#forgetting windows just default does this

[prideblades]

I always forget windows computers default come on "balanced" mode and always wonder "man why is my pc so slow" until i change the settings.

[lockeswoodss]

The Crimson Glow: Chapter 1

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!MDNI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You had long given up on meeting your soulmates. At 33, you felt like you'd miss the window. Pathetic off white pink strings, that had only darkened twice, were your only claim to them. That was until you started your across-state journey from Philly to P-burgh. Feeling brash after a recent breakup you threw caution to the wind and applied for a job across your home state. To your surprise, you were hired. With the encouragement of your close friends and brother, you committed to the new experience. For once, you were excited for adventure, that was until your strings began to darken.

CW: none? I guess cursing? If you see something please let me know 💛

A/N: While this chapter does not include smut there will be some in future chapters; it's a slow burn. Smut chapters will be labeled

Taglist: @nocturnalrorobin (also the requester of this prompt ^-^)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It would be an understatement to say that you’ve grown pessimistic when it comes to your soulmates. I mean fuck you were in your early thirties and your soul link of red strings had only changed from a pale pink twice in your life before going back to the default light pink. Yes, strings plural. You were part of the 2% of Americans who are estimated to have more than one soulmate. Despite this occurring in 1 in 50 people, your parents were from a generation where those who had more than one soulmate were ostracized. In turn, they had trained you since you were able to talk to only refer to one string. It had been ingrained in you to the extent that even now, as an adult, you had only told less than five people outside of your family about having two soulmates. Two of which were close friends, and the other two were past long-term relationships. Fuck what you wouldn’t give for a quote of your first words, or a countdown timer. Anything other than this off-white string that had been hanging over your head since childhood.

You knew that you could only be mad at fate to a certain extent. You had chosen to be career driven and bet on sure things rather than chasing after strings that had been stagnant for almost your whole life. In a way, you wish you could be as carefree as your twin brother. Benjamin, ever the romantic, took what was supposed to be a gap year from undergrad to grad school to find his mate. He headed east to Europe and backpacked across the entire continent before finding his soulmate, now husband, in Sicily. He ended up settling in London with his soulmate, Dante, eleven years ago and never looked back. Your parents’ reaction to his “lifestyle choices” was the final nail in the coffin before you both went no contact. You were the only thing left trying him to the US. You visited him at least once a year and talked regularly. You always wished you could be as carefree as he was. Despite your own situation, you were beyond happy for your brother. If not a bit envious, which led you to now, you pulled off at a rest station off of Route 76 on the verge of a panic attack.

You had just passed Harrisburg, two hours into your journey west from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. For the first time ever both your strings were red, overlapped and darkening as you got closer to Pittsburgh. You didn’t know what to do or how to process this new information. Your strings had been overlapped for about two years now, and you had dealt with and accepted the fact that your soulmates had most likely found each other.  No, it was the darkening that threw you for a loop. This had only happened twice, the first time the string had gone from off-white to red only to turn back light pink within a few hours. That same string, pointing east across the Atlantic, had briefly turned black to grey back to light pink. You’d never forget that day one of your soulmates had almost died. Your sting had gone black for a minute and 57 seconds.

You shook your head, dismissing that thought; you were already stressed as it was.

You don’t know how Benji and your friend, a Pittsburgh native, had convinced you to take life by the reins and be impulsive. Between your recent breakup and a job opportunity across the state, you had made the improbable choice. You quit your job and got an apartment on the other side of the state. You regret it now, dread building in your gut. You weren���t spontaneous, no, you were practical and thorough. You didn’t take these kinds of risks.

Fuck, you felt like you were going to throw up. You quickly exited your maps app. Your thumb was over your brother’s contact info when your call screen suddenly took over displaying an incoming call from him. You picked up before the first ring had ended.

“You’re okay,” Ben’s voice rang out before you even had the chance to greet him. The wails of your nephew faint in the background.

“I-” You started, voice shaky, you paused before taking a breath.

“It’s okay,” he said once again, voice level.

“They’re red Ben, like properly red, like the ones in the movies.” You responded, you somehow managed to get the words out evenly, before taking another deep breath.

“Sis, that’s a good thing,” he responded, smile clear in his voice.

“No, I don’t know what to do,” you sighed, pressing your forehead flush with the top of the steering wheel, “I always know what to do Ben.”

“It’s okay to not know what’s to come, most people don’t know what’s going to happen before they meet their soulmate. You just have to lean on fate for a bit before going back to being a know-it-all,” he joked, hoping to lighten your mood.

“Okay,” you sighed, breathing going back to normal. “But what if I’m not what they’re expecting?”

“Then they’ll be pleasantly surprised,” He responded,

“What if it’s a bad time? Or if I meet them before making it to Pittsburgh?” You ask.

“There’s no perfect time to meet your mates, and if you meet them before Pittsburgh, you’ll figure it out. Like you always do.” He said comfortingly,

“What if-what if they don’t want me?” you said, finally voicing your deepest concern.

“Sis,” he replied softly, his voice just loud enough to register on his phone’s mic.

“I’m just-Fuck, I’m a mess, I start at my new job in less than two days, my apartment isn’t set up, and I definitely needed to do a everything shower this morning, but gaslighted myself into not washing my hair.” You sighed, “Just,” you breathed, “What if I’m not good enough?” Your voice wavered.

“Hey, watch your tone, I know you’re not bad mouthing my sister. Not the one that put herself through college, a master’s program, and a licensing process to become an art therapist. Not the woman who devotes everything to her patients within boundaries. Not the one who worked pro bono at a grief summer camp because of a staffing shortage. Or on top of everything is an amazing artist. Cuz she’s an empathetic badass, who is way too smart to say any of that shit.” Ben responded.

“Ben,” you said, sniffled, eyes watering.

“You’re going to be okay. They are lucky to be blessed with your presence and happy to meet you. If not, I’ll fuck them up.”

You let out a wet laugh, a single tear escaping each of your eyes as you blinked.

“Thanks,” you sniffled, a soft smile on your lips.

“No problem. What are big brothers for?” he asked, jokingly.

“Just cuz you cut in line does not make you older.” You responded to a lifelong debate with an eyeroll he’d never see, “Sorry for falling apart on you.”

“Sis, I’m sleep training a five-month-old, who is on what I hope is the tail end of colic. You were a much-needed break.”

“Tell Atlas his auntie loves him.” You said, taking one last deep breath. The weight gone from your chest.

“I will.” You could hear the softness in his voice shift, Atlas most likely finally calming down for Dante in the other room, “If you need anything, feel free to call.”

“I will, love you,” you reply.

“Love you too,” he responded before you clicked off the call.

You took a deep breath; you plugged your phone back into its charging port and clicked on maps and cued up a hip-hop mix. You shifted from park to drive and merged back onto I-76. You took one last stop two hours in, but it just made you more tired. You white knuckled it until you got to the parking garage adjacent to your building. Your strings continued to darken, color plateaued when you drove into the city’s limits. They weren’t overlapping anymore. On was pointing up, something you’d never seen before, and the other was pointing off to the right as you face your apartment building. You texted Ben and your friend who lived in the city that you got in safely. You unloaded your backpack and a single suitcase that held all your valuables. For the first time, you found yourself liking the annoying squeaks of its broken wheel. It was something familiar.

After you locked your car, the next half hour was a blur. You signed the final paperwork at the office and got your keys. You boarded the elevator and clicked on the tenth floor.

Your breath caught in your throat as the red string that was pointing upward started to move laterally down, while the other started to point down. The above one kept moving downward until it was back to the height of your palm. Was this it? Were you about to meet your soulmate? Despite bitching about not meeting them for the better part of thirty years you felt wildly unprepared. The ding of your floor snapped you out of your daze.

Were they living on the same floor as you?

You shook your head, turning left as the building manager had directed you. You slowly made your way down the hall; your suitcase’s broken wheel squeaking was the only noise. Your head snapped down as you passed the last apartment on the right before yours. The string was bright crimson, bolder than you had ever seen before. As you walked on, the string went through you, through the wall into that apartment.

You paused. But then there was nothing? Maybe they were asleep? It was four in the afternoon, but you weren’t really one to judge; you always loved a good nap. That or maybe they worked nights? After waiting for a beat, you slowly walked down to your apartment door, keeping an eye on the door as you opened yours.

Maybe this was okay? While you were desperate to meet them, you also had just completed an over five-hour drive, and you felt and you’re sure, looked like hot garbage. You gave yourself no time to take in the apartment before crossing through the sea of reusable boxes to your bedroom. You quickly tossed your backpack on the sheetless mattress resting on a built bed frame. You pulled out the lounge wear you packed along with a towel and washcloth from one of the totes before rushing to the bathroom. If you were gonna meet them today you were gonna have clean hair god dammit. You turned on the water as you stripped, your string remaining solitary to the one spot in your neighbor’s apartment. You unpacked your toiletries onto the shower’s ledges before jumping in. Your nerves got to you again, loitering in the shower as long as you could justify. After drying off, you did your full extended post-shower routine; eyes never straying far from the solitaire string.

