#do y'all know how much backlog i have

[oldestenemy]

A Shadow comes to tear Land and Sky asunder.

The wizard does not like prophecy.

They have not liked it from the start, but being involved with more and more of them, even on the sidelines, has just deepened the distaste.

The Auroracle’s words continue to rattle around their skull as Polaris unfolds around them. Corruption and imprisonment running deeper than just Walruskburg. Through mines and camps and into the very depths of the world. Every time returning back to the witch’s house.

“You will accompany me to the Arcanum, wizard.”

The wizard is a little apprehensive of this, though Baba Yaga is—hypothetically—on their side, they get the feeling she isn’t telling them something. There’s something missing from her story. But then, considering Cyrus had been the one to direct them to her, of course she had her own secrets.

“I’ll be back soon,” They tell Mellori in the hopes that it will stay some of her frustration at being left behind. They don’t actually know if they’ll be back soon, but they will be back, they aren’t done here. “once we’re done here maybe I can show you the academy I was telling you about—”

“—wizard!” They give Mellori a last little smile, and then hurry to where Baba Yaga is waiting on them to return to Walrusk—New Penguinonia.

The Arcanum opens up around them as they step through the door—and they are struck by the realization that it is not a world as they had first assumed. It’s… some kind of—are they in the void between? Or just in the sky?

Their thoughts stutter to a halt when they turn back towards Baba Yaga and catch sight of an Aztecasaur standing by one of the many doors.

“That’s Komeka Roundhorns—they’re our potioneer—for goodness sake why do you look so distressed, we are in a hurry—”

The wizard swallows hard as Baba Yaga’s voice tunes in and out of their ears.

“Peace you old hag,” Komeka says with a slight smile, “I know of this one.”

That makes them feel even worse.

“I—”

“You don’t need to speak,” Komeka assures them, “there is no time at present—but come back to me another time, perhaps we can talk then.”

They want to speak.

They want to respond.

Want to scream.

But they are herded along deeper into what they are just landing on calling a ship by Baba Yaga. Past a librarian and straight towards an office decorated in Storm iconography. It seems the whole way through as though their travelling companion has been avoiding coming back here. Everyone is somewhat angry or bare minimum frustrated by the fact that she is only appearing now.

They tune in and out of the conversation until Ione Virga’s focus is solely on them.

Initiate.

Another title.

Another responsibility.

Another declaration of loyalty.

So here they are again.

Surrounded by people who think they are dangerous because of something they had no choice in.

And now they are wasting time even further.

Proving themself to people who will not listen to words.

But there is never any time for convincing. Push on.

Avalon is as bright and lively as ever, and it isn’t hard to spot the odd one out. Velma Von Venkman is draped in clothing the wizard would find more fitting in Marleybone’s moonlit streets than in the sunshine of Caliburn.

Still, she is less apprehensive than Ione, and that is welcome.

At least at the start.

“Have you ever heard of a sorceress named Morganthe?”

The wizard just stares at Venkman, as though she is joking. There is no trace of humor in the words or her expression. It’s an honest question, but not one they can even begin to fathom being asked. Heard of. Heard of?

But then, there is something…nice. They suppose.

About not being known.

So they do not answer.

They follow her through to the hideout in Caer Lyon. Cut their way through the runoffs from Khrysalis—who do recognize them—they are familiar with the spark of instinctual fear they can see in Ofiera’s eyes. Their appearance and spellwork traveled quickly among the ranks of the Umbra Legion towards the end. It’s not a surprise.

“Why ask us when the one who released Grandfather Spider from his prison stands at your side?”

Wayward Spider and his kin.

Child marked by the Raven and the Spider.

When Venkman drags them outside they know there is no avoiding it.

“You are the wizard who defeated the Shadow Queen?!”

They wince, “Killed,” they correct “yes, I killed Morganthe, I led the war on Khrysalis, I—”

“—Color me impressed,” Velma says, planting a hand on her hip “and here I thought I would be the dark and mysterious one coming from Darkmoor.”

What?

Who are these people?

“You’re from Darkmoor?”

“Mmm, yes and we had some terrifying bedtime stories about Grandfather Spider. I used to think all the stories about him and Raven were myths—but well, you’d know all about Myth being more real than anyone ever assumes wouldn’t you.”

That, out of everything, they can agree with.

~*~

If it’s true you defeated Morganthe.

If it’s true.

They are doing their best not to let the words of the Storm Scholar—and in fact everyone they have met here—turn them into a mess. But it is slowing them down if nothing else. They are fighting not to shake as they return to Baba Yaga.

But when she offers the same surprise as everyone else, it finally breaks.

“What am I supposed to say!” They demand, almost immediately cut over.

“Don’t bother answering—”

“—No, no, I am the one doing all of the heavy lifting here, I’m done until you let me speak.” The wizard says, “Am I supposed to walk around announcing every second that I ended the war on Khrysalis? That I let out Old Cob? That I’m part of the Council of Light?” They resist the urge to roll their eyes, “What good would it do anyone? I’m here. I’m helping. Just let me.”

It’s a relief to let some of it out. The pressure always building in their chest seems to ebb a little. They feel it as some warmth comes back to their fingers and are reminded that—especially around these people—they will need to keep a better handle on their emotions. No need to concern them with Shadow leaping out.

Baba Yaga huffs, staring down at them with a look that might be irritation but might—if they squint—also be pride? “You really are one of Cyrus’s students aren’t you, he always did end up with the most troublesome and stubborn of any bunch.”

Yes they are.

Stubborn and always ten steps away from trouble.

“There’s no time for all of this—we need to find out which one of Spider’s children is interfering in Polaris. And I’m stuck here now that everyone knows I’m back, so the footwork will have to be left to you—if you’re up to the task.”

Always.

Send them running.

Prophecy at their heels.

Read the rest of the series here <3

[threadmonster]

I haven't watched the live action but something about it existing and how people are responding to it has me not only wanting to watch it but to start One Piece altogether. I. Am. Miffed.

[sordidmusings]

Tender Love and Care - Hair Care (Buggy x amab!Reader

Art by ijessbest on Twitter (refusing new name still) I believe they also have a tumblr by the same name!

A/N: Sorry I took so long to post this and thank you for your patience! I had thought I put it up earlier but noticed that wasn't true while doing some organizing. The differences are pretty subtle but I hope they are meaningful for your immersion and help you feel seen! If there's something I can do better (I am cis fem so I'm sure there's much my experience has me missing about yours) please let me know! I'd like to help y'all get your escapism too 🤍

From the original a/n - "Ah yes, another 'taking care of Buggy's head' fic to take up space on the internet. Just gotta indulge in giving this man some tlc. Did I write four thousand words of simping for the cringefail pirate clown's hair? Yes. And I'd do it again >:p"

Word Count: ~4k

Warnings: masculine leaning amab!reader (no pronouns or gendered titles), Lots of Feelings, yearning, possibly angst?, probably hurt/comfort?, waxing very poetic, Buggy being a prickly bitch who doesn't know how to receive affection, Buggy also being a delusional bitch who immediately latches on to that affection

afab!Version

~ ~ ~ ••• ✦✦✦ ••• ~ ~ ~

“Touch the makeup and I’ll bite your fingers off!”

“I’m quaking.”

“...I’ll spit in your face.” His eyes narrowed while you blanched. “I’ve got damn good aim too so you better watch those big ol’ eyes.” Almost a compliment? Progress.

