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beekeeperspicnic · 1 year

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What I've been getting up to without my computer

Since I don't have any game updates at the moment I thought I'd give you a look at my very analogue Sherlock Holmes related project!

As you probably know, the Sherlock Holmes stories were mostly originally published in the Strand Magazine which came out as floppy monthly magazines with hardback collections every six months.

A while ago I spotted a really beaten up copy of the July to December 1893 book on eBay for £8. This book can sometimes go for £200 in good condition because it's the one with...

I immediately decided to make repairing it a Project!

You can see here that the text block has totally come away from the boards.

Along the spine I was really excited to see something a little familiar being used to give some structural support! My initial thought was that this had to be a slice of a cover of one of the floppy Strand magazines.

But when I got it loose and studied it, although the paper and ink colour is the same, it doesn't actually follow the layout format of the Strand covers. It's lots of little ads, and they run off the bottom like this is part of a larger document.

Scrap of paper on left, a Strand Magazine on the right:

So yeah, that's still a bit of a mystery, but it's cool to see this scrap of paper the printers had lying around. I had to remove it, but I'm going to keep it safe.

I did some gentle cleaning of the cover using a putty eraser, just gently pressing and rolling, never rubbing. It picked up a little of the grime.

The cover had got some paint splotches on at some point in the past, and I tried to gently remove these. Part of me wishes I'd left them as I think I was starting to effect the blue colour in the area.

(Original on the right, my attempt at cleaning on the left!)

I also reinforced some of the parts of the bookcloth around the spine that were very worn with Japanese tissue, which is very thin but very, very difficult to tear.

Now here's a fun part, with some help from my cat Miss Malkin!

The spine of the book had a few problems.

The fabric which wraps around it and helps attach it to the cover/boards which is called scrim (or mull, I've seen it called both!) had totally decayed and turned into gross dust, I knew I'd need to replace it.

Although the sewn binding was sound, I could tell that the glue wasn't doing its job anymore. It was old 'animal glue' that had turned hard and brittle. I knew I'd need to replace it with something else, like PVA.

I needed to get that glue off, so I tried out a trick I saw online. I made a paste/gel out of methycellulose, which is a substance that gets used as a thickener in lots of food products. Of course I keep mine in a fancy little jar:

The gel softens the old glue without getting it dangerously damp, allowing you to gently scrape it away. I have a really satisfying video of me doing it, but Tumblr only lets you upload one video per post, boo.

Look at all this gnarly gunk!

But look at how good the text block looks with its new scrim and glue!

I got the black paper from Shepherd's in London which is a specialist Art & Conservation Paper shop (they have a book bindery too but it's closed at the weekends.) Buying it was so fun, I got to look through lots of samples and pick something which matched the original paper.

I then had to get it home half way across the country on public transport. Yaaaaay.

I was trying to think what I was going to use to replace the Strand Magazine page on the spine. In the end I decided to leave a little note, for some future person who might take the binding apart someday!

So, here it is!

I have to admit that this whole project has been a real challenge, emotionally more than anything! It's required me to be brave about messing with an old book, and to acknowledge that even where I've made mistakes, at least it's better off then it was when It arrived at my house.

#strand magazine #book restoration #bookbinding #old books #vintage books #history

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atiny-for-life · 4 months

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Golden Hour feels different and I think I know why...

This album feels a lot less cohesive than all others they've ever released. I'm by no means saying it's bad or you shouldn't enjoy it or support the comeback, but it's still something noteworthy.

They said they were really happy making this album, which is amazing and I'm glad they've been enjoying all the new opportunities they've been getting, but when I listen to most of these songs, I feel like we' we've been given a folder from the producer's computer with all the leftover/unfinished tracks, and I think I may know why that is.

First, I wanna say what I mean by the album being less cohesive: Ateez are big on concept albums. The songs tell a story, they're connected, both conceptiually and lyrically, even as we switch genres. Look to the Fever and World Series where you can track the themes even without knowing about their storyline.

Ateez are also famous for their cinematic songs - Inception, Answer, Guerrilla, Halazia - the instrumentals are layered, interwoven, it feels like you're on a journey as you listen to it. You start in one place and don't know where you're headed until you get there. They're full of unique instruments, random noises, hidden harmonies from Maddox and the vocal line. It's art.

And now move on to Blind, Work, Shaboom, and it's one beat in the back that switches up as we move along but there's nothing new to notice on repeat listens, nothing remarkable to pick out. Wooyoung summed it up as "easy listening" in their KStar Next Door interview. Lyrically, Work is also a lot more repetitive which is something Ateez historically stayed clear of because Mingi and Hongjoong especially are very invested in the writing process and want the songs to have meaning.

Proving my point, they mentioned during the Preview Live that Mingi and Hongjoong worked more on Empty Box and Siren, with Siren even being a contender for the title track and Empty Box being their collective favorite and, hey, look at that, those two are the only songs on the album which are a lot more complex on all fronts, a lot more similar to their usual approach to music.

Looking at the bigger picture, I absolutely don't think it was laziness which led to the slight drop in quality. I think KQ just has a pre-planned release schedule where everything is organized so they can squeeze in comeback promotions between tour schedules and, this time, they had to find a way to squeeze in Coachella, which is an opportunity you simply cannot turn down and they made a judgment call and decided to take preparation time away from the album.

Regardless of how Ateez felt about this, they worked their asses off, and while they're already in the US, they attend interviews, take extra classes, film the music video etc. and thus, weeks of album preparations are now spent on Coachella-related schedules. As a result, there ultimately just wasn't enough time to hole up in the studio as much as they normally would've which, as a performer, must be a whole lot more fun, but isn't so great when you're just a listener.

The Edenary team is still responsible for most of the songs, of course, but they're now also working for Xikers which is likely possible because Hongjoong now has years of experience under his belt and can compose full songs or add finishing touches himself whenever needed while also working on Xikers' music on occasion - we've seen him credited multiple times.

On top of that, they also used a live band at Coachella, meaning their songs had to be translated to acoustic which was most likely fully Edenary's doing and also took them away from preparing for this comeback.

These days, their albums aren't as pre-prepared anymore as they used to be a couple of years ago when we still got song teasers at the end of tracks several comebacks in advance. They've caught up by now, as we've been able to see in behind the scenes footage of Hongjoong in the studio and from his interview with Changkyun from Monsta X (I.M on the Beat) where he largely talked about working on The World - Ep Fin. which was clearly still fresh in his mind.

Normally, this wouldn't be a downside at all, but it does make scheduling conflicts like this something to be cautious about, especially looking back to how exhausted they (and most other K-pop artists) always are between December and February every single year when all the award shows come together.

Whether I'm right or not, I don't know and can't prove, but I think it makes a lotta sense and would explain some things. Either way, watching them perform Work is still fun and it's lovely to see them so happy and thriving, but I do think there'll be a noticable difference when the next album drops without any surprise schedules throwing things off course.

#ateez #golden hour part 1

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dorkfruit · 9 months

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i put this together using my computer's trackpad so the new year is already starting out . bad .

posts: J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D

template

reflections on the year, my plans for the future, some studies i did, and wips for the next year all down below for those who are interested

tldr; we will be ianthing next year so watch out!!

oh dear lord it's been another year. 2024! can you believe it! i don't talk much on this blog because i have a tendency to talk too much, but it's my little new year's treat, so here we go.