While you tried to start to unpack, you couldn’t help but stare at the string. Should you just go and knock on their door? Before you could scheme any further, your stomach grumbled. It was already five and you hadn’t eaten since the last rest stop. Maybe going to grab something to eat wasn’t the worst idea ever. It’d get you out of your current impasse of staring at a wall. You picked a well-rated Thai restaurant around the corner, ordering way too much for a single person. The entire trip lasted about a half-hour, but it was a nice break. You got some fresh air and were able to stretch your legs as you took in the neighborhood. When you got back to the lobby, your other string started to darken quickly, like it was speeding towards you. You debated waiting for it or going back upstairs so that you could all be together. You opted for the latter and retreated back to your apartment. The string on your floor remained still, only starting to move as you closed your door.

Your heart began to hammer in your chest as you placed the food down on your kitchen counter. You were about to check in with Ben before a loud knock sounded off. Hesitantly, you approached the door, strings bright red, almost glowing. They formed a “V” shape as you wrapped your hand around the door handle.

This was it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read! I am in the last month of my semester, so I don't have an update schedule as of now. Will hopefully be more consistent after mid-May. Hope you're doing well whenever you are 💛

Chapter 2: here

[rikudaa]

༉‧₊˚Blue Paint and Binary

Tim Drake/Red Robin x Reader | Part 1. >>>

ღA/N: I haven’t finished the Jason’s one yet but already started on Tim, I don’t have any excuse your honor. Dividers are made by @cafekitsune ! Also there’s a familiar name, I wonder why it’s there👀

Note: This is a Yandere story but for the start off the chapter it’s just a life of being student in university. You’re an art major with a psychology focus, and he’s in another major likely something strategic, analytical, or tech-heavy. Academic rivals are ruled.

No gender mention for reader, just “You” and “Y/N”. Enjoy!

You see him again.

Fourth time this week. Fifth if you count the reflection in the library window Monday night, where he didn’t notice you watching him stalk through the neuroscience wing like he had a hitlist tucked in his backpack. He probably did. Probably alphabetized, color-coded, timestamped. You don’t know what his major is, exactly. You just know it involves enough data and silence to make your teeth itch.

You’re not even sure how it started, this thing between you.

Maybe it was the day he tore down your entire color-theory thesis in front of the honors seminar like you hadn’t poured eight weeks of insomnia into it. Or maybe it was when you psychoanalyzed the subtle ways he corrects professors, like he’s trying not to challenge their authority outright. A boy raised in the shadows, needing to be smarter than the room but invisible at the same time.

He hated that.

You liked that he hated that.

It made things interesting.

Now you both sit two rows apart in the interdisciplinary lecture you don’t need, but keep taking anyway. You, because it fulfills a loose psych elective. Him, because–well, you’re still figuring that out. You suspect it’s just to keep an eye on you.

His laptop is open. Of course. Always typing, even when the professor is off-topic or ranting about Kantian frameworks like anyone in this generation gives a damn. You sketch while he types. His fingers never pause. Neither does your pencil.

You don’t know what he’s writing. He doesn’t know you’re drawing him. (He probably does)

Sometimes you wonder what it’d be like if you weren’t circling each other like dogs bred for war. If you weren’t two kids with too many ghosts and not enough peace. If you weren’t chasing two versions of control in different languages–his clean, hard logic versus your bleeding, beautiful chaos.

“Drake,” you mutter when he passes by your table at the campus café.

He looks up. Neutral expression, polite voice.

“Y/N.”

The way he says your name–it’s never soft. Like it’s a task. Like he’s filing you under ‘problems to solve later.’

You sip your coffee. He doesn’t sit, but he also doesn’t leave.

“I heard you’re presenting at the symposium next month,” he says. Tone clipped. “Didn’t think postmodern expressionism was ready for prime time.”

You smile over the rim of your cup. “I didn’t think future CIA agents attended art showcases.”

His lip twitches. A crack in the porcelain. You almost write that down. Instead, you offer a shrug.

“It’s about trauma translation in visual mediums,” you say casually. “Memory distortion in painted narratives. Thought you’d be into that, don’t you guys love poking at trauma?”

“I don’t poke,” he says. “I dissect.”

“Wow. That supposed to impress me?”

“No,” he says. “But I’m guessing that’s your default response to feeling threatened.”

You narrow your eyes. “I’m not threatened.”

“Sure.”

You hate that you want to throw your coffee at him and kiss him at the same time.

There’s no label for what you two are. You share a dozen classes. Compete for the same awards. Sit on the same late-night panels when professors need overachievers to flex for alumni donors.

You’ve even been grouped for the occasional cross-discipline project where you talk, and he listens, and then he talks, and you sketch the slope of his mouth when he forgets he’s performing.

Sometimes you work in silence for hours.

Sometimes you fight.

Sometimes you wonder what he dreams about when he forgets to pretend he doesn’t dream.

You catch him reading your analysis paper once. The one you left out in the shared research lab. He doesn’t know you’re watching from the stairwell. He reads it twice.

You never mention it.

Weeks pass. You win the campus-wide art grant. He wins the dean’s medallion. You both pretend not to care about the other’s win, but neither of you stop looking. Comparing. Weighing.

During one particularly brutal review, your advisor calls your piece “Catharsis in Crimson” emotionally erratic.

You leave class furious, chalk-stained fingers clenching your coat.

Tim’s outside already, leaning against the wall like he’d been waiting. You scowl.

“If you came to gloat–”

“I liked it.”

You blink.

“What?”

“I liked your piece,” he says. “The one they tore apart.”

Your voice is smaller than you want. “You don’t get to say that.”

“I know.” He nods. “But I’m saying it anyway.”

It’s quiet for a beat. You look at the sky to avoid looking at his face. The clouds are heavy and gray and stubborn. You think, Maybe we’re like that too.

“I don’t know what we are,” you admit.

Tim exhales slowly. “Neither do I.”

You laugh softly but the bitterness already etched on your tongue.

“Must drive you crazy. Not knowing.”

“It does,” he says. “You’re an outlier. I don’t have a model for you.”

You look at him then. Really look. There’s something honest in the way his hands curl at his sides. Something tired in the slouch of his shoulders, like he’s been fighting a war no one sees.

“I could say the same.”

“I know.”

And there it is again. The space between you, small and sharp and unbearably loud.

You don’t touch. You don’t cross the line.

But you both know it’s there.

Waiting.

Next up: Observe and Detach | Part 1. >>>

©𐙚 rikudaa—Please do not repost or copy this content to other websites.

[leveragehunters]

Downloading fanfic from AO3

I've been downloading a lot of fanfic lately for personal archival purposes, and I figured I'd share how I do it in case it's useful to anyone else (and so I have it written down in case I forget!).

There are lots of different ways to save fic, including the file download built into AO3, but I find that this gives me the nicest ebooks in the most efficient way.

(Under a cut cause long.)

Download Calibre: https://calibre-ebook.com/ or (clickable link).

Calibre is about the best ebook management and control program around and it's free. You can get it for windows, mac, and linux or download and run it from a portable storage device (I'm using a windows PC).

Install it and run it. It's gonna ask you where you want to put your library. Dealer's choice on this one. I recommend your internal drive (and then back up to external/cloud), but YMMV.

If you want to keep fanfic separate from the rest of your ebooks, you can create multiple libraries. I do, and my libraries are creatively named 'Books' and 'Fic'.

Customise Calibre

Now you're gonna install some plugins. Go to Preferences on the menu bar (far right), click its little side arrow, then choose 'Get plugins to enhance Calibre'.

At the top right of the box that pops up is 'Filter by name'. The plugins you want to get are:

EpubMerge

FanFicFare

Install them one at a time. It will ask you where you want them. I recommend 'the main bar' and 'the main bar when device is attached' (should be selected by default). When you're done, close and reopen Calibre.

The plugins you just installed should appear on the far right of the toolbar, but if you can't see one or both of them, fear not! Just click Preferences (the button, not the side arrow), then Toolbars and Menus (in the 'Interface' section) then choose the main toolbar from the drop down menu. That will let you add and remove things - I suggest getting rid of Donate, Connect Share, and News. That'll leave you room to add your new plugins to the menu bar.

(Do donate, though, if you can afford it. This is a hell of a program.)

Now you're ready to start saving your fave fanfic!

Saving fanfic

I'll go through both methods I use, but pick whatever makes you happy (and/or works best for what you're downloading).

ETA: if the fics are locked you can't easily use FanFicFare. Skip down to the next section. (It does ask for a username/password if you try and get a locked fic, but it's never worked for me - I had to edit the personal.ini in the configuration options, and even then it skips locked fics in a series.)

Calibre and FanFicFare

You can work from entirely within Calibre using the FanFicFare plugin. Just click its side arrow and pick from the menu. The three main options I use are download from URL, make anthology from a webpage, and update story/anthology.

Download from URL: pick Download from URL (or just click the FanFicFare button) and paste the fic's URL into the box (if you've copied it to your clipboard, it will be there automatically). You can do more than one fic at a time - just paste the URLs in one after the other (each on a new line). When you're done, make sure you have the output format you want and then go.

