#furor machinae

[hypnopossum]

FUROR_MACHINAE is about being autistic btw lmao

i'd write a big long lyric analysis but the long and short of it is, i tried writing from the perspective of a robot who is frustrated about not being accepted for what she is, with people trying to understand her outside of her mechanical nature rather than embracing it as something that makes her different, but not lesser. but then after writing it i realized that i accidentally wrote a song about seeking autism acceptance rather than ignoring it entirely

[hypnopossum]

THE BLOGS!!! THEYRE MULTIPLYING!!! 😰😰😰😰

nice user

i love urs too

[thearsonistofarland]

I HAVE NO DESIIIIIIIIRRRREE TO BE HUMANNNN—I’LL STILL BE ALIVE, IN MY CHROME CASING

[countrydionysia]

Time to announce the winners!!!

For good Fortune! The 2023 Rural Dionysia is now officially over. The poll is now closed, and it is time to reveal the winners of this year's edition:

For the Freestyle poetry category, the winner is:

for furor club (óðinn and dionysos) by @disir-ex-machina

For the Modern Hymn category, the winner is

Dionysus by @beastial-bacchanal

and finally, for the “Complete the Fragment” category, the winner is

Sing the melody, calm your mind. by @piristephes

Thank you to everyone who has participated and voted and big congratulations to our three winners for this edition!

For those who celebrate it, receive our best wishes, and that you have a merry Rural Dionysia and I wish merry holidays to the others.

Reminder: The City Dionysia has its own blog @dionysia-ta-astika, so any upcoming news will be posted there. Give that blog a follow if you want to be updated. The City Dionysia is expected to be held between early February and mid-March 2024.

[fiestylittlebeetle]

So, I have a playlist for Malware. It's unmixed rn but Spotify keeps giving me banger suggestions so it's growing

Anyway you legally have to listen to it cause I'm proud of it 👁️👁️

[yourcompanion-undeterred]

INTRO POST!!

hi. i'm sydney/pure/catnip (any pronouns) and this is my objectum sideblog :33

i am a minor, 18+/mdni accounts please do not interact

i am (romantic) objectum but i am not posic and don't really believe in any kind of object sentience. i just think they're cute

all content of my actual other interests will be on @furor-machinae!! <- main

zoos/pedos/proship/zionist dni.

stuff on objects i may post about under cut

i don't have any actual object partners yet but it's more like i have a few small crushes

☆ im generally conceptum/soundtum for daemon/doll + as well as probably objectum for my cd of it (v)

☆ insane about cd players and own one (v) - i also like kind of anything made to play music but most specifically them. admittedly the portable ones like i have aren't the ones i'm typically attracted to.

☆ im attracted to a good few other songs/albums as well. kinda too much to list :P

☆ im also objectum for stars!! any kind! actual ones or just star shaped things. they're so cute

[mercuriicultores]

Lucretius – De rerum natura, IV, 1058-1120: «Volnus caecus»

— Haec Venus est nobis; hinc autemst nomen Amoris, hinc illaec primum Veneris dulcedinis in cor stillavit gutta et successit frigida cura; nam si abest quod ames, praesto simulacra tamen sunt illius et nomen dulce obversatur ad auris.

sed fugitare decet simulacra et pabula amoris absterrere sibi atque alio convertere mentem et iacere umorem coniectum in corpora quaeque nec retinere semel conversum unius amore et servare sibi curam certumque dolorem; ulcus enim vivescit et inveterascit alendo inque dies gliscit furor atque aerumna gravescit, si non prima novis conturbes volnera plagis volgivagaque vagus Venere ante recentia cures aut alio possis animi traducere motus. Nec Veneris fructu caret is qui vitat amorem, sed potius quae sunt sine poena commoda sumit; nam certe purast sanis magis inde voluptas quam miseris; etenim potiundi tempore in ipso fluctuat incertis erroribus ardor amantum nec constat quid primum oculis manibusque fruantur. quod petiere, premunt arte faciuntque dolorem corporis et dentes inlidunt saepe labellis osculaque adfigunt, quia non est pura voluptas et stimuli subsunt, qui instigant laedere id ipsum, quod cumque est, rabies unde illaec germina surgunt. sed leviter poenas frangit Venus inter amorem blandaque refrenat morsus admixta voluptas. namque in eo spes est, unde est ardoris origo, restingui quoque posse ab eodem corpore flammam. quod fieri contra totum natura repugnat; unaque res haec est, cuius quam plurima habemus, tam magis ardescit dira cuppedine pectus. nam cibus atque umor membris adsumitur intus; quae quoniam certas possunt obsidere partis, hoc facile expletur laticum frugumque cupido. ex hominis vero facie pulchroque colore nil datur in corpus praeter simulacra fruendum tenvia; quae vento spes raptast saepe misella. ut bibere in somnis sitiens quom quaerit et umor non datur, ardorem qui membris stinguere possit, sed laticum simulacra petit frustraque laborat in medioque sitit torrenti flumine potans, sic in amore Venus simulacris ludit amantis, nec satiare queunt spectando corpora coram nec manibus quicquam teneris abradere membris possunt errantes incerti corpore toto. denique cum membris conlatis flore fruuntur aetatis, iam cum praesagit gaudia corpus atque in eost Venus ut muliebria conserat arva, adfigunt avide corpus iunguntque salivas oris et inspirant pressantes dentibus ora, ne quiquam, quoniam nihil inde abradere possunt nec penetrare et abire in corpus corpore toto; nam facere inter dum velle et certare videntur. usque adeo cupide in Veneris compagibus haerent, membra voluptatis dum vi labefacta liquescunt. tandem ubi se erupit nervis coniecta cupido, parva fit ardoris violenti pausa parumper. inde redit rabies eadem et furor ille revisit, cum sibi quod cupiant ipsi contingere quaerunt, nec reperire malum id possunt quae machina vincat. usque adeo incerti tabescunt volnere caeco.

