beaufortstreetfashion

[lost-technology]

You Can't Outrun Your Past, No Matter How Hard You Try...

So, I got a DM from someone looking for an old fanfic of mine - or, they didn't know if I was the author, but were looking up stuff from the old Live Journal days and found me somehow - managed to connect my regular pename to my account here - well, I do mention it on my pin-post. They were looking for a particular old fanfic and I was all "Okay, that sounds vaguely familiar" but I couldn't find it. I googled the title mentioned and... promptly had a thousand-yard stare. I used to get up to some seriously fucked up shit in my early Trigun fandom days in the early 2000's. So, I had one of those experiences that fell into the annals of "this is why I do not do co-writing." It took a bad experience in the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power fandom to finally solidify that, but I really should have learned back then. I have had more bad experiences co-writing than good ones (although there is a Zelda fic I do not regret co-creating and a pretty good Super Smash short I did with someone I'm still friends with). Anyway, I did this fic back in the day with someone whom I eventually had a huge falling out with and hope to never see hide nor hair of again in my entire life - and, if possible, I'd like to continue that relationship of no-contact into the afterlife, should one exist. The falling out wasn't over this fic we created together, it was over a variety of other things that happened later and I can admit that there were two assholes in the equation, not just one - I was just as much of an asshole as my former friend. Anyway, indeed, I am the co-author of some fic that... people still talk about, I guess? titled "Dark Mirror." As I remember it - being that I erased its presence from the Internet as much as I could and no longer retain files (if I ever kept any, they were several computers and virus-attacks / hard drive reworkings ago), it was a WEIRD fic. I remember it being a take on the "Dark Vash" toy repaint. It involved Vash going evil, but not of his own choice. He basically got Plant-rabies. He got a fungal disease that was slowly killing him and eating his brain. He also found a somehow Survived!The!Big!Fall! Rem (coldsleep pods, baby)! who reunited with him, tried to help him find the cure and they fell in adult-style love. BLECK!!! WHY?! YOUNG SHADSIE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!!! YOU WERE INSANE! (In my defense, I have figured out exactly what mental illness I had / have and have gotten medication and treatment, thank you). I also seem to recall that most of the idea - certainly the structure of the Plant-fungal disease (which was actually one of the cooler ideas in it) was courtesy of the person known as "MillyFan" (or as I'd like to call them today, the Motherfucker). I think Vash / Rem was their idea, too, but I can't be sure. It was entirely my fault for going along with it. Certain stupid cameos from other animes were my fault, I recall that. (I was trying to insert Haibane Renmei characters into the whole mess for some reason). I... feel like taking a shower now. I already took one today... Anyway, I have a lot more weirdness and "What was I thinking?!" stories that do actually still exist on my old fanfiction.net account if anyone is interested in those. I have one where Legato propositions Vash for sex in a dingy hotel (Vash runs away very quickly). I have one where a woman that Midvalley got pregnant confronts him and he preforms an abortion by saxophone. I have this one really annoying anti-Vashwood piece back when I was an annoying little shit about Vashwhood. I have one that I actually recently re-read in thinking I could transfer it to Ao3 that isn't so bad, but I was overdramatic and predictable about Vash getting a pet cat. (You know the cat is doomed from the start, right? Very "Does the Dog Die?" stuff. Blech). I really like to think that I have become... a much better writer than from my early days. Please stick to my Ao3 page to see anything that I think is actually halfway decent in this fandom.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

In which I'm continuing to argue with the tail-end of people who are still engaged (idiots, which makes me an idiot) on that yahoo politics article... I just think that some of those "FACTS DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FEE-FEES!" people are hilarious when they absolutely change their tune when presented with facts. Just got into it with one guy...and I didn't even go cite charts and graphs... I just said the simple fact that some things in my household are, in fact, doing better lately than they were previously. Also that I happen to think that world leaders don't have as much to do with the prices of eggs and gas as industries charging whatever they think they can get away with and the fact that the entire world went through a pandemic, so of course things have been messed-up and there's a slow turn-around. I get an answer of "I know my feelings despite the facts!" (something like that, actual answer was a bit more annoying). Some Internet-people are just wild. Also some Internet-people make me feel like I'm just a little bit dumber for engaging them for sport at all, especially when I know I'm not going to change any minds. (People are going to vote for who they vote for if they vote at all... I just really wish people would stop actually demonizing each other over it and acting like people who will point out "hey, capitalism is capitalism" are evil somehow because they don't feel a need to utterly worship either Dear Leader or Sleepy Old Guy, regardless of whom they plan to vote for).

[imperator-titus]

Favorite Party Banter [Karlach Edition]

[Astarion (Ascended)] [Halsin/Jaheira] [Gale] [Karlach] [Lae'zel] [Minsc] [Minthara] [Shadowheart] [Wyll]

I often miss party banter because of party comp (and sometimes just straight up can't hear??) so here's a collection of my favorite bants while going through dialogue files. I know the wiki has the banter (most? all?) but I added the file names and dev notes.

Either Karlach is the main speaker/subject or I think Karlach's reaction is good shit.

Not in any particular order.

[PB_Shadowheart_Karlach_Monastery]

Shadowheart: A remote spot for a monastery. I suppose they wanted to make sure the monks avoided temptation. {Devnote: Considering a large ruined monastery high up in a mountain pass. Early Game/Still loyal to Shar}

Karlach: Yeah but look at these mountains. The height of temptation.

