I won't rant too much with the rest, this is the first. The rest of them will be shorter)

Edit: so that was a lie!

THE RAZOR:

(Oh I forgot Stubborn went through a redesign godddd--)

Her next route is where her personality changes the Story. Let's be clear here: she isn't Larry. She has no God powers that makes her go numb to pain or make it go empty. But what she has is drive. Perseverance is a HELL of a drug, and it's what she did to Conquer the Razor.

After being stabbed by the Princess in the Chapter 1, Ley tried to give her the benefit of a doubt, but it's clear that this Princess's love language is "STAB! STAB! STAB!!", so it's time to arm up. It's difficult, she died a lot, but overtime, she realized that the arena they were in...was changing. Warps, cracks littered the walls of the cabin and basement. An idea was sown, and luckily she has the perfect voice to keep her going. Stubborn had to take a backseat, which he hated, but he got what he wanted. Clash after clash, the basement showed signs of breaking down. She even tore off one of Razor's arms to use as a sword. Once you have a goal that isn't just "winning", your motivation skyrockets. Chapter 4 wasn't named "Mutually Assured Destruction", but "the Bird and the Mountain". As the Princess showed her new form, Ley showed her plan's fruition. The basement finally gave out under the abuse, and collapsed on top of both of them. The Bladed Razor looked up at the sky from the hole that opened up, while pinned under tons of rubble and was memorized. Ley, meanwhile, made her way out of the rubble, in pain, but alive. This is where an unintended Side effect of her influence came in. Because she felt someone lifted her up and helped her approach the Razor. The Princess was surprised, but she had no regrets. In fact, she had fun!! Seeing her slowly growing to triumph over her was fun! And the stars were pretty to look at too! She was ok with dying now, promising to maybe try something else, now that the world is open to her...

But they won't have that next encounter, as Ley finds herself in the Long Quiet once more.

Stubborn was struggling against being unraveled, but he had to congratulate her. If it was him, he would have fought her over and over with no stop. But her plan not only stopped her, it also kept her going. With a brain like that, nothing could stand in her way. Ley gave her peace with him, reassuring that the Quiet won't hurt him, it's taking him somewhere he belongs. And to tell Hero she said "hi", when he sees her...

The NIGHTMARE:

With so many deaths in one loop, it left her feeling the fatigue in the next Loop. In her tired state, she decided she needed space from both the Narrator and Princess to think, so she left the basement. She didn't, however, closed the door to the basement. She left it open to show that she wasn't gonna leave her in limbo. While she thought of what to do, exhaustion finally kicked in and she fell asleep. However, when she woke up, the door to the basement was blocked by the table. She rudely asked the Narrator what happened, and that's when SKEPTIC made himself known. He came while she was asleep, and decided that it'd be safer to talk with the door blocked. Panicked, she quickly opened the door, asking the Princess if she's OK. But her haste to check on her let her tripped and broke her neck in the fall.

The next time, Skeptic is once again not being helpful. Apparently he and Narrator had a talk while she was "dead" and Skeptic doesn't believe in anything Narry is saying about their situation. Not even the ominous cabin and the drop to the basement. For once, his Skepticism kept her alive because when the Nightmare showed up, he just didn't believe she could do that. It's not Paranoid but it will do. For Ley herself, it may felt like absolute shit to have your organs barely work, but it gave her time to say sorry to the Princess and helped her out of the basement. When asked why she said sorry, when she didn't ask for it, she responded that she deserved one anyway.

In the Long Quiet, She confronted Skeptic for his mistakes...but she does thanked him for keeping her alive, even if it was accidental on his part. He apologized for his misjudgment and was grateful to meet someone like-minded. Maybe she can discover the truth of this place, where he could not. Then he was taken away, though he resisted a little.

(Bonus but between every few loops, she just crashes into Shifty to sleep. Not repeating what happened with the Nigthmare, now that deep sleep can apparently summon these guys. Not that she'd remembered)

The TOWER:

Her hesitation to kill the Princess gave the next one an Ego boost. And Smitten is here because of a misguided respect for the Tower, that could be interpreted as "love". With a voice that's all about devotion and a literal Goddess, she was THIS close to succumbing. BUT the Tower just HAD to take the face of a loved one, brcause Ley wasn't a "little bird", try and persuade her. Which just made her ANGRY. The Fury of the AUDACITY!!

Now, Smitten believed in love, and if Tower's love language was "devotion", he was gonna give it to her. And he didn't appreciate this Lady not seeing the LOVE like he did. However, in her fury, Smitten saw her memories, and of the Love that she had with this other woman. But it ended tragically and bitterly. Died by a fire. But it was REAL. A REAL love that was meaningful that was more than devotion.