[HIS] Al poseerse, los amantes dudan. No saben ordenar sus deseos. Se estrechan con violencia, se hacen sufrir, se muerden con los dientes los labios, con caricias y besos se martirizan. Y ello porque no es puro su placer, porque un oculto aguijón los impulsa a herir al ser amado, a destruir la causa de su dolorosa pasión. Y es que el amor espera siempre que el mismo objeto que encendió la llama que lo devora, sea capaz de sofocarla. Pero no es así. No. Cuanto más poseemos, más arde nuestro pecho y más se consume. Los alimentos sólidos, las bebidas que nos permiten seguir vivos, ocupan sitios fijos en nuestro cuerpo una vez ingeridos, y así es fácil apagar el deseo de beber y comer. Pero de un bello rostro, de una piel suave, nada se deposita en nuestro cuerpo, nada llega a entrar en nosotros salvo imágenes, impalpables y vanos simulacros, miserable esperanza que muy pronto se desvanece. Semejantes al hombre que, en sueños, quiere apagar su sed y no encuentra agua para extinguirla, y persigue simulacros de manantiales, y se fatiga en vano, y permanece sediento, y sufre viendo que el río que parece estar a su alcance huye y huye más lejos, así son los amantes, juguetes en el amor de los simulacros de Venus. No basta la visión del cuerpo deseado para satisfacerlos, ni siquiera la posesión, pues nunca logran desprender ni un ápice de esas graciosas formas sobre las que discurren, vagabundas y erráticas, sus caricias. Al fin, cuando, los miembros pegados saborean la flor de su placer, piensan que su pasión será colmada, y estrechan codiciosamente el cuerpo de su amante, mezclando aliento y saliva, con los dientes contra su boca, con los ojos inundando sus ojos, y se abrazan una y mil veces hasta hacerse daño. Pero todo es inútil, vano esfuerzo, porque no pueden robar nada de ese cuerpo que abrazan, ni penetrarse y confundirse enteramente cuerpo con cuerpo, que es lo único que verdaderamente desean: tanta pasión inútil ponen en adherirse a los lazos de Venus, mientras sus miembros parecen confundirse, rendidos por el placer. Y después, cuando ya el deseo, condensado en sus venas, ha desaparecido, el fuego interrumpe su llama por un instante, y luego vuelve un nuevo acceso de furor y renace la hoguera con más vigor que antes. Y es que ellos mismos saben que no saben lo que desean, y, al mismo tiempo, buscan cómo saciar ese deseo que los consume, sin que puedan hallar remedio para su enfermedad mortal: hasta tal punto ignoran dónde se oculta la secreta herida que los corroe.

[thegamer20]

Final Fantasy XVI Original Soundtrack Ultimate Edition

8 Disc Edition

Comes with a booklet

Disc 1 01. Land of Eikons 02. Away (Overture) 03. The Lion and the Hare – The Nysa Defile 04. Shattered 05. A Rose Is a Rose 06. Return of the Archduke 07. My Lady 08. Into the Mire – Stillwind 09. Sixteen Bells 10. There His Quarry Lies 11. On the Wind Borne – The Rosarian Ducal Anthem 12. Duty 13. Enterprising Traders 14. Betrayal – Phoenix Gate 15. Twin Flames 16. Found 17. Time and Death 18. The Match 19. Away 20. Winter's Bound 21. Frozen Tears 22. Tonitrua ex Machina 23. Gathering Clouds Disc 2 01. Hide, Hideaway 02. Lovely, Dark, and Deep – The Greatwood 03. Too Bloody Quiet 04. The Chase 05. Idylls of the Empire 06. Words to the Wise 07. Domina 08. Before the Storm – Caer Norvent 09. Thunderstorm 10. The Shepherd's Lament 11. A Land in Peril 12. Brothers 13. Downburst 14. Vengeance Found 15. Calling 16. Against the Wind – The Eye of the Tempest 17. Control 18. Fanfare 19. Fall from Grace 20. A Pendant Darkly 21. The Battle of Belenus Tor Disc 3 01. Whitewater – Kingsfall 02. Dying Sun 03. On the Shoulders of Giants 04. A Long Way Down 05. Out of Time 06. Aligned 07. Forevermore – The Grand Duchy of Rosaria 08. The Founder's Footsteps 09. Happier Times 10. A Prayer to Metia 11. Found (Reprise) 12. Where It All Began – The Apodytery 13. We Are You 14. Away (Refrain) 15. Press On 16. Find the Flame 17. Who I Really Am 18. The Se7enth Sin 19. A Mother's Madness 20. Unforgiven 21. Acceptance 22. The Journey Begins 23. Will of the Goddess 24. Histoire – The Holy Empire of Sanbreque 25. Sway 26. Treading Lightly – The Glass Gate 27. Reflections – Drake's Head 28. The Heart 29. Deliver Us Thunder 30. Babel of Savage Screams 31. Catacecaumene 32. The Outlaw 33. In Ashen Grip

