#i really love doing collaborative event stuff. however the horrors

[mamawasatesttube]

i wish i could organize a timkon giftswap or week or whatever event, but like only for people who actually care about kon as a character, without coming off as a gatekeeping asshole or something lmao

[digitalsatyr23]

A late Writeblr Introduction

Beautiful art of Selena by the wonderful @extremely-nervess

Hello! I’ve been wanting to break out of my shell and interact more with the writeblr community, so here I am! Feel free to interact with me, whether in the form of asks, tag games, writing/WIP/OC questions, or similar stuff. Also if you would like me to take a look at your work, feel free to ask! I am a very slow reader, but I do enjoy reading quite a bit.

About my writing

I am primarily a dark fantasy writer who has been writing stories and running D&D/Pathfinder games out of my setting Arachnia for well over a decade by this point. (Although more work is on the gaming side, I’ve been trying to expand my library of literary works little by little.) I also dabble in horror, sci-fi, and mixtures of those genres. My works tend to be very character-focused with (relatively) simple plot lines. Very A -> B type stuff, though I have been experimenting a bit more as of late. Morality varies by the character. Some of my characters are heroes, others are... Not so much. Some are just regular people trying to figure themselves out. If that sounds interesting, quite a few of my stories are posted here. I also have a fanfiction I’ve been meaning to get back to.

About myself

I’m a 32 year old guy who has a great love of stories, art, and self-expression. I’ve recently shaken off a writer’s funk that kept me from really doing... Anything. If I’m being totally honest, I’m not in the best of places mentally. I deal with schizophrenia and depression on the regular, and I do what I can to deal with the day-to-day. Stories are... My passion. My life. I use them as a form of escapism, yes, but they help me cope. That’s just how it is. I also quite enjoy video games, cartoons, anime, music, and just about everything else I can find different kinds of stories and characters in. I sometimes talk about those things, so you might see non-writing posts on my blog.

WIPs

Saria, Hero of the Forest: An Ocarina of Time fanfiction set in an alternate timeline where Saria of the Kokiri has to take up the mantle of hero. In the beginning, the story follows the events of the game almost to a T (including existing dialogue), however events begin to shift and change as the story progresses... I also use this story to explore fan theories and expand on characters I really like that didn’t get much screentime, as it were. There are currently six chapters available, with the 7th that’s been waiting... Waiting for me to get my act together!!

Bebop Bayou Tales: Stories about a self-proclaimed protector of the swamp, Rina Woodshed! She’s a gator girl that goes on adventures with her friend Lafayette, a grey fox boy. The bayou and its surrounding lands seem to attract all sorts of wayward monsters and spirits, and Rina does everything she can to keep her home safe from harm. There’s already one story in this series that’s finished, but many others are going to be added to the series!

The Book of Songs: A long term project I’ve been working on every so often for quite some time now... It’s the story an immortal assassin trying to escape their past and live a normal life as well as a young girl who is saved from being burned at the stake. Together, these two try to find a place they can call home. The first book in the series is already finished (though I have yet to find a publisher for it), and the second book has been pending in the 2nd draft stage.

Collab Story (title unknown): Another long term project that involves me and three other friends creating a collaborative story involving our characters (including Rina, since her setting is a part of the collab setting as a whole). It begins with a young mage performing a dark ritual, despite the many many warnings of the school faculty. The next thing she knows, she’s dead... But it seems an enchantment she put on a family heirloom gave her a second chance at life, so she awakens as a lich, though her memory seems to be damaged. Soon after waking, she finds the family heirloom missing, and in her quest to get it back, she learns of a terrible plot and dark forces trying to gather a set of four ancient artifacts... One of which is her family heirloom. This particular story has a whopping 29 chapters to its name, though since it’s a very friend-to-friend work, I don’t think I’ll be allowed to show it until it’s finally finished.

What Keeps Me Going: A short story (or possibly novelette) I’m currently working on as a commission for a friend that takes place in my setting, Arachnia. It’s about a young adventurer named Reah Fenae who stumbles upon a village that has been beset by vicious boarmen called porga. After rescuing a child from imminent danger, Reah puts her life on the line to save the villagers from a fate worse than death.

Wonderful art of Rina by the very talented @delightful-69​

[anondudeao3]

Fic Recs!

Since I'm on hiatus, I've finally had time to do some reading, and I thought I'd give some fic recommendations, since I won't be posting for quite a while. These are my absolute favourites!

(I'm splitting this into two posts — one for JayDick and one for JayTim — because now that I'm finished with the first half it's quite long)

JayDick

A Love Triangle With The Same Person

By: Chrystie, kate882

Word Count: 10,031

Summary: Dick might have a bit of a thing for Jason, one of Red Hood's criminal underlings. But he's also already a little in love with Red Hood.

→ Identity porn! Who doesn't love identity porn? Very cute and sweet.

Everything I Know

By: epistemology

Word Count: 12,360

Summary: Red Hood is a little bit in love with his partner, Nightwing, who has a huge crush on Jason Todd, the hot bookstore owner, who is actually the Red Hood, who is too busy being in love to notice Dick Grayson, who's actually Nightwing.

Jason and Dick fall in love with the wrong versions of each other, and things become complicated fast.

→ More identity porn, but this one is a lot more sort of missed connections, plus it has bookshop owner Jay who was never taken in by Bruce! It really has you begging SOMETHING to happen to somehow make them see that THEY ARE EACH OTHER, THEY ARE THE ONES THEY LIKE. AHHHH IT'S THE SAME PERSON. And when it finally does happen, it's so sweet and satisfying. (I recommend checking out their other fics too! Lots of sweetness.)

Lie To Me, Darling

By: Chrystie, kate882

Word Count: 19,214

Summary: Officer Dick Grayson is undercover in the infamous Red Hood's gang trying to track down the man behind the helmet. With his former partner killed for being found out, there's a new guy in the gang to take his place. Jason doesn't seem like the average new gang recruit, and Dick may be getting more than he bargained for trying to get close to him.

→ Okay, ngl I JUST now noticed that this one is by the same people as the first one, and I specifically didn't want to put multiple fics by the same people (just say I recommend checking out their other stuff, but not rec separately), but it's too late now and I don't have a 7th JayDick fic to recc that isn't also an author repeat, and I don't want it to be uneven.

But ANYWAY. This one will fuck you up, I can't lie. Unhappy ending, but if you can brave that, ohhh it's so good. It's so damn sweet whilst the good times last, even though you know it's only temporary and it's all going to go to hell at some point... man. It hurts. But it hurts so good. It's beautiful, and I personally think it's worth the pain.

Two Birds on a Wire

By: empires, pentapus

Word Count: 20,565

Summary: Dick asks Jason for help on a case. Jason should have never agreed.

→ It's probably laughable that I'm reccing this, since pentapus is one of the authors and their art is like huge in the JayDick fandom, and the fic has more than 22.5k views, which seems to be quite a lot as far as JayDick fics go. But in the event that you haven't read it yet... This is actually the very first JayDick fic I EVER read, it introduced me to the ship, and I just reread it and it's still just as amazing, what a winner to start out with!

The dynamic between Jay and Dick, the way Dick gets so into his undercover role, Jay's emotional turmoil, the action — it's all just absolute chef's kiss! It's so hard to write action well, and these two made this fic so engaging!

All Soulmates Final, No Refunds

By: empires, salvadore

Word Count: 38,900

Summary: Mystic Waters Grande Hotel sells itself as a luxury soulmate retreat with all manner of couple’s activities. The cost is high, and all is not as it appears on the hotel’s grounds. Dick and Jason go undercover as newlywed soulmates to find out what’s behind the rash of missing persons. And dig up old feelings in the process.

→ (Since empires was collaborating with two different people of the different fics, I don't count that as a repeat).

Well firstly, this is a rare Batman!Dick JayDick! And secondly, yes, one of the ubiquitous soulmate AUs. But with some very interesting twists! Also, like TBOAW above, the action in this is amazing, and absolutely had me on the edge of my seat. Similarly, their undercover personas were lots of fun, and it was very fun to see them push each other further and further with them.

Secrets of the Sea

By: ParzivalHallows

Word Count: 42,711

Summary: Being a merperson was dangerous enough, but being a merperson captured by pirates? That's got to be one of the worst fates for a merman. Merman Dick Grayson is captured by a slave ship, where he meets Jason Todd, who's a slave on that ship. Together, the two plan an escape. However, they need to put aside their odds first, which is very difficult for the two stubborn men.

→ I have to give you fair warning first, this one is incomplete and hasn't been updated since 2017, so I don't think it's ever going to be finished (but it can't hurt to leave a nice comment!) BUT WAIT, DON'T SCROLL YET, hear me out. It's really good, okay. You do need to mind the warning tags because there is major character death (not Jay or Dick though, and since it's not complete I'm kind of choosing to believe that they're not really dead and later in the story it actually turns out that they managed to survive).

There are a lot of grim things in this story, it's really about survival, but the worldbuilding is fucking phenomenal, and the author drew me right in. The descriptions and the action and emotion, the unexpected magic that they have to figure out? It's all so cool and well done.

Steady On Forward

By: JayseHasNoGrace

Word Count: 96,287

Summary: Dick Grayson's life has never been easy, but he'd like to think it's been going better lately. He's been operating mainly out of Gotham again for almost a year, and has been in a steady relationship for just over. He knows where he stands with crime-fighting, and the family is all on pretty good terms, considering.

Things are really going pretty well.

Unfortunately, the balance doesn't last long, and old horrors from Dick's past end up dredged up alongside new ones.

This is a story about love and family, but equally so about trauma and healing from it. Please heed the warnings in the preface.

→ Alright, the final JayDick rec, the longest, and the darkest. But wait, again, don't scroll! It's also by far the most hopeful AND FLUFFY. Now, the author is NOT fucking around about heeding those warnings, there's a shitload of them and it's really heavy, hard shit. Do not get me wrong, this fic is going to HURT you. But by the end, it's going to have felt so cathartic, and you're going so feel soft and hopeful and whole. I don't know how they did it, but it's SUCH an emotional rollercoaster. Another commenter on AO3 (mach5plus1) said it better than I could:

I gave this fic my whole heart, it took it, smiled and said “awwww, I’ll take care of it!“

Then started putting pressure on it and I told it “ouch, that hurts”

The fic kept smiling and put more pressure until a piece broke off (last chapter)

and then another (this chapter)

The fic keeps doing it until my heart is shattered into pieces and it’s standing over each shard with a frown saying “oops” (the upcoming chapters)

Then, after finding each piece again and picking them up, the fic will slowly push each piece back into place.

By the end it’ll give my heart back a little different, but somehow better than it was when I gave it away.

It will crush your heart, but it will lovingly patch it back together by the end, I promise. If you can read it without getting triggered, I thought everything was well handled, and it's so worth it. (I recommend checking out their other JayDick fic too, they only have one, but it's a fluffy romcom, so if you need a break after this one, that's there!)

[flourchildwrites]

Why are you 'on the fence' about the fullmetal alchemist big bang? I saw you say stuff about how it would be great to do one in your notes and now you changed your mind?

Hey, anon.  Thanks for the ask.

Honestly, I debated whether I should answer this.  However, I post enough stuff encouraging people to drop asks in my inbox.  It felt wrong to ignore this ask because giving an honest response makes me uncomfortable.  I guess the answer is complicated.

You’re right when you say I’ve been pretty vocal about wanting to participate in another FMA Big Bang since September or October of 2019.  My interest goes back to the beta work I’ve been doing for @teaplease1717’s Ashes of Love and War, an awesome Todomomo fic for the Boku No AU Big Bang.  Working on a big project like that was (and is) fun.  Naturally, I wanted a piece of that for myself in one of my favorite fandoms.

I’ve been a spectator for so many big bangs, reverse bangs and open bangs, even events done with writing and soundtracks!  Every year, I wanted to participate in Resbang (in particular), but there was something always holding me back, be it an existing longfic or my responsibilities.  And then there’s that awful, nagging voice in the back of my mind which cautions that my fic might not be picked up by an artist.

Then what?  Are the mods going to be like, “Too bad.  Write a better story next time.”

I’ve heard the big bang horror stories.  Well, maybe not horror stories, but if I had to write in isolation for six+ months, I might start talking to inanimate objects about my fic a la Castaway.  “Wilson, have I used too many semicolons in this chapter?  And when Riza is dancing with Roy in chapter six, should Roy, like, go for the kiss or is that not slowburn-y enough?  I feel like we should torture them for at least two more chapters.” There’s an apple pie scented candle on the corner of my desk that would be a great candidate for this role.  I will call the candle P’Tas, after my beta reader friends, lol.  (Kinda a Star Trek-ish name.)

But aside from all that (as well as the fear that the sign-ups won’t be as anonymous as one might hope – I’d like to meet and collaborate with new people, not just see the popular writers get paired with the popular artists), the FMA Bang Bang has two rules that brought my enthusiasm to a screeching halt. 

