#how to hack tokens

[antonyshelton]

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[asha-mage]

BingLiuShen au where Shen Qingqiu's fevered heteronormativity poisoned brain decides that the best way to avoid dying for the crime of being a heterosexual male in a stallion novel is to pretend not to be heterosexual and thus not a threat to the protagonist's harem. He figures if he can hit that sweet spot where his (supposed! Not real at all!) sexuality is just a quirk of the beloved mentor then the narrative will have no choice but to keep him alive. Airplane might be a hack, but he's exactly the sort of hack who would put in a token gay character, then shunt them off to the background, only to be trotted out again when he's getting flack in the comments for sexist, homophobic, and/or generally shitty writing decisions.

And for Shen Yuan, whose stated life goal is to idle away the hours in luxury and occasionally bask in Binghe's protagonisty coolness (in a very heterosexual way of course!) that would be the perfect out. There's just one problem- how does he demonstrate his (definitely fake!) homosexuality without playing into homophobic tropes and getting himself killed for offending the genre's aggressively het sensibilities?

The answer? Pretend to be pinning away silently in unrequited love for another man. It's perfect! All he has to do is drop a few extremely subtle hints in Binghe's hearing implying having feelings he would never act on for say, Liu Qingge, and he'll be golden. After all, what person attracted to men (which he isn't!) wouldn't fall immediately in love with the Bai Zhan War God? It has the added benefit of proving what a good Token Gay he is by the fact that he saved Liu Qingge's life without any expectations or hopes and without ever even revealing his (supposed!) feelings.

Shen Qingqiu gets about a week of feeling like a genius after putting this plot into motion before Liu Qingge starts showing up at Qing Jing with small gifts and pastries and asking to spar, and well. In between melting down (because how on earth did he put it together from the grand total of three entirely ambiguous hints he dropped!) and trying to stay composed (because even the straightest guy- which he is!- would get flustered by having Liu Qingge smiling at him Like That) he figures the only rational thing to do is just Commit To the Bit, resign himself to one day becoming cultivation partners with Liu Qingge and retiring together into the background of future plot shenanigans. Their are clearly no other possible ways of dealing with this situation, and hey being with Liu Qingge of all people isn't bad. That's a fan favorite character and he's stupidly handsome and brave and kind! Shen Qingqiu could do a lot worse, especially in a world like PIDW. In fact given the alternatives, Shen Qingqiu's could probably consider himself incredibly lucky. Objectively that is. From a purely 'guy trying to survive this dumb novel' point of view. It would be an honor to have Liu Qingge's arms wrapped around him. If he where into men of course.

Meanwhile you have Luo Binghe in the background of every scene the two are in with a forced smile, internally speed running the '*fork in garbage disposal noises*' to 'I just want my Shizun to be happy! I swear!' to 'actually Liu-shishu is really nice I can see what Shizun sees in him' to 'oh no I think I want to be in the Middle Of Whatever That Is' arc.

(And of course, Binghe at the end of the day IS the protagonist, and after much trial and tribulation, is supposed to get exactly what he wants...)

And all the while you have Liu Qingge, utterly oblivious to the mental anguish and gymnastics of his shidi and shizi, who just keeps turning up at Qing Jing, because he really does like Shen Qingqiu and even if that first date was his sister's idea he's found he really does enjoy spending time with Shen Qingqiu, and also Shen Qingqiu's sticky first disciple who despite the crocodile tears is actually clearly pretty strong. He has no idea that Shen Qingqiu is silently picking out drapery for the future house while Luo Binghe tries to rationalize his out of control heartbeat as a completely normal side effect of the sparring match they just fought (Which he only keeps challenging Liu-shishu to make sure he's strong enough to protect Shizun! He swears!).

WIll the three of them ever figure it out and get their act together? Sure. Will they do it before the Conference/Abyss arc upends everything? Absolutely not.

[mellosdrawings]

what's Leverage (this is an invite to infodump)

Hohoho ok ok ok. Wiki-level infodump incoming!

So, Leverage is a 5 seasons TV show from the early 2010s that has come back in 2021 with a follow-up show called Leverage: Redemption. It is a Robin Hood kind of series in which a group of thieves help poor/honest citizens get back at the rich/powerful who wronged them/stole from them/abused them.

Despite most episodes following the same format, it manages to stay interesting and attention grabbing thanks to its peak attention to details. Everything you see in the episode is a hint for how they get the bad guy, which should be a staple of the police genre but which is particularly well done here.

It's a character focused series, with very interesting development and overarching themes and plots. It also does an amazing work at blurring the line between "good" people and "bad" people. Some good guys are absolute pieces of shit, some bad guys are just down on their luck. Several episodes have the main gang changing plans totally because the "bad" guy they were trying to scam ended up being just another victim, so instead they started offering their help to fight the actual bad guys. Many times the bad guy is a piece of shit but when there needs to be nuance, the job is done incredibly well.

There's also a very purposeful Found Family Trope that's just... great. It's awesome.

Now, I just said it's a very character focused show so I'll have to dive in more into the actual characters. I'll be trying to keep it to the very first episode and remain vague on the rest but there will be some spoilers ahead! Especially so since every single in-show introduction is a masterpiece that I must talk about.

The Mastermind: Nathan "Nate" Ford is the brain of the group. He's an ex-Insurance employee who got fucked over by said insurance company when they refused to pay for his son's medical fees (something I'm sure many US citizens can relate to). He ends up having to work with criminals he has previously hunted down before, which gives him a good overall knowledge of how they all work while his time in the insurance company explains why he knows so many scams.

Despite being the "token good guy" in the first season, I'd say he's the most interesting at first. He's a self destructive genius with a terrible alcohol problem, and that alcohol storyline is just so beautifully handled in the first 2 seasons, I was completely hooked. Starting season 3 the line between honest man and criminal blurs though, as it should considering his activities for the past couple years, so he lost my interest just a bit. Still a very strong character with amazing storylines and a terrible personality.

Among the Found Family Trope, he is the depressed alcoholic father who pushes his kids too far but would still do everything to make sure they come home safe. His arc is literally going from deadbeat dad to the dad that steps up.

The Hacker: Alec Hardison is an early 20 years old sassy chatty black kid who, not content of being one hell of a hacker, is also an amazing grifter who picks up skills on the fly. While the sassy chatty hacker who is the comic relief of the show is a common trope, he's one hell of a charming character who will weaponise everything he has underhand to get away with stuff. Absolute kudos to his actor who was also in his early 20s at the time who regularly offer some of the best performances ever seen on TV. I swear that guy is too good.

His introduction depicts all that in seconds. He's the first thief to appear, already talking his head off and giving his opinion on the technology he's been given for the job. His introductory flashback is interesting as it doesn't show him in the middle of hacking, but instead getting caught by police having fun in a hotel room he stole and giving a Star Wars reference. Just from both of those you flag him as a young easy-going guy who still messes up a bunch.

In the Found Family Trope, he is the youngest child who messes up a lot. He has the most obvious father/child undertone with Nate, and an equally obvious bigger/younger sibling undertone with Eliot.

The Hitter: Eliot Spencer is a thirty something years old man whose job is keeping the rest of the gang safe. When it comes to the hardened ex-military trope, you expect scary brooding man who always avoids being hit while getting rid of his opponents in seconds. That's not quite the case with Eliot. Yes, he gives off scary and brooding vibes, but he actually has the biggest heart of the gang. He's regularly shown being the one who worries the most for others, and there's an ongoing thing about him being the defacto person to go to get help help when you're 18 and under. Eliot has an incredible amount of screentime being soft and helping/protecting children.

Not only that, Eliot isn't some kind of super soldier. He gets hit. A lot. But the point is that he always gets back on his feet to continue the fight. His hitter prowesses come more from the fact that he has a lot of knowledge in the matter, rather than from being a perfect fighter. He also has an underlying theme with self-control and anger issues. Eliot is a character that is constantly annoyed/angry, and who uses fighting as a self-regulating tool.

On top of all that, he's also a good grifter who, when not there to hit people, is there to hit on girls. He's regularly used as eye candy to keep the attention away from the others. He's also (not so) surprisingly low key. Eliot is often described as "hiding his game well", his opponents often underestimating him.

