#emphasis on 'relatively' and 'for the genre' for most of this

[sunkissedchld]

𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:

𝐀𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

observations are mostly based on charts shared in @d4rkpluto’s astrotumblr yearbook discord! thank you to the following people for sharing their charts:

@starsworldd @evangelinesbible @saturnianprincess @saintfool @modellemode @icanseethefuture333 @ibecookin

disclaimer: i interpret charts in whole sign

asteriod aphrodite is code 1388

⟡ aries sun could make you relatively confindent in their looks; you could be very passionate and/or dominant in relationships or want to lead your partner in some way

✦  in the 3H could make you quick-witted or smart mouthed

⟡ aries saturn could cause you to be hyper independent therefore causing potential partners to feel unwanted

⟡ taurus moons could enjoy being spoiled/pampered while in relationships; acts of service and gift giving could be your love language

⟡ gemini venus could be attracted to those who are witty, educated/logical, and/or like to debate. you could also like people who are a little unserious and those with large friend groups

⟡ for gemini mars, arms/hands can be turn ons. you could be a friendly flirt; not necessarily open to making the first move; could enjoy a cat and mouse game or playing hard to get

⟡ gemini saturn could have issues with communication in relationships - being "too" open or not open enough and/or not taking your partner seriously during times where you need to

✦  in retrograde, you could think too much about your own or your partners actions in the relationship; you could talk yourself into a bad mood which could carry over into the relationship causing insecurities and/or jealousy

⟡ gemini risings could be seen as friendly, approachable, and smart upon first impression; people could be drawn to your eyes and smile; people could also enjoy hearing you speak

⟡ cancer saturns could possibly be manipulative in relationships (if underdeveloped); you could put more into relationships than you get out of them or not put in enough effort; you could be overly attatched to your partner

⟡ leo/aquarius risings/venuses could have the most unique styles fashion wise

✦ for leos, people could try to imitate your style. for aquariuses, you might have your own sub-genre or self-described sense of style that is unique to you

⟡ leo jupiters could gain fame, confidence, and/or attention from their relationships

✦ heavier emphasis or likelihood if you also have leo degrees

⟡ leo saturns could have issues with confidence and/or receiving attention while in a relationship; you could want too many affirmations or never accept them when they're given

⟡ leo venuses/mars could be attracted to those who are confident and/or famous or well-known; also possibly attracted to people who are creative and playful; a partner's back and/or hair could be a turn-on

⟡ virgo venuses/mars could be attracted to those who are healthy and/or biological displays of health; a partner's stomach or abs could be a turn on; you could prefer when sex is semi-planned and/or could be prone to overextending yourself during sex; you could prefer being a giver rather than a receiver

✦ conversely, i think taurus venuses/mars would be more receivers than givers

⟡ virgo suns could be seen as "traditional beauties"; you could also be drawn to traditional relationships/relationship dynamics

✦ these ideas of "tradition" would be based on where you are from/your societal norms; there is no one, unified "tradition"

⟡ libra risings could have facial features that are proportionate to your own face; possibly described as ingeniune/gamine type; skin could often be clear or seen as nice

⟡ those with libra mars could see your partner's skin/hips/butt/lower back as turn ons and/or their partner touching those areas of your body could turn them on; you could be attracted to those who are charming and considerate; you could like it when you're "wined and dined" so to speak

⟡ scorpio suns could have an alluring/intense look; your eyes and/or sexual organs could could be seen as attractive; you could want intensity when it comes to romance and sex; you could be into "taboo" relationships; you could possibly be possessive or prone to jealousy in relationships

⟡ scorpio venuses could be attracted to those who are protective over them; major cravings for intamacy and closeness while in a relationship; "i want to be inside of you"

✦ in retrograde, achieving these wants in a relationship could soothe your personal emotions and repair your own emotional needs

⟡ scorpio jupiters could have their sex life increased while in a relationships; possibility of going through more transformations (especially intense ones) while in relationships; possibly being more secretive

⟡ scorpio risings could have an intense gaze; your beauty could be intimidating to some people, but you still manage to draw people in to being fascinated by you

⟡ capricorn chiron/liliths could detest being in "traditional" relationships or being expected to follow through with "traditional" relationship dynamics; could have a want for a little bit of instability

⟡ capricorn moons could value stability and successes in relationships; anniversaries and planned dates could bring you comfort

⟡ capricorn mars could be attracted to those who are older and/or more mature; people with strong bone structures/hair could be turn-ons; could also be attracted to people who are cautious and/or "traditional"

⟡ aquarius risings make you an eccentric beauty; smile and/or calves could be an attractive point; you could be ahead of fashion trends

⟡ aquarius chiron/liliths could worry about your relationships being seen as odd or "taboo"

⟡ those with sun conjunct mercury could entice people with your voice or way of speaking; you could be known as a sweet talker

⟡ those with a fifth house stellium could be very fertile

✦ having many trines to jupiter could also be an indicator

⟡ 12H junos could find that marriage transforms them (ie. in capricorn, you could go from being someone who is always wanting to go places or never wanting to settle down to maturing and finally doing so)

⟡ 8H jupiters could gain money from shared resources in relationships; could also have hyper active sex lives

⟡ 3H moons could have words of affirmation be your love language

⟡ those with their ascendant at 5º could have people who are very sexually attracted to you; you could always gain attention even if you don't always want or notice it

⟡ 6H moons could value acts of service as your love language

✦ even more so if it's also cancer moon

⟡ 11H jupiters could find your friend group grows when getting into relationships

⟡ 1H junos could find that marriage changes people's perception of you; you could also gain/lose weight while in relationships (ie. libra ascendants would likely gain weight; be seen as more playful and/or charming)

⟡ 5H junos could find marriage makes you more creative; children could be a focal point of the marriage; marriage could also cause you to be more intune with your inner child

⟡ 4H moons may find that emotional connections in relationships bring you comfort; touch could be your love language

⟡ 12H moons could long for being in long-term relationships; there could be a want for a "soulmate" or "other half"

⟡ 2H moons could have gift giving as your love language; doing daily routines with your partner could bring you comfort

⟡ 2H jupiters could see an increase in their personal money/possessions while in relationships

⟡ 9H jupiters could gain more knowledge while in relationships; you could also travel more or have more experiences with things or people who are foreign to you

⟡ 11H moons could value time spent together ; thinking about the future and bringing together friend/family groups could bring you comfort while in relationships

⟡ 8H saturn/liliths could have an aversion to sharing resources in relationships; having a "what's mine is mine" mentality

[mediaevalmusereads]

Baking Yesteryear. By B. Dylan Hollis. DK, 2023.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: cookbook

Series: N/A

Summary: A decade-by-decade cookbook that highlights the best (and a few of the worst) baking recipes from the 20th century

Friends of baking, are you sick and tired of making the same recipes again and again? Then look no further than this baking blast from the past, as B. Dylan Hollis highlights the most unique tasty treats of yesteryear.

Travel back in time on a delicious decade-by-decade jaunt as Dylan shows you how to bake vintage forgotten greats. With a big pinch of fun and a full cup of humor, you’ll be baking everything from Chocolate Potato Cake from the 1910s to Avocado Pie from the 1960s.

Dylan has baked hundreds of recipes from countless antique cookbooks and selected only the best for this bakebook, sharing the shining stars from each decade. And because some of the recipes Dylan shares on his wildly popular social media channels are spectacular failures, he’s thrown in a few of the most disastrously strange recipes for you to try if you dare.

***Full review below.***

Since this book is non-fiction, my review will be structured a little different from normal.

I've had this book for a while, but I didn't want to post a review before making a few of the recipes myself. I was already a fan of Hollis from his TikToks, so that might introduce some bias into my review - just so you're all aware.

Overall, I found this book to be quirky, easy to follow, and fun. I loved the bright colors and retro-feel to the photo shoots, and I appreciated that almost all of the recipes were accompanied by a picture of the thing you're supposed to be making. I also liked the blurbs written by Hollis himself; they very much felt like his voice, with his characteristic sense of humor balanced by his genuine love for baking and "old things."

Perhaps the most valuable part of this book, however, was the emphasis on lowering barriers to entry. I've read my fair share of baking guides that call for special ingredients or equipment, and there are a lot of recipes out there that are finicky and sure ton dissuade new bakers. Hollis's book, however, emphasizes that most (if not all) of these recipes can be done with basic tools - one does not even need an electric mixer (though it does make some recipes easier). There also aren't many fancy ingredients that aren't readily available at most grocery stores, so that also helps.

I do, however, have some minor criticisms which relate to the usability of this book. For one, the organization makes it rather difficult to find a specific recipe (or even category), particularly if you're like me and don't recall what decade it came from. While organizing the recipes by decade makes sense given the book's premise, it does make it more functionally difficult - you can't flip to the cake section, for example, and browse or put yourself within the general vicinity of the recipe you're looking for. Thus, readers will have to rely on either the TOC or the index a lot more, but this is a minor inconvenience rather than a huge drawback.

I also don't think the majority of the recipes are blow-your-mind good, but honestly, given this book's premise, I don't think that's the worst thing. The recipes are largely taken from sources aimed at home bakers, so you're not going to get professional-level pastries out of them. You will, however, get things that are fun and relatively simple to make, and they taste good enough to me that I'd consider making them multiple times.

TL;DR: Baking Yesteryear is a fine book for fans of Hollis's TikTok, but it goes beyond being mere merch. It not only provides historical recipes that are easy to replicate, but it also does a good job of lowering barriers to entry for new bakers. Experienced bakers might not be overly impressed by the recipes, but engaging with food history is a treat in and of itself, and it's delightful to see someone like Hollis engaging with the past with such enthusiasm and adoration.

[writefightandflightclub]

Blorbo thought of the day #7

Call me: (feral!Steven Grant x fem!reader)

Summary: Steven needs you. What else is new?

Genre: pwp, established relationship

Author’s note: ya seemed to enjoy feral!Steven getting sucked off and so… I brought him back. So, here is Steven just being all out needy and desperate for you… at the most inconvenient of times. (Dashes of Marc.)

Warnings: masturbation (at work), phone sex, sorta dirty talk.

MINORS (and ageless/untitled blogs) interacting will be blocked. 18+ only

“I’ve got a bit of a problem,” Steven breathes through the phone, and you immediately note how his voice sounds alarmingly wobbly.

In response, you pace just as urgently to your office, seeking privacy, and keeping your voice hushed as you swerve through the corridors. “What is it? Is everything alright?”

“Mmhmph. I need you.” His voice is quivering now, and it only adds to your sudden, spiking concern. “So good to hear your voice, I…”

“Okay. Okay, Steven, I can be there,” you reassure without a second thought, clicking your office door closed behind you and scanning your desk for your car keys. “Just tell me what happened.”

“Oh. Oh, no. I’m fine, love,” Steven backtracks. “I don’t want to worry you. It’s just. It’s just that I… I need you.” His emphasis on the word need is a little bratty. Almost petulant. Stretched out, low and slow.

Oh. Oh it’s like that, is it?

You plonk yourself down into your office chair, with relief that he’s okay. And then, it doesn’t take long at all for you to reframe the conversation so far. To rethink the breathiness and tremor in his voice.

You recognise it.

That desperation.

That want; the pleas normally delivered into your skin, your throat, your arousal, spoken in between obedient swipes of his tongue.

“Oh, you do, baby? Well, I need you too, Steven,” you purr, voice hushed - as though someone else in the building could possibly hear you, even though you’re relatively sure that would be impossible. You slam the lid on your laptop shut all the same though, just in case you somehow initiate a video call against all conceivable odds. Then, licking your lips, you think up something tantalising to offer him, and it doesn’t take you long. “Just wait until later, baby. I’ll take all of you in my mouth until-“

“-No.”

“No?” But he usually likes that.

“No. I can’t wait,” he pleads, and the neediness in his hoarse, fractured voice has you pulsing with your own want. Squeezing your thighs unconsciously together. “You’ve got to help me. Please.”

“Fuck. Where are you?”

“I’m downstairs. In inventory.” You bite your lip. Steven hates that room. His need must really be a problem if he’s willingly taken himself down there. Out of sight. He must really be driven to distraction, and God, the thought of him working himself up behind that gift shop desk - with no possible hope of relieving himself - makes you feel some kind of way.

“Are you alone?”