RECAP

i started taking drawing "seriously" in December of 2020, starting to do studies and stuff, and each year since i've ramped it up more and more. this year, i did. a lot of studies. there's probably like at least 200 more in my folder now (not including the 300 days worth of gesture drawings i did), with things like painting, faces, feet, poses, etc. anything i was struggling with, i went right into studying it. my art has been mediocre for a pretty long time now, and it's only the past few months where i feel i'm starting to get the hang of it, which is exciting!

more importantly, i started posting a lot more on this blog. i really like documenting my progress, looking on where i was before and seeing how i've improved. everytime i draw some fanart, im like, oooghh i can't wait to show my (: followers (: !! lots of locked tomb art of course. i've been trying to nail the energy of the different characters, which is why i enjoy books so much, because you get a lot of creative control. drawing ianthe is my fav of course, cause she's my lil nasty, but also i enjoyed doing designs for characters i hadnt thought about before, like judith.

in addition to the locked tomb, we had some new fandoms that got brief moments in between iantheposting: Fear and Hunger, Postal, Faith The Unholy Trinity, and a couple of old ones too, like We Have Always Lived In The Castle and The Merciless.

i posted about 115 times this year, although most of those are shitposts LOL i love posting stuff on my blog and showing people my stuff <3

THE FUTURE

my plans? do more ianthe art, of course. ill be working on more studies, probably going to work on developing a style, and figuring out how to paint. i'd like to do more actually finished pieces, but let's be honest, it'll still be mostly shitpost doodles. i'd like to do more weird stuff. i've been messing around with some gore and NSFW near the end of the year, and it's fun to draw for me. i like idk art that evokes some type of emotion, especially discomfort, and so i find that type of art fun to do, so if you don't enjoy what i've done thus far in that direction, perhaps this isn't the blog for you. i really like horror media, and so i want to do some stuff like that too.

for specifics, i like western type art, a comic book-esque style i'd like to aim for. but i'd like it to be a little more. weird with it. i find comic books often draw all the characters the same, and make all the characters traditionally attractive, and that's boring to me so i'll have to work on finding a way to keep things weird, while also appealing in a graphic sense. the worst thing my art could be is bland and forgettable.

locked tomb wise... more tridentarii art. need to be really weird with it. i have lots of wips planned, like i have a whole page worth of just thumbnails, so i wanna get some of those done. also i had a few animatics i wanted to do. mostly stupid shit, once i learn how to do animatics, then we'll do actual serious ones. id also like to do more comics. i have some comics storyboarded out with my girlies, i like telling a story so, need practice on that. id also like to develop a way to consistently draw them, for convenience sakes, so i'm not fighting for my life every single time i draw these characters. oh and i wanna do some outfit stuff. i draw them in like. generic clothes everytime but i'd like to come up with a few actual outfit designs, that i can just reference back to. and, of course, more shitposts. lots of stupid shit in 2024 for sure. there was something else i wanted to say here but i can't remember.

ART

oki enough rambling, here's some IMAGES for yall to look at i know everyone loves to look at images.

began this year by warming up with gesture sketches (almost) every day. i started with 20 poses (30 seconds each), and then in november i was like. ugh my hands suck i need to get better at hands, so i switched to doing 10 hand sketches (60 seconds each). i want my art to be very energetic so it's important that i do these !!

anatomy studies of extremities because i'm flopping at those -_- ive gotten better with hands but they're still a struggle. i hate feet tho still

need to get my painting game up. i joined an art forum to get advice, and the biggest suggestion i got was working on my values, so i did various value studies. also lots of faces because my faces flop !!

random doodles to work on drawing from imagination. on my "sketchbook" pages, as i like to call them, i'm usually pretty loose and messy, since the point is just to be drawing so often these will suck, but that's fine. i don't think very much when i draw faces on here either so they end up being in my Instinctive Style i suppose you could say

ianthe wip. i was planning to do a few drawings based on the idea of her having Missing Arm nightmares, but the lineart was intimidating to me so i haven't worked on this one more yet /: also there was going to be a toontown gay homosexual toxic yuri comic that i was gonna put here with it but the page is way too long so umm guess that'll have to wait.

...

anyways. thank you for reading if you got to the bottom of this! i appreciate all the support that i've been getting lately (extra big kissies for the same like 5 people who always reblog my posts youre the best). and we will be ianthing soo hard in 2024 so watch out!!

#and god bless. there is not a single background in any of these images. sketch on a white bg foreverz!!#my art #art meme #ianthe tridentarius #really got to tag her here bc . all this art is of her LOL

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lm-tomatito · 7 months

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I would love to know more about the plot idea that inspired your art with Metal Overlord and Sage!

Oh man, I kinda forgot most of it but I'll say what I remember ;u; I don't actually have this one very planned since it was a random idea I had, so if anyone would like to add stuff to it or just draw this Sage, feel free to do so. Also, I have other story ideas that are relatively more well planned I guess, so I can talk about those too if anyone is interested. Might add a small sketch for them like I did here too

This idea is actually more about an evil Sage who was overtaken by a virus, the government's fault for learning about her and wanting to control her probably. I kinda wanted something that was against her own programming or ideals, confusing her so much to the point of breaking or being corrupted.

Not sure what her goal would be. Maybe destroying the world, destroying only the humans or just take control of everything and everyone. Maybe a corrupted way of love that would make her want to shape the world however she thinks it should be.

She's able to take control and overwrite any robot/machine's purpose, all except for Metal (because unconscious sibling bonding or something).

I didn't actually plan on adding Overlord (or Neo) to this, I only wanted to draw him and OvertakenSage because of the cool factor (lol).

As to why he joined her, not sure either. Could be him wanting to stop her, fear of her taking control over him too, or just doing it because of his own goal like waiting for the perfect moment to strike and him being the one with control over everything. Maybe he doesn't even join her and actually joins whoever tries to stop her, idk

I'm also not sure what would happen to Eggman, or what he would do, all I know is Sage would be against him too. If he would be temporary ally to Sonic and friends or just hide on his own, depends on how it sounds more interesting.

The biggest inspirations for this are actually 3 different things: 1, me wanting to make a virus/apocalypse thing because I have fun with that type of stories, kinda like the whole metal virus stuff (I actually have a different story idea with something more similar to that I guess). 2, stories about computer viruses, specially the "I love you" one. And 3, a song that might be based on that, is called "INFeCTIoN" by VocaCircus, really good song, I like it a lot. I guess there's a bit of inspiration from robot apocalypse movies too? I haven't actually watched that many so...

But yeah, that's my "Overtaken AI" au. Again, it's not very well planned because I'm not even sure if I'll actually use this for anything other than drawings and maybe some small scenes about it, I really just wanted to make my own evil Sage design yay

#answering asks #sonic the hedgehog #sonic au #sage the ai

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tenfluenza · 8 months

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Art programs you have but don't use

Blender :( i wanted to learn it ever since I beefed my computer, but it turns out 3D sculpting isn't my thing

AutoCAD! i was so cracked at it in high school, and I'm kind of picking it up again so I can do a little graphic design with it. I'm planning to get recertified soon for fun (since it turns out my cert expired like... 4 years ago)

Revit. I also had a Revit phase but we don't talk about that (the misanthropic version of sims)

honorary mention for Medibang/FireAlpaca. i got csp and never looked back, but they were my og's

another honorary mention for krita. i tried to get into it but it never clicked. maybe i'll try it again if i ever have to get a new computer or something