Make Anthology Epub From Web Page: if you want a whole series as a single ebook, pick Anthology Options, then Make Anthology Epub From Webpage. Paste the series URL into the box (if you've copied it to your clipboard, it will be there automatically), click okay when it displays the story URLs, check your output format and go.

Update series/anthology: if you downloaded an unfinished fic or series and the author updates, you can automatically add the update to your ebook. Just click on the ebook in Calibre, open the FanFicFare menu using its side arrow, and select either Update Existing FanFic Books or Anthology Options, Update Anthology epub. Okay the URLs and/or the output format, then go.

Any fic downloaded using FanFicFare will be given an automatically generated Calibre cover. You can change the cover and the metadata by right clicking on the title and picking edit metadata. You can do it individually, to change the cover or anything else specific to that ebook, or in bulk, which is great for adding a tag or series name to multiple fics. Make sure you generate a new cover if you change the metadata.

Browser plugins, Calibre, and EpubMerge

You can also use a browser addon/plugin to download from AO3. I use FicLab (Firefox/Chrome), but I believe there's others. FicLab: https://www.ficlab.com/ (clickable link).

FicLab puts a 'Save' button next to fic when you're looking at a list of fics, eg search results, series page, author's work list etc. Just click the 'Save' button, adjust the settings, and download the fic. You can also use it from within the fic by clicking the toolbar icon and running it.

FicLab is great if you're reading and come across a fic you want to save. It also generates a much nicer (IMO) cover than Calibre.

You can add the downloaded fic to Calibre (just drag and drop) or save it wherever. The advantage to dropping it into Calibre is that all your fic stays nicely organised, you can adjust the metadata, and you can easily combine fics.

Combining fics

You can combine multiple fics into an anthology using EpubMerge. This is great if you want a single ebook of an author's short fics, or their AUs, or their fics in a specific ship that aren't part of a series. (It only works on epubs, so if you've saved as some other format, you'll need to convert using Calibre's Convert books button.)

Select the ones you want to combine, click EpubMerge, adjust the order if necessary, and go.

The cover of the merged epubs will be the cover of the first fic in the merge list. You can add a new cover by editing the metadata and generating a new cover.

Combing with FanFicFare

You can also combine nonseries fics using FanFicFare's Make Anthology ePub from URLs option by pasting the individual fic URLs into the box.

Where there's more than a few fics, I find it easier to download them with FicLab and combine them with EpubMerge, and I prefer keeping both the combined and the individual versions of fic, but again YMMV.

Reconverting and Converting

Once I'm done fussing, I reconvert the ebook to the same format, to ensure everything is embedded in the file. Is this necessary? YMMV, but it's a quick and easy step that does zero harm.

If you don't want your final ebook to be an epub, just convert it to whatever format you like.

Disclaimers

Save fanfic for your own personal enjoyment/offline reading/safeguarding against the future. If it's not your fic, don't distribute it, or upload it to other sites, or otherwise be a dick. Especially if the author deletes it. Respect their wishes and their rights.

This may work on other fanfic sites, eg FFN, but I've never tried so I don't know.

If you download a fic, do leave the author a kudo or a comment; you'll make them so happy.

This is how I save fic. I'm not pretending it's the only way, or even the best way! This is just the way that works for me.

[nekumiho]

persona 3 reload came out yesterday so Naturally i was obligated to finally do a finished piece with my silly velvet room attendants submas au. alt versions, lore info, and misc doodles under the cut o__o (attendant related p5 spoilers mentioned). also sorry for the eyestrain.

protags they attend to are Fellow Twins hilda and hilbert who always just get referred to as 'passenger(s)'. velvet room manifestation is the inside of a subway car, no i havent worked out what that symbolizes to hilda and hilbert, dont worry about it. but i think whether its visibly in motion or not wld depend on the protags' mental state, one side of the windows for hilda and one for hilbert. mostly dark empty with no visual movement outside the windows w/ maybe a flickering station light somewhere or a visibly blocked tunnel for when theyre feeling stuck in life, default would be like a well lit platform outside of the window with faceless shadow people walking around, how crowded it is depends on their progress with social links. high speed through the tunnels with their half of the car rocking violently when there's high stress super dire stuff going on, steady movement when theyre making progress with something, etc etc

their brassards HOPEFULLY translate to 'down' (χάμω) and 'up' (πάνω) in greek??? i wanted smth like caroline and justine's hats but also not The Same and uhhh yknow. persona 3 and greek mythology are pretty :handshake:.

i dont wanna steal margaret's eldest sibling clout so i think physically ingo and emmet would be younger than her but only barely. margaret is literally the only attendant i can see being physically over like 35 and i need sbms to be mid thirties at like the bare minimum. theyre highkey disturbed whenever lavenza willingly splits herself back into caroline and justine. weirded out by the other 'twins' in general bc they're not even Real twins. they gatekeep being twins. if anyone asks "so are you guys also just two halves of one person" it will be the most offensive thing you could ever say to them. elizabeth and emmet bully theodore together. ingo doesnt dislike theodore but just kind of forgets he exists because the twins are always being like "my brother, [name] (pauses and remembers theodore), i mean, ONE of my brothers,"

emmet is very :handshake: with elizabeth while ingo is very :handshake: with margaret. they both have their own fave sisters whoops. (sorry lavenza). in any sort of 'dancing game' scenario theyre both awkward as hell. very theodore core in general with emmet having some of the elizabeth vibes of just 'i am just never going to stop making random jerky body movements' ingo is a BIT more stiff. but like in general i think theo's way of life and elizabeth's aria of the soul have pretty good ingo and emmet vibes respectively. if i ever learn model editing beyond texture replacement its so over for my mmds.

i love igor dearly but i think since there are Two of them they can kinda handle stuff on their own while igor helps with Other persona protags in their respective rooms? emmet says shit like "YEAH FUCK IGOR THIS IS OUR LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!" and ingos like "emmet be nice thats still our boss and the only reason he let us be in charge is because hes busy".

ingo handles all persona fusion stuff and emmet does storage/organization/other misc stuff and gives you p3 elizabeth styled quests. they can both be social linked because i say so. emmet is justice arcana and ingo is judgement. emmets quests are the only way or at least the main way to increase your social link with him and if you dont finish one of his Special Request ones you lose your link with him. one of the special requests is to take him and ingo to see a real subway station 100% because theyve never seen one.

of all the other velvet rooms, they like the p4 one the most because the inside of the limo is the closest to the subway car they're familiar with but i think theyd like the p3 one too for the possible rocking motion of the elevator eternally going up

thats all i can think of right now i THINK thats everything??? so heres an original concept sketch,

and also a funny emmet quest moments doodle

oh yeah emmet really fucking loves jack frost because they have similar vibes. ingo, on the other hand, is a big pyro jack fan.

[ooeygooeyghoul]

How to make a child model in Anam/Ktisis!

Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert in the use of these mods! I'm still very new and learning the ins and outs of them! This method worked for me, and maybe there are better ways to do it, but I'm just explaining how I created my baby Shiun. If you know of a better way, or have any tips and tricks, please feel free to comment or reblog with your advice for the sake of other gpose newbies! :D Link to Ktisis's download page | Link to Anam's download page Guide and Tips/Warnings below the cut! Hope this helps <3

Summon your partner in crime. So first off, I equipped my summoner job stone and summoned my trusty companion, Carbie.

2. Add your Carbie to your actors. Open up Anam and add your carbie to your list of actors, by clicking the plus sign at the top of the menu next to your character's name (remember that with Anam, you can only edit appearances OUTSIDE of gpose). Click on the little button labeled "Carbuncle" to add them.

3. Turn your Carbie into a person. With your Cabie selected, go to the "Import NPC" at the bottom right and pull up the list. Find an NPC that is the same race as your desired character and select it. In this example, I just chose the first au ra NPC I saw in the list. (You can also directly choose your desired race in the customize menu and start from scratch, but I just do it the Import way, lol) ⚠️As far as I've experienced, it's a 50/50 chance on whether or not you can alter the age of your character's actor directly. Every time I've tried this, it breaks the model and never works the way it should. For simplicity's sake, I've always just used my friend Carbie.

4. Change the age of your new actor. Now if you look at the top left of the Anam window, there's a series of dropdowns next to "Race."

What you want is the bottom right menu. Click it and you'll see "Old," "Normal," and "Young." Clicking "Young" will turn your carbie into the child version of the race it's currently disguised as!

5. Customize and boot up gpose! Now you can customize them to be the adorable mini version of your beloved WoL/OC!! The bones are compatible with Ktisis and should be as easy to manipulate and pose as adult models. If you use the Carbie method as I have in this explanation, you can simply hide your main model in the default Gpose menu for pictures.

Some things to keep in mind! ----

⚠️Not every race has a child model. The only races that have child models are:

au ra - male & female

hyur - male & female

elezen - male & female

miqo'te - female only

⚠️It is very likely that the models will break or look a little funky when you first spawn them. They have a very limited number of faces, and a limited number of available hairstyles. If you choose an option the game does not have, it will create some... interesting results. Most other customizations beyond skin color, hair color, and eye color will also likely not work (tail type/length, jaw type, etc.).

