#Resolute Dragon 2022

[the-nomadicone]

Ex. Resolute Dragon // United States Marine Corps

[taylor-titmouse]

I'm Taylor Titmouse, I write and illustrate queer erotica featuring freaks and monsters. I also draw a lot of porn that I can't post here, so those will be posted as crops with links to my various uncensored locations.

You can find my illustrated novellas and artbooks on Itchio. I've published a Lot of them. If you don't know where to start, I recommend the Dragon Double Feature series or Roger Crenshaw, or Spring with the Unicorns--that one's free!

Some of my latest releases, try The Long Road if you like gender-based worldbuilding!

You can find the most complete collection of my uncensored art on Patreon and Subscribestar (both are equally served.) I post high resolution art regularly, and everything is neatly organized going back to 2022 (that's longer than I've been posting here!) $5 patrons get access to over 180 exclusive illustrations, and can vote in monthly polls from suggestions made by the $10 tier--who can also commission me at any time with a 10% discount!

Just .05% of the exclusives you unlock by subscribing!

You can also follow me on Twitter, Cohost, or Bluesky, where I post my art uncensored. Below the cut is a list of story tags, which will link you to art and posts about those stories, and provides some context to what they're about. Thanks for checking out my work!

TT Art: my art tag TT Talks Drawing: my tag for talking about the art-making process TT Talks Writing: my tag for talking about the writing process TT Testimonials: my tag for asks reviewing how good my books are :^)

Story Tags Barnyard Bound: F/M, human/furry, bondage, breeding kink Brilliant Ryder: M/F, aliens and medical play (The Xenosexuality Conference) Chique: NB/Various, fantasy monsters, elves, nudism, catch/fuck (The Sunken City, The Wild Woods) The Dragon Double Feature: M/F, M/M, M/M/F, dragon/human, oni/human, plus size. Fantasy princess/dragon CNC, Edo era Japan (The Dragon Double Feature, The Dragon Double Feature 2) Eternella 7: M/M/M, Gundam-inspired space opera erotica. (Eternella 7 Parts 1-3) House Gerhardt: F/F/M, vampires, trans women, femdom, male humiliation, 1800s. House of the Risen King: M/F, old god, exhibitionism/nudism, sex cult. (House of the Risen King) Knight of Thorns: M/F, giant faceless knight/petite princess forced marriage Laurestine: Trans unicorns, monsters, bondage/stuck in situations, catch/fuck (Spring with the Unicorns) The Leylic Sea: M/M, historical fantasy, pirates, university wizards (The Captain of the Tybaltine, The Boy from Karkutt) The Long Road: Goblins, bandits, a princess and a knight. Gangbangs, rope bondage, CNC (The Long Road) Lover Rescue: F/F/Genderfluid, magical girls, monsters, plus size, cam girling The Masson Circle: M/M, M/F, 1970s crime romance, multiple ships, femdom, trans male character (The Masson Circle) Max and Mortis: M/F, exhibitionism, naturalism, photography, nudism Monsterfuck Mountain: Fantasy monsters, WIP erotic CYOA (You're A Mage on Monsterfuck Mountain) The Night Guest: M/F, young man/older woman, oni/human (The Night Guest) Objects of Affection: M/F, F/F, robot girls and people being weird about them The Sleeping Garden: M/Agender, alien, science Starbuster: M/M, a WIP novel-length superhero romance Roger Crenshaw: Trans M/M, monsters, occultism, early 1900s (The Vampires of New Haven, The Wolves of the West, The Shadow in the Shelves, The Dogs at Duskfall) Romick: M/F/Various, evil wizard/obedient doll, magical sex, experimentation kink, dungeon bondage (The Tenebrous Tower)

[okanra]

FEW FUN BEHIND-THE-SCENES STUFF I DID FOR “THE UNSPOKEN” WEBCOMIC SERIES (still ongoing, of course)

So I’m migrating some of the (public version of) pre-production stuff I did in 2021-2023 for THE UNSPOKEN webcomic (back when it still had the old name “Trunks and Goten in High School AU”) here, since X/Twitter apparently annihilated the old Moment feature for real. These are mostly research stuff, some warm up doodles and inspiring sountrack playlists I did before a chapter or a story got made. I usually do a lot of research offline before working on any creative project, that’s why sometimes it feels like there’s so many information gets jammed into one chapter: it was mostly to make do for all the time that I didn’t get to, or wouldn’t be able to work on the comics.

Will add in the chapters along side the information paper for clearer understanding ✌️

———————————————

1. The warm-up expression practice sheet (or doodles, in my case) of Son Goten and Trunks in my webcomic series (late 2022 or early 2023):

Since the idea in mind for these two in the webcomic was to be more “mature, human-like” than the original manga version to fit with the narrative I want to tell and aim at the older demographic, practices are needed :p

2. The Martial Arts techniques research information papers - Chapter 2 and 3 aka “The Spar” 1 & “The Spar” 2 (2021-2022):

A. Goten’s techniques:

B. Trunks’s techniques:

This research about martial arts techniques was actually very fun to do due to martial arts and cultural aspects are being two of the things I enjoy the most in life. That’s probably parts of the reasons why I went back to Dragon Ball in 2020: motorbikes, martial arts and mixed races culture.

Back then I did plan on sharing my research to everyone in the form of little fun art lessons, so there were interesting tweets like this or this. Later I decided to share this somewhere else more private (like my Patreon community) since I realized pre-production researches (or something akin to visual developments) are not that well-liked for most online viewers even though it’s a very much needed process in a creative project 🤔

This martial art concept is one of the actual main themes throughout the whole webcomic series, not really the (super duper gay) b-romance relationship between Son Goten and Trunks, yes I’m very sorryyyyyyy I like them too but I like worldbuilding more lmaoooo :p

3. The brief character design sheet and Chinese-influenced culture research information papers - Chapter 4: “The Iron Woman” and Chapter 5: “Her Resolution, His Origin” (mid-2022 until now and will be continued):

A. Character Design brief sheet:

B. Culture research stuff:

The hilarious thing about researching for these chapters are: Back when “The Iron Woman” was being made, the research limited at reading articles and some books about Chinese cultures, and watching documentaries on Youtube. But when “Her Resolution, His Origin” was being made, the research tuned into a real life trip to China, to take real life reference photos and listening to real legends and stories.

This research for “Her Resolution, His Origin” will be posted to Patreon later, of course ✌️

4. The Original Comic introduction and comeback announcements in mid-2022:

I must have eaten some edibles while drawing this because the boys look so good here. Goten looks so good, I even made him the profile picture for my Patreon account lmao.