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw

this might be obvious but i am such a skirts and dresses person. bonus points if there's an apron or pleats. basically any loose, baggy clothing is such an enjoyable thing to draw. i also prefer clothing that bunches up around the elbows! (oddly specific ik but i love it)

my overall specific favorite thing to draw is a haori/fishing jacket because it's got a very simple construction (i looked up how they're made traditionally, and no joke, it's literally 4 rectangular panels sewn together in a row)

bonus small collage of some nice clothing i've drawn

12. Easiest part of body to draw

... i really don't want to be that guy but if i had to pick it's gotta be hands, but i also think my bar for decent hands is a lot lower than other people's, so it's ok, right? when i get to hands i feel like im actually drawing because they're so detail heavy (compared to the rest of the body) and i feel confident that it really "grounds" the pose so that's why i say they're the easiest.

but on the other hand (lol) my hands sketches are atrocious. after i get the gist of it down i can take the rest of it from there. something something... i can explain more in detail if anyone ever asks but this ask game response is getting long as is

but here have some sketch -> line demonstrations and a short collage of hands too since i really like drawing them <3

that and ummm skin folds? if you understand what i mean. i think they give a lot of personality/fluidity to bodies and i feel like i can find these folds pretty easily if i think about it a little. it's one of the first things i like to mark down when i do gestures, too

on the contrary, i think the hardest parts for me to draw are the face, hair, and the hip/crotch area

thanks for asking! @lotus-pear @silver-tounges-and-golden-lies @ixxy-artemala

#trivial talk #senpaifart #ask #ask game #reply #these questions were really fun

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thelureking · 5 months

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LILIUM'S 2023 GAME LIST:

Hey! Better late than never! I actually have been editing this list since november, but I lost some of the things I said about the last games and it took me this long to remember what I had written. The risks I run because my mind flows better when I write with pen and paper. So, seeing how well the last list did on my memory, and because I got bored of talking to myself, I shall torture the unlucky ones who have found this post with both my video game taste and my rambles about them. I am so sorry in advance.

It's the same as before: they are ordered chronologically, from first played/finished to last, not ranked in how much I liked them. If I dont say a lot its not because I didn't like it, or that it was bad. At times I didn't want to give too much away. This time I tried to write each segment right after finishing them, or the following days, so that's why I talk way more or in more detail about each game and my own opinions. And who knows, maybe this will be a yearly thing. I like it, I'm Having fun. And hopefully some of these games get the love they deserve by whoever reads this.

So, once again, and now with more words:

1) Mothmen 1966

Mothmen being in the title was enough for me to give it a go, so it's good to say that the game is also good. It is divided by chapters, each one from the perspective of one of our three protagonists, showing the perspective of these vastly different people even if they are connected in some way. The game goes from a visual novel style to changing the gameplay to be interactive while also maintaining its format, something that I found entertaining. Its visuals are a treat, and I believe they enhance the horror presented in the story. All of the parts in this game work in its favor. I cannot believe I am actually saying this, but to get an achievement you need to take an L. I am not joking. It is part of a puzzle and me being good at it made me miss an achievement. No hard feelings, I had a good laugh about it as I was going back to the save file and doing it again. Sometimes, sucking is the way to go. I may have spent way too much time trying to win the Impossible Solitaire. But I will, one day, you'll see.

2) Roadwarden

You know a game is good when I play it for hours uninterrupted and is the main reason I turn on the computer.

Roadwarden is, as the title image says, an illustrated text based RPG, in which you take the role of a Roadwarden who is tasked to explore an unknown peninsula to expand a merchant's guild's influence, establish its safety, and find out what happened to the missing previous roadwarden.

Let me tell you, this game is amazing from both a mechanical and storytelling level. Mechanically because the game keeps track of so many things, it will remember even an answer you gave at the very beginning, and it'll become an integral part of your character. Even little thoughts as you are about to sleep will shape who you are playing as. On the story telling level, so many of the quests and towns are interlinked that holding back on finishing certain quests is the way to go, although in some cases having as many done as possible will no doubt help. The characters and towns are all unique and memorable, each with history that shapes them and how they interact with each other and you, the outsider. Both gameplay and story service each other to present an experience unlike any other, enhancing each other at every opportunity. The art and soundtrack set the perfect atmosphere for each moment. And the world building. Man, the world building, it's just. So well done, you actually believe this is a real place that existed before you arrived, and that it will continue to do so after you leave. It wasn't waiting for you, it did not kick into gear just because you showed up. It has its own issues, its own history, its own people, nature, culture, and you can feel that with each written word, each piece of information. I can't even explain properly just how good the world building is.

I just really fell in love with being a guy on the road taking care of these settlements' problems, getting to know their inhabitants and gaining their trust, all while falling in love with the game. There is one quest that I do not want to spoil, but the ending was so. Fitting, in a way, that I was surprised I didn't see it coming. Even as I saw the achievement name once I completed it, I looked back and just. I just smiled like damn, good job.

If you want to really take in this entire world and its people, I would personally recommend playing in Casual, since any other difficulty setting will put a limit to the days you'll be allowed to stay, and I must stress that this experience must not be rushed. Unless you dont mind a time challenge, in which case you do you. Also don't know about your memory, but I needed to take notes, and some highlights are: "Efren marry me", "We should have all stabbed Thais full Julius Caesar style", "Eudica and Efren my beloveds" and "Thyrsus is my Warlock Uncle". With that being said, the Journal mechanic is a god sent, and I can't be more grateful that it exists. Finally, a journal that doesn't get stuck in the first sentences of a quest from when you first got it.

Oh boy, those are a lot of words. Can you tell I really liked this game? I can't wait to see more from this developer.

EDIT: THE GAME HAS RECEIVED A HUGE UPDATE THAT I HAVE YET TO PLAY, BUT OH BOY IT'S MAKING ME WANT TO REPLAY THE ENTIRE GAME AGAIN.

3) Exhibit of Sorrows

A short game set in a clown exhibit, with a point - click and drag gameplay. I'll keep this one short, since this game can be played for free in both browser and for download in Itchio, and it is a neat little thing that you can beat as fast or as slow as you want. You interact with each exhibit, clicking and dragging the mouse depending on what you need to do, each with a little buddy that you need to help or have fun with to get the key, and proceed to the next screen. Its length and artstyle make for a fun and interesting experience, pacing itself beautifully. It is effective in every way. And come on, they are clowns, they are so cute and look like plushies. I love them all.

4) The Firebrand

A game about a detective interrogating a woman with different word prompts that he writes down in his notebook, all which branch into more questions and answers. You'll uncover the story and the truth of this conversation as you play along, finding out stuff about the woman, the detective, and even the world they live in. It is an interrogation against a clock that keeps on ticking, and luckily the developers give us the chance to check out a dialogue tree and how to get both the Normal and True Ending. With that in mind, the questions that don't lead to either of these are worth reading, as they serve to paint a bigger picture. And hey, you can also get the Bad Ending while you do it.

5) Royal Alchemist

Royal Alchemist is a visual novel in which you, the protagonist, are tasked with tutoring the three princes of a nation. You will fight for your life against the challenges this new position presents and also the stat checks you will have to pass at different points of the story, both of your character and the princes. Speaking of, each one of them represents a different route, with their recommended order (which I highly request following as stated by the creators: Aurelius, then Serin, and finally Nazir. Trust me, they were made to be experienced like this, you wont regret it). You will experience the constant back and forth, the battle of swords and wits with Aurelius, the emotional build up with Serin, and to describe the main appeal of Nazir's route before playing it would be a spoiler. The romance in this VN is some of the best I've experienced. I have never read about two characters holding hands in such an intimate way, it made the pure build up of a route worth every second. And the Princes aren't the only interesting characters, this visual novel is full of fun and complex characters, all with their own personalities and roles. From Raphael, the butler who might as well be the patron saint of patience, to Viola, the infamous head merchant. It has a mechanic of stat raising and, as stated before, there will be points in the story where you will need to reach a certain level of a skill to be able to pass. But don't worry, there is an official guide made by the developers which is a life saver, which not only has each stat requirement for each route, but also with neat additions like character profiles and more. The only criticism I'll give it is that some scenes are cut short when they could have been expanded on and it would have had a better effect, not only in terms of an emotional connection, but also to further enforce the bond between the player and the relationship developed in the route. But besides that small complaint, this visual novel is one I would gladly recommend.