Left: invalid face selected --- Right: invalid hairstyle selected

Usually, faces 1 & 2 are the only viable options, and hairstyles 1-5 are okay. (Note: the pictures of the hairstyle icons will NOT match the hairstyle on the model.)

⚠️Clothing is also fairly limited! I'm not sure what dictates what child models can and cannot wear, so as far as I know, it's just a game of trial and error. You'll know immediately if an article of clothing isn't compatible lmaoo. Hats... rarely ever work...

✨Don't forget that you can save your model's data! When your model is customized to your liking, click "Export" at the bottom right of the menu to save the data to Anam. That way, you can load the appearance immediately without rebuilding it every time!

It's a mixed bag of what will and won't work on the model. My best advice is to experiment and play around with it! It took me a little bit to figure all of this out, so hopefully this silly little explanation helps out all the other new gposers out there :)

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and ask! I'll do my best to help! I may edit this as I go to correct things and/or add onto it!

[seven-oomen]

Trans husk AU | It's allright, I've got all I need

A few cool things about the AU:

Sinners bodies reflect their human bodies around the time of death. Meaning that if they had scars, or surgeries (say trans surgeries) those scars carry over and regenerate with them. It just becomes the new default.

Trans sinners demon forms and voices reflect their gender identity, though their bodies may stills have features from their assigned sex at birth. It depends on whether they had certain surgeries.

Sinner demons who happen to be children at their time of death will always be children for eternity. Mentally and physically.

Sinners can't normally reproduce, but there are ways around that of the angelic or divine variety.

Will come up with more.

So for now, enjoy a snippet of Angel finding out about Husk's surgery scars!

Still, there’s something in him that wants to try. For however long or short this may last, he wants to try.

“Will you-“ He starts but he quickly finds that the words leave him again when Angel blinks up at him with a content grin.

“Yeah, Husk?” He laughs.

“Will you, uh, wanna go out with me sometime?”

It’s Angel’s turn to fall quiet for a minute. Fuck, he miscalculated this. Took a gamble that’s way out of his league. This is stupid, he’s stupid. He’s just thrown everything out the window on a stupid chance- “Forget I said any-“

“-I’d love to, yes.”

Their eyes meet once again and for a moment he forgets everything around them and just drowns in that gaze. He said yes… Angel actually wants to go out with him, take this to the next step. It’s insanity, but a welcome insanity. “Yeah?” He whispers.

“Yeah, can’t wait to see where you’ll take me.” Angel giggles, his fingers trace up from his abdomen up to his chest, then pause.

“I didn’t know you have scars.” He says as he traces along the edges of his surgical scars. They’re remnants from his body on earth, something that’s been on him since the day he arrived in hell and something that’ll regenerate with him if he ever ‘dies’ in hell.

It’s silly and he knows it but his first instinct is to try and hide them by smoothing his fur. Though all that really does is push Angel’s fingers further into his chest.

“Hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it.”

“I-“ He tries to find the right words. Logically he knows Angel doesn’t give a rats ass about things like that. He’s a porn actor and sex worker, he’s probably seen every sort of body type that’s out there. But he’s so used to trying to hide it, from his time on Earth, and then as an overlord to stop people from exploiting it as a weakness, it’s a hard habit to break.

“I ain’t sure how to explain it. It’s- They’re from a surgery I had as a human. This, demon form manifested with ‘em.”

That seems to be enough of an explanation for now. For Angel nods and shrugs with a “that makes sense” as he traces the scars down to the end where he smooths his fur back over them and presses a kiss to the area.

“I think they suit you, you know? Tells a story of a survivor hidden underneath.”

There’s a strange feeling down in his chest and abdomen. Something that feels entirely to great and yet very constricting as he watches Angel accept a part of him that he’s tried to hide for so damn long. “Yeah…” He whispers, turning his gaze away from the man in his arms to a spot on the nearby wall.

What do we think?

[aenslem]

a very foking detailed GIF tutorial you asked for and how I color my gifs

However, I color them individually, so there will be explanation of tools I choose instead of showing what settings I used for this specific gif in this tutorial.

I will go through entire process of how I create gifs, the process of gifmaking can be different for others and there is no obligation of how to create a gif. Basically, do it however you like and enjoy the process.

this is part I, part II is here\in reblogs.

First, you will need to prepare everything, you choose the moment you want to gif and make screencaps. I use mpv player to create them, here is a great tutorial on how to install it. So I won't go over it, just follow it and or use another player which allows to make screencaps, such as kmplayer.

Once you make screencaps go to photoshop - file - scripts - load files into stack - browse - select screencaps and upload them.

At this point I will also add that I use keyboard shortcuts a lot, you can set them up to your preference, that is much easier for me and might be for you too, and I am so used to them that I forget where are some settings. You can do it from edit - keyboard shortcuts, you may set up anything there.

You will have all screencaps uploaded into one file. Once I have it I change canvas/image size, I also remove 10 pixels from each side, because I hate that some files have that weird black line which looks awful on gifs. But that's up to you. Use proper dimensions for tumblr, that is important since your gifs will look 'not good' when you upload them. I will go with 540x500px this time. (correct dimensions for tumblr are 540px for big gifs, 268px for two gifs along each other and 177-178-177px for the three gifs together)

Go to images - image size (crtl+alt+i) and change the size.

After that I make animation, because without it we would not be able to convert all the screencaps into smart filters. Go to windows - timeline

you will have something like this by default

click on create frame animation - then on 4 horizontal lines which will open menu - make frames from layers

click on convert to video timeline (that 3 horizontal lines and 1 vertical line or whatever it is, right under the first layer) you will get something like this.

now, this will be animated. If you choose convert to video timeline right away it will not be animated.

Now, select all the layers - filters - convert to smart filters

You will have something like this, and if you play it - it will be animated anyway. That way you can edit ALL the screencaps at once.

I usually start with sharpening, settings may change according to the files I have, for some you will need more sharpening, for some less. I go with filters - sharpen - smart sharpen and usually that's enough

but I sometimes add more sharpening, just change radius to 0,2. So, repeat the action.

You will have it like this

and at any point of making gif you will be able to change settings for it, if after coloring it will look not as good as you wanted to.

I will not go into a lot of details about coloring for this gif, because does not matter how good the coloring on this gif will be, it won't work as good on another gif.

There is no right way to start coloring, you may start with curves, levels or selective colors depending on the screencaps you want to edit.

Well, this time I did start with layer - new adjustment layer - curves. (yeah, i guess by the end of the day we all do lmao) (Always use 'layer - new adjustment layer'. That's the only thing I suggest to remember when you color. ) Just to brighten gif a little bit, but you also can change colors with it.

those are not settings I used for this gif!

Curves have option to edit colors, just press RGB and you will see options for RED, GREEN, BLUE. Upper slider adds the said color, the slider at the bottom removes it. That's a great tool if you have a very red\yellow\blue\green scene, with those settings and moving sliders here and there you will be able to add the color you want, for red scene I suggest to use more green and blue, as well as for yellows but with less green. Just move them to see what fits your gif better.

there are also eyedrop tools which will help you to edit picture, with the first one you need to find the darkest part of your gif and click, it will adjust your picture according to it. If there's too much red, it will make it bluer, etc. The middle one is the one I use the most out of them, cos it changes the midtones, it's great if you have very yellow picture, just press the yellow part and it will make it bluer\greenish, depends on the picture, and then you can adjust it to make it look better. And the last one you can use to lighten picture as well, just find the brightest part of the picture and press it. It will adjust other colors accordingly.

I like to play with settings, I could add more darkness to the gif by levels, by selective colors making dark colors even darker, but sometimes I just use layer - new adjustment layer - black & white. Putting it on soft light blending mode and changing opacity. Idk, I like the effect :D Also, by using these, you will be able to darken part or lighten specific colors

so yeah, play around and figure out what is the best way for you.

after that I used layer - new adjustment layer - selective colors. I think this is one of my favorite tools out there, I love it, I usually end up with 30 selective color layers if I make a super complex gif :D

You can change colors with it, make them more vibrant, or less.

for each color you will have 'cyan, magenta, yellow and black' and by dragging sliders you can change colors, make them darker or lighter for the lovers of those paster gifs :D

But don't worry, that's not where I will go with the gif, so it will look better, i promise.

You know how much I love making blue even more blue. So I go with more selective color layers to enhance it.

You do not have to use just one, and you won't be able to make it with just one sometimes. So add as many as you like to get the result you want.

next is one of my favorites - layers - adjustment layers - levels

with it you can darken colors or lighten them, there's also auto, as well as on curves, which will find the most suitable settings for your picture.

I hardly ever change the middle slider, cos

nope.

so, we are at this part of the gif by dragging sliders.

next one I used is layers - adjustment layers - color balance. right now I will stop adding directory, this tutorial is already long enough, so most of the things are there in layers - adjustment layers.

Absolutely love it, most of settings do the same things but a little differently, this one changes colors but also entire picture, not just part of it. You have shadows, midtones and highlights

Each of them is really great when you have a yellow\red\blue\green picture to edit. And each of them has 3 sliders cyan\magenta\yellow.

You see, if you drags sliders the other way it will make picture more yellow.

