#It’s not free of consequence to be themselves but they can’t really do much else so they keep on trucking along

[applespider]

Strong independent woman? More like pathetic dependent woman who’s flaws counter out any good qualities she has twice over. I’m still talking about Aqua. I love her so much. That’s something I really like about the Konosuba cast in general. Found family without the wholesome. They never leave the first town, they’re constantly in debt, everyone knows them as those weirdos who cause problems, but they kind of love each other anyway. They’re found family because they all suck so much they can’t survive without each other. They aren’tin a position to reject each other because of their weird or unlikeable qualities. They’re the same. You just kind of accept it. And isn’t that what family is?

I’m not wording this right, but they’re just such normal people. They like cool stuff even if it’s seen as cringe, they can’t help but blow their earnings on nice alcohol, they work a regular job because adventuring doesn’t really pay. They adjust to each other. Kazuma taking Megumin out to do her explosions, Aqua and Kazuma being the same fucking person, both irritating each other and understanding each other because of it. Kazuma not wanting to fight the demon king because it sounds like a lot of work. They accept each others weirdness out of necessity. That’smy type of found family.

[millenianthemums]

i watched jacob geller’s video “Time Loop Nihilism” for the first time today. i love jacob geller but for some reason i skipped this video til now, and i’m so glad i finally found it, because weirdly it gave me some big inspiration for Bill Cipher characterization.

rambling under the cut

so, like, when a character’s trapped in a time loop for long enough, they stop seeing their actions as having any consequences, because they don’t have any lasting impact on the world. they start seeing the world they live in like a speedrunner sees the video game they’ve been running. they start seeing the people around them like neutral objects that make noises and do things but don’t really matter. they’re toys to play with. and you can break them as many times as you want, in as many ways as you want, and then they fix themselves and it’s like nothing happened.

but still, most time loop stories end with the loop breaking and the character just… moving on. returning to normal life. but how could someone ever do that, really? after all that time, all those things you did? even if no one else will ever know about it, YOU will. you will know that you are a person who did those things. that will never not be true again.

Bill wasn’t in a time loop, but he has been alive for one trillion years. one trillion years is a REALLY LONG TIME. like, our universe has existed for 13.8 billion years. a trillion is 1,000 billions. in a trillion years, Bill could have lived from the beginning of our universe to right now about 72 times. who knows how many universes he’s lived from the beginning to the end of? not even to start on the galaxies, the planets, the PEOPLE in his life. i’m genuinely not doing the math on how many people Bill might have known in his life because i will get nauseous.

Bill is like Ama from the Through The Flash short story, but on a totally different level. how could you possibly internalize the idea that hurting people matters at ALL when you’ve lived through eternity a million times and watched everything you’ve ever done disappear into the abyss of time over and over? a trillion years. he likes killing people and he hates getting bored. how many new, creative ways of torturing and murdering people do you think somebody like Bill could dream up in a TRILLION YEARS?

and then this AU is like, welcome back to survival mode buddy! things matter again now! none of that crazy stuff you got used to doing is gonna fly anymore! also this is your last chance. fuck this up, and you’re dead forever. have fun!

i imagine for a while he’s just dead set on finding some kind of loophole. he can’t accept the idea of going back to caring about things again. he wants creative mode back and he’d gonna find the cheat code, dammit.

but then he makes friends with Mabel. and now suddenly, whether he wants it to or not, something in his life really, REALLY matters. he cares about this kid. this human kid who’s gonna live like 65 more years tops. and now he has, by his standards, an infinitesimally short time period to get his shit together and become somebody who can actually be a genuine friend to another person, despite all the terrible stuff he did, in the show and in the incomprehensible eternity that came before it. how is he gonna do that?? i don’t know. i’m still figuring it out. it’ll be fun!!!

but yeah, i was struck, hearing the summary of Ama’s conversation with her neighbor. it just fit, in my mind, with everything i’ve been thinking about. no matter how much he changes, Bill will never again be somebody who didn’t do terrible things. whether or not the effects of those things exist outside him anymore, they weren’t free of consequence. he is still the person who killed and tortured and exterminated billions of sentient people, even when he’s laughing at Mabel’s silly jokes or being terrible at video games. all he can do is keep moving forward.

thanks so much if you read all of this. <3

[solaslow74]

it’s that time again!

this is the squeakquel to my last post, where i introduced two of my olnf mc’s. today, i offer you two more!

Ariel Vance is one of the most polite and level-headed kids you’ll ever meet. Though they’re pretty tall for their age, their soft-spoken, thoughtful demeanor gives a very understated impression.

Ariel is the mediator of most situations they’re in. They’ll do their best to always find a solution that makes everyone happy, and let others lead. Even upon their initial arrival in Golden Grove, Ariel is quick to let Tamarack’s strong will and Qiu’s confident leadership direct the group’s path while they watch over everyone in their own quiet way.

But things won’t always be sunshine for this gentle soul. Their intentions might be pure, but they can tend to look down on their friends, seeing them as kids they have to take care of. As Ariel grows up, they’ll have to learn to let others take care of themselves- and to finally look inwards and seek what they really want, not just what everyone else wants of them. But through this process, they can count on their best friend, Mx. Qiu Lin, to give them a hand.

Ariel is the bookish sort, preferring time spent reading and writing over being active in the great outdoors. And though they’ll learn a lot from their studies, Golden Grove has lessons to teach that can’t be learned from a book.

Suffice it to say that my next MC doesn’t have the same problem.

Mira Scarlet has always been the quiet type. But what that long, dark, unkempt hair hides is that it’s not born out of shyness- it’s born out of an intolerance for other people’s BS. If you’re around when she finally does speak up- duck for cover.

Mira is reckless, confident, and independent to a fault. She’s quick to anger, which isn’t always a bad thing- she’ll stick up for her friends in a heartbeat when they’re slighted.

Mira lives her life in the fast lane, and if you can’t keep her pace, she wants you out of the road. Golden Grove is far too sleepy of a place for her, and she can’t wait until she’s old enough to fly out of this town on a motorcycle, never looking back.

Even without much outward interest in making friends, her strength and spirit does draw some to her, and those she calls friends receive her fierce support. If anyone can convince her to finally take it slow once in a while, it’s her best friend, Tamarack Baumann.

Mira isn’t interested in trying to deal with the consequences of her recklessness, but no matter how fast you can go on a bike, life always catches up to you. She’s gonna learn that, one way or another.

