#endrant

[astriiformes]

Seeing some posts today about the two different Jennifer actresses that appear in the BttF films (Claudia Wells and Elizabeth Shue) which means it's time to infodump about the secret, third Jennifer, because everything about this story is still wild to me.

Apparently Claudia Wells was genuinely the first choice for Jennifer in the original movie, but at the time they started filming she was doing a pilot for a TV series. So the first Jennifer they filmed any scenes with was actually a totally different actress, Melora Hardin. Who would have gone on to be the Jennifer in the films if it weren't for the fact that when they recast Marty, there were people on the crew who made a fuss about Michael J. Fox being. Significantly shorter than Eric Stoltz (5'4" versus 5'11" or so), and who argued that Hardin's Jennifer was "too tall" for Fox's Marty. So they recast her.

Anyways I think this is all very stupid and since BttF fanfic writers and artists already have to juggle two different Jennifers we should rebel against canon further and subsume Hardin's Jennifer into our depictions, too. Justice for tall Jennifer.

[cryingovervideogames]

Might actually go insane

[vounoura]

ughhhhh questioning if my schooling is even worth it again

[breakingarrows]

Endrant Studios: A History

During my on-and-off playthrough of Wolfenstein (2009) I noticed a company logo during the startup that I did not recognize: Endrant Studios. Looking up the developer on MobyGames (a severely undervalued website) I learned that this was their one and only game. Curious, I started to look into their history and where everyone ended up after its short life.

Endrant Studios Limited was incorporated on December 11, 2007 according to their listing on the Gov.UK website. Neil Postlethwaite was its Secretary and Director and Lenore Zavitz as its only other director at the time.

Postlethwaite is credited on Wolfenstein as Managing Director. His past work was on the Xbox 360 and Windows version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, and he would continue to work in the games industry after Endrant’s dissolution. Zavitz doesn’t appear to have any other industry credits but is currently a gilder and gilding restorer. They were and are still a director for Forerunner Limited, an “information technology consultancy activities.” They would incorporate this company alongside Benjamin Smedstad, who was appointed as a director for Endrant Studios soon after its incorporation. Zavitz is also listed as a director for Squirrel Army LTD, again alongside Smedstad, as well as a Kalvin Lyle. Squirrel Army was dissolved on July 26, 2016 and was classified under “Other information technology service activities.” Zavitz’s main occupation currently appears to be with Moth and Mirror Limited, “We are a partnership between a lifelong wood turner and a gilding restorer. We specialise in pieces crafted from the finest woods and precious metal leaf gilding, as well as gilded bone displays.”

Our aim at Moth and Mirror is simply to create beautiful things. The name is a reflection of the combining of organic, natural materials, represented by the moth, and the mirror, which represents the fine metal leaf.  Our pieces are a fusion of the textures and sheen of lush wood with the fire and light of exquisite precious metals.  The result is something that’s a little bit of alchemy, a lot of luxury and entirely desirable.  Every item we create has an individual personality and is highly finished, elegant and eye catching.   They could make an excellent addition to your personal collection or a fantastic and unique gift.

On July 7, 2008 Benjamin Smedstad was appointed a director at the company. Smedstad would be credited as Creative Director for Wolfenstein and similar to Postlethwaite had also worked on Enemy Territory: Quake Wars directly preceding their work on Wolfenstein.

Endrant announced they were co-developing the new Wolfenstein game alongside Raven Software with a focus on multiplayer development on July 16, 2008.

"Our goal is to make exciting, fun and accessible games that translate to the masses,” said Ben Smedstad, creative director & co-owner, Endrant Studios Ltd.. “Our backgrounds and experience enable us to be more creative, more focused and deliver a higher quality game no matter what the platform."

Endrant Studios would join Tiga, the UK developer’s trade body on November 17, 2008, according to GameIndustry.biz.

"Endrant Studios is delighted to join Tiga. I have been greatly encouraged by Tiga's increased levels of activity over the last nine months," said Neil Postlethwaite, managing director and co-owner of Endrant Studios, adding: "particularly by its determination to fly the flag for developers in political circles and by its willingness to speak out on issues that matter to the industry." "I would encourage every developer in the UK to join Tiga. The choice is simple: stand on the sidelines, do nothing and see the climate for games development in the UK weaken; or join Tiga and work together to build a vibrant UK games development sector. Endrant Studios is joining Tiga because it genuinely represents developers and is working to make a real difference for the UK games industry. We look forward to working with Tiga in the years ahead."

In an Abbreviated Balance Sheet for December 31, 2008 Endrant reported outstanding debtors owing £102,480 with only £3,540 cash on hand.

In June of 2009 a Return of Allotment of Shares filing would show that Activision Blizzard was now involved with the company as they would be allotted 20 of the B Ordinary shares, while Smedstad would be allotted 40 of A Ordinary shares. In their Annual Return filed June 1, 2009 but for the period ending on November 12, 2008 they listed Smedstad as having 45 shares, Postlethwaite 90, Zavitz 45, and Activision Blizzard 20.