There is no limit on what kinds of things can be present in your fic sans the no minor/adult rule, no incest rule, and the no blatant NSFW rule, so if you’re going to write about triggering topics outside of those already not allowed in this event then please be mindful to tag each and every one as well as keeping the content PG-13.

And

Fanfiction should not have been posted anywhere before this event (even if it was only a few chapters, not the whole work).

😪

Two fun facts.  Most of the ideas I have would be rated mature because they explore dark themes.  My first candidate for an FMA Big Bang would be Original Sin, a post-canon fic about the war crimes trials that I have been thinking about for well over a year.  My second choice would be the surprisingly fun Royai succubus AU I thought up for Witch, Please!  But let’s be honest here; neither topic is PG-13, especially that succubus AU.  Like, if you’re going to read or write a succubus AU, you know what you’re there for. 

The second fun fact is that I posted my Fictober prompts for the purpose of testing new material.  There are at least five serviceable chapter fic ideas buried in the prompts.  I wanted to see how it would feel to write a random portion of it with zero pressure or commitment (and to gauge the response).  While it worked as far as figuring out which ideas had potential, doing that has also made each of the ideas ineligible for the big bang.

Thus, my idea factory has been gutted, and where I was once really excited, I’m on the fence.

Part of me feels I should just devote my free time to developing my Todomomo ideas and, like, finish up my WIPs.  Another part of me doesn’t want to give up so easily.  Regardless, I’m painfully aware that I’ll be starting from scratch and working under an ambitious schedule.  All it takes is another bout of sickness like I experienced earlier this year, and I’ll get too far behind.  So, idk…

Bet that was more than you were expecting, anon.  Sorry for unloading on this ask, but I kinda needed to vent a little bit.  I really hope the FMA Big Bang does well.  I hope it forges new bonds between fans and marries the benefits of the old school zine mentality with the accessibility and diversity of perspective promoted by online archives.

[moviesandmania]

IT: Chapter Two will be released by Warner Bros. in the USA on Digital on November 19th 2019 and on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital combo (the one to get!), Blu-ray + DVD + Digital combo and Special Edition DVD on December 10th. Content options vary in other regions but they should be released around the same time.

Special features:

Audio commentary with director Andy Muschietti

Pennywise Lives Again!

This Meeting of the Losers Club Has Officially Begun

Finding the Deadlights

The Summers of IT: Chapter One, You’ll Float Too

The Summers of IT: Chapter Two, IT Ends

Here’s our previous coverage of the movie with stacks of reviews:

IT: Chapter Two is a 2019 American supernatural horror feature film directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama) from a screenplay Gary Dauberman (The Nun; Annabelle; Within; Wolves at the Door; et al), based on the novel by Stephen King. Seth Grahame-Smith and Barbara Muschietti produced.

Bill Skarsgård returns as Pennywise the clown, with Jessica Chastain (Crimson Peak; Mama) as adult Beverly, Bill Hader (The Skeleton Twins) as Richie, James McAvoy as Bill, James Ransone (Sinister; Sinister 2) as Eddie, Isaiah Mustafa (Shadowrunner: The Mortal Instruments) as Mike Hanlon, Andy Bean (Allegiant) as Stanley, Jay Ryan (Mary Kills People) as the adult Ben Hanscom.

Plot:

Twenty-seven years later, the members of the Loser’s Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back…

Reviews:

“The group dynamics of the (very good) cast propel the film as each Losers Club member faces down his or her personal demons. (Chastain especially gives the material a lift.) Taking each storyline at a time, all accompanied by flashbacks, gives each character some depth, even as the crowded film — at nearly three-hours long — verges on turning into a clown car.” Jake Coyle, Associated Press

“The whole film is going damn near overboard, for better and worse. It’s easy to admire Muschietti’s film for its excess and imagination. It’s easy to watch and enjoy it as a fright flick. It’s just harder to connect with the adult versions of these characters than it should be, and it’s harder to take this story seriously than it was before.” William Bibbiani, Bloody Disgusting

” …each scene begins relatively innocently before exploding into a waking nightmare that preys on the worst fears and repressed memories of each of the Losers. All good stuff, but more often than not, director Muschietti and the first-rate special effects team deliver gross-out visuals in favor of truly chilling and tense psychological terror. I mean, the Losers have to deal with a lot of arachnid-inspired imagery.” Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

“The devotion that Dauberman and Muschietti exhibit towards the Losers is palpable from start to finish, and despite some pitfalls in the film’s pacing, overall what they’ve managed to achieve with their collaborative efforts on IT Chapter Two is nothing short of monumental, and I think they’ve crafted something very special with these two films.” Heather Wixson, Daily Dead

“A psychologically merciless sequel, everything here is as it should be: deeper, scarier, funnier. Muschietti, in particular, has stepped up, skilfully guiding us through a rollicking funhouse. It is obscenely entertaining.” Alex Godfrey, Empire

” …even if Chapter One was example enough, there are no diminishing returns when it comes to shock value. Any time Pennywise feeds on life there is genuine sadness over the loss (the naivety and insecurities of his child victims contrasted with Bill Skarsgård’s master manipulator tendencies ensure it so), whether it’s a character we are attached to or someone newly introduced. ” Richard Kodjer, Flickering Myth

“The terror of Pennywise is best glimpsed fleetingly. See the clown too many times, and he becomes a familiar joke. But also letting the air out of things is Muschietti’s penchant for CGI scares, where practical effects would be far more effective. The movie’s many monstrosities – a crawling eyeball! a giant spider! an insect with the head of a human infant! – don’t inspire fear.” Barry Hertz, The Globe and Mail

” …Chapter Two seems to consist of an indefinite number of big, scary set pieces, featuring interchangeable snaggle-toothed creatures, or occasionally gigantic, fairground-sized monsters lurching grotesquely up out of nowhere. The scenes deliver reasonably efficient scares, but with the tension level repeatedly and disconcertingly reset afterwards to zero…” Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“Muschietti’s faithful adaptation, with all its creative and creepy set pieces, can’t justify that ass-numbing run time; especially not when the characters are just doing a lot of the same things they did in the first movie. They run into cobwebbed houses, stare down nightmarish visions and get tangled up with a clown that can morph into all kinds of silly, gigantic creatures. It’s all so easily forgettable.” Radheyan Simonpillai, Now Toronto

“Chapter Two is darker than the first, Bill’s attempt to deal with the guilt of losing his little brother by saving another ending in a brutal bit of bloodshed. Yet there are really only a couple of scary jolts, too many scary CGI puppets repeating themselves, too many effects beholden to Carpenter’s The Thing. McAvoy feels miscast here, perhaps a first for the actor.  Chastain, Ransone and Hader do a great job updating their childhood counterparts…” Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

“Maybe it’s just that an evil clown terrorizing kids is intrinsically scarier than one going after adults. Or maybe it’s that the filmmakers, apparently believing this themselves, put the majority of their focus on a series of digitally created monstrosities. Whatever the case, It: Chapter Two, though ultimately satisfying, doesn’t get at the deep-seated creeps its predecessor did.” Michael Gingold, Rue Morgue

“IT: Chapter Two never really depicts the way dewy sentimentality can curdle into pain and regret or considers whether the other side of middle age offers a way of letting go of the past. Its monster only occasionally embodies the otherworldly fearfulness that leads the characters to speak of it in hushed tones. But at least Muschietti is trying for something epic and intimidating…” Keith Phipps, The Verge

” …when the filmmakers don’t force the story to fit into strict parameters and just let the story flow with these characters that we love, IT Chapter Two can be just as effective and emotional as the first film. For fans of the novel, you shouldn’t miss this because much of what we love about the book makes its way to the screen, even if it can’t completely hit every high point. IT Chapter Two is clunky, too long, and not as scary as it could have been, but when it hits, it really hits.” Alan Cerny, Vital Thrills

“Real trauma is given the same consideration as a literal funhouse of horrors, which cheapens what the characters and audience are put through.” Alan Silberman, Washington Post

“What stands out in It Chapter Two is not the clearly labored-over insect effects but that moment with Mrs Kersh and the scene of Pennywise as Beverly’s father — both reliant on actors rather than technical wizardry. The human eye can tell that there is not much in effects but effects themselves with a story like this about evil. But an actor like Gregson or Skarsgård can channel evil for us because they are human…” Dan Callahan, The Wrap

NB. Scroll further down past the trailers for YouTube reviews

The New Line Cinema production is obviously the sequel to the smash-hit horror movie IT (2017) which took a whopping $700,381,748 at the box office worldwide against a reported budget of $35 million.

Controversy:

As reported by 9news, some parents in Australia say that giant billboards of Pennywise’s face have been giving their young children nightmares.

“It just totally freaks them out,” Brisbane mother Kellie told the Australian news outlet, speaking about her kids’ reaction to the billboards. Her daughter Piper added: “I get really scared because it’s hard to go to bed when you have a scary picture in your mind. Before I go to bed, I have to check the whole room. And when I finally go to bed I will wake up after a nightmare.”

Another mother also told 9news that her child is terrified by the imagery. “Some people do enjoy going to horror movies and that’s fine and that’s their choice, and I understand that but we’re not choosing to see this poster,” said Jane, who issued a complaint with Ad Standards. The latter body has confirmed that the ads don’t break any of their rules. [Source: Bloody Disgusting]

Production:

Filming on IT: Chapter 2 officially began on June 20 in Toronto with a release date of September 6, 2019.

Background:

IT: Chapter Two clocks in at a whopping 169 minutes.

“A movie is very different when you’re writing the script and you’re building a story compared to what the final product is,” director Andy Muschietti told Digital Spy and other press.

“At the beginning, when you’re writing and building the beats of the story, everything that you put in there seems very essential to the story. However, when you have the movie finally edited and it’s 4 hours long, you realise that some of the events and some of the beats can be easily lifted but the essence of the story remains intact.

“You cannot deliver a 4-hour movie because people will start to feel uncomfortable – no matter what they see – but we ended up having a movie that is 2 hours and 45 minutes, and the pacing is very good. “Nobody who’s seen the movie has had any complaint.”

Cast and characters:

Jack Dylan Grazer … Young Eddie

James McAvoy … Bill Denbrough

Jessica Chastain … Beverly Marsh

Bill Skarsgård … Pennywise

Sophia Lillis … Young Beverly

Finn Wolfhard … Young Richie

Bill Hader … Richie Tozier

Jaeden Martell … Young Bill

Jay Ryan … Ben Hanscom

Kate Corbett … Dean’s Mom

Javier Botet

Xavier Dolan … Adrian Mellon

James Ransone … Eddie Kaspbrak

Owen Teague … Patrick Hockstetter

Jess Weixler … Audra Phillips

Jake Weary … John ‘Webby’ Garton

Nicholas Hamilton … Young Henry

Wyatt Oleff … Young Stanley

Isaiah Mustafa … Mike Hanlon

Jeremy Ray Taylor … Young Ben

Jackson Robert Scott … Georgie Denborough (rumored)

Teach Grant … Henry Bowers

Andy Bean … Stanley Uris

Chosen Jacobs … Young Mike

Stephen Bogaert … Mr. Marsh

Logan Thompson … Victor Criss

Taylor Frey … Don Hagarty

Ryan Kiera Armstrong … Victoria

Janet Porter … Richie’s Mother

Jake Sim … Belch Huggins

Amanda Zhou … Waitress

Kelly Van der Burg … Victoria’s Mom

Angela Thompson … Comedy Show Patron

Will Beinbrink … Tom Rogan

Ari Cohen … Rabbi Uris

Lyla Elliott … Dead Young Girl

Angelica Alejandro … Asian Waitress

Rob Ramsay … Meaner Nurse

Divan Meyer … Audience Member

Erik Junnola … Bully

Anthony Ulc … Joe The Butcher

Martavius Gayles … Paramedic

Connor Smith … Carny

Shannon Widdis … Cheerleader #1

John Connon … John Koontz

Elena Khan … Derry townsperson

Chris Jiggins … Paramedic

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "horrorpedia-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Related"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "cfe432280c1821afc1122cd037381507"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07DFGC7D5,B07F3BWGZR,B07M6RMSRX,B07PBB2SDB,B07B1R2JFM,B075ZP64B2,B0797LYM89,B07S96CDJ6";

Image credits: Brooke Palmer / Warner Bros. Entertainment

Jump forward four minutes for review:

MOVIES & MANIA is wholly independent and we rely solely on the very minor income generated by affiliate links and internet ads to stay online. Please support us by buying via Amazon links and not blocking ads on our site. Thank you.