“wow, sola! you weren’t kidding, that WAS two more olnf mc’s!”

thanks, friend! i hope you enjoyed learning about em! feel free to ask questions or share the deets on your own lovely characters! let’s all revel in the olnf brainrot together ❤️

[sad-scarred-sassy]

i love love love your feylin writings

i don’t ship them at all really and i don’t want them to have an infidelity situation going on but i love them having these conversations!! i was never feyre’s number one fan because of sjm’s writing but she was unrecognisable by the end of the series and i love how you’ve acknowledged that but also made her .. three dimensional. it’s amazing what good writing can do for the most flat of characters like resident girlboss miss archeron

you know what else i love?? tamlin apologising and acknowledging how his actions could’ve affected her negatively. and without going into his tragic backstory?? unreal. i personally don’t think he’s a monster but i fully get why feyre thinks that and i have so much respect for his understanding why that is even if it’s misconstrued and/or upsetting to him (i think his well meaning actions had unintentional negative consequences and feyre has every right to feel hurt even if he hadn’t meant to, and i’ve always wished that feyre would see that she had perhaps unfairly villainised him - after she healed and had more time, of course - but again to accept that you are the - however unwitting - villain in someone else’s story and not immediately trying to change their mind or tell them how they’re wrong or whatever takes growth and therapy lol

i hope they can have more deep chats though hopefully that will help them both heal and go on their SEPARATE paths

love seeing the sisters mending their relationship a little - they should all move to spring and spend their time frolicking as they should’ve been able to do as kids

i do want tamlin to kind of be like “i don’t want to be someone/something you regret again” should they have another .. heated moment

like we love a pathetic wet rat of a man but don’t do this to yourself king you deserve better

Hello!! ❤️ I woke up to this message and it made me smile so bright! Thank you for reading and analyzing my writing, I feel so soo honored and grateful.

You speak so true about both of them deserving to heal and free themselves of the burdens of their current lives, and I think that they’re very very far from healing, even if headed in the right direction. I never set out this story to be about an infidelity arc, but I get why it appears to go that way. Feyre stepping into Spring alone could be viewed as an infidelity to Rhysand on itself, so in part it is.

I have a vague idea of how I see their story progressing, can’t say if I want them together or not yet, even if I love a depressing story I think I owe them the peace of a life they actually chose.

Also, I LOVED your take on Tamlin telling Feyre he doesn’t want to be something she regrets again, oh damn it really got the demons inside me sizzling, I might just add this sentiment in the next chapter. We all do love the pathetic aura he is displaying, but my man also needs to set boundaries if he wants to heal, even if it hurts him to do so!

I’m so touched you took your time to write this to me, and I’m so glad you could resonate with these deeply DEEPLY flawed characters. It’s honestly the biggest compliment I’ve received.

[the-haunted-office]

💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)? for Thursday!

I took the MBTI test on this website for Thursday and here are her results!

Edit to add: I just copy/pasted this from the site!

Campaigner Personality

ENFP-A / ENFP-T

People with the ENFP personality type (Campaigners) are true free spirits – outgoing, openhearted, and open-minded. With their lively, upbeat approach to life, ENFPs stand out in any crowd. But even though they can be the life of the party, they don’t just care about having a good time. These personalities have profound depths that are fueled by their intense desire for meaningful, emotional connections with others.

ENFP personalities carry an interesting blend of carefree sociability, sparkling imagination, and deep, contemplative introspection. They regularly use their natural curiosity and expansive creativity to try to better understand themselves and the complex dynamics of human relationships. And they are truly devoted to nurturing their relationships with and their understanding of the world at large.

In their unique way, ENFPs’ introspective nature is driven by their imagination, wonder, and belief in things that cannot always be explained rationally. People with this personality type truly believe that everything – and everyone – is connected, and they live for the glimmers of insight that they can gain from these connections. They believe that how we treat one another really matters. In fact, ENFPs are the most likely personality type to believe in the concept of karma.

When something sparks their imagination, ENFPs show an enthusiasm that is nothing short of infectious. These personalities can’t help but to radiate a positive energy that draws other people in. Consequently, they might find themselves being held up by their peers as a leader or guru. However, once their initial bloom of inspiration wears off, ENFPs can struggle with self-discipline and consistency, losing steam on projects that once meant so much to them.

ENFP personalities are proof that seeking out life’s joys and pleasures isn’t the same as being shallow. Seemingly in the blink of an eye, people with this personality type can transform from impassioned idealists to carefree figures on the dance floor.

ENFP personalities are capable of intense thought and feeling – and also of kicking back and having a good time.

Even in moments of fun, ENFPs want to connect emotionally with others. Few things matter more to these personalities than having genuine, heartfelt conversations with the people they cherish. ENFPs believe that everyone deserves to express their feelings, and their empathy and warmth create spaces where even the most timid spirits can feel comfortable opening up.

ENFPs need to be careful, however. Their intuition may lead them to read far too much into other people’s actions and behaviors. Instead of simply asking for an explanation, they may end up puzzling over someone else’s desires or intentions. This kind of social stress is what keeps harmony-focused ENFP personalities awake at night.

ENFPs will spend a lot of time exploring different relationships, feelings, and ideas before they find a path for their life that feels right. But when they do finally find their way, their imagination, empathy, and courage can light up not only their own life but also the world around them.

[leaderpinhead]

Riddle - Height Differences

Riddle hummed. As much as he loathed to admit it, this particular…conundrum was beyond his expertise. “It would seem we are in need of the librarian.” 

Yuu hummed along with him. Grim voiced a loud yawn at their knees. “You can’t use magic to get the book?” 

“Normally, I would,” Riddle admitted, “but the rules specifically prohibit the use of magic in this section. Some of the books are so old, using magic could potentially disintegrate the pages.” 

Yuu hummed again. Riddle sighed. “Wait just a moment. I’ll return with the librarian.” 

“But we’re nearly at the back of the library.” 

“Better we not risk injury attempting to climb the shelves,” Riddle argued. “I’ve seen plenty of other students think they were capable of retrieving a book themselves and suffer the consequences. I’ll only be a moment.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Grim yowled when Yuu lifted him off the ground. “Fetch, Grim.” 

Grim aggressively kicked his legs. “What do you think I am! Some kinda arm extension?” 

Yuu lifted Grim higher, letting the monster cat balance on the palm of his hands. “Hush and grab that book already.” 

Grim grumbled but snatched the book from the shelf. Still balancing on Yuu’s hands, Grim dropped the book into Riddle’s waiting hands. The feline monster huffed and propped his paws on his hips. “There. Is there anything else you need while I'm up here?” 

Riddle hummed, tucking the book under one arm. “Actually, if you don’t mind, could you please retrieve the fifth volume of War in the Queendom of Roses?” 

“That almanac right there looks pretty promising too.” 

“Perhaps you could also—.” 

“How many paws do you two think I have!” Riddle and Yuu both shushed Grim for being so loud. He grumbled some more and snatched up the books they pointed at. Riddle glared when the monster recklessly tossed the books down at him. “Here! Take your books. Now, put me down!” 

