#hate your outdated website

[tempural]

Hi!! I wanted to say that I loved reading about your journey of creating a personal website. I'm still unsure between Vercel and Netlify. I have a small question to ask. See, one of the reasons I want to make a website is to archive drawings and journal/sketchbook. Would you have any tips for creating an area on my website just for the diary/journal, which has tags, files for each entry, etc.?

Bello!

Really happy to hear about your interest in websites! I want everyone to make their own site so I don't have to log into social media and get instant tummyaches ♥

Vercel vs Netlify: I think I settled on Vercel for absolutely no reason whatsoever. I just made a site on Netlify, then tested on Vercel, and now I have like 5 websites on Vercel so I just kept using it LOL. I'm sure a more tech-savvy person would know the difference - I think they have certain integrations with specific programs.

Creating a diary or journal with tags:

There's a couple of different ways you can do that, with different levels of work needed.

you got me yapping again:

This sadgrl tutorial might be outdated and may or may not work, but explains the process better than I can.

Easiest: make a journal on Dreamwidth, or another blogging site (wordpress??) that allows easy tags and RSS feed, and embed that RSS feed onto your site.

This requires almost no HTML set-up, and the easiest to organize tags, but you don't truly have the data on your own site since it's just embedded.

When I snuck into a web design class at college, this was one of the methods that the professor used for a blog within a portfolio site LOL.

Shit like wordpress is what a LOT of ~professional~ sites do for their blog section. They code it separately from the main site haha. It's the most popular thing, but not necessarily the best. And wait til you read on what the CEO of wordpress has been having meltdowns about... he owns tumblr too!

It's made with a tutorial for Neocities if that's what you use.

Medium: Set up zonelets.

It will require some HTML and JS editing, but will help automate making headers/footers for each page of a blog.

I've never used it myself, but I see other people speak highly of it.

HARD FOR ME CUZ I'M A GORILLA: I believe a lot of professional web devs will slap your face with their coding cock until you use a static site generator (SSG) to make your site.

You will need some coding knowledge to set up the tagging system since it doesn't come with it enabled by default. But it's made explicitly to be an alternative to big Static Site Generators which are...

It requires some more intimidating knowledge, because it's a lot of scripts that turn files that are not HTML/CSS/JS into plain HTML.

Also you have to use the command line, and that doesn't come with buttons that tell you what you can do. You have to copy/paste all that shit or memorize the code to 'dev build astro' and it all looks silly.

I've used Eleventy, and now am using Astro. Other people use Hugo or Jekyll or some other stuff with crazy names like Glup Shitto. I hate all these sites cuz none of the words mean anything to me. This is a common theme for me and tech. I don't know what NODES or CONTENT or ISLANDS are!!!

I had the most success attempting to learn how to use a SSG by downloading a template and altering it with github + VScodium. Here's the template page for Astro. You click on a theme you like, and it takes you to its github page. (If you don't want to use evil Microsoft stuff sorry. Skip this entire section.) Follow the instructions on the page for "forking" the glup shitto. When it tells you to run commands, I run those commands through the terminal window in VScodium. These tutorials never tell you what these commands do cuz they assume you already know. Usually those commands automatically install the files you need onto your computer, and create the final files.

You can see my wip here for a "tag system" that SHOULD show members of a web listing haha but I don't know what I'm doing and I have a reading disorder AND don't know cumputer good.

THEORETICALLY this will be the simplest and easiest way to maintain tags and files, because after you set it up you just have to write the "content" of the blog page. And you don't have to set up the header/footer ever again. I see the vision, and potential, but I am not there yet when it takes me 5 hours a day to figure out what any of the words in the documentation mean and I don't want to ask an actual tech person cuz they will be like 'obviously just press the Blip on the Repository and then Suck My Ass in the command line".

(side note I haven't updated fujofans in like a year cuz I'm struggling with this part to make updating easier).

Con: the final HTML/CSS code is really ugly if it's "minified", and a lot of themes use """"""professional"""""" CSS libraries like Bootstrap and Tailwind that I honestly think are ugly cuz that's what every fuckin' tech website uses to style their pages and make them look Professional and Minimalist with stupid code like style="500-w dark-gray-balls D-cup-bra" on every single element. Even Toyhouse uses Bootstrap. Eugh!

But maybe you're smarter than me and can wrangle these things better!

That was really long. Woops. I hope you can slug through this wall of text and find something helpful. Feel free to email me if you have any more specific questions. I may or may not be helpful.

If someone else sees this and has better suggestions for making BLOGS, please chime in. I'm begging you.

[illusivewritings]

distanced - yoru x reader

chapter 1: new things

distanced masterlist

synopsis: your childhood best friend, sunwoo, makes you download her favorite game right now. what’s the worst that can happen?

warnings: fem!reader, modern au, college au, cursing, mutual pining, yearning, yoru may be ooc, maybe everyone is ooc tbh, idk what im doing, i’m rly rusty w writing and figuring tumblr out all over again, eventual 18+ content, long distance relationship, online setting, inspired by discord tbh, author is chronically online, not proofread, intentionally lowercase

a/n: i have not written in so long, neither have i written on tumblr in a while… so pls be nice </3 characters may be ooc but i’m very sleepy rn and i’ve had this idea for so long and just needed to get it out!!!! also i will be using jett’s real name, sunwoo :P eventually with other agents too down the line as well

anyway, i hope you pretty people enjoy <3

## fic bellow the cut ##

gaming was never really part of your childhood. sure, dabbling in simple games like minecraft and roblox growing up was a staple; endless nights filled your adolescence with late-night sessions of your childhood friend group within these games. you had to admit though, outdated presently closed-down dress up websites with chatrooms were more your thing back then.

although it wasn’t until recently that your best friend, sunwoo, had become absolutely obsessed with a particular game.

sunwoo’s your best friend. you’d known each other since your roblox late-nights during primary school. she was always your shoulder to cry on, and vice versa. her peppy and quick personality set her out from the others; she was your rock, and you were hers. even after she had moved a few hours away for college, you two kept that bond strong by keeping in touch online.

she was always more outgoing and more of a gamer than you. when you two were younger, you gladly would sit together during lunch hour as she yapped about her favorite piece of media at the moment. in exchange, you would draw her favorite characters from said game. it was enjoyable for the both of you, those simpler times.

though, you never were able to play with her, as much as you wanted to. the best device you had was the ancient family computer that could barely run the two games you could play. you’d rather not risk it catching on fire.

so, sunwoo’s gaming fixations over the years never phased you. you welcomed it, you loved listening to her yap sessions.

“y/n, you need to try this game. please.” she pleaded, her voice crisp coming through the call.

at present time, you now sit at your new pc set up within your dorm room. the first one you’d ever had, all thanks to the lovely sunwoo. she had built it for you when you saved up enough money, the only thing was? you… didn’t know what games to get. at all.

sure, you had minecraft and some digital art software. a rhythm game you barely touched, too. you mostly used your pc for art, as it was always your most beloved hobby. that puts you here now, in a discord call with sunwoo, with her pleading for you to download her new favorite game.

“i dunno, sunnie…” you adjusted your headphones over your ears for better comfort. “i’m really not good at fps games… i’ve never even played any like you, growing up.”

sunwoo sighed dramatically, her mic peaking just a little bit, which made you giggle. “listen, i get that, but y/n i promise- you’ll have fun!” after a pause, she adds: “i can even introduce you to my friends from there!”

you sigh, sunwoo was very persistent. it’s the least you could do for her, considering she built your pc, right?

after another pause, you let out a small laugh. “alright, show me where i can go to download it. what was it called again?”

you can hear her squeal, her mic peaking a bit again; and you giggle at the act. “it’s called valture!” you see her start typing in your guys’ private messages. “i’ll send you the link and show you how to create an account.”

————

you hate to admit it, but it was fun. despite being absolutely cradled by sunwoo the entire time, getting headshot constantly, and being confused at the mechanics— this silly game was fun. the evening was filled with laughs and learning; and you could tell sunwoo couldn’t be more happier.

while sitting in the lobby, sunwoo asked; “would you like to join a server with my friends i met on here?”

you hesitate to speak, only managing a simple ‘um…’ as you debated the incomplex question. being an introvert was damning, but meeting strangers was even more so.

“they’re nice!” she said enthusiastically after sensing your hesitation. “i promise, they won’t care if you’re new. they all just want to have fun, like us.”

you traced over the ‘wasd’ keys on your keyboard, thinking. with how much fun you had, you’d definitely come back online and play again. who’s to say sunnie will be on every time you do play? it would come in handy to meet new people who were open to a total newbie like you.

what’s the worst that could happen?

“yeah, send me the invite.”

you hear the other girl make an enthusiastic noise of excitement once again, as an invite link appeared on your screen. clicking it, you were automatically transitioned to the main channel of the server itself. your eyes darted to the automated welcome message, then to the member list on the left hand side.

“oh wow, there’s not many people in here?” you asked, tilting your head at such a short list. with how outgoing sunnie is, you’d expect her to have more people within the server.

“nope! i told you, not intimidating at all.” she replied. “maybe except yoru and iso… they’re both pretty nasty at the game, you could say.”

as she said this, your mouse hovered over each member with the corresponding names she had mentioned. a person by the username ‘y0ru’ and another by the user ‘isolated.’ this ‘iso’ person was offline, whereas ‘yoru’ was online, with their status displaying that they were on valture. their icon was a character from an anime, but the name escapes you.