6) Fear & Hunger

God, this game. This game hates you on a mechanical level. This game will put the fear of god in you every time you get further away from a save point, every time you think "yeah I can take this enemy no problem" and next thing you know you are eating dinner with your creator; every time you think "oh neat, a new area" and proceed to eat shit and die for the next hour because you just lost a fucking arm and a leg and can't outrun your enemies anymore. And you refuse to start another run because you are just that stubborn, and you will suffer through the consequences of your early game actions. No this is not my personal experience what are you talking about. It is a bleak and grotesque horror rpg game, made with RPG Maker. You will accompany whichever poor soul you choose as your playable character in their trip to the dungeon of Fear and Hunger, for whichever the reason their story presents. Should you play this game? Be mindful of the triggering content, first and foremost. This is a dark game, and it does not shy away from depicting it. From enemy designs, gameplay mechanics, to the way of worshiping gods, to specific game overs, and so on. Its hard and you will feel it unfair. This game will not hold your hand, and when you think it does it will put its teeth around your wrist and tear it off your body, its saliva infecting your wound with poison and leaving you to rot. I love this game.

7) Clash: Robot Detective

Fun fact: I never look into games that much before playing them, which in this case led to the asssumption that I was going to play a robot. So I named my character Flesh, because I thought a robot named Flesh was funny and also cool. Turns out, I ended up playing a human named Flesh. Which was somehow even funnier, and ended up becoming a pattern when I played the extras, which have a different protagonist, and I decided to commit to the bit and named them Blood. Flesh and Blood, my favourite human beings.

You play as the extremely new assistant to our titular detective Clash, who asks for your help in solving a mystery taking place in the cruise ship you are vacationing on. Depending on the different dialogue options, you can play as the good or the bad cop, and Clash will balance you out in this act, which leads to different and interesting outcomes.

I have to say, the artstyle drew me in. I am a sucker for these types of illustrations, and I'm glad that the writing and story were as good. I was invested not only in the case, but also on Clash as a character, who I will longingly stare at from a distance because I respect his boundaries and preferences.

Keep on going, you majestic robot detective, I can't wait to see what kind of trouble you get into in the future.

8) EXCUSE ME SIR (Demo)

Long awaited (at least for me) DEMO from Airdoft (creator of FAITH) and , and it all came about because of her videos and a single tweet.

The demo is short, but it shows the great potential of what a game like this could grow into, and I cant wait to see it become a finished project.

EDIT: Sadly, the game has been canceled, so we won't be able to see this concept grow into a finished game. Hopefully it'll inspire others with its style and presentation.

9) (Don't) Open Your Eyes

In this room, you know how everything looks. Does that include your midnight intruder?

This entire VN is a one sided conversation between you and something that may or may not be there, shaped in the darkness of your closed eyelids. Both of you are gripped by the same question, the intrigue eats away at you. Your imagination runs wild trying to give shape to this anomaly, and it is so desperate for you to find out.

There is only one way to do so:

Don't open your eyes.

10) Fortress

Man, short and effective is the way to describe this one. It has such a fantastic grip on atmosphere and tension that I admire. It truly captures the feeling of returning to a place where an impactful childhood memory took place.

Using the same location and making you play through it at different times of the story was done so well. I was ready for things to happen just because they did in the past, the first half of the game, and expected them to happen again.

In the past, I was ready to shoot on sight. As an adult, I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger, not even to see if I could. I don't know why, months after playing it, this little thing has stuck with me the most.

11) The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car

You leave the gas station with a stranger, either on the wheel or sitting next to you. The silence hangs heavy between you two, the road is empty, the sun is setting, and the end of the world is now. Time to break the silence, you get to choose who. In this visual novel you get to decide how this conversation at the end of the world unfolds, a game of perspective between our two characters, who may hide certain details about themselves or reveal them, if they give you the choice. After all, what would you gain by hiding a secret in this car ride? It could be your last.

12) Attack of the Murder Hornets

Hornets are evil, evil things of nature. They are coming for your bees.

They are coming for you.

BE READY

13) Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (+ Siege of Dragon Spear)

There has to be a saying that goes: If you can't play the game everyone is talking about, go play every single game in it's series that came before it. Because that's what I did, even if I already wanted to play the Baldur's Gate games before the third one came around. But it was definitely a good push. The game's story has a much smaller scope than I expected, or maybe that's just how I feel now that I am currently playing the second game, but I think it works in its favor.

I think the reason I don't have much to say, besides the fact that I had lots of fun, is because my head is still processing Siege of Dragon Spear (with its much bigger scope) and what I am currently seeing in the second game. What all I'll say about that one now is man, what a way to start a sequel.

My suffering came mostly from the ruleset used (which I was unfamiliar with) and the fucking paralysis spell. Fuck it. ALL MY HOMIES HATE THE PARALYSIS SPELL.

In terms of characters, I didn't end up using most of the available NPCs in my party, even if I made the effort of recruiting them all, mostly because the ones I had I liked a lot. I liked Rasaad and I was pleasantly surprised he had a romance in the expansion AND the second game, which I am enjoying a lot. Jaheira and Khalid never left my party, same with Imoen who I kept treating like a sister because come on, the setup of being raised in the same city since birth and being childhood friends was perfect. I love Baeloth an unhealthy amount, he is so perfect in the expansion I made an effort to keep him in the party even if I had high reputation. In the expansion my party was insane looking. Like Oh yes, the Hero of Baldur's Gate, her monk companion Rasaad, Jaheira and... a gnome nobody knows why he is around, Baeloth the entertainer I guess, and a GOBLIN? At one point I did switch Jaheira for Viconia, only because Baeloth was one point of reputation away from leaving the party. I swear, the grip that man has on me. The story from Viconia's POV must be so funny: She gets recruited and instantly tells me she is fucking off, gets recruited again only because I dont want an idiot entertainer to leave; and then when she is about to be killed, who comes to her rescue? THIS DUMBASS. She must be like: GOD, DAMN IT, I CAN'T ESCAPE THIS BITCH. I am her surface curse.

My closing thought for this game is: Whoever made the TOSC maze... Who the fuck hurt you? Same goes for whoever made that final boss. WHY?!

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myxomat0s1s · 1 month

Text

Schoolhouse Rankings: Part 1

The Bottom 15

This will be a ranking of all 53 Schoolhouse Rock! segments from 1973-2002. Climate Rock from 2009 will not be included because I don't have access to it, and it's not really considered "the same" series as the run up to 2002. We're taking this very very no foolin' seriously here despite this being a kid's show from the 70's /j. It isn't that deep, but I'll make it that deep. I'm rating based mostly on the music and lyrics themselves; this is weighted towards the sonic aspect rather than visuals. I want strong instrumentation and good vocals, and a premise that keeps me listening. Characters and their interactions/potential to be interesting are also big players, I like the more charater-driven ones. If the premise/concept for how the subject is conveyed is creative, points there too. Lesser aspects they'll be judged on include actual animation quality(This was mostly a series concieved off a shoestring budget in the 70's, so unless the short does something exceptionally good or bad, not a lot of points depend on this) and general wow factor(Doing something standout from most other episodes). I'll also include a few stats if applicable as well as some fun trivia!