Eliot is the second thief to appear on screen, being asked by Hardison what exactly was his job here and not answering, nailing in the "low key" aspect of him that confuses his opponents. It's reinforced by his introductory flashback which has him sipping coffee while having guns pointed at him, then cutting to the outside of the room so we don't see his skill in action, then back to the room where he's still sipping his coffee, unfazed, while everybody else is K.O. The last part of his introduction comes when he finally shows what he is capable of, appearing out of nowhere to put out of commission several guards who hold Hardison at gunpoint, to which he finally answer to Hardison earlier question of what exactly he was here for, with a smile. That's where you start getting a glimpse of his softer side that is entirely focused on keeping his team safe.

In the Found Family Trope, he is the eldest son. He bullies Hardison at least once per episode (and Hardison fucks him over about as many times too), and is the one who, with Sophie, keeps Nate in check so that he doesn't go overboard. Nate and Eliot have a lot in common and while they are rarely clashing, there is definitely a tension between them.

The Thief: Parker is a (most likely autistic (edit: she is indeed autistic, it's canon)) young woman who loves money and throwing herself off of buildings. She starts off as quirky/weird/off putting until we (and the main gang) start to understand her. She is both the most obvious and the most complex character of the bunch, who unabashedly loves what she does and has a lot of fun with her new partners, all the while having absolutely no idea how to handle interpersonal relationships.

She is the one that grows the most during the show, picking up skills left and right (fighting from Eliot, grifting from Sophie, etc), developing her interpersonal skills and empathy, learning to rely on others and falling in love. Her evolution is just the best and she never gives up her whimsy while developing.

She's the third thief to appear on screen, but she's actually the first one being mentioned! Nate tells his client that "Parker is crazy" before agreeing to take the job. She appears hanging upside down from a rafter, interrupting the boys to ask playfully if she can have an earpiece too, and finally jumping off the building with a joyful yell before Nate can give the go. Then in her introductory flashback, we see her as a young kid, with a terrible family situation, literally blowing up her house after her "father" dared her to become a better thief to get the bunny plushie she wanted. And so you know Parker is the wild card of the team who is actually pretty forthright once you've pinpointed her interests.

In the Found Family Trope, she's the middle child who has... whatever is going on with Hardison and Eliot. While the boys have more obvious family interactions with Nate (the father), Parker mainly has them with Sophie (the mom) who teaches her the most out of everybody. Nate still regularly is there to explain things to her when she's confused, and Eliot teaches her how to bully Hardison (lovingly of course).

The Grifter: Sophie Devereaux is an actress that the gang fetches when their client fucks them over. It's a bit hard to depict her personality like the others because her whole theme is that she has identity issues. As a grifter she has many identities, and she plays them so often that she comes to forget who she even is in the first place. She's a quick witted, caring person who helps tempering Nate and coming up with plans, she's a femme fatale who either seduces or instills fear in her preys, she's the one who puts at ease the clients who come ask the group for help, she's the one who comes up with on the spot solutions when something goes awry and needs an immediate fix, she's the one always at the forefront of the plans keeping the attention on her so the others can do their jobs, etc etc. Sophie is everything and nothing all at once, which makes her a fascinating character that is difficult to explain properly.

She's the last thief to appear on screen, being brought by Nate. She's introduced as a terrible actress, all three thieves being appalled by her prestation on stage while Nate is smiling wildly. Then we get a glimpse of the romantic tension between her and Nate when he asks her for help, and another glimpse at their closeness when the three thieves turn to her when Nate confuses them, only for Sophie to tell them he really hasn't changed. Her introductory flashback focuses on her stealing a painting, being intercepted by Nate, and them both firing at each other. Finally the last part of her introduction comes when she shows off her actual acting talents while grifting the bad guy, startling Hardison who was still worried about her acting skills.

Sophie is introduced with her acting skills and her relationship with Nate instead of her personality or quirks like the other (the only quirk here being that she's a terrible actress on stage but an excellent one when she's grifting), which keeps nailing down her identity crisis.

Since we're on Sophie, I'd like to point out how well the writing team handled the actress being pregnant and needing to stay away from the show for a while. Her reason for being away tapped into her identity crisis, but she still was there to give advices to the others, mainly the "kids". While it was obvious in one episode that they placed the characters and angled the camera to avoid showing she was pregnant, the rest was handled beautifully well.

The show seems very respectful of its actors, to the point it lets them showcase their skills in season 3 like Hardison and Eliot's actors' music prowesses. It also allows them to shine in the filler episodes by having them play other roles, to which they deliver amazing performances (especially Hardison's actor. I'll never shut up about him, he's just perfect).

And yes, that was the time when we still had filler episodes! And they are GREAT! Some of my favorite episodes are filler episodes, like one where the whole gang go over a theft they all accidentally did together years ago, constantly fucking each other over without realising, all from their own perspectives. There are jabs at each other, like Sophie's accent or Eliot being a ladykiller and a terrifying psychopath, but there's also an insane amount of details scattered. One of my favorite being that everybody else saw the head of security carrying a rifle while Eliot was the only one (save Nate) to see it as only a box. It's a minor background detail that the show doesn't even point out, but when I caught it I got super invested in the episode. At first I believed it was because Eliot hates guns and sees them as sticks to beat people up with, but with the last perspective being shown with the "truth", it turned out Eliot was the only one seeing it as a box because it was a box. Eliot would be attuned to the amount of danger the objects around him would pose, and so wouldn't mix up a box for a gun. Once more, it's a background detail but it just ended convincing me that the showrunners care a lot about this show.

Ok I'm officially out of fumes. I think I could go into more if I dove into the actual episodes but I don't want to spoil more than I already did. All in all, great show, handles heavy stuff like addiction and grief and neurodivergency incredibly well without being condescending, scratches a hitch by fucking over powerful people in the most horrendous ways, makes you aware of the kind of scams there are around, etc etc.

It's just one hell of a good show. 10/10 would recommend. I only wish the 5 seasons box set wasn't so expensive, I can't throw that much money in it ToT

ONE LAST THING! If you wanna watch, the seasons are all available on Youtube (US only, get your VPN ready if you're not from there) in the RIGHT ORDER! The first season was aired out of order by the network so you will probably find it in the wrong order online too. It's not much since each episode is mostly contained, but it did make me pause at one point because of consistency issues.

Season 1 link

Season 2 link

Season 3 link

Season 4 link (careful, the Playlist starts with the last episode and finishes with the first. You gotta reverse the order of the Playlist!)

Season 5 link (careful, the Playlist starts with the last episode and finishes with the first. You gotta reverse the order of the Playlist!)

Redemption S1 link (careful, the Playlist starts with the last episode and finishes with the first. You gotta reverse the order of the Playlist!)

You're welcome 😘

[vaguely-concerned]

the question is who taught lucanis to knit. was it something he already knew how to do or is he picking it up over the course of the game as part of his 'if I manage to cram enough hobbies in there I won't have to sleep again ever. easy' experiment. did he learn it out of a book (as a sometime knitter, a horrifying thought but I wouldn't put it past him). as hilarious as I find the mental image of caterina with knitting needles I do not believe in it, did he pick it up from someone in the household staff growing up the same way he did cooking. is the sweater he wears with his introductory armour his own work (very funny if so it's just so. incredibly neutral toned and sensible.) I understand why he never does it on screen because animating knitting is the devil's own work and bioware were right to dodge right past it no one should wish themselves that kind of pain, but do you think off-screen he's using it the same way davrin does whittling during team meetings and book club nights (for real the grandmas were so right for this: knitting during social group situations is a neurodivergent life hack like you wouldn't believe if doodling isn't your thing/isn't doing it for you). it's that or sharpening his knives and some people seem to get a bit nervous about that so he mostly sticks to the knit one purl one of it all. does he make things for the team. for romanced rook perhaps. boring but useful things like socks and scarves, to be clear. I think mr. 'I made you a cake (cautiously marital intent)' would not mean to impress just make sure your feet weren't cold jogging around the heights of athim killing darkspawn. knitting more socks for harding so she won't get cold walking around everywhere in her fereldan *checks notes written on palm* clogs. some of taash' outfits... you think rook and lucanis are letting them walk around the anderfels like that without at least a token sensible scarf on even tho adaari are built different in terms of body temperature. I say no not in my lighthouse they would team up and mother hen them to shathann levels before they'd let that happen. (the scarf has dragons on it taash thinks it's kind of cool actually.) a bobble hat for manfred not because he really needs it but because he wanted to feel included. assan indignantly tries to steal it and fly away with it so he gets his own scarf to promote peace between the lighthouse little guys and it works. help.