“what? like, they’re really good or something?” you quizzed, replying a thank you to the welcome messages you received from two people. one named ‘neonbluu’ and the other ‘gekkonekko.’

sunwoo laughed, hearing a bang on her desk (which presumably was from her slapping her hand on her desk). “really good? y/n, they’re both radiant. like, top five hundred within our region.”

“oh, wow,” is all you could muster. you knew competitive players existed, sunwoo very obviously being one of them. but top five hundred within a region? you furrowed your brows at the thought. that would take so much time, right? “do they… leave the house? go outside?”

she gave a hearty laugh at your question. “oh, sweet little y/n… why don’t we ask, yeah?”

before you could even reply, sunwoo left the call within your private messages. you hadn’t clicked off the server, so you saw immediately where she was; sitting in the server’s only voice chat. your eyes widened, you didn’t want to meet anyone in voice chat right now! sighing, you put your head in your hands. what have i got myself into? you think, until you hear a ping notification.

————

jettstorm

@/starphire COME IN VC RIGHT NEEOOOWWW!!!!!

@/y0ru you come too since ur online we can q together w star aka y/n ^_^

also @/everyone @/starphire is my bestie y/n and you all BETTER be nice to her!!!! she’s new to val and fps games in general >_o

neonbluu

why would you make her first fps val

couldn’t even pull up overwatch?? that’s fucked

gekkonekko

no deadass because val is a wasteland

jett’s actually setting this poor girl up 🥀🥀

@/starphire run while you can mama this game is CHEEKS

jettstorm

gekko and neon i’m muting you two for ruining my fun and whimsy

?mute @/neonbluu 2 mins

?mute @/gekkonekko 2 mins

skyespirit

jett’s dictator arc never fails to be more and more apparent each day 💚

jettstorm

ur all actually bullies

i got us all together and i am being targeted 💔

y0ru

shut up and invite me already

or should i get on an alt since ur friend is new?

jettstorm

omggg alt pls bcs i don’t wanna go against sweats in swift 😇😇😇

y0ru

alr

@/starphire welcome btw

cloverfly

OMG I JUST WOKE JP HEYY @/starphire WELCOMEE 💕

fadednights

welcome, starphire.

@/neonbluu answer our dms, my love.

oh, she’s muted. lol.

jettstorm

yeah keep ur lil ass chihuahua in check fade

you too @/deadlocked i cant understand how you two can’t contain that thing

gekkonekko

‘that thing’ is crazy work when she has 2 gfs and i see no hoes on ur hip whatsoever, jett 🥀

jettstorm

?mute @/gekkonekko 2 hours

phoenixashes

LMFAOOOO

gekko just loves lying for fun because what am i if jett has no hoes ☹️

jettstorm

phoenix please keep ur pretty mouth shut rn or i’ll staple it closed ❤️

phoenixashes

yes ma’am

————

you were having trouble keeping up with so much texting. it had been so long since you had been in a friend group, let alone an online one. nonetheless, you muster up the courage to join sunwoo and the yoru person within the server’s vc.

once you joined, sunwoo greeted you with a very energetic; “hiiii y/n!!! this is yoru, our tryhard of the group! yoru, this is my sweet y/n.”

you smiled at her energy, your nerves calming down just by her welcoming and introducing you swiftly to her friend. “hi, yoru, i’m y/n- but you can call me star if it’s easier.”

“hey,” he greeted in a monotone voice. you honestly couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or not. “jett mentions you a lot. she says you’re a good artist.”

you’d be lying to yourself if his voice wasn’t a little cute to you. he had a slight accent, which you made a mental note to ask what other languages he speaks later.

nonetheless, you let out a giggle. “really? sunnie, i didn’t know you were advertising me!”

“hey!” she said, and you can almost see her raise her hands in self defense. “you are very talented, y/n! you deserve more clients.”

you tab back into the game when you notice that another account by the name of ‘not y0ru’ joined your party.

“alright! let’s queue up! yoru, we need to do our best to teach y/n on the game. be patient with her.” sunwoo commanded playfully.

“i’m patient.” yoru quips back.

sunwoo scoffed. “you are so harsh on the people you coach, don’t even.”

“they’re just soft and can’t take criticism.” yoru sighs. “but star won’t have to worry. she’s surprisingly doing well, looking at her career.”

“huh? my what?” you asked, a little taken aback by the compliment from the smooth voice. he probably is saying that to be nice, you think to yourself.

“your career,” he repeated. “it’s one of the icons on the top left, you’ll be able to see your kda for previous games.”

you were entirely confused at what you were looking at. “kda? what is that?” you asked.

“kills, deaths, and assists!” sunwoo chimed in. “kills are how many enemies you got, duh. deaths is obviously how many times you died. you gain an assist if you do high damage to an enemy, but you don’t kill them- a teammate does.”

“ah,” you voice. this was simple enough to read, you thought. you didn’t think your career was anything special. after all, you did have mainly single digit kills and double digit deaths. “i can barely get over three kills, but thank you, yoru.”

“mhm,” was all he said.

and so, after small talk between you, yoru and sunwoo continued, the three of you loaded into a game.

————

“ahh! that’s my last one, guys.” sunwoo said, stretching her back. it would make sense for her to get off, after all it was almost one in the morning in both of your timezones. you would get off, but the day following tonight had nothing for you, since it was the weekend.

“okay, text me when you wake up sunnie,” you said. “let me know if we’re still on for sunday?”

“of course!” sunwoo beamed. “you two have fun without me, i’ll talk to y’all later. goodnight!”

“goodnight,” you and yoru bid goodbye unanimously. with that, sunwoo disconnected from the call, leaving just you and yoru left.

“do you have to get off as well?” yoru asked.

you shook your head as if he could see you. you mentally rolled your eyes at yourself. “no, not now at least. tomorrow i have no classes, just chores. and uh,” you pause, glancing at his anime icon and feeling a lightbulb begin glowing within your head. “watching some anime, probably.”

you were hesitant, as a majority of the time the three of you spent, yoru was really quiet. except for the occasional shit-talk banter with jett or sarcastic quip at a rude teammate. it had mostly been you and sunwoo making conversation and giggling amongst each other at silly plays you’d do.

but luckily, like a fish in water, he took the conversation bait. “which anime are you watching?”

“i’m not sure, honestly,” you reply. “i used to watch a lot when i was younger. ever since graduating high school, i honestly haven’t had the time to watch any.”

you sit on your answer- it felt dry. boring. you wanted to keep talking, the awkward pauses and silences internally killing you. besides, this was a chance to make a new friend outside of sunwoo and your dormmate. you couldn’t mess this up! quickly, you add; “do you have any recommendations?”

you hear him hum and sigh, probably debating his answer. after a minute, he replies; “do you like action or romance?”

“i like both, to be honest,” tapping your chin, you added onward; “although, i do enjoy a good romance.”

“horimiya, then.” yoru answered. “it’s really short, only twelve episodes. i liked it.”

“is that where your icon is from?” you asked, even though the character he had displayed within his icon did not seem like he was from romance… at all.

yoru actually let out a small chuckle. which, you didn’t think he would be capable of considering how he presented his personality for the last few hours. “no, he’s from a different show. have you heard of jujutsu kaisen?”

you felt so out of touch and old. all of these new shows you have never heard of, and you’re only in your early twenties. “uh… would you hate me if i said no?”

“really?” he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “it’s been out for a while. pretty popular right now.”

you hummed, tabbing out and looking it up on google. “oh, is it more of an action-type of anime?” you asked, as you read the synopsis of the show. “it seems pretty interesting,”

“it is.” he confirms. “if you ever want to watch it, i’d be happy to re-watch with you. it’s my favorite show right now.”

you giggle at the offer, clicking back on discord. “i mean, fuck it, sure. i could use a break from rotting my brain with val.”

“alright,” yoru said, you can hear him clicking on some things through his mic. “would you want to stay here, or…?”

oh, right. you two were in a public call within the server’s vc. almost everyone was online except sunwoo and a few others- but you didn’t have the social battery to meet anyone else. not without sunwoo, at least.

“do you mind calling me in dms?” you asked.

“not at all. give me a sec.”

with a few more clicks heard, and the disconnect sound of him leaving vc, you received a friend request and a pop up receiving a call from ‘y0ru.’

and so, the night finally began.

————

a/n: hi! this is my first fic i’m publishing on tumblr, so if u made it this far ilysm ty for reading!! i hope u enjoyed, and have a good day/night <3

[thecoppercompendium]

An overdue reintroduction

I've been here a while and, to be honest, my original pinned post is a touch outdated at this point. I've made a tonne of stuff since then, for a start.

So, hi! I'm Daniel (he/they) an indie TTRPG designer. I've made 7 original games to date, as well as several supplements for D&D 5e and some that are system agnostic.

I'm based in the UK, am interested in pretty much anything TTRPG-related (and adjacent areas, too), and love to hear about the awesome stuff people are designing! Seriously, there are so many talented people on this website.