Shadowheart: No, I mean more like vices. You know - pleasures of the flesh. {Devnote: A bit confused by Karlach’s musing}

Karlach: Met a loumara demon who married a mountain, though. It's a thing. {Devnote: Amused}

Shadowheart: I think the thin air might be getting to you, Karlach. {Devnote: Amused laugh}

[PB_Shadowheart_Karlach_ROM_Act2_001]

Karlach: Hey, Shaddy, got a quick question about the best way to treat an infernal burn.

Shadowheart: Shaddy? Really? {Devnote: Reacting to Karlach trying out nicknames for her, Loyal/Reject Shar}

Karlach: Hearty? Shadsy? Or maybe just The Fringe?

Shadowheart: ‘Shadowheart’ will do just fine, thanks. Love is making you fanciful.

Karlach: You might be right. {Devnote: Cheeky}

[PB_Karlach_Astarion_ROM_Act1_001]

Karlach: I never was a sucker for a smooth-talker, but I admit, Astarion, you’re pretty slick.

Astarion: And you’re rather the opposite of slick. Do you have a point?

Karlach: I was just being nice.

Astarion: Step one of starting a conversation: think before you speak.

Karlach: Never was my strong suit.

[PB_Halsin_Karlach_MoonriseSCE]

Halsin: We have lifted the shadow curse, but a new challenge awaits us.

Karlach: Baldur’s Gate - we can’t get there soon enough.

Halsin: I am… less anxious to find myself in a city. So removed from nature’s power - I do not know how I will fare.

Karlach: Stick with me. I’ll show you around and square up if anyone bothers you.

[PB_Karlach_Shadowheart_MorphicPool]

Karlach: I can tell when we’re getting close to a mind flayer area because everything starts to smell purple.

Shadowheart: That’s either profoundly poetic or childishly simple. I’m going with poetic.

Karlach: A compliment from Shadowheart! I’ll put it on the shelf with the rest of my achievements.

[PB_Karlach_Laezel_IllithidColony]

Karlach: Look at all this mucus. Wonder if our nautiloid came from down here.

Lae’zel: It’s a possibility. This is no mere mind flayer colony, but an entire ghaik bastion.

Karlach: I’m ready for the goo. {Devnote: With determination, not trying to make a joke strictly}

[PB_Karlach_Astarion_FelogyrsFireworks]

Karlach: Oh man! WHIZBANGS! {Devnote: Excited in a fireworks shop}

Astarion: Keep calm, Karlach. One bad flare and you could blow this whole place.

Karlach: (Oh man! Whizbangs!) {Devnote: Whispering now cause Astarion told her to calm down}

Astarion: Better.

[PB_Minthara_Karlach_ROM_Act3]

Minthara: You allowed that smith to meddle with your heart, Karlach, simply so you can be touched?

Minthara: Better to shut off the carnal desires than indulge them. They are distractions.

Karlach: Yes, because every function comes with a handy switch.

Karlach: Next time I'm injured, don't heal, just turn me off and on again.

[sonicmusicmusings]

whistles quietly...

Oh,

hello there!

You may have noticed that it's been 6 years since the blog's last update, and 8 since the last time it was somewhat active. That's crazy! If you're still here on Tumblr dot com, congratulations--so am I.

"Well shadsy," you may be asking, "why are you here at the bottom of your blogs checking on this old thing?"

Sometimes, you like to go down memory lane. And in going down memory lane, you read your last housekeeping post about all those dead Dropbox links, and say "hm, I really should clean those up." Back in the day, you only could upload one audio post per day, like some kind of animal. The 10 MB limit was still in place, which is why a lot of the later SATBK songs got offloaded there.

"Okay, easy!" I say to myself, "I'll just do what I should've done in the first place, and convert down some of those bulky audio posts, and just reupload them! Nothing to it."

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Mostly due to Tumblr being the way it is and not letting my new uploads stick. So, here's what we're going to do:

I'll be trawling through some of the bygone posts, uploading embedded audio, quoting my commentary, and then linking back to the original. It'll be like old times! Kinda! (I won't be updating the follower milestone jingles...sorry)

14 tracks, Wednesdays and Saturdays over the next few weeks. Who knows, maybe I'll throw in a few tracks that were abandoned in the drafts or my request box. Maybe I'll even take some requests from games that have come out since the blog has been dormant (Forces, Mania, Frontiers)!

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is getting long winded as it is. Let me queue up some of the housekeeping, and we'll go from there.

Thanks! - @supershadsy

[zuckarr]

happy birthday, Yoichi ♡ 早乙女与一生誕祭2022

Back in November 2015, when season 2 of the anime Seraph of the End was airing, I wasn't well. I was desperate, going through deeply confusing and painful emotions and my whole life was devoid of purpose. I didn't know who I was anymore. I had no strength to deal with my continuously toxic family. I had no friends, just one special person who unfortunately, maybe even unknowingly scarred me. All I know is that I chose to watch that anime and when this character, Yoichi Saotome, showed up I felt something. After a few episodes, he said a few words that resonated with everything I've been through - "I am still under that bed". I realized I related to that mental image. It was extremely real to me because I was indeed hidden for the longest time, just like him, and I was hurt and guilty and horrified by life. Just like he was.

From that moment on, I felt some sort of unique, heart-warming, inspiring connection with him. To me, he became more than just a character in a story. My devastated mind saw nothing but light whenever I thought of him. Yoichi showed me who I wanted to be, and showed me how to be that person by simply existing in an anime series. To this day, I still wouldn't know what to call him - my guide? My angel? My alter ego? My friend? There's one thing I do know, though: I feel loved thanks to him.

I, who used to wallow in self-hatred, am now writing love letters to my future self every now and then. That's what the picture above shows: it is a screenshot from one of my edits with Yoichi, in which I included one of the hand-written love letters I wrote to myself in my native language.