Disc 4 01. Evening the Odds 02. Our Terms 03. The State of the Realm 04. And Melancholy Marked Him 05. Death Looks Down 06. Ghosts of the Past 07. Color and Crackle 08. An Unexpected Visit 09. An Outlaw's Uncle 10. Currents 11. Blood Beats Black – The Iron Kingdom 12. Out of the Frying Pan 13. The Promise 14. Enter the Oratrix – Drake's Breath 15. Màtham Sanomh 16. Monster 17. Fire and Ice 18. Hamartia 19.I n the Light of the Mothercrystal 20. Azure Skies 21. Desert Ministrations 22. Beasts among Beasts 23. Homecoming – Rosalith 24. Fenris Kindir 25. The Host 26. King of the World 27. To Sail Forbidden Seas 28. A Guest Most Welcome 29. Vive l'Empire 30. Sand and Stone – The Republic of Dhalmekia 31. Fanfarrado de Chocobo 32. The Thousand Tables 33. Courage

Disc 5 01. Anon Becomes a Mountain – Castle Dazbog 02. Titanomachy – Drake's Fang 03. Visions of Wind 04. Do or Die 05. Titan Lost 06. Heart of Stone 07. Consciousness 08. Champion of the Empire 09. Uninvited 10. O'er Shifting Sands Lie – The Republic of Dhalmekia 11. From the Shadows 12. My Decree 13. Rooftops – The Crystalline Dominion 14. Dreadwyrm 15. A City in Ruin 16. Facets of Rage – Drake's Tail 17. Bloodlines 18. The Flame Alights 19. Fiery Resolve 20. Beyond the Heavens 21. Ascension 22. Brotherhood 23. Kinslayer 24. Miséricorde 25. The Final Temptation

Disc 6 01. Twilight 02. Dark Designs 03. We Travel Together 04. The Desert Dims – The Republic of Dhalmekia 05. Undying 06. Under Siege – The Free Cities of Kanver 07. Furor 08. The World Won't Save Itself 09. No Risk, No Reward 10. Darkest before the Dawn – The Imperial Territory of Rosaria 11. The Parting Sea 12. Army of One – The Einherjar 13. Mighty Acts of God 14. Not Alone 15. Heal 16. Indomitable – The Kingdom of Waloed 17. Heavensbound – Reverie 18. Salvation 19. Sever 20. The Riddle 21. One with God 22. Fighting Fate 23. Bastion – Stonhyrr 24. To Boldly Go 25. A Debt Repaid 26. Rapture

Disc 7 01. Bow 02. Death Shall Me Devour 03. 'Neath the Pall 04. Once More 05. Eschaton 06. In Darkness Hope – The Holy Empire of Sanbreque 07. A Better World 08. Final Farewells 09. A Far Cry from Heaven 10. Only Forgiveness 11. The Nexus 12. Faith 13. Logos 14. Hymn of the Penitent 15. All As One 16. Horizons 17. Holos 18. My Star 19. A New Beginning 20. Land of Eikons (Reprise)

Disc 8 01. Cut from the Cloth 02. Priceless 03. Old Friend 04. Death of a Council 05. Pathetic Creatures 06. Where the Heart Is 07. Mourning 08. The Mural 09. For the Water Was a Wall 10. Away (1987) 11. The Grand Duchy of Rosaria (Unused) 12. The Imperial Province of Rosaria (Unused) 13. The Republic of Dhalmekia (Unused) 14. Mid Boss Battle (Unused) 15. Ifrit vs Ifrit (Unused) 16. The Kingdom of Waloed (Unused) 17. Ifrit vs Last Boss (Unused) 18. Ending (Unused)

Original soundtrack release of the game series "Final Fantasy XVI (Final Fantasy 16)"! Ultimate Edition consists of eight CDs. Comes with a booklet including liner notes written by Masayoshi Soken and more.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Open Gaming Licence

So, after some reading around and some thinking, I’m doing the thing I always do when Worrying Thing is on the horizon - doing the Jenga Tower of Logic thing. Yes, this is about WotC’s OGL 1.1. I’m approaching it from a variety of levels because yeah, it worries the fuck out of me for a variety of reasons. So I’m going to start with “why it’s entirely likely that the leaks are true”, go on to “what would probably happen if the leaks are true”, and then go on to “what can be done about it”. That way at least it’s not looming, unnameable dread. I like to comprehend my horrors, thank you.

So. Why we think this is actually true. One simple reason, honestly: the fact that Wizards of the Coast isn’t saying shit. Given the sheer amount of furore going on, given that they’ve actually received letters from lawyers requesting (well, actually demanding) clarification, given that it’s their professional reputation on the line? If this was not in any way true, they would have said something by now. All we’re left with in terms of comment from WotC (and, frankly, Hasbro) is “We need to monetise D&D as much as possible!” Which ... you know, given that OGL 1.1 as leaked lets them grab royalties, steal content and use it as their own with no say from the creators, and outright change their own document in whatever fashion they see fit as long as they give 30 days notice, after the affected parties have already signed it ... that’s just giving them license to print money off the backs of others. Even with the amount of franchising they could be doing, they seem to want to monetise the players themselves. It doesn’t hurt that Kickstarter have apparently confirmed that they’ve spoken to Hasbro about royalties, either, because the leaked document states that Kickstarter-funded creations don’t have to pay as much in royalties.