Here's a key for some symbols: ⭐"big one" most popular song of the season 🟩highest ranking song of the season 🟥lowest ranking song of the season ⚡seizure warning! prevalent flashing lights 👍i have an interesting fact to share ✖multiplication rock 🇺🇲america 🖥computer💲money 🖋grammar 🧪science

In last place...

53. ✖ The Good Eleven 🟥

I don't have a ton to say on this song; I just find it boring in every way. The delivery doesn't fit Bob Dorough. He just sounds really insincerely chipper and I'm not a fan of the key the song's in. Instrumentation isn't anything to scoff at, but it's also nothing special. And the short really falls flat in its concept. Motifs of angels and general ideas of purity are shown often in the video, but nothing is ever pushed to the point where it becomes interesting. If a good short is a work of art, like a painting, this is a bunch of scattershot ideas that splatter across the wall and do nothing else. It's literally about nothing. "11 is good, multiplying it is easy" is about all there is. No substance. Which I could also say about the animation, because it's really simple and boring. You could make the excuse that this was the first reason, so it wasn't up to snuff with the rest of them, but I wouldn't agree, because the same season has some really great moments like Little Twelvetoes and I Got Six, where you get some really colorful, detailed shots. This as well as the fact that there are some even better, arguably more simplistic animations with songs like Telegraph Line and even Presidential Minute really sours this song for me. If I had to describe this song in a word: Insubstantial. -Lowest placement for Bob Dorough -Lowest placement in Multiplication Rock -Lowest placement of all episodes

52. ✖ Lucky Seven Sampson

I have even less to say on this song. It at least has a concept, following the titular anthro rabbit Lucky Seven Sampson around town, and it's played into by the animation, but it's still not a very interesting one. He sort of just strolls around causing havoc and teaching how to multiply. Something that hinders the songs in multiplication rock is how at times stiff they are lyrically, which isn't really the fault of the writers, as you obviously need to insert the times tables in there somewhere, but it's still a detractor in really barebones cases such as this song, because besides that run of times tables there's not much. I don't even like Sampson's voice or design much. Dorough is pretty pitchy on higher notes, which is unlike him. The color palette with that ugly yellow background is also not stellar. Really boring.

51. 🇺🇲 Three Ring Government 🟥👍

This short used to scare me as a kid. I think it was a mix of the key it was in(I had/have a strange aversion to a few of these songs simply because of the key) and the more exaggerated artstyle that was, at times, a little uncanny. I used to freeze up because the lions on the posters in the backgrounds would scare the shit out of me. My point is that this short did not improve much in my eyes. The artstyle is rough, and in some cases uncanny in a not very charming way. I don’t know what to say because it’s just so… bleh. Luckily I’ve padded this with an early childhood story, so yay! Nobody will ever notice how boring and unimportant this song is! We truly were not missing anything with this one being delayed.

-Fun Fact! This song was held from airing for several months due to the song's entire concept being about comparing the branches of government to a circus. For fears of getting their funding cut because of this, the episode was withheld until 1979, making it the last short to air from America Rock by a long time. -Lowest placement for Lynn Ahrens -Lowest placement in America Rock

50. 🖥 Software/Think Computer! 🟥⭐

Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips is an odd season. It’s the only season to have recurring cast members in the forms of the titular Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips, who benefit this season greatly because I love them both. That being said, this is the worst of their relatively lackluster 4-episode season. Darrel Stern is super pitchy, and Bob Kaliban’s voice has a robot filter that’s grating when he’s trying to sing. The instrumentation is pretty lackluster and it’s my least favorite subject-wise, talking about BASIC and other 80’s computer software features that are severely outdated. I’m not one to bitch about the outdated songs- I will wax poetic about how amazing Telegraph Line is- but this just offers no value to me and probably most others.

-Lowest placement for Darrel Stern and Bob Kaliban -Lowest placement in Computer Rock

49. ✖ Elementary, My Dear

Bleh. Boring. I’ve been trying to shorten my reviews so I don’t yap, because I know I tend to restate my previous opinions a lot sometimes(got this input on a music review once), and this short will be great practice. Besides the fact that the little kid Noah has is cute, it doesn’t do much interesting, and the repetitive melody gets old fast

48. 🇺🇲 Elbow Room

Aged horribly. You'd be totally flamed for making a pro-manifest destiny song today. Besides that, though, Sue Manchester has the same cadence and sound as Lynn Ahrens, one of my least favorite vocalists on the SHR team, which doesn't do her a great service. The rest of it is take-it-or-leave-it.

-Lowest placement for a non-recurring singer(Sue Manchester)

47. 💲Tyrannosaurus Debt🟥👍

The idea of the National Debt being a huge dinosaur that constantly grazes Capitol hill is a pretty fun concept! I really like the creativity there, but besides that there’s not too much to pick apart. Money Rock at times could be very experimental with the SHR artstyle, but this was one that tried emulating the old artstyle, which leaves a lot to be desired as being faithful costed money. Most set pieces and backgrounds were flat white, and the people had a bleak artstyle revisited in Presidential Minute that really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The more I think about it, the more I realize it’s just a bad version of what came before. Dorough’s delivery, though he does get a little more intense in the end, is pretty boring, and, in the same vein as Elementary My Dear, the singsong melody gets old quickly. There are a few songs that, rather than stick to a verse-chorus structure or have more fleshed out segments, just sort of go on and on, and it doesn’t interest me. Not a fan.

-Fun fact! At the end of this video, Bill from I'm Just a Bill makes a cameo! -Lowest placement in Money Rock

46. ✖ The Four-Legged Zoo

The kid's choir is actually really good in this song, and it adds some fun, airy energy to it. It sort of just lists animals and numbers, though, and the animation isn't super out there, so this short doesn't get a lot of points.

45. 💲This For That

With this one, I'll admit, the caveman guy is pretty cool. I like his design, he's a silly little dude. This is another short from Money Rock that harkens back to old SHR, and I must say, they did it far better here. I used to confuse this for one of the older ones when I was little, because I knew some of them were made later on, but I didn't know all of Money Rock was. Character designs are really good, and the steel drum is an interesting instrument a friend caught in the background and got me to pay attention to. Besides that the instrumental isn't all that special, and neither is the rest of the short. Dorough has that sort of bored, going-through-the-motions feel to his voice like he did in Tyrannosaurus Debt. The same pet peeve of a grating repeating melody is here and twice as bad. It's not really something I can describe; I just don't like it, there's nothing going on. That repetition at the "chorus" part of "Coins/barter is smarter" is also unbearable. Neither of them is truly "better" than the other, and the song seems to come to that conclusion through a confusing flip-flopping of that opinion every repetition.

44. 🇺🇲 The Preamble

Literally just the preamble to the Constitution. Like, that's it. Slightly related visuals to go with it. 'Salright.

43. 🖥 Intro 👍

This short doesn't really hold up to the excitement I had knowing it was lost media for some time. The instrumental has an aggressively 80's feel to it, which is cheesy, but in an admittedly very charming way. It's sort of an extended version of the theme song, and that’s cool. Premise is awesome, again, I love Mr. Chips, and this is essentially Scooter introducing him to us, and I love their little friendo dynamic! This just isn’t much in the lyrics or music or voice department. As stated before, the music has some fun 80’s cheese, but it gets old and ignorable quick, and is less memorable compared to later episodes like Hardware. Stern has the same loud, pitchy yell as he did in Software that gets on my nerves. I like it when he sing-talks more than when he actually sings. And the topics covered lyrically are expanded upon in the next three episodes, rendering this one a bit useless since it skims over the ideas on such a surface level. Not a bad episode, but there’s better.