5. Soundtrack playlists for inspirations (2021 - now): always the cherry on top. I listen to these playlists everytime I work on the series.

A. Duo playlist for chapters featuring both main characters: link

B. Character playlist for chapters focusing on single character, or anything related to that character: link

———————————————

All in all, posts like this are for people who like to see what’s beneath the surface when working on a creative project. I completely guarantee you, what you’ve seen on this blog are just the tips of the ice berg 🤫

Def not a PR, but my Patreon has lots of this lmao. Half joking half serious, there’s even a “non-posted” comic up there too and many other things. I’m just stating facts.

That aside, I’m just really happy to be able to work on this webcomic. THE UNSPOKEN webcomic series has always been a long-term indie project, not a daily content so I hope the readers who like and follow this series would stay tuned for more ✌️

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For easier reading, you can either follow the links that are included above, or just read this Tapas updated version.

[heartmis]

daemon targaryen vs. conflict resolution

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (2022—)

[ashxketchum]

HAPPY NEW YEAR 🐉💙

In 2023 I did not write as much as 2022, mostly because of personal life and mental health. Final posted word count is at 77,807, which is a lot but only half of what I wrote last year.

Now that I look back on last year & 2022 at once, it seems that I was way more motivated to write during events during 2022 but this year work kept me busy and most of my fic ideas for prompts fizzled out due to the events getting over before I could start on them.

I did great in the graphics department though and I am very proud of that! The TyHil tag never feels empty anymore because I sneak in one thing or the other every month as a treat for myself 🥰

I don't know how I will be doing this year person life wise, but I'm very excited for the 25th anniversaries of Beyblade & Digimon, as well as it being the Year of the Dragon! I will take whatever Ash crumbs Pokemon throws towards me too, I need him 🥹

I hope I can mark at least one fic for each otp as complete this year, no other resolutions from me 🫡

[open-hearth-rpg]

Coming Back: Fallen Campaigns & Rebirths

From Age of Ravens

CAN CAMPAIGNS AGE WELL?

This first part of the year sees me coming back to two longer online series I’ve run before. The first is the third and what I plan to be the final arc of our Godbound campaign. This is after a long break, with the second arc happening in mid-2022. At this point they have hit the higher levels there and I want to close out some of those stories. It’s been a great couple dozen sessions and I love these characters, but I want to get that some resolution. 

The other is Fearful Symmetries, a Trail of Cthulhu campaign set in 1930s England, with the characters as magicians fighting a secret war. We finished the first story in March of last year. We took advantage of the real world time gap to give the characters a gap as well. Session one was a “getting the band back together” episode. In it we got to see how each investigator had dealt with the fallout from their arcane showdown. It provided a solid baseline the characters have been able to play off of. 

Last year I also returned to a Hearts of Wulin mystery series with two new cases. We managed to reconnect with the big picture threats and story, even though it’d been over a year since we’d played last. We plan on coming back to that for another mystery later this year. Likewise we’re planning on coming back to our Girl by Moonlight game– three months wasn’t enough so we’re going to add another two months to wrap the story. 

Here’s the thing: I have never, ever been able to do this with a face to face game. Every single hiatus or break for a campaign has resulted in that campaign dying out. And it wasn’t just me, I saw this happen to other GMs in the area. My late friend Barry was notorious for this– starting amazing high concept campaigns with energy, but then “taking a short break” which meant we’d never play again. 

Another one, Rob, had something of the opposite problem. He would run long, multi-year campaigns. Then at some point he would take a break for burnout or to recharge his batteries. Inevitably he never returned to these campaigns, leaving them so close to the finish line the players could see it. He would tease folks with the possibility of going back and finishing their stories, but never would. 

And I’m not innocent of this. But it has been a while since I “paused” a game as a way of ducking out. Now if it isn’t working I say that and call it or tell everyone and then steer into some kind of finale. That, like Barry and Rob above, comes from me as a GM not feeling it. 

MORTAL BELOVED

But then we have those games that I wanted to return to. The ones which never got finished because circumstances worked against them. Or the inertia of things pulled us away. Or the people changed in the intervening period. These I really mourn.

I ran a dynamite short Star Wars series which was intended to be the first movie,in a “new trilogy” (before the new trilogy actually came out). This Episode VII  absolutely clicked and I planned to do Episode VIII after a short break for another game. But by the time it was possible, that gaming group had reorganized. Other GMs’ new games took up the nights and players available. We never went back. 

We had a great Exalted Dragon-Blooded game that we had to hold off from because two of the players went through a divorce. We tried coming back to it, but the one member of the couple who returned clearly wasn’t feeling it. So we ended up dropping it. A similar thing happening with a wuxia game, using Storyteller, I ran with a great trio of players. When one of them unexpectedly decided to stop playing because he and his wife had issues, we had to close that down. Because he never actually told us, we never got to do a finale session. 

And, of course, COVID has killed a couple of my games. We had a long-running Sunday group, going on twenty years, but we ended that. Another campaign had been running for almost four years. I asked about transitioning to online, but one of the players (ironically the one who had kibosh’ed the wuxia game) refused to play online. So we went on hold, but I knew we would never come back. The other two f2f campaigns which we transitioned to online survived. One, 13th Age, eventually shifted back to in-person after a year and a half. The other remains online. 

But online games, somehow, have managed to survive these breaks. We’ve gone back and picked them up without missing a beat. I had a long-running Mutants & Masterminds campaign online where we broke up each arc with a different game. And it worked– each time we came back folks knew the world and were excited to play again, even if it’d been many months. 

BREAKING POINTS

So why?

I have theories. First, having an accessible, shared body of material really helps. Character keepers remain– people don’t can’t file away their characters sheets and lose them. They don’t feel like artifacts of something lost. You can review your own character and remind yourself who everyone else played. Keepers offer a strong, complete snapshot of where the game ended. That’s especially true if someone kept a running log of notes. An NPC tab with pictures goes a long way to reorienting people to the setting and situation.

Second, it is easy. You set a schedule and share links. It’s all there, ready and waiting for you. If someone can’t return you can hide their character in the keeper. Maybe they will come back eventually. It's easy to slot in new players to these kinds of ongoing campaigns. 

Third, you can return exactly to the space you left. You return to an online call– a timeless zone. Things may have changed, but generally you can fall back to a sense of familiarity. That goes a long way to establishing continuity. 

Fourth, it overcomes a certain inertia which applies to all online games. I’m a generally shy person; when I have to go somewhere physically, I don’t dig it. My brain looks for excuses not to go out into public. Online play clears away some of that. 