I don't think I could express in words how absolutely messed up I was before discovering Yoichi, and to what extent he healed my very soul. I hope it is at least clear that it's... a lot. Yoichi means a lot to me.

The story that this character comes from says that Yoichi was born in 2004. His birthday is on November 23rd, so he turns 18 today. I couldn't really make something noteworthy for him - I usually post a drawing or an edit - but that's okay. I am writing this little letter, after all. In one way or another, he will always, unquestionably help me.

Happy birthday, my love, my guiding star, my sweetie. Thank you for everything.

---

Special thanks to the people I met along the way who I shared this fragment of heart with. Shout-out to @telesticmajesty who is infinitely precious and essential to me, @shadsie who drew my wonderful tumblr icon and other amazing Yoichi drawings, @bardbaric who gifted me a lovely Yoichi drawing and has always been kind to me, @grimbunny who takes great care of my love for Yoichi and even brought me a Yoichi keychain from Japan, @hyakuyaaaaaas who appreciates me endlessly and always lets me know she supports me and gifted me fantastic Yoichi drawings, @amarevia and @houdadraws and @mysillystuff and @ammerynth for the unforgettable commissioned artworks, @fauxvvalor for being my personal favourite Yoichi centric blog, @rivaillicious and @solarshadow and @redsnowelora for being perfect friends who I shared my love for Yoichi with, and the list could go on but I'll stop now...

You guys are all special to me. Maybe it doesn't sound like a big deal, but you all meant something good for me which I'll keep close to me for as long as I live. I hope that on one lonely day, this gets to be a reason to smile. Thank you!

-Dan

[daily-dose-of-dopamine]

Tag game, as OP decided to, reasonably and understandably, turn reblogs off on the original.

Thanks! :)

Tag up to 9 people you want to get to know better!

Favourite colour: Purple

Currently reading: Good Omens (Book, Neil), In Hateno (A03, Shadsie, I think it was rated T if anyone wants to check it out).

Last song: Fresh (Boyfriend remix. Very earworm.), panpipes version of ABBA.

Last series: Mob Psycho 100, courtesy of this Hellsite.

Pick between: Sweet / Savoury / Spicy

Currently working on: Trying to draw more quickly and better, long FNF week 6 mod that crashes on freeplay for some reason (No idea why, possibly cause of polymod but I am out of my depth).

Thanks for the tag!

@lize-the-prophet @onesleepybitch

@arsonisticgoddess @theadrenalinator9000 @thosecorndogs @godmodebeginswithlesbians

@itz-the-simp @star-rot @chibanova

Anyone can have a go!

[freedfromthegalactichivemind]

Notable She-Ra Fanfictions List

Welcome.  This is my She-Ra and the Princesses of Power fandom-blog.  I am primarily a fan of Entrapta, Hordak and the Galactic Horde Clones.  I am an Entrapdak-shipper and, in fact, was one of the first, back when it was treated as crack. Formerly shadsiethewriter.  I am Shadsie on Ao3 and elseweb.   I am a fanfiction-writer and I also do fanart now and again.   ________________

A list of my noteworthy personal fanfictions.  I’m not including all of them, since I’ve been fairly prolific.  These are just some on my Ao3 profile that stand out for one reason or another; major series, short-fic collections and tidbits that may be of interest for anyone looking to kill some time.  Ordered by type:   Early Fandom Offerings - Fics done when the show was first airing, Season 1 and Season 2 fics.  Contains interesting material in terms of early fandom impressions and ideas that are interesting when compared to later canon.  

The Havoc Hypothesis - My first for the fandom. Season 1 fic.  Entrapta wreaks havoc in her new home with the Horde.  That’s it. That’s the fic.   Trapped - Entrapta-focused fic written and focused in Season 1. Entrapta during her time left behind in the Horde and rejoining the Rebellion, with all of the problems that entails.  Proposed theory back then, definitely canon-divergent now.   Entrapdak Firsts! 

Fearless - The first Entrapdak (Entrapta / Hordak) fic on Ao3.  Season 2 writing.  Hordak musing about this strange, fearless woman who has just barged into his life.  I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of my exciting new crackship then. It may not be the best entrapdak fic on the site, but as far as I know it’s the first.  The King of Loneliness - Early multichaptered entrapdak fic. Season 2 setting / written.  Canon-divergent from Season 2′s ending.  Hordak and Entrapta work together, grow close and figure each other out.  They end up working on a project together to not only bring the Horde High Command to Etheria (written before we knew anything about clones), but to make pockets of the atmosphere habitable for them.  A tale of war, tragedy, mad science and the price of “getting what you wanted,” but not what you needed. 

Doomberries - This one seems to be popular. Written in Season 3.  Entrapta eats food that was gifted to Hordak as part of an assassination plot.  Doomberries are a type of fruit that will rip your atoms asunder and fade you out of existence. There is no cure but one: For someone to cry for you. Entrapta doesn’t have many friends and the ones she does have are absent, on a suicide-mission to the Crimson Waste.  Hordak is distressed over her, but there is one problem: His species was not built with tear ducts and does not have the capability of weeping.  What will happen?  (Written during Season 3, before Season 4 showed us that Hordak and his kind are, indeed, capable of grief-tears).  This fic is therefore flawed, but it is popular, so it is noted here.  Fun with Shadow Weaver!  

Shadow Weaver’s Storytime - I decided to write the origins of the “Princess Ghost Stories” that Adora talks about.  Watch Shadow Weaver scare the living daylights out of a bunch of children on a Horde training exercise / camping trip!  Dead Doves - Some of my nastier / crueler horror fics. Proceed with caution. 