END OF PART I

since tumblr

[delusionaid]

♡ do ayato and thoma count as a 'developed' ship yet ;)

Send me a ♡ plus a ship and I'll tell you...

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙰𝚂𝙺𝙴𝙳 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃? I'll be technical about this and say.. Ayato. When they first met when they were younger, at first Thoma mainly had duties around the house or errands to run, but he did not right away spend much time with the siblings. At some point, however, they wanted to befriend him and during that time the day arrived on which Ayato asked Thoma to join him in going somewhere, to the city, to the river, to the shrine.. he doesn't remember the details anymore. But looking back at many years of having Thoma by his side now, Ayato could look at that as the first time he asked him out. He continues to ask him to spend time with him, albeit (so far) never explicitly calling it that. Maybe one day he will be able to ask Thoma out with the full knowledge of the intention behind it.

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙸𝙽 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙺𝙸𝚂𝚂? Something tells me that it'll be Ayato. Either he is drunk or he is "drunk" or he's reached the point of too in love to not be selfish for a fleeting moment. Correct me if I'm wrong, though.. would Thoma dare to kiss his lord first?

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙶𝙸𝚅𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙽𝙸𝙲𝙺𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂? I feel like neither of them does that - at least so far. Thoma uses his title but that doesn't count as nickname. Ayato likes the sound of Thoma's name so much, he enjoys saying it in full. Maybe - MAYBE - he called him Tho-chan when drunk once, but we don't speak about that.

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙲𝙾𝙾𝙺𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙴𝙰𝙻𝚂? Well, obviously Aya-- just kidding. Nobody wants that. Thoma. Except when Ayato feels creative and his poor housekeeper has to pay the price for it.

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝙱𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙴 𝙸𝙽 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙸𝙲? That's hard to measure for them, I'll say neither and both. They like different music, probably, Ayato enjoying for example traditional Inazuman music but also music from other nations (e.g. Liyue and Fontaine) while Thoma probably has fond memories of music from Mondstadt that Ayato doesn't really know. They should go to more concerts together uwu

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙷𝙾𝙶𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙴𝙳? I wouldn't say Ayato hogs the bed.. but he might lie unnecessarily close to Thoma because he wants the cuddles (or at least the closeness). So if Thoma tried to flee from that.. he might find himself at the edge of the bed with Ayato right next to him and a vast empty space behind Ayato 🤭

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚆𝙰𝙺𝙴𝚂 𝚄𝙿 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃? Thoma. Ayato has learned to rise early if he has to, but if you leave him unbothered he will sleep in until lunch.

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝙵𝙵𝙴𝙴? Well, don't you want to drink this delicious special milk coffee that Ayato prepared for you, Thoma? :D

𝚆𝙷𝙾'𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙸𝙶 𝚂𝙿𝙾𝙾𝙽? I want to say.. Thoma? But not by default, maybe. I *want* to say Thoma because Ayato would love being the little spoon 🤭 but he isn't opposed to holding Thoma either. They'll figure it out when they first share a bed. Perhaps.. to fall asleep it's Thoma more often, in the morning it switches because Ayato wants him to stay.

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚈𝚂 𝚄𝙿 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚂𝚃? Ayato, definitely. He sometimes skips sleep entirely. He simply often has things that need finishing and when buried in work he forgets the time and doesn't look up until the morning sun peeks in through the window - unless Thoma scolds him enough to send him to bed on time.

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙲𝙷𝙴𝚂 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝚆𝙷𝙾'𝚂 𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙳? This is a gut feeling but I want to say Thoma. Like the PDA thing (see next question), it's probably more instinctual to Thoma than it is to Ayato - but that doesn't mean Ayato wouldn't like it. In fact, the idea of walking through the forest or by the river while holding Thoma's hand absolutely delights him. (I triple dare Thoma to intertwine their fingers and watch Ayato marvel at it.)

𝚆𝙷𝙾'𝚂 𝙰 𝙵𝙰𝙽 𝙾𝙵 𝙿𝙳𝙰? Probably Thoma, or at least he'd be more okay with it. Ayato comes from a culture that does not encourage PDA so he would not engage in it, even if they were officially publicly a couple. Physical intimacy and affection is for the privacy of the home. He is not scandalized when other couples, particularly those from other nations, show PDA but he has no instinct or desire to do it.

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚂𝙽𝙾𝚁𝙴𝚂? You dare suggest an elegant being and ethereal beauty such as Lord Ayato snores? Perish the thought! Okay but jokes aside, he doesn't really. He might when he's had something to drink or has a cold, but usually he sleeps very very silently. Thoma, though.. that's for you to decide 🤭 I could see him have a cute little puppy snore that Ayato finds endearing.

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙶𝙴𝚃𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙾𝚈𝙴𝙳 𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙴 𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙻𝚈? I'm guessing Thoma. He has to put up with a lot and Ayato does a lot of things with an ^_^ face and attitude that probably cause Thoma grey hairs. Ayato is pretty unflappable - unless it's about something serious. (Also it's hard to be annoyed at Thoma when he is the epitome of helpful, sweet and loveable.)

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙸𝙽𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚂 𝚂𝙴𝚇? Once they get to that point, more often probably Ayato. It will be hard to resist the temptation once he is allowed to have what he's longed for, for so long. It also seems like a good way to distract Thoma from various things ^_^

𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙰𝚂𝙺𝚂 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝙸𝚁 𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙸𝙽 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙶𝙴? 💔 Ayato would ask if Thoma will accept his heart and his honest promise that it is his for as long as he lives and in every life that comes after this one, even if he cannot officially exchange vows with him or make him part of his family in this way. For all intents and purposes Ayato would offer private vows before whichever gods will listen, if Thoma wanted to. If it was possible for them to marry he would do so in a heartbeat.

𝙼𝚈 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙴'𝚂 𝙵𝙰𝚅𝙾𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴 𝙼𝙴𝙼𝙾𝚁𝚈 𝙾𝙵 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚂: There are many many to choose from, moments that fill Ayato with joy and gratitude and wonder when he recalls them. Thoma is the light of his life and has been so constantly for years. If you ask him today he might say his favorite memory of Thoma is the first time they watched fireworks together and he was all unbridled happiness and energy, making him forget any worries he had that day. Tomorrow he might say it was the day Thoma told him he would not leave but stay with him and his family, to serve them and fight for them. Yesterday it may have been the first time they met.

𝙰 𝚁𝙴𝙶𝚁𝙴𝚃 𝙼𝚈 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝚁𝙴𝙶𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚂: It's a bit of a regret with mixed feelings. Ayato regrets that Thoma never found his father, that he suffered under the Shogunate by staying loyal to the Kamisato Clan, that he forsook his home for them. But selfishly he is grateful too, and would not want to send him away or watch him leave to alleviate that pain. Thoma seems to be happy with this lot, but sometimes he seems sad, or missing something, and Ayato regrets not having the means to fix that.

𝙸𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚈 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙴 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶: If he could, he would be with Thoma properly and publicly. He would be his husband and live with him as a married couple should. As it is, what they are and what they have is all he can offer, devotion behind closed doors and love confessions spoken where nobody can hear them.

𝚃𝙷𝙴𝙸𝚁 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙲𝙲𝙾𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚃𝙾 𝙼𝚈 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙴: Gift-giving, words of affirmation and quality time. Although he more often resorts to the former two because time is a valuable goods and he often does not have enough of it for the people he loves.

[noctumsolis]

Do you have a favorite vintage computer?

Ooh okay, now I guess you're asking because of my comment on that other post so you know that my default answer is the C64.

But since you ask me directly, I find that there's some unacknowledged nuance to this! Specifically because that is the only thing I have used which I tend to categorise as 1. A computer and 2. Vintage. But... that's bollocks.

Because actually, the second computer that I ever used is also vintage. I don't think of it in those terms often, but I have to face the reality of that. Just because it had a mouse and an iconic GUI with window management doesn't make it not-vintage. It didn't even have a hard drive and had only 1MB of RAM.

But it was the first contact I had with that more modern paradigm, it was my first foray into desktop publishing, most of the games that I want to revive were those I played on it and the art software that I had defined expectations and remains well known to this day.

So, yeah. I guess my real answer is... the Amiga 500. Also a Commodore product if I recall correctly.

So that's actually my true favourite vintage computer that I have actually used. But I forget that it is vintage.

Hmm. Okay. How about one that I haven't used? That will be harder. There's PDP-11 of course. Or maybe Colossus. But then, does it count if it was so specialised as Colossus? Perhaps not.

Might have to give that more thought.

[ineffablegoblin]

Good Omens Season 2 | Aziraphale's Actions on the Gameboard

This has definitely been discussed in great detail, but it keeps playing in my mind every night, so I'd like to add to the discourse.

@inhonoredglory did a great job at characterizing Aziraphale, showing the Job connection, and connecting his decisions to Michael Sheen's emotive and powerful beliefs. It has put into words a lot of the feelings and thoughts I'd been having since I first saw the show (and I have been watching it every night on repeat like its a song). The different theories about Metatron, the book of life, and coffee are interesting and great coping mechanisms to manage that intense final scene, and who knows what Neil will reveal in Season 3, but they don't consider the bigger picture outside of Aziraphale and Crowley.