[lesbianologist]

i posted this elsewhere first, but i want to circle back to talking about this, dissecting it further, and posting it independently, because i actually start to cry thinking about this narrative thread.

the photo from 1x10. the one from kathy, dumped into the garbage, fished out by ava, and regifted as a token of ava’s tempered love for deborah.

we all know hacks is a deliberate show; every line, every gesture, every callback is intentional. it doesn’t waste a moment or a detail. instead, it plants emotional seeds and lets them quietly take root, waiting seasons to bloom, much like the champagne. a single photo carries weight because nothing is just set dressing here; it’s all part of the emotional architecture. it’s the pulse beneath the narrative.

so let’s circle back.

when the photo is received, marcus throws it away in the garbage. he thinks he’s protecting deborah. ava, still new to this world and yet already attuned to the shape of deborah’s pain, pulls it from the trash. she doesn’t just return it, though. she reframes it. literally, yes—but emotionally, too. she wraps it as a gift, not of nostalgia, but of hope. the dream deborah had, of making history in television, remastered. ava even adds: “i think she will. xoxo.” as a testament to deborah’s enduring dream(s). it’s not just a peace offering. it’s a gesture of quiet devotion; the kind that doesn’t announce itself with grand declarations, but with care, choice, and intent.

ava doesn’t just hand deborah a photo—she hands her a softened version of what hurt her. a memory, sanded down at the edges. not to erase the past, but to prove it doesn’t have to define the future. it’s a reminder to deborah that she can reshape her future. she doesn’t demand a reckoning with kathy. she just creates space for the idea that healing might be possible. she turns a wound into something safe. she gives deborah the thing she most needs but doesn’t know how to ask for: belief. in herself. in love. in something more. we all know deborah doesn’t believe in heaven, only hell, only eternal suffering and damnation. yes, belief—the same thing mentioned in 4x07, when ava gets out of the car and says “i think you believe in something.”.

and what makes this exquisite storytelling.

deborah believes the photo came from ava and she treasures it. she proudly displays it. kathy sees it later, in deborah’s home, and reads it as forgiveness. both are wrong. both are right. because the truth isn’t in the photo. it’s in the act. the love isn’t in the image—it’s in the hands that carried it, in the heart that repackaged it, in the decision to give it with care. ava’s love has always been like that: unconditional. consistent. quiet. steady. and for once, deborah lets herself accept it. not because she believes she deserves it—but because it feels different. it feels safe.

ava is everything to deborah. more than her voice, creative partner, and person deborah loves. she’s her safe person.

that’s why she brings ava to singapore. that’s why she brings her everywhere. deborah lashes out at ava not because she doesn’t love her—but because she does. and she doesn’t know what to do with that—with love that doesn’t hurt. that doesn’t demand. that doesn’t leave. “you’re just trying to hurt my feelings,” ava says in 4x10. and she’s right. and deborah knows it.

because in the back of her mind, deborah is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. the betrayal. the abandonment. the cost of love. deborah burned down all of her dreams for ava and that’s terrifying for her because it harkens back to her marriage burning to the ground, too. frank did what he did, and so did kathy. it ripples into her relationship with DJ. it’s why she can’t see ava clearly yet, because she’s expecting the pattern to repeat. she doesn’t know how to trust someone who stays. she doesn’t know ava’s love is deliberate, intentional, lasting, constant. it also doesn’t help that ava has had missteps, some of which have also intended to hurt deborah (in the earlier seasons).

so when ava does stay, it confuses her. enrages her. terrifies her. so she tells her to go. pushes her away. accuses her of being too loyal, too close. she touches on age, because she knows what ava wants, but deborah knows the age gap too. she knows what she can and can’t give. she can give her heart, her all, but she can’t change time.

and still, ava remains. ava endures. her love never gives up, not wholly. even when deborah pushed her in another direction, they found their way back to each other, ava pursuing deborah again, because it isn’t performative. it’s chosen. every single time.

and that photo—the one framed with care, handed over with tenderness? it’s the first real signal of that. rescue, reframe, return. not out of pity. not out of necessity. but because ava loves her. because ava sees her.

and one day, when deborah learns the truth—that the photo came from kathy, but it was ava who chose to give it, to soften it, to make it safe—the thread will finally unravel. because it wasn’t just a gesture of peace; it was ava saying, i believe in you. not out of obligation, but devotion and love, and when deborah realizes that, everything she’s held tight; her fear, her defenses, her belief that love always comes with pain—will slowly unravel and come undone. maybe then, everything can finally come together. because ava’s love has never been conditional—it’s always been steady, deliberate, chosen.

and when the time comes, when deborah has to choose—play it safe, or put it all on the line—i think she will. because she already has.

and because hacks is so precise, so achingly deliberate in every emotional beat it lays down, i’m certain (unbelievably certain) that this thread isn’t accidental. it’s foundational.

so let’s return to the title of that episode, to the promise it made from the very beginning in that first season finale, a devastating promise:

1x10: “i think she will”: as her final performance at the palmetto approaches, deborah must decide whether to put it all on the line or play it safe.

and i think she will. this story has always been about burning everything down for something real, for something that matters more than a career, dreams, or legacy; something that deborah talked warmly with ava about, and the same thing she talked about with rosie: someone to laugh with for the rest of your days.

and to borrow from carol (2015): everything comes full circle.

[fangirl-erdariel]

You are in a post-apocalyptic story. A war destroyed much of your country, and it fell under enemy control. Almost all who lived there have fled. Your father, who should be the lord of the land, leads a small group of guerilla fighters still resisting the enemy, you among them. The enemy forces have not found your hideout, and you've managed to survive for a while, but really, you all probably know it's only a matter of time. Realistically, you don't have a chance to actually beat the enemy forces back. But among your small group, most have lost loved ones, whether that be father or wife or another relative. Many don't have much anything more left to lose. None of you are willing to forsake your homeland, war-torn and abandoned though it is, so you're just going to stay here, taking as many enemy soldiers with you as you can, making a point... to the enemy? to the world? to yourselves? about your stubbornness and strength and love for your home. You are in a post-apocalyptic story.

Slowly, your life becomes a horror story. One of the others is tricked into betraying your group, telling the enemy where to find your hideout. When the enemy has got what they wanted out of him, they torture him to death, even as they send troops to attack the hideout. You are not there when they come. You find this out, when the ghost of the traitor comes to you in a dream, confessing what he's done, urging you to go warn the others. You come too late. Your father is dead, all the others are dead, the beautiful lake that was your hideout tainted by their blood. You bury your father, and go to take what vengeance you can. You kill the ones that killed your father, you take back a golden ring they took from his corpse - a token of an oath by a king to help your father if he needed, an oath your father never called him to fulfill. You continue the fight, now a one-man-war, you alone against an enemy that has defeated mighty armies.

You are in a horror story. Slowly, the influence of your enemy turns your beloved homeland into a corrupted nightmare. The woods are filled with enemy soldiers, and maybe with worse things. You are all alone, with only the trees and wild animals for company. You continue the fight, until you can't.

You are in a horror story. Forced to retreat further and further, at last there's only one way to escape your enemy, and it's no way for any kind of escape at all, unless maybe that of death. Mountains on the southern border of your homeland, steep and treacherous, with no known pass, no path over them. No one has ever crossed them, as far as you know. And beyond the dangers of the landscape, evil magic lies upon the mountains. There are monsters there, and madness-inducing magic in all the water of all the springs and streams. You drink from them anyhow. You don't have a choice.

