#if you like any of the ccs involved you should read it

[strifesolution]

little fic announcement: we got another chapter done, so this would normally be the point where we’d post what’s already been written, since we write in advance. however, since the last two updates were almost back to back, we’re gonna give it another few days to update. we’re reaching the peak parts of this story now, and wanna give anyone who wants to catch up a good chance to, so now’s a good a time as any!!

you can read five rounds, six cylinders HERE!

[speakergame]

Progress Update - 3/4/24

Hello and happy March!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? 😅 Well, I finally have some good news for you this time: I have some actual news!

I'm happy to be able to announce at last that an update is on its way! I’ve still got some assets to make and code cleanup and testing to finish, but I should finally have something to show you soon.

I’ll put a cut at the end of this and go into more detail about the what and why of what I’ve been working on during this long and unintended hiatus, but the tl;dr is that I hope to have an update out by the end of the month, and that said update will break any saves made in Chapter 4. Unfortunate, but unavoidable, since Chapter 4 had to be recoded from the beginning 😞

I just want to thank all of you once again for sticking with me through my extended silence! Especially to my patrons who’ve put up with me putting everything on pause month after month while I dealt with my real life shit, and to everyone who’s sent me kind and supportive messages to let me know Speaker hasn’t been forgotten. It really means a lot to me.

Okay, enough of that sappy shit! I’m gonna get back to work finishing this up 😁 I’ll put out another update later this month once I have a more definite release date.

Thank you all for reading! I hope you’re having a fantastic 2024 so far, and that the rest of the week treats you kindly. See y’all soon! 💙💙💙

(For those who want a more detailed breakdown on what’s been happening and what to expect, hit the readmore)

I won’t go into the personal life stuff I’ve been dealing with this past year that has slowed down my work, but as far as the actual game goes: 

To put it simply, I just wasn’t happy with it. Some of it could be because of how many times I had to reread the same section while I was coding the scenes that would’ve taken place after the last update, but no matter how much I edited or rearranged it, I didn’t like how that scene turned out. There was something… formulaic that had been happening with the way I always laid out scenes, and a bit of stagnation in the story, character, and relationship development that bothered me.

So I rewrote it. And when I still didn’t like it, I rewrote it again. And I still didn’t like it. I thought about scrapping the whole thing on more than one occasion as I struggled to get out of the corner I’d written myself into.

Inspiration finally struck at the beginning of this year, thanks in part to another interactive novel I follow, and I really like the direction I’ve taken it now. 

Instead of the RO split scenes happening where the last one left off, Speaker, Seer, and Gavin are gonna have a chat about Things™ to move the next story arc forward. Then Speaker will get some downtime, by themself at first and then in an extended scene split with the RO of their choosing. 

All the Big Plot Things that were going to happen in Chapter 4 will be moved to Chapter 5 instead, and 4 will be a bit more of a filler episode. A deep breath before the plunge, as it were.

This split won’t just be a quick conversation/reaction from the RO, but a full on different direction for the rest of the chapter based on who you choose. Most of them will involve leaving the house; all of them will involve actual one-on-one time (or one-on-two time, as the case may be) away from the others. And though romance isn’t required, all of them will have the potential to really move the romance forward if you so choose. One or two might even have a lock-in choice (maybe. I’m not 100 percent on that, so don’t hold me to it) 

These scenes won’t be in the next update, because they’re all very complex, but the update will definitely have the Seer chat and at least some of the by-yourself stuff. The update after will have the rest of the alone time stuff (including the clothes/body CC you’ve all been waiting for), and then the one after will start the RO scenes. I think.

I may actually split the RO scenes into separate updates, and let my darlings over at Patreon vote for the order they’re released. That way I can focus on one at a time instead of trying to split my attention six ways at once.

Okay, that’s enough rambling for me today. Time to get back to work! Still got a lot to get done before this is ready, but it’s so close now.

[minervamagicka]

[SSO Conversion] TS4 Dressage Saddle

At last! It is nigh! Includes 3 different saddles in 2 different polycounts (~13 swatches), with 1 saddlepad overlay (~14 swatches) that is universal to them all. Full LODs & maps.

If you post anything involving this saddle to tumblr & tag me in it, I'll be reblogging!

Important info, additional previews, TOU and download below the cut!

By myself & Schrodcat @ DA 🖤

Choosing a Version

First things first; in the download folder there are two different .rar files to choose from. One is labelled Highpoly and the other is labelled Maxispoly. YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE. THEY WILL OVERRIDE EACHOTHER IF YOU INSTALL BOTH HIGHPOLY AND MAXISPOLY TOGETHER.

The Highpoly version of the saddles is the original mesh resolution from Star Stable Online (which is surprisingly high-quality). However, taking into account the 3D pad and whether there are stirrups or not, it pushes the saddle very far out of EA's expected polycount range (the LOD0 on the Highpoly w/ stirrups clocks in at ~6,044 polys) which is why we have labelled this version as Highpoly. We offer it primarily for simmers who plan to be taking screenshots vs actually playing the game for extended periods of time, or for those with stronger PCs.

The Maxispoly version of the saddle is a decimated version of the mesh intended to be more in-line with Maxis polycounts, and therefore be more performance-friendly. It's about 50% less dense in polys than the Highpoly counterpart (LOD0 on the Maxis w/ stirrups clocks in at ~3,021 polys), however it is still higher-poly than the EA saddles, but again this is because it includes additional mesh details like a 3D saddlepad and/or stirrups, just bear that in mind. This version is for simmers who might have weaker PCs or intend to primarily play the game with the saddles.

Once you've chosen between Highpoly and Maxispoly for your saddle, you'll want to grab the saddlepad overlay .package. This saddlepad (it is found in blankets in CAS) acts like an accessory overlay you'd see for Human content, where it will replace the saddlepad texture on your saddle. You can use the saddlepad overlay without the saddle, but it's not exactly designed for that, as it's designed to match the UVs of the 3D saddlepad. It's unlikely it would fit the EA saddle or any other saddles as just as a flat 2D texture.

All the parts included have custom thumbnails, with the EA fit version having a special identifier.

That concludes all the required reading. Please note that the Realistic Fit of the saddles is not going to line up with EA riding animations and may stretch horribly on them, too. This is because it was rigged and weighted specifically for pose makers. It should look fine when posing. If you want a saddle to fit the EA animations, then the EA Fit version is precisely that, and is meant for gameplay exclusively. The saddlepad overlays are cross-compatible between the Realistic Fit and EA Fit saddles, & any custom saddlepads made by other creators, provided they're intended to fit the UVs, will also be cross-compatible!