“Of course I’m alone. I’ve had to lock the bloody door, haven’t I? I’ll get blimmin’ arrested if I walk around the museum with this in my trousers.” Your mind short-circuits a little at the thought of his bulging arousal. “I’m just so… uhhhhh. You have to help me, love. Can’t stop thinking about you and your beautiful body and I…” he huffs a punched breath into the receiver. “I need you.” The plea sends a warm honey melting through you core, and you can’t help but tease the pad of your finger along the centre seam of your trousers, enjoying the pressure against your now aching clit.

“Mmmm. Are you all hard for me, Steven?”

“Y-yes,” he flusters, and you can imagine his pretty eyelashes fanning against his cheek. “Aching. I thought hearing your voice would make it better but it’s… even harder to… concentrate on anythin’ else…”

Fuck.

The effect you have on him. How open he is with his want. Some men would be derogatory about how earnest Steven is, you’re sure. Personally, however, you find a man who knows what he wants and who isn’t afraid of it so endlessly hot. Especially, of course, when what he wants so badly is you.

Thinking quickly, you unfurl your headphones from your pocket, plugging them into your phone and leaving it on the desk. If you’re going to make Steven come, you want it in surround sound. And, of course, you might just want your own hands entirely free, after all. “It’s okay, Steven,” you soothe, voice smooth as silk and dousing some of his urgency. You hear a relieved exhale sound into the shell of your ear. “I’m going to help you, baby boy. Don’t worry. I’m here.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Good, Steven. Now. Can you… can you take yourself out of your pants?” You fight now to keep your own voice level, your chest heaving slightly - getting worked up for him too.

“Wh-what? Here? You can’t be bloody serious. Donna would have a-“

“-Yes. Right there, Steven,” you say more firmly. “It’ll be okay. It’ll be good. Can you do that for me?”

You can tell that he doesn’t have the will to argue. That he wants this. “O-okay. One sec. I’m gonna-”

You vaguely hear the clink of a belt buckle being loosened. Imagine that you hear the crank of a zip. But you most definitely do hear Steven’s muffled groan into the receiver, which lets you know - with certainty- that he’s now gripping his aching, weighty shaft in his broad, warm hand.

Tension hangs taut on the line, and his voice comes back little more than a whisper - which somehow fills your head all the same. “What now?”

“Move your hand, Steven. Up and down that thick shaft of yours. Really slow. Don’t rush.” Steven is breathing so hard that the sound crackles through your headphones, like a rumble of thunder in your head. “Are you hard, baby boy? Tell me.”

“‘M so hard.”

“Feel tender?” Steven’s in the most sensitive cock you’ve had. You think of the way he jerks and bucks against every touch. The way the flushed head of him throbs. The gusts of breath which billows out as his hands twist in the sheets. As he tries to stave off his end and fails. As you make him come over and over, just the way he likes, until he’s made a mess of himself, load after load covering his toned stomach. Edging him and milking him until he can’t take it anymore - and still, he begs you not to stop.

“Mmmmhmmm,” he hums affirmatively.

“Most sensitive cock I’ve had, aren’t you, my sweet thing?”

His breath and his voice are shaking now, fluttering against the receiver like fragile bird’s wings. “Y-yes. Only for you. Make me feel so g-good.”

“Mmm, Steven. Fuck. You’re making me all wet at my desk, do you know that? Keep touching yourself for me. Don’t you dare stop.”

“Won’t. Can’t stop. Anything you say.”

“That’s good, sweet boy.”

“W-will you… will you do it with me? Can you? Please.” The words are being squeezed out of him now, the way the circle of his fist must be squeezing down on his shaft. Gripping himself hard. Rolling his palm over the sensitive head of him, spreading that leaked bead of slick over his flushed, veined length. “Need to hear you, darling. B-been thinking about it all morning. The way you moaned into my ear last night when we made you cum. Like an angel, so beautiful. Keep thinking about you touching me. Making me give you everything, love.”

You can’t be blamed, can you, for popping the button on your trousers. For slipping them down around your ankles beneath the desk so you can part your legs just enough. For dragging your knickers aside just enough to skim a finger through your heat, finding it sensitive and slick. “I’m soaking, Steven. All wet for you. Do you want me to touch myself? Is that what you need?”

“Yes.” The man sounds broken. Levelled by want. You think back to how shy he was when you’d first gotten to know him. When he’d never had anyone touch him like that. About how quickly all of that unravelled as soon as you had gotten your hands - and mouth, and heat- on him.

“I’m going to put a finger inside of myself now, just for you.”

“No,” he counters.

“No?”

“Two. Spread yourself open.”

“Fuck. Okay.” You slip two fingers inside of yourself and you find that your cunt swallows them eagerly, so ready to be filled. “Still touching yourself for me too?”

“Yes. I wanna…”

“What do you want?”

“Wanna be good for you.”

Hnnng. From the bashfulness in his tone you can imagine the crimson flush creeping up his neck and reddening his cheeks all too well. You wonder if, with your words, you can make him blush more deeply again, even if you aren’t there to see it. “You are good for me,” you purr, and his breaths grow more ragged, the sounds coming hard and fast through the headphones. “You’re so good for me, Steven. So handsome. So beautiful. Touching yourself so well. Going to give me everything, aren’t you?”

“Mmmhhhmmm.”

“Use your words, baby boy. How does it feel? Tell me.”

“N-nothing like you,” he stutters. “But f-feels good. Feels n-nice.

You moan too, as you pulse your two fingers inside your heat, curling them and gathering up your dripping juices. Steven moans too as he hears your own sounds filter through the phone, and you can only imagine the glassy-eyed, pussy-drunk look washing over his face.

“So beautiful,” he gushes. “Want to be inside you.”

“Steven.”

“Again. Please.”

“What, baby?”

“Touch yourself, and say my name again. Please. Not anyone else. Need you all for myself.”

“Who’s a greedy little thing today, hmm?”

“Yeah. I am. Don’t care. Want you to be all mine. Need you so badly. Please.”

His broken, cracked apart plea breaks you, and you relish the pressure and glide of the slick pads of your fingers as you circle them against your wanting clit. “Steven,” you suspire, and that’s a wrecked sound too. You realise then the state you’re in, his brazen want inching you towards your own precipice. Dragging you over that edge with him. “Fuck, Steven, you’re going to make me come at my desk.”

“Want you to. Need you to. Please.”

“Are you close?”

“I’m going to make a mess.”

“Mmmm. That sounds delicious.”

Steven submits some broken apart syllables to you then, unable to get his words out.

“What is it, baby boy?”

“What should I think about when I…?” He huffs out a taut, loaded breath, and you know it signals that he is close to his end.

You increase the pressure and ministrations of your own hand, thinking about him doing the same. Thinking about how, if he were here, he could so easily glide the swollen head of him inside you and pulse himself into the depths of you. “Think about opening me up on your cock, Steven. Think about-“

That’s enough.

That’s enough and Steven’s blissed-out noises fill your head. You slip your fingers back inside of yourself as you picture him spilling himself over his own knuckles, the slight look of awe and surprise that always settles over his pretty face when he comes undone for you. You thumb at your clit and it’s enough. More than enough as Steven’s breathy noises punctuate each relieving pulse of his cock.

“Yes, that’s it, Steven. I’m coming now too. Fuck, baby. So good for me.”

Shit. You’re coming hard. So hard that you buck yourself against your own hand. That you screw your eyes shut as his disbelieving moans fill your head, right in the shell of your ear as though he is next to you. The sensations explode out through your whole body and you shudder with aftershocks, nervy and shaking, and sitting in a pool of your own juices on the sticky, faux leather office chair.

You relish it. Stay silent for a moment as you listen to Steven squeeze out every last drop. Wring himself dry. You enjoy each little nuance and variation of his ragged breaths right in your ear. All his little noises as he comes down, increasingly slow instead of urgent. Calm and sated rather than distressed. “Mmmm,” he hums as you curl your fingers inside of you one more time, the sound drawing a final, blooming aftershock from you which seeps warmly through your core. “Thank you, love.”

“Better?” You smile softly, feeling sleepy and cosy, despite it being the middle of the day. Despite being in your goddamn office.

“Much, thank you. You’re a goddess, you know?”

“So I’ve been told,” you smile, thinking of the man who has met actual deities and still sees fit to address you as such. It makes you feel special. Continues the warm buzz emanating through your body.

“Are you all gooey now?”

“I’ve made quite the mess,” you giggle.

“Me too.”

“Can you clean up?”

“Think so. Mostly went on the wall, thankfully. Bugger - there’s so bloody much of it.”

“Just couldn’t wait for me, baby?”

“No, angel.” There is a beat, as Steven’s feral state recedes, and his unfortunate thud back to reality begins. “Oh god, you weren’t busy when I called, were you, love?”

“Nah. Was only in a meeting with Royce. The twatty foxhunter prick?” Steven hums to signal he remembers. “Trust me. This was much more fun.”

“I’m glad. I’m gonna have to go though, love, I’m so sorry to dash.” You glance at the clock. He doesn’t have long left of his lunch break. “I love you, so much.”

“I love you too, Steven.”

“See you later tonight, yeah?”

“Bye, baby.”

You feel blissed out as you prepare to hang-up the call; however, something prevents you from doing so. Another, even more unexpected voice on the line.

“Wait. Don’t hang up.”

Marc.

Your stomach churns pleasantly, wondering if he’s been listening to you. Maybe even watching Steven. “I’m here. Been missing you.” It’s been a few days since he fronted.

“Good. ‘Cause it’s my turn next. How’s that little clit feeling, princess? Can it take another thrashing?”

“Jesus, Marc.”

“What? Getting Steven all worked up like that… Think you don’t do the exact same thing to me?”

“Mmmmph.” Words fail you right now, honestly. Sometimes, you truly can’t believe how lucky you are. “Alright. Tell me then. How can I be of service to you, Marc?”

“First thing’s first. Send me a picture of the mess you made.”

A dark smirk blooms over your mouth. “I will if you will.”

There is a beat. You hang on his every word, until he responds to you. “Copy that. But you’ll have to get me to make one first.”

Well. You might be in the office, but today, you really love your job.

[stemmmm]

Close to a year and four rewrites later, I present to you...

Stem's Thoughts on the Game Design of Harvest Moon on SNES

I’m not going to lie, if you don’t like farming sims, you won’t like this one. At their core, every farming sim (at least in the rpg genre) is nearly identical, and that’s because of this game. In a way, I might dare to say that Harvest Moon for the SNES is the perfect farming sim because it has every one of the usual elements in their most simplified form and it just works straight from the get-go. It works so well in fact, that after this game came out in 1996, four more entries to the series were released before the year 2000.

If you are someone who does like farming sims, I can’t recommend this game enough. It’s simple and to the point, with a fast pace and enough random events and points of intrigue that the game kept me relatively engaged for my whole playthrough.

Also, by nature of this being the first game and therefore hard to cover concisely and by nature of taking so long to write this... it's long as hell! Enjoy! :) <3

I can’t say my appreciation of this game doesn’t come with a few caveats. I’ve intermittently played HM games all my life, starting with the GameBoy port (GB1) all the way to Pioneers of Olive Town, so while I don’t know exactly how the series has evolved, I’ve seen it at some of its earliest and at its latest. My vague childhood memories of GB1 (a game I didn’t own and didn’t play much of) were that it was pretty sparse and bland, so knowing that this original game was allegedly the same thing but with a little more content, I was expecting the bare minimum. I was prepared to never even be able to leave my farm, but the first thing the game did was shuttle me off to the nearby town and blocked the exit until I talked to everyone there. 

(Maps of the town, mountain, and farm via The Spriters Resource)

You learn everything you need to know about the game right here at the beginning; Firstly, that this town is small as all hell and has hardly anyone in it aside from the five girls you can marry and their immediate family members. The next thing you’ll learn is that there’s a fence on your farm, and you need to be taking care of that. Of the few repetitive lines of dialogue any given person in town has to share with you on any given day, a fair amount are devoted to reminding you to fix your fence, to make sure it’s in good repair. There was just a big storm so watch out! Remember to check it every day! Are you chopping enough wood? Because you’ll need it for that fence!

I’m being dramatic of course, you aren’t reminded about it that much, though the thin variation of dialogue means it comes up a lot. The emphasis on your fence does exist, and it isn’t for nothing: while it doesn’t matter as much if all you do is grow crops– if you keep animals, the game tells you that the ideal thing to do for yours and the animal’s happiness is to put the animals outside to graze. Animal feed bought from the livestock shop will keep them fed, but it's nothing compared to fresh grass grown on your farm. You can’t even buy animals without a certain amount of grass planted! And sure, you can cut the grass to store for later, but it’s at its best straight out of the ground. However, the way the game is programmed, the animals only eat when the day rolls over, so putting animals outside for the day and taking them in at night isn’t an option, and on top of that, there’s things that come out at night that can hurt your animals. This is where your fence comes in.