[amazon_link asins=’B0756VMDV5,B07JK7TXL6,B07F3BWGZR,B07DFGC7D5,B07B1R2JFM,B07G8K6GL3,1501175467,B01L3TCBMQ,B00HLOVKH0′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’horrorpedia-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d35efe70-4f17-4002-8d09-a7d66d46e8c6′]

IT: Chapter Two released on 4K Ultra-HD, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital soon – invite Pennywise into your home! IT: Chapter Two will be released by Warner Bros. in the USA on Digital on November 19th 2019 and on…

[mentalhellthprofessional]

Campaign Notes: Tone and Lore

Hi, everybody. It’s high-time I commit to writing down those D&D campaign notes for myself and to help organize before session 0, so let’s get started with part 1!

General Tone

Because most of my players are new or have very limited experience with D&D, I plan on keeping things pretty silly. I love bad jokes and so do they, so puns, puns, puns! That being said, existential/cosmic horror might be creeping beneath the goofy veneer...  

Keeping with that silly theme, my inspirations and influences will consist of various comedic games and lighthearted anime adventures. Shōnen anime and JRPG’s aren’t someone’s first D&D campaign? Then explain Full Metal Alchemist!

Murder-hoboing won’t be tolerated (for lore reasons as well). Adventures will serve a purpose outside of just “kill the bad guys.” All killing needs to be a conscious decision by the player after KO-ing an opponent.

Although serious issues will be addressed at times, I’m not trying to make any large statements on society or construct a greater theme. That’s not to say they won’t exist at all nor will they be ignored, but I’d like the players to get there if that’s where they decide to go.

Fantasy racism/sexism is explicitly banned. Thankfully my players are all longtime friends and are all hard left of center, so I shouldn’t worry. It is however something I want to address up front as systemic racism/sexism is so pervasive in fantasy settings to the point it’s often expected and I find this to be restrictive, uninteresting, and an excuse to let fascists live out their conservative power fantasies. So yeah, no typical fantasy bigotry... Which brings me to...

World Lore! (At least the general stuff for now)

We will not be following standard D&D lore. Some people hold really strong opinions on this, but I’m trying to make a collaborative world with my players and leave some things open-ended for them to decide. I’d like to veer away from “X race is inherently evil and shouldn’t be trusted.”

Absolutes of “good” and “evil” don’t necessarily exist as a cosmological force. Alignment is more of a guideline (This will be covered in detail when discussing religion and cosmology).

Technology and civilization-wise, the world is fairly similar to Eberron: Magical tech, black powder weapons, and more modern nation-state approaches to civilizations. The wealthiest cities resemble advancements similar to the Victorian era (So lots of quack doctors!)

Outside of wealthy capitals and cities, access to medicine, technology, and education is less common, proving that once again, the only real evil is imperialistic capitalism.

Most if not all major societies are heavily integrated and it’s common to see most races trading, living, and working together. Nobody is going to question an eight foot tall monster man walking into town, but they will wonder why he smashed through the gates and demanded info on current events.

So that about covers the basics. I’ll probably go over religion/cosmological forces and how the players will be written into the world history.

[fyrapartnersearch]

Lookin' for lady RPers!

Hello! I’m Rensin, and I’m lookin’ for people to RP with. You can call me Rick, Rensin—by one of my character’s names if you would rather, anything at all really! As long as it’s somewhat nice.

I live in the central timezone, but I’m around quite a bit thanks to my phone, so time doesn’t have too much of a restraint on me unless we are talking about the other side of the world here, in which case I do have to sleep sometime. However, soon… unfortunately, I’ll be looking for new employment due to company changes, so I’ll have some more spare time on my hands.

Now! To the nitty gritty. What I’m looking for. I’m looking for OC RP, though I do like RPing in established universes like Skyrim, GTA locations… anywhere at all really, and I usually like to RP completely original type of things.

I only like to do MxF with me as the male (Though I will say I’m comfortable with playing female chars in a FxF scenario), and I do prefer to RP along with women, though really your gender is no concern to me in the long run. I do however like to get friendly with the people I rp with OOC, so having a nice chat here and there and maybe getting to know my partner in crime is always fun too. If you just want straight RP and have no desire in socializing, I might not be for you!

I do have a tendency to be a bit of a flirt OOC as well—if that makes you uncomfortable it’s fine with me as we all come from different walks, but set that line for me—I’ll likely ask you right away on our boundaries to be set when we interact at first. I prefer to RP with single females (If you’re married/seeing someone that’s fine! Just if it gets awkward for me I might bow out, but I’m all ‘bout discussion! Same goes for you, I prefer someone that’s able to talk to me rather than outright ditching) as it’s more of a comfort factor for me.

What I have in mind are things like this:

Space adventure: First one would be a “Space adventure” of sorts. We go into space, we explore… we get into trouble. My char would have a ship, and we’d both work on said ship doing smuggling, mercenary runs… all those sorts of things.

Steampunk Airship: This one is one I’ve worked on for a while. Basically, my char and a lot of others have an airship that’s designed to be fast, and deliver time sensitive and important mail. This one to me is fun because it’s sort of a… well, I guess you could call it steampunk. Airships, odd steam-based technology… war, strife, intrigue. It’s basically set in a world that has been literally torn apart by war for thousands of years.

Contact me for more detail on that one!

Zombie/Apocolypse/Mad Max-like/Dystopian: I lump these all together because these have always been hit or miss for me. I’ve had RP partners that would RP stuff out in these settings, then immediately leave like a day after. Not saying I’m bad at them, just saying that I don’t think it’s my best stuff—not that I don’t have fun doing them.

Modern Fantasy: This goes in the vein of WhiteWolf world of darkness stuff, or even Shadowrun. Modern setting with Werewolves, Vampires, Angels, Demons… what have you. Or elves, orcs, dwarves? I’ll do it. Sounds like fun, set me up. I can come up with some ideas.

Crime/Mercenary Group/Smugglers: I mentioned Grand Theft Auto—and this would sort of be like that. Or that crappy APB game.

So, there’s an idea I’ve been playing with for over ten years. Basically it’s a group that can be either criminals, or mercenaries… and this group wants to control a strife ridden city. Through either physical force, or money—both ways are acceptable to them. They are hard as nails type of people, that love to fight and fornicate.

Along with that of course comes territory wars, disputes with officials of said city, and lots and lots of collateral damage.

Dark Science Fiction/Cyber Punk: I love settings like the older Shadowrun, or movies like Bladerunner and The Fifth Element. Gritty scenery mixed with technology and a world rife with problems. Detectives that have seen too much shit and want to move on up in the world, even if that means getting a higher level apartment in the giant glass monolithic towers that pollute the cities.

In that sorta scenario we can collaborate and come up with something. I love playing a grizzled detective that’s had a bad past with the local police department, or some sort of bounty hunter.

Farm/Harvest Moon-like: Okay, so—I love Harvest Moon, I love Stardew Valley, and I love the Rune Factory games. I would love to RP something that’s a little slice-of-life like game where I have a char that owns a farm, and is trying to get to know people through a series of events. He could also be an aspiring dungeon delver—really the setting could go anywere. This one can be fleshed out more as we talk.

Xcom/Earth Defence/Alien Hunters: I think it’d be fun to have an RP where we have some characters (either a couple or a group) that hunt aliens to defend or even take back the Earth. A tight-knit group/couple that use high tech weapons, armor, and other means to take the fight to the nasties that threaten the world.

The group gets close, and well… if unfortunate things happen, it could be some real sad stuff to see them go defending not only their home, but the ones they love.

Slice of Life: This one is broad. Very broad. Young friends finally seeking romance between each other, or a writer gets to know his neighbor better. Usually I like these ones to be a little smut-heavy to make up for the drama, but it’s always up for discussion how we can spice it up. Story is always up for debate too.

A group goes to "Another Universe": Basically, a group of people from our very normal world go into another universe, where they find they are stronger, have special abilities, and are trying to stop that world from flowing over into ours. Can be dark, and gritty... the other space can be unforgiving and full of dangerous monsters. I kinda took inspiration for this one from anime, various movies, and various videogames.

I like the idea of a group of people hiding this while figuring out the best way to live their lives, hiding this huge secret that there's a whole other dangerous universe, and no one even knows they are saving the world by going there and stopping the evil creatures in it.

That’s all fine and nice Rensin, but tell us about you.

Okay! Great. So, I’m a 32 year old man, who is looking for someone that’s 18+ to RP with. I need to know your age, so please inform me before adding me. To me that’s just nice to know, because I intend to get into some heavy subjects.

Which brings me to this. Smut? Violence? Yes. I do both. When it comes to it, I love having these things in my RP. Story and good dialogue is a must, as well as humor—but so are adult themes like sex and horrors of life. I will likely ask you what kinks you have, and how we can incorporate them into RP. I don’t again want RP that’s centered only around sex, but I do want to discuss how it will go down when we have it go that way.

I don’t have many limits. As long as it’s not pooing or peeing it’s all kinda whatever to me. I could even say that when it comes to the idea of “Dom vs. Sub” that I’d be more inclined to play a dom. I’ve done sub and it just feels… awkward to me, mostly because I want to come out on top? No pun intended.

I’ll run down more things I want with sexuality in RP as I don’t want to turn this into something not so safe for people to view—and I’ll ask you the same!

And what do you play over?

Discord! E-mail is too slow and bothersome for me, and I don’t bother with facebook/tumblr too much (Yeah I know, I’m putting an add up here.), so I do Discord.

My discord is Rensin#6700. You’ll know it’s me ‘cause I’m the picture of the lime (I go by Irish Lemon on some servers and I thought it was clever0. Depending on if you see this later on, it may change.

Let me know what you want to do, your age, comfort levels, if you’re fine with OOC discussion and topics to avoid; and maybe even a little about yourself. :) Chatting a little before, getting to know you is great! I love people, and I consider myself friendly!

I look forward to hearing from my fellow nerds, so see you there!

[talesofalamia]

My Second Entranced

This was my second year at Entranced. I went into the event dreading it. I went in ready for the worst and yearning to bask in the final embers of the trash fire that Entranced had seemingly become. I was ready to be accosted, berated and belittled by attendees. I went in already tired, already miserable, already feeling like a hated failure. I cried and bitched while I packed. I sobbed on my way there. I did not want to go to Entranced. I wanted to be done with it.

Rewind -

Last year, after going to a hypnokink class, my partner suggested that we go to the local hypnosis convention. We met amazing people. We learned that there were other people that liked mixing their kink and body horror. We had a fantastic time. And by the end of the weekend, I was asked to be a member of concom. I was flattered and excited so I said yes. What I’d seen that year was a con that emphasized consent. People who valued nonsexual kink and play. I saw a concom that heard people of color talking about their struggles and immediately encouraged an uncon discussion so that people could learn more about the issues they don’t see and might contribute to. I thought it’d be fun to contribute to the con, even if I did have some brain weasels suggesting that I was only asked to be on concom to be the token black girl. It didn’t matter, it was going to be great and I was going to get to help with an event I thought was super great!

Fast Forward -

The lead up to the con was the worst it has ever been. Everyone said so. I almost quit more times than I could count. This was not my mess and I should just nope the fuck out. I didn’t do that and then I felt stuck.

I lost sleep as I watched my friends and people I had held in high regard rip each other to shreds and then try and piss on the pieces. I bared witness as concom members and community members alike retraumatized each other and grew ill. I tried to help and steward as much as I could but grew ill myself. I did this while grad school abused me, while one of my partnerships imploded and the other suffered, while I nearly lost my home due to gentrification and unethical property management companies, while I struggled to find a good employment fit, while my housing destabilized again. I struggled to try and help hold shit together and build new policy as I experienced one of the worst and longest mixed episodes I’ve ever had.

Between stubborn arrogance, missing stairs with connections, attempts to weaponize process, poor decisions, fatigue fueled negligence, temper tantrum fueled legal threats, hurt filled name calling, and so much other shit there was nothing good left. Nobody came out looking good. Everything was miserable and worthless. I’d agreed to help run a sinking ship because I didn’t know anything about it before I hopped aboard.

By the time we got to June, I had an 11 page document that I’d been the primary person working on, an unhealthy amount of disgust and bitterness, extra responsibility, and most other areas of the con had gone neglected due to attempts at community engagement, lost concom members, and tangents into absurdity that I still can’t detail. I still wanted to quit but I didn’t because we’d lost too many people already. I didn’t leave, but I was ready for Entranced to die. And dying it was. Nobody wanted to do this anymore, this hobby was making us all sick and needed to go. Nobody would miss Entranced, it was a shitshow that had made too may fuck ups in the handling of incidents. Fuck it.

I wanted to finish killing Entranced.

And then, a few weeks before con, it happened. And I really thought that I had killed Entranced with my decision to stick to my guns and force the issue. For the second time in 6 months we lost a con chair and mentor. I thought that we were done.

But it didn’t end. Instead we three remaining concom took on more. We were all tired, all so done with this process. I became registration, hotel liaison, publicity, volunteer/DM coordinator, and orientation presenter as well as teaching my new Hypnosis and needles class.