What will probably happen if the links are true is ... another complicated one, given the community as a whole. This one needs bullet points.

Livestreamers: So okay, this is where it gets complicated, and Critical Role is kind of the perfect example. Not because it’s better than the others in its field; because of Green Ronin and Darrington Press, respectively. Look, way back before the Kickstarter for TLoVM, Critical Role produced the Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting, published by Green Ronin. That didn’t actually stay on sale very long, though you might be able to find the PDF floating around somewhere. Thing is, around that time, Critical Role was also working on Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, through Wizards of the Coast. I would guess that part of the reason for halting things with Green Ronin was having to make sure that anything in the Green Ronin book wouldn’t end up copyright WotC. Which makes sense. Thing is, then Critical Role started Darrington Press, their own publication house. That allowed them to publish Tal’Dorei Reborn, the now more-or-less official guide to Tal’Dorei. Now, you cannot tell me that WotC didn’t seethe at that. They got Wildemount, but Critical Role LLC got Tal’Dorei, which would soon be heavily advertised via The Legend of Vox Machina, and I would bet someone felt short-changed. Given that the leaked document make OGL 1.0 obsolete (if that’s legally possible; more on that later), the bit about taking what someone else made and using it as they see fit could mean that everything in Tal’Dorei Reborn becomes WotC property. That’s not even talking about every other stream out there possibly being the source of all manner of new content where the creators won’t see a penny of the profits and have no legal recourse about it, whether they themselves are making money and having to pay royalties or not. I mean, if you want a campaign guide to whatever world Dimension 20 or Adventure Time or whatever are playing, I’d assume most people want the money for it going to the people who made it, but Wizards and Hasbro in concert apparently just say ... no.

Dungeon Masters’ Guild: DMG is a great source for third-party content. I’ve put up a couple of monster manuals there myself, mostly using the proceeds to buy more third-party content. By the same rules as above, anyone who risks publishing on the DMG, whether or not they’re making enough per year to hit the threshold for royalties, could have their creations stolen by WotC.

Pathfinder: I mean, a lot of other games as well, but Pathfinder’s the big one. It’s what one might call The Competition insofar as this kind of thing is concerned, and where Critical Role technically began. It’s based on 5e, sort of (or at least 2.0 is; I admit I haven’t followed much), but apparently it’s a bit crunchier in terms of numbers - part of why CR swapped to 5e when they started streaming was wanting things to flow with a little less crunch that might alienate people watching for story. Thing is, Pathfinder started on the original OGL. See above re: OGL 1.1's retroactivity and rescinding all permissions granted in OGL 1.0 - Paizo would have to pay royalties, risk having their content stolen, and all of it subject to whatever change WotC wants to make on only 30 days’ notice. Not even sure what happens to the video games at that point. Which brings us to the “a lot of other games as well” thing. I’m flashing to Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity series, and Solasta: Crown of the Magister. They’re all based on 5e rules, thus OGL 1.0. They’re possibly going to end up with the same problem.

Merchandise: This one’s a real grey area, but it’s something that needs to be considered - it’s not just the text and rule set that’s at stake here. As a for-example: the webcomic Questionable Content has among its merchandising a Tsundere Beholder T-shirt. In fact, a lot of people who sell on Etsy and Redbubble and things like that have items that could, if WotC wanted to push it, fall under the rules set out in OGL 1.1. See, I’m not so much worried about royalties in those cases, because that would be a seriously complicated issue. I’m worried about eventual C&D takedown notices and theft of the images for their own use. Given the whole “AI art programmes are taking art from creators and using it for their own purposes with neither permission nor commission fee” thing, this wouldn’t be entirely unheard of. I mean, keep in mind that I also started my time in fandom during the Foxing Era, when websites were getting takedown notices left and right and fanfic authors were holding up Acuff vs Rose Music like a fucking riot shield, so I’ve been in the trenches of a ‘content creator vs grasping corporate body’ war before. OGL 1.1 may only deal with the text and rule set right now, but again, if the leaks are true, they’ve written a clause that lets them change the text however they want with only 30 days of notice. That’s not a long time when you’re having to revamp your entire small business model.

I think that covers everything, and what it basically says is “If you’re smaller than Hasbro, you’re fucked”.

So what can we do about it? I mean, not much, not ourselves, but we can do at least one thing, which will hopefully pave the way for others - those with more resources - to do more.

TALK ABOUT IT: I’ve seen a lot of people saying, “Well, let’s just wait and see what happens; it might not be that bad and it might not be true anyway! Stop catastrophising everything!” I mean, I personally like flagging up when there might be an actual catastrophe coming for smaller content creators, but I’m just quirky that way. While it’s true that assuming it’s true and getting depressed about it isn’t healthy, people do need to talk about it so that it stays in the public eye. Wizards of the Coast and its parent company Hasbro need to know that we are not happy about this; that we are looking at this and flagging up the parts where it’s unfair, restrictive, and in some cases possibly illegal. No one makes a U-turn on a shitty course of action that will make them money unless given compelling evidence that it will lose them more money. And yes, there are other systems, but not everyone is good with transferring to a whole new system - not out of laziness but out of neurodivergence. So saying, “Just move to another system! It’s about time D&D got out of the limelight anyway!” is kind of ableist. Plus a lot of people saying that tend to say, “Go for Pathfinder instead!” and ... well, see above. You want to save Pathfinder? TALK ABOUT IT.