Lead Game Designer Matthew Wilson would give a Q&A to fansite Wolfenstein Zone as well as GameSpot in July 2009. He debunked a rumor that frequent id Software collaborator Nerve Software (a support studio primarily) had begun work on the multiplayer portion originally, saying it was actually Threewave Software (another frequent id Software collaborator and support studio) but that their work no longer existed in the game. He explained there would be no Linux port of the singleplayer game due to running under DirectX and while the multiplayer could be ported as it was using OpenGL it was very unlikely to be done. This would become the first id Software product (though a license and not a directly developed game) to not have a Linux port and this status would carry forward on all id’s products afterward. John Carmack, founder of id Software, would even go on to say at QuakeCon 2012 that while Linux development creates goodwill amongst the Linux crowd it does not pay the bills. This change in attitude is interesting due to Timothee Besset, a french software programmer who was well known for porting id Software games to Linux, posting a blog on September 13, 2009 to reaffirm that nothing had changed after id Software’s acquisition by ZeniMax and the announcement that Wolfenstein would not have a Linux port, and that he would continue to work on Linux ports of idTech games in the future.

Fundamentally nothing has changed with our policy regarding Linux games. Trying to shoehorn the ZeniMax acquisition into this is pointless, as they are true to their word of focusing on the business and letting the studio focus on the games. Linux players represent about 5% of the QuakeLive population, which is in line with the company's previous releases. Nothing new there, releasing Linux versions has always been a matter of higher code quality, good software architecture, and technical interest for the platform. We never commit to releasing Linux versions for any of our titles, at least not until we are reasonably sure that we have the resources to put into it. In the past few years I am pretty much the only one who has been involved in our Linux versions, and most of that work was done in my spare time. It worked out because I spent significant time working on each of those projects to get them shipped (Doom3, Quake4, ETQW), and making sure we had working Linux builds was a natural part of that process. It is unlikely the new Wolfenstein title is going to get a native Linux release. None of it was done in house, and I had no involvement in the project. QuakeLive offers a lot of challenges and eats away everything else right now. As far as idTech 5 (the Rage engine), it runs on PS3 and Mac already. Setting up idTech 5 to run on those platforms early on in our development cycle was a direct result of carrying Linux/Mac support in idTech 4 beforehand. It is likely i will be involved with idTech 5 in the near future, I'll be damned if we don't find the time to get Linux builds done.

Besset’s comment that the new Wolfenstein was not done in-house shifts the blame on the lack of a Linux port to Raven Software and their modifications to idTech 4, the engine powering the game. Wilson of Endrant also seems to shift the blame on Raven for the lack of a Linux port with his comment that Endrant could get it running on Linux just fine but due to the decisions made behind how the single-player campaign was built it would be unlikely. Despite these affirmations and deflections, Linux would continue to be neglected by id Software in all their future releases. Enemy Territory: Quake Wars would be the final id game (technically a Splash Damage game licensed by id Software) to see a Linux version.

Wilson notes the game engine used for the multiplayer was a “recombined branch of ET:QW [Enemy Territory: Quake Wars] that includes all the work Nerve did to the 360 version of ET:QW, plus the patches up to version 1.4 (the last official Activision patch).” Wolfenstein would have three game modes: Objective, Stopwatch, and Team Deathmatch, and three classes: Engineer, Medic, and Soldier. Wilson mentions a more detailed stats website available at launch though I couldn’t find if this ever came true.

Endrant Studios was founded in April 2008 with a clear and simple goal: “Have fun, make games” Why can’t it be about the game? Why can’t it just be about a bunch of skilled, mature people who care about what they do, and make fun games? There are many things that can get in the way of creativity, passion and still being able to live a normal life. Lets get rid of those and focus on what is important: the game. /endrant :D

Though Endrant’s website is long gone, Wayback Machine does have some captures of the barebones website it appears to have been. The first capture is dated July 30, 2008. Though their posts do not contain a date stamp, their first post was prior to the Wolfenstein announcement, as they say, “Our first project is still hush hush. What we can say is that we are working with Activision on a triple-A title with an IP that is well-known and loved. An official announcement will follow from our partners.” The next post is about joining the Games Up campaign via Tiga, and lastly that they were working with Raven and Activison on the new Wolfenstein. “We’re currently hiring for this project and our future titles. Please check out the Careers page for additional information and details.  More announcements to follow!” Sadly this would be the final state of the website, as it would never update again and become a GoDaddy ad page by the capture dated December 26, 2009.

We are looking for passionate, motivated creators with a positive attitude and a desire to make fun games for a world-wide market. Although experience is important, its not as important as talent or attitude.  We are building upon a strong leadership base, and maintaining a positive work environment with good people is the overall goal for Endrant.