-Fun fact! This song was lost for a very long time. After it's initial 80's airings, the short was lost by the network and declared lost media unil 2013, when Scooter's voice actor, Darrel Stern, uploaded the original tape online.

42. 🇺🇲 Presidential Minute👍

This is the shortest song in the whole lot, lasting, as suggested, just a minute. It’s cool, but there isn’t much to it besides that. Artstyle kinda blows as stared with Tyrannosaurus Debt, the designs and animation are very simple, but I sort of get it since the short is a just prize unlock for winning a dvd bonus game. Sheldon’s delivery isn’t outstanding, and the instrumental is standard.

-Lowest placement for Jack Sheldon -Fun fact! This episode as well as I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College are exclusive to the 30th anniversary VHS/DVD releases!

41. 🇺🇲No More Kings

Another blase Ahrens America Rock song. Most of hers are very similar here, just recaps/skimmings of historical events, and that’s understandably restrictive for story ideas. Only real standout feature is the animation, which has a nice watercolor aesthetic I’m a big fan of.

40. 🖥Number Cruncher

Poor Scooter. Bro’s bedroom is half filled with papers. Scooter is relegated to statistitian for his baseball team, which he struggles with severely until he’s offered help by Mr. Chips. A fun premise! It’s kind of just Mr. Chips yapping though, but not in a fun way like(spoiler alert!) Hardware. Kaliban isn’t much better than Stern when he has the voice filter on, so in that aspect this is only slightly boosted. Standard Computer Rock faire.

39. ✖Figure Eight

I seriously love the first minute and fifteen seconds of this song. It contains a very delicate oscilating melody that I’m a big fan of. This was Blossom Dearie’s first song with the team, and her fragile voice sounds whispery and eerie, giving the song a creepy doll tone I enjoy. The figureskating animation and concept is also very alluring to me, I really like the establishing shot of the school blanketed in snow. The animation feels very graceful, a great pairing with the vocals and premise. This all comes back to bookend the song about a minute later, but that minute in the middle is such a big pacebreaker. It “transitions”(really just plops you in the middle of a completely different song) to a far cheerier, less elegant section that Dearie’s delivery does not switch up to match. Visuals are only semi-related, either containing the figure skating theme and not the character(whom I do really like), or the character and not the figure skating theme. Kinda just whatever crap they wanted to put in the song is thrown around here, and it damages what would otherwise be a song begging to be put in the top 20.

-Lowest placement for Blossom Dearie

#schoolhouse rock #ranking #list #hope you like this #i have the whole list it took me like 6 hours to rewatch get the data sort it out and write reviews #stockpiling the other two segments for lazy days #also killing whatever force is making random bits of my little text big again #grr

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satancopilotsmytardis · 4 months

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Hi, this is the same anon that asked about the stingray from LOA :) I don't know what the other anon was saying?? Take all the time you want or need to work on WIPs, because we know you're going back to them at some point. You've given us more than enough to hold us off, too- art, drabbles, the 101 project on top of everything. You're doing a lot for a hobby and I'm really grateful that you put as much time and effort into your work as you do, because your writing is amazing. That being said, Changing Currents has altered my brain chemistry I think. I originally followed your work for the porn, but now I'm caught up and tangled in like seven different stories. Very glad I found your work in the first place, because it inspired me to at least open up a document on my own computer and write some stuff for my friends.

Hello again! I hope you had fun if you ended up picking up one for yourself lol

I appreciate the kind words, I'm still going to keep writing at the pace I feel like working, and I'm grateful to the people who are willing to stick around and be patient for those stories!

Changing Currents is a fun piece, and I'm happy that it has been so well-received! I hope you have been having fun writing for your friends and that they've also been enjoying your work!

#tanco speaks #ask #asks

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fractiflos · 10 months

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To get some of the more obscure holders, how about headcanons for En? How he met Daigoro Banjo, how he obtained OFA, how he died, etc. Thank you!

YESSSSS! I HAVE SO MANY FOR EN! They're out of order, but I'm too excited to format it correctly. Sorry it got so long.

En was the youngest of 6 siblings. I have more on that here

All throughout high school he was made fun of for being short at 5'3 (160 cm) and would always say "just wait until I hit my growth spurt" and he did. He grew to the height of 5'6 (168 cm). Because of that, he always appreciates it when someone is shorter than him

This is part of the reason he became a babysitter, entertaining kids with his amazing art skills

His quirk first activated when he was in kindergarten. Back then, quirks didn't manifest until about 10, but he was under distress because all the other kids were making fun of him.

Part of the reason he fell in love with his girlfriend (Akane Akagi) is because she was shorter than he was. It's also why he likes their Ninth holder so much.

En just finished high school and had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He loved technology, so his siblings encouraged him to do something with computers, because that's where all the money's at. He wasn't sure and decided to take a jog in the park to take his mind off things where he ran into a villain. His quirk activated on accident, allowing the new hero Lariat to take him down. After, Lariat invited him to join the new program of underground heroes the government was starting.

However, back then, underground heroes were stereotyped as cowards in the hero business. You see, this was just when quirked people were starting to become a bigger part of the population. Limelight heroes had a very good chance of being mobbed for the reason that they had quirks, and because they weren't allowed to fight back, they had a very good chance of being killed. Meanwhile, nobody even knew underground heroes existed, allowing them to be able to live a normal life. En experienced some workplace bullying because of that.

Banjo was cool though, and taught him a lot. He also became good friends with other heroes, such as Crimson Riot. And remember that girlfriend I mentioned? Yeah, she also became an underground hero. Unfortunately, she died young after being hit by a drunk driver. En's coat is red to honor her.

Red coat, blue coat, purple coat. This all means one thing. En is Bi.

En met Nana after being invited to her wedding along with his brother, Tatsuo (who would become a manga artist). Also, this happens after Banjo's death.

He was invited because Tatsuo was originally going to bring his girlfriend, but they broke up and the bride said he could come, because he was poor and in need of some good wedding food. He fell asleep during the ceremony, but after, on his way to the bathroom, he heard her crying. As it turns out, Nana's mother-in-law was a bitch to her throughout her and her husband's entire relationship. She just didn't say anything because said in-law acted like the perfect angel in front of everyone else and she was worried she wouldn't be believed. En gave her a peptalk and was surprised to see one of the new heroes from the newly created Twilight division emerge from behind the door but shrugged it off.

It was a good wedding. He ate a bunch and went back to work. Only to run into Nana again along with the fast-rising limelighter Gran Torino. They were all assigned a case, where he found himself impressed at Nana's skills. He thought back to how they first met and decided it couldn't be a coincidence. He offered her his quirk and she accepted, even knowing that she would have to fight against AFO.

AFO tried to take his quirk for the second time in their last battle. En found one of his Nomu experiment factories and was told to destroy it along with some other heroes. He didn't mean to get into battle with AFO, but it was becoming clearer that it would be unavoidable so he made sure everyone got out safely before confronting the man. After failing to steal his quirk the second time, All For One killed him out of frustration. At least the factory ended up being destroyed.

En's fighting style consisted of sneaking up on people and knocking them out. His coat has a bunch of pockets where he keeps some of his weapons and support items. His support items consist of two types of smoke bombs that he fills up with his smoke.

One type of bomb is your regular smoke bomb that fills a place up with a ton of smoke, but adds a few compounds made to irritate the lungs, forcing people to cough without being able to suppress it. The other does the same thing, but releases the smoke slowly over time. While his smoke doesn't affect him (and he's built up a decent immunity to other types of smoke) he still has the high collar to help filter out irritants like that, as long-term exposure to those things can be dangerous.