Ley pushed the Tower out of the window, letting them fall into nothingness. The Tower realized that maybe using the face of a dead loved one was a bad call...but she still thinks highly of herself. Ley coldly responded "what is a God to a non-believer?"

She is taken away, leaving Ley to fall on forever. But she soon landed gently on the ground. Facing the mirror, Smitten was crying for the lost of the Tower, but also at the beauty of Ley's love. If that was what True Love looked like, maybe He could find it again. Ley told him that True Love doesn't exist. There isn't "the one" for you, just the "love" you made together with the one you choose. Smitten has a lot to think about, now...as he fades away.

The WITCH/THORN:

To go from a tragedy to a romance, Ley didn't want to betray the Princess. But the Narrator forced her hand, and in comes our "favorite" asshole. Rather than being summoned by Ley's feelings, it was the Narrator's feelings projected onto her, the rush of pulling one over on someone. Ley is NOT happy with either of these people in my head, and Opportunist was content to go back and forth between choosing a side. It got to a point where it caused her such a headache that she broke the Pristine Blade by jamming it against the root wall, and bent the handle so no one can get it out. It was an act of desperation against the Narrator and to show trust to the Witch. However, just as they were about to leave, Opportunist decided to try what the Narrator did last time. Ley struggled hard against him, which scared the Witch so much that she stabbed her with a sharp piece of root from the ground. She fell, but muttered an "I'm sorry" before fading away.

The next time she woke up, she had a pain in her chest. And the Voice was less of a voice and more of a person. This is where the Voice finally have a body of their own in the Construct, and Ley's first action was punch the ever loving shit out of the Opportunist. Blaming him for the Witch stabbing her when she was THIS CLOSE to saving her! She never wanted to betray her but the Narrator and now him were projecting those feelings onto her and now SHE has to bear the brunt of their treachery. She did stop wailing on him, but he was crying and begging her to stop by the end of it. All she did was glare in return, saying how pathetic he truly was...before walking to the cabin, skipping the Pristine Blade all together that was just sitting there. The Thorn was there, vulnerable and surrounded by painful thorns, obviously she is scared of Ley for even MORE reasons than the canon one. Because how could she still trust herself, after what she saw and almost did? Ley answered back that she resisted, every step of the way. She never stopped resisting, and she will continue to resist, until both of them made it out of here. With her bare hands, she tore into the vines, not caring if they bleed, Thorn's protest or the Narrator's attempts to make her stop via tedium. She ketp going.

Then, a tap on her shoulder. Whipping around, it's the Opportunist, one hand holding an eye that she punched earlier, and another...the Blade, extended to her, hilt facing her. He makes a non-committal reasoning for being here ("it's better to stick together" and all that) but I ranted enough about what he actually feels before...so with the knife, she cut the Thorn and the 3 of them Escaped the basement.

In the Long Quiet, the Opportunist stood before her. The root that stabbed her chest was now in his and blooming a rose, and the shiner she put in his eye was now a poppy, like the Thorn's. He...apologized, truthfully, for his actions. There is no one to witness them, so to him, this was his only chance to say sorry. He just wanted to live...and that blinded him to the opportunities that he could have gotten, if he was kinder. Ley said that she...won't accept it, not yet...but she can acknowledge that if he's truthful, than one day, she will. And that she wasn't the only person he'd hurt. Thorn was too...if he see her again, he has a lot to make up for. He begged to not be taken away, to not die or be asleep before he got to say sorry to her. But something tells Ley that he will see Thorn again...but she won't.

((I am stopping here because I am CRAMPING: tune in next time for Broken, Cheated, Hunted, Paranoid, Cold and Contrarian!

And thanks for making it this far. It was...very nerve wracking to do this. To show my work like this outside of friends so I hope this resonated with you and I hope you asked me questions about them.

[ayyyyysexual]

suggestion as someone who knows the Bare Minimum about slay the princess, hear me out:

gempearl au?

I wrote all this ages ago and it was just sat in my drafts for forever so here y'all go:

Oh my god glow dont make me think about this bc ill actually start going feral.

THE LOOPING COULD BE SO INTERESTING WITH GEM'S CANONICAL DIMENSION HOPPING...