Their open positions as of July 11, 2008 were: PS3 Programmer, Programmer, Gameplay Programmer, Level Designer, Effects Animator, Gameplay Animator, Environment Artist, and Character Artist. An updated page on September 13, 2008 lists only Programmer and Gameplay Programmer.

We work exclusively on fun-to-play next-gen console and PC games for a mass audience. We are avid gamers who want deep and engrossing games that are accessible and enjoyable to everyone. We’ve worked in nearly every genre and console platform from the past 13 years and on many triple-A titles.

On the same day Wolfenstein released to the public, August 18, 2009, it would be reported that Endrant had laid off some staff. The company was only made up of 17 people at the time, and the amount of staff laid off went unspecified.

"We have recently completed a development cycle and have regrettably been forced to make adjustments to staff and headcounts," said a spokesperson for the studio. "Those affected are valued members of our team who have worked incredibly hard on our latest title. We hope that they land on their feet quickly."

Co-developer Raven Software would similarly suffer from layoffs after release. On August 26, 2009 Raven confirmed they had laid off 56 of its staff of 180.

With the recent completion of both Wolverine, based on the summer blockbuster movie, and Wolfenstein, the next chapter of the famed franchise, Raven Software is slightly reducing its workforce to better reflect the studio's upcoming slate.

On December 7, 2009, Endrant Studios would file for voluntary winding up, assigning a liquidator to handle their debts. In a Statement of Company’s Affairs on December 7, 2009, a list of creditors showed a balance owed of £100,924.99. Of this balance £52,988.73 was listed as debt owed to HM Revenue and Customs, the “UK’s tax, payments and customs authority.”

Endrant Studios would be officially dissolved on May 6, 2014.

So where did the 17 people who made up Endrant Studios at its height end up? Ben Smedstad was Creative Director and is currently at SEGA as well as continuing to work for Forerunner in consultation for other developers/game industry companies. Matt Wilson was Lead Game Designer and was only credited as “Additional Support” for Tom Clancy’s The Division in 2016 as a part of Massive though his Linkedin has him leaving the company in September 2018. Wilson previously worked for Splash Damage who also supplied Endrant with Mike Armstrong and Mark Fry. Wilson and Fry were both Level Designers for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory in 2003, and Armstrong was Programming Team For Enemy Territory: Quake Wars in 2008. Mike Armstrong was credited in Wolfenstein as a Technical Director and the most recent credit was in God of War (2018) under Global Technology: Advanced Technology Group and is currently employed as a Software Engineer at Meta.

Programmer Ben Christey was most recently credited as a Technical Lead for the mobile game Seabeard in 2014 and works as a Software Engineer for Space Ape Games. Chris Hallam had a special thank you for LEGO DC Super-Villains on Nintendo Switch and has an undated work experience on Linkedin as a Software Engineer for The Foundry. Richard Crowder currently works at Reygar Ltd as a Senior Software Engineer. On Crowder’s Linkedin they mention working under contract with Activision for the “the development of PC, 360, and PS3 day-one patches for Wolfenstein (alongside Raven Software).” Art Director Kalvin Lyle continues to do art work, most recently as Art Lead for Clash of Clans and Concept Artist for YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson). His portfolio website lists his contribution to Wolfenstein being, “Art Direction and lighting for multiplayer map.” Animator Sandy Heslop joined Room 8 Group in October 2022 as Head of CG, gave an in-house interview about creating trailers for video games, and led the establishment of Heroic, a studio focusing on “high-end trailer production for PC, console, and mobile games” in March 2023.

Environment Artist Nathan Newman was most recently credited as Cinematics Producer for Hitman 2 and co-founded Pathway which is “dedicated to the creation of real-time produced media with LED volumes.” Artist Gary Newman is currently a Lead Texture Artist at Framestore whose contributions have included Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw as well as the upcoming The Little Mermaid (2023). Effects Animator Robert Tatnell has continued to work in the industry from Arrowhead to his own game as an independent developer called Hokko Life.

Lead Level Designer Mark Fry seems to have left game development behind for drones as from 2013 onward all his work experience listed on Linkedin are drone related from using them for filming to Amazon’s autonomous delivery service. Despite this he still keeps a portfolio of his level design available for viewing, including Wolfenstein.

Wolfenstein is an id Software game developed by Raven Software, Threewave Software, and Endrant Studios – who joined the project to complete the online multiplayer component of the game. As Lead Level Designer – I hired, trained and developed the level design team. I assessed the scope of work necessary to modify all eight level layouts to accommodate game design changes, reduce the overall footprint of the levels for smaller team sizes, and remix existing areas to improve combat flow.