“To save us both from catastrophe, I’ll let you keep your grease-face,” you promised. After a few more seconds of giving you the stink eye (really, you should be taking notes because his form is exemplary), Buggy finally settled back into your hold. His stubble scratched lightly at your palms and you allowed your thumbs a scant few passes from his cheek bones to the back of his jaw. That was easy enough to play off as mindless movements while you examined him for the coming wash. Hopefully.  You were at least putting in the effort to keep the affection in your chest from blooming into a wide smile on your face, lest he begin spitting like a wet cat again.

After placing him down on your clothes chest, you began gathering together the things you’d need to clean him up. You had already prepared a large basin of steaming water before you had grabbed Buggy from Zoro for your night shift with him. If he had truly protested against you then you’d just have extra water to spoil yourself with for your nightly routine. What a loss. While you flitted around grabbing a cup, a pile of towels, and care products, Buggy took to commenting about whatever his eyes fell on around your room. Your half-assed replies did nothing to discourage his gentle roast of your safe space. He only shut up when you picked him back up and brought him over to the basin.

You were taken by surprise when you took off his bandana.  You had guessed that his hair was thick from the pieces that framed his face, but you hadn’t expected long locks to be wrapped up in there. They slipped and fell down like silk despite being in clear need of a wash, and you started to become a bit excited to see how they would come to shine under your care.

“What’s wrong with you? Never seen hair before?” There was a bit more bite to him all of a sudden and it hit you that he may be self-conscious from your staring.

“Never seen yours before, duh,” you teased. “You should wear your hair out as a power move against all the scrangly ass men in these waters.”

Buggy took a blank-faced moment to process your words. Probably weighing your sincerity against the backlog of insults he’s heard in his life. Unfortunately, one joking compliment never stood a chance.

“Whatever, just do your job.” His bitter tone made you keep your mouth shut and drop the topic. For now.

Seeing how he had a lot more hair than anticipated, you got up again to grab yet another towel so that you could use it as a cushion. Finally settled, you grabbed Buggy in one hand, the cup in the other, and got to work. You had laid a small board across the basin so you could rest Buggy on it instead of having to hold him up the whole time. You may have gotten strong in this life, but you were not masochistic enough to try holding him up throughout this process. You made sure to be extra gentle when you put him to rest on the back of his head, mindful that the hard plank wasn’t the most comfortable.

Wetting his hairline was taking longer than you thought. The soft noises from the pouring water hitting his scalp and trickling through his hair into the basin below felt loud in the stillness of the room. Everything had a languid air like you could breathe freely without thought or time to measure the passing of each exhale. Wanting to check in, you looked down from your task and into Buggy’s face. Despite all his past showboating, Buggy was having difficulty keeping his gaze anywhere near your face.  You decided to take pity on him in his discomfort but not too much. “So how’d you get your damn good aim?”

Silence.

You’re beginning to think that him looking at you like you’re stupid is his comfort zone.

“You know, that ‘damn good aim’ that makes my ‘big ol’ eyes’ easy targets?” you supplied.  At first, you thought he would roll his eyes and make more digs at you, but he finally caught you off guard.

“It’s a trade secret,” he said with a growing smile and a glint in his eyes. His face grew even more pleased when you smiled mischievously back at him.

“Clown trade?”

He hummed out an affirmative. You saturated the last of his hair at the front and sides and now needed to dunk the rest in the basin. The sheer amount of long blue locks that this pretty, pretty man had may cause it to overflow, but you supposed that’s just a workplace hazard when becoming a glamor clown’s hairdresser. You paused in lowering him to look around quite dramatically (squinty eyes, pursed lips, and all) before leaning slightly closer to stage whisper, “You can tell me; I ain’t no snitch.”

You barely caught the laugh that he choked short in order to keep up his serious facade. He let his eyes wander the room to double check your surveying and pretended to be in thought. He let out a heaving sigh and said, “Okay, okay, but you have to lean in close. Can’t have this getting out.”

Ever obliging, you turned your head and leaned until you felt his warm breath on your skin and the roundness of his nose tickling to top of your ear. You were thankful he couldn’t see the little shiver down your spine or the goosebumps spreading down your neck. He was thankful you couldn’t see him close his eyes to savor the scent of your aftershave. All was still for a few breaths too long.

“The secret?” you prompted, thinking he was waiting for your urging or that he was just trying to make you squirm. You didn’t see his eyes flutter open while he forced thoughts other than your closeness back into that head of his. Okay, he really needed to do something to reel himself back in and get some control of the situation.  Easier said than done when he’s only a head.

You felt as much as you heard him take a deliberate inhale… only for a loud raspberry to be blown right next to your ear.

Nearly dropping him in shock, you quickly pulled your head back and held him at arm’s length like a misbehaved puppy. Through his canting cackles, Buggy met your wide eyes with a proud grin. It didn’t even need the help of his makeup to split his face. Damn, you could stare at that forever. He had just the prettiest eyes you think you’d ever seen. The way they shifted color under the low lights and sparkled with his smile had you feeling entranced. It had the same commanding presence and addicting warmth as flames with their own swirling colors and sparking embers. You thought your poetic idioms for him would always center around the sea, especially for his blue-green eyes, but here we are.

The corner of his smile started to twitch downward under your stare until wild and cheerful laughter burst from your lips. They were the kind to shake your shoulders and scrunch your cheeks up into your eyes and he’s now certain that he has fucked right up. Buggy felt alarms blaring in his mind as he took in your joy and was certain he would make an absolute fool of himself in any and all ways possible to keep getting hits of it. Between your settling chuckles, you managed to say, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring that wisdom with me to my grave.”

Readjusting your grip, you moved forward and dunked the back of Buggy’s head fully into the water. He sighed out at the sensation, but he fully melted when one of your hands went to support the back of his skull and the other flowed through his tresses to make sure all of them were wet. You let yourself take your time, both to make sure you were thorough and to indulge yourself in the comfort of the moment. A tenderness spread through you when you saw that this was also indulging Buggy. His breath was slow and steady, and his eyes were resting closed to better focus on the sensations coming to him. You truly were a people pleaser at heart and seeing someone so bedraggled and affection-starved accept your care made your heart and head feel fuzzy.

You slowly leaned him more upright and used your other hand to wipe out some of the excess water. Buggy felt you shuffling around, and his eyes opened to see what you were up to. After you moved him to rest on the flat bottom of his neck on top of the softest towel that he’s felt in ages, he realized that you went through the trouble to try to make even that wooden board comfortable for his sake. He was starting to feel even more uncertain and out of his element.

Careful fingers carded through and spread out his hair behind him while an equally careful gaze watched over their work. After lathering your hands with a shampoo bar scented by vanilla and spices, you set to work giving him the scalp massage of a lifetime.

While focusing on doing the best job possible and maybe also the beautiful color of his hair was keeping you from thinking about anything else, Buggy had no such luxury. He had nothing to direct his nervous energy at - didn’t even have fingers to fidget with! - so he closed his eyes and tried to keep his face neutral. Everyone enjoys a good scalp massage or at least some kind of pampering so it wouldn’t have been weird for him to visibly enjoy it, but something watery and vulnerable was pressing at his throat under your tender care. His mind and body (well… head) were at odds. While his train of thought spun every which way only to be tethered back to the word ‘why’, his muscles melted until they were soft and pleasantly limp. Has his brow ever been so smooth? His jaw so loose? His lips so softly set? Oh God, you must have noticed the stubborn stiffness in his neck because your fingers abandoned his hair to firmly rub from the base of his skull to where he met the towel and that was truly his undoing.