Custom Saddlepad Resources (CC Creators Only)

Disclaimer: If you're not a CC Creator you can skip this section and move on to the TOU & download!

If you're interested in making your own saddlepad overlays, I highly recommend cloning the saddlepad overlay included in this download as a starting point. This saddlepad/blanket actually has a "mesh" attached to it (it's just the part of the horse GEOM where the saddlepad texture is) to allow for full normal maps, allowing for better-detail in your saddlepads. Otherwise, you can clone the EA saddlepads and just replace the diffuses with ones you make to fit this saddle, it just won't have that extra jazz.

Anyways, included the folder is a .psd file which is meant to help streamline making saddlepads to fit this mesh (and any future Dressage Saddle meshes/swatches) - There's a guide in the .psd but in general, just keep your textures within the mask/provided guide UVs in the .psd and you'll be golden!

Terms of Use

Credit/link to me AND Schrodcat AND note it is a conversion from SSO if you intend to edit, replicate or otherwise use this .package, meshes & textures as a base for your own derivative work. Additionally, at this time, we both ask you do not backport this model or its' textures to TS3.

Do not sell or post behind a paywall, even a timed one. This tumblr is anti-paywall to the extreme. This includes any content that might be created under Rule One. Do not do this. I will think you are an asshole. I have had issues with this in the past and my tolerance for it is absolutely zero. Additionally this asset is exported from a copyrighted game with the intention of it being used transformatively for derivative fanworks; it may be actually illegal to profit from it!

Do not reupload. If you let me know if there's an issue with SFS, I'll reupload it myself. Please link to this post or to the .package on SFS when sharing.

Credits: SSO for the base mesh & textures; Schrodcat with fitting the meshes & testing/screenshots, me for putting it all together into one diabolical package.

Download [SFS]

☕ Buy me a coffee!

☕ Buy SchrodCat a coffee!

[morrigan-sims]

The Storyteller's Guild REBOOT - a simblr story discord

I made this server almost 18 months ago, but life got kind of busy and it fell to the wayside. But I've been DESPERATE to find like-minded simblrs. So, my best friend, who also helps mod this server, managed to persuade me to reboot this server and give it another chance at life, and we have some new ideas on how to make this server more active and involved!

Features:

A section for non-storytelling sims stuff including builds, CAS, edits, cc finds and wcifs.

Extensive storytelling section, including channels for worldbuilding, character development, story help, collabs, writing resources, and prompts.

Monthly (at least) writing and character development prompts! (also monthly CAS challenges, maybe??)

Sections for nonsims interests such as music, other video games, art, and reading!

Pet pics channel for your daily does of cute.

Channel for cc/pose making!

Color & pronoun roles, plus opt-in bonus channels.

+ more!

We're always open to suggestions on how to improve the server, so if you have any, send them my way! <3

Interested? Here's the requirements:

18+ server, adults only. (NSFW content allowed in designated channels / with spoilers)

Has an active simblr blog! (You don't need to be actively posting a story, but you should be posting and interacting on simblr to at least some degree.)

Want to be a part of a community! (We want this server to be active and a welcoming place. I understand that life gets busy and you don't need to be active 24/7, but if you're never going to talk or participate in the server, you won't be getting anything out of it.)

Don't be an asshole. (Bigotry of any kind will not be tolerated. Everyone is welcome in this server.)

if that applies to you, click here to join.

[booksandmore]

I’m sorry but CC only has herself to blame for making TMI known as “the incest books” in all of the reading communities outside of TSC fandom.

She herself ruined TMI becoming as big as it could’ve been & TSC in general by putting incest in all 6 books of TMI…That’s why no one posts about it on Booktwt or Booktok..

There’s no point in being upset at readers judging TMI for having incest in it when that’s a valid criticism.. Clace kissed multiple times for three books all while not being officially sure whether or not they were related or not..then CC got petty & doubled down on the incest after being criticized for it already & had Clary kiss her biological brother in book three after people already hated it with Clace in the first two books.

Clary’s brother almost rapes her in book five and tries kissing her in the last book. TSC is not GOT where it gets a pass. Non TSC stans really want a LI calling his girlfriend’s Dad his own Dad 💀 Jace was calling Clary’s brother his brother while being romantically involved with Clary. Just because he was adopted by Valentine as a kid didn’t make it normal for Cassie to have Jace call himself a Morgenstern or to call his girlfriend’s brother his own brother.

TMI hate = CC’s own fault.. any TMI stan bitterness should be directed at her own questionable writing choices. Sorry but seeing TMI stans hating that TMI is judged for this all when it’s the authors own fault is weird yk? It’s been too long, Cassie understands why TMI gets hate. As a TMI stan it makes me upset that she dragged the incest on the entire series because I can’t proudly ever talk about Clace, Seb or TMI as a whole because she got weird with the writing in that series on purpose to spite people who criticized the incest in Books 1-2. It was petty for her to drag on incest for that long knowing people hated it..It’s her fault.

I’m tired of people outside of the fandom being judged for not liking the incest for Clary with two Mmc’s when..it’s valid not to like or be comfortable with. TMI stans always having to make excuses for her too is even sadder bc it’s not our fault or other readers’ it’s the authors fault for putting that in a fun YA series that didn’t need incest AT ALL. That’s probably why the show was a flop and the movie, no one could take the series seriously with that arc for Clary with Jace and her brother Sebastian..

no yes i totally get it!! it is frusterating to see tmi get dismissed but im not gonna force anyone to do anything they dont like. it’s valid to not want to interact with something cause it grosses you out, i’ve definitly done that before as well. we all have our limits and that’s okay!! that said feel free to ignore the rest of this i just wanted to explain my thoughts more thoroughly but it got a bit long😭you might not like anon sorry

first of, i do admit it’s been a while since my reread and also, i haven’t touched the other series since i first read them so i can really only speak for tmi rn, and if i get anything wrong that’s on me

i should probably clarify that my original posts were create because i was just so baffled that people were sayong cc has some kind of incest kink and that’s why she was forcing it into her books. like?? an author choosing to engage with darker taboo topics doesn’t mean they’re into it im pretty sure. its not like i know her personally, but if she had a kink i sort of suspect it would show up in the rest of her books yk? is it really that hard to imagine that she’d include it for a reason?😭

for me, maybe because i’m used to books like the secre t history or older classics, i tend to look past the taboo of it and focus on what it does for the story/reveals about charchterization, if that makes sense?