Level Designer Ryan Spinney was at Sony’s Guerilla studio for awhile but now works at Ubisoft Berlin as the Lead Environment Artist with his most recent contribution being Far Cry 6, much like fellow Level Designer Daniel Leafe. In July 2017 Level Designer Daniel Leafe shared on his website some details about his time working on Wolfenstein as part of his portfolio. Wolfenstein is his first project, and he went on to work for Activision on several James Bond titles before landing at Ubisoft where he continues to work today with the latest credit being Far Cry 6. 

Endrant Studios were contracted by Activision to complete the multiplayer section of the 2009 Wolfenstein project. The level design team at Endrant Studio consisted of 3 level designers and 1 lead who were tasked with converting eight already built PC oriented maps, to something more suited to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 market. Our job as level designers were to help improve all 8 level layouts for gameplay and performance by removing and adding sections wherever necessary, make visual changes and to optimise the maps so that they performed at a solid 30 fps on all platforms.

Che Hamilton was another Level Designer who went on to do some work on 007: Legends for Eurocom but sadly does not appear to have had any updated work since then on their website.

Katherine Winnifrith was the Office Manager and Wolfenstein is her sole credit. She may be the same Kat Winnifrith who is currently Head of HR for Admiral Taverns but information online is limited. Lastly Managing Director Neil Postlethwaite is, as aforementioned, at SEGA Europe and most recently credited on Company of Heroes 3 alongside fellow Endrant alumni Ben Smedstad.

I do wonder if some of the Endrant Studios staff think about their short time working on a Wolfenstein game whose reception was tepid, whose marketing was probably tanked by Activision in response to id Software’s acquisition by ZeniMax, whose successor under Machine Games has all but overridden its relevance despite carrying over some aspects of the 2009 entry (majorly the character of Caroline Becker), and whose multiplayer component was either ignored or regarded as sufficiently average by its players and reviewers. Comments on recent gameplay videos of the multiplayer (which requires work given that the game was delisted from Steam in 2014 and has yet to return, likely due to legal issues between Activision and ZeniMax) are pretty much all about their fond memories of playing both the campaign and multiplayer and wishes for it to return.

Endrant is an example of how fickle the games industry can be. It came together, got a contract, completed it, only to be met with less than needed sales and reception and shut down shortly after launch. It serves as a reminder of how brutal the industry can be. With so many of its staff having gone on to work on a variety of careers, it also shows that a studio closure can be a temporary tragedy.

[moffnat]

#HE'S SO SAD???? #no listen #this man has NOBODY #his family is dead #the grove was a burden #his homeland is swallowed in shadow #he turned to alcohol in his grief #a grief so palpable that it fused itself to a weapon #he brushes off his trauma in the underdark like it's nothing #BECAUSE HONESTLY? WHEN DOES HE ACTUALLY LET HIMSELF BE VULNERABLE #PROBABLY NEVER #UNTIL NOW #'I've taken many lovers. My heart does not stir lightly.' #sounds a lot like a man using sex to cope #the same way he used alcohol i bet #grief is easily one of the top causes of addiction #and if you let him down here he says 'but i was sure we had a connection...' #case in point: halsin decides in this moment that he will be vulnerable for you #you are not just a lay to him. you are someone worth fighting his own grief for. #he wants to love and be loved no matter how scary it might be #and larian had better give me more options to show him bc i swear to god #if i have to sit here and listen to the 'i only want you, but you can be with whoever!' line one more time WITHOUT the option to tell him that he's all i want too #i will be sad forever #/endrant

[faranae]

I'm not usually one to harp on Canadian healthcare, but...

I just waited over a year for an appointment with an ENT (doctor who specializes in the ears, nose, and throat). I have been telling myself for over a year, every time my ears would flare up and I'd be curled up in bed crying: "Just a few more months. Just hang in there for a few more months."

So. The day comes.

The ENT took a poke at my ears for less than a minute, looked at the computer (I think it was some of my previous MRI results) and told me "Welp. Your hearing is perfect and everything else looks just fine. I can't help you."

Then, as I'm about to break down crying, this man gently puts a hand on either side of my head, and tells me to open my mouth as far as it can go.

This man. This wonderful man. This very smart man whom I appreciate very much, felt the side of my face move and instantly knew there was something "very, very wrong" (direct quote!) with my jaw, and said that it was likely the cause of the flare-ups with my eustachian tubes and the ringing and the intermittent hearing issues.

I waited in pain for over a year only to be told he's the wrong kind of doctor and my issue should have been obvious to pretty much anyone who saw me before him.

And the doctor I do need to see? It's a dentist. The expensive luxury bone doctor. Whom I have ALSO BEEN TO SEE SEVERAL TIMES DURING THIS ORDEAL.

Sigh. I need a new doctor. And a new dentist, apparently.

The only positive to this is at least now I know for sure that it's not causing any permanent damage to my hearing and ears so far.