Fifth, online play– at least in our community— is built on a certain social contract. Players sign up for games– something which asks for a modest commitment to play on their part. That’s combined with a waiting list which means that if folks can’t show up, other people can be slotted in. That combines to create a pressure to actually show up or at least to work to make sure other people have access to those slots. Ironically I think that makes people more likely to show up. The act of just having a system makes it more likely folks will consider their attendance and participation.  

LAST EPISODES

Are there lessons we can take from those for non-online games going on breaks or hiatus? Maybe? I suspect having a shared folder– maybe of scanned documents and materials– would make it easy to come back. Likewise keeping a copy of everyone’s character sheet. NPC image collections can help as well– maybe with Pinterest sub-boards. Starting again online and then moving back to f2f might be a good way to gauge if everyone’s still on board. It might also be good, even if the game was more casual before, to set up a calendar and some kind of sign ups. That helps support and remind community members.

I have a handful of games I really want to go back to. In the past I would have considered those dead and buried, but know I’m not go sure. 

[landgraabbed]

it's been a while since i last shared the game that currently has my attention, and currently that is outward: definitive edition (dev: nine dot studios). this got long, so i'll put it under the cut. the short of it is that i am in love with this game that is catered to freaks like me in every way!

the game was first released in 2019, and the definitive edition including all dlcs came out in 2022, and i'd say this game was on my radar since 2020-2022, but i never really played it until now. i've been enjoying my time with this game, and what a game it is! it makes me feel like most of my favorites do: scrabbling for victories, being forced to get by the skin of my neck, and having to always play past my mistakes. in many ways it reminds me of favorites such as dragon's dogma, morrowind my heavily modded skyrim, and souls games to an extent, but with survival elements added on to it.

to set the stage, this game puts you in the boots of a gender neutral Just A Guy™ who is saddled with debt incurred by their grandmother and is on the verge of losing their lighthouse home. in aurai, actions that damage the community may incur what is called a blood price, meaning a bloodline may have to pay the price of said actions even decades or centuries removed from the action. the first chapter of your adventure sees you attempting to repay a parcel of the blood price on your bloodline by whatever means possible within 5 days, after your hard work was lost in the same shipwreck that nearly took your life. and off you go to do that. you can approach this goal by whatever means you can come up with and you can also fail to do so, and the game will continue. where i am currently, i managed to barely make the deadline and have been exploring the world. there are currently four factions i can approach in order to advance the plot, but i am taking my time to meet all of them before i make a decision. they each are tackling different issues in aurai at the moment, such as the holy mission's quest to fight against the scourge.

the moment to moment gameplay is very engaging to me. it really is a game that anyone who knows me knows that of course it will appeal to me. navigation reminds me of morrowind with npcs giving you directions and a complete lack of quest markers (or even an indication of where you are in the map! you need to orient yourself using landmarks and road signs). combat is brutal and best avoided at most times. you need to manage your inventory and loadout for the climate and your needs, as well as what you expect to encounter in your journeys, where the weight of your inventory is very important. your stats will become burnt (i.e., you will have a temporarily reduced maximum stamina until rest) the more you use them, greatly emphasizing how you're just a rando. there is magic in this world, but you don't start out with mana needed to cast spells and must perform a difficult pilgrimage to the center of the mountain that dominates the landscape of the first area. and even then, you must sacrifice your precious hp and stamina to build a mana pool. the tradeoff: magic has been absolutely fun and op in my experience. the game rewards preparation and knowing when the fuck to leg it most of all. and if you meet your untimely demise, you're not sent to the last checkpoint. instead, the game rolls one of the appropriate defeat scenarios appropriate to your current situation which can be a boon or a curse (and honestly must have been the inspiration to the alternative death system part of this skyrim mod). the game constantly autosaves, so savescumming isn't a possibility. most of all, you wander in a lovely environment to the sound of bangers.

pictures were only edited to add some small grain and are at the native resolution of the steam deck since it's where i've been playing! i do want to look at it on my laptop too. it also features online and splitscreen co-op, but i haven't tried that out. i do hear it's a great way to approach the game. another thing i really enjoyed learning about is the studio's investment in promoting a crunch-free, ethical philosophy to game development, and extending that over their publishing efforts in order to foster the development of more indie niche games developped ethically.

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - The Rankings have CHANGED

Oct 2022 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Only 12% (Fri iQIYI) 11 of 14 - pretty disingenuous of iQIYI to muscle in an ad for its own app and not show it immediately serving ads to the boys. In other news, I still love Peak on screen, the years have not changed my delight in that boy. (I may need to do a Make it Right rewatch.) The question is does Cake feel left behind and jelly as a friend or is he actually in love with Eiw? And if he is, does he realize that about himself? The conflict is so good with this show, so well established, entirely based in characterization, and not an ounce manufactured. I couldn’t be happier it this BL got handed off this this pair, it was made for SantaEarth. I do think, since we got a ton of family life establishment (not to mention Love of Siam reference) that the big separation for these two will be family driven in ep 13. But first we get a whole ep of adorable boyfriends! Yay! 

Big Dragon (Sat Gaga) 3 of 8 - bathroom drama, naturally. This is a true enemies to lovers, these two spy on and bully each other. They even talk about non-consent. It’s the harshest version I’ve seen since China existed the field (aside from the Japanese dark stuff, of course). But also this show is using actual BDSM to drive plot and character (not just touring kink), the stuff Unforgotten Night couldn’t even dream of and Mame has never bothered to research. We got Dom voice, roll play, service submission, orders, humiliation. It all turned out to be a tease but the point was also to show these two have compatible kinks (which means compatible intellectual and physical chemistry, so the narrative arc is going to be around emotional chemistry) and that they both know the scene. Someone behind the camera knows what they’re filming too.The way these two transition between anger, resentment, titillation, and flirting (and the way, with kinksters, this can all be the same thing) is really well done. I guess what I’m saying, ultimately, it that this BL is proving itself to be a lot more sophisticated than I expected. I could not have loved the Domme rep more, quite frankly. I’m excited for next week as Big is playing the faen fatal and I love him. 

The Eclipse (Fri YT) 11 of 12 - A very tense 11 doom ep but also... off. I did see the twist for the teachers but not the students. That’s because the teacher twit was set up but the student betrayer twist was... not. If Thua was so into the truth why never tell it himself? The resolution was abrupt and most of the second half very odd. It made me wonder if this had a really intended to be a 15 episode arc, in which case they compressed the last 5 eps into 2? The pacing felt totally off from all the previous eps and the pool scene felt like reused footage.The rapid fire character and relationship changes and shifts in arcs was rushed and confusing. But the flirting and claiming was cute, I guess. Also horrible suspicion we may get a sad end now? Truth or another round of Bad Buddy suckering?