Paizo, Critical Role LLC, Etc: No, none of these companies, or any of the smaller content creators out there, could take Hasbro in a legal fight. However, if they distanced themselves from the D&D rule set entirely ... it would hurt them, yes, particularly the two companies mentioned who have made their name on it. But they’re creative people and they could probably do it. People would follow suit. This is a perfect set-up for the classic “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” situation; WotC has its bird in the hand at present (selling us sourcebooks and franchise-specific stuff and getting so much free advertising from the RP community), but it’s looking to grab at the two in the bush because hey, more birds! But that kind of grasping only results in the birds in the bush flying away and the bird in the hand either also flying away or being crushed by overreaching asshole. See also: Shooting Yourself In The Foot. And if that kind of thing keeps on long enough...

Amazon: Seriously, if we talk about it enough? And the third-party creator companies talk about it enough? It’s eventually going to get noticed by Amazon. Y’know, Amazon, which sells a lot of third-party D&D sourcebooks and would probably take a hit if those stopped being made because no one wants to provide WotC free content? Amazon, which owns Twitch and would probably take another hit if TTRPG livestreamers stopped streaming? Amazon, which currently hosts Legends of Vox Machina and probably has zero interest in paying royalties to Wizards of the Coast for it? Amazon, run by Jeff “HAS ALL THE MONEY AND IT’S STILL NOT ENOUGH” Bezos? If people talk enough about this, it’s conceivable that Amazon sends lawyers of their own. And the legal power Amazon could throw at someone makes Habro’s look like nothing. See also: Disney, because WotC has Star Wars books floating around out there and if WotC sets that standard of “You created it with our rule set and it’s now ours to use as we see fit no matter what the agreement under which you originally created it says”, theoretically that means they could publish a new one without consulting the current owners of the IP ... thus, Disney. I don’t think Disney would like that.

So basically there’s a lot that could happen at this point. There are a lot more people than we think using rule sets, concepts, and imagery that it was perfectly fine to use under the original agreement as set out by WotC. The original OGL 1.0 document allowed us to do so and lawyers are now looking at this to assess the legality of retroactively rescinding the permissions granted by that document with the new document. It honestly doesn’t look good for WotC or Hasbro legally, but Hasbro can afford a lot of laywers who are experts at finding loopholes, so ... seriously. Talk about it, keep it out there ... but people are right about not panicking or despairing. It’s not over yet, but we’ve had enough nasty surprises the last few years that even being able to prepare for the smaller, arguably less vital ones is something.

[sovinly]

um. UM. how about everyone's favourite purveyor of magical items, a mister Shaun Gilmore? (mayyybe with Vax?? maybe???)

(I am completely blanking on tropes besides "snowed in" btw I would just like to see you write something)

Thank you for an excellent prompt, friend! There always needs to be more Gilmore! (and also Vax. Both, both is good) And I can work with that trope! ;) Here’s some canon divergence where Vax’s emotional confessions jumped the other way and everything is just very warm, set during the Chroma Conclave arc.

The streets of Whitestone are heavily weighed down with snow.

Gilmore lets his curtain fall back into place, the hushed white of the snow and soft glow of lanterns lingering past his glimpse.

“Well, it doesn’t look like you’re going much of anywhere tonight,” Gilmore drawls, glancing over his shoulder at Vax. “I think it might be a bit of rough terrain even for you.”

Vax laughs, crosslegged and cradling a fine porcelain cup in his fine, slender hands. It’s strange still to see him mostly out of armor, feathered cuirass and vambraces and greaves strapped over tall leather boots, snake-belt and daggers ever-present in these days.

“Does that mean you’ll let me stay?” Vax asks with a tilted smile, but there’s something a little hesitant, a little vulnerable hovering in his features alongside the teasing.

“But of course!” Gilmore says, waving a hand as he resumes his seat at the low table, reaching for his own cup of tea. It’s warm, fragrant and full-bodied, a delicately floral blend brewed strong. “You’re always welcome here, you know.”

Even, Gilmore means, when the days are long and they’re both exhausted and worn. And Gilmore is constantly exhausted and worn these days, the stress of maintaining the shielding spell draining so much of his energy. Abjuration was never his specialty, but Allura’s skills and influences are versatile enough that she needs to be freer, and if this is what Gilmore can do to protect this new, fragile home, then maintain a barrier he shall.

If it means that there’s a weight off Vox Machina’s mind and a place for them to return to, then Gilmore feels it even more necessary.

(It puts him in uncomfortable sympathy with J’mon sa Ord, whose grandeur even in worn memory makes Gilmore’s elegance feel like thin gilt, to even attempt to imagine protecting an entire metropolis for an age on the weight of only one being’s power.)

“You’re a generous man, Shaun,” Vax says softly. So, so softly. This man is so soft under all his steel and sharp edges, a dark, plush silk velvet that’s an unexpected and welcome luxury. His dark brown eyes are gentle, like Gilmore is something precious to behold.