/endrant

[goodappleapyl]

Smol housing rant

I've been having a lot of headcanons for FFXIV lately (in no small part thanks to Discord conversations with @starrysnowdrop ) and have really considered resubbing in the coming week. My husband is going to be away for work for a few weeks and I want to distract myself.

H o w e v er ...

Having dove head first into the GW2 housing that came with the Janthir Wilds expansion last August, its really highlighted a lot of issues I already harbored for FFXIV housing.

I say this as someone who took great pride in my FFXIV house. Previewing furniture every time a new patch dropped was one of my favourite things to do. I invested so much time and gil into my house to make it look like a cozy family home for Meeps and her kids. Knowing that if I return I will have lost her little cottage in the Lavender Beds really bums me out.

I get it, there are a limited number of houses and if I'm not actively playing, they should free up space so that other players have a chance. But I also resent feeling like I have to stay subbed and log in every so often in order to keep something I worked really hard on.

Now GW2's housing is still very new compared to FFXIV. It has no where near the delicious catalogue of furniture, yet. And the house is stuck in one area (Anet I will throw my credit card at you if you let me have an apartment in New Kaineng). I do really like FFXIV's different neighbourhoods that we can walk around. Its just a great comfort knowing that if I take a break from GW2 again at some point, Apyl's house will still be there as I left it.

Also, honorable mention to the 1000 decoration limit and the ability to float and scale furniture in my homestead. When I hear GW2 players complain that 1000 decorations is too few, I just know they have never had to deal with the 100 decoration limit of a FFXIV apartment |: or the 20 decoration limit for small cottage yards.

/endrant

[freedelusionshere]

SydCarmy in Forever is killing me

The way this is orchestrated so intentionally here, you only do this kind of stuff narratively to keep characters apart romantically.

It starts with the previous episode Apologies showing him asking her out, and then the end of that episode is him getting ready to go out on what is basically a date with Syd, where the vibe is he's totally giving himself an internal pep talk for something important.

In Forever, he seems relaxed and in a good mood when he gets to Ever and is reminiscing and talking to people. He waits by the entrance for Syd to show up, then lightly embraces her (It's not even a hug, really, it's not friendly enough to be a hug) and guides her to the table (no need to do this with your hand on the small of the back with friends I promise you) and introduces her to all his cool celebrity chef friends.

Then for the rest of the episode, he proceeds to check out emotionally and not participate in the conversation, or eat, or look at Syd (which is like his status quo), and only obsesses over Chef David exclusively, so that it's very clear the hold this guy has on him. We briefly see him smiling when Chef Terry speaks, but otherwise, he's trapped in a "prison of his own design" (to quote Richie) with Chef David.

They introduce a potential romantic rival in Luca, show Chef Adam trying to peel Syd away from Carmy, with Carmy being oblivious to all this, and then Syd having a blast at party ending with a panic attack because there are underlying feelings that have not been addressed.

These are all super-strong romantic tropes. /endrant

[dalek-thal]

Fuck it, let's wade into the discourse. Spoilers for Veilguard below the cut - not including screenshots. Will name two returning characters. Please ensure to smear yourself in blackberry jam and put on a party hat before reading (I dunno what people do when faced with spoilers).

So, about Dorian:

His hair is fine. It's in line with Trespasser.

Also, even bigger spoilers:

About Isabela

Two things people complain about:

Not aged

Her breasts (for some reason).

So just to kinda address these points.

For Isabela, it's been fourteen years, not 20 as some of youse seem to have decided. Take care of yourself into your 40s, and you too can look that hot.

Also, can't believe I have to write this, but the corset in DA2 was push-up! It made her breasts look bigger than they really are! Her new top mostly just covers them, and reflects their actual size.

That is all /endrant

[kudzucataclysm]

author quastions...

tagged by @cream-and-tea!! had to sit on this for a bit but ultimately realized that im lowkey shit at articulating my thoughts so you get Brain Dump Yappery. about my terminal brain fungus Shattered Earth ofc :3

What is the main lesson of your story? Why did you choose it?

iiiii do not have a lesson with SE tbh jfjfjf. or…okay well, i dont mean to impart a lesson on the audience for SE i suppose. if anything i would want someone to come away from the story with their own?? interpretation of a lesson, or having realized/learned/realized something about themselves. or even if its as simple as “this shit is insane” i’d be genuinely happy with that

i chose it becuz ive more or less always wanted a cast full of heinous ass losers/villains/anti-villains/criminals who actually ARE fucked up and do actual bad things instead of being just simply misunderstood or simply SadTM. also cuz i just sort of love weird and unconventional forms of storytelling and worldbuilding. like the weirder/wackier or insane things are the better 💯. SE is the ultimate self-indulgent project fasho….

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

GOD…mangas like Gangsta. and Black Lagoon…the movies MFKZ and AKIRA and Bullet Train and Blade Runner and Snatch…Dorohedoro, Hunter X Hunter, Sakamoto Days….War of the Worlds….Mr Inbetween…Cloudpunk and Fallout….Umurangi Gen…so much….