The End of Etheria - Season 1 written fic.  Taken from an idea I saw floated around a prompt site.  The Horde experiments with the corrupted First One’s disc-virus, applied to the Runestones through the Black Garnet.  Every Princess and Queen connected to a Runestone begins steadily losing their mind, devolve into tyranny and become the purest and cruelest embodiment of their natural element.  Exactly what it says on the tin.   Set Phasers to Stun - What if when Catra lost her head and tased Entrapta in the back the setting was higher than she realized?  The tale of an accidental murder and the consequences that follow.   The Final Ecstasy - Horde Prime, a clone and a ritual.  (Unless you are prepared for what those words entail, just don’t even with this damn thing)!!! Noteable for being the most decomposed of my dead doves - how deep the rabbit hole can go with me when I feel like writing overdark things for cartoons.  My Best of Hordak Collection - Hordak-centered fiction that I feel particularly proud of. 

An Unexpected Therapist - Someone recced this on TV Tropes. Post-series. The clones are having a difficult time adjusting to their newfound freedom and the concept of independence.  A lost-feeling clone named Pickles seeks Hordak out to make sense of all of this.  He spent a long time apart from the hive mind, after all, and has the greatest sense of independence as well as a steel determination to survive.  No one expects a warlord to become a therapist, but strange things happen on Etheria and it turns out that he’s just what his brothers need.  (Note: The name “Pickles” pre-dates the assignment of the loudmouth canon-clone in the first episode of Season 5 being named that by the spacebat fandom. That thing started with me commenting on a screenshot of the guy by calling him “Pickles!”  Imagine the guy in the story as that guy, or as some other random dude, I don’t care).   Never Let Them See You Bleed - Hordak had been reconditioned before the end of Prime’s War, but being that his defect is genetic, it was never a complete cure. His body begins tearing itself apart again.  Entrapta does everything she can, but is at a loss as he rapidly deteriorates.  She calls Adora in for help.  Adora finds that she cannot call up She-Ra so easily - that there is something blocking the magic.  Perhaps, in her heart, she does not want to heal Hordak.  Their relationship is...complicated... to say the least.  The story of a planetary hero and a dying former warlord getting to know each other.    (Bonus: First appearance of my recurrent OCs, Robin and Jerome. Here, they are not fleshed out, as they were meant to be one-off characters).  

Eighteen - A Hordak-origin story. It follows him from when his free will and defect begins to appear to his accidental exile in Despondos on Etheria and the rise of the early Etherian Horde.  Hordak was of a class of “generals” designed by Horde Prime for special operations.  When a physical defect appeared in one peculiar little upstart, that one, and the surviving members of the batch, numbering eighteen in all, were sent to the front lines to be among the shock-troops of a fiercely-fighting world with the expectation of it being a suicide-mission.  A portal opened in space, taking the battle-cruiser to an uncharted planet.  The clone who would become “Hordak” must devise strategies for survival along with a party of his Brothers.  The Scorpioni people think that these strangers from Heaven were sent to them by the gods. A tale of conquest, family and tragedy ensues from there until a last survivor of the “Messengers from Heaven” stands, along with the last princess of a once proud nation.    Imp! 

Teething Day - Imp sheds his choppers annually.  Babies do not like the feel of teething.  Imp wreaks a hurricane’s worth of destruction on the Horde every year during the time of his shed, chewing up EVERYTHING!  Spacebats!  

Robin and Jerome’s Excellent Adventures - A series focusing on a pair of original characters who are post-series Horde-clones.  While the series has a lighthearted name (I needed something to name it), the series itself tends more toward the melancholy, with sparks of dark humor.  Robin and Jerome are a pair of close Horde Brothers who have adopted each other as brothers in the family-sense.  The life they have chosen for themselves after being freed from Prime and self-actualizing is that of... traveling undertakers.  They have made it their mission to seek out their Brothers who fell in the war and were left unnamed in order to bestow upon them the gift of a name and a sense of identity.   Short Story Collections / Ficlets 

Dog Days in the Horde - A mishmash of various stories written from Seasons 1-2 on, mostly from prompts.  I left it open in case I get small story ideas that don’t fit anywhere else, but I’ve pretty much abandoned it.  All of the stories exist in their own little world.  Mostly Entrapta and Hordak, but all characters, basically.  One of my favorites is “Hot Stuff” which is about the Best Friends Squad and Angella, for instance.  (Note: I deleted a few of the stories I previously had in the collection for personal reasons, so if you remember a particular story where such and such happens and you find that it’s not there, ask me about it, I probably still have it on personal archive).  

Every Overlord Needs a Mad Scientist - Entrapdak Month, 2020.  A variety of stories focusing on Entrapta and Hordak as a couple, from prompts.  Some dark and brooding, some light and funny.  

Seven Days With Nerds in Love - Entrapdak Week, 2022.  Seven unrelated short stories with Entrapta and Hordak as a couple, from prompts. Same deal as above, only Fun Size.  

[etherian-affairs]

I can't Remember have you done a THEM entrapta where she freaks out the princess alliance because she didn't tell anyone what she did. and the first place they all see her is a meeting with everyone. also what do you think of Shaddsie's idea that the Horde honor their dead by eating them?

I think I have? That sounds familiar.

As for Shadsies idea:

I can dig it. It's not my headcanon because I don't think the Horde, either version, has the kind of culture where the dead are really honored. However I am VERY cancelable so I can dig cannibalism in fiction. Spicey.

[sonic-wildfire]

A little gift for you Sonknuxadow fans out there: a small one-shot I whipped up.

“I finally get to see them again.”