Yuu didn’t place Grim back on the ground, but instead transferred him to ride on his shoulders. Grim huffed but didn’t seem to mind riding on the prefect’s shoulders, draping across the top of his head like a hood. Riddle handed over half the books when Yuu offered to help carry them. 

He eyed Grim while they walked back towards the front of the library. “Despite his disgruntlement, Grim seemed fairly easy to convince into cooperating. If you don't’ mind me asking, how often have you two done that?” 

“Done what?” Yuu asked. He patted one of Grim’s back paws, which Grim twitched with a rumbling protest. “Used Grim as an arm extender?” 

“For lack of any other description, yes.” 

“We do it all the time.” Yuu’s casual response made Riddle blink. “I’m not exactly the tallest person on campus, and I don’t have magic to levitate things to me.” 

“And that’s not...” Riddle briefly paused. “That doesn’t bother you?” 

“I really envy you guys sometimes, but I’ve come to accept my non-magic existence.” 

“Not that,” Riddle insisted. His fingers restlessly tapped against the book spines. “Being...vertically challenged.” 

Yuu shook his head. “I don’t have a problem with being short. It’s inconvenient sometimes, but there’s always a solution to whatever issue I'm facing. Why do you think I've trained Grim to fetch things from high shelves?” 

“You better give me an extra can of tuna later,” Grim chimed in. He batted a paw against Yuu’s forehead. “I don’t do all this for free, you know.” 

Riddle’s eyes flicked up to the top of the shelves they passed. As they ventured closer to the front, more books began levitating off the higher shelves and traveling along with them, summoned to the front counter by the librarian. His eyes slowly drifted back to Yuu. “So you use your height as a means to practice critical thinking.” 

Yuu’s shoulders bobbed, making Grim jump. “I guess so? I’ve never really thought of it that way. I just do whatever I need to keep moving forward.” 

Riddle hummed. "An interesting perspective. Perhaps I should be more proactive in similar situations. My returning to the front desk, retrieving the librarian, and returning to you would have wasted valuable study time.” 

“I would have thought you already did that.” 

Riddle stopped mid-step. Yuu took a few more steps before recognizing he had stopped. The prefect half turned back to him. Riddle felt his face grow hotter. “What exactly do you mean by that?” 

Yuu tilted his head, making Grim tilt sideways with him. “Well, I mean, you’re short too.” 

Riddle’s face grew even hotter. His fingers gripped the books tightly. “And do you think that makes me incapable of performing to the same standards as taller individuals?" 

“Uh.” Yuu’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “No?” 

“Then why would you even bring it up?” 

“Because I think you’re smarter than me?” Yuu held up his hands in surrender. “We’re in the same boat here, Riddle. I’d like to think if it came to sink or swim, we’d patch up the boat first and make it to land.” 

Just as quickly as the heat had infused his cheeks, it dissipated. Riddle blinked as he processed Yuu’s words. “I suppose you are right. Forgive me for being so reactionary.” 

“It’s cool.” Yuu dropped his hands. He waited for Riddle to catch up to him, and Riddle couldn’t help a momentary wave of embarrassment. “I can get where you’re coming from. Most students like to go after the fact that I have no magic, but I've had a few comment on my height. Floyd literally calls me a shrimp.” 

Riddle huffed, but he couldn’t help feeling a stronger kinship with the prefect on the topic of Floyd’s theatrics. “If he ever gives you a difficult time, don’t hesitate to seek me out. I have plenty of experience handling Floyd at this point.” 

“Thanks, but I think I'm good.” Yuu shot him a grin. “If he gets too persistent, I just point out every time he smacks his head against the top of a doorframe.” 

Yuu’s teasing shouldn’t have been so amusing, but it made Riddle laugh loud enough to earn his own shush from a nearby study group. 

[vihattu-thethoroughbredofsin]

Okay, transformers fans, I need answers from you.

SPOILERS are possible, but not really. It's better not to read if you haven't watched the cartoon yet. Now a new animated series has been released, and for some reason I see the same thing in all opinions  — complaints and misunderstanding about why the GHOST is catching Decepticons and keeping them in prison. To this I have a counter question — why shouldn't they? It seems to be confirmed that for some time in the past, transformers openly fought on Earth. I very much doubt that they did it carefully and absolutely without harming humans . It is unlikely that the military conflict of huge robots did without any casualties at all (If it turns out that way, well... that would be stupid). And when the Autobots, and then Megatron after the destruction of the space bridge, went to cooperate with humans, the rest of the Decepticons did not. That is, there is a situation when supposedly aggressive huge robots that have not accepted the peace agreement are walking free, and it is not known what they have in mind. I doubt that all Decepticons are playful white and fluffy bunnies, considering the conditions they found themselves in. It is unlikely that they are just sitting peacefully somewhere without harming anyone. At least twice already, two of them were going to harm the child, presumably for the sake of entertainment, judging by the accompanying phrase before that. Moreover, there were rivals nearby who could really do harm, but they still threatened children who could not attack effectively. In such a situation, capture and detention in prison seems to be the only way out, if they did not come to an agreement in a good way. It's another matter what they do with them later, but the audience complains about hunting. Maybe the GHOST will turn out to be an evil insidious organization that eats poor and unfortunate Decepticons for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but so far their actions seem quite logical. Even if the Decepticons are starving and suffering, it doesn't automatically make them good guys. There may be reasons for fear. To condemn plot decisions with the fact that "well, they're cute and suffer!" when we don't even know what they did and what consequences their actions lead to is a bit strange. Maybe they demolished cities, maybe  humans were killed or maimed, we just don't know yet. If that was the case, then where else would they be if not in prison? There are more questions for Megatron, what kind of leader he was if the whole faction told him "No!" and went to hide and starve, just to disagree with his decision. Did he try to probe the ground before his decision at all? How did he not find like-minded Decepticons among his own soldiers? Did this Megatron really manage his troops so badly? Well, before condemning the actions of Optimus, he could think about what he could do to improve the situation. And if he has not come up with anything better than direct obedience... Then we found the winner in the nomination "The worst Decepticon leader". From this, I have a more global question for the fandom — do you really love Decepticons so much? To some strange blindness about the plots with them. After about a year of being in the fandom, I somehow got the impression that Decepticons are the public's favorites, no matter what, when fans treat Autobots rather coldly. And this applies to almost any media. Moreover, I do not judge from the point of view of morality, evil characters can be loved, there is no such popular "problematic" here. But it's just interesting. I can't understand what moods are floating in the fandom, I would like to know.

[particlecreator]

What type of bender are you?

Airbender

Airbenders want nothing other than freedom. The freedom to express, to choose, to love, to breathe, to exist, to be. It’s quite simple, really. An Airbender will do anything to be free, to exist as they wish to exist without conflict. For this, you’ll find many incredibly understanding individuals within this particular element and you are likely one of the many. Somebody who respects the opinion and choice of another person because as an Airbender, you place so much value in freedom. Generally, these benders work with life rather than against it, using the wind currents to guide them across the sky. Of course, this means Airbenders are natural at avoiding conflict.