Ai Long Nhai (Mon iQIYI) 4 of 10 - I don’t know what to say about this show. I’m enjoying it but I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be. (This happens to me a lot with pulps.) 

Ghost Host, Ghost House (Weds YouTube) 3 of 8 - Honestly I speed though all the ghost stuff for the few BL moments. But it’s worth it because Pluem delivers the softest most seductive krap ever and watching them flirt over noodles is an unalloyed pleasure. 

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 2 of 8 - The BL parts are good, and JaFirst excel. But it moves incredibly slowly with way too many establishing shots, just like The Yearbook. If it’s Mean directing again, he’s gotta shake of the New-yoke right quick. 

Hard Love Mission (Sat WeTV) 1-2 of 4 - it’s a short run, so what not? Well because the subs are terrible, everyone looks like they should be in high school, the acting is awful, there’s a dumb feen fattale, the actor/seme seems to have been chosen on the basis of height not talent, and they already leaned in to awkward in a big way. On the bright side the uke is older then the seme and v cute, tropes are dropping thick and fast (there’s only one bed!), and the size difference is vast (if that’s a thing you’re into). All in all, it’s not good but what the hay? 

Work from Heart (Thurs YouTube) 5 of 7 - I like the lead pair better in this show then their last one but its nothing on JeffGame, and the lack of plot is challenging for me. 

Love in the Air (Thurs iQIYI) 9 of 13 - I still mostly think Pai’s a douche, but it’s nice to see him taking care of Sky, especially as Sky clearly needs someone to do it so badly. Still Sky could do better... and Pai still has to. DUMPSTER FIRE TRASH WATCH ALONG HERE.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

My Tooth Your Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga & Viki) 3 of 1 - Honestly it’s such a relief to watch something from Taiwan in amongst all the Thai folderol. I might be liking this that much more because it’s restful by comparison. I could not be happier with the bratty rich kid kissing a waiter to make a point to his parents. I know, consent, but also... great characterization. I fucking love the ultra-grumpy bar manager character. And the dentist with the sad eyes who worries too much. And our poor boy who needs a therapist more than a dentist. They are all so awkward and broken and CUTE. GAH!!! (I’m getting very @heretherebedork​ level emotional about this one.)

Roommates of Poongduck 304 (Korea Thurs Viki) 2 of 8 - Poor JaeYoon, HoJun is so mean to him. The camera work in this drama has much more voyeuristic gaze than most KBL. In other words, the directing of this show makes it feel a bit more genuinely gay than a lot of the other BL that comes from Korea. It is fun to watch these 2 slowly become friends. I wish we had enough time to watch them also slowly fall in love. But since this is KBL, that part will be a rush job.

Kabe Koji (Japan Mon Viki) 3 of 10 - I guess this episode was a little bit better. The show is just so painfully EXTRA. As is often the case with Japanese stuff, I keep feeling like there's bones of great story in this drama. And I get glimpses of it, but then it’s covered again - like tasty steak smothered in Kewpie mayo. Oh, Japan. 

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

War of Y 20 eps - it’s just all too much for me.

My Roommate 32 eps of 2 minutes each + terrible production values? - I’m not bothering.

Fahlanruk (Sun GaGa) 12 eps - I cut my losses at ep 5. Someone can tell me if the 2nd half is worth it, after it finishes, but I’m not gonna bother to watch it every week. I don’t like any of the couples and the fujoshi framing is repulsive under the context of a narrative trying to be this authentically gay. I’ve lost all patience.

Oh My Sunshine Night 20 eps - I’m scared it’s gonna be sad, so I’m waiting for spies to tell me it’s safe, so far reported to be quite the soap opera.

To Sir With Love AKA Khun Chai 28 eps - dito

2 Moons 3 Thai (Mon ??) 10 eps - I searched for it in a lacklustre manner but couldn’t find it legally anywhere convenient. I will watch it if it’s easy to do so. Possibly as a binge. Rumor is it’s quite banal. 

SELF (Thurs ??) - same again without any rumors 

Wish Me Luck (Sat ??) - seems to have be delayed into next year

In Case You Missed It

That’s Work From Heart, The Staircase is back. 

Gossip

I’ll have more for you next week as I process the Nov release announcements. 

UWMA rewatch! The plan was: one UWMA ep a day for the 17 days before Between Us launches on Nov 6. However, I missed the start date (stupid work) so I’ll start tomorrow (Mon 24) and double down on the days when there’s no other BL airing (see calendar below). Wish me luck! 

The UWMA Praise Watch along (opposite of a Trash Watch) will happen here on this blog. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

October 2022 line up is here. 

This week’s best moments?

Ai Long Nhai serving up the Gay Advice Dads! 

That’s Aye for ya, brutally honest. 

I love a bit of self reference. 

I will love her forever. (Big Dragon) Viva la bisexual rep! 

Look could we please get a BL featuring this boy? I love him. 

Gay identity ownership in BL is still so rare, I cheer every time it drops. (My Only 12%) 

Ouch. 

(last week)

Current earworm? N.Flying - The Night (Pairs well with My Only 12%) 

[bentosandbox]

better late than never amirite

i think i haven't posted july (cause I thought global would have released TBC by now...) or october (commission) on here/twitter hopefully i remember to sometime this year

bonus chen edition because well i guess she is my cringefail girlboss blorbo

bonus chenswire edition

bonus bonus extremely boring stuff

films i watched in 2022 (tragedy of macbeth out of picture because it was on the next row)

top 10 (in watched order not a 1-10 ranking)

Marketa Lazarova (1967) Friend was streaming it, liked the script so much I asked my friend for the srt file after Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) Rocks Petite Maman (2021) Personal Attack Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) :) My Life as a Zucchini (2016) Celine Sciamma truly don't miss Saturday Fiction (2019) It's not a 5/5 movie but...the soul... the period noir... Nope (2022) The Spectacle dot jpg Hands Over The City (1963) yes i watched this just before il siracusano Decision To Leave (2022) yuriyaoi straight romance can't elaborate Puss In Boots (2022) i'm so glad i didn't watch this as a kid i would have nightmares, but as an adult i got to see my traumas on the big screen yippee!!!

missed a local screening of My Broken Mariko because it only happened for ONE DAY fucking insane (I recommend reading the original manga it's so good)