I was seething. I wanted none of it and yet.

But with mere days left, people started coming together. An amazing person single-handedly solved our empty dungeon issue. People overwhelmed us with offers of help and I was able to roll with every last minute volunteer and DM drop and schedule switch, but I was still frustrated and wary.

Con -

2018 was my second Entranced. I didn’t really know many people and I was was running a very large amount of the con. I walked into the hotel ready for war. I walked in full of spite, anger and hurt. But I also walked in determined.

Long before me the Entranced ConCom had made mistakes. They had hurt people. People had developed grudges and it just made it worse on all sides. That should not have been my mess. But if I was going to be in charge, I was damn well going to do my best to ensure that there were no more messes like the ones from before.

We got things going. Orientation went relatively well, despite the crowd for the first session being too big for the hotel AC to handle. I made last minute request and adjustments with the hotel and with help we got all the supplies where they needed to go.

Honestly, the weekend was a blur. I was doing so much. Working with the hotel, doing orientations, collaborating with the consent team, managing volunteers, facilitating dungeon set-up and breakdown, making store runs, and all the other things that required my attention.

People were pretty nice overall. Most people were helpful and understanding when plans were vague or had to be shifted. Over the weekend people were grateful and passionate about the con and it was infectious. By Saturday night, I no longer wanted to bathe in the blood of a dead con (even if the damn elevators were broken). I saw people caring. I heard what the con meant to people. I was able to talk with some people and get more perspectives. Even people who had been hurt and betrayed by leadership want the con, or a new con, to continue as long as it continues to improve.

Sunday I got to teach, play with my partner, and play games. I was exhausted and in pain, but I was finally having fun and having real interactions. Teaching went ok, but I lost my outline and forgot some stuff. I want to thank everyone who played One Night Ultimate Werewolf. I had such an amazing time with you all.

Nonetheless, much of the time I still felt alone. I went to bed alone as my partner enjoyed herself. (As she should, she had to deal with me and my surly misery. It was time for her to have some fun.) I cried a lot, some in private, some not so much. I was honest in the round table about some of the struggle and my inability to do anything like this year again. My partner and I ate dinner alone Sunday night. I still don’t know many people and I sure as fuck still don’t know who, if anyone, I can trust. However, I now am open to the Chicago con not being totally dead. I’m even open to possibly helping lead it if I can build a strong, stable, ethical team. I love many aspects of the hypno community too and I do think that I want to continue facilitating space for people to learn and enjoy hypnosis. I want to help make the hypno side of the kink community more welcoming and friendly for people of color, especially queer people of color. So, the more I think about it, the more I think that with the right people I board, I’ll keep working on a Midwest/Chicago hypno con.

[echelonlab-blog]

Echelon Author Interview -- Lolainblue

Echelon Author Interview

Your URL: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lolainblue

Your name: Missie (Blue is my nickname)

Link to your Masterlist: https://lolainblue.tumblr.com/post/174506158608/masterlist-20

What was your first experience with 30 Seconds to Mars? A friend had bought their first album and brought it over while hanging out. We listened to a few songs, I immediately fell in love. She asked me “Guess who the lead singer is? It's Jordan Catallano!” I was so stunned. 

Your Favorite Mars song? I could never pick one. There is one for whatever mood I am in. I love Attack, a lot of the old stuff, Buddha for Mary... They have changed so much over the years but I still love all their sounds.

Has anything ever happened to you solely because of being a 30STM fan? There are people that I met only because of Mars, and friends I have made in the fandom I wouldn't have otherwise.

What is your favorite thing about the fandom? Your least favorite? I think this is a very welcoming, supportive, and open fandom for the most part. It does have certain cliques, which is all right, everyone has their things they're into, but it would be nice if they got along a little better.

Is there any advice you would give to someone who is new to the fandom? Don't get too caught up in rumors. There are some people who are crazy obsessive and love to trash talk. It's a strange combo.

How long have you been writing? Since I was in elementary school.

Why did you start writing? (Either in general or for Mars specifically) I went through a catastrophic health event a few years ago. I found myself stuck at home and mostly bed bound, looking at a slow recovery. I started reading more, and also reading more fanfiction. I restarted my Tumblr account and came across some Mars writers. @thepromiseofanend and @fyeahproudglambert were actually among some of the first writers I read here and very much inspired me to keep writing for the fandom.

Do you write for other fandoms? If so, which ones? I have written for other fandoms in the past but right now the only one I am writing for is Mars.

Do you share everything you write? If not, is there a reason why? No. Not everything I write is Mars related, and some of the pieces I am working on only sporadically and I will share when I have more of them written.

Have you written things that aren't fanfic? If so, could you tell us about those works? I have written plays and screenplays, short stories.. I write a lot I am currently working on a paranormal novel that is original fiction.

Of all your works, which is your favorite and why? I think Fangs and Fairytales is probably my favorite, I love horror and vampires and the paranormal, and it's fun to play with an alternate timeline like that.

Is there one that was particularly difficult to write? Why? There is one I am working on currently that is not yet published that I draw from some difficult personal experiences and struggles. I am not entirely sure I will share it when I am done.

What is the ideal writing environment for you? At your desk? Quiet? Music? I work on my laptop and I prefer to have silence. I can't stand having the television or music on when I am writing. The location doesn't matter much but the silence does. If I can't get silence I will put on headphones with ambient sounds, like thunderstorms. When I was writing the first part of Thunderbirds, I had a site that had cafe sounds that I listened to a lot.

What type of fanfic are you most comfortable writing (drama, fluff, angst, drabbles, series, etc.) I absolutely love to write angst. I torture my characters mercilessly. I also tend towards long pieces.

What is your favorite fanfic trope? Enemies to Friends, Ooops there's only one bed, Mutual Pining

Is there any trope or subject that you won't write? There are certain kinks that I don't care for, and extreme stuff is off the table. Don't make me name them all.

Are there any special tools that you use when creating or writing your story? I use either Open Office for short pieces or Scrivener for longer more structured stories. Grammarly is a lifesaver.

Do you write your story in order or do you jump around and then string it together at the end? Mostly in order. I am a very linear thinker.

Do you outline, or do a great deal of prep work or do you 'fly by the seat of your pants'? I have a general outline and a plan for each story. Some are more detailed than others.

How do you usually get your inspiration? Dreams, music, other stories, movies... I get so many ideas, it's the execution that's an issue more than inspiration.

Do you have ideas on the drawing board or in progress currently that you haven't shared yet? Yes. I have two series that I am working on. One I had originally planned to be ready in a few weeks but due to illness I am behind.

If you have an unpublished work in progress, please pick two to three sentences and share them without context.

Jared assured me however that he was fully prepared, gripping me ever tighter as he pressed me into the upholstered bench seating, no sign of shyness in regards to the driver who was currently ferrying us through damp and intimate back streets. The evening's earlier rain had broken and everything was left looking freshly glazed, colors amplified in reflection. It would have been a lovely drive through the Latin Quarter if he had paused from his advances long enough to look out the window.

Do you like requests? Would you like more or less of them? I love requests but I don't always have time. I have several series I am actively working on for myself, several things in the lab, another collaboration as well as original work. But one of my favorite oneshots (Overtime) came from an anon request. You can always ask. I may not be able to fill it but you can always ask.

Is there an upcoming project from you that you are excited about? Why, and what can you share about it? I am excited about all my writing. There is one piece that won't be coming for a while but it's a new Shannon series with a rather different romantic interest.

The best piece of writing advice you've ever received? Eliminate your inner audience. Whenever we write we have a tendency to think of the people who might be reading it and how they will react. It can limit us from being true and fearless with what we are producing. Write for the characters, focus on the story, and don't mentally allow other people to look over your shoulder. Especially when writing smut.

The worst piece of writing advice you've ever received? For overcoming writer's block: Just sit down and write. If I could do that Karen, I wouldn't be complaining about writer's block.

What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting to write fanfic? Don't worry if you don't get a lot of attention to start. Don't worry if your stories aren't as good as others. Just keep writing and try to make each piece a little better than the last one. Compete against yourself. Your writing will grow and develop as you continue to work and as it does you will find your audience.

Three (stories, series, scenes, etc) written by others that you really like or that inspire you? Only three? I think Save Me by @spillinginkwithlove was probably the thing that truly drew me in. Closer to the Edge (@thepromiseofanend) has my OTP of Mia/Jared. @darklydelicousdesires has my favorite piece of Shannon smut, Double Measures

Are any of your characters closer to being “you” than others? Any reason in particular?  All of my characters have tiny pieces of me in them, whether it's a taste in food or future aspiration. In a lot of ways, I think I'm more Jane than anything, a lot of Jane and Roger’s childhood memories come from my own experience growing up in small towns in Illinois and Indiana -- but there are characters in two pieces I am working on that draw deeply from a lot of my life experiences.

Are any of your characters based on someone you know? Roger (from Thunderbirds) is actually very strongly based on an old boyfriend of mine.

Are any of your plots based on something that happened to you? The upcoming pieces Bodies, Rest and Motion and Mirror Ball both draw strongly on my own personal experiences, although the characters are unique as are the circumstances. The stories aren't autobiographical in any way, I have just drawn on things that I have been through and know to create something that conveys those experiences.

Favorite font for writing? Segoe UI ( In 14pt because I'm blind)

Do you consider yourself a reader outside of fanfic?  Yes. I love to read.

Your favorite book? I don't know about any one book, but I love Brandon Mull, Tad Williams, and Charlaine Harris. Also Poppy Z Brite, Terry Pratchett, so much science fiction and horror.....

Your favorite things to do when you're not writing? I love to cook, watch movies, binge Netflix, hang out with my dogs, play video games and just be with my family.

Two truths and a lie? I owned and ran my own catering company, I lived briefly in Italy, I was the drummer for a punk band

Something surprising about you? My original career ambition (and the college program I started in) was for experimental high energy (particle) physics. I still love science. I am a huge nerd.

Favorite food to enjoy while watching Netflix? Popcorn, of course.

Favorite way to spend a Saturday night? The activity doesn't matter to me as much as the company. I just want to be surrounded by good people. I love a good meal and a card or board game with friends and family. (I love tabletop games and have a small collection. Gloom and Betrayal at House on the Hill are two of my favorites.)

Blankets Tucked or Untucked? Untucked!

Do you have any pets? Would you like to tell us about them? I have two rescued pit bulls that are big love bugs (Twilight and Lokii) and two cats, Coyote and Mayhem. Lokii is the only one that is technically mine (Twilight is my son's dog, and the cats are just household pets) and Lokii never leaves my side. He is very protective and watches over me when I am feeling ill. He is also very goofy and loves to play

Are there any particular battles or struggles in your life you'd like to tell us about? I've been through a lot. I have somehow managed to pick myself up and keep going each time I've been knocked down. You have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter what. There's really no other choice. Just keep going. There's always something good ahead.

Anything you'd like to add? I am horrible at initiation and maintaining friendships. It's mostly an anxiety issue, I feel like I'm annoying people, I think they don't want to talk to me, that they simply tolerate me... I know there are lots of you that can relate to that. Chances are really good that I'd like to talk to you, even if I seem stand-offish or seem to have withdrawn. Please don't ever take it personally. And if we've never talked, well feel free to say hi, or ask me a question. I love to chat, I really do, I'm just bad about keeping things going until I get used to people. I take ridiculously long to get used to people. I guess what I'm saying is I'm a big mess and I have social issues but if you're into that, come chat with me.

[comicsbeat]

More from the Marvel presentation to retailers. EIC CB Cebulski ran down a list of the announced new #1s and presented new art in a presentation subtitled “Selling Comics, Making Memories” – because that’s what it’s all about.

In big news, Cebulski notes that many #1s will have a new trade dress, creator names a little larger, smaller UPC boxes, and two number boxes, the volume and issue number in one AND the LEGACY NUMBER in the other!!!! Retailers cheered. Cebulski notes he’s a collector and being able to find things in his boxes is important! People chuffed for this.

Cebulski started off showing FF #1 by Slott and Pichelli and the Coates/Yu Captain America. Aaron chimed in to add that the Coates Cap book will be super cool.

Next, Amazing Spider-Man #800 has almost 300,000 orders!  Take that DC. Slott is wrapping up his historic run andNick Spencer was nervous to take over the book but he’ll survive with a lot of new ideas.

The Life of Captain Marvel #1 is next. She already has a large world and a lot of elements to her history but this time they are going to be talking about her origin. “Not a retcon,” says Cebulski, just how she relates to her family and some of her early interactions with the Kree.

Jason: don’t get worried that Carol’s origin is so complicated. This is a simple. Clean story that you can tell anyone.”It’s really really good,” he add.