Now, as said before, Freedom—whether it’s personal or worldly freedom—is the most important thing to an Airbender and without it, they can feel bogged down or like they’re being suffocated by everything around them. I like to call these Caged Airbenders. Without the freedom to choose, to be who they are, these benders will lash out and it won’t be pretty—especially when they aren’t naturally inclined to conflict. When Airbenders are angry, boy, are they angry and they will go to any lengths to feel like themselves again, to feel like they have a choice. This isn’t to say every Caged Airbender will turn self-destructive, but their actions in retaliation will most likely be thoughtless and desperate. They simply do so because they feel they must without thinking about the consequences of their actions. In the end, Airbenders understand that what really matters is the freedom to choose. Without this, they feel like they can’t breathe.

Air exists all around us. Imagine if it suddenly decided when and where we breathe? It’d be impossible to live. Without freedom, an Airbender knows it’d be just the same, just as impossible. So, as the wind shifts direction, you know there’s always another way. There’s always another choice to make and you want the freedom to do so. You just want to breathe.

Tagging: @kaizokugaris, @manaborn, @demonwind, @strcngered, @strwcptn, @age736, and whoever else wants to do it.

[once-in-a-blue-moon2612]

I will say this

Not to blanket over this shitty situation, because it needs to be said, what has happened is fucking shitty. It’s shitty what Kdin, Mica, Fiona, and possibly other folks who’ve worked at RT had gone through. And then of course, Matt was reduced to just part-time, despite being one of the on-screen talents and content creators for AH, he was reduced to a part-timer. And not only that, a lot of other people in RT were laid off. An all around shitty situation, and the community for RT/AH is already feeling the hurt and betrayal from thinking this company was our friend. But, we were very much reminded that companies can and will stab you in the back and will leave you to bleed out for even thinking about trusting them at face value. Sure, this is pointing fingers at Warner Bros. Discovery, but as more people come forward, we’re seeing a lot of shit that’s been going on behind the scenes at RT that have a lot of us turning in our first memberships, and I don’t blame anyone for doing so because I certainly turned mine in.

But, there are still some very good people in this company. Like, look at it like this: what they were 10 years ago, is vastly different to how they are now. I won’t say today or yesterday, for obvious reasons, but as of now, there have been some good folks here. Geoff and Gavin both used to be very problematic. That Nether Portal video that, though has been removed from the Let’s Play channel, is still out there somewhere. Michael too had a certain video on his YouTube channel that, though he himself now frowns upon, is very offensive. Jeremy too is not in the clear here, as I still remember the compass argument. And now to hear that they used to call Kdin a slur nickname, that sounds very much like them, I will not lie. They were very, VERY immature back then, despite being grown ass men who knew the consequences of doing these things. Not a single one of them is without sin in this workplace, and RT definitely is not free of sin. 

However, they’ve gotten better over the years. They’ve raised so much money during extra life as well as other charity streams they’ve done, they’re becoming more inclusive and diverse, something that they certainly weren’t 10 years ago. 10 years ago, I don’t think I saw a single woman other than Barbara and Lindsay. Now, you look at their cast and the people that work there and there are more women working here, along with POC and LGBTQ+ individuals, with Lindsay being non-binary themselves. And hell, the main crew themselves are much more mature than they were back then. Like I know for a fact that present day Geoff would beat the shit out of 10 years ago Geoff, or hell, even beat the shit out of the Geoff that started the company because I know that Geoff was probably worse than 10 years ago Geoff. 

Sure, this will never excuse the things they’ve said and done, but to say everyone in this company is shitty and terrible isn’t really the best way to, I don’t know, cope? with this situation. Because, there’s no coping here. There’s the presented fact that shit has happened within this company that cannot be reversed or taken back. What has been said and done can’t be erased, and the people who are on camera are just as, if not, more so guilty for letting it happen and participating in it. I know, they can’t do much as it would ruin their own appearance, but the fact that they’ve only scratched the surface of what they could do (See: An Honest Discussion - Off Topic #236), instead of really getting to the bottom of the things they’ve let fly under the radar, really doesn’t sit well with me. NDAs be damned, they need to unpack all the wrongdoings and unfair treatment they’ve done to their own employees, who are now ex-employees.  Like I know this is me trying to save them some face and trust me, I’m not. I’m very disappointed and even disgusted with how they treated Kdin, Mica, Fiona, and everyone else who got shit on so much that leaving/being laid off was the best choice for them cause now, they no longer have to deal with the bullshit the company gave to them. Bullshit that they’ve never signed up for and was given to anyway, and the only thing we, the community, can really say to them is we’re sorry that it happened when it shouldn’t have happened anyway.  All that’s left now is to try and see what happens moving forward. Like is there a future for RT/AH down the road? Who knows at this point. With all that has happened, it’s a wonder as to if the fan base will remain the same, or shrink down to the thousands, or even hundreds at this point. 

[jennajaeger]

once you're stripped clean, what's at your core?

My good friend @damngoodbabysiitter got me to take the above uquiz for my self insert OCs and share the results for each of them!!

(if anyone else wants to do the same for their OCs, feel free to do so and say I tagged you!! <3)

Jenna, Persephone, Gigi

acerbic wit

you're a mentor — an old scarred wolf, an injured soldier, a disgraced paladin. your teachings read as shamelessly pretentious, speaking in rhymes and biting down hard into anyone stupid enough to make the wrong move. this isn't your first life, nor your second, nor your sixth — you'll make the most of your time shackled to this world, no matter how many loops it takes to get it right. with every defeat, you reincarnate; a little smarter, a little quicker, crueler and nastier. will you choose to be brutal, equalizing, that final strike in the face of your enemies? will you go soft, become tender and domesticated? the choice is yours. it's not like i can stop you.

Nyx

silent admission

in tarot, the fool is numbered 0 – the number of unlimited potential. as the protagonist, he is ever present and therefore needs no number as well as no introduction. the world revolves around you in ways that i can't begin to describe, though you'd shrug it off if i were to begin to explain. i need you to know that time is running out. if you want to get this done, you need to start now. sloth is your greatest enemy in this world, and you can only run so far from the opposition when you start with such a disadvantage. keep your head high, yeah? the kid you were is still in there somewhere. you need to show him that it was worth it.

Soraya, Nova

rippling sunset

you’re the nicest person i’ll ever meet, probably. with an undying passion to protect those who can’t protect themselves, you’re energetic and bubbly to a fault. it’s cute, watching you run around trying to tie up loose ends. i feel bad for you — out of everyone you know, you probably have some of the deepest trauma, more than anyone’s aware of. this isn’t something that you want attention for at all, and you’d really just rather forget it exists at all… even then, it seems like you can never escape it. i wish you a pleasant rest of your life, full of rippling sunsets and free of prying eyes.