I'm a member of UK TIN (UK Tabletop Industry Network), and cannot recommend having a bunch of people to talk to about TTRPG design with enough (if you're UK based, go join the TIN discord!). I'd love to discuss design and people's games here, too!

Right, on to my games! I'm only going to put my original games on this post (for the pretence of brevity), but I'll put links to my itch.io and DriveThruRPG above the cut if you want to check out everything I've made. For the rest, delve below the divide!

Let the games begin!

A one page, card-based game about struggling to prepare for and survive the coming revolution, as the advisors of the current ruler. Backstabbing not required by highly suggested. Pay-what-you-want.

Get it on itch.io

Get it on DriveThruRPG

A little one page solo game about pushing a boulder up a hill. One more try. Maybe this time you'll reach the top. Pay-what-you-want.

Get it on itch.io

Get it on DriveThruRPG

Who doesn't want to make a monster? Another one page game, in which you and friends dissect hated documents to create glorious life. Mind the angry mob, looks like you've upset the villagers... (Pay-what-you-want.)

Get it on itch.io

Get it on DriveThruRPG

A game based on Caltrop Core in which players delve into the cursed fragments of the old world, within the temples the Old Gods left behind. You might explore a twisted mirror of a city street, a school or even a space station. Use the power of your mutations and curses to overcome the odds and emerge alive. Paid, but with community copies available on itch.io.

Get it on itch.io

Get it on DriveThruRPG

Do you have days where the world just doesn't want you to reach your destination? That's what this one page solo game is about. Made after a discussion about getting to UKGE with UK TIN. Pay-what-you-want.

Get it on itch.io

Get it on DriveThruRPG

A solo, card-based game about climbing a mountain and learning who you are as you climb. Begin with a bare-bones character and learn who you're playing as you overcome obstacles and ascend ever higher. Not everyone will make it to the top. Everyone has a journey worth making. Paid, but with community copies available on itch.io.

Get it on itch.io

Get it on DriveThruRPG

A one page minigame for solving complex puzzles, for instance lockpicking, hacking or creating a precise chemical. Uses codebreaker-type mechanics with scaling difficulty. Pay-what-you-want.

Get it on itch.io

Get it on DriveThruRPG

Thats all for now folks! I'll add new games when I create them! I've always got a bunch in progress, as is the game designer's dilemma...

[dirtypuzzle]

we go back and forth on this website about the whole “well-meaning allies with outdated/bad language” vs “bigots tend to use bad/outdated/offensive language so you should correct people/avoid those people” and it’s like...or—and hear me out on this one—you’re trying to solve an unsolvable problem.

i hate to be the bearer of bad news, here, but...there is no shortcut to discerning other people’s intent. you have to, you know, make a judgment call. there’s no spreadsheet, flow chart, or boolean algebraic formula that you can plug values into to figure out what other people mean when they talk.

plenty of bigots hide behind “inaccessible language” all the time, and they’re fucking with you. plenty of well-meaning allies are agreeing with you in outdated terms bc they don’t keep up on this stuff for any myriad reasons, and they’re being genuine. there is no rule of thumb to differentiate; there’s no cheat code that lets you understand what people mean when they speak.

you have to use your judgment and put what they’re saying against any context you have, and decide how charitable you’re willing to be, and go from there. this is fundamentals to human communication, and you’ll never get around that.

sorry human communication is inherently limited and you can’t read people’s minds. maybe accept that and move thru the world with that understanding, or forever view your fellow humans like puzzle boxes to be sufficiently decoded before they detonate ┐⁠(⁠ ⁠∵⁠ ⁠)⁠┌

[ladyiristheenchantress]

Techno Magic Crash Course

Hello World! (hehe)

Ive noticed a lack of information on techno-magic and what being a tech witch might entail! Tech magic is the use of modern-day technology in our magical practices! This can be a secular practice OR someone may pair other aspects of theology into it! There is also 'Technopaganism' which is the merge of neopaganism and digital magic. Some people may worship tech and its energy or some people simply use it as a tool for ritual magic!

In this post I wanted to showcase a few ideas to get you started in the tech practice! The first section being common tools, the second is common tech practices, and the last is about how to take steps into your new tech practice and advance forward!

First: The tools To get started here are some amazing apps people might get on their phones to carry magic anywhere

The Moon is an iphone based calander with a bunch of free information about the phases of the moon and even crystals and intentions related to the phase!

Rune reading on the Google Play Store this is a divination app in relation to runes!

Citrine Circle is a great crystal data base to keep track of crystal you either have or want to get

Time Passages is a free chart reader that will read your whole astrological chart!

Labrynthos is a free tarot app that not only gives you access to free tarot, oracle, and lenormand decks, but it teaches you how to read them

Next are physical or digital items you can use in your craft, I will go in more detail in the sections to follow!

Computers, phones, tablets

Mouse

Keyboards

Applications and websites

coding platforms

Second: The Practice

This section is all about creating ideas to use for your craft! This section is all about how to integrate common witchy things into your craft! There are thousands of ways to do this so it would be impossible for me to share every idea but hopefully, these get your creative juices flowing

Cleanse using music or beats you enjoy over a speaker

Use mechanical processes in your spells (for example your cars computer could be a green light charm if you hate waiting in red lights)

Create digital grimoires on places like notation or google docs

Create altars on places like Pinterest or sandbox games

Play video games with intentions, like tycoon games for prosperity and FPS for warding

Use autotune during chants to add more power to your voice

Use screens for scrying or intuition practices

Shufflemancy is when you shuffle through a playlist and get a song as a form of divination

Use the energy of a crystal on your screen if you don't physically have one

create digital sigils and hide them around your electronics

Learn a coding language and mess around with enchanting code

Third: How to move forward

So now that you have a few recommendations how can you advance? first research, check out some of these sources for even more information

Tech Magick for Digital Witches

Other Community tech posts

Wiki on technopaganism

Cyber Spell books (Note this was written in 2002 so it is very outdated, however it is actually one of the more recent ones I see online)

Now, Research is going to be the backbone of any practice, however, tech magic doesn't have definite rules so experimentation is going to be your best friend so here are my top tips

If you learn about a new practice ask yourself how you can make it digital (like crystals and the crystals in your phone)

Look deeper into the practice, as you explore how your computer works ask yourself 'why' frequently and question how things work

look into superstitions coders and virtual friends have in relation to computers, are they rooted in anything?

I think that is all for today friends! I hope you all enjoy and if you have any questions feel free to post them in the comments!

Tip Jar

[kiunlo]

funny i think most of the "drama" i see on tumblr is either 1 of 2 things:

1. the person is just a trans woman with opinions that she dares to share on the internet

orrrr

2. actually the most racist person you have ever seen in your life

and it's funny to me because like. how has (white) tumblr gotten their priorities so mixed up that both of these things r treated with the same hatred and vitriol. like even if sum cunt is being racist the best thing to do imo as an Aboriginal person is to just stop interacting with them and block them and leave that persons name out of ur mouth (the attention is what they want). and then focus on the POC in ur life to make them happy or help them with shit. love your friends more than you hate your enemies and that typa shit. and also racist ppl and ppl in general who are bigoted like that seethe the most when you move on with your life and are clearly having good time without thinking about them or talking about them lmao. but you can't even do that, apparently..because all of your energy MUST go into telling these ppl u don't like that you hate them and you hope that they die which, like...doesn't do anything really. not like actually trying to make other ppl's lives better does.

and then you just do all that useless and vitriolic shit to trans women with opinions instead and it's like 😑 this website sucks bro. even if said trans woman has a weird opinion why can't you just ask her politely what she means and have a conversation with her like a real person to try and connect with her and understand her worldview better instead of immediately attacking her like. did u forget how communication works. and if u dont like or understand her opinion even after all that you can just GO AWAY AND DO SOMETHING ELSE 💀 i feel like things have just gotten sooo much worse. genuinely tumblr doesn't feel any better than twitter or anywhere else. the memes of tumblr being the best place on the internet for marginalised people are outdated as fuck.

[ghostoftheyear]

20 Questions: Writing Edition

@theskee tagged me for this and I can never resist answering questions about myselfmy writing. Let's gooooooooo

How many works do you have on AO3?

260, which goes all the way back to the first stuff I posted on my website in like… 1999 or so? We're talking when I was into comics fandom. (And obviously, those were not originally posted on AO3.)

What's your total ao3 word count?

1,393,595 - what a good pattern in that number, ha. I have so many extremely short fics.

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Waking the Moon - the first (in order of writing) of the FFXV omegaverse wolf fics. I'm still quite pleased with that one, even if I did start writing it out of spite.

In Between - the one and only LOTR fic I was ever inspired to write, a Legolas/Aragorn PWP that still gets kudos even though I'm very tired of it. It's fine, I guess.

The Strength of the Wolf - Another in the Werewolves of Lucis series. This was the only time I ever had enough motivation and inspiration to put out multiple fics as a series.

Tutelage - The one proper Ignis/Gladio fic I ever did, and I am still proud of that one, too. Even though Noctis makes a very outdated 'Etro' reference that shows how early this was written.

Perspective - Possibly my favorite Torchwood fic (Jack/Ianto, of course) and it makes me super happy that it's up here on the list. Threading bits of moments from all through the canon was fun, and I remember thinking of one additional scene and popping it in just after I posted the fic and being so pleased with it. (I think it's the Martha scene.)