i think that tmi is very much about family, and sebastian having these fucked up views about family (where he mistakes romantic love for familial love) really goes to show how horrible valentine was as a father, and how terribly he was treated and how desperate he was for love. i think he doesnt know what it means to be loved by family and that’s why he substitutes it with something else. cause i think that deep down inside he does have a normal brotherly love for clary, its just that he doesnt know any other way to show that

for me the incest thing is a plot device and it frusterates me how no one wants to engage with it that way. could it have been done differently? probabaly. but they don’t even try to examining why it’s there at all! they don’t bother analyzing or asking, hey, does the author have any particular reason for putting this here, or writing it the way she did? they just dismiss it as gross and go away. but i really do think it has a purpose and point in the story that gets lost on a lot of people

the thing is, it’s meant to be uncomfortable! it’s meant to be gross! it should weird you out!! i doubt cc meant it to be viewed positively, especially when neither the charchters nor the narrative does. it’s meant to show how badly these adults and this society have fucked up these children, and robbed them of being able to love freely and safely yk?

most of my frusteration really just comes from how puritanical fandom has been. you can choose not to engage with something if it grosses you out, that’s fine and valid and we’ve all done that before. but looking down on someone for wanting to engage with it objectively is??? i think it’s just etiquette to not engage with what you don’t like. block the tag. curate your own experience. that kinda stuff

again anon if you chose to read this anyway i really do respect and understand what you’re saying. i’m really sorry if i came across as mean or rude but like. i really really love tmi and i cannot tolerate it being dismissed like that

[pommunist]

disappointing to hear from the ex twitteradmins that they and the current twt admins have heard literally nothing from quackity of whoever else is doing the investigations and they also have to find out from twitter like everyone else. apparently they have a seperate discord server but they were still mistreated and should also be talked to (@/Gaelleilei & @/ibobidou both ex admins for qsmpFRA have said this)

I hope you don’t mind anon, I will use ur ask to share some updates on the situation. I just checked the twitter accounts you mentioned and yes it seems that so far they haven’t been made aware of any changes regarding the twitted admins side of things.

As for thé server admins side, Léa made more tweets about it and what she knows so far :

« To be real clear: I want to be transparent, I really want to bring you all good news about the restructuration of the server. I'm really sad to see it is not possible.

What I saw is: The actors have been kicked out of Quackity Studio, not knowing if they would ever be back.

The voluntary people that worked for the twitter update accounts have been revoked from their access to their old tchat and account.

The admin that sent me threats, encouraged drama, is still on the server.

No French admin is included in the revamp of the studio. »

Someone asked if by « actors », Lea meant the roleplayers (and cited pomme as a example) and Lea said yes.

UPDATE : It doesn’t mean admins have been fired necessarily just that for now they don’t have their access and that their situation is unsure (lea clarified this bc the way she worded this before made people think otherwise and let to misinformation)

She then said « For thoses that don't understand why I keep and keep speaking: I have to, otherwise the changes won't be done properly, I want everyone to be aware of what is happening.

If something positive is brought to me, I will also say it. Everyone should have the right to speak about it, not only the higher ups can talk about how the changes should be made. Right now, only the people that were priviledged in the studio are giving their opinions on the changes and the others are shushed »

So yeah not great news to say the least ! Hopefully this is just the beginning of the changes Quackity talked about but personnally I can’t see things improving without better transparency and a participation from everyone involved. We still need to remember that BIG changes are needed so time is necessary for stuff to be fixed.

For me, I have full trust in the french CCs, Antoine said he won’t come back before their is proof of everything being fixed so if the french ccs give us their green light I will trust them.

Below is the link of Lea’s account, her last tweets are already in english, I didn’t translate them so if people wanna read straight from the source here u go

https://x.com/leasagne_?s=21&t=fDVoT5qDN_AAqnxYhZF3uQ

[eg4mccc]

Last Call for Infants Patch Prep!!

(graphic credit: Bonxie)

Tomorrow is the day most of us have been waiting for, the patch to prepare Sims 4 for INFANTS!!! It promises to be busy on support Discords, so I thought I'd start off with a few essential things you should know about getting help from Deaderpool's server.

First of all, READ our #server-info channel!!! There is a lot of information there that will streamline your experience with us. We always know who doesn't bother to read it, by the questions we see in support. We're going to be getting slammed by people with broken mods/cc, please do your part to make things easier on everyone involved, on any server you visit.

Pay close attention to the types of mods/cc/creators who may very well get you banned. Don't bring them to our server.

The people manning support channels are volunteers. Don't be an ass. We're not getting paid to help you, and we don't have to put up with rudeness, disrespect, trolling, and so on. We have no issue with banning people who can't behave properly on Deaderpool's discord. Don't try us.

Don't post the same thing in multiple channels, and don't post the same thing on multiple servers simultaneously. If you don't use two lanes at once in a brick and mortar store, why would you try doing it online? It's confusing and not efficient for anyone trying to work with you. The exceptions would be, if staff refers you elsewhere, to either a different channel, or to a separate discord server, in order to better address your issues. Otherwise, pick one channel on one server, and stay there.

BE PATIENT. Expansion patches are legendary for being super-busy. We'll do our best to get to everyone as soon as possible. There's no need to bump your post, or poke us, unless it's obvious your post has been skipped, after a few minutes/posts around yours are being handled. We're human, stuff happens. Don't get angry about it, just remind us, and we'll move forward from there.

If you're a long-time player, please watch out for the new players, if this is someone's first patch, they're likely to be pretty shocked at the damage. If you speak more than one language, we'd LOVE to add you to our group of Interpreters helping in #bilingual-support. If you're familiar with our server's layout, please help new people find their way around. 

Please do not pester creators for information. They're all aware this patch is likely to break things, and they would rather spend their time updating their mods and cc for us, than having to respond to tons of "your stuff broke!" posts on their pages. Don't be that person, just keep an eye on the various #mods-news type channels, Scarlet's list, Luth's forum post, and so on. 

This is not our first rodeo, you can trust us to help get you through the damage and back into your game, in the most painless way we can manage.

If we all can work together, we can minimize patch fallout in many ways. Bring a positive attitude, and your popcorn, and get ready to see the show... it's going to be a rocking week!

[rosegoldenatlas]

What its like being a tntduo fan

Imagine reading a tntduo fic right? Very simple. Then the author mentions wine. Suddenly, Everyone is going batshit crazy because OMG WINE STREAM.

Or imagine how good the enemies to lovers slowburns are. With both of them hating each other with a burning passion and there's a lot of manipulation going on until one o them starts to feel guilty for using underhanded tactics to get at each other.

(Skip next paragraph if uncomfortable w/ smut n shit)

Oh and if its a spicy fic even better because then we get the slow transition from rough hatesex to wow I feel kinda bad kicking you out after all that maybe aftercare should be a thing until suddenly its soft and its not described with physical feelings by instead they're slowing don't and everything is soft because it isn't about physical she anymore but instead about being close and then there's soft fucking cuddles or something similar. I'm rambling now wow.