Good Omens is fundamentally about the ineffable game of life that God plays. It is unknowable and unpredictable. Season 2 is supposed to be a bridge between two very intense life-shattering events. Season 1, and the novel, focus on preventing the end of the world. Season 3 (unwritten novel 2) must be equally big, if not bigger. There has to be more to it than just a relationship at stake.

We can't simply forget the Heaven and Hell still WANT the end of the world. They still want a big war. They are willing to go to extreme lengths to do so, and they're exceptionally eager to bury their 'institutional problems'. Metatron himself says that he needs an angel to lead 'the second coming'. He definitely is being some sort of manipulative, but the trap of heaven is also an opportunity to make a real difference.

When we look at Aziraphale in Episode 6's ending, he is very clearly reluctant and torn. He shows as much in his facial expressions, his tone, his mannerisms, and even his words. He mimics the conflicted hand movements and behaviors that he uses when lying as he addresses Crowley. He is very capable of trying to hide things from everyone he deems dangerous or at risk. He does this with Crowley (when he discovers who the antichrist is) and with God (when She asks about his sword). He also says that he does not want to go back to heaven when he speaks to Metatron about the offer. He says, pained, 'I think I-" before agreeing that he does not need anything and leaving with Metatron. He is in tears at the decision he has to make. He takes an emotional look at his bookshop and the windows and all the memories he has made of himself and his books and his drinks and his Crowley.

He very clearly KNOWS that "the something big and horrible" is coming. His decision is him choosing Crowley and his bookshop and earth because 'nothing lasts forever' and it won't last at all if he does not do something about it. Minutes before this he was under threat of being completely erased from the Book Of Life by the Archangels. Who's to say they won't erase him if he runs away with Crowley? Give him coffee (agreeing to Metatron's offer) or give him death (the destruction of earth and everything he loves and Crowley and himself).

It is true that Aziraphale would NEVER willingly give up his books and precious words. He would never abandon Crowley. It is emphasized until the end of the show. But if his books and his stories and diaries are about to be lost in some big horrible event, shouldn't he try to save it? Is his bookshop not worth giving up momentary comfort for? Is his life with Crowley not worth that sacrifice?

It's all part of the game. I think Aziraphale understands that to beat the game, he has to play it by the rules and beat it from the inside. He thinks in a fairly black-and-white way (or light-grey and dark-grey way) and he clearly knows Crowley will not agree with him. His "I need you" is as powerful as Crowley's kiss.

Think about it. If he just abandons the game, he loses by default. He has no control over what the other players do. We like having representatives in policy making when we vote, right? We have legal LGBTQ+ rights in some countries because someone went into the room of decision makers and fought for it. He knows has to be in that room to make a difference, or else he risks losing everything. And it's not as if he and Crowley haven't been separated before.

I mean, let's say you have a partner you love and you both run a business you love and have friends you love, but it's illegal to be gay, and you're both very gay. Your partner says you both should just run away and move to a cottage and live and be gay together in peace somewhere remote because the government would arrest you or your neighbors might stone you if they found out. But you know that no matter where you go, they might always find you and kill you both. You like the business and friends and little apartment in the city that you share. Now, say you suddenly get an offer from a colleague, who you may or may not trust, to be involved in the law-making, and you know the bill on Gay Rights is being re-written and evaluated. As much as I personally prefer living in quiet cottage, I could very well see myself choosing to take that seat and try to make a change. It would let me keep everything I love. It would keep me and my partner safe. It would let me keep other people like me safe (ineffable bureaucracy). It would be the right thing to do; the good thing.

He and Crowley must both know that they love each other. They have loved each other in their own way forever, and have spent years apart and been just as strong at their next meeting. Aziraphale had heart eyes from the moment they met in heaven. They play a very intentional game of rescue and meet-up. Aziraphale is very capable of taking care of himself, and Crowley does not need to rush to his aid when he senses something is wrong, but they both do that whole dance anyway because it's their version of showing their love with the human expressions that they have comfortably tempted themselves to enjoy (food, alcohol, collections, plants, books, cars, etc.). But they can literally have forever together. Aziraphale believes that they can survive this separation, especially if it means saving earth and their relationship in the long-run. His face says that it was a hard decision to make. Why would they want to save the humans in the bookshop, and save Job's children, and save Elspeth, and then suddenly not care about all the people on earth? Aziraphale has gone along with death and loss when it was part of the rules given by god in the past, but he did not like it. He cares about the rules. Playing the game by the rules can let him make a change in a very controlled and safe way.

Aziraphale is complex and not perfect. He is a person with strengths and weaknesses. He may be influenced by trauma or manipulation or something else, but people often make big decisions for multiple reasons. Aziraphale picked his character and is rolling the dice. He has to play this game by the rules. Neil is (hopefully but also not hopefully) setting up the board for something far bigger than Season 1 and I am so excited (but not) to know what it is.

[scienter]

Not much happened in this week's preview chapters. It felt mostly like winding down Day 2. Anyway, let's jump into chapters 27 & 28.

CHAPTER 27

Father glanced at their larger stone, then at this one. “A single rock is a blessed anomaly. Two… might mean more. It might mean the spren have chosen this region.”

Reiterating that the spren are connected to the stone. hm.

I’m interested in learning more about the connection between the stone, wind, and spren and how they fit into the mythology/magic of Roshar. So much attention is given to the shards that I forget they aren't the only elemental forces in the cosmere.

“Can’t you just… tell me what to do?” Szeth asked.

Szeth's developing an internal moral code seems to be the focus of his character arc in this book. It makes sense; he’s always followed someone else's directions. Including childhood, apparently. He has to do it to progress to the 5th ideal becoming the law.

“No, I don’t think that I can,” Father said. “Unfair to put you in this spot, I know, but the spren gave you the first sight. You should decide. We can move the rock, or we can move our home. I’ll accept either one.”

The spren gave Szeth the first sight . . .  wtf does that mean?

CHAPTER 28

Epigraph: “I do not have answers, and there will always be some who denounce me for this decision I made. But let me teach a truth here that is often misunderstood: sometimes, it is not weakness, but strength, to stand up and walk away.” – From The Way of Kings, fourth parable

Did Nohadon abdicate? Or think about abdicating? I don't remember.

Anyway, I wonder if Nohadon's decision is tied to the Stormfather and Honor’s "shame"?

In this case, it injected the anti-Light, making it seep through her. It wasn’t painful, not compared to the actual wound, but it was wrong. A cold that prowled through her veins, carried through her body with every beat of her heart. Painspren clawed up from the stone ground around her. This feeling was unnatural, counter to her very nature, but… she felt she could have drawn it in like normal Light. She decided not to try, as it did not seem to be able to hurt her so long as she set her jaw against the pain and refused the normal Stormlight that would heal her. Because if those two met…

Well, that was less dramatic than I was expecting. 😐

The whole scene felt a little . . . underwhelming? Short? idk. I didn’t expect that Shallan would so easily get away once she was caught. That said she can’t be locked up for a significant amount of time when there are 8 days remaining and a lot of plot to get through.

Those buildings seemed so unprotected, practically shouting for the storms to take them. Though they were distant, he thought they were wooden, and appeared flimsy. With flat walls to the east, and windows on those sides as well. He knew people here didn’t have to fight the storms, but those homes unnerved him. Made him think the people must be weak, innocent, in need of protection. Like lost children wandering a battlefield.

Oh, Kaladin. His brain always defaults to protecting people. Even if they don't need it.

Szeth glanced at him and shook his head. “Something is wrong here. Not the things you see with a stonewalker’s perspective, Kaladin. Look. Does that region seem… darker than it should?”

This is one of the Unmade, right?

Regardless, when a person is elevated as I was in my youth, they travel to each monastery on pilgrimage, training at those that have an Honorblade, mastering each Surge. 

Has it been explained why the Shin would do this? Why train elevated individuals in the surges via the Honorblades? Were they preparing for something (e.g., the final desolation)?

Kaladin insisted, however. Thankfully Szeth joined him, and offered no further complaint about a cookfire. Because Kaladin needed this man to open up. And he figured he’d try an old standby.

Yeah, it worked with Bridge Four, but will this work with Szeth? I don’t know. He's a tough nut to crack. Either way, I love seeing Kaladin in therapist mode.

[kisuminight]

There are so many things that are just hanging around and percolating in my head about this one AU and I'm just going crazy about it? Also it's making me wish that I could draw, but alas.

So, DSMP Blade System AU, what do the Blades look like?

Well, for one, Blades are basically computer processors that are running an aether-based hardlight hologram for their body and they don't have a biological reproduction. So physically apparent sexual dimorphism is something that they can look like having, but they don't really have biologically sexual traits (not that this would stop a Blade from having fun if they want to). Also, a Blade's gender and pronouns are whatever they want them to be. Anyone's gender and pronouns should be whatever they want them to be, even in real life, but it's very unwise to try and mis-gender someone who can pull a weapon out of thin air if you piss them off.

This is a very long way of saying that I am trying to keep everyone's pronouns as they were in canon, no matter the choices I am making on their "default" appearance.