Avengers #1:  Avengers will be going back in time and meeting the prehistoric Ghost Rider who rides a flaming wooly mammoth. Aaron says it pulls from his many runs on Marvel titles, and gives him a chance to play with toys he hasn’t before. It’s big, iconic characters and the roster will be only seven or sometimes eight characters. The 8th slot rotates, “I want it to feel like an event in every arc. Massive world shaking threats.”

The book will establish hotspots in the Marvel U. “I loved the days when we knew Doctor Doom was in Latveria. We’ll set up more trouble spots like that around the globe.”

Next is new Thor #1. Aaron thanks store that supported the Jane Foster Thor. It was one of the best times of his career but also of his life and he was incredibly invested in her character. People applaud this.

The new run is different from the other runs, a Thor he hasn’t done. MIke del Mundo is a previous collaborator and they’re trying to outweird Weirdworld. Hela and Baldur are back, among other developments.

Marvel is making an investment in the Young Guns art program, Cebulski says. There is a theme that connects the six Young Guns variants and no one has noticed. Hop to it, team!

And now Cosmic Ghost Rider –  the success of the character caught them by surprise,  says CB. The sales keep climbing, which is very unusual. Fans have been demanding Cosmic Ghost Rider and that’s what they are getting. Dylan Burnett gets high praise for his storytelling AND inking. The Beat sez:  It does look fresh!

Aaron: everyone has been flipping out over Donny’s Thanos, but the other stuff he has coming up is even better. Cates, like Jonathan Hickman, came in loaded with a five year plan for his charactaers

Cebulski admits he’s not a big Deadpool fan,…until he read the first issue of the new Deadpool book by Al Ewing. It’s a choose your own adventure book kind of like the old Red and Stimpy issues that Dan Slott wrote. “You will think about this book do it and put it down and do it all over again. Its brilliant and inspired by Al Ewing’s love of role playing.”

World of Wakanda: The Black Panther movie has been a huge hit for Marvel. They want to expand Wakanda into the Marvel U, so they will do a series of three one shots.

Infinity Coutdown #5: Taking all the classic Marvel character and building to something big coming. Drawn by Aaron Kuder, another Young Gun.

Infinity Wars 1 Prime by Duggan and Deodato. This will have one of the biggest oh shit moments in Marvel if not all comics this summer, Cebulski says.

And the Hunt for Wolverine #1 is coming back and we’ll find out if perhaps Wolverine is not as dead as they thought he was. A lot of people are on the hunt for Wolverine, people who want his adamantium, people who want his DNA, heroes from around the Marvel U whose lives he has touched.

This story will spin in to three mini series. CB says ne encouraged writers to add to the mysteries of the Marvel myths. “Besides who is the third Summers brother, and that kind of thing, what are the questions we can use to add in more mystery?”

Claws of a Killer by Tamaki and Guice is more of a horror book. Mystery in Madripoor is about the women in Wolverine’s life. Weapon Lost ties in with some classic characters from the Marvel U.

Finally the Marvel Knights reprint line. Cebulski notes how important it is to have Joe Q in his corner helping him with advice. He’s sorry that many creator names were left off the first release. “That was a mistake. All the volumes will be collected and more Marvel Knights announcements are coming.

All-ages books are doing very well. “You asked, we listen, so Marvel Superhero Adventures is coming,” says Cebulski. It’s a series of one shots and every issue will have a new #1 instead of being 1 of five because kids won’t buy an issue #2. (Like many adults I should add.)

Marvel Rising introduced young characters and an issue 0 comes out in a few weeks.

For Father’s Day they will eventize their all ages material. Some promo items are going out to encourage fathers to visit comics shops with their kids.

99¢ elepahtnint th room. I £don’t mean to ass the buck, and we sell them the comics at the same price. Just like you offer discounts they do the same.

The Q&A then began. As noted previously the big question was those troubling 99¢ reprints. But there were other queries.

Q: If we are in this together get rid of those ridiculous ordering percentages. (ROOM GOES WILD WITH APPLAUSE.)

CB: I agree with you. I’m not going to make excuses. I admit I love variants. However I agree in my opinion  and opinion of others it should almost be like chase cards. We are reviewing that as well. I can tell you honestly I have been talking to DAvid about it. I’ve heard a lot of the same concerns addressed to me since I got this job.

Q: WHY IS COMIXOLOGY ONLY PRICING MARVEL TRADES AT 99???????!!!!!!

CB: We are looking into it.

Q: WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING COOL TAHT NO ONE ELSE HAS, NOT NETFLIX NOT MOVIES. I IMPLORE YOU TO DO SOMETHING BIG THAT ONLY WE CAN GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS. 

CB: [We can’t do a Star Wars Marvel  crossover] “I have asked.  One thing, I want to be a more forward facing editor in chief to the retailing community.” He’ll be more available and gave out his email.

Q: MOTHER’S DAY WHY NO MOTHER’S DAY???

CB: They want to do it next year this year’s timing didn’t work out and they launched with Father’s Day.

Q: HOW DOES MARVEL WORK WITH TV AND FILM TO DRIVE SALES?

CB: I don’t have an answer right away. Mike Pasciullo has been working on Netflix has come on to run all of marketing for Marvel including publishing. He’s flying into time in a few weeks to start talking about integrating the films and the animation and digital and new media. We are taking steps in that direction.

Notes from a Summit: lots of never before seen interior art from new Marvel launches More from the Marvel presentation to retailers. EIC CB Cebulski ran down a list of the announced new #1s and presented new art in a presentation subtitled “Selling Comics, Making Memories" - because that's what it's all about.

[liesandarbor]

The Dark Side of the Moon Door

When we last left Alayne Stone in the Vale, we left her on … an almost surprising and positive note. It’s Day 0 of the Tourney she’s put together for the Lord of the Vale; noting that Sweetrobin takes solace in stories of the Winged Knight, Artys Arryn, Sansa concocts her very first “scheme” as a ‘player’ (a term I use loosely); surround the Lord of the Eyrie with his own bodyguard of “Winged Knights” to give him a sense of security. And what better a way to choose these Winged Knights than to make it a spectacle- invite every young, single knight in the Vale to compete for the positions.

Sixty-four knights will compete for a single spot out of eight (Robert felt he should have eight, more than Tommen Baratheon’s “seven”) by Robert Arryn’s side. These knights must be young, and if possible, single, because they’ll be working there for three years. ** Imagine leaving home to fight for a coddled, bratty pre-teen who can’t lay off the sweetsleep (let alone the teat)? Yikes.**

Alayne I in TWOW gives us one on one time with “main players” to watch over the next chapters. Alayne and Sansa chapters have been exceptional at soft introductions of characters in the background, pushing them to the front of the page by the next book. In TWOW, we’ve met several main Vale characters, and can use a few educated guesses to assume who may be competing in the tourney- I would expect to meet maybe a handful of newly named “small” characters in passing over Alayne’s TWOW arc- a 1:3 ratio of named vs. nameless characters competing in the tourney, if you will.

Alayne uses her charm to get one over on Harry-The-Arse and his ego, enchanting the young and pompous knight into being slightly less of a jerk and even engaging in a little bit of flirtatious banter- a 360 from the start, where Harry was only ever so slightly an a-hole to Alayne (especially in regards to her bastard status).

If we are to believe that Sansa will be heading to, towards, or be AT Winterfell by the end of TWOW, I imagine we’re going to have 1-5 Alayne Chapters to get there. I can see this going a few ways, but the rough outline, give or take a chapter would be:

Alayne I: Feast

Alayne II: Tourney Pt. 1

Alayne III: Tourney Pt. 2/Aftermath

Alayne IV: Big Climactic Moment  (Wedding, Sweetrobin death, Sansa reveal, something??? Who knows.)

Alayne V: Leaving for Winterfell

What can be gleaned from the sample TWOW chapter that hasn’t been gleaned yet? Bryndenbfish (@warsofasoiaf on tumblr) had some interesting takes on the State of the Vale a while ago at this link. I’ll touch some similar topics he also spoke about (all of the guns just a waitin’ to go off in the vale, for starters), but the most interesting thoughts I have found in the Vale actually come via parallels to the historical Battle of the Seven Stars. I’m no Archmaester Arnel, but I feel like we have some fun stuff to dig through in the upcoming Vale arc. Shall we begin?

Battle of the Seven Stars

Of notable events that take place in ASOIAF History, the battle of the Seven Stars is definitely the premiere historical battle in the Vale. The BOTSS took place during the Andal Invasion of the Vale at the foot of the Giant’s Lance. The Andals prevailed over First Men, leaving House Arryn and their supporters to take the Vale. The Andals had initially conquered most of the Vale, and the native First Men often collaborated with the Andals, infighting against other FM kings. Once the Vale was under Andal control, the remaining houses joined together behind Robar II Royce against Artys Arryn and his Andals. Royce was slain in battle, and remaining FM houses bent the knee, swore fealty to House Arryn, or were exiled into the Mountains of the Moon, becoming the mountain clans (Black Ears, Burned Men, Stone Crows, Moon Brothers, etc).

So what did the cast look like for both sides of this battle? Let’s take a glance.

A casual glance at the lists may not say too much. But if you give it a second glance… the majority of the characters look a lot like the current state of the Vale.

Lysa was as lonely as she was. Her new husband seemed to spend more time at the foot of the mountain than he did atop it. He was gone now, had been gone the past four days, meeting with the Corbrays. From bits and pieces of overheard conversations Sansa knew that Jon Arryn’s bannermen resented Lysa’s marriage and begrudged Petyr his authority as Lord Protector of the Vale. The senior branch of House Royce was close to open revolt over her aunt’s failure to aid Robb in his war, and the Waynwoods, Redforts, Belmores, and Templetons were giving them every support. The mountain clans were being troublesome as well, and old Lord Hunter had died so suddenly that his two younger sons were accusing their elder brother of having murdered him. The Vale of Arryn might have been spared the worst of the war, but it was hardly the idyllic place that Lady Lysa had made it out to be.

Where does that currently leave us in narrative? Right now, Littlefinger leads the Vale in Robert Arryn’s name as Lord Protector. The Lords Declarant, led by Yohn Royce, still want to oust Petyr and instill their own as Protector of the Vale.

Bronze Yohn Royce will continue to be hostile, I fear, but so long as he stands alone he is not so much a threat

But Royce isn’t standing alone this time. Royce is backed by most of the Declarant (although Littlefinger is attempting to buy them off one by one; Lady Waynwood and Corbray, for starters) – Lord Gilwood Hunter, Lord Benedar Belmore, Lord Horton Redfort, and Ser Symond Templeton. The most notable of this support is that Hunter, Belmore and Redfort are First Men houses in the heart of it, and fought for the First Men in the BOTSS.

“Anya Waynwood? Truly?” The Lords Declarant were down from six to three, it would seem. The day he’d departed the mountain, Petyr Baelish had been confident of winning Symond Templeton to his side, but not so Lady Waynwood. 

&

“For a start, you are the Lord Protector’s bastard, never forget. The Waynwoods are very old and very proud, but not as rich as one might think, as I discovered when I began buying up their debt. Not that Lady Anya would ever sell a son for gold. A ward, however … young Harry’s only a cousin, and the dower that I offered her ladyship was even larger than the one that Lyonel Corbray just collected. It had to be, for her to risk Bronze Yohn’s wroth. This will put all his plans awry.

So Baelish buys Waynwood out. With Templeton and Waynwood “won” to Baelish’s side, we can look at his support system as of Alayne I in TWOW: Lord Gerold Grafton, Lord Lyonel and Lyn Corbray, Ser Symond Templeton (inferred), and the support of House Arryn through Robert and Harry.

We open in on Alayne I in TWOW with both sides looking something like this:

**while not the Lord of the House, is a player in TWOW whose house supported the Declarants, so we’re going to include him for kicks.

The Brotherhood of the Winged Knights

Of the players in the Vale, we have a solid core of men competing for a spot in Sweetrobin’s throne room. Sixty-four competitors, and eight to take a place at Robert’s side. The rest is speculative fun, but boy, isn’t that the best part?

** First Men origins *Andal origins/support

With the lay of the battle in mind, who’s going to make it into the Winged Knights- hell, who’s going to make it out alive?

I propose the winners of the Tourney will be a mostly First Men line up, an inversion to the Battle of the Seven Stars, and surrounding Sweetrobin with Bronze Yohn Royce’s First Men; the first step to taking back the Vale. The Vale plot is compared to a chess match by Littlefinger quite often throughout the series, and through the tourney, Royce has his pieces ready to position directly around the “King.”

My Winged Knights draft (albeit I’m not 100% confident in it due to lack of information) looks something like this:

Mychel Redfort

Marwyn Belmore

Uther Shett

Ben Coldwater

Albar Royce

Ser Owen

Targon the Halfwild

New House Upcliff Member*

*this one I’m less sure on, as it’s a nameless member if they do show up, and feel as if George will be giving us a lineup of already known characters. But we shall wait and see!I would love it to be a member of House Upcliff to provide a mirror to the BOTSS.