Speaking of books hmm

Swordspoint yuriyaoi... Invisible Ink reread. and I think I need to reread again Fire & Blood read it after watching hotd ep 1 pretty good series btw dare i say even ...the best on-screen yaoiyuri of the year... Eagle Shooting/Condor Heroes Book 1 Not bad Water Margin Didn't I write a angry rant on this. rite of passage i guess...... How to Keep House While Drowning its funny because i WILL do chores......still good though What My Bones Know - insane how trauma can be so isolating yet universal lol A Wizard of Earthsea if only i read this instead of harry potter back then lmao wow

you can now basically psychoanalyse my issues from the last three books I think

Uhhhhhhh what else am I missing - oh yeah I did 3 gamejams this year (Art/Design and a liiiiiitle bit of trying to do the UI in Unity myself instead of giving the pngs to my friends)

my abysmal steam stats told me i only played 5 games this year so I need to get back my gamer license, backlog is like 75% VNs though what's up with that (there's only 4 games but. well)

had a really long blogpost (basically a 'look at all the things you did this year you didnt waste it' thing thus the above lists) but i think i'll just keep it to my notion notes lest this post becomes a traumadumping ground ecks dee tl;dr failed a Very Important (to me) Thing early 2022 that kind of shattered any crumb of self-esteem i had and made me question everything i did onwards (especially in regards to doujin stuff) and then basically physical health issues affecting mental health and vice versa which is fun but fuck it we ball.....(try)

don't really have any solid 'resolutions' (that i would remember to do) other than to 'live' more than just 'survive' as edgy as that sounds 🥴oh wait oc zine yea yea and go into illustration full time h-haha........... should really get around to making a patreon/fanbox but i really hate the idea of paywalling

also signed up for a AK doujin event in Nagoya in March so I now have a very heavy motivation to finish the second half of my LGD doujin and hopefully I get to table at AX too dot dot dot

[the-nomadicone]

Ex. Resolute Dragon // United States Marine Corps

[thestarlightforge]

Fiona’s Art Journal:

Table of Contents

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my blog!

As outlined here, my New Year’s Resolution for 2024 was to do something for my art every day. Whether writing, drawing, watching/studying, exploring or reading—I’d do something to sharpen my artistic focus daily.

As the year has gone by, I’ve documented some of the process on Tumblr. The tag “#Fiona’s Art Journal” has both reflections and artistic works, and “#Poetry” has an index of poems. This post is an index, and I’ll update it with hyperlinks to journals, art posts, and other favs.

NB: Aside from theatre and art posts, much of this blog is fandom posting about whatever (usually queer) media has most recently captured my interest. You can track various Strange New Worlds, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Supergirl and House of the Dragon rotations (to name a few), along with other shows/movies on my list. I will probably spend the rest of 2024 crying about Agatha All Along (as WandaVision is an all-time favorite media & I’ve waited 2 years, since the night before I graduated undergrad, for Jac Schaeffer to fix this mess). I appreciate your understanding during this time, lol.

Journals — 2024

PETITION and Info to shut down the Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine and protect the people and lands of the Navajo Nation, Havasupai, Hopi, and Ute Mountain Ute — 8/28/24

DC Metro Accessibility Petition

“Squishy But Firm: Sexcapades of a Crip Girl” at the Kennedy Center Local Theatre Festival 🏳️‍🌈♿️🏳️‍⚧️ — 8/24/24

2024 🏳️‍🌈 Media Retrospective ❤️ — 9/20/24

National Be Nice To Bugs Day! We love a native species! 🥰 — 7/14/24

Setting Intentions: “Through the Sunken Lands” — 1/31/24

Introduction — 12/31/23

Go Listen to Sandra Yellowhorse — 11/20/22

AO3 Entries

A Rhaenicent & Rhaesaria entry written shortly after HOTD 2x07

An early chapter of my ongoing Snowbaird fic with @imjustmarcy

Artistic Works — 2024

“Clerics Have Necromancy” — 8/28/24

“Winter Blooms” — 8/18/24

“For Gus and Claudia” — 6/22/24

“QUEERING NEVERLAND IS LIVE—MY PAPER MADE THE COVER!” — 6/6/24

“Gentle Animals” Short Story — 5/1/24

“From Your Internet Big Brother” Essay — 4/8/24

Isolation/Recovery Discussion — 4/4/24

“Playing Fetch” Short Story — 3/31/24

“Building Momentum” Prose Poetry — 3/24/24

“Following the River” Short Story — 3/22/24

“Is There A World” Poem — 3/15/24

“A Practical Career” Short Story — 3/10/24

“The arospecs are onto something” Prose Poetry — 3/9/24

“Through the Sunken Lands” Pins Setup Addition — 3/9/24

“I wrote you a play” Prose Poetry — 3/9/24

On the Models of Disability Discussion — 3/5/24

“Threads” Prose Poetry — 3/3/24

“Interdependence is a love poem” Prose Poetry — 2/24/24

“A Shift” Short Story — 2/20/24

“To Falling in Love” Prose Poetry — 2/6/24

“Push-up Contest” Short Story — 2/6/24

“Autistic Katniss saves the world” THG Meta/Discussion — 2/2/24

“Purpose” Essay — 2/1/24

“Oracle Forever” Short Story — 1/29/24

“Stardust” Poem — 1/23/24

“Point of View” Short Story — 1/21/24

Patriarchy Hurts Everyone Discussion (edit: erroneously flagged/removed by Tumblr staff, appeal not allowed) — 1/21/24

“A Winter Morning” Short Story — 1/16/24

“Ymir with the Freckles” Short Story — 1/11/24

On Propaganda & the Cancellation of Queer Media (OFMD) Discussion — 1/10/24

“Glimmer” Short Story — 1/5/24

“What the Antihero, Your Villain, Has Left” Essay — 12/31/23

Some Favorite Art, Analyses/Metas & Journals (2023 + Previous)

“Lost Girl” at the National Theatre in Higher Ed Conference Journal — Aug. 6, 2023

First Day of “Through the Sunken Lands” at the Kennedy Center Journal — Dec. 11, 2023

Intimacy Choreography in “Hacks” Analysis — Jul. 15, 2023

“Swallowtail” Poem — Sept. 18, 2023

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear” TBOSAS Meta — Nov. 19, 2023