The Utility of Fences

At the entrance to your farm is a cluster of buildings: your house, a small lumber shed, a barn, coop, and silo, a tool shed, and an old, dried up well. Just barely surrounding all of these is a little wooden fence that looks more like a row of upright logs than anything else. Despite this farm having presumably been abandoned, the fence is in perfect repair. You’ll quickly discover that the fence as it is won’t work out; there’s hardly space to plant anything within it, and with the well dried up, you’re forced to hop it to get to a water source to fill up your watering can. It’s pretty clear that you’ll need to expand your fence, and it’s easy to do with all of the tree stumps littering the massive field that it’s blocking off. 

On top of needing to expand the range of your fence, the individual planks eventually will rot away and leave useless stumps. They show up more frequently after rain or a large storm. The posts don’t rot away completely so they have to be manually removed, but replacing them is as simple as smashing the old post with a hammer or ax and popping a new post in its place. It becomes a very natural part of your daily routine to run a lap around the farm’s perimeter before you go to bed to make sure everything looks safe and secure. It’s a good way to ensure your animals are put away and debris is cleared out, too! It slotted very nicely into my daily schedule until a certain point.

With how much time you have to spend hopping over the logs to get to the rest of the area too large to fence in, you might be tempted to leave one out of place for easier traversal. When night comes, it’s clear why that would be a mistake. Sometimes when you go to bed, you’ll hear your dog barking. It’s a small detail, one that took me a long time to notice because I didn’t always play with the sound on. There are wild dogs that prowl around the wilderness surrounding your farm, and only at night do they dare to come close. Your dog, if left outside, isn't able to do anything other than warn you of their presence if they show up. There’s nothing to notice during the daytime if it happens, unless you happened to leave one of your animals outside. There was one night that I left my chickens outside, having thought my fence was in perfect order and repair. I went to bed and heard the dog barking, followed by a horrible crunch. When I went out in the morning, I saw where my chicken had been before, it had been replaced by a pile of feathers. On the north side of my farm was a rotted fence post I’d failed to fix. 

The Reality of Fences

After losing my chicken, a cluster of pixels on my screen it may have been, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving my animals outside. I didn’t want to take a risk again, the sound and sight of feathers was upsetting enough. On a more logical note, the chickens didn’t even lay eggs if left outside so there was no value in it. Cows were a pain to put back inside the barn too, because of some silliness with the game’s collision. As much of a disappointment as it was to not have my animals roam around, it was just easier. At the time, I was focusing on upgrading my house anyways, so I didn’t have time to take care of my animals outside where time would pass when I could use that time gathering wood, and everything I had was being saved up for the house so I didn’t have any extra materials to repair my fence with. My fence was all rotting away. Because it was inconvenient for getting to my crops, I started smashing all the old posts as they went, too. That’s when I noticed something: the wild dog wasn’t coming anymore.

I didn’t pay much attention to it until I was looking up a completely different mechanic and discovered a forum explaining how the fences were broken. Rotted posts attracted the wild dog, they said. It didn’t matter if you had gaps in your fence, or even a fence at all–in fact no fence was the best kind to have because the mere existence of posts that could rot was a liability. 

I was hesitant at first to test this concept, after all there wasn’t much I could gain from it. My chickens wouldn’t lay outside, and my cows would be too challenging to get back in if the forecast called for rain. The thing that got me to finally try it was when I was trying to hatch more chickens. My coop felt like a nightmare to navigate due to its current population. I wanted less animals inside that I had to feed, so I threw a couple chicks outside–they weren’t laying yet anyways. Lo and behold, the dog didn’t come. More days passed and more animals were left outside, and it never came. My fence had rotted until there was nothing left at all. No dogs could ever come to my farm again. And I realized that the game’s own insistence on its mechanics was all a lie.

How You’re Told To Play - How The Game Lies

Of course, my animals didn’t stay outside. For a minute it was fun having a crowd of cows milling about while I tended to my crops, but letting them wander free and uninhibited made it impossible to find and milk all of them without any trouble, and there were the rainy days to watch out for. After the novelty wore off, they went back inside and stayed there. The thing is, that didn’t make a single bit of difference in how much they liked me compared to how they were living in the barn. On top of that, they didn’t seem to care whether I was feeding them grass or store-bought food either, though I mostly stuck to the grasses since they were cheaper and easier to get. Nothing about how I was told to care for animals really mattered past feeding them every day, petting it and maybe brushing it, if it was a cow.

It gets worse. The most basic aspect of the game is the fact that time passes. The story takes place over 2 and a half years, running through each day until the end, and these days last from 6AM to 6PM according to the game’s own internal time setting. After 6PM, all of the shops aside from the bar will close and you lose the ability to sell anything as you’re told it would rot in the shipping bin overnight, so there’s nothing to do but sleep until the next day. Issue with this is that when the days stop at 6PM… they just stop. Time doesn’t flow anymore. The game doesn’t give you any kind of clock to know the exact time it is until after you’ve upgraded your house, so all you have to go by before that is the color of the environment and whether or not your character has played an animation to eat something (you’re automatically fed when you wake up, at noon, and at night). I discovered this because I was curious if I could actually see the wild dog by staying out, and left the game running for probably 20 minutes in real life only for nothing to happen. Because of the time freeze, the time after 6PM actually becomes really valuable for farm logistics. You can’t sell anything, no, but you can pull up all the weeds on the farm, water your crops, fix your fences, feed and care for animals if you hadn’t already, and harvest wood for fences and house upgrades which would have taken a lot of valuable time to get during shipping-hours. The only thing that gets in the way of doing all that is you running out of energy.

Your energy is what allows you to use your farming equipment like your ax or watering can. Running out of it doesn’t mean you fall unconscious or anything, but your character will play an animation of them stumbling over and will fail to use any tools. The most obvious fix to this is to simply go to bed, as sleeping gives you a full recharge. You can also, however, recharge it by going to the hot spring on the mountain, or by eating food bought at the restaurant in town or foraged for in the forest. You can’t tell easily how much is refilled, as there’s no visual indicator like a health bar, but you’re able to eat more than once, and jumping into the hot spring seems to count whether you did it or not more than how much time you spend in there, so you can hop in and out a couple of times and call it good. 

Individually, time freezing at 6PM and energy being endlessly replenishable aren’t bad things. Even together, they’re not the worst. Having free time to focus on profitless chores is nice, and I think it’s important to be able to replenish your energy in case you have a limited amount of time to do things like for example, cut all of your grass before winter kills it. What makes an exploit out of these is the fact that the resources in the forest will never run out. Every time you re-enter the forest, all forage items and tree stumps are respawned. The infinite amount of forage makes for infinite energy refills, and could also make for an incredible money exploit if you didn’t have a very limited amount of time to ship things. You don’t have a limited amount of time to cut up tree stumps though. If you wanted to, you could run up to the forest after 6PM, chop every stump, then simply reload the area, and everything’s back. You can get all of the wood you would ever need to fully upgrade your house in one night. It’s a bit of a grind to do all at once, but it’s a grind you’d be doing over time anyways. It’s not the worst exploit in the world, since you still need money to pay for the house upgrade, but arguably because of how you have to focus your energy elsewhere for most of the game, the wood is the harder thing to get. Additionally, when the game has very little to do in both fall and winter due to the lack of crops, this exploit takes away just about any reason to play those two seasons other than to take care of animals. It’s an optional exploit of course–as all exploits are–but once you learn about it, it’s hard to resist the desire to get the grind out of the way all at once and mess up the pacing of the game.

The Charm of the Game

Learning that the fences were completely broken as a mechanic was a huge disappointment for me. From the moment I got a grasp on how the game was supposed to work, I wanted to eventually surround my whole field with fencing and keep my animals outside so I would have some life on my farm while I worked. I didn’t just want this, I was excited for it! This was something I’d never done in a farming sim that didn’t already manage putting animals in and out for you like Stardew Valley or newer Story of Seasons games do. My routine is always the same: I go into the barn and coop to tend to each of my animals, I take care of my crops outside, then run straight to town to talk to everyone, and go to bed. The change in routine that would come from taking care of the animals outside and patrolling the fence every night felt fresh to me. It made me feel that even though this was the first game of its kind, it was different and required new things of me. But in the end, I played it exactly the same.

Harvest Moon is still very different from all of the games that followed it, though. In many ways, it’s because it has less “stuff” in it– both in terms of items and things you have to do. But I wouldn’t say that it feels incomplete. Harvest Moon runs over the course of 2 and a half years before your work is evaluated. Until that happens, you have the ability to farm four different crops, you can raise both cows and chickens, you can upgrade your house to have more features, upgrade your working tools, build relationships with the townspeople to a small extent, go to town festivals that happen each year, and you can get married to one of the five girls living in town with whom you can have up to two children. Everything that you would come to expect as a fan of games like this is already here from the very first iteration. The most notable lack this game has, and one that seems to be completely unique to this game, is that there aren’t any crops in the fall or winter, which means that unless you have animals, there’s a whole half of the year that you don’t have anything to do. The game is clearly aware of this though, because in an average playthrough, this is where you’ll start to run into the story events.

There isn’t much of an overarching story in the game, past the general concept that you’ve run away from home to work on an abandoned farm. The conclusion rests on how good of a job you actually do. In between those two points are smaller events, usually tied to when you get tool upgrades or special ones for each of the romantic interests. The first event you’re likely to run into happens on the very last day of summer, where one of the woodsmen comes to your house in the morning to ask if you’re okay because he heard a huge crash at night and you should check your farm. What I found was that a tree in my field had fallen over, and its remaining stump had a big empty hole in it. When I inspected the stump, I was suddenly underground in a cave filled with loud and industrious music, and I was faced with two, little green people–Harvest Sprites, though I don’t know if they’re called that yet here. One asked me if my scythe worked well, and when I said yes, told me that they had made it and that I should check my shed tomorrow for a better one. Other tool upgrades are obtained in similar fashion; one comes from feeding a starving sprite a mushroom and another comes from another hole in the farm opening up to reveal another part of the cave system that has a couple of hints on how to unlock other things. 

The events for romantic interests happen at less scripted times, as they’re tied to how strong your relationship is with each girl. Each girl only has one event, and it only triggers when your relationship is high enough that you would ask her to marry you. The events usually take up a whole day, and don’t necessarily add much to each character. Ellen’s revolves around how she’s no good at keeping pets– something established on your second day at the farm when you get your dog from her, Eve’s hammers in her fraught relationship with her grandpa, and Ann’s is about losing the chicken weathervane, or “weathercock” which sits on the roof of her workshop and goes missing every time there’s a storm. Conversely, Nina and Maria’s scenes bring up entirely new events that bring up a number of questions while providing no answers. Nina disappears while looking for a medicinal plant because her mother is apparently sick, and Maria vanishes for days until you find her hiding away with the woodsmen for some reason. All of these events, whether they share new information or not, manage to add some greatly appreciated depth to each character by giving them more room to speak and be sincere than their short and repetitive day-to-day dialogues do.

The dialogue in this game is simple, to the point, and sparse– probably because there was only so much memory that could be reserved for approximately 15 people who all have multiple lines of dialogue, and only so much money to pay someone to write more. There is simple dialogue that doesn’t tell you much more than “hello, how are you” would, more dialogue that I’d label as tutorial text, and a few lines that I truthfully couldn’t understand well because of the sub-par translation this game received for english. The dialogue that exists to inform the world really manages to create a unique vibe though. Nina’s dialogue, almost always about plants, goes into forays about how they’re creatures with wills to live, too. Ellen’s uncle who runs the ranch shop tells you that it’s much better to feed your animals fresh grass if you try to buy any from his store, and if you decline to purchase he laughs as if he’s won something. There’s even dialogue referencing the silent player! Multiple lines exist to comment on him not paying attention, and inspection prompts have people telling you not to touch something rather than being an item description. It was the last thing I expected, to get the same level of personality out of the main character as I did from each of the girls, albeit very subtly. He went from a kind of nothing, self-insert into being what I perceive to be a hyperactive boy, akin to a border collie who was let out into a field of sheep for the first time–the exact kind of person crazy enough to take on an abandoned farm and succeed.