Okay. Okay. In depth thoughtd below the cut but it will be both 1. Spoilery 2. Lowkey incomprehensible if you dont know much about the game LMAO

First off, I think Cleo would be the narrator. Why, you ask? Because its MY au and I get to put my blorbos where i want. But if im being fr then its bc she has i think the perfect combo of exhausted britishness, willingness to manipulate and lie, and overall just the Vibe to fit the narrator. Bonus points if they're a fractured version of time witch cleo from WCSMP.

And then... THE VOICES. THIS IS WHAT I IMMEDIATELY SNAG ON. Would the voices be different people, or potentially just alternate versions of Gem? Also yes ive decided gem is the protag and pearl is the princess but thats bc my original knee jerk reaction was "gem is the princess (esmp2 gem was a fave) and pearl is the hero" but then i thought harder and went waittt i love shapeshifter pearl and dimension hopper gem. I can work with that.

Anyway yeah im thinking different people for the voices, but I'd probably give gem her own internal dialogue alongside it bc it'd be less interesting if she was just the vehicle for the plot in this au. I'll probably have her be both the actual 'hero' character and voice of the hero, for simplicity.

The first ones to come to mind are false as the voice of the paranoid, because she is my #1 paranoia rep i love her, and grian as voice of the contrarian bc he fucking would.

Potentially joel as voice of the cheated, or stubborn? If we do bring wcsmp elements in then prismarina would make a great voice of the cheated too LMAO. So, Joel for voice of the stubborn

Scar is Very voice of the opportunist. And obviously the witch is double life pearl. Which is so perfect?? Like goddamn???? Especially bc i love dl sunflower duo. AND THE INTERNAL DIALOGUE VIBE WOULD BE ALMOST LIKE IF GEM AND SCAR WERE ALLIED AGAINST PEARL AT THE END OF SECRET LIFE

Broken is hard to pick a voice for, maybe mumbo? but the tower would Definitely lean into Santa Perla and the farmer god esmp2 stuff. I could see him being like "oh well it would probably be for the best if we just listen to the giant god lady who could crush us, right?"

Hunted... I was unsure for a while but maybe Shrub? Wolf spirit shrub would be rlly fun for that. And ig the beast would be some form of alien s9 pearl? OR we could lean into the more monstery salmon/siren/merfolk s10 pearl stuff

Cold could be Cub, i dont know much about him but he seems very chill and pragmatic enough for me to push to the extreme here

Skeptic... My mind has gone entirely blank for this one... ETHO MAYBE i can see etho for this. I have no idea what pearl version would work for the prisoner though

Smitten....... maybe shelby? Specifically great witch Shelby. Idk i think her whole vibe around katherine could be translated into what we need here. plus i love giving crumbs to yuri rarepairs- OR i could lean into santa perla again here and have it as sausage kinda worshipping an idealised person of the past pearl he loved (though not romantically, to me at least), which could work for a damsel variant?

anyway i dont wanna get Super into the major spoilers for stp so i wont elaborate much further, but goddd im so normal about this concept

[golvio]

On the subject of that recent reblog, ever since playing through StP, I’ve been desperate to write that LoZ fic idea that’s been bopping around in my head about two traumatized chucklefucks with equally checkered pasts colliding into each other repeatedly and causing problems for everyone else, and that might also include allegorical versions of my personal feelings about certain popular tropes in the LoZ fandom, but I’m not sure where to start. I’m not sure what’s stopping me, but I think part of it might be that the project feels so unfathomably vast that it paralyzes me.

I’ve never written a fic this huge before, and every time I’ve ever tried writing a longform story in the past I’d write maybe a chapter and a half and then stop and never revisit it the first time I get writer’s block. I’m not really sure what to do to break myself out of this paralysis so I’m not just endlessly spinning my wheels daydreaming about disconnected scenes, but instead actually writing the damn thing down, even if just as a quasi-coherent first draft.

[eggsbenedictinurmom]

Alright time to talk about Speedy-verse Triple Trouble AKA Character Clash since I haven't talked about it in depth yet.

Character Clash was a very hard one to think up in the beginning. But the idea that I had was that Speedy-verse Xeno created these copies of the cast that look like husks to sing against Protag. (Yes, that is what I'm actually calling him) Soul Mr. Benedict meanwhile is still his namesake, forcefully reanimated to sing against his will.

It's possible that it won't just be Cooper, Fists, and Mr. Benedict either, the rest of the current cast could be present in there.

(And yeah, I don't have a name for StP AU Xenophanes, not even sure if she'll have one to begin with tbh, maybe you can think of a name for her.)

banger!!

When it comes to her name, idrk. My first draft choice would be Axiothea, since both that name and Xenophanes come from philosophers and have "x" in them. Though if I had more time to think about I probably would come up with something else.