With a rumbly hum, Buggy finally gave in to temptation and tied his mind to your movements. He let himself imagine affection there - imagine that this was special and just for him. You’ve never tended to anyone else like this. You offered because you simply had to know what his hair felt like. You just wanted to touch him. You wanted it much more than you ever wanted to touch anyone else. If he opened his eyes and looked up at yours, he would see them pouring with love, just like your hands were, and you would look sweetly down at him with your gorgeous eyes and handsome smile and say lovely things and you’d love him-

You’d love him.

Fuck.

You noticed Buggy suddenly flinch under your hands and you tensed up.

“Are you okay? Did I snag your hair?” You hadn’t felt anything tug but you supposed you could’ve missed it.

Buggy cleared his throat before stiffly responding, “No. Keep going.”

Something thick in his tone caught your attention and you looked to see his expression was tense instead of the blissed out one you had admired not too long ago. That won’t do. You went back to the tried and true pressure points on the scalp that you knew from experience eased anyone up. Checking his face again, you noticed it was more relaxed but still too guarded for your tastes. Deciding he must be getting antsy, you switched to working the shampoo down his hair after getting a touch more product on your hands. The time it took to get it properly sudsed and rinsed was calm, despite the fact that there was some undercurrent to the air that felt charged. Maybe it was just from seeing the talkative and bratty clown be so subdued. As you began spreading conditioner through his hair, you decided that it was time to engage him again.

“This bar is my favorite; nothing makes my hair softer,” you said. Already, his hair was relaxing to glide even more smoothly between your fingers. You weren’t ready to give the feeling up, so you spent the entire time that the conditioner was setting to run your fingers through his hair.

Buggy couldn’t do anything at the moment to judge your claim, but the smell alone made him understand why it was your favorite. It matched that of the shampoo bar, but the richer ingredients in the conditioner highlighted the comforting tones of the vanilla and the sensuality of warm spices and wood. He relished in it on every inhale, hoping to unravel and memorize its every undertone. Was that a touch of amber in there? A little pink peppercorn? Maybe some incense and oud at the base? Buggy suddenly felt ridiculous. He was never one to give much thought to fancy perfumes, yet here he was trying to dissect your scent like a sommelier tasting a new wine. 

You made quick work of rinsing his hair this final time and gently pushing and squeezing any excess water out. You set Buggy back on a towel, this time one that was spread on the floor. It was the one that you had just been sitting on. Buggy was embarrassed that he noticed and enjoyed the fact that he could still feel your body heat on it.

“How many of those things do you have?” Buggy scoffed as you pulled yet another towel over to dry his hair. You flicked his forehead in warning against further sass.

“You can never have too many. It’s something that you use daily and they come in handy during emergencies,” you explained.

“Oh yeah like what?”

“Well, I was thinking of situations like having to soak up a spill or blood, but the state of your hair definitely qualifies.”

The outburst was immediate.

“I KNEW YOU WERE MAKING FUN OF ME YOU DAMN LIAR! HOW DA-”

Good thing you were prepared for this and stuffed some of yet another towel into his screaming mouth. He bit down on it harshly and glared at you with all his might. Snarls and grumbles still made their way through the cloth, letting you know just how displeased he was. You were a little shocked to find that despite being gagged and despite just being a head that his glare still actually intimidated you. The time spent with the crew treating him like a harmless little pest had helped you forget that, when push came to shove, he could back up his talk with violence.

The brief glimpse of fear in your eyes gave him a twinge of satisfaction but mostly felt a lot more hollow than he’d expected. Wasn’t this what he wanted? 

When you reached back out to continue drying his hair, you were more tentative than he had ever seen you and his mood dropped even further. Even with your caution, the way that you moved the towel over his hair and gently squeezed more water out of it was filled with care. The whole thing felt very foreign to him. Buggy usually rubbed his towel through his hair chaotically like the more forceful he was the sooner he could get done with the bothersome task. You were working over him like any undue force would be an insult. Like he was something precious. That watery feeling started pressing on him again.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” you started quietly. “I just meant to poke fun, not make you actually feel insulted.” After a few more soft pats with the towel, you slowly removed his makeshift gag. He took a moment to wiggle around his jaw and get the dry feeling out of his mouth.

“Yeah, well good job, dumbass,” he bit. You winced at the hurt in his tone. “Just finish up.”

You took a moment to recenter yourself while you grabbed your comb and brush. This was not how you wanted this to go. One wrong comment had sent this whole interaction spiraling and it made you sad. Sensitivity like that was usually built up from years of feeling the same hurts over and over again, and you didn’t ever want to be someone to aggravate an already festering wound, especially not on someone who you genuinely enjoyed. Not on someone who you were increasingly craving affection from. This needed to be fixed. Steeling yourself for the resistance you were about to meet, you began combing the ends of his hair and spoke, “The blue color is pretty.”

He ignored you. As expected.

“It was one of the first things I noticed about you.” He still wouldn’t even glance up at you. “Also how it brings out the color of your eyes.”

He snorted dismissively in a way that very clearly told you he wasn’t believing a word you said. Also expected. You’re just going to have to soldier on until this eventually worked… maybe worked… hopefully worked?

Just as in the rest of the process, you were slow and thorough when combing his hair. You murmured compliments to him about how soft it is; how thick and how beautiful. By the time that you had switched to using your brush, he was showing signs of being worn down by your flattery. His face was more relaxed and he let himself look around instead of trying to burn a hole through the floor. All you could focus on, though, was how downcast and tired his eyes looked.

“Alright, I’m all finished up,” you told him. “I’m going to put you in the hammock for a minute while I get ready for bed.”

After placing him in the middle of your bedding, you disappeared behind a dressing screen. The routine of bathing  yourself with a washcloth and bowl of soapy water eased you. Since you had taken so much time tending to Buggy, the last bowl of fresh water had become lukewarm. Despite this, the final wipe down had you feeling refreshed and ready to jump into bed. It was no soak in the tub, but still left you feeling much better after a long day of helping work around the ship.

You had set about your routine briskly so that you didn’t leave Buggy waiting too long. Little did you know, he didn’t mind the time of having nothing to do besides enjoy the soft blankets you curled up in every night. He was trying to soak it in before you inevitably put him back down on the floor. If the night had taught him anything, you’d at least put him on one of those fluffy towels instead of throwing him back in the bag like the others did.

You came over to him on the hammock and he admired how you looked, now clean and fresh. His eyes poured over your shirtless chest and the thin sleep pants moving around the shape of your legs. When you picked him back up, your face and body language were as placid as he had ever seen them and he was surprised at how content that made him feel. He readied himself to be moved away, left cold and forgotten, but he was astonished when you plopped yourself in your bedding instead with him still in your hands. The shock must have shown on his face because you chuckled at him and gave him a bright smile. Even with the bumpy road that the night had been, your smile made him soft and content. He was realizing with more and more resignation that your smile and laugh would let you get away with anything when it came to him.

“So no floor? Trying to bribe me with favors?” His voice was mostly back to that sarcastic lilt you’ve come to adore.

Content that he was feeling better, you answered, “Nah, just using you so I can have a teddy bear. Haven’t had a good one in ages.”

Making good on that promise, you made sure that he was securely nestled into your neck and shoulder. You used both of your arms to cradle him there and both hands to continue your worship of his hair. It was just barely damp and the coolness felt nice on your hands, especially in contrast to the cozy heat emanating from his head. His long eyelashes tickled at your neck every time he blinked, just like the light scruff on his jaw teased at the skin on your chest. His big nose felt cozy rested on your clavicle, and you had to resist the urge to reach down and trail your fingers on it. A giddy and victorious feeling flushed through you when you felt him close his eyes a final time and sink into your embrace.