From Fantasy to Horror

Sansa Stark’s story is filled with fantastical events of whimsy. Dancing lords and ladies, heaping feasts filled with delectable food, knights in shining, bedazzled armor, gallant and handsome steeds. One other common element that presents itself across Sansa’s pages? A splash of horror. The enchanting events Sansa looks forward to attending almost always end up in ruins- and often, in bloodshed. A date on the Trident with her betrothed, the Hand’s Tourney, her father’s “forgiveness” on the Sept of Baelor’s steps, Princess Myrcella’s departure, the Purple Wedding- I mean, we could go on for… five books, really. So let’s tack on a sixth. The Tourney at the Gates of the Moon is littered with guns, loaded and ready to go off. 

Some of these are speculation, some textually based. To tell the truth, this tourney could go so many ways. I don’t think that EVERYTHING on this list will occur, however that they are plot strings hanging, waiting to be grasped or utilized that I’ve noticed/want to touch on.

Sweetrobin’s Sweetsleep

As they waited for the music to resume, Alayne glanced at the dais, where Lord Robert sat staring at them. Please, she prayed, don’t let him start to twitch and shake. Not here. Not now. Maester Coleman would have made certain that he drank a strong dose of sweetmilk before the feast, but even so.

&

Colemon lingered a moment before following. “My lord, this parley might best be left for another day. His lordship’s spells have grown worse since Lady Lysa’s death. More frequent and more violent. I bleed the child as often as I dare, and mix him dreamwine and milk of the poppy to help him sleep, but…

Sweetrobin is sickly and breaks into fits at an alarming and increasing rate. Anything could set his epilepsy and shaking off, and he’s about one good shake of sweetsleep in his milk away from kicking the bucket. Could the Tourney of the Winged Knights hold his death? Will Littlefinger lose hold of the Vale quicker than imagined?

Ser Shadrich

A popular fan theory that I’m sure I don’t need to unravel for you all is Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen, the Mad Mouse (literally he’s from the SHADY Glen, if that doesn’t tip you off), is looking for Sansa Stark (and has stumbled upon her in the Vale), and could possibly make off with her during any of the sizeable events occurring during the tourney.

While textually the idea is there, I don’t foresee Sansa getting kidnapped- TWOW’s Sansalayne arc will hopefully be more of her making a lot of big choices on her own, and reupping on some agency for once. I do think this would be a great time for a failed attempt at kidnapping Sansa— and a great time for the Alayne/Sansa reveal to happen before Littlefinger’s plans take off, and before she’s to wed Harry.

Eustace and Harlan Hunter

He put down his quill. "Redfort and Waynwood are old. One or both of them may die. Gilwood Hunter will be murdered by his brothers. Most likely by young Harlan, who arranged Lord Eon’s death. In for a penny, in for a stag, I always say. Belmore is corrupt and can be bought. Templeton I shall befriend. Bronze Yohn Royce will continue to be hostile, I fear, but so long as he stands alone he is not so much a threat.”

Both Eustace and Harlan claim their oldest brother killed their Lord Father, but Littlefinger claims Harlan, the youngest brother, killed the father. Both Harlan and Eustace seem to be of a young enough age to compete in the Tourney of the Winged Knights, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some brother-on-brother crime happening between Harlan and Eustace. Besides, Littlefinger thinking that Lord Gilwood is next in line to die would be a nice touch- him being close, but missing the mark as Harlan offs Eustace “accidentally” in the tourney. It doesn’t bring Harlan up to Lordship, but it definitely brings him one step closer.

Tollett V Redfort

Torgold Tollett in the Battle of the Seven Stars slayed Lord Redfort and Ursula Upcliff, and was killed via King Robar II Royce slashing at his head with Lady Forlorn. Mychel Redfort killing Andrew Tollett in the Tourney “accidentally” (or whatever could transpire) would be quite a nice nod to the inversion of the BOTSS that I speak about above, and not entirely out of the question. (…and, if, by SOME magical force, Dolorous Edd survives the Long Night…. would give Edd a nice place to plop his butt down post war!)

Mountain Clans

Throughout the first 3 books, the Mountain Clans of the vale are highlighted. Armed by Tyrion, the clans continue to be a dangerous threat to the Vale- even Hyle Hunt is informed enough to tell Brienne about them.

The Freys are up here at the Twins, Darry and Harrenhal are south across the Trident, west he’s got the Blackwoods and the Brackens fighting, and Lord Randyll’s here at Maidenpool. The high road to the Vale is closed by snow, even if he could get past the mountain clans. Where’s a dog to go?” (AFFC, Brienne V)

George lays the Mountain Clans right in our face in a pretty important POV, but when you flip the page… the Mountain Clans are missing from all of Sansa’s Feast chapters. In fact, the last mention of the Mountain Clans in Sansa’s chapters were in a Storm of Swords, Sansa VII. – in a VERY telling paragraph that I’ve already quoted several times, though the relevant information here is:

The mountain clans were being troublesome as well, and old Lord Hunter had died so suddenly that his two younger sons were accusing their elder brother of having murdered him.

With the best fighters and warriors from the Gates of the Moon and across the Vale stationed at the Tourney, the defenses are down… and the mountain clans just so happen to be freshly armed through none other than Sansa’s husband himself, Tyrion Lannister. What a nice wedding gift! I expect to see some tumultuous passages if and when the clans decide to attack.

Lyn Corbray

The venom in his voice was so thick that for a moment she almost forgot that Lyn Corbray was actually her father’s catspaw, bought and paid for. Or was he? Perhaps, instead of being Petyr’s man pretending to be Petyr’s foe, he was actually his foe pretending to be his man pretending to be his foe.

Lyn Corbray, who likes gold and boys, seems to be Littlefinger’s catspaw and man…. But is he? We spend Alayne chapters seeing Baelish from her eyes, but not seeing his thoughts. Where his thoughts truly align, we don’t know, but Lyn Corbray did just get screwed out of Heart’s Home by Littlefinger… So where do his loyalties lie? What does Littlefinger want from him besides sowing discord throughout the Lords Declarant?

I could see Lyn offing Harry in the tourney, a theory that was first brought up by u/SKREEEEEEEE on Reddit if I recall correctly. This Sansa/Harry marriage? Totally not going to happen, guys. This marriage is a blue and red falconed and quartered herring if I ever saw one (literally, a blue and red falconed Herr-dyng) . Could Lyn bring Lady Forlorn out to play at the Tourney of the Winged Knights?

Furthering that thought, it is mentioned several times that Harry isn’t exactly the most skilled Knight:

“And is Ser Harrold with them?” Horrible Ser Harrold. “He is.” Lord Belmore laughed. “I never thought Royce would let him come. Is he blind, or merely stupid?” “He is honorable. Sometimes it amounts to the same thing. If he denied the lad the chance to prove himself, it could create a rift between them, so why not let him tilt? The boy is nowise skilled enough to win a place amongst the Winged Knights.”

&

And may your horse stumble, Harry the Heir, so you fall on your stupid head in your first tilt. She showed the Waynwoods a stone face as they blurted out awkward apologies for their companion. When they were done she turned and fled. Near the keep, she ran headlong into Ser Lothor Brune and almost knocked him off his feet. “Harry the Heir? Harry the Arse, I say. He’s just some upjumped squire.”

&

“Well, I’m not. He may think he’s some great knight, but Ser Lothor says he’s just some upjumped squire.” Petyr put his arm around her. “So he is, but he is Robert’s heir as well.

…..It sounds… as if it would be quite easy to beat Harry in a tilt….

I feel like Alayne II would be too soon for Harry to die in the story- I’d expect him to make it to their wedding, a-la some Harrenbowl style action to take place, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if he got taken out this soon. There’s bound to be some sort of Vale twist in store for us, and I wouldn’t put it past George.

Bonus: A Lady’s Favor

Before I give you some wrap-up ideas, when I originally set out to write this, the focus was going to be on two questions: who will be a Winged Knight for Sweetrobin, and who will Sansa give her favor to? Though those are no longer the main objectives of this work, I did want to touch a little on Sansa’s favor.

He was her first partner of the evening, but far from the last. Just as Petyr had promised, the young knights flocked around her, vying for her favor. After Ben came Andrew Tollett, handsome Ser Byron, red-nosed Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich the Mad Mouse. Then Ser Albar Royce, Myranda’s stout dull brother and Lord Nestor’s heir. She danced with all three Sunderlands, none of whom had webs between their fingers, though she could not vouch for their toes. Uther Shett appeared to pay her slimy compliments as he trod upon her feet, but Ser Targon the Halfwild proved to be the soul of courtesy. After that Ser Roland Waynwood swept her up and made her laugh with mocking comments about half the other knights in the hall. His Uncle Wallace took a turn as well and tried to do the same, but the words would not come. Alayne finally took pity on him and began to chatter happily, to spare him the embarrassment. When the dance was done she excused herself, and went back to her place to have a drink of wine.

&

He has good teeth, she thought, straight and white. And when he smiles, he has the nicest dimples. She ran one finger down his cheek. "Should we ever wed, you’ll have to send Saffron back to her father. I’ll be all the spice you’ll want.” He grinned. “I will hold you to that promise, my lady. Until that day, may I wear your favor in the tourney?” “You may not. It is promised to…another.” She was not sure who as yet, but she knew she would find someone.

The romantic notion of a tourney and a fair young woman all the knights and valiant men are vying for is not something new to ASOIAF. The first passage recounting Sansa’s dance partners is almost a nice nod to a famous Storm of Swords passage.

The crannogman saw a maid with laughing purple eyes dance with a white sword, a red snake, and the lord of griffins, and lastly with the quiet wolf … but only after the wild wolf spoke to her on behalf of a brother too shy to leave his bench.

The similarities and differences between Sansa’s dancing and Ashara’s dancing: Sansa’s dance partners are named, where Ashara’s are not, but this story is more than likely going to end in tragedy, much like Ashara’s is thought to have.

Whoever wears Sansa’s favor is more than likely doomed, as Sansa chapters tend to go. Sansa regaining agency through Littlefinger’s laid plans is wonderful, but his plans are surely to go awry this whole entire book (they’ve been going just a little too smoothly- cough bastard daughter who looks exactly like Sansa Stark mutter). Additionally, Sansa’s first ‘scheme’ as a ‘player’ is surelygoing to bomb.

I personally have assumed Sansa would fail at her first challenge, but her first real success would be towards the end of TWOW, getting one over on Petyr somehow.

The Main Dance Partners

Ben Coldwater

Andrew Tollett

Ser Byron

Ser Morgarth

Ser Shadrich the Mouse

Albar Royce

3 Sunderlands

Uther Shett

Targon the Halfwild

Roland Waynwood

Wallace Raynwood

Harry Hardyng

So who’s my money on? I’m between two players. My bets are on Sansa choosing Ser Byron or Targon the Halfwild, with a strong leaning towards Ser Byron.

“Knights they are,” said Petyr. “Their gallantry has yet to be demonstrated, but we may hope. Allow me to present Ser Byron, Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich. Sers, the Lady Alayne, my natural and very clever daughter … with whom I must needs confer, if you will be so good as to excuse us.” The three knights bowed and withdrew, though the tall one with the blond hair kissed her hand before taking his leave.

&

handsome Ser Byron

While Sansa’s soul is the very brevity of courtesy, and Targon the Halfwild seems to be just that:

Uther Shett appeared to pay her slimy compliments as he trod upon her feet, but Ser Targon the Halfwild proved to be the soul of courtesy.

Although our young she-wolf favors courtesy in her daily actions, she is more than likely going to choose the best looking guy to make Harry jealous… and Ser Byron sure is the handsome, floral, gallant type. While mentioned twice now in text, the hedge knight hasn’t been given a surname or backstory yet… which makes him a disposable character in the long run of the narrative.

Wrapping Up

If you made it this far, I’m impressed. High five yourself. This was long-winded but full of so much information and FUN TO WRITE… that I just couldn’t shorten it. Sansalayne’s arc in TWOW is going to be a wild ride, and whatever does end up happening… has me suffering in anticipation. I guess the biggest question of all of this formatted word vomit begs… what does it mean?

Rough outline? If there’s an inversion of the Battle of the Seven Stars and the First Men are put in a position ready to take the Vale back from the Andals, they’re going to need someone to rally behind. Initially, the rallying will appear behind Royce. But I think they’re going to need someone else to rally behind. Someone with the blood of the First Men running through their veins, someone who comes from a noble family that seems to accrue loyalty from houses not necessarily sworn to them easily, and someone who is courteous and learning to be a leader politically.

and when they come together for his wedding, and you come out with your long auburn hair, clad in a maiden’s cloak of white and grey with a direwolf emblazoned on the back … why, every knight in the Vale will pledge his sword to win you back your birthright.