Because of his duties requiring him to constantly save the world, it had been a long while since Sonic had seen his partners—Shadow and Knuckles, that is—so it was a bit of an understatement to say that Sonic had been feeling lonely as of late. Thankfully for them, Sonic was on his way home. They didn’t know that, though.

“Not that they need to know,” Sonic muttered to himself.

He decided to pause for a brief moment to admire the surroundings. Above him shined a brilliant orange sky. The bright sun peeked over the horizon while the acacia trees swayed in the light summer breeze. The long, green grass beneath Sonic’s feet complemented the scent of blooming flowers nearby.

By now, Sonic was approximately five minutes from home. The sky began getting darker with each passing second.

Suddenly, Sonic felt a vaguely familiar sensation. Or rather, it was less of a sensation and more like his chest had just been stabbed with a hundred knives.

The blue blur collapsed to the ground clutching his chest, as the painful feeling now spread to his arms and legs. As he looked around in a panic, he noticed his gloves were straining.

Oh.

Oh no.

Sonic recognized what this was.

It turned out that not all of Dark Gaia’s energy had been expelled from his body.

Within seconds Sonic’s gloves were torn to shreds, spikes shot out of the soles of his shoes, his hands were now more similar to claws, fangs emerged from his mouth, and his body was covered in fur. A lot of it.

Sonic reflexively roared as his transformation finally culminated and the pain faded away.

“Well, isn’t this just great?” Sonic snarled sarcastically.

The Werehog. Yes, even the hero himself had long grown tired of this form. But there wasn’t much he could do about it. Thankfully for him, he didn’t transform into a Werehog every night.

Sonic’s ears drooped and his eyebrows scrunched upward. Neither Shadow or Knuckles had seen him like this before.

“Now I’ve gotta see Shads and Knux while looking like this?” Sonic whimpered. “What am I gonna do?”

With a defeated sigh, Sonic trudged the rest of the way home.

-----

“Do you think stars have brains like we do and we just don’t know it?”

“Knuckles, if you ask me one more stupid question, I will drag you by your dreadlocks to the upstairs bathroom.”

Shadow and Knuckles had spent roughly an hour bickering over nothing—a familiar pastime for them both—and the rest of the day had been uneventful.

Shadow’s ears perked up as he and Knuckles heard the doorbell ring.

“Who would be visiting us after sunset?” Shadow asked.

“Just go answer the door,” Knuckles scoffed.

“Fine, but you’re coming with me,” riposted Shadow as he grabbed Knuckles’ hand and both walked over and answered the door.

“Hey, didn’t you notice the ‘no soliciting’ sign right next to our d—”

The rest of Knuckles’ sentence evaporated into thin air as he and Shadow were greeted by what could best be described as an extraterrestrial beast.

“Holy shit!” exclaimed Shadow, losing his balance slightly in awe at the monster on their doorstep.

“Quit the theatrics, guys! It’s me, Sonic!” the werehog quickly interjected.

“What in the world happened to you?!” Shadow asked.

“It’s a long story,” Sonic sighed.

“Everything is a long story with you, isn’t it?” Knuckles quipped.

Without further comment, Sonic welcomed himself inside the house and slammed the door shut. Not that he was even trying to; his werehog form granted him super strength among other powers.

“Whatever you do, be careful with stuff,” Shadow warned. “We already had to pay extra for the water bill, I’m not interested in paying for exterior repairs.”

“No worries, Shadsy,” Sonic chuckled.

Shadow blushed slightly. He knew Sonic loved calling him by his pet name to mess with him.

“Are you sure this guy is actually Sonic?” Knuckles whispered to Shadow.

“I heard that!” Sonic growled from the kitchen.

By the time the red echidna and ebony hedgehog walked into the kitchen, the gargantuan mammal had already made his way into the living room. There, he was running around on all fours in a circle trying to catch his tail. Shadow and Knuckles couldn’t help but snicker quietly to themselves.

“He’s such a dork,” Shadow thought to himself. “I love him so much.”

Knuckles raced over to the kitchen cupboard and quickly grabbed a pot and filled it halfway with water.

“I’m making fucking mac and cheese, and nobody can stop me!”

Shadow sighed and walked over to where Sonic finally exhausted himself and plopped onto the floor, laying on his stomach.

Shadow reached down and lightly pet Sonic on the head. He could hear the werehog let out a small purr as he did so.

“From what I’ve observed thus far, I suppose you’ve turned into some kind of dog?” queried Shadow.

“No,” Sonic gruffly responded. “Long story short, Egghead put some sort of dark energy in me and made me turn into this… thing… every night.”

“So I guess you’re relegated to daytime duty, now?” Shadow asked, grinning as if he were holding back laughter.

“Not exactly. After I put the world back together, I didn’t turn into this every night. I don’t know what happened tonight in particular to make this happen, but I guess I still have some of that energy left in me.”

“Interesting,” said Shadow, not very interested at all.

-----

Half an hour later, Knuckles finally finished cooking. Amazingly, he hadn’t burned the mac and cheese this time around.

“Dinner’s ready, you two,” Knuckles called out from the kitchen.

“You hungry?” Shadow asked Sonic.

“You bet. I’ve been starving all day,” Sonic answered.

And thank goodness that Sonic was getting to eat something; he rarely ate because of his travels and routine penuriousness. Not that he had never stolen food from restaurants before, but still…

The three boyfriends sat around the small table, bowls in front of them.

Knuckles preferred to let his food cool a bit before he began eating.

Shadow ate the plain macaroni and poured small amounts of the cheese powder into his mouth with each bite. Just how he liked it.

Sonic shoved the bowl into his face, gobbling down the entire meal in five seconds.

Knuckles shot him a concerned glare while Shadow simply facepalmed.