It’s these short little character details that bring life into the game. Each day, you’ll really only see one line of dialogue from each character, be it new or old, with that dialogue usually only changing if there’s a change in season or festival coming up. The repetitive, pretty mindless routine of the game can turn into a sort of meditation if you let it, where you spend your time working thinking about the folks in town and what they had to say to you the previous day. The developers took this concept in stride and gave the side characters loads of dialogue about life, about God and religion, and about… very basic morals, but morals nonetheless. It’s a children’s game after all. When you take the thoughts, questions and prompts the characters give you back to the farm to do your long and tedious routine, you have to ask yourself– what are you working so hard for? For the feeling of accomplishment? Recognition from your peers? For the sake of some higher power, if you worship one? For me personally, it was to write this essay, but it was also for a good grade on the high score screen at the end, so to be honest a lot of this stuff was lost on me until just now when I was reviewing the game to get screenshots.

Setting The Standard - Why You Should Play HM SNES

You may read all of this and still think, well, it doesn’t sound like the game has much in it. And you would be right, it’s a very small game, but it’s also extremely quick. On average, my days only lasted about three minutes of real life time. Everything flew by, and I think I finished the game in 20 hours or less. I barely got a chance to notice that there wasn’t much going on because every second of my day was spent busy doing something, and when I wasn’t busy, the break was appreciated. I didn’t start to run out of things to do until I was finished with the second year, and when I looked up what I needed to do to get a decent ending, I was already most of the way there. It was easy to push through those last two seasons to get to the end, and it was so, so worth it. 

As I mentioned earlier, the game ends with a high score screen, meaning it has to track all of your accomplishments. These include, but are not limited to: the number of things you ship, number of each crop you grow, number of animals you have and how much they like you, how upgraded your house is, who you married, how much all of the girls in town like you if you didn't get married, how many kids you have (which basically equates to how long you were married), your happiness score (increased by going to festivals and decreased by having animals die), and how many times you’ve pet your dog. In addition to these being tallied up and presented to you, you get special cutscenes not just for each one of these accomplishments, but additional ones for if you managed to do even better! I got a cutscene for having a cow, followed by one for having lots of cows, followed by yet another for having cows that loved me! Watching them play one after the other felt like taking a victory lap even without getting the best possible result. Seeing all of my numbers come up at the end made me want to try again to actually get those other cutscenes, not to get to see them, they’re so easy to find on Youtube, but because the game made it feel like an accomplishment! If I weren’t following this game up by immediately playing its GameBoy port, I absolutely would have started a new file right away. I’ve been playing the Harvest Moon series since I was a little kid and this was the first time I’d actually managed to beat one of these games. I struggle to think the finale of any game following this will feel as good as this one did.

I started writing this whole thing about the fences because it was an easy and silly entry point to get into my core issue with the game, and so I could have an opportunity to dig into game mechanics and the way the knowledge you have of them will completely alter your playstyle, because that’s all fun and interesting for me to talk about. Another reason why I focused on that was because it was near impossible for me to pick any kind of focus point when talking about this game. After all, I’m trying to study a whole series of games that spans multiple decades, and this is not only the first game in that series, but a game that created the whole genre of farming sims and defined that genre so thoroughly that you can see its DNA in every single game that followed.

 I didn’t expect much to come out of my experience with this game. My expectations for it before I even picked it up were that it was going to be basically featureless, as informed by my experience with one of the first games I ever played as a child, Harvest Moon GB, which I will get into next. This game was not that at all. I think that everything it did manage to get working right came together just about perfectly. Harvest Moon is exactly what it wanted to be, and where it wasn’t, it lied about how it worked to try and make you play the correct way anyways. When I believed that lie, my time playing was even more enjoyable. Maybe if farming worked just a little bit more like how you’re told it’s supposed to, and if there was just a little bit more story, those would cover the things I felt wanting for the most. But maybe a little flexibility and ambiguity is a good thing. Maybe actually maintaining a fence is just too hard, and maybe if the girls were more fleshed out, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy filling in their gaps in my head.

There are many more things I could say and wanted to say about this game, but this has grown far too long already so I'm cutting myself off here. I'm sure my later entries aren't going to get near this length. If you managed to get to this point, thank you so much for reading!

[the-insomniac-emporium]

She's The Skeleton In My Closet (Mia Winters/Reader)

Fandom: Resident Evil/Resident Lover Genre: fluff? and whatever is a step down from smut Rating: T? not quite horny enough for M. Warnings: Brief, non-descriptive mentions of death/bloodshed, and relatively minor choking in a sexual context (it's more of a hand position than actual choking). Reader is referred to as a girl once by a side character. Summary: It's the end of another loop, and Mia allows herself to get closer to you... through a game of Seven Minutes In Heaven. Notes: Inspired by two pieces of art by @vivi-ness, specifically this and this. If you want to skip to the part of this fic that actually takes place in the closet (aka the making out part), start reading after the second section break -----. I did not mean for the lead-up to be as long as it ended up being. Also might make a part 2 with actual smut?

Alone. Curled up with the brazen darkness wrapped around her like a blanket, Mia’s eyes straining, as she glanced over her notes by candlelight. Less than thirty feet away raged a party fit to shake the heavens. As with every semester, the Umbrella Sorority felt inclined to celebrate the end of exams. Blaring music, countless games on rotation, enough booze to drown the world (or set it all ablaze). Even the theatre kids know to defer to the sorority for this evening. Normally, Mia would not hesitate to join in, downing shots of whiskey and kicking ass at every other game, all the while keeping keen eyes on interesting people.

Ah, but not tonight. Not with the reset looming in the distance, date preselected. Another loop on death row. There was plenty of work to be done, mostly preparations for the ritual, but Mia’s focus was on… other matters. Scanning through old tomes, searching for something that may prove useful in the next rotation. Maybe not enough to finally end the cycle, no, of course not, just something to influence it. Push it in the right direction, despite Miranda’s many protests regarding “interference”.

But there’s a knock on the door, and Mia pauses, unsure if it was simply the bass speakers thumping the walls again. A beat passes before the knock repeats, louder this time. Off-tempo. Quickly, she places her journal aside without marking her place (she remembers, of course, that it is page 28), then blows out the candles. Even as the darkness swallows the last sanctuary of light, her movements are smooth, flowing. In one motion she flips the light switch and unlatches the door.

“What’s up?” She asks, sickly sweet and every bit faking it, staring down at the unexpected visitor. They’re a sophomore, she thinks, a small woman whose name starts with an A. Or an E, maybe. Most loops have her just barely in Mia’s peripheral, sharing a single class but never really interacting. Definitely not the person she would have wanted to come knocking at her door. Only a brief moment passes before the woman replies, her gaze briefly (and unsubtly) scanning the room, voice filled with the unironic enthusiasm that made her grate on Mia’s nerves.

“Well, we’re one person short for 7 Minutes in Heaven- we had enough people, technically, but a few left after Cassandra got picked early, you know how it is- and so I was wondering if you’d join? It’s so weird not having you at the party, anyway, really feels like we’re missing an integral piece of the vibe, you know?” Alissa (if that was her name) says, offering a lopsided smile. Faint pink dusts her freckled cheeks, only some of it being makeup. One of her hands starts to reach for Mia, to rest a flirtatious hand against her shoulder, but the flash of something darker in her expression makes Alissa pull back.

“Oh, I would love to play, but technically my exams aren’t finished,” Mia answers, sporting a half-assed pout, dragging the words out. She lets her tongue click on the t in technically for emphasis. It’s not the best excuse, especially considering Elise (or whatever her name is) also still has one final left. All because the student council took one day too long to remind a certain professor that he couldn’t force students to complete a ritual as part of their exam. Not that Mia would have minded a little school-sanctioned bloodplay, especially since she knows (from experience) that the ritual Dr. Wesker had in mind wouldn’t work.

“C’mon, Mia, we both know you don’t need to study for our Occult Sciences class; you could probably teach it at this point!” Anna (Áine?) chimes, grinning wide, blissfully unaware of the true accuracy of her statement. Mia could teach the class, far better than the actual professor, although at that point it would be considerably harder to keep the university’s secrets. But that doesn’t mean she has any interest in joining the party.

Her reluctance must show, because the shorter woman (whose name may or may not be Enya) squints, lips pursing before she abruptly straightens up and switches tactics.

“Besides… your favorite person is playing,” she adds, leaning in to stage-whisper, glancing down the hallway as if checking for eavesdroppers. Despite the confidence in her voice, Mia stares at her blankly. As much as she definitely has a favorite, the one her very soul is bound to, she finds it unlikely that Eliza would know… right? It’s not like they’ve even spent that much time together this loop. Surely she’d been able to keep her cards close to her chest; it’s not like Eliza was terribly observant anyway. Unfortunately for Mia, her thoughts get cut off by another high-pitched exclamation. “Don’t play dumb, Mia! The girl with one earring, roommates with Angie and the youngest Dimitrescu?”

Well. Fuck. So much for being subtle…

-----

Turning down Anamaria (no, not that one, the other one) became impossible the second Mia’s eyes lit up, all at the mere mention of you. Within a minute she had relented, murmuring a few choice words under her breath, allowing herself to be all but dragged to a crowded living room. It takes all of her willpower to maintain a guise of boredom, lips drawn tight as she scanned the partygoers for familiar faces. A slight tension formed in her chest as she intentionally avoided looking at the center of the room, having caught a glimpse of familiar clothing, saving the sight for last. 

Caldwell is by the back corner, playing some complicated boardgame with a mildly enthused Stanley (and a confused but nonetheless supportive Jasmin), positioned where they can keep an eye out for trouble. All three of the Stans could be found hovering by the alcohol, debating whether to leave now or wait for Cassandra to inevitably grab a refill. Somehow Anamaria (yes, that one) was half asleep, tuckered out from one too many party games, curled up against a blushing Livia. Both were chatting with Angie, who was perched precariously on the back of the couch. The only thing keeping the short girl from falling off was a hand clutching one of her belt loops, pulling as necessary to rebalance her.

As Mia’s eyes traced the hand to its owner, she inhaled sharply, the slightest flare to her nostrils. There you are. Eyes crinkled at the edges while you laugh at one of Daniela’s jokes, the sound barely audible past the music, your mouth open in a genuine, shameless grin. Mia allows herself a single moment to admire the view. Luck plays a trick on her then, your gaze suddenly shifting to her, eyes widening when you meet her stare. Immediately you look away, warmth in your face contrasting the way your shoulders tense.

If Mia hadn’t torn her gaze away, flinching like she got burned, she would have seen the way your friends reacted, the way they jumped at the opportunity to tease you. Instead, she lets herself get tugged over to a spare chair by the woman hosting the game.

“Damn, Iris, I didn’t think you’d actually convince Mia to play,” Nicoletta says, trailing her eyes up and down Mia, appreciatively, before turning to the one who had dragged her here. Guess her name doesn’t start with an A or an E after all, Mia thinks, before shrugging off the attention. None of these people know her terribly well, beyond reputation, and she can’t be bothered to unpack why they wanted her here.

“I mean, I kind of had to, with how hard Iris was begging me,” Mia says, pointedly ignoring their gazes in favor of inspecting her nails (short, smoothed over, no polish today). Protests stream from next to her, while a few chuckles rise up around the room. A smirk crosses her lips as she makes eye contact with Iris. Before the woman can explain that Mia only agreed because you’re playing, she speaks up again, propping her feet up on the coffee table as she does. “So, are we drawing names from a hat or what?”

“Close, half of us already put a trinket or whatever in the bag. Anyone who didn’t put one in gets to draw one at some point,” Iris explains, eager to move past the embarrassment from Mia’s lie. “Since you had to be… convinced, you can go ahead and be the one to draw next. Once the lovebirds in the closet are done, that is!”

Nodding, Mia withdrew into herself again, content to sit in silence until her turn. Why had she agreed to this, exactly?... It’s not as if she’s ideologically opposed to party games, but she’d always been more of a fan of the ones that involve drinking. Maybe spin-the-bottle, if she was in the mood for it. But Seven Minutes In Heaven? Too time-consuming, and absolute torture if one got stuck with the wrong partner. What were the odds she’d even get paired up with you? Was that even what she wanted?

Something about this particular loop was messing with her head. Every other one so far involved you falling in love with somebody, even if it ended poorly. But this time?... She had been sure you’d end up with Daniela or Angie, with the way you pushed studies aside for parties, never officially joining the sorority but being a frequent guest at their dorm. Living it up, only getting serious when you helped break Daniela’s curse (not because you loved her, but because you love her, the same way you pour your heart into loving all of your friends).

That’s why the reset was looming overhead, of course. Your faith in Miranda lay shattered, if it had ever existed in the first place, your distrust a crime she considered worthy of oblivion. Any life where you would not love her was, to Miranda, a life unfit to continue.