“Wake Up” Gay Poem — Aug. 23, 2023

“Myths” Poem— Nov. 12, 2023

“Thanks, Tennessee” Gay Poem — Nov. 23, 2022

On Strength: Katniss and Lucy Gray TBOSAS Meta/Journal — Dec. 10, 2023

“Trust is more important even than love” TBOSAS Meta — Nov. 24, 2023

“The Valley Song” THG Meta — Nov. 18, 2023

Their first meeting in Twelve TBOSAS Meta — Dec. 24, 2023

Hurt/Comfort Thoughts TBOSAS Meta/Journal — Dec. 17, 2023

Do Better with Queer Rep — Aug. 19, 2023

“Ellee” Short Story — Aug. 15, 2023

I crack myself up

“Oh, ableism. Great. THAT’S not gonna go over well with the woke mob.” — Aug. 19, 2024

rhaenicent nation how we feelin 😌 — July 21, 2024

it gets better, apparently :)) — July 2-, 2024

representation matters (GoT/HotD) — July 21, 2024

rhaenyra my love, never ever change 😂 — July 21, 2024

SO MADGE X KATNISS LOL — June 9, 2024

Writing while queer — Jan. 2, 2024

Snowbaird “Aca-scuse me?” — Nov. 20, 2023

It’s almost like Suzanne meant to do that — Nov. 7, 2023

Not Coryo being more normal than Gale or Peeta — Dec. 13, 2023

Peeta “my beautiful princess with a disorder” 😆 — Dec. 7, 2023

SnowJanusBaird ≠ Everlark/Everthorne, lmao — Dec. 31, 2023

ValCarol giggles — Nov. 11, 2023

[fostersffff]

Interview by Soichiro Morita in Weekly Toyo Keizai magazine, Translated by @SupaChronicles (link to Twitter thread) (transposed below, minus the first chunk which is talking about how financially successful Dragon Ball is as a franchise)

In March, the original author Akira Toriyama passed away, much to the regret of many. However, the momentum of Dragon Ball shows no signs of slowing down and continues to accelerate worldwide. Regarding its appeal, those involved unanimously agree: "It's the simplicity. When we analyzed why the games became hits in North America, it seemed that the straightforwardness of 'Let's fight to see who is the strongest,' which can be enjoyed without much thought, resonated with people," said an insider from Bandai Namco Group. Major Uproar Due to "Person-in-Charge Going Independent" Last year, there was an incident that caused an uproar in the business over this work [Dragon Ball]. In May 2023, Akio Iyoku, former head of Shueisha's Dragon Ball Room*, went independent with several subordinates and established a new company, Capsule Corporation Tokyo, named after a fictional company that appears in the series, with the aim of managing creative activities and handling intellectual property rights. Mr. Iyoku became the head of the Dragon Ball Room in 2016 after serving as Editor-in-Chief of V Jump. A Shueisha insider recalls, "Without consulting his superiors, Mr. Iyoku unilaterally decided to make a film adaptation of Toriyama-sensei's 'SAND LAND'. He always focused on serving the author, for better or worse. At the same time, there was criticism from anime production companies and TV networks that he had a condescending attitude." In addition to these evaluations, progress was lacking in collaborations with the metaverse and AI that higher-ups were anticipating. As a result, in 2022, he was reassigned to a new business department. This unwelcome transfer became the trigger and within a year, Iyoku went independent. Taking over the role of Toriyama's spokesperson on behalf of Shueisha, Iyoku's actions raised the risk of Shueisha losing its 'Dragon Ball' rights. "Toriyama-sensei was also dissatisfied with Iyoku being removed, as he trusted him the most. Chairman Marue Horiuchi of Shueisha even went directly to Toriyama's residence in Aichi Prefecture, but he couldn't persuade him to stay," said the aforementioned Shueisha insider. This put Bandai Namco, which had been making a fortune with games with 'Dokkan Battle', in a difficult position. "Iyoku, who was Toriyama-sensei's spokesperson, became independent, but the rights to the manga were managed by Shueisha. It was unclear who to consult regarding matters related to the original work." "Meetings about Dragon Ball were organized very vaguely, with 'all relevant parties' being invited, which subtly included both Iyoku and Shueisha representatives, making the coordination extremely stressful," said the aforementioned Bandai Namco insider. Toriyama's passing occurred amidst this battle over rights. The discussions continued without the original author, and "the disputes have been ongoing and still remain unresolved," noted a Shueisha employee. Some industry executives are looking towards a resolution that involves the family, saying, "It depends on how the family feels about it." The question remains who will ultimate take the lead in managing this massive IP. The future of the bogged-down battle, which is not befitting a shonen manga, remains unclear.

*The Dragon Ball Room was/is a division within Shueisha (publisher of Shonen Jump) that was dedicated exclusively to Dragon Ball, founded in 2016, basically after Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F' reminded everyone Dragon Ball was still unbelievably massively popular.

tl;dr: In 2023, the guy responsible for managing the Dragon Ball IP- Akio Iyoku- decided to break away from Shueisha and form a new company intended to manage the Dragon Ball IP, with Toriyama's encouragement. This was after Iyoku got demoted internally for being more loyal to Akira Toriyama than to Shueisha with some business decisions that are, in my opinion, Very Good and signal him as being an True-Blue Akira Toriyama Guy. Unfortunately, Toriyama's passing occurred while this was all going on, so the situation is really rough, especially for licensors like Bandai Namco (and presumably Toei) who aren't really sure who to consult for forthcoming projects.

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: April 2023

The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling | ContraPointsOkay big movie month! And excited to keep going in May. Are movies back? Did they ever leave? Here’s all the stuff I watched, read, heard, and played this month!

……….FILM……….

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) Yes my brain lit up every time I recognized something. I can’t come into this without bias but maybe that’s okay. As a fan of D&D, this worked! Does it work if you’re not a fan? I have no idea. But the story was compelling with some clever callbacks and something I always appreciate: a platonic friendship between a man and a woman! Love to see it. My only hope is that the inevitable sequel has the same actors playing different characters in a different setting. Strahd spooky vampire movie COME ON IT'S RIGHT THERE.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Incredibly beautiful both in fight choreography and cinematography. I really want more movies to be...heightened again, you know? I’d need to go back and watch the previous ones but this was the first time I felt like the fights (and nearly every one) went on for like...30 seconds too long. With that said I really can’t complain about a good movie having too much in it.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) It looked great and moved along at a good clip. I was really stoked by the “commercial” at the beginning and thought “oh wow they sound great!” and then that turned out to be a misdirect. What else could this movie have been?

Renfield (2023) Everything I loved about this and everything I didn’t love can boil down to this: the movie felt like a student film with a bigger budget. It was fun and seemed to really enjoy the stunts and gore, but ho boy was the plot and script secondary to all of that. Really enjoyed it.

The Last Waltz (1978) Knowing very little about the Band going into this, they seemed like cool cats. Joni Mitchell really stood out as a bright, weird light and you can really feel Robbie Robertson’s sadness/melancholy in the interviews. 

Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis (2020) and Taylor Tomlinson: Look At You (2022) Hey both very good. Watching these specials after knowing my parents had already seen (and enjoyed) them gave me a new perspective. Did I laugh? Sure. Did I think “Oh I’m glad she’s talking about this and I hope my parents took note”? Absolutely. She has a bit where she talks about how she does well with moms so why not use that skill to talk about mental health, therapy, and why “sex worker” is the preferred term? 