But this in just a tntduo thing by I feel like the ideal tntduo dynamic for slowburn is always along the lines of- enemies, enemies with benifits, this weird I don't hate you exactly but we're not friends bit, friends but the trust isn't fully there, trust building moment, friends?, fuck a small misunderstanding turned fight, friends but actually this time(also with benefits), wait actually you're on of some he first people who accepts every fucked up piece of me and not just the fake me, wait actually what if I dropped sixty billion hints that I like you but you don't get it, oh fuck it we ball, lovers!

It looks complicated when I write it down but I swear I've seen a lot of tntduo fics written this way and I love it.

Also remember the clip where cc!Wilbur said that c! Wilbur and c!Quackith didn't have any romantic involvments? Well actually mr.'they ad a psychocompetitive relationship' Quackity said that he wanted them to kiss and married you on Qsmp so fuck you also if a rivalry lasts over seven years you are no longer rivals your gay is an extremely true statement an also you bet I saw how Tommy deflate when you denied that c!Wilbur and c!Quackity were gay for each other. So actually its Quackity an Tommy against you so Tntduo is real fuck you.

And that one clip where Phil called Wilbur a homosexual on Qsmp and when Wilbur asks for an example and Phil said 'you've been flirting with Quackity since you got here' and you Didn't Even Deny It.

Thankyou for listening to my ted talk.

[misc-obeyme]

CC I'VE BEEN SCREAMING ABOUT THE NEW CARDS SINCE LAST NIGHT, MAMMON LOOKS SO AKDJWJJD, SIMEON TOO BUT MAMMON IS MY BABES

it took me all 40 pulls to finally get Mammon (and everyone else too), and ohmygoddd

Mammon in boxing gloves has me... unhinged. Mammon boxer AU and maybe an MC who's the ref, and they always see him every night, and sometimes he loses sometimes he doesn't. It's all for the money and show

And one night Mammon can't wrap his hand and MC comes across him and helps him and akwkfj sorry I'm. brainrotting and going crazy, I just want to patch up a beat up Mammon BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING SO INTIMATE ABOUT THAT. I still remember reading a Mammon boxer and MC ballerina one shot (it was smut) and it lives rent free in my brain)

I wish the devilgram had been about boxing but it was still really cute and we got no 2 and Mammon content, that's my son right there. I'll never get over him calling Mammon Papa

SORRY FOR RAMBLING, ALSO MY CONCERT WENT AMAZING AND I GOT A LIVE DEBUT OF A REALLY OLD SONG AAAA

- ✨ anon

OMG THESE CARDS THOUGH.

I feel like this is so mild compared to what it could be, like omg steamy shower scenes oooooo lol. But we're so starved for any suggestive content that it's making us all go crazy!

Ahh, I love the boxer!Mammon thing, too. There is something intimate about patching up someone who's hurt. It's because you have to touch them to do it, but it's also tender because you clearly care about their well being which is why you're doing it at all. So it's a nice combination of taking care of someone when they're hurt and soft touches and possibly an opportunity to scold them if they were doing something reckless and that's how they got hurt to begin with ahhh I just really love all of it lol!!

There's also something about both of you being hurt and then you taking care of each other~

But yeah, you know Mammon would get into boxing for the money aspect of it. I kinda like the idea that he's somehow involved with the rigged betting, like he's losing on purpose because he knows it'll make someone win and then he gets a big cut of those winnings for it. Gets involved with some shady characters. Then for some reason he wins when he's supposed to lose (maybe his opponent insulted MC and actually pissed him off??). Then he's in trouble with the shady characters who come after him and he has to fight them and gets away but not without getting hurt... then MC is like what happened?!?! And he's all blushing as he stammers out that he had to defend your honor!! And all that while you're sitting there holding an ice pack to his black eye or something adlkfkdf

OOPS I got a little carried away but listen I love this scenario.

Anyway, I also love lil D no 2 what an absolute cutie! I love the lil Ds on these cards, they're adorable and they should be included more. I know they gave Simeon a wrath lil D because Simeon's sin is supposed to be wrath. Does this mean there are multiple little Ds of each sin? Because I was kinda under the impression that there was just the one and that's why we had to go find each of them when the brothers went crazy. And if that's the case, I kinda love the idea of Simeon just hanging out with Satan's little D. Like I find that very funny lol.

Never apologize for rambling! And I'm so glad your concert was good woooo!

[flemlem]

thougts about the creation stream [21.02.24] because i finally have them in order. Im going to try to keep this as factual as possible, but there may be some bits that I cant Not Be - also, this is going to be pretty damn long, i have many things to say and Im putting them all here, I'll try put all the opinions / heavy speculation at the end :>. Also sorry if it feels disjointed in places, I got real busy 2/3 of the way through and had to leave it for a while, so im not sure if i got all the points hit that i wanted to. (there should be a read more cause when i say long i mean Really Fucking Long but idk)

so first off, all the aliases that creation uses for other people (that I can find or reasonably assume).

Sunny (loved shell) rank 1

Chayanne (duck shell) rank 2

Tallulah (trauma shell) - rank 3

Empanada (pancake shell) - rank 4

Richarlyson - Rank 7

Tubbo - Primary Protector, Creator, Boss (unsure but will explain)

? - Centre Control

Philza - Guardian

Cellbit - Guardian (unsure)

Bagi - (slow) keeper

Niki - Keeper

mostly facts [though there are some interpretations and such]

tubbo is Really Really old. This is backed up by Many things, most on the stream, though a couple not. When creation is talking to chayanne in the ruins he says that tubbo created him a 'long long time ago'. The sheer amount of time is Also backed up by the fact that creation says he 'miss when this place was not ruins', did you see the state of those ruins? there were a few stacks of blocks left over on the tips of mountains that have virtually nothing distinct about them, the only descriptor used for all the blocks is also that they are ancient, so like-. The place has Lava surrounding it. In general just the state of the place kinda shows just how old it is. Though some fun things about qTubbo's age is that he Knows how old he is, or at least that he had been around for a long time. Going back to Fits birthday party when he says he's been dead for a long time. He is aware that he's been around a long time, though he doesnt add that to his age. In the message to Sunny he says that he's 20, not like, 70903405803. Just 20. cc!tubbo also confirmed on his alt stream later that qTubbo was infact 20 years old. He did also say that 'how long he's been around is another question' and then told people they were digging too far when they then asked how long qtubbo had been around for. He did however also say that 'his [qtubbo's] age stagnated when he was frozen' so qtubbo had to of been 19 when he got frozen [cause the 20th birthday was celebrated when tubbo was on the server].