You are in a horror story. You crossed the mountains, and no story afterwards will know to tell how you did it (maybe you don't know yourself, the madness and corruption ravaging your mind until you're stumbling forward on instinct, the most primal parts of your nature driving you onward, refusing to accept lying down to die as an option). For all your troubles, your reward is more horror, a land so twisted by strange magic that even servants of the enemy fear to tread there. You get tangled in what seems like spiderwebs. There are monsters, in this dark (is it truly dark, or does the corruption of the land just make it seem so, or is it your mind playing tricks on you?). Monsters like spiders, whose webs you are caught in, that will eat you if you can't fend them off. Distantly, the small part of your mind that's still capable of coherent thought, recalls stories of a monstrous spider that ate the light before the sun and moon, that made the god of evil scream like a frightened child. Maybe these spiders are related to her. You fight them, and you stumble on and on, hacking your way through the webs, driven by fear and by that primal animalistic part of you that only wants to survive. You don't - can't - think, any semblance of conscious thought or even sense of self long since drowned out by pain and hunger and weariness and the madness and horror inflicted on you by these lands. You are in a horror story, and there's no way out of it, but you don't know how to lie down and accept your fate either.

You stumble through woods with less and less spiders, woods that, if you were capable of noticing or comprehending such things, begin to seem more normal again. In daytime, the sun shines. The darkness of the night is lit by stars and moon, it's not the heavy darkness that drowns out thought. But the madness still has you in its grip, you still stumble forward like a wounded animal without a den to hide in, unthinking, incapable of feeling anything but fear and pain. Perhaps that state of madness is what lets you through the magics meant to ensnare and stop outsiders, perhaps to the magic you don't register as anything but a wild animal. Or perhaps it is fate that lets you through. Or both.

One night, you hear music, a flute playing. You don't know when you've last heard such a beautiful sound, if ever. It awakens some curiosity somewhere in the back of your mind, in the more human ones, the ones drowned out by madness. You stumble towards the sound, until through the leaves you can see a little clearing, and-

a woman more beautiful than you've ever seen, than you've ever even imagined could exist, singing and dancing there. She seems happy, and she's dancing, right there, out in the middle of the woods, not a care in the world. As though all the horror and suffering and fear you're so very familiar with has never touched her in the slightest.

She can't be real, nothing so beautiful, so happy, so free of pain and fear, could possibly be real. You've lost it, you're seeing things. But maybe you're not, and you have to make sure, so you stumble forward, finally stumbling towards something and not just blindly away from something.

The music stops. Someone yells something. The woman stops, and stands and looks at you for a moment, as you stumble towards her, and then... she runs. You try to follow, but lose her soon, and are left alone in the nightly forest, still half-mad, utterly uncertain whether any of what you just witnessed was real or just a hallucination.

You have to know if it was real. You have to find out. You begin to look for her. It's the only coherent thought in your mind, taking over the empty space left by the madness. You must know if what you saw was real, so you search and search. Not knowing her name, you name her Nightingale, because of the beauty of her singing.

You think you see her again, and then a second time. But it's from a distance, you can't reach her, you still don't know if she's real. Maybe you're so desperate and mad that you're just imagining it.

And then, suddenly, you see her again, singing and dancing, and winter turns to spring as she does so. And you run after her, and you call her, call her by the name you've secretly given her. And against all hope, she halts, and turns, and looks at you again. You come to her, you touch her. She's real! She really exists!

You have stumbled into a fairytale.

[sexymemecoin]

The Rise of DeFi: Revolutionizing the Financial Landscape

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) has emerged as one of the most transformative sectors within the cryptocurrency industry. By leveraging blockchain technology, DeFi aims to recreate and improve upon traditional financial systems, offering a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial ecosystem. This article explores the fundamental aspects of DeFi, its key components, benefits, challenges, and notable projects, including a brief mention of Sexy Meme Coin.

What is DeFi?

DeFi stands for Decentralized Finance, a movement that utilizes blockchain technology to build an open and permissionless financial system. Unlike traditional financial systems that rely on centralized intermediaries like banks and brokerages, DeFi operates on decentralized networks, allowing users to interact directly with financial services. This decentralization is achieved through smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code.

Key Components of DeFi

Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs): DEXs allow users to trade cryptocurrencies directly with one another without the need for a central authority. Platforms like Uniswap, SushiSwap, and PancakeSwap have gained popularity for their ability to provide liquidity and facilitate peer-to-peer trading.

Lending and Borrowing Platforms: DeFi lending platforms like Aave, Compound, and MakerDAO enable users to lend their assets to earn interest or borrow assets by providing collateral. These platforms use smart contracts to automate the lending process, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

Stablecoins: Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to stable assets like fiat currencies to reduce volatility. They are crucial for DeFi as they provide a stable medium of exchange and store of value. Popular stablecoins include Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), and Dai (DAI).

Yield Farming and Liquidity Mining: Yield farming involves providing liquidity to DeFi protocols in exchange for rewards, often in the form of additional tokens. Liquidity mining is a similar concept where users earn rewards for providing liquidity to specific pools. These practices incentivize participation and enhance liquidity within the DeFi ecosystem.

Insurance Protocols: DeFi insurance protocols like Nexus Mutual and Cover Protocol offer coverage against risks such as smart contract failures and hacks. These platforms aim to provide users with security and peace of mind when engaging with DeFi services.

Benefits of DeFi

Financial Inclusion: DeFi opens up access to financial services for individuals who are unbanked or underbanked, particularly in regions with limited access to traditional banking infrastructure. Anyone with an internet connection can participate in DeFi, democratizing access to financial services.

Transparency and Trust: DeFi operates on public blockchains, providing transparency for all transactions. This transparency reduces the need for trust in intermediaries and allows users to verify and audit transactions independently.

Efficiency and Speed: DeFi eliminates the need for intermediaries, reducing costs and increasing the speed of transactions. Smart contracts automate processes that would typically require manual intervention, enhancing efficiency.

Innovation and Flexibility: The open-source nature of DeFi allows developers to innovate and build new financial products and services. This continuous innovation leads to the creation of diverse and flexible financial instruments.

Challenges Facing DeFi

Security Risks: DeFi platforms are susceptible to hacks, bugs, and vulnerabilities in smart contracts. High-profile incidents, such as the DAO hack and the recent exploits on various DeFi platforms, highlight the need for robust security measures.

Regulatory Uncertainty: The regulatory environment for DeFi is still evolving, with governments and regulators grappling with how to address the unique challenges posed by decentralized financial systems. This uncertainty can impact the growth and adoption of DeFi.

Scalability: DeFi platforms often face scalability issues, particularly on congested blockchain networks like Ethereum. High gas fees and slow transaction times can hinder the user experience and limit the scalability of DeFi applications.

Complexity and Usability: DeFi platforms can be complex and challenging for newcomers to navigate. Improving user interfaces and providing educational resources are crucial for broader adoption.

Notable DeFi Projects

Uniswap (UNI): Uniswap is a leading decentralized exchange that allows users to trade ERC-20 tokens directly from their wallets. Its automated market maker (AMM) model has revolutionized the way liquidity is provided and traded in the DeFi space.

Aave (AAVE): Aave is a decentralized lending and borrowing platform that offers unique features such as flash loans and rate switching. It has become one of the largest and most innovative DeFi protocols.

MakerDAO (MKR): MakerDAO is the protocol behind the Dai stablecoin, a decentralized stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. MakerDAO allows users to create Dai by collateralizing their assets, providing stability and liquidity to the DeFi ecosystem.

Compound (COMP): Compound is another leading DeFi lending platform that enables users to earn interest on their cryptocurrencies or borrow assets against collateral. Its governance token, COMP, allows users to participate in protocol governance.

Sexy Meme Coin (SXYM): While primarily known as a meme coin, Sexy Meme Coin has integrated DeFi features, including a decentralized marketplace for buying, selling, and trading memes as NFTs. This unique blend of humor and finance adds a distinct flavor to the DeFi landscape. Learn more about Sexy Meme Coin at Sexy Meme Coin.

The Future of DeFi

The future of DeFi looks promising, with continuous innovation and growing adoption. As blockchain technology advances and scalability solutions are implemented, DeFi has the potential to disrupt traditional financial systems further. Regulatory clarity and improved security measures will be crucial for the sustainable growth of the DeFi ecosystem.

DeFi is likely to continue attracting attention from both retail and institutional investors, driving further development and integration of decentralized financial services. The flexibility and inclusivity offered by DeFi make it a compelling alternative to traditional finance, paving the way for a more open and accessible financial future.

Conclusion

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) represents a significant shift in the financial landscape, leveraging blockchain technology to create a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial system. Despite the challenges, the benefits of DeFi and its continuous innovation make it a transformative force in the world of finance. Notable projects like Uniswap, Aave, and MakerDAO, along with unique contributions from meme coins like Sexy Meme Coin, demonstrate the diverse and dynamic nature of the DeFi ecosystem.