I'm super fucking busy lately though so I wouldn't count on myself for time all that much rn

[leonawriter]

OK, so. I wanted to share some behind the scenes extras on my fic "Your Mission Is A Simple One."

Spoilers for the fic and for (vague-ish) parts of Slay the Princess if you haven't read it or played the game and want to!

CWs for Nov. 20th related stuff, and horror-themed temporary suicide references.

First off, the title itself! It's literally a wordplay on Slay the Princess. The name of the draft is "Your Mission is a Simple One: Kill Joker." I only shortened it because shorter, snappier titles seem to work better, but there was also a bit of how "Kill Joker" only works for the first part.

Next, and carrying on with the Slay the Princess references, is the fact that I wanted from the start for there to be a running thread of "Akechi goes in, shoots Akira, and then the next loop is affected by the previous one" with a potential outcome of all the Akiras he'd encountered having actually (somehow) been the same person, or subsumed into the same person, just like with the Hero encountering the Princess, killing her, and her becoming the Shifting Mound.

Also just like the game, I went with five separate scenarios for Akechi to go through.

The first is canon. Clean and simple. He's allowed to cover up and push down his feelings, numb himself, and get out.

The second time is similar, but the difference being (like how you can't repeat the first "good ending" in StP) he's aware. He knows that he's repeating things. I didn't show this in detail, but I figured that it'd be clearly implied, and since he's aware he's repeating, he's unnerved.

That unnerved state truly starts to show itself in the third run, where he quite literally makes himself look his deeds (Akira) in the eye. He can't move, and there are certain similarities here, where the gun is taken out of his hands, to my vampire fic Hunger For A Life, but unlike in that one the voice isn't inside his head; it's actually meant to be Akira, and it's Akira who takes the gun.

The loops don't reset with Akechi's death, they reset with Akira's, because as we find out later, it's Akechi's mindset that there's "no way out" of killing Akira (or his situation in general) that's keeping him here.

The next, fourth loop, is the first one to truly show that Akechi's choices in the past are affecting his present, with Akira referencing things he shouldn't know about (being disappointed in him for being unable to look him in the eye and do the deed, after everything they'd been through).

It also has one of the more visceral moments, with Akechi shooting Akira in the eye; even though I don't describe it in detail, the visual is given where most other times Akechi simply "shoots." This is a result of him slowly being psychologically unable to deal with killing someone he cares about over and over again, and unable to push his emotions out of the way.

The fifth loop has my second-favourite image from the loops, along with the fact that in order to get to the interrogation room at all the hallway almost literally "goes on forever." Because in Akechi's mind, it doesn't matter how much he doesn't want to do this, and how much he'd like to avoid it - he'll always end up there in the end.

And then he meets an Akira who has an eyepatch, which is the direct consequence of his emotional instability in the previous loop. This time there's no ambiguity like there was in the third loop; Akira taking the gun and taking over the role of who's in charge of his own death is explicitly stated. There's also a fair bit of homoerotic tension with how Akira is described as being "soft" and "tender" as he uses Akechi's hands to do the deed (aka, psychologically harming Akechi, and killing himself) because Akechi is either unable or unwilling to do it. This also hearkens back to Slay the Princess, where if you don't want to kill her, she'll often force your hand into it regardless.

It's at this point we reach the sixth loop, and no, I didn't plan on the Devil being number six. It just happened that way. In some ways, I counted loops one and two as a single loop, because they were basically the same.

Loop six is my favourite moment, because it truly shows who Akira is in this fic. H

He's the devil, he's completely in control, he's sitting on the interrogation room desk like it's his fucking throne! He knows damn well what's about to happen, and he welcomes it, because as Akechi says - Akira is an idea. He's a concept, And you can't kill a concept, because it'll keep coming back. Akechi, at this point, both because of everything before and everything he's feeling in that moment, understands that.

However... this isn't necessarily a good thing, because it also means he's starting to stop fighting against his situation, and is simply accepting his place in things.

Which leads us to Joker saving him at the start of the seventh loop (is it irony that he comes to save Akechi on the lucky, or heavenly, number? who knows!).

By this point Akechi is used to violence, and death, and can't see or understand anything outside of that - not too different from his internal thinking in P5R, and definitely close to his engine room thought process.

I wanted Joker here to feel confusing, and ambiguous - was this actually Joker, or was it another of the ones like Akechi had encountered? How much does he know? Had this all been a palace, or something else?