Annette, Jacaera

fractured glass

no amount of orchestrated class is ever going to hide the fact that you’re doomed to be alone. you’re a puppet, you’re a weapon, but most importantly? you’re a fraud. your facade isn’t malicious, but that doesn’t change a thing. everything in your life is in your control now, and you chose to let yourself become stiff and distant. you’re guilty of everything you blame yourself for, and your misfortune is the fault of nobody but yourself. your selfish nature forges you into a man-made monster, so quick to blame and so desperate to escape consequence. i hope that you can become someone you’re proud of soon.

Liesel

sympathy for the devil

you try so hard to be a beacon of hope for everyone, but nobody’s a beacon of hope for you. most likely, someone’s betrayed you in the past. it’s not like you’re easy to walk over, you just believe(d) too much in the inherent good of people. that isn’t a bad thing, and there’s nothing wrong with being kind and forgiving… i just feel kind of bad for you. i hope you can get a friend who doesn’t fuck with your head and take advantage of your kindness for once.

Valkyrie, Naomi

animal intuition

loyalty is the saint you pray to. if you ever were stabbed in the back by your beloved, you'd probably apologize. to your enemies, you're fierce. to your allies, even fiercer. you cultivate a thick inner circle built on promises and devotion, fit only for the best of the best. it's impossible for most to even begin to dissect the type of person you are, owing to your unbreakable emotional walls and confusing philosophies. dream careers? body guard, movie star, unwitting pawn. don't let people get the best of that loyalty.

Melody

spun gossamer

the easiest thing to do is stay quiet when something’s up. you’re not bothered, and you know what? you shouldn’t be! it’s none of your business, even when it’s entirely your business. it’s difficult (read: impossible) to tell if your cheery demeanor is a cover-up for something sadder, or if it’s simply your natural state of mind. you see a lot of things: people coming through town, people leaving the house and never coming back, lies and deceit of the highest degree. what happened to you? will you ever be that kid again? your presence smells like cotton candy, and your fingertips sparkle like stars. whatever white rabbit you’re chasing isn’t going to lead you to wonderland if you don’t start reaching out when you’re not feeling okay.

Ianthe

behind the mask

you aren’t slick about whatever you think you’re hiding. glass shatters in your midst, blood spills, children scream. like some of your friends, your personality of choice is entirely artificial. the difference between you and them is that you can get away with it. you’re unknown, perhaps even to yourself, and your goals are complex and unknown. anyone stupid enough to fall for you is setting themselves up to be frustrated and confused, owing to your being ultimately unknowable. i hope you can find an identity that makes you comfortable.

Corie

benign culpability

everyone hates you because you are a facetious lying bitch. …kidding, i think. seriously, though! you try way too hard to look like a picturesque example of class and responsibility, but you use your position as a social butterfly to take advantage of those weaker than you. it’s rare for anything not to be your fault, and everyone thinks you’re crying wolf when you actually HAVEN’T done anything. it gets kind of tiring to have everyone on your dick all the time, but it’s less interesting to actually behave. good luck with the therapy?

[geooooooorge]

DISCLAIMER: i'm not the be all, end all on knowledge of the monarchy. most of this is my own fumbling research during Curiosity Hours and my family's grumblings. enjoy!

Benefits of the monarchy:

Tourism

Memes

Tea (lookin at you andrew, you gross [redacted])

They’re not all questionable people with questionable ideals tbh. Just the ones older than, like. Nine.

Literally everything else of the monarchy:

A hoover of taxpayer money 

Remember tourism?? It’s like the witch from the woods letting hansel and gretel chow down on her house. She knows she’s gonna reap the benefits anyway) (even though she actually doesn’t in the end and gets… cooked in an oven or smth?? Can’t remember all the details but we haven’t got to that part in the analogy yet anyway.)

What. what do they actually. Do. ????

The head of the monarchy passes laws as the Final Checkpoint but they’re also deigned politically neutral so, like. And the last time they rejected a law was 1708 or 1710 smth dusty like that. 

(1708)

THE THINGS!!! THIS COUNTRY COULD DO!!! IF IT JUST!!! DIDN’T FUCKING THROW MONEY AT MAINTAINING A MONARCHY AND ACTUALLY THOUGHT, FOR JUST A SECOND, ABOUT HUMAN LIVES AND HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION AND IT’S OWN FUCKING PEOPLE THAT ARE  S T R U G G L I N G !!!! i know the uk isn’t the Worst when it comes to these things, and being able to have access to these things, i know we have Really Good Things - the fucking NHS is a God Send (thanks Bevan or whoever it was i guess), but they’re under strain along with so many other people and spending millions - quite possibly a hundred million - per year on a face that is barely beneficial is stupid and ignorant and almost, actually, inhumane. 

of course, just abolishing the monarchy would not immediately cause more money to be funnelled into the public sector to benefit people bc ✨corruption✨ and ✨greed✨ and ✨fucking politicans✨. but it's Something and i'd take that.

Yours sincerely,

A working class baby xoxo 😇

(also i know they’re people in and of themselves. Not always respectable people, but quite a few are Not Terrible. Liz definitely had her moments where i couldn't help but like her, just a little, sometimes. But i know plenty of people who Aren’t Terrible and Very Likeable and actually do quite a lot to help other people in this country who aren’t living in lavish palaces and are getting by with plenty of love and happiness (maybe not so much ‘money’ 💀), so i don’t see why it’s necessary for the monarchy to be held to such a high level and consequently take away so much from everyone else.)

(also feel free of course to not publicly reply to this. it's just for your brain to ingest! and good luck with your research!!)

Hii, thank you for this! I appreciate the effort for writing all this<333

[eolewyn1010]

Dragging Frankenstein - Chapter 22

Woe is Victor!

In the process of his being a fainting damsel, Shelley’s brilliance shines through. I’m sure Cantor’s essay emphasized this part, too: “I abhorred the face of man. Oh, not abhorred! they were my brethren, my fellow beings, and I felt attracted even to the most repulsive among them [exception being, obviously, the one he made himself] as to creatures of angelic nature and celestial mechanism [something he firmly denies in the Creature’s nature, acknowledging his own failure in the role of God]. But I felt that I had no right to share their intercourse [I’m counting this, just for the word he uses].” DAS GAY: 38

But snark aside, this is so damn good, esp. in context. How he takes the viewpoint the Creature has taken before him, how he can’t see himself as part of humanity anymore. Nice. Gimme.

Of course, Victor has to ruin it by whining incessantly that his father just doesn’t understand him! It’s not a phase, Dad! IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 29

“How little do you know me.” Wonder whose fault that is. “Human beings […] would indeed be degraded if such a wretch as I felt pride.” Made me laugh. As if Victor ever felt pride in his life. Nah, not him. He’s a very humble one. “Justine was as innocent as I” *splutters* …exCUSE me??? Justine was ten times more innocent than you even in your best of times! There’s the hatred again. Twat.