For those interested in exploring the playful and innovative side of DeFi, Sexy Meme Coin offers a unique and entertaining platform. Visit Sexy Meme Coin to learn more and join the community.

[mad3lyncline]

𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑵 𝑰𝑵 𝑨𝑹𝑪𝑨𝑫𝑰𝑨 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 – 𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑶𝑵𝑬 . starters taken from the sleep token album ' even in arcadia ' adjust pronouns as necessary !

𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅

will you listen just as my form starts to fission ?

will you halt this eclipse in me ?

now i know why i woke up here on the shoreline .

everything looks the same .

i've got eyelids heavy enough to break diamonds .

you pray for sound and i pray for silence .

you'll find me with half a mind to get violent .

you know it isn't over 'til i say it's over .

no more little angels sitting on my shoulders .

give me the edge of a blade and a time and a place .

i'll leave them cold and pushing up boulders .

am i walking with gods or merely stumbling forth ?

you know i live by the feather and die by the sword .

i will sunder the earth only to burn the reward .

nobody knows where i came from .

how could i already lose my way like this ?

i used to know myself .

you used to know me so well .

wish that i could leave myself alone .

you wish that you could make me whole .

𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆

i am the rose you relinquished again .

i have a feeling we're close to the end .

come out from underneath who you were .

you know that it's time to emerge .

go ahead and wrap your arms around me .

my blood beats so alive .

it's midnight in my mind's eye .

godspeed to my enemies .

glory to the legion , trauma for the neighbors .

i've got solar flares for your dead gods .

you know that i'm sanctified by what's below .

you might be the one to take away the pain .

nothing else is quite the same as how i feel when i'm by your side .

𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒍��

are you gonna dance on the line with me ?

you know it's not a game or a fantasy .

i don't even know who i used to be .

nothing is the same and some things have to change now .

you know i deliberate on cutting out the demons .

i still need a dark side .

they just need a reason .

keep me alive , keep me believing .

are you the guardian angel hacking into my brain cells ?

did i get this far for nothing or are you the reward ?

if this is love then i am out of hesitation .

if this is real then i am all up in a frenzy .

say that the story we tell is never ending .

[wh0re43van]

Frogger- Peter Maximoff X Reader

Summary: Teasing Peter Maximoff. That's it. Thats the fic.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: A little smutty (pg 13-ish), weed, kinda slow burn

A/n: This came to me while staring at a wall for 20 minutes after five bong rips. It was written in like an hour at midnight and only proofread once; probably a fair amount of typing errors. Thank you for reading !!

Pt 2

I lay on Peters bed listening to one of his Pink Floyd cassettes and sipping on a coca cola awaiting his return. I met peter at the arcade a couple months ago and we hit it off immediately… well, after we finished arguing over who got to the Pac-Man game first. He zoomed in front of me, seeming to appear out of thin air. I yelled at him, saying that I was there first and I had already put my token in, after he backed down, then we hit it off. He showed me some secretes he’d learned about the game then we went to get coffee. I’ve spoken to him almost every day since. He quickly became a close friend.

“Knock knock,” he says walking into the room. He’d zoomed out to re-up. I hop off his bed, setting my soda down on the coffee table as I approach him. I’m happy to see him, but even more excited to check out the weed.

“About damn time,” I joke as he tosses me the baggie.

“What? I was gone for literally five minutes,” he laughs, taking a seat on his couch.

“That’s awfully long for you, eh Quickie,” I sit down next to him grinning. “Shit, I left my papers in my car,” I frown, before picking up my keys and dangling them in front of Peter. He rolls his eyes, taking the car keys and speeding out and back, within seconds he’s tossing the rolling papers into my lap. “Thank you,” I bat my lashes at him.

“Yeah yeah,” he rolls his eyes, opening a bag of chips. He watches me as I break up the weed and begin to roll the joint.

“Damn you’re good at that,” he says genuinely impressed as he crunches on the Doritos.

“Well, I have a lot of experience,” I laugh sparking the joint, taking a deep hit. He’s told me that he didn’t smoke a whole lot before he met me, maybe I’m a bad influence. Then again, I had never stolen anything until I met him; so I guess it cancels out.

I pass the joint to peter as I exhale the smoke. “Good shit,” I laugh as I try stifle a cough. Peter takes a hit, immediately coughing so hard his face turns red.

“Goddman,” he chokes out, I hand him my soda in attempt to ease his coughing. “Wow I already feel it,” he says after he takes a sip, his voice raspy from the hot smoke and hacking as he sets the glass bottle down next to him.

“I think the coughing makes you higher,” I giggle, wiping off the ash off my skirt.

“I think you’re right, shit,” he sighs. “You feel it yet?” he asks looking at me through lidded eyes.

“Not quite, my tolerance is pretty high,” I laugh then take another hit before grabbing his Atari controller. “Wanna play frogger?” I ask.

“Stupid question,” he scoffs, zooming to the gaming console, looking for the correct game cassette. I take the time to admire how handsome Peter is, the way his white t-shirt hugs his toned arms, his constantly messy silver hair that falls perfectly into his face, his perfect skin- despite how much junk food he eats.

‘Damn he looks good,’ I think to myself as I take another hit off the joint, lounging on his crumb covered couch with the tan controller resting in my other hand. Peter zooms back to me.

“321 go!” He shouts, starting the game.

“Shit Pete I wasn’t ready,” I shoot up dropping the blunt, Peter of course catches it before it hits the ground then pops it into his mouth. I die almost instantly.

“You lose,” he takes the controller out of my hand replacing it with the joint. “My turn!” He gives me a shit eating grin that I’ve grown to adore. I roll my eyes.

“Alright Quickie,” I begin as his fingers move in a blur on the Atari controller. “Lets make this a competition. Best 2/3. Winner gets a whole joint to themselves,” I smirk.

“Oh you’re on,” he laughs, not looking away from the television. I cover his eyes with my hands, causing him to die. “Dude!” he shouts at me. I grin taking the controller. “You loose, my turn!” I mock him. He laughs, leaning back on the couch. I last a while, ultimately missing the log, dying when I fall into the water.

“425, beat that,” I proudly hand him the controller.

“Pft, in my sleep,” he scoffs, and he’s right. He quickly beats my score with a whopping 683. “You sure you wanna continue, man?” he smirks. “You can still back out and just split the joint, and keep your pride intact,” he offers with a smug grin. Instead of getting irritated, I develop a plan.

“Oh, I’m sure Peter,” I smirk back. “But could you go first? You’re so great, I’d like to know the final score I have to beat,” I ask batting my lashes.

“Uh, sure. Okay,” he agrees even though he looks confused. He starts the next game, doing very well of course. Without him noticing, I pull my sweater down to show some cleavage before I reach over him to grab my cola sitting on the opposite side of him. My chest sets even with his eyes as I grab the cold glass bottle. Peters fingers slow and a light pink settles on his cheeks. He clears his throat, as I sit back down on the couch.

“Alright man, you can’t distract me that easily,” he laughs it off, even though he’s still blushing, glancing between me and the screen.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m just thirsty,” I smirk as I use my tongue to bring the paper straw into my mouth, staring at Peters eyes that keep finding their way back to me. I slowly slide the straw out of my mouth, my tinted lip gloss leaving a ring on the white paper.

“Mmm,” I moan, leaning closer to him as I savor the taste of the cherry cola. “This is really good Peter, how’d you know that cherry’s my favorite?” I ask lowly. His eyes go wide, his frog gets hit by a truck earning him a score of 237

“Come on!” the speedster shouts. “That’s totally unfair! How am I supposed to concentrate when you’re being all hot and shit?” he asks, his cheeks still pink.

“You think I’m hot?” I giggle, taking the controller from his hands. His cheeks burn even brighter when he realizes that he just admitted that he thinks I’m hot.

I easily beat his score; he doesn’t even try to stop me. “Fetch me my weed,” I grin, holding out my hand. He rolls his eyes, but in instant the weed, papers and lighter are in my hand. “Thanks, Quickie,” I wink before quickly rolling another joint.

I lean back on the arm of the couch, watching Peter as his eyes follow the joint going between my lips, staring as I French inhale the smoke. His bloodshot eyes watch in awe and I can’t help but smile at his obvious ogling.