Buggy should have known that he was doomed from the start. He was having a hell of a time trying not to moan at your fingers scratching and massaging his scalp, both during the hair care and now, when he was held in your arms. The feeling of being rested on your bare chest sent his heart racing. He couldn’t stop his little movements to nestle into you and get just that much more of your warmth and touch. If he thought that he loved the smell of you before, he was absolutely intoxicated now that he knew what it was like when it floated over the two of you while wrapped in body-warmed sheets.

He wanted to ask you why you were doing all of this, but he didn’t want to know the answer. Not right now. Right now he was going to let himself go back into that place in his head where you lo- cared about him. A place where each night he would crawl into bed with you and, no matter how the day went, you would be there to empty his mind of anything but the two of you. You’d greet him with a kiss or a laugh or an embrace and you would shine with so much joy because he’s next to you again. He’d know what your love felt like, how it felt to be under your hands, how your skin felt under his lips. All these daydreams swirling in his head started to make him sick with want, and he needed to know at least one of them. He couldn’t handle all of them staying forever in his mind.

The tiniest increase of pressure from his lips brought your attention to where they rested below your collarbone. The almost kiss was so heartbreakingly shaky and hesitant that you felt your eyes burn with the threat of tears. To reassure him, you dragged your cheek across his temple before turning to leave a deliberate kiss there. Buggy relished the contact, the satisfied sigh you let out afterward, and the gentle weight of your cheek as you snuggled back into him. Your reward came in the form of a grinning cheek pushing into you.

All his humor and posturing certainly caught your attention in the best way and even his explosive temper was something you couldn’t say turned you away. This gentleness, though, this uncertain and wounded place, had you bursting with affection and you were hoping to keep experiencing it. You’d meet it each time with steady affection until it turned into something he embodied with the same surety that he had in his beloved spotlight.

Both of you slipped more sweetly into dreams, curled up together as you were, and with more peace and ease than the years before had allowed. Neither of you would let the years to come be absent of this sweet treasure, either.

[icypantherwrites]

It is finished.

Words I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to write, but at 11:51 pm last night they became reality.

Bottled Ocean is finished.

I am really, really proud of myself for being able to come back to this story. I started writing it in all the way back in May 2020 so it has been almost four years from start to finish and it's been a really long, bumpy road. So much has happened over those four years and the story went from a vibrant, engaged audience when it first published to, if I'm lucky, one or two engaged readers and maybe five reading it total. It's been really hard to put forth the energy into writing such a monster of a story (it is officially over 250,000 words long) knowing that there's no one there really to read it and even now I'll be lucky to have one or two engaged readers for it.

But it is done. My legacy after writing over 400 fanfictions in the last 7 years is not an incomplete story. It's something I can look back on and be proud of that I wrote that and as anyone knows, 250,000 words is not a small undertaking.

I had promised myself that if I went back to writing this I would finish the story before it began publishing again on Patreon (which resumes today) and then life hit. I had Covid the last two weeks and felt really terrible and dizzy and unable to focus. I thought writing fight scenes was hard, bah, writing fight scenes while you're distracted by the word 'sword' because it says 's-word' and going off on a tangent of swear words you think pirates would say while still trying to write a fight scene is hard. I kept going.

I reached yesterday morning and realized that I still had at least four chapters to write and I wasn't sure how I was going to do it and even if my deadline was self-imposed I was going to fail it.

I didn't.

Outside of taking breaks to walk the dog (it reached 42 here in Chicagoland and for this time of the year that's practically tropical) and guzzling down over half of a 2-liter of Dr. Pepper and trying to drink water in there too, I did it. I sat down, wrote my ass off, and a little over 16,000 words of the most pinnacle parts of the story as it all comes together and concludes I did it. I am exhausted and I honestly didn't even recall most of the final chapter so I went back and read it this morning and not to toot my horn but damn I'm a good writer, and I am just so relieved and happy it is done.

I am done too. My writing journey comes to an end with this story (I'll still for sure be posting on Patreon for the rest of 2024 though with my insane backlog and of course Bottled Ocean and some works on AO3 too) and I'm hanging up my keyboard. It has been a long seven years full of the good and the bad, the bright spots and the dark, but I can look back at this chapter of my life and see that I wrote over 3.2 million words worth of stories to share and I feel...

I feel content. And relieved and honestly my wrists are aching from pressing against my laptop all night, but I am happy. Thank you to all who came on this writing journey with me, who have been with me since As Color Fades Away posted in 2017 or stumbled across my works this year. It has been a life-changing seven years of writing.

I'll still be around here posting updates and hopefully, maybe, trying to get a few of y'all to bite at Bottled Ocean and join me in reading my final fanfiction, but this author is finally, finally finished and it is the start of a new adventure.

Thanks everyone ♥

[moodywyrm]

hiii!! its 🧩!! first off, dont worry ab "taking too long" to answer the asks, answer them as you please!! and second. the blurb you wrote from my last ask was SO CUTE i ab had a heartattack.

anyways ... heres smth else for u to mayb write :

i think it would be so cute if abby came home from patrol or smth and the reader didn't hear her come in which ends up with abby scaring the absolute shit out of the reader. lol. which of course abby finds hilarious but also can't help but have a tinge of guilt. and i could totally see reader trying to get back at abby for weeks but fails every time because abby does not scare easily.

-🧩

ahhh this made me cry honey!! I feel so bad bc I have like a backlog of almost 50 asks n y'all send me so many good ones n so many are basketball abby x chubby reader n I want to write them all I just don't have time :(

and omg. ok. I imagine that living in the Fungal Apocalypse where ur chances of survival hinge on ur ability to be quiet has made everyone, but especially abby, pretty silent walkers? and a lot of the time she doesn't even realize she's doing it. it's honestly kinda funny bc she's so big n bulky but she can be very very quiet when she walks. like just imagine she gets back to the base from patrol, exhausted, and she knows ur still in the library bc you told her your shift wouldn't end until after her patrol </3

and she's just like. fuck it. I wanna see my girl. so she makes her way up to the library, eepy as all hell, excited to see you!! and u have ur back turned to the entrance to the library, ur pretty much the only one up at the front bc everyone else either went home or are in the back. so ur like ducked under the big counter, searching for some snacks u n the others stashed in there a while back. n when u pop back up abby is just. there. standing at the counter like 🧍. and you Yell bc what the fuck man???

and she jumps! bc she thought u knew she was there, not realizing she was walking all silent </3 so ur both staring at each other, bewildered, and ur like. "abby. baby. what the fuck." n she's like???? what did I do???

"baby, I didn't here you come in, you did it again :( gotta attach cat bells to u or something :(" this is absolutely not the first time it's happened. and she's so sad bc she scared you :( she didn't mean too :( but she did :(

literally spends the rest of the day (aka the next four hours before she passes out) trying to make it up to you, attaching herself to your side, helping you out around the library until you can get away. falls asleep with her arms around u, still saying sorry for scaring u baby it ain't that serious pls

u trying to get back at her? fails miserably. abby and her wicked sixth sense for knowing where u are, u never even get a chance to sneak up on her! and even then, ur not a soldier, u don't patrol, so ur not as adept at being silent when u walk. every single time she catches u trying to scare her she's like hi baby :] how r u :] and ur like!!! u bastard!!! let me scare u!!!

jokes on u, nothing about u could ever scare her, unless u like go insane on an infected or something </3 ur her sweet baby!!

[atinylittlepain]

Sunday Digest - The Fool's Update

It's me, I'm the fool.

Anyways, if you saw my post earlier about things changing around here, I've reached some conclusions about just what that change is going to look like.