Something that I have no clue about is exactly the connotations that are around it telling Chayanne that tubbo 'made me for you'. Creation also says something similar to Sunny at some other point in the stream. This is?? really confusing to me??? because it's heavily implied that Creation was created Before Tubbo was frozen. This could imply that Tubbo has re-programmed Creation at some point since being defrosted. Though the main running thing throughout Creations involvement has been that Tubbo Cannot Know About Creation At Any Cost. Originally it was Creation would die if Tubbo [Creator, specifically] knew. Then after Tubbo died it changed to Tubbo [Primary Protector, specifically] would die if he knew about Creation. Though then we get to something else that challenges this thought. During the recording shown at both the start and end of the stream Tubbo says that the message can only be unlocked by 2 people and that he never wants sunny to have to meet them. Obviously one of these people is Creation, as Creation mentioned on phils [and others] streams later the day that tubbo died that Creation had a message that could only be shown to sunny if Tubbo died, so this leaves 2 options for how this worked[that I can think of]. Either there was a moment in time, it had to of been after sunny was in tubbos care, in which he knew about Creation and Neither of them died. Or one of the people that could access the message passed it onto creation and tubbo was never aware of Creation.

Creation mentions 'The Old Order' as well, specifically that Creation misses the old order. The main question is about, what is the actual title of it? is it 'The Old Order', the 'Old Order' or the old 'Order'. If the title is just 'Order' and old is a descriptor then we could reasonably assume that it was a historical part of the current Order, though does Creation know about the current Order? Im unsure. If its either of the other ones then it's just a Title. Simply what the group is called. Not much is mentioned about the old order, other than that tubbo was at least associated with it, or they, somehow, stole Creation from him. It is also implied that they were at least where the ruins were, maybe all over the island, mainly from Creation saying that it misses the old order around when it mentions when the building wasnt ruins. Going off the block descriptions, this ruin is a ruin because of a 'past calamity'. Nothing else really mentioned about the calamity, just that that is why its ruins now.

The Operation is only mentioned a few times. It's never stated exactly what 'the operation' is. We know that the operation is something akin to a mission because when Tubbo first mentions it, in the 'if I died, last resort' recording, he says thats he never would of signed up for 'this scheme, this... operation if you will'. If he didn't say scheme before than it could of been, well, anything really, but the word scheme has some specific connotations that at the very least rules out some possibilities. After this first mention it is only referred to as 'the operation' [as far as I can find]. Creation does talk about it several times though. Something that it says is that it was a last effort to 'hold on' before Tubbo joined the operation. This implies that creation was made Before tubbo joined the operation. In the same last resort recording Tubbo does specifically say 'I would not have signed up for something like this'. He Signed Up to take part in whatever operation they are referring to. There is the implication that he signed up for this specifically because he didnt have Anything to care about before he signed up for it. He had nothing to live for, no... Purpose one may say?[side eye emoji]

okay so, the data. This is... something. In the description of the item it says that it was made by tubbo, the main thing is, When? We can glean a few things about this data from the stream [and a couple other places]. Going further into the description of the item. It says that it tracks Tubbo's vitals, statistics and locations. Going slightly out of this stream, this could be heavily why tubbo is Wrong. It doesn't say that it has his feelings or personality. Another thing to do with that is that tubbo did at Some Point send a chat that said that the data was incomplete/something along those lines[dont ask me when, I dont remeber, im pretty sure theres a screenie floating around in one of the tubbo tags tho]. Something that I find kind of weird is when Creation tells sunny that Creation cant promise that Tubbo will come back the same. The way its phrased could mean 2 things in my opinion. The first one being that Creation simply Does Not Know what is contained in the data. Creation does not know how much of Tubbo is in there, when it was made, if it's been damaged, if its been Tampered With. Or something that I think is almost as plausible, Creation phrases it that way because Creation is talking to a Child. One of Creations main purposes seems to be protecting the Eggs, both physically and emtionally [see: Creation hugging Sunny after Tubbo died] so maybe Creation was trying to break it to Sunny as gently as possible. Not straight up say 'Your dad is going to be Different' but just, something small to prepare them for it, so that Sunny isn't blind sided by the change. The data was also in Central Control's possession. When they have to go grab the data creation specifically says that 'Central Control has delivered it'. So Some How, CC got the data. This also raises some questions about the password on the chest the data was in. Why was it Sunny's adoption day? Did Tubbo make the box and CC can just teleport things into it at will but not change the password?

What exactly Is Creations purpose? We are told that it has something to do with protecting the eggs, but also not Entierly revolving around them. We are told that tubbo created it for chayanne and sunny, we can reasonably asume that its not just for them but All the eggs. But creation shuts down after guiding the construction of the revival machine, saying that its purpose is finished. But that has nothing to do with the eggs? This doesnt fit with the rest of the pieces we have on the board to me because it was called the First Video Log. Why call it the first if there was never going to be a second? Surely if Creations only purpose was to resurrect tubbo then it would of known that it was going to die. And also just protecting the eggs cant be its only purpose because then it wouldnt of said that it could shut down because its purpose wouldnt of been complete? Its purpose Never would of been complete until all the eggs were dead? This confuses the fuck outta me. Though something about its purpose does seem to be that it is to learn. It comes off very naieve about the world at large, though it trusts sunny when they tell it that the boat will keep the water away. It seems in awe of most things around it, or surprised or dismissive. saying 'woah' when looking at the station . Saying 'oh my god' when the creeper explodes. it says 'I did this for you [boss]' after saying that it was learning fast. Learning seems to have a lot to do with it's purpose. Tubbo says, in the Alt stream later that 'It's [creation] just a little guy... mainly copying, trying to fit in to not like, fail it's purpose' We could take this as learning to fit in being its purpose, Or the more obvious one being that its purpose relies heavily on being able to fit in. Is that so that the eggs and parents trust it to care for the eggs? or does it have something to do with the old order?

Now we get more into theory and heavy interpretation area, so buckle up {a lot of this next bit is half baked thoughts that I cant connect to anything else, so, yeah}

Something about Tubbo's character specifically, kind of related to his age? though more so to do with What The Ever Loving Fuck his character IS. So. QTubbo has been around for A While, that we know, we Also know that hes been dead for a long time as well. We know that hes not a robot, curtesy of Creation's 'not like a robot, no'. Though, where does that then leave him. He can still be restored, he can be shut down and he's been dead for a long time. And yes, specifically dead. Why? because when talking about Creation tubbo says that it was never alive in the first place so 'not dead, no', whenever qTubbo is talked about, the word 'Dead' is Always used. Never anything else, so he Was alive At Some Point. Though then theres the question of How The EverLoving Fuck Can He Die If He Is Already Dead???? idfk

Okay so, next thing. I fully think that the calamity has something to do with how tubbo got frozen. Whether the calamity has something to do with Why creation was created in the first place, if said calamity has something to do with the reason why creation was a last attempt to hold on. it could also be something to do with the reason why tubbo was frozen. If its less so a punishment and more so something along the lines of recuperation, then maybe he got hurt. Or it could be something to do with 'The Operation', Im just kind of spit balling at this point. Maybe the calamity wasnt natural. maybe the operation was some kind of last ditch effort to go against some All Powerful being or group.