What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, Dragon Age has 99% of my attention, but I'm still thinking about FFVII Remake (even if no ideas have come to me in months), and I still have a DMMd fic I want to finish (another to round out the actor AU).

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Fuck yeah. I used to know someone who got so many that he just didn't respond anymore, but I have never had that happy circumstance, and I want people to know how much their words are appreciated. Plus, it's led to friendships more than once, and I can't not respond if someone notices something special or goes into detail about a bit they liked.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm. I don't often write angsty endings, but holding on, letting go kinda qualifies, I think. I mean, most of what I write is smut, so…

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

God, there's a lot of them, I really can't pick. I did a super-classic Disneyesque happy ending with Spellbound, that was fun.

Do you get hate on fics?

Fortunately, not too much; there was one on an RPS fic that still stands out to me (even though it was hilarious), but I've had more weird and confusing comments than anything.

Do you write smut?

I would say I'm known for it.

Do you write crossovers?

Not often, since I find them hard to justify. I still like the Firefly/Torchwood one that had Mal and Captain Jack hooking up, though - Collision.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, fingers crossed.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, I had someone translate do you understand, do you feel the same, which was really surprising and nice.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Sort of, in that I've rewritten RP (with my partner's permission) into fics. I've never done proper cowriting, but maybe someday.

What's your all time favourite ship?

Ugh, there's so many and they're all so dear to me. Jack/Ianto, Promnis, obviously Kouao. Rookanis, right now. I love them all so much, I can't choose.

What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

UGH there are WIPs from my boyband slash days that still haunt me. (The Matrix one, the mage AU one…) I guess right now it's that DMMd one. It seems so far off now.

What are your writing strengths?

THIS IS HARD. SKEE WHY DID YOU MAKE ME DO THIS LOL. Uhh, I think I'm best at dialogue and interpersonal relationships, getting to the heart of scenes quickly (maybe too quickly sometimes). I like really getting in deep with vocabulary and trying to fit the wording just right for every sentence.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting and structure feel like my biggest issues. Only once or twice have I ever actually managed to write an outline and plan out what would happen in a fic… and then it got away from me, and half of it didn't happen because it would have just overwhelmed the fic, heh. And then I didn't write the other half. That was the last Werewolves fic, To Be Human After All.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I've never written more than one or two words of another language in dialogue or otherwise in a fic. I usually italicize them, or in the case of the one Firefly fic, I added a translation in the end notes (I think it was "hun dan" - asshole). Most of the time it's something that I think the readers would understand, like sensei in something based on Japanese media.

First fandom you wrote for?

Hmm, I think technically it was Star Wars, when I was very wee. The first stuff I remember writing (actually physically writing, in school notebooks) was for ElfQuest, in an epic full of OCs (my Mary Sue character was half-elf, half-human, named Bluesky -- the irony, I know). The first stuff I posted online was X-Men comics related.

Favourite fic you've ever written?

Good lord, how am I supposed to choose. Did I mention I have 260 fics posted? And that's not even all of them. But since I haven't mentioned them much, I'll say it's the first FFVII Remake fic I wrote, reach out your hand, featuring Cloud/Biggs.

Aaaaaaaaaand I'm gonna tag @lindira on this one! This was super fun, even if it did make me have to think too much, lol.

[twee-lil-paws]

TWAMBLES!!!

It's utterly fascinating to me how easily internet history is forgotten. I guess it's just starting to dawn on me that all of the things I enjoyed as a kid are now outdated and gone.

2005 is as close to us now as 1985 was to 2005. If you wanted to look up the evolution of music videos & the rise of MTV from the 80s through the 00s that shit is incredibly well documented. However, talking about the first ever Let's Players and the entire evolution of that genre of content from the Something Awful forums to the then brand new video-based platform of YouTube is shit that is just completely lost unless you actively talk to someone who lived through it & knew where to look at the time.

Webcomics, a former bastian of internet culture across multiple different fandoms, is now relegated to the heavily censored and stuffed full with bland and samey content over on Tapas and Webtoon. You literally cannot get anyone to even glance at your personal website these days. No one remembers what an RSS feed is. Unless you spoon feed your content to your audience on one of the many social media apps, your art will literally remain completely unknown (and god forbid your content isn't derivative of some larger media company and is actually "Original"). Oh and not pick the wrong social media platform to establish yourself on, bc if it goes under or you get randomly banned bc the owner is pulling a Lotax, you're basically starting over from ground zero again.

We even already TRIED the whole "each company has its own app you need to access literally anything from them." shit back in the 90s, which is why we had the fucking dot com bubble in the FIRST PLACE BC PEOPLE HATED HAVING SOFTWARE FOR FUCKING EVERYTHING.

*cough* I'm good. ugh... I guess I've always been interested in the concept of history repeating. How when the previous generation(s) fail to convey the lessons they learned to the next, they're doomed to try the same zeitgeist solutions and fall for the same pitfalls. Forgetting the solutions that worked bc things that work get ignored in favor of other pressing problems at the time. I learned so much about anti-establishment protesting tactics by reading up on previous movements around the world, and it boggles my mind how these solutions don't even occur to modern organizations. I had assumed that in an age where information is the most accessible it ever was that the percentage of the population that actually takes that information into account would increase, but that hypothesis seems moot when the flow of information is offuscated by moving paradigms.

I practically never get any interaction on these ramble posts, but I wanna try something on the off chance this one clicks with someone: tell me about something in recent history that you think most people have already forgotten.

[cinnamonest]

hii glad ur doing things at ur own pace !!!! quick question tho, and u don't have to answer, but have u considered getting into and writing for the boyfriend to death series? i feel it's right up your alley, and you would enjoy ren a lot :3

Got a couple recommendations/questions so I figured I could answer them at once!

— Boyfriend to Death

I have heard of it! I actually did play one of the related games in that series, it was called "Till Death do us Part" I believe? I remember I really enjoyed the Marcus route. I looked into the others but never got around to it, I'd definitely be up to playing them!

I might not be able to do all of them though — if I recall the website's warnings correctly one (or some?) of the routes have bug stuff which I definitely can't do, I have a really intense insect phobia so I'd have to avoid those routes :')

— Baldur's Gate

This is another one I want to play but it's not on ps4 :( so I'll hate to wait until I can get a ps5.

I'm so sad that the ps4 is finally becoming outdated, now I'll be forced to get a ps5 😅

— Hazbin Hotel

I am familiar! I have a very distinct memory of watching the pilot back when it came out, sitting on the stairs of my classroom building between two of my classes lol. I've seen all of Helluva Boss actually, but yes I will definitely get around to this one eventually.

— Murder Drones

I'm only vaguely familiar with this one but I have heard of it! But I just looked into it and it does look cool so I'm adding it to my ever increasing media list to consume :3

[royshikhor32]

What Mistakes Are Causing Your Website to Lose Rank?

If your website traffic is slowly dropping — or suddenly tanked — it’s not just bad luck. It’s likely the result of avoidable SEO mistakes.

As an SEO expert, I’ve seen countless sites suffer in search rankings due to a few common (but critical) issues. Let’s break down the most damaging ones:

1. Low-Quality or Thin Content

Google is laser-focused on quality. If your content doesn’t provide real value, depth, or unique insights — you’re at risk.

Fix: Focus on user intent. Offer solutions, not just keywords.

2. Slow Loading Speed & Poor Core Web Vitals

If your site is slow, users bounce — and Google notices.

Fix: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to identify speed issues and fix them ASAP.

3. Not Mobile-Friendly

With over 60% of searches now on mobile, a non-responsive website is a big red flag.

Fix: Optimize your design for smaller screens and test across devices.

4. Duplicate or Outdated Content

Google hates repetition and stale info. It wants fresh, original content.

Fix: Consolidate duplicate pages and update older posts regularly.

5. Broken Links and Technical Errors

404 pages, broken links, or crawling issues can sink your rankings.

Fix: Perform regular technical audits using Google Search Console or tools like Screaming Frog.

6. Keyword Stuffing & Over-Optimization

Yes, keywords are important — but overdoing it looks spammy.

Fix: Write for humans first. Use variations and natural language.

💥 Final Thoughts:

SEO isn’t just about adding keywords or getting backlinks. It’s about delivering real value, fast performance, and a flawless user experience.

Clean up these common mistakes, and you’ll likely see your rankings rebound — or even skyrocket.

🔍 Which of these mistakes have you faced — and how did you fix them? Let’s discuss in the comments.

📰 Don’t forget to subscribe for daily SEO updates and expert insights.

[keyrey]

To those who need to hear it.

Likes, they're good. Thank you! Reblogs, oh my goodness, you want your audience to see my work? Oh... you didn't use tags? Don't even get me started on stalking the pages of each one of your ten followers. Not that I do that of course, right? A comment! Do I respond now or later? I don't want to be seen as a psychopath. I got a kudo! 100 hits!? Oh, but my writing's not even that good... Why is it that we put so much value on a number when the real value comes from acquiring new skills and knowledge?

Idealization? Check

False perception of reality? Double check.

Yikes.

Go back and look at the words written in bold. My writing's not even good. Why would you think that after all of the hours you've poured into your work, or the endless amount of times you searched the thesaurus for synonyms to 'said' and eventually fail and chose it anyway?