His weapons of choice are daggers, hammer, and those little rope things you throw at people that wrap around their legs and tie them up.

He and Banjo had a special move where Banjo would wrap Blackwhip around him, and then swing him around, knocking him into the enemy. Like that one scene in that Spy Kids movie, I forgot the name of.

En likes your usual house pets, but his favorites are reptiles. He always wanted a pet chameleon, but didn't have the resources for it.

He loves barbecue and his favorite drink is fruit juice. Any type of fruit juice. His favorite alcohol is wine. His favorite dessert is ice cream, it doesn't matter what flavor, he loves ice cream.

En's favorite season is winter because he really likes to wear scarves and thick coats. And yes, he eats ice cream in winter.

#en mha #sixth one for all holder #hw ask game #jane's asks

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cinemaocd · 1 year

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this is probably going to be long

OK, I lived through the AIDS crisis. I was a young person questioning my sexuality at arguably the worst possible time in American history. I discovered the word "bisexual" (hooray I have a label) only to read a few days later in mainstream news about how "bisexuals were responsible for spreading AIDS to the hetero community" which was a take that was tolerated on national news shows at the time. The only sex education I had in my entire public education was a film we were forced to watch about how you could get AIDS from french kissing (you can't) and heavy petting (which we didn't know what it was because it was outdated old people code for oral lol)...

The entire LGBTQIA plus community was not attacked as a monolith, the focus of hate came on gay men, because they were the most obviously effected and also the most visible and prominent in the community. The rest of the community did their best to embrace and protect them. (For example lesbian groups that were on the front lines of caring for people who were sick when no one else would...).

And there were people like myself who identified as allies but were in a place where they didn't feel safe to come out themselves. I did not come out at that time because even though I was in accepting local community at University and working at a feminist journal I knew I would lose friends and family and possibly future work opportunities. Being Bi it was easier to blend in for me and I took advantage of that. Part of the reason I hesitated so long about coming out was I felt a lot of guilt that I didn't come out in the 90s during the AIDS crisis. I felt like a coward who wasn't worthy to stand with such brave people.

It took me a long time to let go of that self-hate to the point where I could come out. A big part of it was acknowledging how fucked up the climate for LGBTQIA folks in the 80s and 90s. We had two family friends (which is how I knew I would probably be rejected by a lot of my family) who died of AIDS. Yes, these were brilliant, creative men who worked in theater. One of them was the props coordinator for Late Night with David Letterman (responsible for building Dave's velcro suit etc.). I also have a peer who died of AIDS in the early 2000s, long after the disease had supposedly been "not a death sentence" who also happened to be an actor.

Despite their lack of political involvement, they were be seen as radical just because they lived openly as gay men in a society that hated them and wanted them dead, and only tolerated them if they were the "fun gays" who weren't actually threatening the status quo...

Being in theater or the arts was a survival tactic for a lot of people ya know because it was a more accepting environment and because it wasn't considered important like politics, medicine, science etc. (Miss me with the gays can't do math jokes. A gay man invented the fucking computer).

The gay men I knew in long-term monogamous relationships survived the worst of the crisis and they automatically became "respectability queers" for having not died and wanting jobs with health insurance etc. Because one dude follows his dream of working in theater and the other quits theater and goes to work at the phone company and buys a house with his partner, one is fun and the other boring? One is a creative genius creating culture and the other is a consumer of cultural pap? Wow. Great take.

FUCK. I'm just getting so angry thinking about this. You want to know why it took me till I was FIFTY fucking years old to come out: AIDS. That's it. ONE Fucking word.

Sorry I have no idea WHY I fucking started this other than I saw a shitty post that said, our culture became boring because all the fun gays died and left only the boring gays who only care about marriage or whatever.

#Also: what the fuck is wrong with CATS and ghostbusters???#both are great #both have their value #if you want to bitch about marvel or shitty broadway musicals then do it #please don't throw all the old gays under the bus for being boring while you do it #also there was that post yesterday about Anthony Perkins and I did not realize he died of AIDS #I don't know how I missed it...oh it happened in 1992 when I wasn't living at home and didn't have a tv...#sometimes the sex positive bubble of tumblr will prefer the LOLZ lifetime achievment of fucking take #over the he was conflicted because all of society hated him for being gay and many many shitty people rejoiced I'm sure when he died take #as they did when other prominent gay men died of AIDS #PS: those are the same people trying to pass legislation attacking trans people #the same fucking people

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a-cat-in-toffee · 3 months

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ramble abt your abraxas au? it looks so cool!!!!!!!

I'm gonna take this as an opportunity to talk abt helming in this au because i have put an absurd amount of thought into something that could easily just be breezed over

this is gonna be long so

quick warning for taking abt helming and stuff !!! so i guess mild body horror discussion? i dont think theres anything specifically in this that is. like bad? but if that sort of thing makes you uncomfortable thats mainly what this is abt!!!

(side note if this makes no fucking sense please feel free to execute me in the street xoxxo (side note side note there are a lot of different elements from different aus and fics that i've consumed so if you recognize anything thats probably why))

i went a little bit into it on @the-starship-abraxas (please go check out my blog for this au and send asks spspspsps cmon guys) already

SOLLUX: oh, that2 my port2. ii can plug iinto the 2hiip. SOLLUX: they're mo2tly along my 2piine. SOLLUX: equiiu2 iin2talled them whiile we were 2tiil on world, and he upkeep2 them. SOLLUX: human-troll technology make2 tradiitiional helmiing and piilotiing faiirly ob2olete, 2o a lot of 2hiip2 have helm2 whiich the helm2man can detatch from. SOLLUX: ii plug iin and 2ort of become one wiith the 2hiip. SOLLUX: iit2 really fuckiing cool.

so, the ports!

as stated before, a helmsman's ports are primarily along their spine because the biowires connect to their spinal cord and basically hijack the signals from their brains. Biowires work the same as any other wall plug or cord except they're alive and have nerves and interpret brain signals and plug into a person's body. Fun times!

the way "traditional helming" would work is goldblood psionics would be assigned ability levels depending on how strong their psionics were and depending on that they would be assigned to ships. the stronger the psionic the larger the ship, since traditionally they would just. straight up throw it with their mind.

after the colonization of earth and the introduction of actual technology into alternia's biotech, what the pilot could actually do in a ship expanded a lot. Since the psionic could become aware of the ship from not only a physical sense but a significantly more mechanical sense, pilots were given the responsibility of both moving the ship as well as being aware of damage, communications, and other such things.

most psionic ports and helms have psionic stoppers which cap off the amount of energy that the psionic can sort of put out into the ship (The abraxas does not have these because Sollux has the equivalent of several programs running in the background at all times and they would short out every time.) so as to not pop helmsman like a mustard packet.

when is comes to the actual helmscolumn I don't have any art but I do have a blurb from my abraxas drabbles (I swear I'm going to start the actual fic someday)

The helmsblock was a decently large room, with various technology and computers built into the walls. The centerpiece though was, of course, the helmscolumn. Pilot technology had come a long way from just strapping up psionics to ships and having them hurl themselves across space, and nothing showed that change quite like what the pilots were strung up into. At the roof and floor were two circular fuschia platforms, mirroring each other and curving inwards. In some places surrounding the platforms similarly colored bio wires hung, tucked away, unused, and, if you looked close enough, almost writhing against each other. In front of the column you could see two small control panels, intended for the pilot to be able to use as they flew.

the column itself/some of the design details may change as time eternally marches on but for the most part the helmscolumn is meant to be technologically up to date and safe, yes, but it's also meant to be incredibly showy. While piloting has come pretty far, helmsman are still often shown off or seen as ship accessories.

even though its not like. a rights violation to have a poorly taken care of pilot. its still generally frowned upon. just cause things are better doesnt mean they're good!