“Mother of Chaos, Sonic. You really couldn’t have been a little more graceful?” asked a slightly disappointed Shadow.

“You know me, Shads. Being graceful is not one of my strong suits,” the werehog grumbled, wiping some of the liquefied cheese from his furry muzzle.

Knuckles laughed. “That’s the most accurate thing you’ve said all night, Blue!”

After ten minutes, they all had finished eating and were pretty much ready to call it a day. It had been a while since any of the three had gotten a good night’s sleep.

“I suppose we should all head upstairs, then?” Shadow yawned.

“Yep. Let’s go,” Knuckles agreed.

The trio meandered upstairs and into the master bedroom.

“...”

Shadow and Knuckles completely forgot the mattress had been torn to shreds after the two got into a pillow fight the day before.

“Now where are we gonna sleep?” whined Shadow.

“You mean this is the only bedroom in the house?” Sonic questioned.

“Unfortunately,” Knuckles uttered.

Sonic looked up and thought to himself for a few seconds. Then, he sprawled himself out on the floor laying on his back.

“Maybe I can be the bed for tonight,” the werehog laughed softly.

The other two became incredibly flushed. Him as the bed? He had to be kidding.

“Sonic, are you cr—”

Shadow was cut off as Sonic stretched out his arms and embraced Shadow and Knuckles, resting them on his stomach.

They were surprised to find out this felt even more comfortable than the bed itself. Sonic’s fluffy body certainly helped matters in that regard.

“...Love ya, Shads… love ya, Knucklehead…” Sonic mumbled as he slowly dozed off.

“Good night, Sonic,” Shadow replied with a contented purr. “I love you, too.”

“Seconded,” said Knuckles.

And with that, all three drifted off to sleep.

[baoanhwin]

House effect. The Polish presidential election

The @POLITICOEurope poll tracker has Sunday's Polish presidential run-off as a coin toss. The betting markets think Duda is twice as likely to win as Trzaskowski. pic.twitter.com/xVbV3HCpVp

— Ladbrokes Politics (@LadPolitics) July 7, 2020

94% of the money staked at Ladbrokes has been for Duda ?

— Ladbrokes Politics (@LadPolitics) July 7, 2020

Not Europe again?  I’m afraid so.  Fortunately, this time it’s for an election: the Polish presidential election.  The health of Poland’s democracy has been in question for some time, with the government going down the Hungarian route of controlling the media, packing the courts and using chicanery to exploit the advantages of government to the hilt.

The Polish public have the opportunity, should they so choose, to change this on Sunday.  The second round of the presidential election takes place and it looks like a nail-biter.  The president is chosen by an absolute majority of votes cast, with a second round between the front two contenders if there is no winner on the first round.  

There have been 14 polls since the first round took place two weeks ago.  Eight show the incumbent, Andrzej Duda, winning. Six show the challenger, Rafa? Trzaskowski, winning.  Only three show a gap of more than 1% either way (two for Duda, one for Trzaskowski).  

You’d think the betting markets would show this to be close to a coin-toss based on that.  Not a bit of it.  As at the time of writing, Duda was last matched on Betfair at 1.58 (4/7) and Trzaskowski at 2.72 (7/4).  You can understand a slight lean in Duda’s favour, given the polling, but that much?  As you can see from the tweets above, shadsy has his doubts.

I basically agree with shadsy that this market is skewed and for the reason he gives, but perhaps it’s not quite as pure as he suggests.  Let me explain.

He’s absolutely right to note that populist right wing candidates are regularly too short-priced.  We saw it in France.  We saw it in the Netherlands.  We saw it in Sweden.  While the radical right has undoubtedly been rising across Europe, bettors have consistently been overestimating their chances.  This house effect has been a most profitable feature for those who have been paying attention.

Given the polls, this looks to be at least part of what we are seeing here.  Is it all of it?  Perhaps not.

What makes Poland different from France, the Netherlands, Sweden and so on is that the populist right are already in power.  They have shown no attachment to democratic norms.  It is no longer treated as a full democracy in Freedom House’s ratings.  Would they try to rig the vote?

It’s thinkable.  It was said in Zimbabwe when Robert Mugabe was leader that the opposition had to win three times in any election: they had to win the vote, they had to win the count and they had to win the declaration.  Poland is not yet at Zimbabwean levels of democracy but if you bet on Rafa? Trzaskowski, you’re betting among other things that the government will not cross democratic norms if he wins.

You should keep an eye on this for the US election too.  The Republicans have been shamelessly using tools of voter suppression to increase their chances in November.  Moreover, Donald Trump might not go quietly if he looks like losing and he has credible options to cause chaos if the race is tight.  If you think that truth and justice will automatically prevail in the USA, you’re a sap – the Republicans were able to strongarm their way to victory in both 1876 and 2000 despite losing the popular vote on each occasion and having a very debatable claim to the electoral college on each occasion too.  Donald Trump looks at least as ruthless as Rutherford Hayes and George W Bush.

So, yes, I am on Rafa? Trzaskowski at 2.72 and I do tip it.  But I’m always wary about betting against the house when you’re not sure just how reputable it is.  This is a respectable bet but not sensational value. You have to put a price on the possibility that the dice might be loaded.

Alastair Meeks

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from politicalbetting.com https://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2020/07/08/house-effect-the-polish-presidential-election/ https://dangky.ric.win/

[lost-technology]

Ought to work on the latest chapter of Survivor's Guilt... got a doozy planned for it... But... been playing Skyrim. Skyrim-brained... Decisions, decisions...