I don't like not finishing things, it doesn't feel good (except Apothecary, don't ask me about Apothecary lmao) so I've decided that I am going to finish Hungry Hearts, and proceed with posting the rather hefty backlog of finished fics that I have in my docs. I don't know how long that is going to take, frankly, maybe two months. At that point, I'm going to re-evaluate what I'm doing on here, because in the meantime, I don't plan on doing any fic writing while school and internship and grad apps all swirl around me like a mild tornado.

Truly, it's the comments, messages, and reblogs that have swayed me to keep posting, so thank you to all of y'all supporting me and my work still.

So, spiel aside, here's what's going on around here

.........................................

Last Week

Part three of Hungry Hearts, Dancing in the Dark, was posted on Tuesday

June Part Eight was posted on Thursday

This Week

Part four of Hungry Hearts is coming on Tuesday

June Part Nine is coming on Thursday (only two more parts and an epilogue to go, sigh)

........................................

What I read and enjoyed last week

@northernbluess posted part five to the Art of Healing, and it was just everything. El takes so much care with this story, and it's such a treat to read their writing, I cannot recommend their work enough.

@tieronecrush posted the first part to her new Javi P series, Only Angel and it is already feeding my grad school dreams lol - this one's gonna be good, folks, get on it

Listen, I'm not much of a Din girlie these days, but @netherfeildren's new series, the Cassandra Complex, has reeled me right back into mr. tin can man

@hier--soir posted a heart-breaking ex-boyfriend!joel fic titled Tender is the Night [For a Broken Heart] that was a brilliantly painful character study, so good

also, not something I read, but special shout-out to @darkroastjoel who is going to be posting the next part of A Safe Haven very very soon. I'm so excited to continue reading this story!

......................................

thanks for hanging around here, i'm going to make a commitment to be better at responding to comments and reblogs, i swear i read them all and they all make my heart do weird things.

take care out there

gin

[shiroselia]

Like, here's the thing. I'm the exception when it comes to writers period. I wasn't even going to publish QuintSum originally, because I Know how I get when I have to "perform" or "meet a quota" or whatever the fuck. (It's not fun, I end up being stressed shitless about it. There's a reason I made sure to have a ridiculous backlog and that I don't prioritise publishing Despite having 40 chapters in the backburner.) The reason I published it was because Zelda and I thought it'd be super funny for me to be anonymous because Zelda was anonymous when they started publishing. (We all know how horrendous That went but point being, I published it for a Bit)

But here's the thing, it's really fucking noticeable, as someone who doesn't really give that much of a shit about people reading their fics, just how Horrendous it is for the people who share it for the purpose of sharing.

ESPECIALLY because SOME FUCKING HOW my engagement is still really fucking high. Even though I have the most unconventional writing style alive and my fic is Ridiculously long. Which is really weird to me but it proves even more how the SSO fic climate is just really weird.

I think there's a reason why the only consistent SSO Fanfics out there are x readers (the only thing that gets any reasonable engagement), and longfics (mostly written by us insane mfers who should not be counted due to being commitment georg). Because they're the only people who probably feel motivated to do it at all. Like, y'all understand there's a catch 22 here, right? And I know that a lot of SSO players don't give a shit about the story, but that's just frankly a skill issue.

If nothing else, if you don't give a shit about the canon story, learn to enjoy it through another person's leans. If you want something that cathers to what you want, either you write it yourself, or you make damn sure to show the current SSO fic writers some love so that they'll be motivated to continue because not all of us can go by just sheer ridiculous writer fuel alone.

[morningstarlucemon]

Housing Update - SAFE

@everyone YO, Y'ALL ARE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS BULLSHIT. FINALLY, i get to make the update: we're safe, MORE than safe. Thanks to your help, and a loan from a friend, we've found a functionally PERMINANT solution. I've outright purchased a trailer, with a constant lot rent of $400 and water and trash included. We are now HOMEOWNERS. We are in the process of moving as we speak. Now, as for why i've been silent for the last two to three weeks:  I mentioned we had moved once. We were able to get out of our previous apartment which we could not afford and were being evicted from. We moved into a house which was being rented out to us. However, we've since discovered that this person was illegally subletting it. Since we have been here, she has sexually harassed our roommate, broken into the house while we were asleep (which we have a recording of), left us without heat, refused to move her belongings (she is a hoarder), forced us into doing free labor under threat of eviction, opened wrong address mail, and many other unsavory things. We have now gotten in contact with the actual property owners, and are pursuing legal action against her. I don't know how much i can say about that due to it now becoming a legal issue, and the fact that we will be taking her to court. So i don't know if or when i will be able to update you all on that situation. But if i can, i will. And i wanted to let you all know why i've been silent. Once we are fully moved into our trailer, and i've had a couple days to recover from... whatever the hell this all has been, i should be able to PROPERLY return to work. I want to make a consistent streaming schedule, chew through my backlog, and get back to working on Edenfall in earnest. And now that we no longer have to worry about homelessness for the foreseeable future, and the lot rent itself is affordable even with only me working, i'm... honestly incredibly excited to be able to get back to doing the things i love, to working. Thank you all so much, truly. Without you all, we may be homeless or dead. We would've had to split up, possibly lose our animals, all our things... You guys are incredible. Thank you so much. I can't believe all this. Six years since i left my mother, six years since i hopped in a rented compact with everything i cared about and fled Florida and abuse to be with chosen family, six years since i chose to life free instead of comfortably, and now things are finally looking to get stable. Thank you. Thank you so much. You all made this possible, and i'll be forever grateful. We may need a bit of continued help until Ren and Alice get stable jobs, and until i'm able to get through my backlog. We also will need to But, for the foreseeable future, we are safe, and we should STAY safe now. And, we may even be able to save up for something else in the future. If anyone still wants to help until we're fully settled, here are our links: Our GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/4da28a83 Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/shinigamiofexcellence/goal?g=33 PayPal: https://paypal.me/excellentshinigami?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US Amazon List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2CE66WB1CWVZ9?ref_=wl_share I can't wait to see what the future brings.

Posted using PostyBirb

[mdzsartreblogs]

Look, it's 4 am here and I probably shouldn't post this at all but I've been thinking about it a lot for months and something that happened yesterday really drove it home so fuck it.

You guys realize I'm a real fucking person, right? My name is unforth, I run 8 art blogs because I fucking love danmei and I fucking love art. I'm not a bot. There is no algorithm. I do all the finding art, all the tagging, all the queueing, all the organization, by hand. Across my blogs I usually spend about 2 hours a day everyday on this, and that's about enough to barely keep on top of it. If I want to catch up on my huge backlog, it takes longer.

I am a real human. I have a real job. I have a wife. I have two small children (6 and 4). In the past year my wife and I have both had surgery, my son has been sick 5 times already, my kids have had to miss week upon week of school due to illness, covid exposures, car issues, and more. Four members of my extended family have had covid. I could go on, but fuck it.

I do this because I love fandom, I love art, I love artists, and I love organizing things. It's good for my brain. And it means a lot to me to help artists grow their platforms, to help get more eyes on their work, their merch, their commissions, their shops. But I also work my ass off. I own a small business I started 2 years ago that is growing, and doing okay, but has still not done well enough for me to take a single paycheck in that time (the owner always gets paid last. Everyone else gets repaid first).

This blog has something like 1800 followers.

Yesterday I reblogged a thing for my own latest project and just said, "signal boosts appreciated" and I got 1 reblog. From over *eighteen hundred of you*.

My name is unforth. I just adopted two guinea pigs. I think my son is sick again. I had to beg my dad for money to pay our mortgage this month. I've spent hundreds of hours for over two years running this blog and it feels like y'all care *so fucking little* that I might as well be invisible, a bot, a machine, a memory.