The exact middle of how we get there is fuzzy- your answers are probably just as good as mine. Whether you believe in Harrenbowl via the hype-bringing writers on Reddit u/hollowaydivision u/big-man-rebornu/godmademedoit (which is an entirely other post in itself, and extremely convincing) or subscribe to the controversial Sansa-raped-by-Baelish-kills-Sweetrobin or Kills-Sweetrobin ideas mentioned by u/megatron_mclargehuge or u/Cygw1n, there are tons of amazing ideas and theories out there to fill in the blanks.

However you look at it, with the loaded guns in the Vale set to go off, Alayne is in a position to be revealed as Sansa Stark VERY soon- possibly lying to save Baelish (he “saved” me! I swear, Lord Royce! Please don’t pop his obnoxiously pointy chin out of its socket!), uniting the First Men and Andal parties that are left in the Vale, pushing her claim and birthright to go home to Winterfell – and hopefully, slay the savage giant in a castle made of snow. ;)

[vileart]

What If The Dramaturgy Falls Out of The Sky?: Dr Anna Harpin @ Edfringe 2017

 …a show for anyone who has ever felt absolutely dreadful

IDIOT CHILD

WHAT IF THE PLANE FALLS OUT OF THE SKY?

AT THE PLEASANCE COURTYARD, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE

FROM 2 – 28 AUGUST 2017

Developed with support from Bristol Old Vic Ferment, Shoreditch Town Hall, and Arts Council England, Bristol-based theatre company Idiot Child are back at The Pleasance for this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their new show, What if the plane falls out of the sky?, running from 2 – 28 August 2017.

The show explores fear, anxiety and the idiosyncratic and frankly absurd strategies we employ to manage our sense of impending doom. The audience join the residents of Fear Camp and together tackle their manifold neuroses with gleeful enthusiasm. Idiot Child likes to look after their audience.

LISTINGS

Venue:  Pleasance (Beneath)

Previews:  Aug 2-4 (£7)  

Dates:  Aug 5-8, 11-13, 18-20, 25-27 (£12)

Aug 9-10, 16-17, 23-24 Aug 2017 (£11)

              Aug 15, 21-22, 28 Aug (£9)

  16:20 (1h 10min)

0131 556 6550 / www.pleasance.co.uk

BY DR ANNA HARPIN, WRITER OF WHAT IF THE PLANE FALLS OUT OF THE SKY? AND CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF IDIOT CHILD. 

What was the inspiration for this performance?

The primary inspiration, in truth, was my horrible experiences of anxiety and despair! I had struggled with a phobia of flying for a few years and eventually came to realise that I wasn’t really scared of flying at all. I was afraid of being alive. 

That probably sounds nonsensical but I think the fear of flying (and therefore dying) stemmed from a really tricky fear of not getting life ‘right’ and then dying feeling a bit like I had massively got it all wrong and wasted my chance. The show explores all these feelings and seems to have really resonated with lots of people so I don’t think I am alone in that experience. This makes the show sound horrifying! It’s not, I promise. If anything it is really life-affirming. 

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

I wouldn’t make any special claim that performance is the space to discuss ideas or want to claim that it has a special capacity that no other art form does. However, I think that it does do certain things well. As a form it is aware of its own unreality and I think that can be really useful insofar as it reminds us that realities and experiences are made with people (rather than just being fixed and ‘out there’) and thus are possible to change if things aren’t right. 

I also think that theatre, at its root, brings bodies in a room to think together. That’s a political action. Or at least has political potential. I think we need to hold on to these spaces for shared thinking and feeling. Part of this show is aiming to alter the ways in which we talk about mental health. The liveness and collectivity of the event amplifies this dynamic of the show. 

How did you become interested in making performance?

Idiot Child formed as a company a few years ago. We wanted to make work that celebrated those voices and experiences that are often pushed to the side. Our shows are populated by misfits and loners and people who are not strangers to feeling absolutely dreadful about themselves. 

Our work tries to celebrate these figures and make friends with feelings and experiences such as loneliness, failure, inadequacy and so forth. Again, this probably makes the show sound really bleak but it is curiously joyful! Audiences have left remarking how uplifted they feel. But crucially they feel uplifted in relation to being their own weird self. Too much therapy is aimed at making us ‘normal’. We are using art to help us feel more alright being abnormal. 

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

We work through a combination of writing and devising. I tend to bring a working draft of the script to rehearsals and then we set about devising from this and further developing the world and the characters. I will then go away and redevelop the script in light of what we have done as an ensemble and it goes back and forth like this. 

We work collaboratively and playfully but most importantly, because there is always a strong autobiographical element to the shows we are keen to involve the actors in the ensemble in the making so that they feel invested and their lives texture and enhance the work. 

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

It is certainly in a similar vein yes. Our work is often likened to other black comedy (usually TV) such as The League of Gentlemen, or The Mighty Boosh, and this piece is of a similar style. It doesn’t surprise me that we get compared to TV because many of my main influences are people like Vic and Bob, but also because our work is perhaps more of a hybrid form that mixes up theatre, live art, TV comedy styles and so on. 

Thematically too it is related to our previous work. However, I suppose it is perhaps a bolder, more ambitious piece than we have tried before. This is our third full length show and we are growing in confidence each time so this feels like a braver piece of work. 

We have started work on our next show – All I need is the air that you breathe – and this too is more ambitious again. So yes, it is aesthetically and thematically related but is pushing the form and ideas further. 

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

We hope that audiences experience two main things. Firstly, that they come to theatre and have a really fun and slightly weird experience. We want to make work that is joyful to be with so that is our first goal. The second aim is that the audience leave feeling just a smidge better about themselves and how hard it can be to be alive sometimes. 

We don’t stake any great claims that this show is therapeutic. That is absolutely not our goal. We just want to begin a playful conversation that invites an audience to think that, actually, they’re alright and that the shit stuff we all experience is common to us all. 

So, I suppose we hope the audience will experience joy and a bit of self-acceptance. And they get a free mojito so maybe they will also experience being a bit drunk at half four in the afternoon. Win win win. 

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

The audience is central to all of our work and we work extremely hard to make sure that they have a positive experience of the theatre. There is a lot of direct address and audience interaction and perhaps the thing that we are most proud of is that audience members often comment that they wish they had volunteered to join in with particular moments. 

We want to make joining in fun and exciting as opposed to the horror it can be! In this sense, we spend a lot of time thinking about how we craft the invitation to participate. The audience is very much the fourth character in the show and that means each performance is fascinatingly different depending on the vibe of the group we have in. 

The cast really love this dynamic and I think that is infectious. So I suppose our strategies are all geared towards the audience having a great time and feeling free to join in as much or as little as they want. We also have several treats for an audience so in this sense one strategy we use is good old fashioned blackmail. Frazzles anyone?

Everyone receives a Fear Party Bag and complimentary in-flight drinks & snacks during the show. Mojitos & Frazzles give everyone a boost. 

What if the plane falls out of the sky? is a funny, tender and unusual show about feelings we all recognise: 

‘What if how I feel about the world and myself at 4am, what if that is the truth? What if the only reason the plane is able to stay in the sky is because I am thinking really encouraging thoughts about the wings?

What if God does exist but I’m not allowed to go to heaven and everyone else is because they all hedged their bets and prayed in secret? What if I get killed in an avalanche and most people are just slightly relieved because now they don’t have to read my novel?’

The show has just completed an eight-venue tour including Bristol, London and the Brighton Fringe. James Pidgeon, Director of Shoreditch Town Hall, says of the show:

“Full of joy, hope, laughter and sadness, this is a very special return from the brilliantly inventive Idiot Child. What if the plane falls out of the sky? embraces all the messy, unpredictable and hilarious things that life chucks at us and whilst you’ll undoubtedly leave the performance with a light-hearted skip in your step, there’s also something deeply moving to take away from the experience”. 

Idiot Child is a theatre company based in Bristol who make playful and peculiar work about how hard it is to be alive sometimes. They create unusual stories based on autobiography and always place the audience at the centre of their work. 

Short-listed for a Total Theatre Award in category of Shows by an Emerging Company/Artist 2013

The co-artistic directors of Idiot Child are Dr Anna Harpin and Susie Riddell.  

Anna, who is the writer and director of the show, is Associate Professor of Theatre and Performance at Warwick University.  Her recent writing/directing credits with the company include I Could’ve Been Better, You’re Not Doing It Right, and Isle of Shame. 

Susie Riddell is a familiar name on BBC Radio 4, playing Tracy Horrobin in The Archers, and having been a member of the Radio Drama Company. Susie trained as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Theatre includes Other Desert Cities (The Old Vic), Knife Act (Birmingham Rep/HEARTH), and You’re Not Doing It Right (Idiot Child/Tobacco Factory). For BBC Radio 3 and 4 Susie has played lead roles in Frankenstein, 1984, Mrs Dalloway, The Great Gatsby and Tamburlaine amongst many others. Television includes: Gavin & Stacey, Doctors, Emmerdale, Saxondale. She sings with the City of London Choir. Her other job is being mum to her 2 year old daughter.

Emma Keaveney-Roys is an actress, improviser and singer. She is an associate artist of the Wardrobe Theatre in Bristol, and has devised and performed in many of their shows including Rocky: A Horror Show and Goldilock, Stock and Three Smoking Bears. Emma will be sprinting between venues during the Festival as she is performing in Goldilock, Stock and Three Smoking Bears at 18.10 at Zoo Sanctuary -  What if the plane falls out of the sky?  finishes at 17.30 at Pleasance!

Adam Fuller is a widely experienced performer, puppeteer and director.  He works regularly with companies including Pickled Image, Soap Soup, Green Ginger, and Idiot Child. Adam is a co-founder and director of Open Attic Company and directed their first family show Much Ado About Puffin, which is currently touring the U.K.  Adam also helped devise and directed the hugely successful Goldilock, Stock and Three Smoking Bears for The Wardrobe Theatre.

What if the plane falls out of the sky? runs from 2 – 28 August (excl. 14 August) at the Pleasance Courtyard. Tickets, priced £9 - 12 (concessions and preview prices available) are available from The Pleasance Box Office online at www.pleasance.co.uk and by telephone: 0131 556 6550.

Website: idiotchild.com   Twitter: @Idiotchildco   Facebook: http://ift.tt/2tODg9Q

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 9.0px Times; min-height: 11.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: right; font: 12.0px Times; color: #1dbfbb} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; color: #1dbfbb; min-height: 14.0px} p.p5 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 16.0px Arial} p.p6 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 12.0px Arial} p.p7 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px} p.p8 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Times} p.p9 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 11.0px Times; min-height: 13.0px} p.p10 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'} p.p11 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 12.0px} p.p12 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 11.0px Times; color: #515151} p.p13 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 11.0px Times; color: #515151; min-height: 13.0px} p.p14 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 11.0px Times} p.p15 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 28.4px; text-align: justify; font: 11.0px Times; min-height: 13.0px} p.p16 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Times; min-height: 13.0px} p.p17 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 12.0px} li.li14 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 11.0px Times} span.s1 {font: 9.0px Times} span.s2 {font: 12.0px Arial} span.s3 {font: 11.0px Times} span.s4 {font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000} span.s5 {font: 11.0px 'Times New Roman'} span.s6 {color: #ff2600} span.s7 {text-decoration: underline} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre} ul.ul1 {list-style-type: disc} from the vileblog http://ift.tt/2vbv5I7

[uomo-accattivante]

[donalsgirl]

Irish Independent interview with Oscar Isaac

Oscar Isaac on the Coen brothers: 'They've been like godfathers to me'

Oscar Isaac tells our film critic about his special relationship with the Coen brothers and why he wished he had been able to film some of his Star Wars scenes in Ireland

Three years ago, Oscar Isaac was an obscure actor in his mid-30s who didn't seem to be going anywhere very fast. Small parts in films like Che, Robin Hood and Madonna's disastrous Wallis Simpson biopic W.E. hadn't attracted much notice, and he was still auditioning for theatre plays and TV shows when the Coen brothers asked him to try out for their 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis.

A wry drama set in 1960s Greenwich Village and telling the story of a struggling folk musician, it was a role tailor-made for Issac, who's a musician himself and still regularly performs. He got the part, was nominated for a Golden Globe and suddenly every casting agent in Hollywood was interested in him.

He's chosen his subsequent projects well. After an eye-catching turn in Hossein Amini's underrated Cold War thriller The Two Faces of January, Issac co-starred with Jessica Chastain in JC Chandor's gripping 1970s thriller A Most Violent Year, giving a performance so intense some likened him to a young Al Pacino.