[lost-technology]

Blank Tickets and Open Roads

So, I was looking up Youtube clips of Trigun Stampede to get my mojo going in starting to edit my major WIP, which is something I want to do before making a new chapter. Correct a few things in it that I am annoyed with. And there is the scene where little Vash is communing with Ship 3's sick Plant and Rem has a voiceover on her last recording for the twins / Ship 5's black box. She talks about the "story of a man who found a blank ticket in his pocket, which could take him anywhere he wanted to go" and that "this is what all people have" the blank ticket philosophy that is crucial to all forms of Trigun. Having read the manga, I feel a little cheated. I mean, it's better than how it was portrayed in the 1998 anime, which is just "I'm excited that the ticket I was handed on the day of my birth was blank." It is more clear here. However, in the manga... Rem recounts to Vash a dream that she had when she was grieving the loss of Alex. It is clear from the little scene where she wakes up in her mess of a room that she was going through The Horrors. (Having lost someone very dear to me unexpectedly in 2023 really makes me feel that when I go over that again). In her dream, she found herself on a train, the sole passenger and when the custodian came to punch her ticket, the destination was blank. She had a flashbang of inspiration that she could just go anywhere and it gave her hope. She woke up and had a realisation of the dream's meaning and found a new direction in life. Her dreams of being with Alex gone, she turned her thoughts to SPACE! When her life was crap, she had a dream that gave her hope to carry on. How it is portayed in the manga is VERY IMPORTANT to me, entirely for personal reasons, as I treasure a similar dream. Annoying Shadsie-lore under the cut.

So, back in the ancient year of 2000 or so, about 1999 or 2000, I suckered myself into joining the U.S. Air Force. I'd been to community college, but did not think I was able to get the kind of grant to pursue the kind of degree I wanted to pursue, as most of those go to people who want to become doctors or business people or someone important, not to people who want to pursue the arts. I wanted to get into graphic design. I didn't want to be in debt forever with loans. The military had worked out for some friends of mine, with the Air Force being a godsend for my once best childhood friend. I was desperate to get out from under the thumb of my parents, as most teens on the cusp of full adulthood are, as well as away from my abusive older brother, living with us after getting out of prison. (My father once told me that he thought that my brother was going to, in one of his temper-losses, murder us all one day and bury us in the desert, it was that bad)... So, I signed up, signed my life away with the idea that I was going to earn some college money, see the world and serve my country. This is how the U.S. Military-Industrial complex works: It takes people who never dreamed of joining before, but who are in desperate circumstances and promises them the world for a few years of service. Any kids out there thinking about it? Don't. Please. Do not give them your life, they do not deserve it. Fate had other plans. It turns out that I was too much of an "individual" to work out in a military setting. I had mental health problems come up in boot camp that I never knew I had. I went through discharge-process after a self-harming incident. They did not want me and I learned that I did not really want them. I was a failure. I came home to live with my parents and sulked around for a while until my Mom insisted that I go back into college - a different community college than I went to before, where I could get an Associates in my chosen field, not a Bachelor's like I'd wanted, but something more affordable, a step up. I felt like an utter failure, though. I distinctly remember my father telling me, when driving me to the military processing station to go off to Basic in Texas that I had to "Not fail" because my brother was watching me and he wanted me (the little sister, youngest child) to be a positive example for my loser brother. In other words, even though I had a lot of support, I had a lot of guilt for not making it, for wussing out, as it were. And, of course, the military itself drills into your head "if you don't pass, you're a failure at life." When in this dark place, I had a dream that I remember to this day. The setting was vivid because I lived in Arizona at the time and knew what the desert looked like. I had a dream that I was suddenly on an open country highway in the middle of nowhere. It was paved, but it was just... this road in nowhere, like many you will find driving across some of the more desolate parts of the state. I think the family Cocker Spaniel was with me (Rest in Peace, Buster). I started walking down this highway, going off across hilly desert, blue desert mountains in the distance. I realised, suddenly, that the road had no particular destination and that I could just go down it and see what's next. I remember having the dream again at another juncture of my life, but I do not remember what juncture - just the first time when I was transitioning from being a part of America's brutal war-machine off to pursue a peaceful art-degree. I was hopeless and the dream gave me HOPE. It's been over 20 years and I still remember it. So, Rem's dream in the manga... I relate - starkly. Now, my life didn't turn out as planned from there, either. I got the graphic design degree, but the jobs I got in the field chewed me up and spit me out. I experienced The Horrors and currently work in a grocery store. Rem got her blank ticket and died in a spaceship crash, not what she expected, either.

[lost-technology]

Welcome to Lost Technology!

I go by Shadsie around the Internet generally and have several other blogs around tumblr - this is a sideblog, so if I follow you, it’s from my junk-drawer main, @littleapocalypsekitten. I have a smattering of sideblogs ranging from other fandoms to a separate original artblr and an original writeblr.  I’m an OG Trigun fan since I discovered the original 1998 anime back in 2001. Was inactive in the fandom for a long time until Trigun: Stampede rekindled my interest.  I am in my 40s.  To people who would say that I am too old for fandom, I’m actually too old to give any fucks (and get off my lawn!).  To younger people who are accepting of older fans but would prefer not to interact, I understand, hence the full-disclosure.  I’m pleased to interact with anyone and especially with fellow older fans.  To you young ‘uns who don’t mind interacting, I guess I can be Granny.   Not currently interested in Discord due to past bad experiences on the platform and a general distaste for real-time chat with lots of humans. (I’m a bit like Millions Knives that way, despite my desire to cultivate a Vash the Stampede-like spirit).   Here you’ll find fanart (I’ll label the old stuff) and various random Trigunny thoughts and anything from the fandom I want to reblog.  I post fanfiction on Ao3, but for my really old stuff from my first steps in the fandom, you’ll have to go digging through the advert-laden trash-pile that is fanfiction.net.  (I’d rather most of that stuff be ignored).   The blog’s name comes from a panel of the Trigun Maximum manga in which Vash is admiring a new coat and gear being given to him by his suspended-ship friends and Brad tells him that it’s “lost technology for lost technology.”  Huge Vash-Stan, to the point of listing him as my personal hero, even when during my long period away from the fandom off on other interests. I also find myself doing a lot of fanwork for Rem.  Not a big shipper for this fandom, myself, although I may reblog SFW ship art if I like it.  As for my own content, I’m pretty Gen-centric.  