Mia gets pulled out of her thoughts by a door opening, old hinges squawking in protest. Two flustered women readjust their clothing as they exit the closet, both sporting bright red cheeks, utterly oblivious to the fact that they had swapped shirts. Naturally, they are not allowed to remain ignorant for long, a chorus forming of drunken cheers and teasing remarks. Not everyone focuses on the couple, however, and Mia feels the weight of someone’s gaze on her.

Once more she looks to you, just in time for you to look away, although this time she notices something odd: You aren’t wearing your earring. How interesting. Suddenly she finds herself itching to take her turn, but she suppresses her thirst, not wanting to earn any gentle ribbing from the others. Another minute passes before the paper bag actually gets passed to her, Iris winking as their fingers brush up against each other. Maintaining eye contact, Mia reaches into the bag, offering a smile that doesn’t quite meet her eyes.

There are still five or six items inside, some of them in familiar shapes. A watch with a cracked face, one of those tiny skateboards (a Tech Deck, maybe?), a basic bracelet… None of them interest her, but it only takes another second for her to grasp her target, the cool surface smooth under her touch. Carefully, she retrieves it, ensuring the earring doesn’t snag on any of the other items.

With a triumphant smirk, she holds it up in the light. Although disappointment shows in Iris’ face, Mia can’t help but notice the way Daniela nudges your side with a knowing grin. Even Angie turns to whisper something in your ear, almost tumbling off the couch with how hard she laughs at the instant flush to your face, exasperation clear in your posture. Nonetheless, you rise on shaky legs, not meeting Mia’s gaze as the two of you move towards the unoccupied closet…

-----

“Have fun in there! Seven minutes starts when the door closes,” Iris chimes, having readopted her mask of overexcited joy, all but pushing you in after Mia. There’s a sharp click right after, the door settling into place. Another click, softer, and the small space becomes sparsely illuminated. You blink a few times to adjust to the dim lighting, glancing up in time to see Mia… on her phone? Before you can question her, she taps a button and sets it down on one of the shelves behind her, and you catch a glimpse of a timer on the screen.

“Six and a half minutes,” she says, as if that was all the explanation needed. Then she’s leaning forward, expression blank, hands reaching out to-... put your earring back where it belongs. It’s an oddly intimate experience, feeling out of place in a game that focused on a different kind of intimacy. If only it lasted longer than a few moments. Once she pulls away, there’s a noticeable flush to her cheeks. “Wouldn’t want anyone to catch us in a compromising position, right?”

Despite her words, Mia makes no further moves to touch you. One hand fiddles with the hem of her jacket, the other tucks her own hair behind her ear, the movement awkward in the cramped space. It’s easy enough to mistake her countenance for a kind of nervousness. Playing wasn’t her idea, after all, and you feel a twinge of guilt for being so excited about getting paired with her. Could she tell? Was she worried by the thundering of your heart, by the warmth of your presence?

Internally, however, Mia is struck with the sudden urge for her favorite brand of intimacy: Violence. Of the last eighteen times she was this close to you, with your breath just barely ghosting her skin, sixteen of those meetings had ended with homicide, attempted or otherwise. Gods, it was her curse, to only know your touch when she initiated it with heavy hands. To be so well acquainted with the feeling of your blood on her skin that it has become more familiar than her own. When was she last able to touch you without the many promises of pain? Can she even trust herself to love without consuming?

“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, I know you probably weren’t planning on this tonight,” you say, softly, offering a weak smile. Now you’re the nervous one, rubbing your arm as if the sensation might smooth out your anxiety. It’s not until you feel Mia lean the slightest bit forward that you dare to meet her gaze. Something haunts her expression, lying beneath the flushed cheeks and hooded eyes. Before you can even blink, she’s brought her hand back up, cupping your chin and making sure your gaze never leaves hers.

“And if I do want to do something?” Mia whispers. One of her fingers shifts, gently tracing over the front of your throat. If only you knew how excited she got by the feeling of your heart racing beneath her fingertips. In contrast, she is all the more aware of the way your breath hitches at her touch. The way you look up at her with dilated pupils makes her every bit hungrier. Just one taste, she thinks, eying your lips. How was it fair that in all these loops, she had never once gotten to kiss you? “Tell me you want this. Say it, or I go right now, game be damned.”

She knows it’s not fair to put that pressure on you, to make you choose that very second. But she doesn’t care, not at all, not when she knows you’re already on the brink of giving in.

“Please, Mia,” you say, voice almost whiny from sudden need, a hand moving to clutch her jacket. More words get stuck in your throat, a part of your mind still keenly aware of how swiftly the mood has changed. Had Mia ever been nervous? Maybe, maybe just not the way you had interpreted her to be. No traces of hesitation can be found in her expression as she slides her hand lower, fingers resting on either side of your neck, only enough pressure for you to really feel her. A silent urging for you to spill the rest of your plea. “I want you.” You swallow hard, trapped by her touch, yet desperate for more. “I want this. Please. Please kiss me.”

In an instant she’s pulled you forward, lips crashing against yours; her hand on your throat is the anchor tying her to you. All other thoughts are crushed under the weight of her messy embrace. There’s just her. Instinct drives your movements, all of the desire that had built up this semester coalescing into a kiss, into the way your hand ends up fisted in her hair, the other sliding beneath her jacket to grasp at her shirt.

Mia’s fingers never tighten around your neck, never put any pressure on your windpipe, yet they still hold power over you. It’s her movement that changes the angle, that deepens the kiss until your lips part for her. You swear you can feel her hunger, the need radiating from her, and yet you have no idea how much she is truly holding back. Every bit of your hunger was matched and exceeded by her.

Your feelings, hidden until now, had gnawed at your heart for half a year. Hers had hounded her for countless loops. The hand on your throat is a warning to herself, arm a barrier to keep her from coming any closer. It’s not enough, her free hand itching to touch and tug, to begin unraveling you. Mia presses the hand to the wall behind you, clenching it into a fist. That might have done the trick… if not for the way you shift a moment later. As soon as your thigh starts to slot between her own, she throws out any sense of caution, giving in to this one chance to be with you.

“So eager for me,” Mia murmurs, having pulled back for just a moment, finally pulling her hand from your neck (you miss it, miss the warmth, miss her guidance). There’s a split second where you think you see love in her eyes- and then your back is flat against the wall, both her hands on your hips, her mouth pressing open kisses along your jaw. A tug encourages you to move your thigh again, letting her seek out that friction she so desperately needs. “So fucking good to me,” she whispers, breath hot against your cheek.

Then she’s practically nipping at your throat, relishing your gasp, only to eagerly soothe the skin with gentle kisses. Something like a growl leaves her as she starts to grind against your thigh, grip on your hips growing tighter. Each moment has the kisses growing more intense again, paired with more soft bites, making it harder and harder to keep yourself from moaning. When her hands start rubbing circles against you, it becomes impossible to stay completely quiet.

Both a blessing and a curse, your sound comes at the same time that Mia’s phone starts to vibrate, signaling the end of your time together. Instantly she’s peeling herself off of you, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, muttering a few swears in between shaky breaths. Following her lead, you try to smooth out your clothing and collect yourself. But that’s much easier said than done, neither of you satisfied at leaving things here, both itching to finish what you started.

“You should stay,” Mia starts to say, shrugging off her jacket. Each word sounds like she has to force it out. “After the party ends. I could… I could use the company.” This time the words come easier, accompanied with a crooked grin, and she doesn’t hesitate to drape her jacket over your shoulders, covering up the marks she definitely left all over your throat. More than that, it’s her way of making sure everyone knows that you’re with her tonight.

The door swings open before you have a chance to respond to her offer. For a moment the light feels blinding, and when you reopen your eyes you see that Mia’s already started walking away, ignoring the reactions of other partygoers. You would be disappointed… but this is the first time you’ve seen her without a jacket, and now you find yourself with a new appreciation for her arms, already picturing yourself getting pinned beneath her. Something to look forward to later tonight, you suppose.

[grassbreads]

What Tai Sui is and Why Everyone Should Read It

So if you follow me, over the past couple weeks, you've probably noticed me obsessively screenshotting and posting about a book called Tai Sui. And now that I've finished it, I'd like to try and convince y'all to give it a chance.

What Is Tai Sui?

Tai Sui is a chinese web novel—a relatively unpopular work by the very popular author Priest (author of Guardian and Sha Po Lang, among others). Unlike a lot of the most popular web novels on tumblr, it's not a danmei. It's in fact rather important to the plot and themes that there is almost entirely no romance, but I promise you, it is absolutely worth it regardless.

What is Tai Sui About?

Tai Sui is a steampunk xianxia cultivation story. For those unfamiliar with xianxia and cultivation, this is a particular genre of Chinese historical fantasy.

The official summary of Tai Sui reads as follows:

“If I had a choice, I would only want to be a little insect in the mundane dust, born in confusion, dying in mediocrity, never seeing the light of day beneath the fog of Jinping City.

Better than taking this wrong road to heaven.”

You may have noticed that this summary is not in fact really a summary. It gives you a glimpse into the story's themes, mood, and destination, but it doesn't exactly tell you what happens in it.

That's because Tai Sui is one of those works that's incredibly hard to summarize. The story is incredibly wide in scope and changes massively over its course, to the point that any summary that encapsulates the whole thing is going to feel like a spoiler. However, I can try my best to add a little detail without giving too much away.

Tai Sui is the story of Xi Ping—an obnoxious, trouble-making rich boy with no interest in cultivation—who gets unwittingly involved in a plot to resurrect the "evil god" Tai Sui. This plot pulls him into the cultivation world against his will and, over time, threatens to rewrite everything he is.

Tai Sui is the end of immortality.

Why Should You Read Tai Sui?

Tai Sui is one of the most compelling stories I have ever read. It is a love letter to the power and promise of the whole world and its many mundane people. It also has some of the best worldbuilding I have ever seen.

Tai Sui is written in omniscient perspective, and though Xi Ping is very much the main character, as the story progresses, we spend more and more time alongside characters that aren't him. By the time the novel ends, his entire continent is at stake, and we the audience know that continent and its troubles inside and out from countless angles. Everyone from the immortal demigods of the cultivation world to the most wretched, miserable paupers is given a grand sense of emphasis.

Tai Sui is a deconstruction of the cultivation genre. It establishes a magic/cultivation system and its history, lets the main character live in that system for a while, and then dives deep into that system's depths. It looks at the cultivation genre, at the idea of people who leave behind their status as mortals for greater things, and asks "How does this really work?" and "Is this how the world should be?"

Tai Sui is the story of countless people who were never supposed to be powerful coming together to make the world a better place. It's well written (and very well translated), exciting, heartbreaking, and incredibly beautiful. It's also funny as hell.

I cannot recommend this story enough.

Warnings/Caveats

As I said before, Tai Sui is a deconstruction of the cultivation genre. If you're unfamiliar with this genre, while the book is certainly readable, you are going to be thrown head first into the deep end with the tropes and terminology at play. It's absolutely worth the learning curve, but it will be kind of a lot. Maybe do some light googling about what a cultivator is before you pick it up. (Or just ask a fan. I think most of us would happily explain anything that would win a new reader).

There are portrayals of people/cultures in Tai Sui that are heavily inspired by minority cultures in real-world China, and some of these portrayals play into pretty harmful stereotypes. It's not SPL "Barbarian" or TGCF Banyue levels of racist, but it's something to be aware of and careful about. I'd really recommend reading from the perspectives of those from the cultures in question (including but not limited to the post I linked) for more about the issues I'm talking about.

Tai Sui's English translation is 930,000 words long. I believe this is a strength, since its length is what allows it such an incredible scope. It is also a fucking daunting commitment, and I acknowledge that.

Finally, while Tai Sui doesn't need too many trigger warnings, it does contain some pretty viscerally upsetting depictions of inequality and mistreatment, as well as a few instances of violence toward children. You can't uplift without first seeing what the people need uplifting from, and hooboy. They need it.

There's also some scenes that are technically rather violent, but the goriness is not presented as gore, if that makes sense. It never feels intensely or overly violent in the way some fantasy novels do.

Links

If all my gushing and propagandizing has convinced you to give it a try, you can find the original Chinese version (where you can buy chapters to support the author) on JJWXC.

The complete English translation is free on the website of E. Danglars, who does a truly incredible job with the translating.

Happy reading :).

[arkus-rhapsode]

Manga Recommendation: Tower Dungeon

So looks like Arkus Rhapsode is here to recommend another fantasy manga after the last one. So this time we're going for a bit of a different flavor with the series Tower Dungeon by by Tsutomu Nihei who you may know as the creator of Blame! and Knights of Sidonia.