The fact that he's never referred to as anything other than "Joker" here in spite of Akechi knowing that it's Akira is partly to differentiate him from the many Akiras that got killed, but also to point out that this IS the real Joker, and this is, in fact, the Metaverse, before Joker points it out himself. Because while in the Metaverse, they only refer to each other by their codenames once they have them.

Talking of, Akechi talks often of Joker/Akira's eyes - they're dark, they're hard like flint, but they're also often warm (like hellfire). Usually, he can see them through the mask. His eyes are changeable, and shift with his moods.

Then we get to the fact that Joker knows the way out, which... is something that I've been wanting to play with in a(nother, technically) Akechi Palace fic - the idea that Joker is able and allowed to find a way out, because Akechi sees him as being able to do that.

But here, it's also the fact that he's... either in Akechi's cognition, or in actuality, able to almost shape the part of the cognitive world they're in to his whims. He either creates a door, or he finds one, which is meant to lead into a safe room. I never explicitly have them call it that, but that's what I was referring to when Akechi constantly notices it swirling in front of his eyes - it's the same effect we as the player have when we see the safe room shift between what the palace looks like, and what the room would look like in the real world. Akechi being both aware of that and so disoriented by it is meant to show both his deteriorated mental state, but also that this... is not a normal cognitive space.

For Akechi's breakdown, I have to admit that for the longest time, I wasn't even sure when the fic would be taking place! At one point it was post-canon, and at one point it was before Nov. 20th had even happened yet, so, either on or around Halloween, or in the middle of the month. I ended up choosing what I did - that it was a side-effect of their plan - because that worked best with the characterisation and the timing.

Because of that, though, Akechi hasn't yet reached his realisation that not only can he get out of the cycle, but he's better off out of the cycle, too. Where in canon he faced the Phantom Thieves and faced their sympathy, and then his cognitive self's truth (of Shido's opinion of him), here... in a sense, he's faced with how if he keeps following Shido's path that's laid out for him, he'll keep killing off the ones he loves, and killing parts of himself, too, such as his ability to choose his own path instead of a pre-determined one.

That doesn't mean he's happy about it, or that he'll be grateful, haha.

Joker explaining how things had happened was originally one block of dialogue, which I decided felt far too infodump-y. So I broke it apart, and added more of Akechi's own thoughts and reactions - and by doing so, it also shows that he has a somewhat fragmented mental state, too, as he has a hard time focusing.

Again, Joker is the one who finds Akechi, who gets him out. Oracle had her theories, but it's Joker and Joker alone who arrived. None of the other Phantom Thieves are here.

I want to point out that as an Akechi-centric piece this doesn't really focus on the other PT, but if I ever did do anything else in this world, I'd probably want to focus on them, because this must be fascinating to see from their perspective. Their leader is more and more cagey about certain things, is outright strange at times, and when they're all freaking out that they've "lost" Goro Akechi, Akira - who should still be recovering from the interrogation, mind! - up and disappears one day, only to come back with his erstwhile killer in tow, who seems very traumatised.

As he points out later on - his friends don't know anything he's been going through! They're clueless!

Joker's line of "Honestly, I'd like to see you try [again]" somewhat calls back to how he said something similar in "There's Something About Akira," a fic I did where he's a vampire, and when Akechi shoots him he simply gets back up and feeds from Akechi, stating that he "could have followed the plan, but he wanted to see what Akechi would do." It's that same masochistic thrill seeker tendency showing through. They match each other's freak in a not entirely healthy way. Akechi's "are you mocking me?" is ripped straight from that one Thieves' Den conversation with Sumire, too.

Akechi at this point, tries asking if he's had his heart stolen/changed. Joker dances around the subject, not giving an outright yes or no, because... technically, he has done thievery in Akechi's palace. It's just that there are a lot of things that would count as "ambiguous" here, such as: whether this is Akechi's palace at all, whether his treasure has been stolen, if (assuming this his his palace) it has been messed with... and honestly, I think I'd go with "Yes, technically, his heart was changed, but more in the sense that Futaba's heart was, or more accurately Sae's, since no treasure was removed."

The closest thing to "a treasure being removed" is Joker taking Akechi himself out of there. Arguably, it could even count. Akechi, however, doesn't recognise this, and only sees that Joker isn't carrying anything on him at the time.

This is where what I consider the arc words of the story first show up: Don't look back.

It's funny, but at this point I started thinking of it just as much as an anti-time loop story, in a sense. That in order to stop being trapped in a sense of always doing the same thing, you have to look to the future, focus on good things, and not look back. I was reminded of one particular story that handled this very well right up until it fumbled the end atrociously, and I've always felt that it was badly handled and needs a better ending.

