#this will be updated as connections develop etc

[sonicboomseason3]

a brief recap of what has been going on with the sonic movieverse in the past several months:

paramount has come out in public support of israel

keanu reeves, a man who has publicly rubbed elbows with none other than benjamin netanyahu, reportedly gets cast as shadow for the upcoming third movie

james marsden, the guy who plays tom, got exposed as having written a letter of support for a convicted pedophile

there's fucking??? zionist propaganda in the knuckles series???

kind of connected to the last point but adam pally, the guy who plays wade, is evidently pro-israel too

this is a complete and utter joke.

EDIT AS OF 4/30/24: if people see this version of the post, i'd really appreciate it if you reblog it instead of the other versions, as it's the most updated one with all the information that i want included. thank you :]

you know, it's been a few days since i've made this post, and some of you (not most) are staying determined in defending/justifying/giving the benefit of the doubt to keanu for that photo with netanyahu, whether it's because "it was a decade ago," "him being civil to someone he ran into at a party one time doesn't mean anything," "he's probably just silent because his pr managers won't allow him to speak up," etc. i've made my thoughts on the matter quite clear by directly responding to these people, but at this point, i'm tired of both seeing them in my notes and repeating myself, so take this as my final word on the issue.

i can't help it if you don't think the photo with netanyahu is damning, and i'm done engaging with everyone going out of their way to tell me that. i obviously disagree, especially after finding out that 1. the host of the party, arnon milchan, is a former israeli spy who has a history of developing israel's nuclear program and promoting apartheid in south africa (information that had broken out a few months prior to the party and thus would've been fresh news around the time keanu chose to attend) and 2. keanu has been caught hanging around at least two other weirdos, but if you don't find any of that to be cause for reasonable concern, then there really is nothing else i can say afaik.

with all that said, i'm beginning to realize how strange it is that these people's first instinct when seeing this post is to start debating about keanu's political stances without ever acknowledging any of the other bullet points. you guys realize that this isn't just about him, right? i know tumblr reading comprehension is known for being piss-poor, but like… you realize that i was trying to make a point of how there are MULTIPLE terrible things that have broken out about the people and company involved in the sonic movies, right? and yet, a lot of the people leaping to speak on keanu's behalf in my notes are completely ignoring the parts where i bring up paramount, pally, etc. all in favor of zeroing in on the singular point about keanu and making bad faith assumptions about me for holding him accountable. really makes one wonder where your priorities lie if, in a post that talks about so many other things, me accusing an a-list celebrity with, according to google, a net worth of almost $400 million is where you draw the line and apparently the only thing worth your acknowledgment.

ultimately, what i'm trying to say is that the intention of this post was just to gather up everything that i had been hearing for the past several months and put it all together in one place. there were a bunch of people who didn't know about at least one of the bullet points before seeing this post, and i'm glad that i could help inform them, that was what i was hoping to do! but as for the keanu thing, i've said pretty much all i can say for now, and i don't want to derail the original post even more than i may have already. unless something new comes up, i'm done talking about him.

[moonastro]

SOLAR RETURN CHART NOTES

I have been wanting to do this for the longest timmeeeee, since my 2024 solar return chart is about to end next month I am going to evaluate the events that happened with the placements that I had. This will also be like a learning factor for any of you that have the same placements and hopefully will help if you see them in your own solar return chart 😊🌸.

🪻🪻Firstly I’ll like to address that these are all my own experiences and what my own experiences were like with these placements for the year.

🪻🪻Also I’ll do a predicting one for my 2025 chart and come back to it in a year to see how my predictions played out I’ll think that’ll be cool also 🤭🤭 I’ll add some notes for what could happen with these placements also.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ Capricorn rising 0°- literally got a job the day my solar return chart started so the 0° literally didn’t play at all. My rising ruler (Saturn) was in the 2nd house conjunct the asteroid enterprise which represent your career so that manifested very nicely. Especially since it’s located in the house of making money or earning money.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ mc in Scorpio 10°- I feel like this year I was viewed to be very intimidating to others especially at work with the Capricorn degree and it makes sense. I feel like i was more closed off though and wasn’t as experimental or fun but spent a lot of time doing tarot/astrology. Also throughout the year, I just felt like I was being watched by people, like i thought i stood out like a sore thumb, just felt very conscious of my surroundings.