……….TELEVISION……….

Ted Lasso (Episode 3.04 to 3.07) These last few episodes have really given me comedic whiplash. The bike-training stuff was great, but then the next episode the team has their junk tied together? What is happening? The saving grace, for me, is the consistent character growth that the show pushes. Really great actors in really great roles that rise above some questionable premises.

BEEF (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) Stressful to watch but after the first couple of episodes, I found the stress was overshadowed by the joy of watching these complex characters further tighten their tangle of knots. Incredible writing and acting and it all really left a lasting impression. 

Severance (Episode 1.01 to 1.09) Started strong, had a brief dip in pacing, and then really ended strong. Though I won’t go into details, I found the nature of the finale to be deeply unsatisfying. Too much cliffhanger not enough resolution. Sure the series builds great tension and I loved the stress throughout, but you gotta give us something at the end, you know? Some sort of reward for making it through. Still highly recommend.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Music Supervision by Karsten Runquist A light introduction into why some licensed music just doesn’t click in movies. VIDEO

How This Woman Creates God of War’s Sound Effects | Obsessed | WIRED by WIRED I love foley and seeing it all come together at the end of the video was very satisfying. VIDEO

The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling | ContraPoints by ContraPoints I understand not everyone is online, but it seems like even the most luddite of millennials can’t ignore Rowling’s politics. Great framing and full of undeniable evidence that confirms just how much harm the author is actively doing. Hey I loved the books as a kid but when supporting something is directly benefiting a bigot, you gotta let thing go. Go pick up a Discworld novel.  VIDEO

……….READING……….

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (Page 366 of 445) Pratchett’s writing is so good that reading a “Christmas” story in April doesn’t feel out of place at all. There’s a genuinely terrifying assassin named Teatime that gives me real chaotic and evil vibes and I always enjoy reading Death-related stories. Such a fantastic world.

Ultimate Spider-Man - Volume 7 Hardcover by Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley (Complete) You know I never liked the designs for the Ultimate version of Green Goblin and Hobgoblin. I’m fine with bulky but I like the pointed hats. Into The Spider-Verse really nailed the balance of the two. Anyway the two collected stories in Volume 7 never really worked for me but that’s the beauty of ongoing serieses...something good might just be around the corner!

Cosmic Ghost Rider: Baby Thanos Must Die by Donny Cates, Dylan Burnett, & Antonio Fabela (Complete) Another reread and I really love how much this just goes for it. I didn’t realize there was more story before and after this so I think I’m going to pick up the omnibus! I don’t assume it’ll maintain this level of momentum but if it hits the same highs at least once more during the run, it’ll be worth it.

Doctor Strange: The Oath by Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin (Complete) I remember not loving this the first time I read it and I have no idea why. It’s tightly-paced and does something I rarely see Doctor Strange comics do: lean into his life as a surgeon. Really great story and just enough mystical stuff to satisfy. Really glad I reread it.

……….AUDIO……….

10,000 Gecs by 100 Gecs (2023) This feels like music I’m not supposed to be listening to but I sure do love it. I liked maybe...half the songs on my first listen but each one is growing on me to the point where I think Billy Knows Jamie is the only track I don’t mind skipping.

60 Songs that Explain the 90s (Podcast) I’ve only listened to a handful of episodes but they’ve all been great! The beginning always feels a little padded and I prefer the episodes with interviews, but I recommend just finding eps about songs you like and going from there. 

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) Both of my groups are back in Oz! My Tuesday group is busy exploring tunnels and fighting rock creatures to save a castle (campaign diary is here), and the Mof1 crew is actively escaping the crew that was about to bury them alive. We have fun.

Anyway that’s it. See you in May!

[sweetingseva]

What do you think the tree on the cover of acftl is/it’s purpose?

Stephanie dropped the tree clue so ominously, that if she said any more that we would get it instantly!

The tree being a big deal makes me believe that the tree will be mentioned as a minor detail in ACFTL then brought back as the great resolution in the end.

I saw that this tree could be the Phoenix tree found in the first book or the treehouse in the Hollow in the second book. However, something keeps telling me that this tree is a new one!

I want to believe that the tree would have the power to...

A. Bring Evangeline's memories back (It sort of reminds me of Disenchanted (2022) with the memory tree! 😉)

B. To bring someone back to life.

C. Give someone a taste of love, therefore reveal who that true love is! Almost like Jacks's apples or the dragon-roasted ones! 🍎

I also brought up here that perhaps it's the tree that would liberate Jacks from his existence as a Fate.

But it'd be so cool if this tree tied back to The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox! What if this is the same tree where the Archer and the Fox girl met? Maybe Jacks would bring her here, to remind her of the moment they initially fell in love with each other!

For that to happen, Jacks has to remember who that first Fox girl was.

Or the tree could be a way to time travel? 👀

Once ACFTL comes out, I'll be trying to figure out the clues before I reach the end 😅🌳❤

[murfeelee]

My New Years Resolutions - Simming in 2023

Welp, my 2022 Resolutions were a total bust. 🤦 I figured they would be though; this new grad school program I’m in is RUTHLESS--they don’t believe in sleep! I passed all my classes though, thank heaven--I was SO nervous to see my grades this morning. 😅🎉 And I managed to make a tiny dent in my research over winter break! Huzzah! 

So, as for 2023, I’m just gonna keep tryna do as much as I feasibly can.

OLD stuff I REALLY need to get to work on include:

Uploading some Dragon Age CC. Y’all. Y’all don’t even know how long I’ve been sitting on a effton of conversions I haven’t even had time to test in-game yet. 😩 I haven’t touched my DAI gameplay in AGES, and I miss it.

Uploading some Bleach CC. There are a LOT of imperfections, which is why I haven’t given y’all anything yet, cuz CAS CC drives me effing crazy. But there’s at least some stuff I think I can get away with sharing. I’d also LOVE to finish my Substitute Shinigami Arc gameplay, and hopefully start the Soul Society Arc sometime this year.

Uploading some The Untamed CC. Jfc I’m not making any progress with my big projects--I just keep bouncing from one thing to the next. But I actually think I can start giving y’all stuff I’ve been working on--again, none of it’s perfect, cuz I suck.

Uploading some CDPR CC. I’ve been meaning to keep working on a bit more Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 CC, but other stuff keeps getting bumped up my list! CDPR’s stuff is so effing high poly though, which makes me hate even touching those games; it’s always a massive headache dealing with AAA game assets. 