"Don't look back" is also, in a sense, a reference to the song Life Will Change, with the lyric "can't hold on or life won't change." Akechi tries to hold onto his old manner of thinking (how easy it would be to kill Joker here) and all he does is nearly create a new loop for them both, before Joker reminds him to focus on him instead.

Originally I'd meant to have a chapter break here, to separate things out, but in the end I just lumped it all together for simplicity. I think it works better like this anyway, not having to wait to upload a second part, or anything.

I wanted to have Akechi make the connection between the Akira in the sixth loop and Satanael all the way back when I was working on some of the earlier parts. I think I got the loops and a few lines of Joker's dialogue done on my phone straight onto Tumblr, and after that it took more time and effort, which meant a lot of time thinking about later scenes.

"You're the devil, aren't you?" is meant as Akechi having a sense of realising that what he'd been through wasn't just a fever dream or hallucination or simple cognition, but something bigger, which is a big deal for both of them.

It's at the point I started thinking about this (and the start of the next scene) that I made my post about Morgana being Hope, and what that means for how he impacts the narrative in canon, because you'll notice that Morgana is almost entirely absent from the story this far; he isn't present when Akechi is being dragged into despair from the loops, and this current scene has him outright disappear right before Akechi catches Akira, before he can vanish into the crowd and be caught by Sae.

Akira, here, is conflicted; he's just defeated god, but he's shown his "true form" (at least, in one particular way) to the world, and more specifically to his friends. He's lost Morgana, and at a critical moment too, right before Sae comes to take either him or Akechi away. And then Akechi is talking about something Akira doesn't want to admit to, and doesn't really... want to talk about at all. One of the big parts of this is that he doesn't really have the hope that anything positive will happen as a result of Akechi seeing him and knowing him fully like that, so he simply hides.

He's also acting counter to what a wildcard should be. His desire to have Akechi simply turn around and walk away, pretending a nicer lie, isn't just a lead-in to Maruki's ideal reality but also a call back to how in P3 the bad ending was achieved through Minato choosing to allow everyone to forget that the Fall (Death coming for all) would happen, letting them live in blissful ignorance up to their deaths, and how in P4 we have Izanami whose fog of lies gets thicker the more the townspeople prefer to avert their eyes to the truth, choosing an easy story over a complicated reality.

That thread - that Akira himself is afraid and flawed - follows through into the next scene, February 2nd.

Since Akechi is alive, there's no doubt over that since he joined everyone sometime around the end of November/start of December. It would have taken a while for him to recover, but they wouldn't have started Shido's palace yet; part of that is also because without Akechi stating Shido's name in the call, they have less to go on, and with Akechi missing, they're focusing on him.

So, the onus of the tough decision isn't on him, but instead falls on Akira.

In a sense, having Akira be self-conscious to this degree in spite of being an "embodiment of the concept of Change" feels like an oxymoron, but it also makes sense - in the menu screens, one of them has him saying "Don't look at me like that" and there's also the lyrics to Behind The Mask, which talk of how he doesn't want to show his true self to anyone, and that he prefers to hide behind his masks. Akira here is aware that it's not feasible to carry on like this, and is aware that Maruki effectively granted him his "normal humanity" back, and is willing to fight - but until Akechi confronts him, in a sense he's using Maruki's actualisation for his own ends.

It's at this point that the roles are reversed from the start of the story. Whereas in the start it was Akechi who needed to be saved and reminded to look forward, it is now Akechi who is the strong one supporting Akira, who is (at the start of the scene) not Joker at all.

In another idea I've had in mind for a long time now, Akira's a fully artificial life created to be a Trickster. I played with the idea that just like in that idea, he wouldn't have existed before the Game, but ultimately decided to have him as someone who'd been human, and now wasn't. I think it's more powerful for it.

Ironically, in spite of effectively being entirely human here, Akira is still the scariest thing in the world to Akechi, again. Because here it's painfully obvious to him that Akira "isn't damning the world to be normal" but- he's doing a far more far-reaching version of an angel going "Be Not Afraid" just for Akechi.

Pointedly, I'd like to say that Akechi's own wish is to have a more or less normal life with Akira where he can just play games of chess in the attic, but also one where he can exit in the friend group without having caused irrevocable harm to at least two of them, so along with Akira's wish here, they'd end up the same as in the canon bad (ideal) ending if Akira had given in to Maruki.