Gilmore chuckles and winks at Vax, fond. He reaches over, lets his hand come to rest on Vax’s knee. “Nonsense, I’m clearly hoarding your time while I have it.”

That startles a laugh from Vax, who sets one hand, warm from his cup of tea, on top of Gilmore’s. “I’m happy to oblige, then.”

He’s quiet, still for a few moments, then abruptly sets down his cup, withdraws his hands to start working at the buckles of a vambrace. He slants a glance up at Gilmore, mouth quirked in a wry, playful smile. “If I’m staying, I think I can take all this fucking armor off for now.”

“Oh, well,” Gilmore replies, amused and teasingly lascivious, and laughs when he gets a wink in return. “Can I offer you something more comfortable, then?”

Vax agrees, and Gilmore rises, waves a hand to set water to boiling in his small kitchen as he retreats into his bedroom in search of a robe.

It’s too cold for silk, probably, but Gilmore keeps his fire going well into the night, and it’s no shame to indulge someone he cares for deeply. Someone who, given all the furor of the dragons and desperate fights, gets very little indulgence. Gilmore excels in extravagance, after all.

He returns to the main room, offers the robe out to Vax, who is nearly out of his half-armor and takes it with a swift, thankful smile, before passing back into the kitchen to make up another pot of tea.

The kitchen is warm and Gilmore is, quite suddenly, very worn out, the sort of bone deep exhaustion of knowing that he’ll have to spend the morning reinforcing the barrier, but he’s trying to let tonight stand on its own. Something precious, a reprieve.

These aren’t the circumstances he expected for a new, budding romance, only barely and tentatively affirmed with a sweet late-night kiss when Emon fell to Thordak. Still, and even so, Gilmore can’t regret it or wish to change it. It’s all the more dear for how close they came to losing it (how close they’ve come to dying).

He heaves a sigh and runs a hand through his own dark hair, sweeping it back from his face, and collects himself just enough to push back the weariness.

Vax looks up as Gilmore enters, his leathers folded neatly to the side, and watches him with painfully obvious fondness as Gilmore sits down again.

“Thank you,” Vax says, still quiet, the way he goes quiet when it’s just them, in the sincere and intimate moments where he lets himself be someone quiet and fond. Transparent.

Gilmore waves off the thanks, even if he’s warm with being adored and appreciated so deeply, and refills both of their cups. He brushes a touch to Vax’s shoulder as he settles back. “It’s the least I could do as your host, Vax’ildan.”

“Still,” Vax says, and shrugs, smile clinging to the edges of his expressive mouth. The midnight blue of the silk is a good color for him, warm against the soft brown of his skin, curved over his slender shoulders and sparking faintly with glimmers of silver embroidery.

He’s lovely, always lovely, but lovelier still relaxed like this. He’s let his hair down, freed from the braids and twists that keep it out of his way, and it spills like a midnight river down past the small of his back. Impractically, impossibly long.

Oh, does Gilmore love him.

Gilmore loves him with all the easily-bruised depths of his too large, too grand heart, loves him boisterous and hushed, in their easy banter and the fragile, earnest breathlessness of fear they’re both too shy of to speak easily. Gilmore loves him recklessly, would fight a dragon for this man, clings to the fluttering hope of a future past the end of all this, imagines offering up the secrets he tried to leave behind across the sea - all of them.

For so long, he’s held everyone and everything at arm’s length. Oh, Gilmore doesn’t dare discount his own unexpected bravery, or Sherri, or darling Vex’ahlia or really any of the rest of Vox Machina. The loss of his shop and a sovereign, the unexpected joy of a newly deepened friendship with Allura and Kima both, Whitestone with all its damages and fierce hope, even the strain and challenge of a barrier that keeps away dragon-sight.

But this is something he’s glad for, breathless and astounded, and Gilmore has no words to give him.

Vax, not privy to all his wild thoughts, sips his tea and scoots over, easily tactile, to lean against Gilmore’s side. He lifts his free hand, brushes the backs of his knuckles almost idly over the line of Gilmore’s jaw with an unguarded look.

Gilmore laughs, affectionate, and in the undoubtedly brief lull of conversation, slides an arm around Vax, who shifts instinctively to accommodate him.

It’s a still and silent night, the streets’ usual sounds dampened with snowfall, and only the faintly crackling fire in here, warm and dim.

It’s an unexpected reprieve and a welcome one.

Gilmore rests his jaw against the thick softness of Vax’s dark hair and closes his eyes to savor this.

[hypnopossum]

The music video for FUROR_MACHINAE will premiere this Friday, March 21st, at 5:00 PM EST!

Thank you so much for your patience, but I hope that the video is well worth the wait! HUGE thanks to @julieraptor for the artwork!! They did such an incredible job and i highly recommend commissioning them :D Additionally, the base SVP and instrumental are now available on my Ko-fi under a "pay-what-you-want" system, starting at $0! I also have tuning commissions available there, so check those out if you're interested! https://ko-fi.com/s/06778e3cbd

[pseudol]

Propõe-se a todos a estação calmosa,

E o reverendo mango dos mangazes,

Que com bruto furor, anciã pasmos,

Vai fodendo mulheres, e rapazes:

O comprimento da extensão nervosa,

Que , acompanhando-a dous colhôes lambazes,

Descubriu novamente desconforme

Rara fodenga em machina informe.