“Let’s watch something,” I smile, standing up and walking toward the tv, taking another hit.

“Sure,” he sighs in relief. “What movie are you th…” he trails off when I bend over, my short skirt exposing the smallest amount of my ass. I pretend not to notice, picking up a random VHS.

“What about Jaws?” I turn, asking him innocently. He blinks shaking his head as if trying to release himself from a trance.

“Uh,” he clears his throat. “Yeah s-sure dude. What, uh, whatever you th-think sounds good,” he clears his throat again, staring into my eyes, not even blinking. I can tell that he’s trying extremely hard not to look at my sweater that’s still pulled down or my skirt that’s ridden up my thighs. I can almost hear him saying to himself ‘don’t look, don’t look, don’t look…’. I’m enjoying every moment of this.

I smile as I bend down to slip the VHS into the player, I turn to catch Peter adjusting his pants. He quickly removes his hand, giving me a huge grin trying not look guilty. I put the spliff back in my mouth to keep myself from laughing.

I walk over to the couch, tapping the joint out and setting it in the ash tray. As the movie starts to play, I take a seat next to peter, throwing my legs over his, allowing my skirt to fall down my thighs towards my stomach, and Peter seems to notice. His breath hitches in his throat, glancing back and forth between the movie and my thighs. We sit like this for the first part of the movie, eventually he relaxes a bit, getting into the film. I watch as the light from the screen bounces of his sharp features. I smirk as I lean up to Peter.

“You have something on your face,” I say quietly. He watches as I take my thumb in my mouth, wetting it to wipe the dried frosting off his cheek. His face floods red, he’s adorable.

“What’s wrong Peter?” I ask, still only inches from his face. “Why so quiet all of the sudden?” I lean into whisper in his ear. He visibly shutters as my breath hits his skin, a barely noticeable sheen of sweat appears on his forehead. I’m satisfied with his reaction. “Do I make you nervous, Peter?” I ask, wiping the sweat off his face. He turns to look at me.

“Uh,” he clears his throat. “N-no, of course not. It’s just, uhm, a little warm in here, th-that’s all,” he stutters, staring at me with his glossy brown eyes.

“Hm,” I pretend to think about his response. “You’re right,” I grin before pulling my grey sweater over my head, leaving me in my short skirt and white tank top that clings to my curves and barely covers my cleavage. He audibly gasps with wide eyes, not bothering to hide his staring.

“It’s getting even more hot in here all of the sudden,” he pulls at the neck of his shirt trying to cool himself off.

“Maybe you should take this off then,” I suggest, toying with the hem of the shirt. “Might cool you off,” I don’t drop his gaze as I reach for my cola, taking another sip.

“I-uh… y-yeah, sure, m-maybe you’re, uhm right,” he stumbles over his words before clumsily taking off the white t-shirt. I’m surprised that he actually did it, but definitely not disappointed. I drink in the picture Infront of me. The nervous boy fidgeting with his hands, a thin sheen of sweat on his flushed cheeks and toned torso, his chest rising and falling rapidly, all of my doing. The sight makes my core ache.

“Your goggles are crooked,” I observe as I slowly crawl on top of him to straddle his waist, giving him time to stop me, incase I’m taking it too far.

He just gulps, watching as I settle on his lap. I place one hand on his chest, using the other to adjust the silver goggles, my chest at his eye level once again. I catch his eyes, now glossed over with lust rather than THC, watching me as I smooth his hair down. As I sit back, my core against his crotch, I can feel his excitement through his pants, he bounces his leg rapidly in anticipation, watching, waiting for whatever it is that I’m going to do to him next.

“Are you sure you’re not nervous?” I smile, my skirt completely bunched up around my waist, exposing the entirety of my white thong.

“Y-yeah,” his voice cracks. “I’m totally fine,” his words come out shaky as he stares at my exposed underwear.

“I’ll move if you want, Peter,” I slowly grind my crotch against his, the friction on my core feels amazing. “Just tell me and I’ll move,” I offer with pleasure laced in my tone, hoping that he doesn’t ask me to stop.

He doesn’t say anything, just lets out a small whimper as I put more pressure and speed into my movements. I slowly dip down to his neck, giving him time to stop me if he desires, leaving wet kisses on his jugular. I swear I can feel how hard his heart is beating.

“You taste so sweet, Peter,” I whisper in his ear, continuing my grinding on his erection through his pants.

“Fuck,” he whispers, his breathing shallow and quick. I slowly slide my hands down to his buckle, still moving my hips as I trail my kisses closer to his lips. I pop the buckle open and bite down on his lip gently, he gasps against my mouth.

Beep beep. Beep beep.

Goddamnit

My digital wristwatch signals that it’s time to pick my little brother up from school. I hop off Peter, he furrows his brows.

“I gotta go man, I gotta pick up my brother,” I explain, he just watches in confusion as I slide my sweater back on my body, adjusting my skirt and putting on my shoes. I head to the steps, he jumps up as if he’s just now processed what’s happened.

“Hey, wait, you can’t leave me like this,” he whines, his erection prominent in his blue jeans. “We were having fun,” he frowns. I smile widely.

“Don’t worry, I’m coming back,” I wink. “My weeds here dude, you know I’ll be back,” I laugh walking away from the shirtless, frustrated, confused boy standing with a raging boner in the middle of his room.

[laswells-ashtray]

you mentioned sarah being a hard core goth when she was young and as a hard core goth i’m eating it upppp. Does she still have any gothic interests and style? What does kate think I needdddd to know. Love your stuff btw, you are are feeding my lesbianism

She was and still is a big fan of Clan of Xymox to which Kate is not overly fond but she would never ask Sarah to turn off her music so she endures.

Go to album was Everything! - Tones on Tail which isn't exactly hard music but it was what she enjoyed and she never felt the need to justify it.

Big fan of the original The Addams Family series. She always had the desire to dress like Morticia but she could never stick to the simple black dress. She liked layers, one long black skirt with a flowy sheer hunter green skirt layered on top to offset all of the black. Around Halloween when she was 16 she found one of those novelty tablecloths, that's black with white webs on it and hacked at it to make it look distressed. she'd tie it around her waist and let it flow to one side to offset the symmetry of her outfit.

She'd tie black ribbons around her upper arms and use them as accessories. Broken bracelets could be footered with so that she could use them as chains for her boots. She liked thrift stores to find broken pendants that she could utilise in one way or another.

Layered necklaces upon necklaces. A worn beaded necklace from her mom that hung damn near to her waist? She's adding it to the stack. She has a rosary from one of her late grandmothers that she wore despite how the colour clashed with the rest of her outfit because she'd paint her nails to match it if she needed to.

Was a big fan of glow-in-the-dark nail polish. Still is. Sometimes Kate wakes up in the dead of night to see little glowing green dots on her duvet only to realise it's Sarah's nails.

You know the like entomology collections of bugs? She found one of them that someone was selling and bought it, treated it with as much care as she could to make sure nothing was ever damaged. To some of the people she went to school alongside it was freaky but she cared deeply for it and considered it a prized possession. She gave it to a niece eventually.

She also had a token cigarette case that was always in her bag or in her pocket. Despite that, she was never much of a smoker. In it she kept a spare ten dollars and a few sticks of gum.

She's less obvious about her gothic interests now that she's older, not for lack of care it's just that she's less inclined to get up as early and make a look out of whatever she had near hand but a lot of her interests stayed with her. Kate has always loved it, she insisted on framing a handful of Sarah's teenage photos around their house. She's annoyed that she missed out on Sarah "at her gothiest".

[curespectra]

Ladies, gents, and nonbinary friends!

As you know, Xochi is now a member of Team Evil.

But the question is... how did she get on in the first place?

Well, here's your answer

Ya know the tea incident?

At first, it turns off Rabbit from ever seeing Xochi as a potential recruit. And then, when they try to handpick their next teammates, they get Xochi on the roster before they can hack, and they can't get her out!

So Rabbit has to suck it up and scout out Xochi's potential for evil. I mean, she's Hibiki's cousin. Surely evil is in her blood?

Unfortunately, it skipped Xochi, and it turns out she's as sweet as a peach. 🍑

But she's got the acting chops to pull off being evil and revels in playing the role. It's like a reverse Hibiki. She's sweet on the inside but has the skill to play a villain.