The only NEW stuff currently consuming my every waking moment of course includes:

Giving y’all more scrumptious Interview with the Vampire goodness. There’s a ton of gameplay left that I couldn’t finish over Winter Break that I still wanna do, and I have CC that I want to share very soon. (^_^)

Doing Hell’s Bells, Campaign 3 of Critical Role. I was working on it right before Simblreen caught up with me and I had to drop it; so I want to hurry up and get back to that, since I managed to make some pretty cool CC for that gameplay.

Yeah, other than all that, there’s always my usual holiday uploads for Lunar New Year, Black History Month, my birthday (yes, it’s a holy day for me, shaddup), Pride Month, and Halloween.

I have a lot planned, so hopefully that’ll all keep me in a good mood while I struggle with everything else on my plate IRL. 🙄

________________________________________________

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned, and Happy New Year!

[forgotten-realms-atlas]

Introduction to the Forgotten Realms Atlas

Greetings!

Around the beginning of March, 2022, I was picking my way through the files of the Trove when I stumbled across a treasure most impressive. Buried amidst an archive of Dragon magazines and a program to teach you the rules of AD&D 2e, was this:

So, like any self-respecting adventurer who had just come across a treasure chest, I did not check for mimics, and immediately opened it up (after speaking with a few of the Installation Wizards).

Behold, what I found inside that chest!

Now, I want to preface my findings with a few important details about myself. For years now, I have had a special fascination with the Forgotten Realms, call it inexplicable, call it what you will, but something has endlessly pulled me into this world. First, my interests were focused primarily on Drow: their culture, society, and lore. But soon, my exploration through the pages of the Forgotten Realms Wiki (for purposes personal and game related) broadened my horizons, you could say.

And curiosity begets curiosity begets a lust for knowledge.

As it turns out, the planet that the well-known Faerûn is situated on, Toril, has remarkably few canon maps that show it in full, at least not easily accessible from a cursory image search.  There are a number of maps of more well-known areas, primarily within Faerûn, as it is the most well-established continent in the canon. Some are beautifully rendered in high resolution, such as the 5th edition map of the Sword Coast, released in 2015 by Wizards of the Coast (art by the WotC Extra Life Team, for download here)

This map is beautiful. I have a 54x36″ print of it hanging on the wall of my room. The detail is stunning, even if nearly half of it is covered in water. The issue is, this map only includes a fraction of Faerûn, and nothing of other continents of this world. This is the best map that 5e offers players in the Forgotten Realms in terms of sheer magnitude of places to be explored. But here we are, seven years out from it’s creation and release, without a world map.

So, I went to other editions, because the plethora of lore that is held in those books is astounding, and makes me wish that I had entered into this field of study far earlier in my life, or perhaps, that I was born just a little earlier, so I could have appreciated them at the time they were released.

The 4th edition map of Faerûn has a few key things that need to be noted before you look at it too deeply. As many know, 4e was the edition that introduced the Spellplague to the Forgotten Realms setting. I will make no moral judgements of this event in this entry, but I will point out the things that it changed in the world, the majority of which were undone by the Second Sundering and the ushering in of 5e.

This map, as you can see, features a much larger area, including just about all the land that makes up the continent of Faerûn. However, I must point out what many scholars of the realms already know.

1) The art on this map is... well it’s poopy. I don’t want to be rude, but the dreary color palette does it no service, and the Underchasm is a large brown stain that draws your eyes to it. I’ll let you do with that what you will.

2)The problem with Chult.

Since I am traveling backwards in time to reach my destination, I feel here is where I must skip around a wee bit. You see, Chult is a location that has been featured through numerous iterations of the Forgotten Realms, appearing in books as far back as the very first Forgotten Realms Campaign setting (1987). It has jungles and dinosaurs, and its own set of critiques and criticisms that I will surely dive into another time. 

The short of it is, Chult was originally a peninsula, meaning that it was a land mass that went out to sea, but was still attached via land to the mainland of the continent. With the events of the Spellplague, it was made into an island, and then returned to being a peninsula. For reference, we can use the next map on our journey, the 3rd edition map of Faerûn.

It may not have the details and aesthetic of the 5e map, but thankfully, it also does not have the unpleasant skid mark of the Underchasm that the 4e map so graciously provides us.

And, most importantly, it shows us how Chult was, and how it presumably returns to post-Second Sundering.

I’ll go into detail regarding this another day, but needless to say, the 4e map is... sub-par for our purposes.

And so, in our time machine, we make it to the year 1999, when the Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas comes to Forgotten Realms Enthusiasts about to brave the new millennium.

A thrilling piece of software, this. After three major updates, it came to contain over 800 maps of the Forgotten Realms, including cities, streets, and even building interiors. All of them accessible in such a way that they could be exported and printed to be used at the table. But, the most impressive part by far, was the globe.

I dare not post a gif of it in motion as it sometimes even gives me a headache, but rendered in stunning 2D, was a globe that you could click and drag to move. But it was more than  that! By using the zoom tool, clicking an area would bring you to a “child” map of the area you wished to see in detail. On more fleshed-out areas of Toril, this means you can go as far as to a single city street in Waterdeep, following the chain of parent-child maps.

Google Earth’s initial release was not until July of 2001, nearly two years later. This must have been a massive undertaking for the artists and programmers involved, and it fills me with joy.

But there’s more?!

There are 28 different options that can be toggled for you to view, from contours to waterways, political boarders to structures to vegetation.

And, the glory of it all, I find a canon map of Toril.

I am jumping around once more, but technically, we were given a map of Toril in 3rd edition. However, it looked like this:

Meanwhile, the Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas provides us with this:

(Pardon the quality, I screenshot-ed the original program from 1999, and it’s chunky at best)

But the art and resolution aside, this is stunning! This is everything at a scale and level of detail that tells us much more than the 3e outlines ever could. AND you can choose areas to zoom in on.

The only downside is, we do not see the same level of detail on many of the continents that we do for Faerûn. This is supposed to represent how, in Faerûn, they actually do not know much about these places, and have not mapped them out yet. Also, I am sure that not including those details made this project feasible in the first place, and I respect that. It was 1999, computers could not handle the things they do now, and certainly not at a price that an amateur hobbyist could purchase and use, considering the audience was mostly school-aged kids and teens to my understanding.

So, you might be asking, what does this all mean?

Well, not long after this discovery, I came across a book in a game store, carefully wrapped in plastic to preserve it.

Published in 1990.

As of writing, I have yet to unpack the contents of this atlas, but I want to do it in a way that is meaningful, and can also provide a reference to others. This blog will be dedicated to my research and ramblings on everything that I find.

So, welcome adventurers! It’s time we set off on our journey!