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help the reader grow as a person?

Desmond is simply trying to achieve a place where he feels like he belongs or at least to have people who appreciate/like/love him as he is unconditionally- this goal is somewhat hidden at first by his stated intention to help his dad pay rent ie GET MONEY but that drive for belonging is ultimately what gets him into The Shit with the rest of the cast. then the story happens lol

aaaaaand idk what to achieve with him tbh im not good at articulating my thoughts…but look at ‘im. hes just a little guy; in all seriousness tho i think…? im at least hoping to showcase that the initial doormat/people pleaser/super empathetic type* of character is absolutely capable of evolving (forcefully in this case) into someone who’s like. capable of change. of doing things. of learning to not take people’s shit anymore and to finally be able to do something about it. violently and amorally but still with the best intentions in mind. teehee

and once again i dont mean to enforce anything on anyone with SE but maybe the just-stated above counts…? uhhh yknow what ya i would like people to grow. and learn 🌞

*i hate this type of character who is still this by the end or even halfway point of the story. like literally the only thing changed abt them is that they r Tired and Traumatized now but r still effectively doormats and r emotionally stable who Talk No Jutsu out of shit like that GENUINELY!!! makes me pissed kfjfjf like NAAAUR!! GET ANGRY! WHERES YOUR RAGE!! WHERES YOUR FUCKING RAAAAGE??!!!! BLOW SOME SHIT UP ABOUT IT!! FLUSH YOUR MEDICATIONS DOWN THE TOILERT! NOOOOW!! ok /endrant

How many chapters is your story going to have?

SE is become One Piece atp and everyday i suffer for it-

uuuh idk how many chapters. but as of rn the story is split into two Acts, each consisting of several Parts, each which consists of several story arcs. one arc now involves cowgirl francis fighting a bioengineered bigfoot in a martian terraformed shrubland desert so. idk how many chapters. i meant is become OP very seriously

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

ORIGINAL CONTEEEENT RAAAAAAAA rips shirt off

i def plan on making SE its own website lmfao. im willing to put the money in to purchase a domain and everything, i’ll even force myself to learn basic coding before i ever use something like webtoon or tapas. that shit’s for GODDAMN sure lol

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers do you follow?

DO WHATEVER YOU WANT FOREVER THE WORLD..:IS YOUR OYSTER...WATCH MFKZ...MY FINAL MESSAGE…GOODBYE….

I HEREBY TAG @vacantgodling, @calicohyde, @transthadymacdermot, and @careful-pyromancer...NO PRESSURE....

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

2024 AO3 Wrapped - For Writers

Taking a page out of @frownyalfred's bag and am compiling the stats that are most interesting to me (from various wraps I've seen) rather than using any one set template. I'm also going to stick to published stats because I've written chapters for Like the Cryptkeeper that have not published yet, in addition to a few WIPs I've gotten stuck in.

Works Published: ~12

Includes two works started in an earlier year but finished this year and one work started this year but not yet finished. Read all twelve-ish here.

Chapters Published: 18

The majority of my fics were single-chapter one-shots. Not all, though.

Words Published: 45,970

Hits: 29,829*

Comments: 649*

Kudos: 4,817*

Bookmarks: 1,230*

These last four stats I find interesting from a statistical perspective but also maddening, and I'm hoping one of you out there knows a trick. Because these three numbers are wrong.

Firstly, they include all hits/comments/kudos for Hey, Sister, but I wrote and posted half of that in 2022, so some of these are 2022 stats. Same goes for Nowhere Safer, which first posted near the end of 2023 but concluded in 2024! Augh.

And secondly, if I filter my stats down to 2024, it only shows me hits, comments, and kudos given to fics from 2024. My 2024 fics are little babies. Not only are they new and therefore less well-known, but they're also significantly shorter than, for example, The Return and Nature & Nurture.

AO3 is an archive. My older fics are FAR more popular than my shiny new fics! I WANT MY ACCURATE STATS. /endrant

Top Relationship: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd (3)

Shocking. Genuinely stunning. This wholly comes down to me getting really interested in some of the relational mechanics between Dick and Jason and churning out a bunch of fics for Whumptober about exactly that. ("A bunch," I say. Three. I mean three.)

Top Tag: Grief/Mourning (4)

If I exclude the Whumptober tag, grief/mourning was my #1. I'm not sure why.

Fic With Highest Stats:

Because I don't know how to properly segment Hey, Sister or Nowhere Safer, I'm going to present stats with and without that those involved. Stuff with multiple BatKids likely would have done really well even without the multi-year spread, but I can't prove it.