The amount of times I've opened this app not even a day after I post is unreal. I got a like already? Wow! I should probably post this on Ao3 too, right? Even though I utterly hate the outdated website, the red on white background and the minuscule text that is too jarring to look at?

Y'all, the need for validation from strangers on the internet is real.

Arguably, the craziest part about the ordeal is that every feed looks the same, but there's a story behind them all. All ideas develop differently. It's the whole meaning of story tropes, to have your own take of a commonly used cliché. My feed in particular is filled with heaps of SatoSugu (I don't mind this), Nanani fanfic (I love this), the most smuttiest of smut of all time (an occasional treat before I slip into slumber), and people swearing that Deadpool and Wolverine were doing a certain something in that Honda Odyssey. (They probably were. But come on, my mom watched this film. Loved the jokes though. Keep 'em coming.)

Upon my mere two months of posting and doom scrolling, I've observed that this isn't only a 'me' thing. Most, if not all people go through some form of self-doubt. So yeah, is this just a phase? Maybe. Is it okay if this whole doubting-yourself sensation is reoccurring? It is.

Your story is special.

Lovely Tumblr poster number one, Lovely Tumblr poster number two, may your ask inbox be cleared of my wacky questions. I will leave you alone for now. Please enjoy your life while I try to get myself under control. Let's hope you know who you are. Though I really hope you don't. I mentally cringe at the things I've gotten wrong about your character.

How about a day of rest? Yeah, that would be useful. A cup of warm tea? A cozy book amidst the comfort of silence? A podcast or a playlist running as you take in the sun? Your life has more meaning than you think. Put away the phone, your laptop and take in your surroundings. Please, don't be like me! Go to bed at a reasonable hour.

The funny thing about being self-aware is knowing that I will come back within the next thirty seconds to see how this post has been doing. I've already got this site bookmarked. Peak hypocrisy, right?

Jeez, I can't believe I'm writing this. I apologize for all you lactose intolerant readers out there. This is cheesy. Not even your usual Cheddar or American cheese. No, this is some full-on cheese mozzarella pull level shit right here. I'm not responsible for your bathroom needs. Just remember to wash your hands.

If I can try, you can try.

To sum up, keep putting yourself out there and sharing your voice with the world. Even if you don't see it, others do. Even if others don't see it, fuck them. No, you try to see the worth in your work for yourself. If you're tired, let yourself feel the fatigue and take a break.

For those who care, this isn't a goodbye to Tumblr. Just a reminder that it's a website that you can remove yourself from at any time with proper accountability for your actions. It's hard to practice and it's not something that I can give advice on. My brain is only so big.

-Sending lots of love and warm hugs from the bedtime ponderer, Miss KeyRey.

I've got the temperature of my bedroom set to just below freezing. I'm bundled in my many layers of warm, fuzzy blankets. I ordered some ramen takeout for dinner and have taken a nice, long shower. I'm going to let my laptop die because I know I'll be too lazy to put it on charge. Using your weaknesses in a smarter way? Hell yeah. I think I'm ready to try this whole 'sleeping' thing once again. Or whatever you call it.

How many tags is too many?

[lesblizzard-ultradyke]

this is just. so stupid. no one understands me when I tell them that I'm like. on the line because of this college. my family, my friends all brush it off. "it's like this everywhere". it's not. yes all the colleges give you no actual knowledge that you'll use as a specialist. my college didn't give me the bare minimum knowledge with which I can finish the fucking college. I hate them all. I spent 4 years. tortured in this place. they taught us the most outdated shit. I bet it was actual like. 20 years ago. I wish I was joking. they gave us extremely outdated knowledge. now they say "you can't just do outdated shit for your final work... why don't you do something modern? make a website or a web app or or or" do I know how to do that? did anyone fucking teach me? am I supposed to fucking learn entirely new shit. in maybe three months? I hope this place burns with all these fuckfaces in it

[insanelyadd]

hi, you stated you didnt like the new changes? perhaps sending feedback to staff may help by using their support page? they dont seem to see what users post.

Did it. I wrote:

I absolutely hate the new layout. How am I supposed to see a preview of my blog from the dashboard if there's no search bar to type in my username and no icon to quickly click on. Also I think I figured out WHY but I still think it's dumb that half the time when someone I follow reblogs from someone it doesn't show who it is. I'm assuming it's meant to be OP or the person most recent in the reblog chain but it looks like they reblogged the post from no one. Also the layout of the reblog symbol coming first then the url then "reblogged" and then the other URL (if it's even there) looks dumb and confusing. Additionally I think the DM box popup is boring and generic and way too big. I view tumblr at 110% and before the message box update it wouldn't overlap onto anything on my dashboard but now it does (even at the normal size it does). I liked it when the background was the color of the blog I was talking to. I know it's not hard for you to do it that way. The only way I'm able to figure out which of the people I'm following that I'm even interacting with is the tumblr Lab that colors posts for the blog that reblogged/posted it. I would have to scroll all the way to the top of a post not to know which of the people I follow reblogged something now. I liked the icon on the side that would move as I scrolled because it made it easy to remember who I was interacting with, and it also made it easy for one of those big "ask me these questions" posts for me to scroll through the list, pick something, and then quickly access their blog through the icon. Time is of the essence because I have memory issues because of my ADHD and I could quickly forget what I'm intending to say/send to someone. WAIT THE SEARCH BAR IS ON THE OTHER SIDE??? Man this is a horrible design update, it's almost as bad as when deviantart updated everything and I couldn't find my watch notifications for three months and couldn't find my gallery folders from the submit page for two years. There was literally nothing wrong with how it looked before, unlike DA which did look outdated. Your website was fine, and making it look more like twitter will NOT attract the twitter people like you think it will. I've seen polls with tens of thousands of responses asking people where they came from to join tumblr and less than 5% of people responding came from twitter AND reddit. If you really want to welcome them, make a (DISMISS-ABLE) tutorial for people whose accounts are less than a year old and anyone new who signs up. You don't have to destroy everything that made this website unique. Because once you lose your userbase you aren't getting them back, because 2018 should have taught you one thing and it's that your website isn't addictive like twitter or tiktok. People WILL leave.

[lavolamp]

Too late to make a blog?

Hello. In a conversation with friends I decided to start using this Tumblr blog as a means of, well, blogging. I would use some website like Wordpress, Neocities or even Blogspot, because those tend to have features that make organizing blogs by tags a little easier, but I will admit I am a bit vain and don't want to feel like I'm screaming in to a void when I could instead reach out to the remains of Tumblr's userbase post-porn. This is absolutely the best website for it at the moment. And this would also make it easier for people to reach me for whatever reason. I kind of thought of blogs as outdated, because everybody's lives have become so consolidated in to websites like Twittex and Instagram and even this one that leave little room for larger scale personal thoughts and travels. I remember the Myspace or Geocities or Blogspot days where everyone had their own cute little website, and the internet was much smaller so it was easier to find people posting things that fit your interests. Nowadays things are just too huge, so apart of me thinks blogging might be a little ridiculous. But I think there is still a use for these, because I would ultimately like to use this blog to organize my thoughts on things and document my progress on my projects, mainly so that I don't just end up bothering my friends on Discord about stuff, because I'd feel bad. Maybe one of the goals of this blog is to find out if there is a reason to blog in 2024.

I suppose I should introduce myself. I've posted a few pieces of art on this blog before, so as you could guess I'm somewhat of an artist. The medium I primarily work with are comics, because not only are they a very accessible medium to work in but I also just have a deep appreciation for the medium. I'm working on many comics at any given time, but at the moment I'm focusing down on two. A comic made for the Webtoon platform and one that I would like to be published as a book. I'm more enthused about the book than the webtoon. Maybe I'll make a post about that later. Otherwise I'm big into cinema, animated cartoons and especially video games, and one of the two things I pretty much only think about is storytelling. Whenever I am not thinking about that and the other thing, everything in my life kind of feels like a dream. So I suppose this blog will primarily be focused on storytelling, but that's just a means about talking about my opinions on art in general. Otherwise, I think people would tend to describe me as very passionate in my beliefs, which is to say when I like something I really like it, and when I hate something I suddenly transform in to one of the world's leading professional haters. And I guess I'll make you know it. I'm bad about making impulse and useless purchases and I really like chocolate. Don't ask me how many video games I have on Steam or how many tubs of chocolate ice cream I've had stacked sitting in my room at some points.

Anyway, to kick things off I'd like to talk about the last thing I did, which is beat the game Alan Wake II from Remedy games. They've done a few things like the Max Payne games and the critically acclaimed Control, but the Alan Wake series in particular holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first "triple a" games I ever played, because at that point I had mostly played Nintendo games on GBA, DS and Wii (I played Gamecube games too, don't worry) and adventure type games on my computer. Games outside of PC classics and Nintendo games were a new frontier for me. Earlier in 2010 I got an Xbox 360 in order to play Modern Warfare 2 with the other kids at school, in which afterwards I found out that they all had PS3's instead. But at least I could play Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing with Banjo Kazooie, whom I didn't even like or even ever had played his games but his design is fun so whatever. By the way, no spoilers for Alan Wake or it's sequel here aside from me saying how I felt about the ending.