His father is mollycoddling him, and my God, it’s really not kind of Frankenstein sr. to wed off Elizabeth, his precious adoptive daughter, to someone who is verifiably and obviously mentally unstable. Can’t you just betroth her to Ernest instead? As things look, Victor will rather land in a madhouse anyway, so it’s not like he’ll be of much use as an heir.

Of course, he also demonstrates where Victor got his upbringing. “If I don’t talk of the Bad Thing That Happened, it will just go away with no consequences!” These people, man.

Elizabeth’s letter is… really something. “My friend, my cousin” – I was just waiting for her to add “my brother” to it. INCEST VIBES: 16

Apparently, another YEAR has passed since he left Geneva. It’s astounding; time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll…~

Elizabeth brings up the quasi-sibling issue, only to then confirm that she’s game to marry him, earning her another of the INCEST VIBES: 17

She also thinks he was preoccupied with thoughts of someone else he loved, while he was preoccupied with thoughts about the Creature, which, LOL. Gets him the usual double. DAS GAY: 39

INCEST VIBES: 18

I promise, I’m almost done, but I have to give another count for this sentence: “bound in honor to fulfil the wishes of your parents although they opposed themselves to your inclinations.” o.O Inclinations? Did she write it that way on purpose?? Tell me she wrote that on purpose. DAS GAY: 40

Good on Elizabeth for not wanting to be an unloved Beard, tho.

Victor gets back into whining how his wedding night will be his death. IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 30

For reasons I cannot fathom, he chooses the word “consummate” instead of “commit” for the crimes the Creature will do onto him. *raises eyebrow* I know I said I was done, but… INCEST VIBES: 19

DAS GAY: 41

And lest we forget anything, he also plays with the notion again that he could indeed defeat the Creature. DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR: 17

Dumbass.

Then he remembers it’s been at least five seconds since he pissed me off with his class conceit, and rectifies that. “What freedom? Such as the peasant enjoys when his family have been massacred before his eyes, his cottage burnt, his lands laid waste, and he is turned adrift, homeless, penniless, alone, but free. Such would be my liberty except that in my Elizabeth I possessed a treasure.” I SO PRIVILEGED: 16

I gave him a double for that, one for the “oh, I’m like a peasant who lost literally everything, except that I still have a gorgeous fiancée and an estate full of riches waiting” and one for referring to Elizabeth as his property again. Get bent, Victor.

“paradisiacal dreams of love and joy, but the apple was already eaten” – Fair enough; that’s the Paradise Lost reference again, but it falls flat here, because the one thing Adam and Eve didn’t lose when they were cast out of paradise was each other. That’s the beautiful thing of the story, that they carried their love out into the world with them and built a life on it, something that Victor proves time and again to be both unable and unwilling to do. If Elizabeth is his Eve, he’s been failing her all this time, long before her death.

“he would surely find other, and perhaps more dreadful, means of revenge” – He thinks this and then still doesn’t reach the conclusion that someone Not Him might be at risk. IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 31

Wonder if this count will catch up with the gay count before the end of the book.

…well, maybe not, because he ties the “with you on your wedding night” to the loss of Clerval immediately afterwards, which makes me think that the Creature prevented two marital unions here. DAS GAY: 42

“I will confide this tale of misery and terror to you the day after our marriage shall take place.” Heh. Sure you will. Subtle foreshadowing there, Shelley.

He seriously has the balls to comment on how Elizabeth isn’t glowing with charm and vivacity anymore. SHE HAS A DEPRESSION, YOU SHALLOW BITCH! And now she has to be his security blanket, Jesus Christ, this poor woman.

“But death was no evil to me if the loss of Elizabeth were balanced with it” -.- Okay, now it’s getting stupid. IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 32

He makes me laugh a little when he says, “I shut up, as well as I could […]” It’s not very well, honey. But this is all so cruel to poor Elizabeth. She knows he’s faking it, she sees he’s not the least bit interested in this wedding.

But hey, at least he’s gaining some more possessions via her heritage when he marries her! This is Important Information!

“I carried pistols and a dagger constantly about me” – Pfft. Somewhere in the distance, Bill is snorting with laughter.

Victor’s momentary happiness takes the form of a flowery travel guide again, and then the bitch goes and PISSES. ME. OFF. “You are sorrowful, my love. Ah! if you knew what I have suffered, and what I may yet endure, you would endeavour to let me taste the quiet and freedom from despair that this one day at least permits me to enjoy.” … *inhales, clears throat* Count? IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: 33

Now, with this settled… AAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHH! *takes knife and stabs Victor repeatedly* YOU INCREDIBLE PIECE OF SHIT! YOU COULDN’T BE ARSED TO BE A LITTLE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT YOUR WEDDING, AND NOW YOU GET ON HER CASE FOR NOT BEING ALL SUNSHINE AND DAISIES FOR YOUR BENEFIT!! YOU SERIOUSLY CHASTISE HER FOR NOT SETTING UP A BRIGHT ENOUGH SMILE?? AFTER ALL SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH, YOU CAN STILL TALK ONLY ABOUT YOUR SUFFERINGS, AND YOUR COMFORT, AND YOUR NEED FOR AN OVERJOYOUS PIECE OF DECOR BY YOUR SIDE?? YOU NEVER BOTHERED TO BE KIND TO CHEER HER UP, YOU LOUSY–

*sits down, catches breath, wipes knife* Anyway.

“Something whispers to me not to depend too much on the prospect” – yeah, damn right, girl. You can’t depend on this marriage, and you sure as hell can’t depend on this guy.

More pretty landscape, and then the calm before the storm ends the chapter on a foreboding note. Here’s looking forward to the last few people being removed from Victor’s miserable presence.

[strongmiral]

Civilization revolution pc

CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION PC HOW TO

CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION PC PLUS

CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION PC FREE

On the whole, though, those are things I’m happy to overlook when the overall package is so much fun.

CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION PC HOW TO

And on a non-gameplay level, the game could stand to do a little more in terms of explaining some things to newcomers - case in point being the fact I never figured out how to transport anything across oceans, which made for a slightly long game when I found my starting city alone on an island, and I was forced to win over the world solely on the strength of my culture. When you get into a scenerio’s later stages, and the world is filling up with cities and soldiers and settlers, movements start to feel and look a little sluggish. Most obviously, there are times where the performance is a little suboptimal. Which isn’t to say that CivRev2+ is the best handheld game I’ve ever played, or that it’s flawless. If there’s any game more suited to handheld gaming, I don’t think I’ve yet discovered it. There are no plots or stories you need to keep track of. The controls - for the most part - are easy to pick up and remember, so you never have to worry about re acclimating yourself to the game.

CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION PC FREE

If pesky things like bus stops get in the way, you can just momentarily suspend your game, then pick it up again as soon as you get another free moment. You never need to worry about having to stop a particularly tough battle halfway through, since you can literally take it everywhere you go. In this respect, the game is pretty much perfect for the Vita. I don’t know how much this version took from the original version of CivRev2, but it clearly took enough that it can sink its claws into you and make it so that you forget everything else. I regularly found myself starting up a scenario as soon as I got on the bus for work, only to look up and realize I needed to hurriedly get up and rush to the doors so as to avoid missing my stop. I totally see how people could sink hours upon hours into it. Having said all that…my goodness, CivRev 2+ is fun. For another, it means that I almost certainly didn’t play the game to the absolute fullest extent that’s possible, on account of the fact I’m pretty sure I suck at it. For one thing, it means I can’t tell you exactly how faithfully the proper Civilization Revolution 2 experience is recreated on the Vita, since I have absolutely no idea. While the former didn’t bother me too much - I sank approximately 500 hours or so into MLB 10: The Show’s career mode, so I’m totally used to addictive repetition - the latter definitely gave me pause, seeing as my gaming strategies generally tend towards the “run in, guns ablazing, damn the consequences” school of thinking.īecause of that combination of unfamiliarity and lack of strategic thinking ability, you’ll probably want to take this review with at least a few pinches of salt. I’d never played any of the Civilization games before, but by reputation I knew them to be both insanely addictive and fairly hardcore in terms of strategy.

CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION PC PLUS

I will keep an open mind because I respect your opinion, and will be hopeful.I approached Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution 2 Plus with no small amount of apprehension. So time will tell if you are correct or not. After all thier actions speak for themselves. I hope I am wrong, I really do, but they have to prove history wrong, I don't have to believe what they say. Until I see it in game play, I am expecting a half arsed gamed and a very buggy release. One of those burn me once, shame on you, burn me twice shame on me.įiraxis has a history of fudging the truth. Sorry Sam, I respect you very much, but what devs say espically from Firaxis, they really can't be trusted. Every one of them has been mentioned specifically in interviews. After all what do you think $80 is going to get you? :P They've actually outright said it will have those. You really expecting that Civ VI is going to have religion, espoinage, cultrue, and great works? That is what the expansions are for.

[jadedstar2]

It’s funny, but it’s not. How accurate tv shows, movies, books get it. I wonder how many of them were written by other Survivors.

I’m watching “MAID” with my roommate. Been watching it. It’s so good. So terribly accurate, so terribly validating. So good. It walks people through what it’s like, how it starts, what it looks like from the outside, if you don’t know the signs to look for. Or are too self-involved to notice them.

One thing I’ve learned from my own life patterns is that of Boundaries, and what not having them, not UNDERSTANDING them, can do to a person. Not knowing how to detach with love, not knowing how to jump in and try to save someone from themselves, how to fix things for other people, I could go on and on. Not realizing that it was killing me, and for what? These people never wanted to “see the light” or “get better.” I was a free maid to clean up their messes, and they didn’t have to change bc I was bearing their consequences.

And God forbid when I would see what was going on, AGAIN, and try to THEN put up boundaries. Or like…escape.

My latest “efforts” led to a literal hostage situation, not unlike what you see in episode 8 of the series. Sprinkle in some actual physical violence though. Or having food withheld from me. I deserved it though, right? The punishment? For trying to save myself for a change? Deciding that I wasn’t going to be used and manipulated and taken advantage of? I was selfish. I deserved it.

The worst part is, he really believed what he was saying.

The night I was sexually assaulted by him, his reasons were good ones. I didn’t want him taking the internet away - the modem and router that was under my name, and mine alone. It didn’t matter that he had a history of destroying property. I was “taking his power away” by trying to protect my credit that I had just built back up from the previous tyrant I threw my life away to.

Silver lining? Having a history of being assaulted teaches you a few life or death street smarts. That’s how I got away.

Everyone always says, “it could have been so much worse though.”

Read that again. That’s like someone saying that to you after you just lost your entire home to a fire. Yes, you’re right, I could have also gone up in flames, but how is that comforting when everything else did? I should be NOT sad bc of that?

Mind you, not once have I heard that kind of BS “comfort” from another actual survivor. Bc they know. They know that it was just one night of hell. Children usually start with hissy fits BEFORE they smash their toys.

Usually. This person, however, skipped straight to rape. I thought I had time bc he hadn’t given me a black eye yet.

Why did I have to get a black eye first? I couldn’t tell you. Other than the fact that I was waiting on a disability claim, couldn’t work, had no money, and he knew all of that. Yet he still spread rumors to my family, months in advance, just in case i revealed any secrets about the actual hell he was putting me through back then.

And why didn’t I back then? That’s a tale for another time. Just know that that is apparently also a trend for us. Staying silent that is. Until we can’t, until we are about to die or worse.

[theworldbrewery]

ever done a mini-campaign?

When most of us think of a ttrpg campaign, it’s fair to say that long-form campaigns are the prototype. Playing with the same group of players in the same world, following multiple plotlines for a very. long. time. The iconic examples of The Adventure Zone Balance, Critical Role, and Rusty Quill Gaming span out-of-game years in the making. And plenty of folks hold those up as the ideal way to play the game.

Have you ever considered...not doing that?

A short-form ttrpg game might be for you and your friends if your schedules are tight; playing a one-off, single-session game may work better when you never know when you’ll have the chance to play again. Some ttrpgs are also simply designed for shorter gameplay, with natural breaks built in where you can end a campaign.

But at times, you still want the character arc, the delight of building character relationships, and the sense of growing tension across multiple “episodes.” Or maybe you prefer the D&D or Pathfinder system and don’t want to learn to play games that have shorter timelines built in.

Enter: the mini-campaign. Spanning anywhere from five to twenty sessions, it can last as long as you and your GM want. Examples include Dimension 20′s games, as well as the Exandria Unlimited series by Critical Role.

To run a mini-campaign, all the GM needs is a few simple elements.

A contained setting.

A problem endemic to the setting.

An antagonist involved in making the problem worse or better.

A defined end-point that will occur in the near-ish future.

For the first, just come up with a specific setting as normal, then have a pretext to keep the party from leaving for too long.

A simple setting could be a single town, sizable enough that the PCs don’t know literally everyone, and the pretext could be the PCs lack the resources to pay for travel. Or they have homes and family ties in town that they don’t want to leave behind.

More complicated settings could be a snowy mountain range where the PCs are stranded after a zeppelin crash, a tropical island resort where they are on vacation, or a polar research station. The world is truly your oyster here, and the more wildly specific your setting, the more wild the storyline can become.