Martinhada,Camões do Rossio

[countrydionysia]

Submit your vote!

Submissions are now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted a piece for this edition of the Rural Dionysia! Are listed below this year's entries. Enjoy the read!

Freestyle Poetry

mint by @forthe-theoi

I Do Not Know How To Sing by @holywineandmadness

66 Days by @kallisto-aglaia (cw: death, cw: grief)

The gifts of Aphrodite by @piristephes

The Chthonic Sun by @khaire-traveler

Hearth Hazards by @arathergrimreaper

Untitled ('And I know you think') by @hawkmothdraws (tw: blood mention, tw: weapon)

Apollo by @beastial-bacchanal

Freeform Musing on the Zeus of China by @lavendervillage

Love of Man by @junooddly

for furor club (óðinn and dionysos) by @disir-ex-machina

The Hill at the Backyard by @straight-up-paranoia

Untitled ('Oh Enodia, brightest one') by @morteumdragonis

Modern Hymn

Dionysus by @beastial-bacchanal (tw cannibalism, tw gore, tw blood mention)

Praise to the Phosphoroi Theoi by @piristephes

To Psyche, the Hope Bringer by @starry-polytheism

Anima Bacchi by @binchtids

An Attempt of A Hymn of A Foolish Farmer Scholar by @lavendervillage

Untitled ('Hail Lord Apollon, hail golden Phoebus') by @achillesoul

Complete the fragment

fragmented (prayer?) by @eyeofnewttoungueofdog

Sing the melody, calm your mind. by @piristephes

My God by @definitelynotkiylen

To vote:

Voting takes place via poll. You will be asked to vote for 1 entry per category. You have until Dec. 18th to vote and we will be announcing the winners on Dec. 19-20th latest.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

[fiestylittlebeetle]

"Furor Machina" is my magnum opus of playlist titles

[sistemabibliotecariomilano]

A gran voce il ritorno della saga dei Malaussène

Invocato e atteso come un temporale estivo, come l’ultimo disco degli Stones, come la Prima della Scala, ecco finalmente l’ultimo libro di Daniel Pennac. Non certo un libro qualsiasi, bensì, dopo trent'anni dalla pubblicazione del primo episodio della fortunata saga e diciannove da quella dell’ultimo, torna la sconclusionata, folle, inverosimile, irresistibile famiglia Malaussène!

Ecco i 6 romanzi del ciclo: Il paradiso degli orchi, La fata carabina, La prosivendola, Signor Malaussène, Ultime notizie dalla famiglia, La passione secondo Thérèse e l’ultimo nato Il caso Malaussène. Mi hanno mentito.

Stendere un resoconto dei personaggi è pressoché impossibile, perché la folla variegata, multietnica, improbabile che popola la saga sfugge a qualsiasi possibilità di conteggio matematico, classificazione socio-politica, umana definizione, filosofica speculazione, ordine psicologico. Ne faremo una brevissima panoramica:

· La capostipite, ovvero una madre perennemente assente, perennemente innamorata, perennemente incinta.

· Benjamin Malaussène, indubbiamente il protagonista, di professione “capro espiatorio”, tiene faticosamente le fila di questa sgarrupata famiglia con affetto, dedizione, ingenuo stupore, infantile bontà.

· Thérése, sorta di “dea ex machina”, impenetrabile come una sibilla, esercita i suoi misteriosi poteri soprannaturali per dipanare le incredibili avventure in cui la famiglia viene puntualmente centrifugata.

· Louna, crocerossina della famiglia, contribuisce al suo ripopolamento, così come non mancherà di fare la sorella fotografa Clara.

· Il vivacissimo Jérémy, fonte perenne di guai.

· Il Piccolo, Verdun, ÈUnAngelo, sono i nuovi nati.

· Non poteva mancare un cane, Julius, naturalmente non un cane qualsiasi, bensì epilettico e assai maleodorante.

Sembra impossibile che da una famiglia così scombinata, da una storia così fantastica (anche se con forti appigli alla realtà, come, per esempio, l’affollata presenza di extracomunitari a Belleville, il quartiere dei Malaussène, molto più di uno sfondo urbano, ma vero protagonista insieme ai personaggi) si possa realizzare un film, eppure è stato fatto e anche molto bene. Vi consiglio di vederlo, si intitola Il paradiso degli orchi e naturalmente è presente nel nostro SBM.

In questo lungo intervallo Pennac non è stato inoperoso, ha pubblicato numerosi libri per ragazzi (i più noti sono Abbaiare stanca e L’occhio del lupo, sempre in prestito nelle biblioteche), il saggio Come un romanzo, opere teatrali, fumetti e altri romanzi: Signori bambini, Ecco la storia, Grazie, Diario di scuola, Storia di un corpo.

Ma soprattutto i suoi lettori gli sono grati per la pubblicazione del Decalogo del lettore, che finalmente sgrava dall’onere di leggere fino in fondo un libro che non ci piace:

1. Il diritto di non leggere, leggere è come il caffè, se non è un piacere, perché berlo?

2. Il diritto di saltare le pagine, questo secondo comandamento mi vede un po’ in disaccordo, ma non si può porre freni alla libertà del lettore.