Now I've known about this series for a bit even though it is relatively new. Having only started last year in Monthly Shonen Sirius. But I remember its announcement from people like Manga Mogul and hearing Makoto Yukimura (Author of the incredible Vinland Saga) recommending it. Now I always loved Sword and sorcery so I was gonna read it eventually, but it just wasn't translated. However, now being able to read the available chapters, I can say this is a very different type of fantasy series.

The premise is very basic: An evil sorcerer has killed a nation's king and kidnapped a Princess and now the royal knights need to ascend the "Dragon Tower" to save her. One battalion has conscripted a young man named Yuva for assisting troops medically has found he has impressive strength. Now Yuva must strengthen himself for the journey ahead as they explore the deadly tower.

Now like all simple premise stories, the real strength is in execution. And unlike the other fantasy series I've talked about before which have bucked the trend of "RPG fantasy" be leaning more into a traditionalist fantasy stories a la Tolkien, this goes for the more realist fantasy of something like Berserk or Dark Souls.

The world of Tower Dungeon may have things like magic and dragons, but it is a dingy, dirty, and lacks any frills. Knights wear heavy armor and people are covered in blood and scars from their adventures.

The mighty Dragon Tower itself? The most iconic thing about this series and the basis of the adventure? Looks like this. This isn't an opulent tower, this is a massive imposing structure where monsters dwell.

However, unlike some grim dark or edgy fantasies, this world isn't indulgent in its darkness. The violence and death are never cool or cheap. They are simply the way the world is. Even when magic exists, the world is still like Medieval Europe and all the "joys" that come from it.

The people as well are similar. These aren't romanticized or polished fantasy archetypes that often come with the idea of a Dungeons and Dragons style adventure, these feel like average joes plucked off the streets having to do a job. If you are say a fan of something like Chainsaw Man, this sort of post modern emphasis on people acting like regular weirdos and not some "anime characters." And I think that is something quite nice that even in a fantastical world, we can see our regular selves in them.

But that's just the story, what about the art? Well if you've noticed this series does have a very minimalist style. Something similar to that of Land of the Lustrous or Chainsaw Man. These almost scratchy and not the most detailed designs that make use of their simplicity to create this very unique atmosphere.

Creature designs themselves are less fantastical and more grody. Feeling as if they come from an off shoot of man rather than some majestic beast. Right down to the cat people.

This series is still new and sadly hasn't been officially translated yet. I've had to use mangadex to read this, so my heart goes out to the translator team. I can understand that this may be a niche that's not for everyone, but its something that feels like such a good sign for fantasy as a genre. A genre that I think has somewhat been stagnated in popular belief with the greater emphasis on Urban Action manga and the reliance on escapist fantasy anime like isekai. To see a more dirty but down to earth take on the premise, I highly recommend it.

[lorz-ix]

Dawn of the Monsters (2022)

Ah yes, one of those flavor of the month, indie beat 'em ups. This one has a theme that I happen to enjoy a bunch, I'm sure it could be fun.

I know the phrase gets thrown around a lot, but this is a love letter to kaiju and tokusatsu media. The story and world building hit every note and they hit it right. I absolutely adored learning about the setting bit by bit, and I fell in love with the cast of characters. It's wonderfully done. You love to see the environmentalist message, very adequate for the genre, and the effort put into making the conflict feel global, with most of the key characters originating from a completely different part of the world, each adding different human perspectives.

As for the playable characters, they give off this impression of "knockoff Godzilla or Ultraman", but the fact that they're not tethered to those franchises lets them put their original spin into the formula, while also paying homage to the icons. Each of them has a ton of alternate color palettes with even more fun references to other media. In combat, they're all very distinct, which is a treat, since it brings a lot of variety between the few of them.

That combat though. It's not my favorite beat 'em up whatsoever, but it's still relatively unique. RPG vibes, with emphasis on equipped passive skills, stat boosts and status effects. Each character has at least one non-damaging ability, or at least some sort of effect that incentivizes thinking about how you use said abilities, giving you buffs and the like. I particularly enjoyed mixing and matching the equipments to come up with strong combinations or new strategies.

Overall, this is a bit of a highlight for the end of the year. I never imagined a game like this to capture me so much, and especially not when I considered the moment to moment gameplay to be good, but not top tier. If what I already said sounds enticing, then I enthusiastically suggest you play it.

[superconductivebean]

#1208: how does one spot ai without tools

Thought I'd write a short one to address certain claims regarding AI and to also comment on the —I'm stiffening my breath I swear— You Can't Spot AI sentiment. I tried to be at my most comprehensiveness.

pls dont throw stuff at meh im a humble aficionado of text and code

tags: @iumosmaxima @catohphm @infernalrusalka @espressoristretto-patronum @gothic-lottie @thriftstorebabayaga

What is a generative AI: Generative AI is the end result of the training of a Language Learning Model, the LLM. For whatever reason, English-speaking people are very dramatic about naming, so what that thing really is, is a pattern analysis algorithm.

After it gets fed a whole dataset of texts —a humongous library of books, comments, posts and everything you can scrap, steal and borrow from online— it can proceed to generate patterns it's observed. Those get corrected by the developers and users alike, and the cycle goes for… until the result is acceptable enough I suppose?

As I hope you've just understood, pattern replication isn't creativity by any stretch of imagination. At best, it is a nifty text analysis tool. At worst, it'll give you gibberish, and when asked to cite sources for its claims, give you non-existent laws and books.

How it works: LLM recreates —generates— patterns it has observed.

By 'patterns' I don't mean recreating whole genre cliches or going for anything story-telling whatsoever. I mean that LLM recognises the Subject-Verb-Object word order and it is trained to replicate it, and it is also able to place relative clauses correctly (after nouns, to modify them; thus, a pattern). As you may have guessed, the output should then be rather simple?

But English isn't a stranger to inversion and even to the other word orders, and advanced syntax it is, it presents a challenge for LLMs.

People use inversions and other word orders to create an emphasis; an expression choice rather than a way to underline any kind of factual information as in, in scientific papers, it isn't at all easy to properly build up. If anything, it also creates hindrances to readers; people often call it It's Hard To Follow as emphasis renders the speech less homogenised, less predictable; and it isn't something so very common in English specifically to speak in a such a convoluted way for the language models to accommodate it.

LLMs of today would be able to read ^this linguistical monster of a paragraph and give a summary of it (probably) but not generate it from scratch. Not enough people being too verbose, twined or hard-to-follow is its hindrance on its way to overshadow humans' whimsy.

But if you've read any AI-generated text, you know it doesn't sound quite as simple as, let's say, 'We ate salmon for dinner tonight'.

In order to enrich the output, LLMs can be adjusted by the Perplexity and Burstiness parameters. Understanding what they mean is crucial in AI detection.

What's Perplexity: Perplexity measures the predictability of text.

Many people confuse this with genre cliches and whatnot but what this really refers to is grammaticality.

If you're an English learner, any bat-swung kind of realisations, that you are truly reading this text fast, that you understand it enough to know and sense which word should come next, is this. If you're English native, it's perhaps innate to you as it is to me when I read or edit in Russian. Almost subconsciously, —but generative linguists will say yesyesyesthisyourebornwithit, — we know something is off and not quite alright about the sentence. Oftentimes we're not able to articulate what exactly tipped us off, however, so explaining the issue takes some skill and knowledge of the language.

I hinted that languages are patterns to the LLMs. To us, these patterns —that particular skill to spot them and adhere to them rather— allow us to ease the reading/listening and make it smooth; or make it harder (but not necessarily render the experience horrid) when we're presented a text that falls out from all our linguistical expectations. This is why everyone is so agitated about reading in particular, by the way. To get familiar with the language's grammar and syntax and connotations its one so many words have and in which context.

You have to read enough in order for the language structures to become predictable to you, in other words. So you'd know what will come next after which parts of speech.

So, Perplexity is —partly— it.

But here's the catch: the LLM is aware of the patterns but not meanings of words. Without further training and/or properly marked dataset, it is only capable of constructing grammatically correct but drivel sentences. This is why early LLMs were so bizarrely funny; they did just that.

LLMs of today aren't trained to learn and remember concepts behind the words like we, humans, do, to form semantic relations on the go.

LLMs are trained to analyse individual words and combinations, as far as I was able to understand, and that is how they are able to tell that the water if wet and that the Sun is bright. Isn't hard to imagine why, the machine has only ever experienced binary code.

I hope the difference is now apparent. LLM's Perplexity has been achieved by running an algorithm on an extensive dataset. Any kind of statistical analysis and finding correlations is a cool math of the people who programmed it all but we must understand the result isn't creativity. It's a regurgitation of someone else's work, likely taken into the initial dataset without the author's consent, hence why it's unethical to use AI in writing (and useless, because small dataset means the quality of the output wouldn't be impressive).

The output's quality ranges from Low Perplexity to High Perplexity. Examples of each are taken from the UNLV website (page's called 'AI detection'; I can't link from mobile, it crashes my phone .-.).

Low Perplexity is the expected output. Example 1: 'The capital of France is Paris'. Example 2: 'The Eiffel Tower, an iconic symbol of Paris, is one of the most recognised structures in the world'.

High Perplexity is the unexpected output. Example 1: 'The capital of France is a rare fruit named blue apple'. Example 2: 'The Eiffel Tower, known for its role in the American Revolution, stands tall in Berlin'.

High Perplexity is often used in the all-familiar AI role-playing apps in order to give users less predictable outputs word choice-wise. So, if, by sheer chance, you wondered why AI-generated texts are riddled with

bits of factually incorrect information (such as unusual and unexplained structure placements, example: a well in the middle of a field in a medieval setting),

or abundance of heavily contextualised relative clauses,

or there are huge contextual cues appearing out of nowhere (an object appears and isn't addressed but in the next paragraph it is suddenly called something unusual, like 'sacred'),

this the reason.

What is Burstiness: Burstiness is the tendency to create cluttered and repetitive outputs.

Some call it repetition. The agitated public goes to say, but it's an artistic choice! It isn't. I'll explain.

As I hope you know understand, LLMs pick words based on the text analysis performed.

So Perplexity defines the word choice. At its highest, it creates a word salad. At its lowest, it'll give something expected and coherent.

But what about sentences? Perplexity only picks words based on the prompt, grammaticality isn't fully it.

Burstiness draws the sentence's structure. Word orders, clauses, how extended or short should the sentence be, is all defined and arranged by it. It rarely gives crazy results, I will note, because it also follows the patterns of 1) making sentences of average length and 2) perhaps adding sentence stresses (an emphasis on a word or a clause). I'd say, it'll try to accommodate homogeneity of the language a lot as LLMs are rather terrible with anything regarding prosody—not what we say but how we say things.

Utterances are bizarre and random, sometimes ungrammatical but still comprehensible for the speakers. LLMs can't really take all this into account because this all is hardly covered or encoded in any set of rules besides maybe mentioning that certain uses of the language aren't common, or incorrect, or perhaps are a lacuna.

This is why AI-generated text is often if not rounded-up, then rather smooth, and usually lacks stronger emphases when you'd normally expect them to appear.

I dare hope it's now evident that either parameter can turn the LLM's output into a noticeably strange string of words.

Perplexity is a word salad at its worst.

Burstiness will be a broken record.

Think of it as of not a human trying to write in more words to their thesis that still sits below the word cap days before the presentation. Imagine a uniform distribution of terms and other things associated with the prompt that suddenly —or 'suddenly'— becomes a normal distribution. Unable to take anything from the extremes and not aware that perhaps it should, the LLM will get stuck on the curve and then give you the rainforest example mentioned just few paragraphs below.

It seems, Burstiness is not only deciding on how to arrange a sentence based on the language patterns but it also should more or less evenly distribute aspects pertaining to the prompt within it in order for Perplexity to fill that arrangement with words. That's some advanced shit right there, honest, so no wonder AI fucks up so much at being creative—if to call it that. It literally can't understand what pertains to the fabula as AI quite literally has no idea what's 1) in your head and 2) how to arrange it into sentences even if it knew every single detail of your narrative. And this is the reason why C.AI's bots always ask you questions.

Same to Perplexity, Burstiness is also Low and High.

Low Burstiness means the output is diverse and comprehensive. Example 1: 'Rainforests are vibrant ecosystems teeming with diverse life. From the tall canopy to the undergrowth, they are home to countless species of plants, animals, and insects. The humid climate, regular rainfall, and rich soil foster rapid plant growth. This dense vegetation, in turn, provides shelter and sustenance for a plethora of animal species'. Example 2: 'Cats are popular cats known for their playful nature. They are often loved for being affectionate, and their distinct personalities make each one unique'.