Might have to do with her being a bully victim and her need to vent....

But anyway, the Royal Brute does something to cement herself as a proper member of Team Evil..... she (inadvertently) makes it up to Rabbit by giving them half of her stock of tea as thanks for allowing her on.

And that's how Team Evil got their token morality pet.

She may not be pure evil, but she's dedicated and loyal. That's gotta count for something, right?

But seriously, @rabbitthedarkidol , thank you for recruiting me 😊

[semperintrepida]

A few of you asked, so here's how I'd re-write the opening act to Horizon Forbidden West to give Aloy—and Elisabet Sobeck—the respect she deserves.

(Putting all 1600!!! words of this under a jump cut for spoiler reasons.)

My biggest beef with HFW is that it has a Sylens problem. Namely, keeping him five steps ahead of Aloy and having him lead her by the nose from place to place doesn't make him a better, more threatening villain. It makes Aloy look incompetent, and even worse, makes us question her exceptional nature. (If some guy can figure all this technology out, what's so special about Aloy?) I'll have more to say later about Aloy's exceptionalism as it's key (hee hee) to this entire story.

So here's how I'd fix what ails canon. Imagine an HFW that begins much like the original game, with Aloy (along with Varl) searching for the GAIA kernel at Far Zenith HQ, where she eventually discovers the Travis Tate logic bomb that deleted all the stolen copies of the kernel. Out of ideas, she and Varl travel to Meridian to consult with Blameless Marad, from whom she learns of the recent activation of the Spire. She investigates the burnt-out Horus core and realizes that whatever was left of HADES, it's been stolen by Sylens.

She climbs the Spire. At the top, she overrides the input jack and accesses the Spire's logs, which indicate that the Spire was recently used to relay a large quantity of data to a location unknown.

Back on the ground, Aloy asks Avad and Blameless Marad to have their scholars search the records of the Carja army taken during excursions in the Forbidden West for anything that might resemble a base or installation built by the Old Ones: every triangle door, every strange ruin. If Aloy has to look inside every cave in the West, she will do it.

While she waits, she catches up with her old friends in Meridian. Then, she has a conversation with Varl, where she admits her frustration with the search for GAIA proving difficult and fruitless so far. They talk about the hologram they saw at Zenith HQ, and Varl makes a remark about Travis Tate and his working relationship with Elisabet Sobeck, and how it seems they had a plan for everything.

This jogs something in Aloy's mind: how could Tate and Elisabet be confident in the work they produced if they didn't have a place to test it? A safe place. Thinking again of Sylens and how he stole HADES out from under her—and of his repeated attempts to hack into her Focus that she keeps having to block—she knows this place would have to be isolated and shielded from the rest of the world.

In a cutscene, we see her back at the top of the Spire, using the input jack to send it commands. As the Spire is connected to physical networks and it's also a wireless/radio transmitter, she uses it to scan the Forbidden West, looking for "empty spaces" in the network/wireless grid, gaps where a secret base might be found. The result is a set of three candidate coordinates, scattered in No Man's Land, the buffer between the Sundom and the Forbidden West.

But to get there, she'll have to get through the gate at Barren Light. A token from Avad will grant her the authority to pass through the gate, but she'll need to make peace with the Tenakth herself for permission to travel through their lands. Luckily for her, there's a diplomatic Embassy coming up. As in the original game, Aloy sneaks out late at night and leaves Varl behind.

Arriving at the Daunt, Aloy learns that there's trouble all over: machines infesting the valley, a work stoppage in Chainscrape, sabotage at Barren Light—and the Embassy is on hold until all of it is addressed.

Aloy begins clearing the valley of machines, and once she reaches Chainscrape, she runs into Petra, another old friend, and doesn't turn down an offer to catch up over a brew. This is how Aloy learns that Ulvund, the self-appointed "leader" of the Oseram workforce, is the one behind the work stoppage.

Time for a talk with the guy. Ulvund tries to bully Aloy around, but she's not going to let some pissant Oseram get in her way: he's going to blow the damn whistle if he doesn't want an arrow in his head. When he threatens her by calling his thugs to come closer, she tells him she'll put arrows in all their heads. Ulvund backs down, the whistle blows, and the work stoppage comes to an end. (The same sidequests are available as in the original game. If Aloy wants to bring him down further, she can do those quests as well.)

Once Aloy reaches Barren Light, she learns that the gate has been sabotaged. After a conversation with a Carja soldier falsely imprisoned for murder and some investigative legwork, Aloy discovers that the saboteurs are Eclipse cultists, who are operating out of a camp hidden somewhere in the Daunt. In a series of quests, Aloy uncovers their plans to attack the Embassy, discovers that they are following orders sent from somewhere to the west, and finally puts an end to their operation in the Daunt by destroying their camp. (In this fix-it, the Eclipse sidequest is elevated to a main quest and expanded.)

With the Eclipse and machine threats neutralized, the Embassy takes place as it does in the original game: Varl arrives just in time to join Aloy, they meet Fashav, Regalla attacks, the Embassy is annihilated.

But there's no time for grieving—or waiting for Varl's ankle to heal—as Aloy now has full access to No Man's Land and can proceed to the three candidate coordinates for the secret lab in any order.

Candidate 1 is a ruin but there's nothing of value to be found inside other than a few datapoints of lore.

Candidate 2 is a ruin near a Horus in the far north, where Aloy finds Sylens's abandoned workshop and the broken remnants of HADES trapped within the Horus's battered core. Sylens does not communicate directly to Aloy here; instead, she hacks into the ruin's surveillance system and watches a holo-log of his interrogation. Her conversation and eventual purging of HADES happen as they did in the original game. (All this quest does is provide more background lore as to what Sylens has been up to.)

Candidate 3 is the LATOPOLIS testing lab. The gene-locked door is not blocked by firegleam, and Aloy can enter easily. The rest of the LATOPOLIS sequence proceeds as in the original game—but without any involvement from Sylens. Aloy unlocks the storage container for the GAIA kernel and grabs a copy, only to be interrupted by the arrival of the Zeniths—and Beta the Sobeck clone—who were drawn to a stray radio signal that escaped from the lab during Aloy's explorations. (Perhaps the exterior shielding door gets jammed slightly open when the mechanism is operated for the first time in a thousand years.)

Now let's talk about Beta, and why her reveal is so crucial to HFW's story.

Until now, the Aloy we know is exceptional. Not only is she a world-class athlete and huntress, she's the clone of one of the greatest scientific minds humanity has ever produced and the one person left on earth who can activate the gene-locked doors and computer systems that require Alpha Prime access. She is the heroine of this story, the only one we trust to save the world. Aloy is the key.

Then Beta shows up. That's what we call an oh shit! moment. Now we have two keys in play—and Aloy is no longer as unique or exceptional as she once was.

If Aloy is the heart of Horizon, Beta is its soul. As much as the two clones have in common, and as much as one could argue that GAIA created Aloy to serve as a tool, Beta is that idea taken to the extreme: raised in isolation, taught only what was necessary to achieve the Zeniths' goals, she is the pure form of a genetic key. And the gap, the juxtaposition between Aloy and Beta is where this story gets interesting. Who is an Elisabet Sobeck clone beyond simply being a key?

That's the story lurking beneath the plot that I want to know more about.

(Regarding the firegleam igniter, Aloy learns the recipe to build one from the Oseram tinkerers Delah and Boomer. She can learn it in the Daunt during their first quest, or later in the desert during the second if she missed them the first time around.)

Aloy escapes from LATOPOLIS, nearly drowning when the effluent sweeps her into a nearby river. She manages to swim ashore, then loses consciousness.

Time passes in fever dreams of Rost and All Mother Mountain and other memories of the past, strange voices and hands, smears of yellow and green.

She awakens in an Utaru outpost, having been brought there by a party of Utaru foragers who found her on the riverbank. She's been delirious for a few days, and is injured badly enough that she'll have to stay longer. She doesn't get to shrug it off. The sun rises and sets, rises and sets, rises and sets, on and on until one day, when she's finally able to get up and move around a little, she hears a familiar voice: Varl, accompanied by Zo. He's finally found Aloy. And now it's time for Act 2 to begin.