SO explaining the thing about putting 'Boss' in Tubbos list of alias'. This is Very Heavily how IM interpretating this. When they are collecting the blocks in the ruins, there are a couple times that Creation goes in F5 and starts talking, staring directly into the 'camera'. During this he says 'Boss I am learning fast, see how well I'm doing. I did this for you.' and 'Boss one day I hope you will remember me'. This is heavily off of that second one. 'I hope you will remember me one day'. Sure, 'boss' could be near anyone, Infact there is a high chance that 'boss' is Central control. But just. hear me out [which i hope youre doing if youve read this far down]. Who else could Creation reasonably label 'boss'? Who do we Know does not remember creation? Tubbo Created creation, and has subsequently forgotten about creation, whether thats of his own volition, for his safety or some other reason, I dunno, but I think its got legs.

[relaxxattack]

A genq, with no harm meant (we have differing opinions, that's okay) but like. Genuinely, what is the difference between a fan privately messaging drm, and Tommy "Schlatt Stan" innit messaging Schlatt at 16/17 and getting talking in the dms, ending up becoming friends. What's the difference between him doing it with Wilbur? With techno? All of them were people he looked up to, was a fan of and admired enormously, and yet they were allowed to grow a friendship. Hell, I met my best friend because I was a huge fan of hers, made her art, edits, probably would have been a stan if that had been a thing back then but we got to talking in private messages and after a while she gave me other apps to contact her on. I met my gf because she was a fan of my writing - we now live together. I genuinely don't understand how this is automatically creepy or predatory beheviour, having been on both sides of the scenario. I think the situation has a lot more nuance than just "DM's bad, no cc should DM anyone ever" and "getting a private Snapchat is creepy"

(I should say for the purposes of this I'm only taking what we know 100% to be true, which is the insta DM's which have 0 evidence of any kind of inappropriate sexual content, I'm waiting for further solid evidence to make a full judgement on the situation)

the difference is that tommy was a fan asking specifically for advice about content growth, OR to join their content. tommy was always trying to be a youtuber + bully bigger ccs into letting him into their content. tommy reached out first, and he was on BUSINESS. although of course they became friends later, the nature of his reaching out was 'professional'

this situation, on the other hand, involves a content creator having a pattern of talking to underage female fans. specifically to compliment them or their appearance, or ask to make their conversations MORE private by sharing snaps. ( <- that is the info from the dms DREAM CONFIRMED. not any others). that action is almost immediately by anyone with street smarts read as predatory.

is it possible it WASN'T? absolutely. it's fully possible that in the best case scenario all of that was in good faith. but it still LOOKS really fucking bad. and dream is not an idiot. he should have known how bad that looks, how obviously predatory it seems. in the BEST CASE SCENARIO, he's still a complete idiot who was engaging in idiotic and unprofessional behavior that looks unsafe and predatory. and then he brushed aside everyone's reasonable concerns about it. that is the BEST POSSIBLE CASE SCENARIO, and it's still pretty fucking scummy. plus with how ridiculous his response is, i'm very inclined to believe it's at least somewhat worse than the best case.

*EDIT: realizing after the fact that this looks very aggressive-- i’m not aggressive towards you, anon, your question was asked fairly politely. this situation as a whole just makes me grossed out and angry

*EDIT TWO: wilbur, after finding out tommy was a minor, became uncomfortable with the power dynamic and blocked him until a later date at which it was clear tommy was a cc too. it is REMARKABLY easy to notice when a power dynamic is a little off and form respectful distance, and ccs are absolutely capable of it.

[acacia-may]

*sheepishly pokes my head in*

If oc x cc ships are okay, then can I ask for Lyra's ships of Yuno x Neva and William x Zera, and mine Fuegoleon x Solara 🥺👉👈

Hi Laura! No need to be sheepish. 💖 Thank you so much for the ask and for indulging my ramblings. I think it's incredibly sweet that you've asked about @lyranova's pairings. They're lovely! I'm honestly a little feral about Zerilliam, and I rambled about that and about the pairings in general in this response to Lyra's ask. ^^

I would be thrilled to share my Fuelara thoughts with you here, especially since, at this point, I am so invested in this pairing that I have to constantly, consciously remind myself that Solara is not a canon character. She just exists in the world of Black Clover in my mind now, and whenever I imagine or think of Fue, she is right there by his side.

I have to be honest that before I found your blog and we became friends, I really didn't think that much about Fuegoleon. I always liked him and had a lot of respect for him, but he wasn't really a character I just sat around and thought about too much. (His brotherly relationship with Leopold is just too functional. Let's blame that lol😂 I promise I'm only joking, and I adore them! Vermillion Bros for the win!!) But you write him with such depth and such nuance that it really gave me a new appreciation for his character. That one shot you wrote about his feelings of inadequacy after his injury has stuck with me to this day and remains one of my favorite fics I've ever read about anything in any fandom. You and your incredibly powerful writing made me love Fue, and as I was coming to really love him and becoming so much more invested in his character and his story, I found your absolutely incredible Solara who is truly (and this is probably intentional on your part but needs to be said) perfect for him.

Fuelara is everything a canon character x oc relationship should be in my opinion. I hope it goes without saying that Solara is such an incredibly strong and compelling character in her own right and I love that you've given her her own story beyond just being Fue's love interest, but even beyond that, she fits so seamlessly into the world of Black Clover (and I know you shared with me in the past that that was something that was really important to you while creating her, and I think you have succeeded in that in every possible way). Like I said in the beginning of this post, I really do genuinely have to remind myself she isn't canon. She just feels like she belongs there. I can't tell you how much the way you've meticulously crafted Fuelara and weaved them into the world of BC has been a personal inspiration for me. (Apologies in advance for the tangent but) my big passion project right now is a very ambitious multi-chapter fic for another fandom which I'm co-creating with a friend of mine, and it involves an OC x CC relationship (that I'm mostly in charge of 😅) so I actually find myself thinking about and talking about Fuelara as kind of this blueprint and inspiration for everything I can only hope my own ship will ultimately be. Even though the world of that story (late 90s/early 2000s suburban America) and the world of Black Clover couldn't possibly be more different, I'm sure Sprinkles could tell you that I have specifically mentioned Fuelara (specifically their relationship's seamless integration into the existing world and story) and what an inspiration it is for me personally, so many times while working on this project. It is truly so impressive, and I want to write like that. (Side note, I have definitely been using your tips and suggestions for OC integration throughout this process, so thank you again for that!)