The original Alan Wake game came out in mid May of 2010. I was about 11 at the time, but I was about to turn 12 as my birthday was at the end of the month. Around when the game came out I ended up catching a lot of press footage and playthroughs showing off the game, and I was just enchanted by it. It was a game that was really nothing like I'd ever seen before. It was dark, gritty, moody, realistic, and revolved around shooting but unlike other 360 games it had this incredibly unique and eerie vibe that pulled me in, and while I didn't really understand the story very much, I thought Alan was a really funny protagonist because he just kind of came across as a dick. Kid me's mind kind of rationalized it as Sonic but he's basically just in the real world. I also thought the main mechanic of the game was also really cool. I guess it sounds too convenient to be true, but I've always loved flashlights. It's a device that's just a beam you can turn on to dispel darkness. I feel like a detective. It's fun to wave them around and point at things, I always kind of thought of them like a really cool sword. I especially love the big ones because it feels like I'm holding a cannon in my hands.

But anyway, everything about the game was just really interesting to me, and in a way it also kind of made me feel a little more adult because of the graphics and tone. So with my birthday at the end of the month, you can imagine what I asked for. In the days leading up to my birthday, I was kind of obsessed with the game and I spoiled much of it for myself. But eventually my birthday came and I finally had the game in my hands! I've still got that copy next to me as I type this. It's in far better condition than my other 360 boxes too, cause my Sonic Unleashed box is in real bad condition. Maybe it's an object of power. Anyway, I played through the game, loved it, loved the twists, scares and turns, surprisingly hilarious characters and utterly beautiful music, and how unique of a protagonist Alan was. But then, I beat the game. I won't spoil the ending, but it's the kind of ending where I'm still not sure how it's designed to make you feel. It's basically a cliffhanger, (and while there eventually was DLC that continued the story I never got around to playing it and none of it really took the story anywhere) and it left a longing in me. I wanted more. I wanted to see what happened to Alan and the people in his life. But the game didn't provide any real closure. Afterwards I scoured the internet for answers, reading other people's theories and consuming all the lore in the game that I missed, obsessively trying to get a a straight answer, any kind of meaning. I desperately wanted someone to tell me anything so I could know how to feel. Nothing else before really left me like this! You know how a lot of people, especially in the past decade enjoy watching videos that explain the lore of their favourite games, like Dark Souls or Five Night's at Freddy's? That was me with this game. But it wasn't just for the sake of consuming content, I needed closure. But I couldn't find it. I guess like Alan I was left wandering in the darkness fruitlessly searching for a way out of this headspace this stupid game got me in. Sonic had fucking closure. I was happy I had the experience, but other games had closure!

By the way this is kind of irrelevant, but in case you're wondering why my parents would let me play games like this at a young age like that, I think my dad stopped caring after I had a little argument with him in 2008 when Super Smash Bros. Brawl came out and it had a T rating but then he saw the game was fine. Or maybe he just thought I could take it, or maybe he just didn't care. He let me play No More Heroes, which, for the uninitiated, is not a child's game.

Anyway, I eventually got bored of searching for answers and my interest in the game eventually faded into the background. As I grew older I didn't forget about the game. I still listened to the music from time to time, but it definitely became a second thought, and sometimes I felt it might have been because of the ending. Sometimes though, periodically, I would revisit the game. Watch the cutscenes, look at the ending again, try to formulate a theory. It was still a game I liked, but I couldn't kick the feeling of a giant blueballing. But as you grow up, you change, and experiences you just had become a nostalgic memory. I don't think you change as much as people say you do, I think it's more like you realize things about yourself as you're able to better articulate your feelings into words. As I grew up, and now I think I almost fully realize, is that I kind of love not knowing some things. Maybe not in like a, hell yeah I love not having answers kind of thing, but I find it's utterly intoxicating. Witnessing the rise of Dark Souls and Five Nights at Freddy's in the 2010s and also being able to think about storytelling on a deeper level, I realized something that seems kind of insane to me. Alan Wake is a video game with a definitive beginning and a definitive end. At some point, the game runs out of content to show you and you will have inevitably seen and done everything. But what if I told you there was a way to keep the game going even after it's exhausted it's digital limits?

You probably know where this is going, but I realized that it wasn't the fact that Alan Wake had an ending with a ton of closure that kept it going in my mind, it was the that it left a ton of things unanswered! There are so many pieces of media I've played, or watched where it just ends, and while I enjoy them I never really paid a second thought to them afterwards. They just fade. But Alan was a light that continued to burn bright in my mind. This feeling of longing that I had after beating it, in a way that's better than just a happy ending. Other works of fiction have used this to their advantage. I don't think it's any coincidence any time David Lynch gets his hands on Twin Peaks, which Alan Wake is teetering very close on being a ripoff of sometimes, it ends on things that leave you with a billion more questions than you came in with. Sam Lake and Lynch understand the power of planting a seed in your head. Because that not only lets the work of art live far past it's expiration, but that's where the imagination also flourishes. There are so many other people who come up with theories trying to interpret these works of art, and because of this I don't think they'll ever truly die. Now, I don't think every piece of art should do this, because I will admit, most of the time it is nice to just have a neat bow placed on something. But like every device in a story, it is merely a tool that is waiting for the right time to be used. Even in stories with closure we can use this to keep things going, the possibilities are never ending. It's so exciting to think about.

But like I said, as time passes other things take precedent. Other works of art and stuff, so these things, even Alan Wake will eventually fade in to the background. The game if I recall sold well and became a cult classic through word of mouth. Even some of my normie friends know about the game. But I never really thought it would continue. Mainly because of the open ended nature of the ending and the fact it isn't an uber popular game that exists in a gaming environment where the maximum amount of money needs to be pumped in to every game in order to make the maximum amount of money back, which is why to my absolute jaw dropping, during the Game Awards 2021, a fucking Alan Wake II was announced. When the trailer first came on, I had my suspicions it might be Alan Wake II, because even in my faded memory I could still recall the layout of the main town in the game. And then he showed up, it was fucking Alan Wake. Rocking a beard and looking very conspicuously a lot more like John Wick, but still, it was him. The title dropped and I couldn't believe it. It was actually happening. Now, this was already kind of insane year for me in games. Because it just so happened not one, but THREE other games I liked a ton as a kid got sequels I thought were utterly impossible earlier that year. In the same week no less, Psychonauts 2 and No More Heroes 3 came out! And then a couple of months later, a Metroid 5! Hell, Mega Man 11 also came out in 2018. What the hell was going on? Why are all these old ass games that I thought were just made for me getting sequels? Now, of all times? I guess nostalgia plays a big part in getting these made, but it's still kinda weird. Hell, even Shadow the Hedgehog is getting his own fucking game this year. If a Portal 3 happened, I think that might just be a sign of the end times. But, regardless, because of this, I also have to wonder if, just like starting a blog in 2024, if it's just kind of too late to make sequels to these kinds of games.

Admittedly, I don't think about this topic a ton, because at heart I'm a consumer of media and much of the time I like to see things I like get continued, but the adventures of Alan Wake is a weird one. This is a game that opened me up to the idea of never getting closure, but here we are with a sequel. It could either do two things, give us closure and kill the vibe or continue not giving us answers and leave us feeling the exact same way the original game did.

Because I'll finally cut to the chase, I think Alan Wake 2 is pretty much a perfect video game. The new survival horror gameplay that is apparently just ripping off Resident Evil 2 now was great, the puzzles were great, the scares were legitimately good, the music was still amazing, the game was funnier and had even more quirky characters and moments than the first one, and the story was very well thought out! I would recommend it instantly. Despite all the differences from the original game in gameplay, tone and even featuring a new protagonist, it still felt like a perfect followup. But I beat the game, got to the ending...and to what I suppose is not justified shock, I felt exactly the same completing Alan Wake 2 as I did completing Alan Wake 1 all those years ago. I feel a longing. Maybe not as painful, but it's still there. But for the record, I think this is a really cool thing, I think that just proves Sam Lake and the team at Remedy haven't lost it, that they can make a game that feels just like the original. But....is that even a good thing? It makes me feel good, on some kind of dopamine level to think that they haven't lost it, but do we actually want those exact same vibes? Is it healthy? Playing the game, I was ready for something different, something new, but instead I kind of just got exactly what I paid for...I got more Alan Wake. Like, you feel me, right? It's intoxicating to have a perfect recreation of those same feelings, but I'm also really conflicted here. From a consumer point of view, it's great that we just got more of what we like. And in a lot of cases, this is what a "good" sequel is considered to be. But here's my thing about that; I've never felt like that is sustainable. Assume a franchise keeps going forever with the same vibes, eventually it's just going to get stuck in it's own tropes and formulas and themes. You need to introduce new elements to the story to keep things exciting, I think that's just how it is. Some people might tell you that it's possible to do something new with a franchise while sticking to all the same things, but I think that's total bullshit.