3. Il diritto di non finire un libro, non è obbligatorio, non ce l’ha ordinato il dottore. Se un libro non ci piace, o semplicemente non fa per noi abbiamo ora riconosciuto e consacrato il diritto a interromperne la lettura. Pennac, con un’appropriata metafora, ha confessato di non essere mai giunto alla vetta de La montagna incantata; io ho abbandonato (ma ci riproverò) Tenera è la notte, L’urlo e il furore e Libera nos a malo.

4. Il diritto di rileggere, sacrosanto, io ogni 10 anni almeno devo rileggere I promessi sposi, e ogni volta ci trovo qualcosa di nuovo.

5. Il diritto di leggere qualsiasi cosa, io non amo la così detta paraletteratura, come i romanzi rosa, ma, naturalmente, de gustibus non disputandum est.

6. Il diritto al bovarismo, ovvero alla possibilità di immedesimarsi nelle vicende narrate, ma la lettura non è proprio uno stimolo all’immaginazione?

7. Il diritto di leggere ovunque, altrimenti come faremmo noi milanesi che viviamo gran parte della giornata sui mezzi pubblici?

8. Il diritto di spizzicare: ma non è proprio quello che si fa nelle biblioteche?!

9. Il diritto di leggere a voce alta, in epoca latina era la norma, anche perché il latino è una lingua molto musicale, ma, in fondo, non lo sono un po’ tutte?

10. Il diritto di tacere, no comment.

Vi lasciamo con un interessante duetto Pennac-Benni, considerato il suo “doppio” italiano, tanto è vero che in contemporanea è uscito il suo ultimo romanzo. Ma questa è tutta un’altra storia.

[morethansam]

What if Type-0 was FFXIII? Would this game change?

I'm a huge fan of Type-0 so I'm going to try my best to give this post a juicy, chunk of fat to chew on.

Character Development

Well if there's one thing that most people agree on about FFXIII, it's that the character development was done quite well albeit with characters that didn't resonate so much with the audience. The magnitude of expectation from a numbered FF game probably had more writers and overseers making sure the characters and story was tight - a far cry from Type-0.

Type-0's character development was handled poorly. The personalities of the class felt like caricatures of anime characters of 'insert series here'. The supporting characters that were focused on like Machina, Kurasame, Cid, Celestia and Arecia received nowhere near enough attention for me as a player to be invested in their motives. Not to mention that this huge cast is on a platform (PSP) that probably wouldn't have been able to fulfil these desires, moreover, the game relies on two playthroughs. Ace was relatively well done; he acted as the sponge to events happening with the class and his backstory at the ranch added more flavour to his arc.

A bigger budget with Toriyama's team rather than Tabata would definitely strengthen the characters, especially their desires, feelings and motives.

Story

That's not to say that FFXIII's story was without flaws. Do you remember the furore surrounding the game after it was released with many not understanding the concepts of a L'Cie / Fal'Cie / Cie'th? Coupled with huge chunks of backstory missing only found through datalog, many players did feel bewildered by events that seemed to take place in the story.

Ho boy, where do we start Type-0? It was an absolute mess. I really don't want to divulge too far into it but I find that the Tempus Finis really needed to be embedded within the story more along with more POV's or an omniscient narration of what Cid & Acrecia were getting up to and the importance of becoming Agito. There was so, SO much missing from the first playthrough that it made the game a convoluted cluster-fuck of half-baked ideas.

As FF fans, we thirst for knowledge within the game so (luckily) being connected with this game I made it my best intention to reap the rewards of a really fascinating story by listening carefully, making mental notes and finding out more information through NPC's and the library. I do not think a bigger budget would help this area of the game, there's a huge chance that the game would still feel rushed and unfinished on a first playthrough, a la FFXV.

Graphics

The cut-scenes were beautiful as expected and the HD remake made the game look wondrous in the Vermillion Peristyrium - on par with FFXIII for sure.

I found the world map area a nice nod to old FF games. I thoroughly enjoyed it so I wouldn't change that at all but obviously the would need to make the textures more appealing and the world more vibrant. Would this be acceptable for a numbered game though, a PS1 World Map? Evidently the towns needed work so you'd expect with a bigger budget that they would be more colourful... but then again, would that commitment to creating wonderfully, designed towns with personality make the world map emptier (FFXV)? I would definitely have loved to of seen sprawling towns evoking the personality of the areas they were situated in. I'd assume there'd be more outposts and less towns so a bigger budget wouldn't change the game that considerably, missions would still take place in abandoned, grainy outposts with a PS2 run-around until areas were cleared of enemies.

Gameplay

With a bigger budget, I doubt Type-0 would take on an ATB system like FFXIII but would develop more towards a FFXV style of play. I guess you would see more combinations for each character and hella lot more special moves. Random battles may have more obstacles and you'd probably see battles having more characters on the screen which would've been so awesome. More bosses, bigger fiends and possibly more tactical battles due to the fact that they'd have more time to personalise enemies. Maybe you'd actually be able to see what the hell was going on with that huge bastard Shinyru in the First Battle of Judecca.

Overall, the main problems that Type 0 had were the characters and story - throwing money at these areas might not necessarily sharpen the game. A bigger budget would definitely enable the game to be embellished graphically but the supposed hindrances that FFXIII and XV had (some I agree with) like poor missions, linear gameplay and empty locals... well it's just as likely that they might embed itself into Type 0's development too.

Love the game though. I will say, if you're going to compare a game with Type-0, it should be FFXV as they contain more similarities than what XIII did.