Hits: Hey, Sister (or Nowhere Safer or Like the Cryptkeeper)

Kudos: Hey, Sister (or Nowhere Safer or Open Line)

Comments: Like the Cryptkeeper

Bookmarks: Nowhere Safer (or Open Line)

Fic I'm Proudest Of:

I'm always proud of all of my fics but I am particularly proud of:

Like the Cryptkeeper because it's been a bit since I've done a fic longer than two chapters (we'll see how proud I am if I stall on my current chapter for much longer)

The morning and what came after because it was deeply angsty and made me cry

Searchlight Burning because @audreycritter said it was one of the best "Bruce returns to Gotham pre-Batman" fics she's ever read and I want to die with that on my tombstone

Fic I Wish Received More Attention: Searchlight Burning

Y'all are allergic to Alfred fics and it's such a pity.

WIPs Still Sitting In Drafts: 3.5

lol. Okay so of actual "things I actually attempted or am attempting to write" drafts, as opposed to just ideas, I am sitting on:

The rest of Like the Cryptkeeper

A mega-angsty little thing I've been poking at for a couple years

A Dick & Jason fic I started for Whumptober and got stuck on

An Alfred POV for The Rain Again that I started, had to back out of when it wasn't right, and if I ever use again will need to be for an entirely new scenario—hence the .5

Given Or Received Gifts: 3 received, 0 given

More indicative of my pre-Whumptober writing slump than anything else

Learn Anything New?

It was such a relief to finally feel like I got a little bit more of a handle on Dick. I didn't expect that this year.

I noticed while drafting Cryptkeeper that Jason was being VERY sweary in a way I don't usually write that felt appropriate and inappropriate for the setting at the same time. I finally realized my own internal distinction that he tends to stick to lesser swears when communicating verbally, while his own internal monologue will have a lot more f-bombs.

I love the "Batkids trust Bruce enough to crawl into his bed after a nightmare" but it's a trope that only ever squared with me in an uncomplicated way for Dick. I didn't see Jason falling into it without hesitation even as a younger kid and I really couldn't see Tim doing it, except for maybe much, much, MUCH later. I liked being able to solidify the uncomfortable middle ground for myself in Nowhere Safer.

It's not new knowledge that getting Jason and Bruce to talk honestly to each other is a difficult thing, but MAN has Cryptkeeper really driven it home. Yikes.

2025 Aspirations Or Goals:

Finish Like the Cryptkeeper.

Beef up some of my other pairings. I do want to keep writing my most delicious faves, but I'd like to explore some different combinations.

Tied to that, I'd like to build out my own understanding of some other characters within the Wayne universe. Steph and Duke remain a cipher to me, but so does Kon and Jon and Lois. I don't know that I would write more about them, but understanding them is at least more in that direction.

Tied to that, I'd like to find more new-to-me authors to read. My fic reading has fallen off a cliff for various reasons, but it's always a thrill to find talented writers who tackle the Fam in a cogent and engaging way.

Not necessarily specific to 2025, but I've never officially collaborated on a fic with anyone. That might be fun.

[doctoraxiom]

It's actually fascinating to me how much the "palworld is plagiarism and uses ai" post is going around.

First of all the "AI" game that that studio released seems to be a tongue in cheek criticism of AI artists not having talent (but feel free to give me more info here, I only know what reading the product page for AI: Art Impostor tells me)

Second of all the developer being interested in generative AI for games isn't inherently a sign of plagiarism**- I intend to use generative AI for my games that is trained on MY OWN ART. It's not too different from procedural generation at that point because the algorithm itself (or it's training and fine tuning) becomes the art and you're not plagiarizing from anyone but yourself.

Third of all- knockoff games have existed for-fucking-ever and if it's derivative enough it's not plagiarism. And if you're talking about "plagiarism" of the gameplay since palworld has mechanics from several other genres pretty much copy pasted- I hear you- but no one throws a fit about doomlikes being exactly like other doomlikes, or soulslikes straight up copy pasting souls mechanics without even bothering to come up with an in-universe justification (looking at you, Jedi Fallen Order). I'd argue this is actually more creative than that to turn mechanics from multiple other franchises into a cohesive gameplay experience because putting a mechanic into a totally different game is actually really hard to fine tune into feeling good for the player!

Is a work derivative enough to add something new? Or combine old works in a new and novel way? Palworld definitely seems to combine several known mechanics in a novel and fun way. In the very worst case it's in a grey area.

Also the recent anti-plagiarism mass movement was created to protect small creators from getting bullied out of their due. Who are you trying to protect here? Nintendo? Pokemon was a rip-off of digimon and the jrpg's of that time. You gonna get up in arms about that?

This knee jerk hearing something is indirectly related to AI and assuming everything associated with it is stealing and bad needs to stop.

/endrant

**Also I can't find any direct evidence that they tried to use AI in development! Lots of people expressed interest in generative AI before the techbros hopped on the bandwagon and tried to monetize it as an art-stealing machine. This is not an admission of guilt.