Beyond just how well Solara perfectly fits into the world (which I've rambled about a lot), she also perfectly fits with Fuegoleon to the point that it's actually difficult for me to imagine him with anyone else at this point. I'm honestly really surprised I have made it through these ramblings without any random, unsolicited music references, but you're about to get one. There's a song called "We Go Well Together" by Goldheart (Spotify; YouTube) and here's a few lines, "We're just like kids up on a swing/Finger and a wedding ring/We go perfectly/It's so easy." That's just Fuelara to me: It's so easy. That's not to say that it's easy for them--they've certainly had their struggles and been through so much together, but their relationship dynamic, their love for each other, and their interactions are just so effortless. Of course Embers is fantastic, but I think I love your cozy little one shots about them most of all because I just adore how they interact with each other. They're so comfortable with each other, and it feels so real and so genuine. There's really no need for me to suspend belief or to try to create some buy in into their relationship. They just talk to each other and I'm immediately convinced they're deeply in love and just perfect for each other. One of my favorite things about them is how they are both such strong people, but they can be vulnerable together, and I love these really tender moments where they encourage each other that they don't have to carry the weight of the world alone. I just can't get over how supportive they are of each other, and I just adore that.

Gah, this ship is just so good. It's canon. It's honestly better than canon in a lot of cases, and I really can't get enough of it. I think I've said this before, but I'll say this again. Thank you for this pairing! I love it. ❤️‍🔥

[the-catmans-offical-2]

The results are in!

The Chimera! Ed AU comic will be interactive! (Bc holy fuck 100% voted yes.)

I will go over things now as to prepare everyone or give people a head start on asking questions. (This is only if you want to, these questions should be directed toward the main cast of FMAB but I will explain later on in this post!)

There are a few rules, not that anyone should have a problem following them nor won't they be common sense, but I'm stating them regardless. Y'know, just in case.

1.) No ships should be brought up within this particular AU, especially ships *involving* Ed. You can ask characters their thoughts or relationships with fellow characters as to establish a feel for them. But no questions or statements of "oo you should get together with so-n-so.". Those comments/asks will be ignored unless I can think of a funny reaction a character may have. However, Ed specifically will *not* be shipped with any characters within this AU; Mostly because I feel really uncomfortable having a borderline animal having a relationship with a human (I'm also not shipping Ed with other chimeras.)

2.) No OCs should be asked to be in the au or anything. But, I will give a little leeway in the sense of drawing said OCs as literal background characters. They will serve no point in the plot unless there are some good suggestions (e.g. someone's oc could be one of the lab scientists or smth.) This is a flexible rule but a rule because I will most likely not put people's OCs in the background. The shipping rule also pertains with OCs and Canons (but please don't get me wrong, I love OC x CC, but just not in this AU. Maybe if I were to make a public rp I would give leeway but as far as the comic goes: No.)

3.) No sexual or NSFW questions/asks. I will not entertain those asks/comments. ESPECIALLY if it involves a minor (aged) character. Suggestive asks (to an extent) will be allowed with *only* adult characters. (The miniskirt shit doesn't count as suggestive but if it were, that would be OK to talk to Roy about for example.)

4.) No racial slurs in asks/comments, even if you can reclaim; I cannot and therefore will not add that into the comic.

5.) No physically interacting with characters (ONE EXCEPTION)! This'll lead to things getting confusing, but if you do want to interact with the characters physically ill make it so that you can; Just ask!:)

That's all for rules, simple? I think.

Moving on to characters you as the viewer can interact with!!

- Edward Elric:

He will view the comments/asks as him hearing things, therefore he will most likely panic or act skittish.

- Alphonse Elric:

Asks/comments will be in the form of cats he stashes in his armor, or rather cat; Specifically the yellow striped one he was seen with a decent amount in the 03 anime and GBA game. Al is the only exception to the "No physically interacting" rule. Because asks for him is a cat, so you can (within reason) physically interact with him.

- Scar:

He will probably ignore asks/comments at first! That being said, he thinks it's his brother communicating to him through his arm; Or victims of his arm.

- Roy Pisstang:

He will probably view asks/comments similarly to Ed, but process them with much less panic. Probably believing it to be his gut or intuition.

- Riza Hawkeye:

She is the same as Roy in the ask/comments sense.

- Jean Havoc:

This bbg will think that he's finally reached his breaking point mentally, however, he will entertain the asks/comments to an extent. He is much more relaxed for such with a cigarette.

- Alex Armstrong:

He's just insane and probably thinks his big ass muscles are talking to him. Idk. Or his fucking tuff of hair.

For now, as of the beginning of the comic, these are the characters you as the viewer can interact with!

You can interact in many ways: Ask questions, give advice (do not spoil upcoming events, this takes place in the beginning of manga/brotherhood. Lab 5 went different, read the linked post!)

Anyway. Ask questions, give advice, talk to the characters, torment Ed: As long as you follow the rules, I'm happy.

[factorialsotherfandoms]

blip bloop bitching below. keeping this out of the tags as I need to scream but don't want it to travel.

I hate so much that I genuinely dread days when Philza and Tubbo interact. Because they're friends and should be able to just hang and stuff! And it can be fun to watch! But it seems every time they even go near each other the Philza tag becomes full of crap, then people kicking back, and its /worst/ now Sunny is here (I love her, mostly, but it makes it so much worse). The post about Sunny being scared of Philza with the screenshots was at the top of the Philza Tag (by how I access them at least) for 3 days. It always defaults to top before I flip it to most recent. It wasn't tagged as discourse or neg or anything - it was just screenshots after all - but the bitching which came out of that was so much, and every time I saw them it bought the bitching to mind, and half of that wasn't tagged either (on the original posts, in the tags, where I like looking for fic and meta and fanart and check my top 4 tags each morning).

And, yeah, a 30-off year old streamer probably not even on tumblr doesn't need defending online. BUT the shit and the way those posts talk and the things they shit on him for... a) its very much cc!Phil not q!Phil no matter what people say, because he talks in the same way even on the fucking pumpkin carving stream and more importantly b) mirrors very real bullying, discrimination and hate I and a lot of other English people have experienced. (yes of course its worse if you're an ethnic minority or have a Scottish accent or any number of other things, but just because other people have it worse doesn't mean it isn't a genuine axis of discrimination).