[theresattrpgforthat]

games without sheets (like no need to write anything down)

THEME: Games Without Character Sheets.

Hello there, I’ve got a bit of a range here for games. Some are solo, some are lighthearted, and some are good for contemplative conversations.

Oh Maker, by Kienna Shaw.

You are an android, an artificial intelligence. Made, not born. Your Creator, your programming, and the world you occupy will vary, as will the scenes you play. But the question remains the same. To find its answer is the game…

Oh Maker is a Descended From the Queen card-based game of communal story-telling, designed by Kienna Shaw (@KiennaS) and Jason Cutrone (@JustJasonPls). 

In it, 3 or more players take on the role of androids who, through their own unique experiences and exploits, will come to confront their very nature. Select from 10 distinct Creators, those who gave the group form and function, and their respective worlds - or generate your very own - and utilize the various prompts provided to collectively explore the question of consciousness, and maybe even find some answers.

For The Queen is a card game that introduced a new way of playing story games, and has plenty of hacks that use the same style of answering prompts to tell different kinds of stories. Many of these games expect you to start as characters with very clear goals or beliefs, but as you move through the prompts, your characters may experience doubts, or a change of heart. As a result, the end of the game is often something you cannot predict. The bulk of the experience involves pulling cards from a deck and answering the questions involved, although if you play online the game might come with alternative options. If you like the idea of this gameplay but you want to see what is out there besides a game about androids, you might want to check the Games section of the For The Queen website.

Games To Play While Falling Asleep, by Meguey Baker.

As an adult, falling asleep is hard sometimes. Our worries are the same, but wider in reach. And if we have a sleeping partner, letting them sleep if they can is a gift of loving kindness. So, sometimes, I play these games to fall asleep.

You can’t write anything down if you’re trying to sleep, so games that are meant to take place where you don’t have access to pen or paper are a possible good fit for you. I know there are some other solo games out there on Itch, but this is the one that first came to mind, and it looks like it’s a collection, so if one game doesn’t fit your fancy, another one might!

A Long Night in the Mech Bay, by Nested Games.

A 2 Player Tabletop Roleplaying Game about Relationships Reforged in Conflict

In an ever shifting war that has spread to the entire Merseus System, the Roran Federation's Ace Pilot has barely escaped from their life from a recent incident. Sadly, there is no time to rest for the pilot or their mechanic. This Mech needs to be ready to fight tomorrow and no one else is available to help. It’s going to be a long night.

I think that you could play this game without writing anything down, as long as you are able to remember the 4 truths established at the beginning of the game; truths that define your characters and their relationship to each-other. The game leads you through three mini-games; two Reveries and one Testing the Waters.

You play with a number of some kind of token, whether that be poker chips or coins or buttons. Each Reverie consists of a number of questions the characters will ask each-other, causing emotional wounds or repairing broken pieces of the relationship. Testing the Waters involves narrating how the last interaction between the Mechanic and the Pilot plays out. I think this game could end in a positive or negative light, depending on how you decide to answer each-other’s questions. If you want a game that navigates the intimacy of a relationship where a life hangs in the balance, this might be your game.

Bad Moon, by Adira Slattery.

THE MOON IS BIG THE MOON GLOWS YOU ARE BELOW SHE IS UP HIGH THE MOON HAS RISEN IN THE SKY AND THE MOON HAS PISSED YOU OFF TIME TO STOP LETTING HER GET AWAY WITH IT

In this game, you will yell at the Moon because you love her and you have no other options left. She must understand how she has hurt you. You will be heard. The Moon must hear you. She must…

This is a two-player game of catharsis, with one player listening, and the other venting their feelings. The supplicant should read through the introduction of the game and create a problem that The Moon is responsible for. They are expected to work though the problem in it’s entirety - how it started, why the Moon is involved, and why you love her so much and how that love has made the problem worse. At the very end of the game, the Moon will respond - and her response will end the game.

Clown Helsing, by Planarian.

Clowns. We've all seen them… riding their unicycles, blowing up balloons at parties, piling in garish hordes from tiny cars, waddling around in bulbous red shoes, passed out in a dumpster stinking of booze and regret. For what do these martyrs of mirth sacrifice themselves? The answer is they do it for us. Not just to fill our need for laughter and merriment, but because they defy the doom of mankind! Clowns are man's only salvation against… Vampires.

Clown Helsing is incredibly simple, although I should clarify that it is a game where only the players don’t need to write anything down. The GM might have to make a few notes about the vampires that the group is facing off against, although these should mostly be jot notes, not anything extensive. Players simply have to remember three things about their clown: the clown’s name, their clown’s style, and their clown’s niche party trick. All of your encounters take place using rounds of rock-paper-scissors, which lends to a fast-paced, goofy kind of game.

You Also Might Consider...

DIY Identity (An Odd Bijou), by S. Kaiya J.

[mullermilkshake]

Please I need more Yakusa Ino 😭😭

More of our delightfully delectable man to come, Ino’s adorable but I really think he’ll come into his own on this series. 🥰

Here’s a little snack…

“C’mon…” He was so close to the top score.

Street fighter never got boring, though it grated on Ino's nerves to see the initials MEG on all of the latest entries.

The funny thing was that whenever he was here, Megumi Fushiguro wasn't. So how the hell did that guy get so good?

Arcade music jingled and whooshed in his ears over the furious tapps of red buttons. He wiggled the joystick side to side, silently cursing in hopes it would somehow make the character fight harder than ever.

Left, left, right, up, tap, tap tap...

"C'mon Takuma... you got this buddy," he spoke to himself as though it was a mantra.

Up, down, right, right- GAME OVER.

"Ah crap!"

The arcade practically laughed at him, the characters on screen jumping around like they were jumping for joy. Ino's name moved up the screen but still it was not on top.

It would have been so easy to hack the thing and remove Megumi's scores completely, though doing it legitimately was harder than it looked. And that kid did it like it was nothing.

Maybe Megumi was better at computers than Ino was? But Nanami would have told him honestly if he was.

Ino shook his head and backed away from the machine after his tokens were all dried up.

Maybe next time.

Time was getting on, the neon light signs already glowing brighter than when he entered the arcade under the dark backdrop of the cloudless night sky. Ino adjusted his bag on his shoulder and left for the Nanami family office.

However Nanami beaten him to the punch. He was was outside leaning against the wall inhaling his cigarette, eyeing his watch.

"Nanami? I didn't exact to see you here."

"I need you," he said, stubbing out the half smoked stick on the ground. "Sukuna's asked for you personally."

The chairman never asked for Ino, at times he was sure the man didn't even know his name.

Was he in trouble? He he done something to let the clan down?

"What-"

"You haven't done anything wrong, you'll be joining me with Gojo and Geto."

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto? They were Chairman Sukuna's lieutenants whom Ino had met plenty of times, but the thought of sitting with the big dogs in a meeting room he'd never stepped foot inside gave him a lurching sensation.

"You'll be fine, just try not to react to Gojo's taunting, you know how difficult he can be."

"Sure... So what does the Chairman need me for?"

Ino approached him with his bag, holding it close to his body with the latest scrap and gadgets he scrounged from the back of the arcade. There wasn't exactly much he could offer the clan besides Nanami's network system.

"He didn't say exactly but bring your bag with you. Whatever he needs you for is important."

The Chairman was seeing Ino's worth. Finally, his hard work came to fruition.

This was far better than any high score he could get.

[krjpalmer]

The Color Computer Magazine September 1983

The month-appropriate focus of this issue included an article written "just for kids" and a look at educational software from the Sesame Street spinoff "Children's Computer Workshop." William Barden, Jr. explained how to convert a Color Computer BASIC program to the MC-10 and vice versa (they could load each other's cassettes, but "tokenized" their programs differently) and Dennis Kitsz hacked the MC-10's hardware to put in more memory.

[strangequarked]

NSBU EPISODE 7

WHAT

WHAT

(SPOILERS BELOW)

I have never laughed so hard in my life.

Twice, Brennan sets a DC 30 for something truly ridiculous and twice it is met. My face hurts from laughing. Liv gets G13 out of Usha via SKULL CRUSHING BRAIN SURGERY (with the aid of La Familia and a bajillion turbo tokens)?!! WHAT?!!

That being said, I loved how this episode everyone is really coming into their own (except Usha, who we need to see how she is after getting un-hacked).