Goro reminds Akira of their Rank 7 confidant, where he threw out the suggestion of Akira giving up everything he'd built to join him. In the game, you get less points if you suggest that you'd think about doing so (aka, Akechi does not want an accomplice route!). He's reminding Akira of the (canon) phone call after he's back home, where he basically says "I don't want you to change - I want to win over you as you are, the way you are." Here, he's re-confirming that this includes not folding for Akechi's own opinion.

I had Akechi's hand shaking as he's reaching to take off Akira's glasses because as much as he wants Akira the way he truly is, he can't stop being unnerved and scared himself; the difference is that he isn't letting it control him.

I also had Akechi use that phrase, "Show me your true form," because it results in him treating Akira like a Shadow, forcefully removing the mask he's put on and reminding him of who he really is.

"He drops the glasses onto the counter. They wont break - not from this." - that line is meant to note that although he's removing Akira's mask, it doesn't mean that he's breaking it. He's just saying "you can be yourself around me." Akira will be putting those glasses back on as soon as anyone else is around.

Akira collapsing in relief, along with his denial of himself (change) is also meant to be a metaphor of sorts for how he has a certain amount of self-hatred, and how he lacks confidence in himself. With Akechi looking at him in a clearly positive way, he starts to regain some of that self confidence - to quote Atsushi of Bungo Stray Dogs, "People need someone to tell them that it's alright to live." Akira gets that affirmation from the person he needs it from the most, and more than that, he gets affection and love.

I had Akechi awaken here because, well... I had to? Really, though, I couldn't simply brush past it, or say it'd already happened, and I felt that having him help someone else (especially another wildcard) out like this, would be a perfect way to have him awaken Hereward. Especially when in canon, he says how he feels not just "so alive" but also that he'll "sow chaos as far as the eye can see" - which suits how he looks at Satanael!Akira perfectly.

Anyway! If you've read all of this I hope you had fun with it, and you have anything you'd still want to ask about the fic don't hesitate to do so!!

EDIT: man I dunno how I forgot to put this in (I was tired!) but a big fun thing that's simply irrelevant to the fic but is still very true is that Akira, here, is very genderqueer. Like, I can see him at some point after he's seen and looked up on Loki, going "oh, same hat!" and turns up the next opportunity he can in a dress and heels. I mean. He IS an embodiment of Change! That absolutely includes not sticking to one gender expression just because it's expected of him.

[krisaladevelopers]

More Than Just Keys: How Modern Builders Are Elevating the Post-Possession Experience

In the past, property possession marked the end of the builder-buyer relationship. Today, it’s just the beginning of a well-rounded, resident-first journey. As urban homebuyers grow more discerning, leading developers are evolving to match expectations not just in the quality of construction but in the quality of aftercare.

From providing move-in support to building vibrant communities, post-possession services are becoming a defining factor in the real estate experience. Let’s take a closer look at how these thoughtful offerings are reshaping homeownership.

A Seamless Welcome: From Handover to Home

Possession day can feel like a whirlwind paperwork, handovers, final payments, and service activations. To make this process smoother, forward-thinking developers are introducing dedicated support staff on-site. These customer care professionals guide residents through every detail, ensuring nothing is missed and questions are answered promptly.

Whether it's utility connections, registration assistance, or snag-list resolutions, these touchpoints show that care doesn’t end at the sale.

Helping Investors Earn Effortlessly

A rising segment of homebuyers now purchase with rental income in mind. To cater to these investors, many developers offer specialized rent support. This could include connecting owners with reliable tenants, helping draft rental agreements, and even suggesting competitive rates based on current market trends.

This approach allows homeowners to monetize their property with ease, without involving third-party brokers or dealing with complex paperwork on their own.

Stress-Free Relocation Support

Moving into a new home can be physically and emotionally taxing. Recognizing this, some builders have tie-ups with logistics partners offering professional movers and packers. These services can be customized based on intercity or local moves and come with the assurance of vetted vendors.

Having such assistance readily available eliminates a major source of moving stress, especially for first-time homeowners or families relocating from afar.

Prioritizing Hygiene and Health

The importance of a clean and sanitized home environment can’t be overstated especially in post-pandemic times. Several developers are now offering pest control and sanitization as part of their move-in support. These services not only ensure hygiene but also help prevent common pest issues in unoccupied or under-maintained units.

From disinfection to rodent control, these services prepare the home for safe and comfortable living from day one.