A Blade tends to have a "default" appearance that they take whenever they are first Awakened. This includes things like clothes, hair styles, and even hybrid traits. Some things, such as accessories that they gained in life, will drop like an item when a Blade reverts to core crystal. Regular clothes usually de-materialize with the Blade.

A list of Blades and their default appearances under the cut.

~

I have mentioned that c!Dream's default outfit in this is probably something like Yulia Jue's concept art from Tales of the Abyss. Dream tends to dislike the outfit and change out of it as soon as he can after experiments with c!Punz. His main issue with it is that it shows off his shoulders (aether lines visible) and has a window in the front that shows his core crystal (when shattering it is the one thing every Blade fears), and Dream has spent a while in this AU trying to hide that he is a Blade. He really would prefer if his default outfit was a hoodie, but Aegis Blades are always Peak Dramatic with their looks and this was one of the few things he retained.

Dream is discomforted by it, but not dysphoric? Like his main irritation is that sometimes he forgets to take off his hoodie before he and c!Punz run their experiments post-Staged Finale and then his hoodie gets...eaten, for lack of a better word. And it's just like ffs, not again. And then he steals Punz's hoodie until they can get him a new one.

The rest of his appearance includes slightly tapered ear points--not largely pointed, but just a bit of a tip, and long-ish hair (about the length in the concept art I included, but curly). Since his core crystal is green, it gives him a very woodland/forest elf-healer vibe if you manage to spot him in one of the few times he is relaxed and not hiding behind his mask. Post Staged Finale, post-Red Banquet when ew!Ranboo drops Dream off with the Syndicate, he uses this first impression as a way to throw off any of the members of the Syndicate who seem like they might figure out that he has a technique to keep his memories (and still remembers pre-Staged Finale stuff).

I'd say that his core crystal is closer to a bluer green than the yellow-toned lime-green that he favors for his hoodie, but the saturation of the aether makes his aether lines that lime color, except brighter and a bit more diffuse? I'm not really sure how to describe it. I've mentioned before, but it is a diamond/rhombus shape and located at the base of Dream's throat.

~

c!Techno does not get his anime pretty-boy look. Nope, this Techno is closer to a big bipedal pig. Obviously not completely--he does have hands. But his feet end in hooves, and he has a tail! He also has a long mane that he likes to braid. Since c!Techno is a Heartstealer, he cannot return to his core crystal. It's been so long that he doesn't really remember his default outfit, only that it had a lot of straps and buckles. The fabric is long since gone, but most of the straps were durable enough that they survived and were re-purposed for other things, such as billets for his horse saddles.

Techno's core crystal was originally a dove gray/silver, and his aether lines shone brightly against his pink fur. Becoming a Heartstealer tinged the aether with blood, so now his core crystal and aether lines are a dusty pink, like rose quartz. They can be hard to see against his fur. His core crystal is actually located on his back, between his shoulder blades. It has a diamond/rhombus shape.

Techno has lots of gold jewelry. He has his emerald earring (for emerald duo) and his crown, but he also has some tusk rings, a golden cuff that goes on his tail, and plenty of other things. While he has hands instead of hooves, he does have a black claws made out of the same material. The keratin extends back all the way along the finger, and it is jointed. The underside of his fingers are normal (finger pads are important for gripping things!).

~

c!Philza is an Aegis. Techno has only seen his default outfit once, when things got really bad. In the aftermath, the Goddess of Death showed up to reAwaken her Aegis Blade (Phil only requested to have his memories stopped the one time, now he is back to remembering after every death). Phil actually usually wears (most of) his default outfit. He is specifically wearing the bottom most and top most layers of it. Newly Awakened, he has about an extra 3 layers between them, and they're all flow-y and flutter-y with the sleeves artfully tied up so they won't get in the way of his bow skills.

The hat is the exception to this. Phil received his hat from Techno shortly after they became friends. Techno picked it up off the killing fields alongside Phil's core crystal, and gave it back after he was Awakened.

Phil's wings healed very quickly, the same way any other Blade's wounds would heal. He just can't use them at the moment because DreamXD's lockdown of the End and other things includes the ability to fly. As an Aegis Blade, Phil could get around this if he really wanted to, but he doesn't flaunt his powers much.

His core crystal is his crimson hardcore heart. It is located at the base of his throat.

~

c!Punz is also mostly using his default outfit. He basically just put their white hoodie on over it. I picture it as something like the outfit Canaan wears in the Canaan anime, except the top is black instead of red, and he has a grey scarf. Punz's medallion is also part of their default appearance.

He doesn't have any outstanding hybrid characteristics. Punz looks like a regular human Player, all the better to blend into the background.

His core crystal is indigo, and his aether lines are slightly lighter in color. Punz is almost constantly using their passive ability to disguise/make people Not Notice their aether lines, but he keeps their hoodie on anyway. Their core crystal is triangle-shaped, and located at the base of his throat.

~

c!Callahan has a default appearance that includes his antlers and deer-like ears. His original default outfit was a simple tunic and pants, that he changed for the Captain America outfit and the onesie.

His core crystal is a golden color. It is rounds and located over his heart, on the front of his chest.

~

c!Skeppy's default appearance is to look like a diamond statue. He is functionally indistinguishable from carved diamond until he starts moving. The way seeming-diamond moves like skin and muscle even if it looks and feels like sold rock can be a bit disturbing to those who are unused to golems. His eyes look like polished deepslate, and so does the inside of his mouth. His tongue is a ruby.

Skeppy's core crystal was originally round and colored pale blue like a diamond. It was located at the base of his throat. When he and Bad preformed their ritual, he took Bad's heart and Bad received a chunk of his core crystal. Now, his core crystal looks like a deep teal crescent. The aether lines are even darker, colored with a tinge of the blackness that comes from having Bad's heart.

~

c!Slimesicle - I'll be honest, I don't know that much about him or his content creator. I'd probably say that he is currently using his default appearance, which does include the shirt with the three heart markings on it.

He has the physical appearance of a slime hybrid, but he isn't actually slimy or generate any type of slime/mucus (because Blades are mimicking appearances, and do not carry over innate traits).

His core crystal is hunter green. It is a square shape and located on the side of his head. Because the core crystal is in an unusual place, Slime is one of the few Blades that has aether lines on his face as well.

~

Here is the concept art of Yulia Jue I was mentioning:

[lunarsilkscreen]

Common BSoD reasons (Blue Screen of DESU)

Your computer worked fine yesterday, and now it keeps crashing. Wa da heq?

The most common issues I've seen causing BSoD isn't malware, or even user error. Though they're not the least common causes either.

They're from updates pushed by developers.

Usually it's from some system update that manages your memory allocation incorrectly. Or processor execution errors and mishaps handled incorrectly.

But it is also quite common for a driver update to cause the same issue. And because Video Card drivers update monthly; they're the most likely cause of breakage.

To be fair; not updating your driver's can be just as hard as updating your driver's so it's important to know which driver configuration worked last.

And this is why Windows has system restore points.

Interestingly; one of the most common driver failures I've seen comes from Nvidia Graphics Driver failing to regulate the cards internal temperature appropriately.

There's usually an internal thermal switch that cuts off when the driver gets too hot which then throttles your graphics card and will cause crashing.

And this thermal switch can degrade over time. Which means your graphics card has a lower tolerance for heat than it should.

However; elevation and humidity can *also* cause the same issue. Which means your rig might operate differently in Detroit Mi than it does in Dallas TX, or even SLC UT.

And quite often devs try to reduce their tolerances for kicking in the graphics cards cooling fans; power saving conferences maybe.

And often the will wind up with your card running hotter than it should. This is why the EVGA tools (and other similar software tools) include manual fan controls.

Because the onboard regulation and default drivers tend to heck it all up.

But that's not the only issue I've seen with graphics cards; sometimes: the devs try to use more VRam than the card has. Or even less VRam and then just forget which blocks of VRam they set to be used by the system.

It can literally be fixed one day, and then unfixed and then next, and just toggle back and forth despite user complaints.

In fact; nearly any issue that is commonly considered "due to heating issues" can be traced back to driver issues for similar reasons to what I listed.

Incorrect memory usage, cooling regulation not appropriately modulated cooling modules, processor and graphics processor being sent incorrect commands.

Registry issues can also cause memory issues as certain blocks of memory get used by too many sources at the same time (but not often) multiple drivers trying to run the same hardware (which can also be caused by software creating extra instances of graphics level singleton interfaces)

So if you're ever wondering what could possibly be wrong with your PC, it's more likely a driver issue.

But... You could also have forgotten to install cooling modules, or decided to overclock your hardware without increasing cooling.

Or even overclocked your hardware too much.

But barring overclock; is most likely driver issues. I've even seen windows surface devices on their end of life updates get driver updates that break graphics, causing overheat and ghosting (leftover images) on the screen.

Which I feel like may have been on purpose.

Though locating an older driver, or installing Linux usually worked if no *real* hardware issue was present.

[shootybangbang]

Teaser for Talking Bird 22

“One more favor? Last time, I promise.”

“And what might that be,” Trelawney asks stiffly. He keeps his eyes fixed on the green rush of fields and forest streaking across the train’s smudged window, and crosses his arms as he settles into the cracked leather seat opposite your own.