High Burstiness means the output is repetitive and clustered. Example 1: 'Rainforests are dense, moist, and full of life. Rainforests have dense vegetation. Dense trees are a common sight in the rainforests. The density of the rainforests provides shelter to many animals. Because of this density, rainforests are unique'. Example 2: 'Cats are popular pets. Cats are often kept in homes. Many people love cats because cats are affectionate. Cats, with their playful nature, make homes lively. No wonder cats are loved'.

Low Burstiness is commonly used in AI role-playing apps for obvious reasons. But. Because of this, the chats give a distinct feeling of the AI being… shallow, round-upped, and too conclusive to be enjoyable. Instead of taking initiative, albeit Perplexity helps a tad with hints and hooks to the user, it still can't do more than give a brief summary on the ongoing events. It isn't a human to be meta-aware to keep up with fabula and it can't remember plots due to technical limitations of its memory use.

How to spot without the use of tools: I hope my rundown was comprehensive enough. This is a very brief summary. Please remember that AI detection isn't X or Y or Z. It's X and Y and Z, otherwise you're wrongly accusing someone based on an insufficient amount of evidence.

===> Perplexity can create a word salad. Words that seem out of place (or context (or appeared once and never again despite the semantics)), micro factual oopsies that only create rhythms and not coherent images, strange wording and awkward phrasing, nonsensical drivel; all this will be present throughout the text. Pay close attention to sudden changes in wording, too, as sometimes AIs can suddenly give a readable result among mixtures, ear lobes and testamentary/conclusive relative clauses.

===> Burstiness wrap everything up if it doesn't have an idea of what to do next; or it will try to guess user's future inputs; or, if the dataset allows, AI will take something from it in hopes to satisfy the prompt. The text will feel either rounded-up, or Oh So Intriguing, but in either case it will be too even stress-wise. Joints between when the AI did know and didn't are often evident.

===> Perplexity and Burstiness go a long way, so you'd have a word salad that sounds flat. Some people will try to comb the generation but even if they work on the stresses, they may forget about relative clauses that, sometimes, can be wild context-wise. Word usage can also give something away, AI can switch between singing praises to filling a report to Jane Austen to action to, well, you understood.

===> It'd be a good idea to note the pacing as with AI it'd be a rapid change. AI has very limited memory, in order not to forget everything and be quick to provide user entertainment, it'll try to be fast.

===> 'With a mixture of X and Y'. It is usually a dead give-away but I'll explain. It's crude, if not redundant, to write like that. Often emotions and feelings' combinations have names (dread is fear+anticipation; admiration is respect+approval; joy is happiness+glee), and when the one is more prevalent than the other, you'd accentuate. But please note: a lot of people role-play with chat bots these days; they could pick up this particular 'quirk' of describing emotions. But if that mixture is just… hanging in the air, as it's usually a relative clause of this exact wording nomorenoless, I'll say, "AI-generated".

===> LLM's dialogues are less of a stiffened cringe than its general descriptions. Too much of a contrast should warn; you can't write a dialogue like a sreenwriter would and then do descriptions abysmally. Human writers' contrast between the two isn't this drastic.

===> LLM isn't aware of the fabula—the order of events outside the plot. Fabula defines the global variables, if you will, and the plot decides which contextual clues to present to the reader at a given scene in order to form the context and with it, the entire narrative; not to mention unreliable narrators. LLM isn't able to do all this, and because of this, its generations are always read like the text does only know the general direction of the events.

===> Pay close attention to the coherency of the narration aka the composition. AI will likely be a mush due to everything said here.

Which tools to use if you must: I'd recommend Quillbot due to it's stance on the bias towards English learners. In short, many detectors overly rely on the predictability of the language, and it so happens that English learners and LLMs can have an intersection. A sentence as simple as 'We ate salmon dinner tonight' may get picked up as AI-generated by some detectors but it's so basic it's literally built using only the bare bones of the language.

Rule of thumb: check detectors in that regard. Those detectors that give a false positive to a kid's work or to a EFL's essay are perhaps crudely coded and will slip through advanced LLM algorithms.

AI detection used in universities can be an interesting dig as well, as I believe those also should accommodate simple writing?

Resources I've used: 1) Quillbot's statement on the bias mentioned, 2) USNV's website, AI detection section.

Other websites give more or less the same information but USNV keeps it short and doesn't require going through detailed papers. Which, honest, I'd very much like to do and to link those as well but I'm limited in what I can do from my phone and I've struggles reading from its screen as well so unfortunately, you'll have to read further on your own.

Now about the You Can't Spot AI thing: Whoever says this is shamelessly letting their wilful ignorance out.

[super-sidney-bridger]

Legend of Grimrock (2012): An Overlong and Overdue Review

Ah, Legend of Grimrock, a foe that has seemed implacable since I was 14 or 15 years old and it was a relatively recent release. My first and to date only experience with old school grid based dungeon crawlers. If you’re interested in the genre and looking for a simple yea or nay on whether this should be your starting point, then the fact I’ve recommended this title should be enough, but if you want to know a little more then keep reading.

(Beware, there will likely be spoilers ahead. If you care about a 12 year old game with a pretty threadbare plot being spoiled for you then you may want to simply take my recommendation at face value.)

So firstly, I’m going to briefly address any Steam Deck users that may be reading this, since that’s what I used for my recent run where I beat the game after some 10 years of accepting defeat. The game IS playable. It runs fine, doesn’t crash, the UI is readable, and the whole thing plus any mods you might be looking at take up practically 0 of what precious little drive space the Deck has (this game and its sequel come in at less than 2.5gb combined). However, the controls are certainly, let’s say, interesting. You will definitely want to take some time to look at and rebind them to your liking, and even then your actions will likely be significantly more sluggish than they would be with a keyboard & mouse. Still, this issue is both very surmountable and hardly the game’s fault since the Deck literally wasn’t even an idea on paper for years after Grimrock’s 2012 release.

As for PC users, I’m pretty sure that you could make this thing run on your Dad’s Amiga from 1991 if you tried hard enough. Grimrock probably puts less strain on even the weakest of computers than opening Notepad its so tiny.

Legend of Grimrock is, from this genre noob’s standpoint, extremely accessible and very content rich for such a small game. You can save at any time, life crystals (which are an autosave, full heal, and resurrection all rolled into one) are usually easy to reach, and food and healing are common enough that, unless you’re a 14-15 year old girl with no idea what she’s doing and no concept of resource conservation (imagine that? Couldn’t be me.) you will PROBABLY never run into issues with it. Combat is the very definition of simple, but its emphasis on manoeuvring and positioning and a steady drip feed of new enemies is enough to keep it from getting boring. Also, this game is secrets galore. Quite literally secrets within secrets within secrets sometimes, which brings me to a few somewhat spoilery recommendations to help you along in your adventure. Consider it helpful advice from a now slightly more seasoned dungeoneer:

*If you intend to have a ranged rogue character in your back line, make them a Minotaur. Their accuracy penalty does not matter as ranged attacks ALWAYS hit and the damage still scales with strength, making Minotaurs actually the most optimal choice by far.

Make a save called ‘hole’, because you will be jumping into every pit you find and will want to save beforehand. Why? To find secrets of course!

Before doing anything that looks important or going to a new floor you should save. This game LOVES monster closets, often dropping combat on you with little warning up to and including teleporting enemies all around you which, if you are not ready, is DEATH.

Do not be tempted to spread your characters’ skills out too much. Investing in any more than 2 or 3 at once per party member will render them little more than a virtual meat puppet you now have to drag around and feed for the whole game.

At the same time, don’t try to hard spec into one skill. You will not get enough levels over the course of the game to do anything but get that one skill to 50 and you WILL feel the effects of that crippling overspecialisation.

Beware floors 3, 6, 9, and 10. I won’t say why, but be prepared for a hard time and don’t be too proud to look up a guide for them if you get stuck. You can figure it all out yourself, but a couple of these puzzles and encounters require some big logical reaches in my opinion and I just looked up the solutions after 10-15 minutes of frustration.

Lastly, mods. The workshop support for this game is great and you can make and upload your own dungeons, but there isn’t that much on there for this game. Despite that, there is enough good stuff on there to give you plenty to do if you’ve beaten the game, want more, but don’t want to/can’t move onto Legend of Grimrock 2 or some older games like Eye of the Beholder. I’d recommend The Mine of Malen Vael as a solid way of squeezing 2-3 hours of more playtime out of the game. You can even import your own OP endgame party from your last save with all their stats and xp, only to learn it was good equipment that carried you through the end of the main game! The adventure continues!

And so ends this review. I should really manage my time better, huh?

Legend of Grimrock was launched in 2012, published and developed by Almost Human, and is available on Windows, Linux, OS X, iOS, and the Nintendo Switch. It is also 75% off on Steam at the time of writing (05/07/2024).

Original review:

[rudjedet]

Totally hate to be a bother if there is already a post you’ve made about it, but I couldn’t seem to find any in the FAQ. I want to delve into writing historical fiction for Ancient Egypt eventually, as I’ve got an idea for a paranormal-romancey-esque story, and I want to make it as historically accurate as reasonably possible (since the protag is an Egyptologist herself). Do you have any advice for depicting it realistically/researching in particular areas or in any specific books? Thank you! :)

Nah no worries, I haven't answered anything like this specifically yet! So recommendations for historical accuracy and realistic depictions depend on a few things, the first of which is the time period of ancient Egypt your story deals with. I don't know if you've already made decisions about that, but the easiest Dynastic period to set it in would be the New Kingdom, since we have the most material from that time period. Any earlier than that and you have to deal with gaps in our knowledge, as well as a very different kind of Egypt from the image popular media paints (no horses or khepesh swords, for example).

There's a book I like to recommend for research into daily life specifically for fiction writing, which is Life of the Ancient Egyptians by Eugen Strouhal. It has a somewhat too optimistic tendency which borders on romanticising at points, but not in a way that would lead to awkward or harmful representations of the ancient Egyptians. Personally I think it's well-suited as a research work for fiction writers because it places emphasis on the good and human things. When you read it you get a good sense of ancient Egypt as the very verdant, very rich society it was, as opposed to the "dusty barren sand cities" image Hollywood likes to concoct. So in a sense, it takes the kind of liberties I'd like more writers writing about ancient Egypt to take.

Other than that, assuming you're wanting to write New Kingdom (though depending on whether you're writing about elite or non-elite), I'd see if you can pick up Andrea McDowell's Village Life in Ancient Egypt. It deals with the worker's village of Deir el-Medina and life there. Caveat: DeM isn't a "normal" Egyptian village but we do have a ton of information on it, and it isn't necessarily a bad thing to base any fictional villages on this one imo.

From a personal point of view, I can recommend writing about the Middle Kingdom, despite the relative lack of material. Wolfram Grajetzki has some excellent and accessible (some for free) overview works that deal with this period that will give you a solid base. The Egyptian Middle Kingdom, and Middle Kingdom Studies (various authors) are great.

No matter the time period, I'd supplement with Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood's Pharaonic Egyptian Clothing for the all-important "what are these people even wearing" question. imo, that's a big one in terms of realism. The same goes for Steven Snape's The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt.

Now, as for the realistic portrayal of an Egyptologist character, my one big tip would be: do. not. infodump.

I know that sounds like just bog standard advice for any genre of book, but in this case there's a second reason to avoid them: having your Egyptologist main character infodump is the way to mark them out as not an actual expert. Not because we never talk about ancient Egypt in real life (we do), but because we don't really talk to ourselves about Egypt in the way of a novel infodump. Absolutely have them explain something super specific to another character, whilst forgetting that the other character doesn't have the full context to understand most of what the fuck they're saying though, that's something we do all the time. Just don't infodump basic concepts, that's half the job done when it comes to realistic portrayals of Egyptologists.

And as always, my evergreen tip: do your research, and then take the liberties your narrative needs to make it the best version of your story (while keeping respect for the ancient Egyptians themselves in mind, but I don't think I need to tell you based on the way you asked this question).

Lastly, I can't technically make any promises considering my health/energy for the foreseeable future, but if there's anything you want me to proofread, feel free to ask!