(also while it is common practice for pilots to be able to disengage from the helm it's not uncommon for ships to have fullhelms.)

I hope this ramble was to your liking !! i have. just so much shit for this universe.

#homestuck #the abraxas au #maybe ill draw the helmscolumn someday who knows

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romaine2424 · 1 year

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Daily Blog June 21, 2023

Hi! Welcome to my first day of fandom blogging! I'm very excited about doing this and hope you'll join in on the conversation and really hope that you might start one of your own!!! So on that note, lets get going.

What I'm reading:

I'm currently re-reading The Changeling by @annerbhp. It's a canon rewrite of sort, with a big twist. Here's the summary: Ginny is sorted into Slytherin. It takes her seven years to figure out why. It's 182K from Ginny's POV. It does follow canon to a point. I read this about 6 months ago and I still think about it when writing Drarry. I now have to give Ginny a positive break-up with Harry. LOL No dissing her because she's such a badass in this story. While it's listed as Harry/Ginny, it really is mostly a Ginny story for the main story. There's follow on stories after this one that are fab too.

It starts with Year 1 and the house sorting. Ginny is surprisingly sorted into Slytherin. She at first thinks its a joke done by her twin brothers, but then reality sets in. Most of her family is devastated and she feels completely isolated. This is a Ginny you'll recognize from canon and then so much more. If you longed for more Slytherin background and lore than canon gave us, this you will love. And if you think Slytherin is dominated by the males...well this will give you a headcanon that you won't forget.

What I'm writing:

The Azkaban Letters, which I'm so far behind on I want to cry. It's a 2007 WIP I started right before HPDH came out. So it's canon divergent after HBP. I did edit the first 7 to be more in line with canon and post canon. My issue is I have too much in my head and too many ideas to get down on paper...er on the computer. When I stopped writing it in 2007, I had posted the first 7 chapters on The Hex Files. It came over to AO3 during the transfer and has been staring at me in the face since then. I'm now up to 16 chapters, which sounds like a lot, but there's 4 sections to the story and I'm in the middle of section 2. sigh.

Tumblr Posts of Interest:

@xanthippe74 on her blog has reposted her 2020 fic, Follow the Water in honor of summer solstice. If you have not read this fic, you are in for such a treat. Perfect summer fic. Give her post a reblog and fic some love!

@julcheninred posted on her blog yesterday that it was the 5th anniversary of Draw Drarry badly. I so love her block H/D art, and so happy we've had five years of her sharing them with us. Make sure to reblog to share the Drarry fun!

3. HDMpreg2023 has posted the reveals on A03. TWENTY fics in all. I only got to read about 1/3 of them, but whoa there are some serious gems. (If I find the Tumblr post for this, I'll add it.)

4. @lcdrarry has also posted their reveals! My apologies to the fest and authors/artists. I've only read a few this round but plan on diving into the treasure trove of Drarry. This was a new fest for me to watch when I came back to fandom. While I don't watch many movies or watch tv much anymore, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to follow/understand the stories as well as I should. I was wrong. Most I have found I could enjoy without knowing the source.

Tumblr Drarry Fic/Art Resource:

I'm guessing most of you follow @drarryspecificrecsdaily, but in case not, you should definitely follow! They post Drarry completed fics which have been posted on AO3 for the current day. I have found some amazing gems from this resource. Fics I haven't seen discussed or recced anywhere else and authors I haven't been blessed reading before.

Okay, that's it for Day 1! Hope you found something interesting. I'll be switching around the categories on a daily basis. Tomorrow, I'll be adding in Fic Rec from the way past. Feel free to comment. :)

#romaine2424 daily blog #june 2023

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anonymouspuzzler · 2 years

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Yay Yipee I Finally Remembered I Should Update Folks On Things That Are Happening

because hey whoops as some of you might remember Supposedly I Stream Sometimes! That Uhhhh Hasn't Happened In A While Has It! so I should probably let folks know what's goin' on!! the long and the short of it is

Around late November/early December I started having issues where Discord would crash and restart anytime I tried to screenshare my capture software with my friends who I stream with. This put console game streams (so 2/3 of the games we were streaming) on the backburner till I could troubleshoot and solve that issue

On top of that it was Fucking Finals Season for me at my Graduate School so at a certain point I had to be responsible and focus on getting my final projects & essays done, which meant sacrificing stream time till my break (where I would hopefully have time to troubleshoot and then do a ton of streaming to make up for lost time)

Except THEN literally the second I went home for the holidays my hard drive abruptly and completely died. It is very possible that this contributed to the aforementioned tech issues

I was able to replace the drive and get my computer working again but because I have a Fucking Curse a lot of tech-side things were lost or started experiencing issues due to the new drive, namely A) I haven't been able to get my capture software working yet and B) whoops my entire OBS layout is just gone now I guess

This whole saga, on top of juggling other life shit and work and the like, effectively ate up my entire winter break

so tl;dr! I have a computer curse and because of it streams are gonna have to wait till I can get both OBS and my capture software working again. I'm hoping to work on that this weekend so I can be back to streaming next week, but given my school & job workload I'm guessing it'll more likely be two or three weeks. On top of that, I won't be streaming most of March due to reason of "my partner is visiting then". all of this sucks cause I want to be streaming, both for reason of "i like spending time with my good friends doing this" and "haha whoops I'm not earning money now and oh boy there sure are a lot of expenses flying at my head like rocks huh".

I've already rambled a bit more than I'd like to now so here's da main points:

Streams will (HOPEFULLY) be back in February. When they are, they'll be Monday & Tuesday nights, 5:30pst/8:30est, for as long as my friends remain available at those times (we're all adults having to look for or maintain Day Jobs so availability could change. y'all know how it is). I may also do occasional one-off streams on weekends as my energy 'n schedule permits, most likely art streams

I'll continue to be around on Holly's streams Fri/Sat/Sun as her schedule permits, because I don't have to rebuild OBS from the ground up for that

There is a 99.99% chance I'll be totally absent stream-wise during March

Even though streams are facing The Troubles I am still taking art commissions! Those haven't been affected!! You can submit an interest form here and I'll reach out to confirm prices as soon as I'm ready to start work on yours

If, out of the kindness of your heart, you would like to toss some support my way during The Troubles (which would be much appreciated; as said I've got a lot of expenses coming my way and unfortunately my day job covers my rent and nothing more), here are some other ways you can do so: -- Tip me on Ko-Fi; if you pay $9 or more you can request a doodle that I'll do for you and post on here & twitter (and might stream the process of drawing once that's up and running again). Here's an example of some Ko-Fi doodles I did previously -- You can also tip through my stream page if you want but I probably won't see those till I start streaming again. Still appreciated!!! -- I have a Throne Wishlist that's mostly stuff like kitchenware, household goods, stuff for my kitty, etc. There's also a few Fun Things though, like vinyls and a billy big bass Jay insisted I add. Either way, if you wanna contribute to something on there it means a lot. You can also suggest items to make me laugh

an' above all: thank you for reading and for bein' around!!

#long post /#anonymous puzzler talks #sorry for the big ramble!! i just figured it was worth putting everything out there #you mighta heard bits and pieces of this on friends' streams slash twitter slash wherever #but i figured it was worth puttin' in one place #anyway if you read this far: i hope you're having a good day and if you're not i hope a good day comes your way!!!!!#edit: i forgot the link to the doodles!! silly me!!! that is in there now

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