The man is obviously still miffed by the state of his cheese supply. He’s taking up now the practice he always defaults to when feeling resentful: taking great pains to pretend that he isn’t. But you’d seen the way his face had fallen when he’d caught sight of his depleted reserves, heard the invectives he’d hissed at Arthur when he thought you out of earshot— judging by the effort it’s currently taking him to keep himself civil, he’ll be quietly sore about this for a month, at least.

“Would you kindly ask the police to give Martin St a wide berth on Tuesday? The Chinatown patrol on weekdays is still just old Bertram, I think. Five dollars should do it.”

“Martin St? That’s—”

“My former place of employment, yes.”

“Lee.” Trelawney’s superficial disdain drops the second he realizes the implications. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I could’ve said the same thing to you about a hundred times by now,” you retort. “But I never have. Because it’s not my business.”

“This is different.” He puts his hand to his temples like he’s incurred a migraine. A show of genuine regret. “This is my fault.”

”What’re you talking about?”

“Arthur can sometimes be… shockingly altruistic when it comes to women and children.” He pauses a beat, then amends, “When he thinks nobody’s looking, that is. I told him your situation thinking it might spark some sympathy in him, but if he’s decided to rope you in on some reckless scheme, then—”

“It’s the other way around.”

Trelawney looks at you sharply, with that analytic gaze you’ve always done your utmost to avoid— like he’s peering through a glass construction housing all your faults. You stare instead at the small cluster of belongings nestled in your lap. The sum of all your present earthly possessions: the blue notebook, the keyring, and a handful of nickels and dimes you’d managed to wheedle from Morgan before he’d let you step into the train and out of sight.

“I ran an idea past him,” you explain, still not meeting his eyes. “He said he’d think about it. I’m eighty percent sure that nothing’s going to happen at all. But… I’d like the street clear anyway. Just as a precaution. And also the… y’know, the…” Lightly, you chew the inside of your cheek. “The contingency plan.”

“The contingency plan in the event of your death.” He sounds like he’d like to seize you by the shoulders and shake some sense into you.

You nod. “I don’t think it’ll come to that. But if it does, that claim’s gonna need to be filed as soon as possible.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then you’ll have two dead women on your conscience instead of just one.”

He stays silent so long that the pressure of that quiet builds and builds until the sigh he lets out, bereft of any theatricality, hisses rather like the defeated wheeze of a punctured balloon. “There’s no talking you out of this.”

“No. But when’ve you known me to be reasonable?” You offer him a smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. He does not return it.

“How exactly were you planning on setting this up?” he asks. “Because if you’d like me to serve as a distraction, or—”

“What? I don’t want you to serve as anything.” The confusion in his face confuses you. “You’ve got a wife. Your two boys. And besides, you’ve got no stake in this.”

You can see that irritating shine in his eyes spark up— the one that he always gets when he thinks he’s found a compelling argument, like he’s turned a pin and cracked open a difficult lock, and you know you have to shut him up quick.

“Well, you can at the very least tell me what time you —”

“Trelawney,” you interrupt. “You’re forgetting something. We’re business partners, not friends. I’ve owed you things. You’ve owed me things. This is the very last of it.”

He raises his eyebrows and sinks back against the cushioned seat with his hands folded in his lap. And he observes you now like he did in those early days, when every conversation had in it a deliberate and carefully delineated quid pro quo. “In any case,” he says. “I still don’t want to see you dead.”

“That makes two of us, then.”

But the words ring hollow even to you.

[sidesteppostinghours]

Rolling in 10 hrs late but— 27, 28 Caine, 17, 34 for Cecilia? And B for all ur Steps, if you don’t mind :)

morning! thank you for the ask :D 

27. What causes them to feel dread? 

the fun thing about caine is that hes got really good instincts. its only heightened with hark (over 30 precog im p sure?) since hark encouraged him to listen to their gut. so if somethings about to go wrong, yeah, the dread is kicking in and theyre nope-ing the fuck out of there (the only exception to this is the casino scene). but there can also be false alarms if he disassociates hard enough, which is becoming more frequent lately. their paranoia+growing insomnia just adds to all of it. basically they just feel dread half the time,,, but also a more tangible thing that causes them to feel dread would probably be ortegas mind. if theyre in the wrong headspace, ortega brings back too many bad memories for them to feel safe.

28. Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

hmmm,,,, im not sure! it really depends on why the other person is lying about it ig, and how severe/urgent the unpleasant truth is. by default he tends to prefer the truth, but its mostly for informations sake. for example, with argent, they Really wouldve preferred not knowing what she was capable of. now that the cats out of the bag hes even more paranoid, especially since they have no information on her to use to protect himself. meanwhile, with the autopsy pics, they appreciated chen telling them what happened because it gave them a better idea of what happened while they were gone, and in their eyes chen had no obligation to tell them (plus they got some free bonus info about the kind of contacts chen has which is really useful too). basically, if he thinks he needs it to do things better or more efficiently, hell be ticked off about somebody withholding the truth from him, and vice versca if he thinks the lie would be more beneficial to him instead. either way though, theyre good at keeping their emotions in check, so hed be fine getting the unpleasant truth either way.

17. Are they easily embarrassed?

nope! not at all. i mean, if she hyped herself up and managed to fail spectacularly, then yeah, i could see her getting majorly embarrassed. but thats p much one of the few situations i could imagine her feeling like that. ceci isnt known for shame– shes extremely blunt, to the point of being insensitive, and shes willing to do a lot for a quick kick. except,,,,,hmmmm,, argent making a comment or stealing a quick kiss when she didnt expect it and managing to fluster her,,,,,, please hold while i experience the visionsTM.

34. How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? 

oof. i think prehb the guilt of what she left behind was definitely there, but it got buried under the satisfaction of being free and having fun for once. nowadays, she still lives by those principles, that no matter what happened at least shes here now, but this time around theres an added layer of her actively trying to forget. if she does something she genuinely regrets, its still getting buried, but itll just claw right back to her in inopportune moments. most of the time though, guilt is getting tossed right back out the window so it doesnt disturb her happy fun loving times. no, ortega, no, finch, she is NOT repressing, she is simply being #goofysilly and will not stand for regret ruining her vibe.

B) What inspired you to create them?

speaking for my general process with all my steps: im rather predictable when creating characters. lots of them follow the same molds, they just tackle different storylines, and the differing plots are what makes them all different characters. so when making my steps, i ended up using those same character archetypes and taking them to their logical conclusions based on what choices the game offered. it makes it easier for me to imagine how they react, and its fun to tack on a slightly different trait to the mold and see what happens. ultimately, they all fall somewhere on the extreme ends of the "good/evil" spectrum, but with an added bit of ✨spice✨ from the other end to get them going into fully fledged characters. these are my inspiration/archetype for each individual step:

Caine- being an imported character for the exile if, i already had his character in mind when making him! in exile, they were very much meant to be the stoic leader character that was just beginning to doubt what he fought for. the problem when i tried to put them in fhr was. chen. chen i love you but holy shit it was so hard to make him unique and interesting when you were literally RIGHT THERE covering all the bases they were supposed to cover. and chen has a dog which made him obviously superior. it was annoying, but my frustration with their similarities pushed me to put a lot of love into them and well. look at where my son is now lmfao.

Cyrus- @ that one person who made that post about herald subverting the cinnamon role stereotype: thank you. i owe you my and my bastard sons life. cyrus was just meant to be a step i used to explore heralds ro route, so i didnt mean to take him too seriously. because of that, and because this was directly after caine and i was getting frustrated figuring them out, i kinda just went with the flow– he was originally a character closer to the "flirty and funny but actually competent and surprisingly apathetic" type. he used to have like. 50% ruthlessness lmfaoooo. a lot of his major character beats were caused by me making mistakes and figuring things out by clicking random choices out of curiosity. after i played him once, the higher ruthlessness route i went intrigued me, and i started tweaking him further, which is how we got here.

Cecilia- i! wanted! to! have! someone! fun! i wanted to have someone fun. i just wanted to have a step who would dick around and do stupid shit because they wanted to. she was my third step, both caine and cyrus were so serious, i needed somebody to juxtapose that. she was very much the "fuck around and find out" character. i created her to explore the lupin route, which seemed appropriate for the sort of character i wanted her to be. i also wanted to romance argent. it all just sort of culminated in a whirlwind of the most out there, daring step i had. it was only later i considered adding some more serious edges to her story, she was a bit like stress relief lol.

Cynthia- i created her with ortegas ro route in mind! even though caine was technically an ortega ro step, he was secretcrush so they couldnt really do much lmfao, so i was itching to play somebody whod actually pursue her. i chose the "calm, kind, do not burn down the house please and thank you" character for her since it seemed like fun to try with ortegas more out-there energy. i also had her as an anarchist, which i thought would be interesting to see play out since she was definitely on the more heroic end of the spectrum and i wanted to see how she would tackle one of the more destructive job choices. unfortunately, the kinder characters are almost always the hardest for me to work with, so it did take cynthia a while to find her footing. now, though, i think shes come together nicely! very much a balance of the nicer character i wanted for her originally while having that small kernel of "i can fuck things up if i wanted to" that i find more fun.

questions from here!