Eventually, you will hit a wall where there isn't a new topic to be explored without introducing some kind of tonal shift or alien plot element. I think that's just how stories fundamentally work. Everything is a runner that eventually runs out of track to run when it reaches the end. Why do you think so many sequels to things end up so repetitious? I think many creatives at heart are aware of this, and in today's environment of nostalgia and IP centric mania we have people attempting to do new things with certain franchises, but sometimes that just ends up pissing old head consumers of those things off! But we're not allowed to make anything new so what else are we to do?? Everything these days like fucking Star Wars or Batman needs to be beholden to it's own internal logic and rules and established characters and themes to work, but if you don't do anything new it's just not interesting! But if you be different you'll just make people mad! It pleases nobody! Hell, an example is Psychonauts 2. I've seen several people complain about Psychonauts 2 (one of my all time favourite games for the record) because of the tonal shifts from the first game (granted, a few other things too, like not focusing on the previous game's characters more, but that's also another thing that contributes to my argument). It's an incredible game that I believe is a true work of art, but would it have just been better if it were a new IP rather than a sequel? Maybe so. I think it manages to build upon the established lore, themes and rules of the first game magnificently while still retaining the same twisted sense of humor, but for some people, they just wanted a goofy cartoon game with interesting looking levels and instead got a careful examination of several individual's deeply held personal trauma. It's just a like, a different thing!

We don't need new IPs...no, new worlds, NOT because of new characters, or even new storylines. We need them because we need new rules for stories to function under. We need them in order to elicit new, different feelings in us.

I'm conflicted. I think having the same vibes as the original thing is truly intoxicating, but I worry that it's not healthy. I worry that this definition of a "good" sequel just creates a negative trend where we just can't allow anything new to be done with established franchises. If we will just hit a point where any change is instantly disagreeable on the basis of not fitting some perceived version of the original product. Like, it gets even more insane when everyone just has their own version of something in their head, it all depends on taste. I could probably go on about what I think makes a sensible evolution of something, or if we should even respect the notion of evolution in favor of a new creation, but this post is already excessively long so I think the easiest way to put it is that I think we just need a healthy balance of the old and the new In both established series and new series, and in what the big slop corporations feed us. I look forward to the day this trend of sequels pass and companies seek out new stuff again. Despite my complicated feelings on Alan Wake 2, I think it is almost an exception to this, because I feel it is a true work of art that came from a place of passion and hard work. It thoughtfully takes elements from the original game and expands upon them in ways that are fresh and interesting while also introducing crazy new elements that make it feel fresh! But I guess this sentiment could also vary from person to person depending on what the work of art is.

The point is, Play Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2!

and uhh, Alan Wake's American Nightmare. You can play it, I think it's cool too. Anyway, as a reward for getting to the end of this post, here's an old sketch of the main character from the comic book I'm working on meeting Alan Wake. Your reward is more reading.

[eryiss]

[Jet x Freed] Cubicle Capers - Chapter Seven

Summary: Jet was meant to do more. He was meant to do something with his degree. He was meant to have a purpose. He'd taken a job at Grimoire Pharmaceuticals to work his way up into a lab position, but found himself stuck in a cubicle. Every day the same. At least he had a new boss coming. Freed Justine. He’d be like the rest, though. Boring, outdated and.. hot as hell?

Notes: We're nearing the end, and it’s time to give Jet something he really deserves. What that thing is is up to you. Again, this was requested by @jethro-art.

Links: Ao3, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Epilogue

Chapter Seven – The Phone Call

Jet

Jet lowered his phone, placing it on Freed's coffee table slowly and gently. He looked at it for a moment, eyes unblinking and heart hammering in his chest. That hadn't just happened. That phone call couldn't have been real. He hadn't just been told that, had he?

Slowly, he lifted his gaze towards Freed, who was bustling about the kitchen, cooking them their dinner. Jet had stepped into the bedroom to take the call – he didn't want Freed listening in when the inevitable happened, after all – so Freed had no idea what had just happened. He had no idea that Jet's life had been completely upended. But maybe he felt the weight of Jet's gaze, because he turned, and his face twisted in concern.

"What's wrong?" Freed asked, stepping out from the kitchen.

"There's something I haven't told you," Jet started, which was probably the worst way to start the conversation. Freed looked guarded, and Jet was quick to amend. "It's not a bad thing. Not anymore. It could have been but-"

"Jet," Freed moved Jet to the sofa. "Tell me."

"Okay, so, I'm not exactly subtle about the fact I hate my job, right. I know you're my boss and I've never said that to you because it's weird to say, but I don't exactly keep it a secret," Jet began, speaking faster than his thoughts had time to deal with. "Well, there's this website, you see. It's mainly for people just leaving college, but there's no age limit and I used to go on there and pretend that one day I'd apply but I never actually thought I'd do it."

"Apply to what?"

"They have these internships. That's what it is, a place for college grads to get into universities, or research teams, or whatever. They get your foot in the door in the science world," Jet took a breath. "There was this application I saw a month ago. There's this microbial lab across the state and they were offering a handful of paid internships – lab work and research work – and I applied. I don't know why I did it, but last week when you were on that corporate retreat thing, I had this phone interview and I thought I fucked it up because, well, it's me, and-"

"Jet," Freed spoke with a firm tone, placing his hands on top of Jet's. "Can I make a guess at how this ends, and assume that you've just been offered a job working in a lab?"

"An internship," Jet was quick to amend.

Freed laughed, at it was the slightest bit sad. "One day, I hope you see yourself as you actually are," he whispered. Jet wanted to ask what that meant, but Freed didn't seem to need prompting. "Darling, you've just been told that you've been accepted for what seems to be your dream job, and you're worrying about my response and minimalizing your accomplishment. I just wish you knew that you should be shouting this from the rooftops and bragging to anyone who'll listen."

"Well, I don't know if it's my dream job-"

"If you take this job, every morning you're going to walk into a laboratory. You're going to be working side by side with experts who have made the choice to invite you into their world. You'll spend your day working with microscopes and pipettes, and stop sniggering at my lack of knowledge on how labs actually work," Freed scolded gently. Jet didn't stop his grin. Pipettes. Adorable. "My point is, I want you to take a moment. Forget me, and your job at the office, and any other outside forces for a moment. Just imagine what your day would be like if you take this job."

With Freed looking at him so sincerely, Jet had to do as he was told. So, he thought about it. What it would be like to pull up into the parking lot. What it would be like to walk into a lab every morning. What it would be like to do work he cared about. What it would be like to have colleagues who cared about their work. What it would be like to come home with good stories from work.

That was the moment it actually hit him. That it was possible to do this and to live well. "Holy shit."

"Tell me," Freed whispered encouragingly.

"I'm gonna be a lab tech," Jet said, trying out the words before speaking again, louder. "I'm gonna be a motherfucking lab tech!"

"Yes, you are," Freed nodded.

Jet looked at him and saw an expression of open delight on Freed's face. No judgment, no condescension, no betrayal. Of course there wasn't. He'd been with Freed for nearly a year now and not once had he been anything but supportive. Jet should have told him the moment he applied for the job, but honestly, he had thought it wouldn't pan out. That he'd be rejected, and he'd have to tell Freed that he'd failed at yet another thing he wanted. But he hadn't failed. He'd gotten the job. He'd done it.

He all but pounced on Freed, straddling his lover and kissing the hell out of him. Freed might have been expecting it, or maybe he was always ready, because his hands were a grounding presence on Jet's waist a moment later. Firm and steady and exactly what Jet needed. Freed was always what Jet needed.

"Love you," Jet whispered. "Wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

Freed's grasp on his waist tightened, digging into him. "Stop diminishing your achievements."

"Make me," Jet grinned, and Freed's eyes darkened.

"You're very tedious sometimes," Freed said as if it were the highest compliment he could bestow. Jet just grinned. "You know, given the situation, perhaps some sort of treat is in order. Something to mark the occasion," Freed ground his hips up in a slow, sensual movement. Jet felt a little shiver, just from the fact Freed' could so easily move him that way. "Any specific requests you might have, Darling?"

Jet found his gaze falling to a small, scented candle on the coffee table. With red face and twitching cock, he admitted, "There might be something."

———

Freed

It was always wonderful to see Jet bound to his bed, spread eagle with ropes pulled tight enough to have Jet stretching out. It couldn't have been comfortable, but that's what Jet wanted and what Freed loved to do. Seeing that tight, firm, powerful body completely helpless, was simply charming. As was the scowl on Jet's face as Freed walked around the bed again.

Yes, maybe he was dragging this out. Maybe he'd tied Jet up a good ten minutes ago, and hadn't touched him yet. Maybe he'd toyed with the idea of leaving his charming lover bound and gagged alone for as long as he pleased. But Jet liked it, the straining, twitching hard-on bouncing against his stomach was testament to that. And, through simple logical conclusion, Freed needed to wait long enough for the candles to start melting before they could begin.

Wax play. Jet had never mentioned it before. Freed was happy to indulge the fantasy.

"That's not a very pretty face for a man who's having quite a few of his dreams made true today," Freed commented, standing over Jet. "Why don't you give me a smile, hm?"

"Go fuck yourself," Jet grunted, and Freed did love so how rude Jet got when they played.

"Temper," Freed quelled. "Perhaps you'd like to repeat that."

Before Jet could speak, Freed took Jet's right nipple between his fingernails and pinched it hard, relentless, and vicious. Jet let out a shuddery groan, and Freed stared him down, twisting his grip slowly. "Told you to fuck yourself. You ain't wearing clothes in any of my dreams. Starting to hate that fucking suit. And the fucking watch. Who wears a damn rolex during sex?"