I am a real person.

And I'm about this close to saying "fuck it" and walking away from this project because being nothing feels like *shit.*

I don't need or want thanks, but yall should CARE. Not just about me, either. I've seen how few notes artists get on calls for commissions, on their shops, on their personal projects. We're all real people! And no you don't "owe us" but ffs common courtesy suggests if you like what we do you'd help all of us get more eyes on our stuff. No ones saying "give money" but among your followers, or among their followers, there might be someone who Wants The Thing but if the post doesn't spread no one will even know The Thing fucking exists. Folks say they want more indy art, indy stories, queer creators, on and on, but act like even giving a project signal boost is asking too much. I'm so exhausted watching people I care about beg for scraps. I'm so exhausted begging for scraps myself. It should be a no-brainer - if you like what someone creates HIT THE FUCKING REBLOG BUTTON.

And yet.

I'm so tired, yall.

It's now almost 5 am. I shouldn't post this. I'm going to, though. And if I do quit, when I do quit, don't say I didn't warn you.

[salt-volk]

"customs being the main factor in the uber fucked economy"

sorry but i don't even think that's the problem. even w no customs the economy would be major fucked. you gotta remember half these custom owners were already rich by trading from fr or other shit in the first place. before customs even released there was inequality bc rich players could come in from other games and instantly be stupid rich on dv. wealth transfers over. then of course it snowballs and woo hoo they can buy customs w that. plus the folks who fart out like 300 rlc a month to buy monthly chests then resell for potatoes. and they were always gonna do that, customs or not.

i agree there are problems w how customs were handled, it does compound the existing bullshittery, but y'all are way to narrow about it sometimes. they are not the sole cause of every economic issue. on any game w a market rich ppl are gonna exist and push boundaries and get greedy. as long as offsite trading and rlc items exist then ppl are gonna take advantage of that. 

i know they can't get rid of rlc options bc it funds the game dev. so leave that, whatever. but in my unpopular opinion i for real think offsite trading should've been banned from the start. the very first thing that set off inequality is letting folks transfer wealth from other places that had nothing to do w dv. you get an instant upper class like a few weeks into dv launch when everyone should've started on equal footing. but that's irrelevant now lmao.

also kinda funny to bring up neopets when they've steady got some of the same exact criticism. neopets is literally the original "petsite capitalism simulator" lol. yea yea they've been trying to stabilize more recently but still. there's just as much problem w rich fucks there as there is on dv. the difference is just it's less noticeable since neopets has so many other features to focus on, and a 20+ yr backlog of thousands of items at all levels of rarity/cost. while dv's inequality is at the forefrtont bc the place is so fucking barren that all ppl can really do on there rn is buy and sell shit. and then the shit you buy and sell is either completely worthless common trash items, or impossibly unattainably expensive w zero in between. there is no economic mobility on dv.

but neopets literally works in the same way. dv just *feels* worse bc it's not developed enough to have shiny bits that hide the flaws. 

[andromedaexists]

WUPDATE: CALL ME ICARUS

𝚆𝚎𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟷𝟿𝚝𝚑 || 𝙲𝚊𝚖𝚙 𝙽𝚊𝙽𝚘

y'all i am so busy rn that i forgot to keep yous updated on my progress. moving forward i am going to try and be more present here, i am going to work my way through my backlog of tag games this weekend and queue up all the writing yous tagged me in.

this month is camp nano and it has kept my mighty busy. here is a list of things that has happened this month:

finished the prologue and chapters 1-10. i got them up for betas to read (if you'd like to beta for CMI, the form is still open to apply here)

got in contact with an artist and started the process of commissioning them for a cover (they just sent me the concept sketch and im!!!!!)

set an official publication date (announcement coming soon 👀👀👀)

submitted a query! (and realized that i don't want to trad pub so i'm self pubbing instead!)

started talking to formatting editors. i'm not sure if i'll be able to afford a good formatting review before publication, but i am in talks with someone who will let me use their Vellum!

started research on how to self pub/what company i want to go through (and actually set up a channel where i can dump my research once i compile it!)

cried a lot over this whole process. a lot.

so yeah! a lot has happened! a lot of good stuff, but a lot of stressful stuff as well! that's okay though, i'm just over the moon that i have an official pub date 🥰

i'm going to push through to the end of camp nano, but i am going to try and get back into weekly wupdates and just talking about writing a lot more. i was a little hesitant about joining camp nano given how bad regular nano went for me last year, but a new server i joined has really helped me find my love of writing again (thank you doom and clanky and so many others that i met through the bird app, i love you all)

anyways, enough rambling. let's get to what you guys are really here for: snippets! i am going to add a couple here (read, a snippet for each chapter i've missed updating here) to make up for my relative silence as of late:

Chapter 5:

There are two more encounters listed below it, but before Icarus can read them over he is distracted by a flash of gold entering the shop. His eyes shoot up, latching to the new patron standing in line with their back to him. It’s normal for bright colors and movement to grab his attention, but this time something feels different. He can’t put his thumb on it, but his brain is telling him that he should recognize them. It’s screaming that he should know who they are. But for the life of him, he cannot make out who it is. Whomst? The fuck? From this distance, he can’t see anything that might tell him who they are. Their plain black clothes could be the tell of an Elysian, but that isn’t a guarantee. The only truly identifiable trait is the halo of blond curls cascading over their shoulders. Why do I feel like I know them?

Chapter 6:

Ariadne whistles, a long and appreciative sound as she sees her husband’s work. The tattoo had been a beast to heal, but the hours of torturous pain and restless nights of endless itching had been well worth it. He spent days ogling the tattoo after it had first healed, the feathers look so real that you can almost feel them when running your hands over the inked skin. It is everything he wanted and then some. A feather-light touch runs down the etched skin. There is only one person who had ever touched him with that kind of reverence, his artist must have gotten up to inspect the tattoo. He is admiring his art—as he should—when he says, “Looks like you should have used more lotion.” He lets go of one edge of the hoodie to flip him the bird. It’s impossible to hide anything from his artist, of course, and he knew that his lackluster care would be noted. There are likely small splotches where the ink had fallen out due to his poor moisturizing regiment, but it’s not like he has much of a choice in that. Icarus drops the back of his hoodie with a sigh as he turns to face the artist again. YOU KNOW? HARD REACH AREA ALONE. His eyebrows raise as he speaks, his signs becoming large and boisterous. He then mimes trying to reach the middle of his back. That gets a chortle out of his artist and Ariadne. He hadn’t thought to consider how he would need to reach every part of his back before getting the tattoo, and the fact that he doesn’t have anyone in his life to help him makes it that much worse.

Chapter 7:

“Look,” Andromeda levels at him, voice growing in intensity as they say, “I understand that you don’t quite trust me yet. I mean, we just met yesterday. Hell, I don’t even know your name yet! But-” “Icarus.” He grabs the hoodie on the left and pulls it over his head. He takes a moment to pull his hair up and fasten it in a ponytail before turning and leaning back against the closet door. “My name is Icarus.” “Okay. Icarus. Y’know, that fits.” Their voice is calmer, quieter, as if that piece of information is enough to placate them. Icarus huffs. The name really does fit him, doesn’t it? Always jumping into things without thinking of the consequences, taking risks, and keeping shit close to his chest until he gets a bit too close to hubris and starts to fall apart. Falling in love with the sun personified. Burning, falling, crashing, drowning. Yeah, the name fits him. The only difference between him and the Icarus of myth is that he died at the end of his story. Icarus has no plans of dying. No, he plans of making it out the other end of his story and living to tell the tale.