[lost-technology]

Hey! I got into Trigun in January 2022 and ended up joining a discord server where somebody linked to one of your old fics - "Hotel 64," I think. I really enjoyed it (I just love Legato >.>), so when I saw you had a blog here, I had to follow.

It's also always nice to find another older person who's still active in fandom. :)

I remember that one. I'm embarrassed by it, like I am about most of my old work, but I am glad you enjoyed it. If you hear more of me in the old fandom... Um... I'm not an anti-yaoi freak anymore. I'm not exactly fond of yaoi, but I'm not anti-it either. (got away from being churched, expanded my views on the world. Found out I'm ace. You know, live and learn). I am also no longer in contact with an ex-friend who I used to cause a lot of trouble with. I have no idea what happened to them and am glad of it. Check out my new stuff on Ao3 under Shadsie if you want to see the evolution of my writing work.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

if you get this, answer with three random facts about yourself and send it to the last seven blogs in your notifs! anon or not, doesn’t matter, let’s get to know the person behind the blog <3

Okay, random facts! 1. I am in my 40s. I like to get this one out there because a lot of the young un's on tumblr think it's gross that people like me are into anime / video games / novel fandoms or are on social media other than Facebook. I'll do what I damn well please, thank you. If you don't want to interact, you do not have to. There is no gun to your head. 2. I tried to join the U.S. Air Force when I was around 19-20 (it was before 9/11). It wasn't some kind of dream of mine, I was just desperate for college money and my parents couldn't send me to art-college, nor could I procure scholarships. I was desperate to get out of the house, get away from an abusive older brother who lived with us and to just see the world. This was a mistake. I am both too peaceful-natured and too much of an "individual" as they put it to have been broken properly. Instead, I was broken badly in a way of "health issue cropped up in boot camp, we gotta get rid of her." So, I was a washout, a failure, but in light of 9/11 happening about a year after I got out, I think I dodged some bullets. (Consider myself a more decent and honorable human being than Ex-President Bone Spurs for this alone, though, because at least I tried). Also the whole money for college military recruitment shenanigans made me really GET The Hunger Games when I read it later in life, and that is why it is one of my favorite book-series. 3. I like to draw and paint, mostly in traditional, physical media. I have an art blog on here that I never put much on @shadsiesartattic and I'm Shadsie over at my defunct Deviant Art site. For a good long time (and when I can get ethically-sourced things legally), I like to do vulture-culture art - skulls, bones. Animals only, no humans (regardless of how one of my cousins has expressed that she wants me to paint her skull if she dies first. I told her no. Too much of a personal pain for me, that). Some random goat I never knew in life, though? I'll snazz that up! Tagging people who have shown activities on my blog / blog mutuals: @aethersflames @lov3mayfly @kawaiimiraclewitch @sonofthedragon @virovac @ieatwoodchips @longhands

[littleapocalypsekitten]

I don't know if I'm the only one who's noticed something or if it was always like this and I just didn't know because some of my stories were actually shorter than I thought... but I don't think so. Are there new limits how many characters / words can be posted in a tumblr-post? I'm not even talking about forgetting about readmore cuts, I use them for long posts, I'm talking about how it seemed like when I did writeblr posts, I could post entire short stories and one-shot fanfictions and fanfiction chapters under a readmore cut and be just fine, like things that were 5K characters or more, it all being cool because of the read more cut. And now, whenever I try to paste anything, I get hit with a character-limit. Did Tumblr shorten things? Is this a part of their push to try to become more like Twitter?! I looked in on my original writeblr blog to make sure that none of this was retroactive and that my stories were intact, and they seem to be, but lately, anything new I post - I've been trying to post fanfiction and this is severely limiting my one-shots, you know, things I used to have no problem posting here. I may just have to seek out something like Wordpress or buck up and pay a little domain fee for my own website or something eventually in order to put up my stories if I want them anywhere beyond Ao3 (and a place for my non-fandom stuff). Yeah, yeah, Grandma Swamp Hag Shadsie wants the new social media rules to get off her Internet-lawn, but I swear, our social medias are getting worse and worse every day. Why, I remember when you could view things on tumblr not logged in. Last a I checked, you do have to have an account and be logged in, which completely defeats the purpose of me sharing my stories to people outside the platform / using it as a nice place to put them (I am not trying to sell them. I write for fun and want people to read and maybe critique my stuff, or otherwise just enjoy it). This was what I'd originally signed up for tumblr for and it's gone now. And now the character-limits are tighter? And I can't even do the fandom-crap I stayed for effectively? I'm confused. I don't want the tumblr-gods to strike me down for complaining, I just want to know what's going on and what the new word-count limit is. I could treat the place like people treated Twitter and just do multiple posts to create a story / chapter, but I really don't want to do that. It really breaks the flow. I might have to use this place in writeblr mode only for the shortest of my short stuff from now on and find a new place for my longer short pieces. It's pretty aggravating and I want to know the purpose of the changes if, indeed, I'm noticing something that's actually new.