"Gentlemen of good taste, of course," Freed smirked down at Jet's angry expression. "Keep looking like that and I'll have to get the ball-gag. Then even your expressions will be mine to play with."

"Asshole," Jet muttered.

"Intentionally so, too," Freed agreed.

He moved slowly, not wanting to take his eyes off the paragon of male perfection before him. Jet's firm, slim abs and defined chest rose and fell with every breath, and Freed would have loved to take a crop to him. Jet was submission personified, but his personality remained. A cocksure, arrogant, wonderfully generous man who simply wanted to feel the burn of hot wax on his chest. What more could a low-level sadist ask for?

Freed lifted one of the seven candles that were flickering on the side table, and walked over to Jet. He looked down, seeing tense anticipation flickering over Jet's face. He'd never done this before, he'd confessed that, but it had been a dark fantasy he'd never felt safe enough to indulge. Freed, evidently, had changed that.

Illuminated only by the candlelight, Freed raised the candle over Jets chest, positioning it very intentionally over Jet's nipple. He slowly, tauntingly tipped the candle, watching as droplets of wax started to form on the rim, not quite falling yet.

Until, eventually, they did.

Jet jerked against his bounds, bit his lower lip and let out a pained whine. He bucked his hips up a bit and tried to get his breath under control as he acclimatised to hot wax on one of the most sensitive parts of his body. Freed looked down at him with an indulgently nasty smile; relishing his lover's pain and the determination to endure it.

Slowly and wordlessly, he moved the candle to hover above Jet's other nipple, little drops of wax peppering his chest as he did so. He made sure to gather a nice big droplet before letting it fall on Jet's other nipple, laughing lowly as Jet grabbed the ropes around his wrists and pulled on them. As if that would help. Adorable.

He reached for another candle, which had a lovely pool of wax gathering now. He stood at the foot of the bed, staring Jet down. With careful movements, Freed crawled onto the bed, between Jet's legs, and held the candle over Jet's cock and balls. Jet had to strain his neck to see, and his eyes widened in that perfectly pliant and anticipatory way they always did when he knew pain was coming. Freed remembered the first time he saw that look, just before he gave Jet's ass a thrashing with the cat o' nine tails. It was still intoxicating.

Mercilessly, Freed upended the candle, letting nearly all the hot wax fall onto Jet's balls, which were pulled up tight. Jet screamed at that, and Freed relished it. Jet had such a pretty scream.

"Fuck," Jet panted, writhing and trying to escape the pain as it slithered slowly down his nuts. "Fuck. Fuck."

"Maybe later. I'm not finished yet."

With another candle, Freed let large drops of wax pepper the shaft of Jet's long cock, and each drop was accompanied with a groan, whine, yell or curse. That was one of Freed's favourite things about Jet. He loved the pain that Freed gave him but wasn't accustomed to it. He wasn't numb to it. It still hurt, and he couldn't hide that or fake it.

"Do you know what the most wonderful thing about wax play is, Jet?" Freed asked, standing again and reaching for another candle. "The inevitability of the ending."

He started to paint Jet's firm, toned, biteable thighs with wax. Jet thrashed, but his eyes sang of a man in heaven.

"At some point, you're going to cum," Freed continued. "All the adrenaline and lust and dirty little thoughts running through your head are going to fade away, leaving you naked, bound, covered in wax and cum. At some point, that wax is going to have to go. Have to be ripped off your skin. And that's going to hurt, I'll be sure of it."

With another candle, with the brightest of flames, Freed began to pour the wax over Jet's abs. He relished the sight of the thick, burning liquid sliding down the lines of his muscular stomach. Jet's cock was pointing upwards now, precum leaking and merging with the wax dripping down onto his balls.

"And when that happens, all the horny thoughts and distractions will be gone. You'll be left with the pain in a sober mind. You'll endure every bit of that wax being ripped off of you, pulling at your skin and ripping out any hair. It'll be agonising and, I expect for a prideful man such as yourself, a little humiliating too," Freed placed the candle down, leant down and pressed a slow kiss onto Jet's lips. His eyes were wet, fearful, and desperate. Lovely. "And that's going to be very fun for me to watch."

"Fucker."

"Hm. Yes I am."

Freed moved slowly, returning to the foot of the bed without a candle in hand. He crawled between Jet's legs with a mischievous and devilish expression and took the base of Jet's cock in hand. With a single movement, he wiped down all the wax, so it clung to Jet's balls and his shaft was clean.

"Ready, Darling?"

"Fuck you."

That was Jet's way of whining and begging for it, and Freed knew confirmation when he heard it.

Without elegance nor smoothness, Freed took Jet's cock in his mouth and sucked. He heard and watched as Jet groaned, his body rising from the bed as best he was able in the bonds. Freed would smirk if he could, but he had a task to do. He'd sucked Jet's cock before, of course, but tonight had to be better. Jet had done something wonderful, and then had let himself be vulnerable with his fantasies. He deserved perfection, and Freed would give him that.

Jet's cock was larger than most, and Freed would put money he'd never been deep throated before. Time to change that.

Freed kept pushing, feeling his throat pushing against the size of Jet's cock. He coughed and spluttered a little, but the wondrous whines of total pleasure Jet didn't care to hold back were enthusiasm enough. His nose pressed against wax matted pubes, and Freed looked up at Jet with danger in his eyes.

Without warning, Freed started to move his head up and down, sucking Jet to the root again and again. Sounds of mingled pleasure and pain filled the room, and it was all Freed could do not to reach into his boxers and jerk off like a teenager. Christ, he loved how vocal Jet was.

He sucked and sucked, and Jet was a sweating, cursing, needy mess above him. He was boneless and thoughtless and exactly where Freed wanted him, at his mercy.

Jet lived for this, and Freed knew it. He knew the fire that was set inside of Jet when Freed took control. He knew that Jet had never been cherished and fucked and ruined the way he was always destined to be. He knew that it was a goddamn privilege to dominate Jet and to be the man sucking his cock, and dammit he would do anything he damn well could to make Jet's life even slightly better.

An incomprehensible spluttering of sounds came from Jet, and Freed knew what was coming. He opened his throat as best he could and felt hot spurts of cum hit him. He pulled back just enough so they could land on his tongue, relishing the taste of his man's spunk.

Damn; Jet had really made him lean into his dirty side, hadn't he? Thank God for that.

Once he'd milked every second of pleasure out of Jet, he removed his mouth and smirked up at Jet, letting a few drops of cum drip down from his mouth in a filthy act. Jet was looking at him like he hung the moon and, well, Freed would have to let that boost his ego a little.

Standing, Freed began to work on the binds that kept Jet in place. He started with his wrist ties, watching was firm satisfaction as Jet rubbed at the coarse indents around his wrists. He made quicker works on the rope around Jet's ankles, watching carefully as Jet shook out his limbs. He seemed fine, if a little exhausted, which Freed saw as an undeniable win.

"I'm going to run you a bath and we'll get the wax off of you," Freed said, firm but gentle.

"Thought you wanted to rip it off?"

"That was fantasy, this is reality," Freed said as he handed Jet a glass of water he'd prepared before they began. As he pulled out some tissues from the dresser and cleaned down Jet's flaccid cock. "Once we're out of the bath, of which there's no rush to do, I'm taking you to the best restaurant in town, you will order whatever you want no matter the cost, and you will allow me to pay for it as a congratulations for getting the new job. There will be no arguments, understand?"

"Yes sir," Jet mumbled, looking at little tired. His face screwed up. "Didn't you have something on the stove?"

Freed's eyes widened. "Oh mother fucker!"

He must have looked a sight as he stormed into the kitchen. Dressed in one of his best suits, which had a pretty obvious cum stained where his frankly obscene erection ended. Cum was running down his face form where Jet had hit him with the final shot, and his hair was a mess from being ruffled between Jet's thighs. Jet laughed at him from the bedroom as Freed removed their unsalvageable food from the stovetop.

Freed had to grin once he knew his kitchen was safe. Being laughed at by his lover while looking debauched and vagrant. There was no better life lived than that; not one Freed cared to know, anyway.

[pepperly]

Where you can Find Me

Website : Pepperly.Art - Basically a browsable portfolio. I'm moving from Neocities to here, and it's much easier to keep this updated than the former. I'm still in the midst of updating this between commissions and life, but most of my art from the past 4-ish years is here; I'm just organizing what I have now. There's a Social Media tab with links to basically everything, too.

Website2: Changed my outdated neocities into a repository for my OCs. I've got a Nekoweb sitting by with the same UNs but I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it (yet).

Here & @sketchpepper - Doodles and other unprofessional things Ko-fi - Will probably be my new archive Artistree - Trying to take commissions here! Like my art? Get your own personal pieces. Xitter - I still hate ex-birdsite but it's easy to post to. I'll retweet things occasionally and clear out the retweets periodically. Newgrounds - I don't seem active here but I visit daily. Because ratings make me nervous, this is mostly a "best of Pepperly" portfolio. Toyhouse - Where I take most commissions and upload all my OC stuff; most visibly active here. Bluesky - Mirroring xitter posts. Mastodon - Mirrors xitter posts + I post WIPs here with a little bit of thoughts. Cohost - Mirrors xitter posts + rechosts Pillowfort - Mirrors xitter posts