Chapter 8:

“I thought the whole ‘Oh, Hestia has a pizza shop?’ ordeal would tell you that I have no idea where to go.” Huh, yeah, that should have clicked with him. It’s not like they could search up directions, they likely don’t have a phone just the same as him. Can’t risk having a way for someone to use GPS to locate him. It’s not like he has anyone to keep in contact with, anyways. “It’s just down the street. Go out the front of the building and head down West Saint Clair, it’s just past fourth street. I’d say can’t miss it but you very much could, there’s no sign out front. It’s the only building that looks like there’s someone living in it on that block, though.” “Got it. West Saint Clair, Fourth Street, not-abandoned building.” Andromeda repeats the directions to themself as they head towards the front door. “Anything else while I’m out?”

Chapter 9:

How could he forget? “Καιρὸς δε, Thanatos,” he mumbles as he stretches his arms out in front of him and rests his forehead on the blissfully cool counter. “And here I was thinking you weren’t gonna remember me.” Long gone is the shrill and timid voice of a sickly kid, replaced by one of the most soothing and deep tones Icarus had ever heard. “…Fair ‘nuff.” The vibrations of a glass hitting the counter top make Icarus look up. A glass of water, just water. He groans, that is not what he wants right now. He’s craving the sweet buzz of an energy drink, but that will require him to get up and walk around the island to grab one. Andromeda chuckles, not moving an inch as they watch Icarus suffer over the glass. “Quit pouting and drink.” He drops his head, turning his face away from the glass. “Oh come on, you big baby. Deja de hacer un berrinche y bebe.” They poke his cheek as he pouts. “Mira, food’s ready. Sit up and eat.”

Chapter 10:

“Why are we running?” they ask, gasping for air after the impromptu sprint. Icarus points to the bird as it hops along the ridge of the tent. He turns to watch their reaction, this is a big deal. Their eyes widen and their jaw drops open, they are just as shocked as he is. His smile has not left, though it dulls as their face drops to sadness and grim acceptance. What? “A crow.” Before he can say anything the look is gone. They beam a bright smile at him. “I can’t believe you found a bird! That’s definitely good luck for us.” But it’s not, their reaction sits wrong with him. He squints his eyes, watches them to see if that glimpse of despair will surface again. When it doesn’t, Icarus forces a smile on his face. If they don’t want to talk about it then he isn’t going to talk about it.

Okay, i think that's enough of a writing dump for now. here's the CMI Taglist:

@flowerprose @isherwoodj @cream-and-tea @touchingmadness @lockejhaven @marinesocks @wildswrites @the-finch-address @writingpotato07-deactivated2023 @leighvalentin @inkspellangel @cljordan-imperium @outpost51 @alleahgrinnon @smol-feralgremlin

Please fill out this form to be added or ask to be removed!

[phoenixcoin]

{Okay, I have a few of you now, so I think I should clear the air of some things before going forward, and I hope everyone gets a chance to see this because I def don't want to disappoint anyone!}

{So, TLDR: I don't know a lot about FFVII and I don't have an FFVII verse for any of my muses, therefore if you need me to have any specific information going forward I'll have to take some spoilers. I won't be playing the newer games at all, most likely.}

{I've noticed I've gotten a few FFVII muses following me lately, and I am so happy that so many of you want to write with me! However, my knowledge on FFVII, especially as it exists now, is preeetty limited. I own but have not played the original game. I got it some time ago and tucked it away for when I finished my other FF games, then never got around to it. When the first FFVII Remake came out on PS4, we got that one, and we were very excited to play it. We also own and have seen Advent Children maybe a dozen times now. And the only game I've ever played to completion was Dirge of Cerberus.}

{But even with all of this, aalll of the information from any amount of media I had concerning FFVII. Gone. Completely. I don't remember the first thing about it, legitimately. Even the first part of the Remake. Gone. I don't know, y'all. I barely even remember FFXVI at this point. And while I do want to eventually get around to playing the original game and the other games that I already own again at some point, Sibling and I have been keeping it in the backlog for a time when we have time to play a Final Fantasy marathon like we did with the Kingdom Hearts and Zelda games, and that's going to take a while. I probably won't be freshening my knowledge of the games up for a good long while.}

{In addition, I won't be buying or playing any Final Fantasy or other Square Enix games going forward. Even if I do ever manage to get my hands on a PS5, I'm not doing it. I just don't feel comfortable with SE's current business practices, and I don't want to support them, even knowing how many folks probably still will. I just don't want to do it knowing now that they used Midjourney on one of their games. So I won't be learning anything about the revised version of FFVII, and I hear that there are some things that are quite different. If y'all need me to know about that stuff, you'll just have to spoil me about it, unfortunately. As much as I would like to play for myself and learn about it, I just don't know that it's safe to do so. I don't know if I could get away with buying the games on the aftermarket or if SE uses the initial launch updates in their analytics. If anyone knows something about that, feel free to let me know, but this is the state of things until I know that SE is going to let AI go and stop using it.}

{This was an awful lot just to say that my knowledge on FFVII is pretty limited, but I hope you guys are still okay with writing with me anyway. I'm going to do my best to give you guys a good experience even with my limited knowledge, I just wanted to give you a heads up on how fairly unlikely it is that I'll be able to keep up with FFVII lore for the meantime.}

[ss-trashboat]

okay babes. new goal since jersey doesn't look plausible (it's okay we'll try next year maybe). but new goal (don't tell night shhhhhh). night has been having. a really rough year, between job searching and bad brain and i really, really want to have them enjoy something this year. and with all in being in london and closer to them to get to, i want to make this happen. so have a ko-fi goal set up to try and get them the tickets!! i do try to plan on getting them anyways, but as i have no idea how much they'll be, i'm looking to try and get a savings to get them there. i know it's a bit last minute as lol tickets go on sale next week, but i still want to try. if anything the goal will help me fund my bills after i buy the ticket lol. but please share around, tell your friends, let me do something special for my bestie since we can't meet up in person. let me get them to see their beloved kip wrestle <33

i have lots of stuff on my ko-fi ranging from stickers, art prints, premade drawings, as well as commissions for new things. i'm currently working on the backlog but will be working very hard on completing the other art to take on new things. all donations to the goal will come with an art of some kind depending on the amount. i appreciate y'all who share this around <33

[aparticularbandit]

Alright - this is not an official goal, persay, because this is a super stretch, and I don't know how well I'll be at keeping it up.

But, as a result of this poll (yes, I know y'all said all days are equally hard, but Mondays was very close, and I don't think I can maintain posting something every day, y'all, I'm sorry), I'm going to try to start having weekly updates.

I actually used to do this back in 2020. I think I started in 2019? and stopped in 2021? sometime? But I used to post weekly on Mondays because I realized I had a backlog of stuff I hadn't posted and I thought that would be a way of helping out and encouraging people on what I thought was the worst day of the week and...I want to try and start doing that again. Primarily for the helping out on the worst day of the week thing. Giving you something to look forward to.

This doesn't necessarily mean I won't post on other days. I might! Right now, I've mostly been in the pattern of posting fic or chapters as soon as they're completed.

But I...would like to return to the weekly scheduled update.

It could be a lot of things - it could be a chapter or update in a long-standing fic or series, it could be something new, it could be a one-shot, it could be a completed prompt (although I'm not sure prompts will be held to that, they'll probably be posted as I finish them? I'm not sure, I haven't quite thought this through that completely yet) - and it could be with a variety of characters or ships - just...something.

Something on Mondays.