Professional Cleaning Made Accessible

Another increasingly popular feature is professional housekeeping. Whether a one-time deep clean post move-in or regular maintenance packages, developers often provide access to trusted local agencies. Residents no longer have to search endlessly for reliable help they can schedule cleaning services quickly through verified sources.

Quick-Fix Solutions with Verified Local Vendors

Homeownership often comes with unexpected needs like a leaking tap, a jammed door, or a faulty socket. Developers offering a curated list of verified local service providers help residents tackle these issues without delay. From carpenters to electricians, having quality service at your fingertips adds convenience and peace of mind.

Internet and Connectivity, Sorted

A connected home is a functioning home. Developers are now collaborating with broadband providers to ensure that internet infrastructure is pre-installed across projects. Residents can activate their connection without long wait times, ensuring uninterrupted access to work, entertainment, and communication.

Infrastructure Management That Works Behind the Scenes

From sewage treatment plants (STPs) to water pumps and generators, managing a residential complex requires daily oversight. Many developers now handle this through in-house teams or facility partners, ensuring round-the-clock maintenance and sustainability without resident intervention.

Warranty and Repair Coverage

Top developers understand that minor issues may arise even after possession. That’s why many offer a service window for repairs related to plumbing, electrical, tiling, or painting. A quick complaint resolution system ensures residents don’t have to run pillar to post for support.

Encouraging Resident Engagement and Community Life

A house becomes a home when people connect. Community-building initiatives like welcome events, digital groups for residents, and shared event spaces help foster a sense of belonging. Some developers even go further with programs that promote interaction and support among neighbors.

Final Word

The homebuying experience doesn’t end with possession it evolves with every new service, support interaction, and community connection. Developers who understand this are not just delivering homes; they’re crafting lifestyles. For homebuyers, this shift brings more than just a new address it offers a complete, care-driven living experience from the moment they step in.

[light-wrath-paradise]

Anyway to be insane for a little bit (because I can't fall asleep. Again. At this point I might genuinely get a heart attack soon. Or hallucinations. Whichever comes first.) and follow up on the post about some STP discourse I've never seen.

First I gotta get the shitpost out of my system: Well yes obviously The Opportunist genuinely loves himself. I know this because otherwise he wouldn't make me horny.

Anyway back to being serious: I have no idea why someone would even suggest that he doesn't feel genuinely confident in himself. He doesn't behave in a way that suggests a problem with himself. You can argue that everyone who consistently hurts others has, first and foremost, a problem with themselves, but he doesn't really go out of his way to cause harm, does he? He isn't even particularly rude or antagonistic. He is a backstabbing parasitic vulture, but there's nearly never any malice in it. He doesn't project any sort of hatred on others, the only thing that he does assume everybody takes a part in are things like taking the easy way out. He assumes that his world view is universal, but he doesn't point fingers at anyone in particular. There genuinely seems to be no self-esteem issue in him.

We canonically HAVE Voices who are fucked in the head when it comes to their worth and we know what they act like. The Contrarian explicitly thinks of himself as the worst part of TLQ.

I am unsure if The Broken ever explicitly says that he hates himself or anything similar, but I am pretty certain that he does not have a healthy self esteem. Unsure if he believes in himself as a person but he definitely doesn't believe that he's competent and he has no faith in his skills.

The Smitten is out there killing himself and being worried that he and TLQ as a whole aren't good enough and his first reaction to anything ever seems to be "Accctually, it's because we aren't trying hard enough. We just aren't good enough. We need to do it better." Which is to say I think The Smitten might not like himself very much. I'm not saying he hates himself but I am saying that I think he doesn't value himself. Which might feel paradoxical given he's also prone to not listening to others and valuing the interpretations in his head way more than the reality standing right in front of him.

But yeah these are guys who have self-esteem issues in one way or another. The Narrator has something concerning going on too but we don't care about him rn.

EDIT: Apparently this was in my drafts??? I don't remember writing any of this and I have no idea how it was supposed to continue. So here you have it

[steaksex]

STP TEST TWO: used the harness i made to like wear the fuckin. Funnel around. Didnt piss w it but its fairly comfortable! I was able to walk and even ride a bike with minimal discomfort, which is pretty damn good for a first draft! Also id say i dont look half bad in the harness thing considering its just some elastic and hopes and dreams

Oh also i tested a shitty diy stp earlier and it works great but that one cold water comment from that anon did crazy shit to me because i moaned aloud when i had to turn on the shower and couldnt wait for it to warm up before getting in (i was already in and coulsnt step out) (pee on feet) um it was awesome though i wanna see how the harness i made for it works later when, yknow, i gotta take another whizz and im willing to shower again