He played a creepy inventor obsessed with creating the perfect sentient robot in Alex Garland's beautifully orchestrated science-fiction chiller Ex Machina, then turned up in the most celebrated sci-fi franchise of all, starring opposite Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Adam Driver in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a daring rebel fighter pilot who takes Daisy Ridley's character under his wing.

He has had luck, which he acknowledges, but also the courage to tackle demanding roles, and his latest film plumbs the horrors of the Armenian genocide during World War One. In Northern Irish director Terry George's drama The Promise, which opens here next Friday, Isaac plays an ambitious young Armenian from a small country town who arrives in Istanbul to study medicine on the eve of World War One. The Ottoman Empire enters that conflict with typical bluster, but within a year, the Turkish government begins a covert attempt to annihilate its Armenian minority. "To my great shame, I didn't know much at all about it," Isaac tells me. "I'd heard about it vaguely, but had no idea of the scale so when I read more, I was surprised, shocked, appalled, moved, and wondered why it was so unknown. It's so close in a way, and yet so on the cusp of being lost to history so I felt like it was extra special to be part of a film being made about this subject, you know?"

His character, Mikael, arrives in Istanbul with high hopes for a future that's about to be taken away from him in the most brutal and unexpected way. But he's no saint himself: he's engaged to a girl from his village whose dowry is helping pay his college fees, but falls in love with a glamorous society beauty played by Charlotte Le Bon.

"I think the hope in creating these fictional characters," Isaac says, "and this love story in the middle of it all, was that they're very relatable things.

"The idea of coming from a small town and wanting to go to the big city and make something of yourself, and you fall in love with someone that maybe you shouldn't, these kind of things happen to people every day all around the world.

"And then within that, to have those things stripped away by these horrible events, I think that is hopefully what allows people to make parallels to what's happening now. It becomes not abstract, but very personal.

"Mikael just kind of gets buffeted by the winds of fortune, and he reacts to them in much the same way the average person would. And it's just a reminder that things like this are happening right now."

The Promise is unlikely to get a release in Turkey, however, as Ankara has never formally acknowledged that the genocide happened, or taken any responsibility for it. "It's unfortunate," Isaac says, "and it's a tactic we still see today with a lot of governments, you know, admit nothing, deny everything."

The Armenians had always been second-class citizens in the Ottoman Empire, despised for their Christian faith and distinctive customs, but in the spring of 1915, while the rest of the world was distracted by the Great War, the Turkish authorities began a covert and systematic campaign of terror and repression that seemed consciously designed to wipe the Armenians off the face of the earth.

Able-bodied men were either massacred on the spot or slowly worked to death in forced labour camps, while women, children and the elderly were marched into the Syrian deserts to die. Between 1915 and the early 1920s, it's estimated that about half of the Ottoman Empire's Armenian population, or 1.5 million people, were wiped out - and many others fled to the US and elsewhere to survive.

In approaching this enormous, daunting subject, Issac tried to focus on his own character first because "that's where everything starts for me".

"I needed to figure out what does he have to know, and what do I need to know about living in a small village in the Ottoman Empire around this time, what of the relationships between Turks and Armenians - what was it that went so horribly wrong?

"The scene that hooked me into the project in the first place was the one in the forest when Mikael finds his family and his entire village slaughtered: every time I would read that, it was very moving for me, so then it was like, well, what will allow that to happen. And so I listened to recordings of the survivors of the genocide recounting their stories, where they'd talk about their grandmothers being bayoneted to death by the gendarmes, babies being left under trees and marching out in the desert to die of thirst.

"All that kind of stuff you have swirling around inside your head so then when you're in that moment, and you see those people, you don't have to stretch so hard, you know."

The shoot, he says, was tough going. "I think there was something like 18, 19 different cities and towns that we shot in throughout Spain, in all kinds of conditions, and it was exhausting. It was one of the most challenging films I've been a part of on a physical level, but also emotionally."

But his performance holds the film together, and demonstrates once again why Issac is one of the most sought after leading men in Hollywood.

Handsome but not especially tall, Oscar has a kind of everyman quality, and an ability to move easily between very different types of role.

Raised in Miami and trained at the exclusive Juilliard School, he made his professional acting debut at 19 in a forgettable film called Illtown. TV and theatre work followed, and in 2005 he played Joseph in Catherine Hardwicke's controversial biblical drama Nativity Story. But the 2000s were slow for the young actor: he was almost too versatile, too good at disappearing into forgettable character roles. Well-received appearances in Robin Hood (as the villainous King John) and Nicolas Winding Refn's thriller Drive were a step in the right direction, but it was the Coen brothers who really changed everything for Isaac.

The Coen brothers had a very hard time casting the role of Llewyn Davis, the earnest folk singer whose attempts to breakthrough in early 1960s Greenwich Village will be entirely overshadowed by the arrival of Bob Dylan. In fact, according to Ethan Coen, they were "screwed until Oscar showed up".

The character of Davis was partly inspired by the 1960s singer Dave Van Ronk, and Isaac's initial audition involved performing one of his songs.

"I sent them a video of me playing a Van Ronk song," he recalls with a smile, "and based off of that, they decided to bring me in. So I auditioned in front of them, and about three weeks later I found out that I'd got the part."

The role might have been written for him, combining the kind of intense character he excels in playing with plenty of singing and guitar playing.

"It was the crowning achievement for me that I was able to do that," he says, "not only because it involved all of the things that I love, but because out of that, I developed a friendship with Joel and Ethan. They've been kind of like godfathers for me with everything I've done post-Llewyn, and it's such a special film for me.

"Doing Inside Llewyn Davis opened up so many opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise, and I've been working more or less non-stop ever since."

Oscar's ascent continues apace: later this year he'll star in the George Clooney/Coen brothers comedy Suburbicon, and after that he'll resume his collaboration with Alex Garland in the eagerly anticipated sci-fi thriller Annihilation. And then there's the little matter of The Last Jedi, the next instalment of the Star Wars franchise that's out at Christmas and is likely to be the biggest film of the year.

"My whole family were huge Star Wars fans," he says, "so doing the first one was a surreal experience. Unfortunately, I didn't get to shoot in Ireland for this one. I've never been, but I'd really love to."

Source

[fyrapartnersearch]

Lookin' for new partners!

Hello! I’m Rensin, and I’m lookin’ for people to RP with. You can call me Rick, Rensin—by one of my character’s names if you would rather, anything at all really! As long as it’s somewhat nice.

I live in the central timezone, but I’m around quite a bit thanks to my phone, so time doesn’t have too much of a restraint on me unless we are talking about the other side of the world here, in which case I do have to sleep sometime. However, soon… unfortunately, I’ll be looking for new employment due to company changes, so I’ll have some more spare time on my hands.

Now! To the nitty gritty. What I’m looking for. I’m looking for OC RP, though I do like RPing in established universes like Skyrim, GTA locations… anywhere at all really, and I usually like to RP completely original type of things.

I only like to do MxF with me as the male (Though I will say I’m comfortable with playing female chars in a FxF scenario), and I do prefer to RP along with women, though really your gender is no concern to me in the long run. I do however like to get friendly with the people I rp with OOC, so having a nice chat here and there and maybe getting to know my partner in crime is always fun too. If you just want straight RP and have no desire in socializing, I might not be for you!

I do have a tendency to be a bit of a flirt OOC as well—if that makes you uncomfortable it’s fine with me as we all come from different walks, but set that line for me—I’ll likely ask you right away on our boundaries to be set when we interact at first. I prefer to RP with single females (If you’re married/seeing someone that’s fine! Just if it gets awkward for me I might bow out, but I’m all ‘bout discussion! Same goes for you, I prefer someone that’s able to talk to me rather than outright ditching) as it’s more of a comfort factor for me.

What I have in mind are things like this:

Space adventure: First one would be a “Space adventure” of sorts. We go into space, we explore… we get into trouble. My char would have a ship, and we’d both work on said ship doing smuggling, mercenary runs… all those sorts of things.

Steampunk Airship: This one is one I’ve worked on for a while. Basically, my char and a lot of others have an airship that’s designed to be fast, and deliver time sensitive and important mail. This one to me is fun because it’s sort of a… well, I guess you could call it steampunk. Airships, odd steam-based technology… war, strife, intrigue. It’s basically set in a world that has been literally torn apart by war for thousands of years.

Contact me for more detail on that one!

Zombie/Apocolypse/Mad Max-like/Dystopian: I lump these all together because these have always been hit or miss for me. I’ve had RP partners that would RP stuff out in these settings, then immediately leave like a day after. Not saying I’m bad at them, just saying that I don’t think it’s my best stuff—not that I don’t have fun doing them.

Modern Fantasy: This goes in the vein of WhiteWolf world of darkness stuff, or even Shadowrun. Modern setting with Werewolves, Vampires, Angels, Demons… what have you. Or elves, orcs, dwarves? I’ll do it. Sounds like fun, set me up. I can come up with some ideas.

Crime/Mercenary Group/Smugglers: I mentioned Grand Theft Auto—and this would sort of be like that. Or that crappy APB game.

So, there’s an idea I’ve been playing with for over ten years. Basically it’s a group that can be either criminals, or mercenaries… and this group wants to control a strife ridden city. Through either physical force, or money—both ways are acceptable to them. They are hard as nails type of people, that love to fight and fornicate.

Along with that of course comes territory wars, disputes with officials of said city, and lots and lots of collateral damage.

Dark Science Fiction/Cyber Punk: I love settings like the older Shadowrun, or movies like Bladerunner and The Fifth Element. Gritty scenery mixed with technology and a world rife with problems. Detectives that have seen too much shit and want to move on up in the world, even if that means getting a higher level apartment in the giant glass monolithic towers that pollute the cities.

In that sorta scenario we can collaborate and come up with something. I love playing a grizzled detective that’s had a bad past with the local police department, or some sort of bounty hunter.

Farm/Harvest Moon-like: Okay, so—I love Harvest Moon, I love Stardew Valley, and I love the Rune Factory games. I would love to RP something that’s a little slice-of-life like game where I have a char that owns a farm, and is trying to get to know people through a series of events. He could also be an aspiring dungeon delver—really the setting could go anywere. This one can be fleshed out more as we talk.

Xcom/Earth Defence/Alien Hunters: I think it’d be fun to have an RP where we have some characters (either a couple or a group) that hunt aliens to defend or even take back the Earth. A tight-knit group/couple that use high tech weapons, armor, and other means to take the fight to the nasties that threaten the world.

The group gets close, and well… if unfortunate things happen, it could be some real sad stuff to see them go defending not only their home, but the ones they love.

Slice of Life: This one is broad. Very broad. Young friends finally seeking romance between each other, or a writer gets to know his neighbor better. Usually I like these ones to be a little smut-heavy to make up for the drama, but it’s always up for discussion how we can spice it up. Story is always up for debate too.

A group goes to "Another Universe": Basically, a group of people from our very normal world go into another universe, where they find they are stronger, have special abilities, and are trying to stop that world from flowing over into ours. Can be dark, and gritty... the other space can be unforgiving and full of dangerous monsters. I kinda took inspiration for this one from anime, various movies, and various videogames.

I like the idea of a group of people hiding this while figuring out the best way to live their lives, hiding this huge secret that there's a whole other dangerous universe, and no one even knows they are saving the world by going there and stopping the evil creatures in it.

That’s all fine and nice Rensin, but tell us about you.

Okay! Great. So, I’m a 32 year old man, who is looking for someone that’s 18+ to RP with. I need to know your age, so please inform me before adding me. To me that’s just nice to know, because I intend to get into some heavy subjects.

Which brings me to this. Smut? Violence? Yes. I do both. When it comes to it, I love having these things in my RP. Story and good dialogue is a must, as well as humor—but so are adult themes like sex and horrors of life. I will likely ask you what kinks you have, and how we can incorporate them into RP. I don’t again want RP that’s centered only around sex, but I do want to discuss how it will go down when we have it go that way.

I don’t have many limits. As long as it’s not pooing or peeing it’s all kinda whatever to me. I could even say that when it comes to the idea of “Dom vs. Sub” that I’d be more inclined to play a dom. I’ve done sub and it just feels… awkward to me, mostly because I want to come out on top? No pun intended.

I’ll run down more things I want with sexuality in RP as I don’t want to turn this into something not so safe for people to view—and I’ll ask you the same!

And what do you play over?

Discord! E-mail is too slow and bothersome for me, and I don’t bother with facebook/tumblr too much (Yeah I know, I’m putting an add up here.), so I do Discord.

My discord is Rensin#6700. You’ll know it’s me ‘cause I’m the picture of the bearded cartoon guy from one of the Harvest Moon games. Depending on if you see this later on, it may change.

Let me know what you want to do, your age, comfort levels, if you’re fine with OOC discussion and topics to avoid; and maybe even a little about yourself. :) Chatting a little before, getting to know you is great! I love people, and I consider myself friendly!

I look forward to hearing from my fellow nerds, so see you there!