Like something pretty much every day through December.

Because life is hard and Mondays are Mondays and it's nice to have something to look forward to after the weekend.

It's nice to have something to look forward to at all.

So. I will try! And we'll see how it goes!

[bigcatdencrafts]

Current Sitrep & Commission Status

Hey everyone! Hope you've been doing well this year

despite everything

I say this a lot, but with the whole social media shakeup going on this year, I actually plan on getting the gallery back up to date with pieces. There's a year's worth of backlog in collars, journal covers, and now even harnesses burning a hole in my camera's SD card and it's all too obvious that I need to get back to work on clearing that out. I dont know how fast I'm going to work through it all, but it will happen as it has to happen. Hoping to manage around one submission a week as a minimum goal cuz executive disfunction is the true bane of my existence.

Aside from that, wanted to give a quick note about current commission status and the next potential openings! After the current two pieces are complete, I'll be halfway through the custom orders I received from vending at FWA. What an absolutely incredible con, holy hell y'all 💚 much love to everyone who stopped by to say hey, check out the wares, and even take some home with them. I can never describe just how much it means to have y'alls' support, it's truly breathtaking. If current speed and progress continues as it is, I should be wrapping up sometime early-mid August and able to open up for commissions either later that month or the beginning of September. So keep an eye out!

Speaking of FWA, I've got some leftover stock from this years con gauntlet and am looking to hopefully post a few of them up for grabs at some point. This is something that I wanted to do soon after FWA was over, but due to my 3.5yr streak of never catching covid unfortunately ending there…. it caused some serious delays in all departments (I've recovered thankfully and seem to have skirted past major issues, thank the gods. Get vaxxed and keep wearing masks in heavily crowded spaces, y'all, it unfortunately isn't over). At the very least, I'm wanting to get some of the leftover pieces posted for sale, but otherwise will begin starting on rebuilding my stock for next year's con season alongside custom orders.

Anyways, hope you all stay safe, do well, sleep well, and let's make some beautiful leatherwork 💚

[risu5waffles]

Two fives for a TEN, mate?

Woof. Time. Fast. You know the drill. Seriously, tho', this is just getting foolish.

Gosh, but i just fell in love wiv the presentation on this one. The choice of colours is top notch, all the little creatures, the pulled, warped dimensions on things. i love that Keith put a puppet of himself in there, and it has appropriate piercings. Seriously, this was both my jam and my toast. There's a bit around the middle where something feels a little wonky wiv the platforming, but i don't know if that's a translation issue, or a skill one. Aside from that, there isn't going to be much here, challenge-wise, that will give most players pause. It's just a nice, cruisey trip through Keith's imagination, and i'm here for it.

Yoooo! This was such a nice bit of LBP1 kit to stumble across, let me tell you. i love the physics-based mechanisms we had from that era, even if they are prone to breaking in LBP3 (hell, let's be honest, they were prone to breaking back then, too, just a little less so). i love that the level references a "great points drought" a few years prior, and i wish i could remember the community at that time wiv enough granularity to know what they're talking about. My only real quibble here, is there isn't a really good chance to see the engine once it's running. They put a camera on it, but i think i backed out of it too quickly. i wish there'd been, like, a viewing platform? 'cause it's really neat. At least we get to see it powering up.

There are some nice ideas here, and i love the presentation, but it really is overlong, and the loop is just a bit too clever for its own good. Plus, it's variously broken in LBP3. That's, you know, a problem. The lighting takes a pretty nasty hit; none of the dark areas are supposed to be quite as dark as they are for us (i found someone else's play through, it's included in the video description). But the big issue is there's a whole set of platforms that are supposed to be emitted where we got stuck. Wivout them, you just can't make the jump to the sponge bit you need to progress. It's a real shame, too, because it's pretty close to the end of the level.

Eh, we talked about this before, and it still is what it is.

This one's pretty well done for one of the standard LBP2 archetypal styles. It does feel a touch slow moving and fiddly, but the "sunrise" bit at the end was nice, and i appreciated all of the semi-secrets in there. It's weird, but there's a sticker switch toward the end, that doesn't pull up a corresponding sticker? i played through a couple of times to see if it was an Ace level prize or something, but i got nothing. i wonder if it was something from a DLC i don't have. As much as i love sticker switches, and i do love sticker switches quite a bit, that was always one of their downsides. If players haven't got the sticker, well, they're kinda fucked. i know that was a way to make special secret areas for friends, which is, honestly, a pretty neat idea. Just hope no one deletes community photos ever.

Oh, oh dear Entropy, the charm just oozes from every pore of this level, and i love it. The Wobblebots are such a cute little take on the standard LBP-style patrolling enemy. Y'all know how i feel about those. But the presentation of space, and just the layout of the gameplay, it's all so very good. We tried playing another of Chicoleunis' levels on stream, but it looks to be broken in LBP3, and that's just such a gosh darn shame.

The environmental design is so nice in this one! The track is really solid, as well, tho' i can't say that it's the best fit. Was still really nice to listen to. Nothing too standout in the gameplay, but it keeps you moving well enough, and there's not anything here that should be a point of frustration, so that's nice. You know, i saw the Q in the creator's name, and got so excited that my brainmeats glossed over for a bit that their name actually starts wiv O. Where're all my Q creators at?! Seriously, i'm backlogged up to episode 204, and we still have yet to see a single creator whose name starts wiv Q. That seems statistically unlikely, and i hate it.

i wasn't 100% sold on the material choices in this one, and there are a few bits where you can get hung up behind thin layer bits and wind up getting killed, but this was still a pretty fun one in the end, and it felt like it was just about the perfect length for what it was trying to do. It's a good 'un.

Big and chonky, and a pretty fun go, although there are definitely a few points that could be polished. i don't know if this was a translation issue, or if the creator just didn't account for it, but there's a bit where you're riding up an elevator, and it looks like you should be able to jump to a (maybe?) secret area to the left. Except if you do that, it's real easy to get yourself killed. Which isn't the problem. The problem is the elevator never comes back down, and the last checkpoint is before it, so you basically softlock the level. It's deep enough into the level i can't imagine a lot of players going back in. i tried 4 or 5times for the archive, before i just had to throw my hands up and say "it's not worth it. i just don't have the time." It's a shame, 'cause there's a whole lot after that point players will miss if they just bounce. i guess... don't jump off that elevator? Also, i don't think i managed to catch the magic mouth, but that owl is kinda a douche. Just a real jerk.

This one was really quite cool. Definitely tricky from a pure gameplay standpoint, but not too hard; at least not if you're just going for the goal. Some of those beetles were a real pain in the butt, and i just said nuts to that. Lighting and material choices were really solid as well. Definitely one i feel like i could recommend to folx.

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So, that's the that. Coming up on 200 Archive entries, and that's all kinds of wild. When i started the series, i wasn't really sure daily entries was going to be where it was at, and yet, here we are.

Life is life. There are parts that could be better, but my brainmeats seem to have calmed down from "housefire" levels since our little bout of excitement last month. i dunno, maybe they're burned themselves out a bit, which, you know, is kind of fine by me? Not being able to feel the extremes means i get to be buffered from the lows, but it also means i don't really feel the highs either, and i do hate that.

Level building has slowed down a little. i'm trying to think of a list of small things that need doing, so i can focus on those and keep moving forward until i have it in me to tackle the last couple of real chonky bits. Gee, it's just like life in meatspace. Folx, i love y'all, and i gotta say, i'm getting a bit sick of metaphor.

Anyhoot, yeah. Y'all have a wonderful day, and keep yourselves safe! i'm rooting for you over here on this side of the world!