[dustedmagazine]

Marc Masters — High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape (University of North Carolina Press)

There’s a popular theory, advanced with varying degrees of seriousness, that the best kind of music is whatever was released when you were about 16. There’s also a fairly well-known Brian Eno quotation about the way we tend to romanticize forms of media just as they fall out of currency, eventually becoming loved even for their shortcomings. One of the biggest strengths of Marc Masters’ High Bias, a new history of the compact cassette (as it was originally known), is that it refuses both the personally biased special pleading of the former and the possibly distorting format nostalgia of the latter. Instead Masters brings together a fascinating technical history of the creation, limits, and virtues of the cassette tape, an overview of some of the areas where the medium has been most richly used and adopted, and a reflection on its continued vitality.

That last aspect, which is reflected on throughout High Bias and forms the focus of the book’s last chapter, is one example of the balance Masters manages to strike. It would be easy to fall into a kind of strenuous insistence on the most optimistic vision of the cassette’s future, to tell us that it could or should regain a level of prominence it hasn’t seen in decades. But to do so would require a… selective choice of data, and would probably fall into a kind of “protesting too much” register for many readers. Masters instead has the confidence and knowledge of the actual current (vital, but subcultural) role of cassette tapes to make the more modest but resonant point that the ‘cassette revival,’ such as it is, is already with us and shows no signs of going away. And he both puts this in its proper, inspiring context and makes a persuasive case for its importance because of the book’s continual emphasis on the democratizing and personalizing aspects of cassette tape as a medium.

The opening chapters, which include relatively brief looks at the context of recording technology prior to and at the time of the cassette’s introduction, set the stage well. Masters doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the social, marketing and profit motives impinging on the development and success of the medium (and the sometimes panicked response of the music industry to it, “home taping is killing music” and all), and points out how those aren’t totally separable from the explosion in personal expression that tapes allow. From there, High Bias branches out, looking at various places and times cassettes have helped or even allowed particular peoples, scenes or genres to be heard and spread in ways other media haven’t managed. From Deadheads to the early days of hiphop, Awesome Tapes From Africa to some of the more extremely personal examples that sometimes overlap with those covered in Michael Tau’s recent Extreme Music (reviewed on Dusted here), this slim volume doesn’t pretend to be exhaustive but does manage to illuminate enough different areas most readers may find themselves surprised by at least one of the many little pockets Masters looks into.

The second-last chapter, “The Tape Makers,” may be where High Bias hits many of its intended audience in an even more personal place. Here the book shifts slightly from people making music onto, or then distributed via, cassette, and instead delves into the personal mixtape. The balance between creation and curation is never that clearcut, of course, and the chapter doesn’t pretend it is. But whereas after the cassette we have burned CDs and playlists, before the team at Philips first brought the compact cassette to the world there was simply no mass-available form that offered the particular form of expression that a mixtape does. As with the rest of High Bias, here Masters uses a blend of interviews, secondary sources and direct experience to convey the unique role and impact of the cassette, both in its historical moment and persisting into the current day.

It’s not that the cassette tape is a “better” medium than vinyl, CD, DAT, or saved or streamed digital files (what would “better” even mean in anything other than a subjective sense?), and it’s not that High Bias, despite its doubly accurate title (both a desired quality in a cassette and an implicit acknowledgment that this a very pro-tapes book), tries to make that claim. But Masters clearly had in his sights a compelling portrait of the strengths of the format, and what makes it different from those other media, and here he convincingly portrays it as a special and worthy one. He’s even set up a, well, mixtape for the book on Bandcamp (linked at the beginning of this review), 12 tracks all sourced from current tape labels he discusses in the book. Notably, you can buy that mix on a cassette.

Ian Mathers

[margridarnauds]

🌞 🤩 🤯 for the fanfic writer asks? 💖

Thank you so much!

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

Honestly, I probably do my best in the morning when I can wake up refreshed, but since that almost never happens, late at night when there's nothing to disturb me save the ghosts of other things I should be doing.

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

All time? For dialogue, probably Heisenberg from RE8; I miss working with him. He has this very blunt, irreverent way of speaking that he sometimes changes out for this very smooth, charismatic way of speaking where he puts a lot of emphasis on every other word (and that is always at risk of falling to pieces because it is NOT his natural state). I'm used to dealing with very aristocratic characters who are restrained, who very rarely let you know what's going on in their head, and who have this very formal way of speaking, so it was and is a joy to break out of it with him. (Raphael is very much a return to form, though he's interesting because of how much more elaborate he is with his speech -- most of my aristocrats have been military nobles to some extent or another, and so they usually have this very clipped way of speaking, but Raphael, despite always being deliberate and calculating in how he's going into a situation, ALSO talks a lot, he ornaments his language a lot. It actually makes it very hard to write him, because it's very much not intuitive for me and it's always tempting to fall back on old habits and use Lazare Voice on him.)

At the moment? Malla. I love Kitrye, but Malla is very fun specifically because she is (1) much more chaotic and (2) has some of the best dialogue, especially when you get her banter with Kitrye. You never know exactly where she's going to land during any given scene, there's always this level of unpredictability to what she's going to do (which has been an ongoing theme because, in her early days, *I* didn't know what she was going to do), and her arrival always marks a turning point. I'm very glad that she dropped into my lap one day, can't imagine doing this without her.

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

I hate writing smut. It is, bar none, my least favorite genre to write. I enjoy writing about INTIMACY, but not smut. It's very hard to not be self-conscious or to not accidentally fall into doing the same things (...I was about to say "rut"), using the same descriptions for the same actions that A Thousand Other Smutfics Do or, on the reverse, to accidentally ruin it with a single bad line. It isn't that you can relax on the characterization for ANY scene, but with smut, I'm really, really constantly having to think "okay, how would these characters do this in a way that feels real to them", because it's very easy to slip into (...no double entendre intended) porn-isms. And depending on the characters, they can take a scene in an entirely different direction and then you have to readjust for THAT. Angst is fine -- I love tearing people's hearts out and stomping on them, and it's relatively easy to do if people are already inclined to like a character. Humor? Much more difficult to stick the landing on, since it's so subjective, but still relatively easy and intuitive for me, particularly if you're willing to go into crackfic territory, and I have NEVER been particularly attached to upholding the dignity of any of the characters I've written. Action -- Not my favorite, but can still be glanced over especially since, with the exception of RE8, I've rarely NEEDED to write it. Smut? Hate.

...and yet here we are.

[amazon160]

My Opinion On The FNaF Movie ‼️‼️

I’ve got four perspectives for y’all, but they’re all my own opinion-

From a horror aspect:

This movie had a lot of potential. Emphasis on had. The first step to the past tense was going with the game designs for the animatronics. I applaud Jim Henson’s for the creation of these animatronics, but I feel like the designs could’ve been so much scarier. I know the majority thinks they’re scary in the game anyway, but even as a kid I never personally found their designs alone to be as creepy.

The second step was their eyes. I’m fine with the red and yellow eyes, don’t get me wrong, but again. Wasted potential. They could’ve been BANGER. Of course Blumhouse would have their reasons to stray away from the black eyes in the games, but I still stand by my opinion.

The third step relates to the eyes, too, because it’s actually how EXPRESSIVE the animatronics are. Again, applause for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. BUT. I feel like the more “lifeless” look the animatronics had going on fit them SO much better in most of the games.

Side note: that new footage of Bonnie behind Hank was so 😩👌✨

The fourth step was not as relative to the eyes, but just the whole film’s direction. You can tell by just the trailers alone that this will be leaning more towards the horror-comedy genre, WHICH I LOVE. It also means the horror will be toned down a bit. That’ll be disappointing to some people, but that means it’ll be enjoyed by more people and it could be perfect for a Halloween movie night.

From an outsider perspective:

The big takeaway I’m seeing from people is that this is a cheesy, campy horror movie. I think they are correct, and again, I appreciate it. I mean, haunted animatronics and Springtrap and all this stuff can be really scary, but the way Blumhouse is pulling it off, it’s a little more of a sillier concept.

I think this could be a really weird movie for some people, or it could be just the right amount of weird. We’ve got the core four, Golden Freddy, and Springbonnie/Springtrap. There were some old rumors of Puppet being in the movie, but I think these guys are enough. You’ve got the main victims as the core four, that fifth one for extra mystery, and the slasher. The final boss. That’s the perfect amount in my opinion.

The majority of people I’ve seen think this movie will be a good one to watch on Halloween weekend. There’s also a good number of people hyped, either from nostalgia or just from what’s been shown so far. And then there’s the minority that think it’ll be a dumpster fire.

From my perspective:

I want this to be what I think it is. The rating is perfect. The campiness is perfect. The horror is perfect. I came with very low expectations, but they have been raised a bit with this last trailer. There are some legitimately creepy shots (mostly just Bonnie behind Hank like HOLY CRAP) that I think will still get some good scares out of people. SO.

My hopes--that my expectations will be met. I want the animatronics and Willy to have good screen time, some movie lore on Golden Freddy, and Mike and Abby being wholesome.

My concerns--just the horror and cgi. The animatronics are very much revealed in the trailers, not shrouded in darkness like in the games. But the darkness was part of what made them scary in the original. I know Blumhouse spent much more than usual on this movie, so hopefully a chunk of that budget went to good cgi lol

CONCLUSION:

Scott said a while ago he’d finally seen a draft of the movie in full play and it came together beautifully. I can’t imagine having my creations being brought to life like that, it’s gotta be insane. If he’s happy with it, I’m happy with it

[apalonespinifera]

Confession: I actually adore Zepotha as a concept.

I genuinely think that one reason it died out so quickly (aside from it being a marketing technique) is because nothing about it was particularly unique or characteristic to 80s slashers, its main self-identifyer. And since it couldn't effectively draw from those well-known tropes that people associate with 80s slashers, it relied on TikTok's knowledge of horror films in general. This generated some cool plots, but without the unification under the super specific "80s slasher" genre, it ended up being too scattered for anyone to agree on lore.

It's like when an author starts writing a book with a genre in mind, gets halfway through and realizes that their book doesn't fit the genre. It could be a great book, but you can't label an upmarket modern romance novel as psychological horror noir and expect romance readers to magically flock to the work. Genres are meant to be stretched and played with, but they still provide basic frameworks that help audiences know what to expect. And when media is decentralized by default, like TikTok, then those frameworks become extra important. In order to subvert expectations, you have to understand what those expectations are.

My point: Zepotha's issue was that it didn't know what genre it was. The characters were based on slasher archetypes, the most common plots (i.e, the infamous "scenes") felt like a mix of thriller and outright snuff, fan short films seemed to pay homage to classic paranormal horror, the emphasis on characterization suggested psychological horror/drama, etc.

Ironically, it was the marketing of all things that prevented Zepotha from ever gaining traction like Goncharov, which grew into a genre as people found it and collaborated with others to build the story. Zepotha got forcibly stuffed into a relatively restrictive genre before anyone got to explore the story.

[sparrowmoth]

FOR YOUUU: 💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting? 💞what's the most important part of a story for you? 🤍what's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?

@finitevoid Thank youuuu, Blake!! <3<3

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

It’s definitely surprised me that Wishing (Will Make It So) has performed so well (relative to the size and state of the fandom). I’m, of course, always happy when people enjoy my work, but that particular fic was written with a highly condensed plot just to get it out of my brain without it actually becoming a multi-chapter lmao.

I didn’t think much of anyone would read it since it might come across as “lazy” writing, but… here we are. And it stands as a good reminder to myself that not every idea needs to be crafted with blood, sweat, and tears. My macaroni art is valid too lol.

💞what's the most important part of a story for you?

Hmmm, not sure if I’m interpreting this question correctly, but can I just say character interaction? Because this is something I find is often sacrificed for plot and pacing. And I know some genres, like action, may often necessitate such sacrifices, but idk I’m just infinitely more interested in what goes on between characters.

I think that reflects a lot in my writing because, if you’ve read enough of my work, you’ll probably notice that there’s often not a lot of movement through space or time. I will spend thousands of words exploring a single conversation in a single room between two people.

That’s what’s important to me. That’s what hooks me on stories. The way characters just… interact. And if there’s not enough emphasis on that or if I don’t feel like there’s any real sense of connection between the characters, I’m bored. I’m done. I’ve already stopped reading, bye dajkgdjskg

🤍what's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?

Oh, that would have to be Stitch the Stars to Hold the Night Sky, which is something I blame myself for because when I re-read it many months after posting, I was like… okay, yeah, great concept, patchy execution lol. I started re-writing it sometime last year, but I got hung up on something halfway through so I decided to shelve it before I tore it apart completely.

As such, the second half of the story has been out of the public eye for quite a while now, but I’ll post a full rewrite eventually and then idk we'll see if that helps at all with its reception ig dajkgjdksg

Fic Writer Asks