And sometimes I need to fucking defend not him but myself, because I feel like I'm going mad.

You might not see it, you might not even know about the north-south divide and English class politics, but its embedded into near every fantasy movie you've watched, accent wise at least!

Just personal shit... I have a southern parent and a northern parent. I grew up in the south-east. As a kid I could switch accents at will. Using my mother's northern accent (slightly more natural to me, as she was home more often) I would get marked down in class for being aggressive and argumentative and other kids would think I was angry with them. My father genuinely suggested I switch which I spoke with, and it was effort but doable, and guess what? My marks went up and I was seen as friendlier than the other children. It still wasn't the accent for the region - where I grew up has a very distinct one even for the south - and yet I was treated better for it.

Which. Could have seriously messed up my future if my grades kept being marked down and I kept getting into trouble for behaviour over stuff in another accent nobody bat an eyelid to.

[I had a section here too about different treatment while getting bra fittings, but given it involved members of staff literally hurting me as a literal child only when speaking one of the two accents, I removed it. Minor hurt, but hurt.]

And that was just personal experience! Of being read as aggressive or scary or like I didn't care for sounding northern.

And of fucking course this is only ever about fucking Tubbo, the southern who logs in regularly, this shit always starts. The southerner, whose accent is on the respectable side of this not-quite-a-class-divide.

And you know how deeply routed the north-south divide is? Sociologists generally date it back to /1066/ and the north being massacred for causing trouble for the new king. Economically and in terms of reputation, the north has never actually recovered from that. Even when it was major industry, even when major ports, its /always/ been behind the south.

Not just in terms of money going around, but things like life expectancy and education expectations. Rich northerners still have a harder time than their southern peers.

(Honestly, Sunny having 'verbalised' being scared of him for his tone of voice and not other adults who treat them older than they are [because yk its impossible to tell with an egg model] also kinda rubs me the wrong way, because of that sort of treatment of me as a kid. If I was aware of more fear towards other adults she doesn't know as well it'd be easier. Yeah he's a bit intense, and he should maybe be more delicate with a kid, but heaven knows he's not the only character that is. Maybe as more people drift back we'll see it more, I don't know, the admin probably isn't English either, but dear god. The daughter of a southerner telling her daddy that the northerner is scary is such a fucking classist trope. And a really offensive one at that. And shit which actually happens irl, which sometimes leads to the police getting involved.)

[starwitch-aliced]

Taisei Project v1.4 Preview!

Proud to announce the first preview/beta release of Taisei Project v1.4!

Taisei Project is a free, open source (FOSS, MIT/CC-licensed) Touhou Project fangame written in C, featuring original art, music, story, patterns, and gameplay mechanics, that runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, and most major web browsers through WebGL.

This v1.4 preview/beta is the culmination of over 4 years of work, which involved rewriting most of the stage patterns from scratch, balance and performance improvements, creating new 3D backgrounds, and the introduction of a brand new story (written by me!). If you've played Taisei Project before, be prepared for a very different experience!

The premise: a mysterious tower has appeared at the peak of Youkai Mountain, and all who approach it begin to feel like their knowledge of the universe has somehow become expanded - for better, and for worse. You must rush to investigate the source of this intellectualizing aura and interrogate its true intentions!

It will also be featured in its own booth at Dokomi, an anime and Japanese cultural expo taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany, from June 30th to July 2nd: https://www.dokomi.de/en

Click here to download: https://taisei-project.org/download

Click here to try out the WebGL version in your browser: https://taisei-project.github.io/taisei-web-test/

You can also report issues here on GitHub: https://github.com/taisei-project/taisei

If you have no idea what Touhou Project is, read this (also written by me): https://magic.witchgirls.moe/2019/06/gay-girls-whom-danmaku.html

And feel free to report any issues you have to me, as I am on the dev team and should be able to help!

edit: fixed links

[asurrogateblog]

Sweet! :D Are there any other characters important to the story, aside from the band, you'd like to talk about?

ooh okay!

as usual I am wholly incapable of providing a short answer.

The most interesting side characters to talk about are from Cal's part of the story (basically the epilogue, see the last slide it does require that context)*

*sidenote: I do have side-characters for the "real story" obviously, but one of the points I want to make in the story is how the main cast is so myopically self-obsessed that they don't fully process the consequences of their actions outside of the circle of the three of them until it's way too late. so as a result everyone else is a little less developed (it's on the to-do list

ANYWAY. so as mentioned in the powerpoint, Cal in the present-day owns a little record/instrument shop. And speaking meta-textually, she REFUSES to get involved in an actual plot. I have a few ideas I'm playing around with for where to take her character but usually it's like "yah I'm not doing that." given this stand-off I've resorted to a more slice-of-life style of things. I guess she deserves that. arguably. a lot of philosophical questions there about whether you're responsible for the actions of the people you used to be.

so when I was thinking of her shop, I started thinking about the neighborhood around it. and I asked myself "who would be the funniest person/people to move in next door?"

Meet Arti and Ray! They're lesbian married, they're re-opening the old bar next door, and they just happen to be Clarion Call super fans. They even have matching tattoos and their bar is called Puzzlemaster after the Clarion album. In the CC universe they're definitely on tumblr making "rpf is fine" memes with photos of Roy and Nelson.

Facts about Arti:

Mellow (read: quietly chaotic), observant, creative

Trying to finish her degree in film studies on the side. Dreams of making really unsettling avant-garde horror movies.

Introduced to CC by her mom. She doesn't really talk to her family anymore (....it's complicated), but she kept the love of the music. Nelsongirl.

genuinely really enjoys bartending; mixology master

Facts about Ray:

Energetic, competitive, loud

Works part-time at a daycare to supplement their income; loves kids, should honestly be a gym teacher

Born in the Phillpines; moved to California (bay area) as a kid

Introduced to CC by their cousins. godsend for "teenager struggling to fit in who doesn't realize they're queer yet". Roy stan.

The premise for them is analogous to this: imagine, anon, that one day you're chatting with the old woman who lives next door and it strikes you that she looks a lot like John Lennon. Now consider exactly what would it take for you to go from "haha weird" to "oh my god, I think John Lennon is still alive and an old woman and also my neighbor". And beyond that, what would it take for you to actually accuse her of this.

As they get to know each other, this is the game of psychological chess going on between Cal and Arti & Ray (of course, they'd probably think that she's secretly Izzy Riles.... which she is, but that's only a third of the story).

So that's a little introduction to them! They're a lighter and sillier part of the story and I like them a lot

(I have to stop here. I have to make myself)