[armyvulcan]

truly in desperation mode of intense, soul-sucking yearn of varric and marian hawke, like his dedication to this woman is almost sacrilege

he willingly upkept a lie for this woman, even facing cassandra's confrontation personally, like "ya i lied, so what? whaddaya gonna do? throw me in jail? bitch you need me"

my headcanon for him is whenever hawke's mentioned, in the war council or in passing, he gets immediately defensive, willing to throw out the shrouded mystery of his life for this woman. he loves her, HE LOVES HER, and you cannot convince me otherwise

/endrant

[frownyalfred]

Gonna pile on here as another fic author: I don't think most people realize that authors can and do read public bookmarks, but oh god I wish they would, it's somehow worse then getting outright hate in the inbox

I write popular stuff like you, which I think makes it worse? (which is also why this is on anon lol) People assume I'll never see them say my fic is overhyped or too long, I guess

I have a lot of grace for the accidental public bookmarks. I know it happens sometimes. I've seen this argument wrung six different ways on the ao3 subreddit, and the conclusion I always come to is this: even if it's not done with malicious intent, it does affect authors. And you can't just expect authors to ignore a bookmark that 1) they cannot remove and 2) is slapped right onto their fic for everyone else to see.

It's like walking up to a busker playing piano on the subway and leaving a permanent sticky note on their keyboard that says "6/10 meh could've been better" that they can't ever take off. And they just have to look at it, and make their peace with it, which are important things for creators to be able to do, of course, but puts the onus of being the "better person" solely on the author?

"Well don't look at the bookmarks" "it's not a bad rating" "bookmarks are for readers, not authors" I GET these points. I am also a reader. I read and use bookmarks as recs. But giving out unsolicited criticism, regardless of venue, has always been seen as distasteful. Especially when the things being criticized are done 1) for free 2) in the author's spare time and 3) are so easy to suppress/crush with one poorly-placed comment or bookmark.

I don't say this to rant about how my own writing has been impacted by bookmarks, because while I'll bitch about it here, I'm not really thinking about myself. I'm thinking about the baby author or the new fandom arrival whose success and presence in this fandom is so tenuous, that one bookmark can knock them out of the game entirely. I'm talking about when we forget that there are real people, with real lives, on the other side of that ao3 username. The people who have quit writing because of stuff like this.

I'm not saying you have to like every fic. I'm not saying you can't rec fics to others with valid criticisms attached -- we all do it! Hey, I loved this fic but it's a little rough at the start! I've said that so many times. Would I ever put that in my public bookmark of that work? Absolutely not.

If you've erred with public bookmarks, it's not the end of the world. Make them private or maybe add some thoughts to the bookmark other than a rating. I've seen too many rating "codes" to believe it's all innocuous mistakes. And trust me, slapping a 2/5 on a poor little oneshot is one of the worst things you can do to a new or aspiring author.

/endrant

[demongirlclaws]

i have a couple issues with the online vexillology / vexillography community, especially with that on /r/vexillology

1 - they only think of a flag design in terms of the exact specifications. ie: this flag should have these distentions, have the charge drawn based on this design sheet, follow these colourings in pantone, rgb, and cmyk, etc. if a flag deviates from specification, that is not a natural variation of the design, but an aberration from it.

that does not in any way correspond to how flags work in the real world. flags are produced with all manner of variations in shades of colour, sizes of elements, and how things are drawn, and that is not a problem. as long as it corresponds to the actual spirit of the design, it is still correct.

2 - all flags must be minimalist. they have taken the principle that flags must be recognisable from a distance, to the extreme that all detail must be visible from a distance. this is patently absurd.

using the flag of mexico as an example - it has a green-white-red tricolour, with a complex emblem in the center depicting the founding legend of mexico city. from a distance, you may only be able to make out that there is a bird and a wreath, or even just a mass of brown and green. but in context, it is very clear from a distance that this is the flag of mexico. the same goes with california, brazil, or many of these other very recognisable and distinct flags which are perpetually redesigned for being "too complex". **the issue with shit flags is not that they have too much detail, but that they are not distinct**. /endrant

[librarycards]

the locked tomb?

added to TBR | on my TBR | couldn’t finish it | did not enjoy | it was OK| liked it | loved it | favorite | not interested

unfortunately, i have tried gideon multiple times and cannot stand it - mostly for the pacing/storytelling but also for the ??? reverse-anachronistic dialogue? anyway, /endrant, but yeah. no from me.

as such, i'm not 100% on what recs would be good, but here are a few you may enjoy. others are welcome to weigh in!

recs:

Martha Wells, The Murderbot Diaries (I like this series!)

Travis Baldree, Bookshops and Bonedust (This was 'pretty good' as an airplane book for me)

Mira Grant, Feed (I DNF'd this, and did so for similar reasons (the specific narrative style/on-the-nose dialogue, so maybe you will also like it?)