For the second element, a problem endemic to the setting simply means that this place has a problem that is unique in some way. If I leave the tropical resort, the problem likely will not follow me. For example, the tropical island could have issues with their power grid that lead to frequent blackouts, ruining countless vacations. It’s important to understand that the problem doesn’t have to be this major, systemic issue like speciesism or climate change.

The third element, an antagonist involved somehow, means that either the antagonist wants to deliberately make the problem worse for their own gain, or who thinks they’re solving the problem but it has extremely bad consequences in another way.

In a polar research station setting where the problem is that they’ve lost contact with the outside world, one researcher might be trying to kill their coworkers, having accidentally made contact with a chthonic being from the Fantasy Arctic. The researcher thinks they’re saving the world by preventing the group from drilling any deeper and freeing the being--but it’s only chthonic madness encouraging the violence. In reality, the survivors are the world’s best chance at keeping the entity from rising.

In our tropical resort setting, perhaps a scheming tourist is trying to take advantage of the outages to revenge himself upon his annoying in-laws, frame the PCs for the murders, and sue the resort for emotional damages.

The fourth element makes this into a mini-campaign. The story has a win condition and a lose condition, and the campaign ends with one of those two options. In the tropical resort, catching the murderous tourist and clearing the PCs’ names is the end of the story--or failing to do so, and being arrested or murdered themselves. In the polar research station, either the PCs stop the rise of a chthonic entity or they don’t. Win and Lose.

Essentially, the whole campaign has a ticking clock attached to it. Waiting too long to act means the bomb goes off. Failing means the bomb goes off. And you can’t drag the story out for too long, because one way or another, that bomb has to be dealt with.

Final Notes:

A mini-campaign is best run at lower levels--anywhere from 3rd to 9th, in my opinion. Any higher and the PCs have too much power. Any lower and they’re functional disasters. I encourage a loose level-up structure based on milestone leveling rather than XP, since mini-campaigns don’t have the structure for several high-XP boss battles.

You can add additional plot threads and antagonists as much as you like, but keep in mind they will make your campaign longer accordingly.

Let the campaign be silly, or break out of the usual genre of swords-and-sorcery. Having a secondary genre, like a murder mystery or cosmic horror, can really make a mini-campaign stand out to your players.

You must run a session zero. This is nonnegotiable. The reason? You will need to establish the relationships between PCs before starting, or they will spend too long in the “getting to know you” phase. It’s also just more fun for your players to have established grudges, inside jokes, and so on. Additionally, since you will not be running a sandbox campaign here, you will need to be sure your PCs are buying in to the setting’s premise.

What I mean by that is, if the party is at a tropical resort, they most likely are there because they like tropical vacations (or got dragged along by someone who does). A PC who isn’t built for a world where they take tropical vacations, or who has no vested interest in enjoying their vacation, is unlikely to care about someone else ruining their vacation. Some things need to be established pre-game to make sure everyone is on the same page. I recommend you also discuss the genre: if it’s going to be a murder mystery, the players shouldn’t act like it’s a slash-and-burn total war environment, or what’s the entire point? Good players will respect the genre they’re told they’re playing in, and avoid being too genre-savvy or too genre-stupid.

[delightfulcrasher]

A few days ago, i had a dream about escaping lord Dimitrescu and his sons. I remember they were chasing after me, but i don't remember if they actually caught me.

My question is, what would the lord and his sons do, if reader managed to escape.

(This is my first ask ever, so i hope it's not stupid. Love your writing, by the way! I'm glad someone writes for the lord and his sons.)

Escaping the Lord:

Maybe something sudden had happened. Maybe the sons were a little too rough with you. Maybe you didn’t like how claustrophobic the castle made you feel. Maybe the Lord’s overbearing presence was just getting too much. Whatever reason for leaving, you cling to it for dear life as you flee.

Many a time The Lord has told you: compared to everything else out there, this is the safest place for you. But how could you be sure? What did the village really have to offer?

He has lied to you before, and throughout your time being in this castle, you never felt like he was truly honest with you. Everything seemed too convenient. As if you only saw what he wanted you to see. Displaying the splendours of the castle but being blindfolded to the terror.

Whenever new villagers would come for the feast, you would be locked in your room. If only that would block out the screaming and banging at the door. You had had enough of the sheltering. So you decide to flee.

He blames himself for this. Obviously he has given you too much freedom if you think you can leave. Was he not clear when he said you belonged to him? He tried, he tried his damndest to hammer that point in. The control he held on your schedule was supposed to signify that. It was only when he loosened his grip on your metaphorical collar did you think you had free will.

He has done everything in his power to be hospitable, and make everything to your liking. You wanted to move rooms? Sure, that can be arranged. Are the curtains not to your liking? He’ll order new ones. No one has come close to the lengths he is willing to go through for you, and you throw that back in his face and leave?

The sons do the best they can to catch you before you leave the castle, since they can’t do much when you make it outside. They don’t want to hurt you, but if you keep struggling they will have to result to force. Flies completely coat you, pulling on your skin, getting tangled in your hair, frantic buzzing sounding in your ears mixed with pleas to stay. You almost surrender at the noise alone, until finally you release the latch on the door and cold air comes in like a bull on a rampage.

You hear them scream in pain, but you do not care to look back. They can’t follow you anymore. All you need to do now is run. Run far away from here. Somewhere where this cursed village will never find you again.

There are two ends to this:

The first, and most probable outcome, you were unable to escape. You can only run so far from your demons before they inevitably catch up to you. It’s funny, how you thought you could make it out. Honestly, I could laugh. Ha. Optimism is a virus, love. Don’t get infected.

You will be hunted down by Dimitrescu and taken back to the castle by force kicking and screaming. Reasoning went out the window when you decided to leave. So don’t think you can sweet talk your way out of punishment. You knew the consequences, and yet ignored them so blindly it was as if you wanted this.

Needless to say, when you return to the castle, the little freedom you had will be squeezed down. There will never be a moment where you don’t feel hungry eyes marked into your back, or a shadow lurking around the corner. You are part of this family now, and they’ll make sure you know it.  And if you try to escape for a second time, he would break your legs to ensure you never break his trust again.

The second, by some miracle, you make it out alive. Despite all of the odds being against you, somehow managing to outrun the fiercest of opponents, trudging through the valley of death until finally you make it past the outskirts of the village.

No one in house Dimitrescu is spared from the blame. Belmont, Cassandros, and Daniel blame themselves for being too useless, powerless to stop one mortal from escaping. How many humans have they killed? A hundred? Maybe more? And yet they couldn’t stop one from leaving.

As a Lord it is his duty to stay within the village. He can’t follow you once you have already left. He becomes more irritant and restless, always working, always occupying himself with tasks. Maybe he got so caught up in the delusion of being a normal family he forgot what he really is. A monster. To all that view him and all that know him. No amount of lies or deception can change that.