🪻🪻This placement can cause some addictive effects or addictive hobbies to occur so if you have this placement this may happen for example you may pick up on a substance addiction or start it.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ruler of 7th house in 7th house conjunct asteroid union- I have met someone or encountered a very emotional and spiritual meeting. Especially since the descendant is in cancer. It was very confusing to me ( moon effect) because I wasn’t even sure about what happened or where we stand. And I can’t say that it’s not romantic but at the same time it’s not. (I’ll have to update on this because it’s just confusing at the minute). Also moon is squaring Mercury and there is a lack of communication soooo.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ stellium in 4th house( Venus,Uranus,sun,Jupiter)- home was the centre of my year, focused on the house more. Decorated my room more and spent more time adjusting it the way I wanted like painting it, buying stuff for my room etc (Venus effect).

Moved house to a more bigger space (Uranus= sudden move,relocating) (Jupiter-grander place).

Feel more happier and confident in the new home (sun effect)

🪻🪻having 4th house ruler in 4th house can be an indicator of moving place also.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ sun in 4th house- like mentioned before home/family was a very central theme of the year, also connecting more with mother and just family in general. Also another indicator of moving house.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧Mars in 2nd- was very motivated with how I earn my money and this can also indicate making money quickly. SR Mars in natal 6th house- developed muscles from not even tryinggggg lol. SR Mars conjunct natal Venus- can be an indicator of having a lot of people crushing on you.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟSR moon conjunct natal Saturn- the year was very anxiety driven, very emotion driven. Emotions were just over the roof and most of the time I couldn’t control it or it was out of my control.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟSR north node conjunct natal Venus- lots of lessons involved with love. Some of the things that involved with love felt very destined like I was meant to experience it if that makes sense.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟsaturn in 2nd house- during the year I was setting loads of goals for the future. Was working hard to plan ahead. This placement can cause some stress about not doing enough or feeling like you are behind in life or behind in your overall achievements. I felt like I was always not doing enough. This placement can also indicate taking a break from something depending on the aspects and degree can tell you how.

🪻🪻for example-5°/29°- can indicate taking a break from school and studying for the year.

-7°/19°-taking a break from a relationship whether it’s taking a break from an existing relationship or not being too focusing on romance for the year.

-2°/6°- these degrees can indicate taking a year off work or the year can be you not putting too much pressure on yourself involving work. You may quit an existing job that doesn’t serve you.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟMercury in 3rd house- spent time with loads more people. Communicated loads more this year in general, I feel like I was more open to conversation with people around me. But also overthought everything. Like was analysing everything I was doing. (Also ANOTHER INDICATOR OF MOVING HOUSE- moving neighbourhoods).

🪻🪻this placement can form a greater relationship between you and your siblings. You may bond with siblings more and with the people in your neighbourhood.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟmoon in 6°- this year was emotionally driven by work work work. If you have this placement for your solar return chart for the year expect to be emotionally drained also. Can be emotionally focusing on work and just making sure that you are working hard enough etc.

*:･ﾟ✧*:sr moon in natal 10th house- I feel like wherever your sr moon is placed in your natal chart can tell you the theme of the year also. And no surprise here, I was more exposed to the public, was way more serious this year with my finances etc.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟvenus conjunct Uranus- unexpected turns with love. If you have this placement for the year, this can indicate having sudden changes in love, something unexpected happening with your love life. I feel like also you may be disinterested in love but it may just find you out of nowhere.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟpluto in 1st house- with this placement I experienced a lot of changes in my appearance -duhhhh lol. Was very independent. In terms of appearance I can’t pinpoint a majorrr change but I feel like everything in little bits changed. My attitude was way more transparent, like I did not give any fukssss. But at the same time it didn’t get me in any trouble if that makes sense.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟjupiter conjunct sun- this year felt like I was very smart with my actions. I didn’t regret doing anything and felt like it was a lesson to be learned. This placement can also give you a big personality for the year, omgggg being more happier in a way also. Since I had this in my 4th house I had soo much fun with my family it’s insane. I laughed more.

🪻🪻thank you so much for reading. Hope you have a lovely rest of your day 🤍🤭

[villainintern]

... is an upcoming Choicescript interactive fiction game! You can follow development updates on the dev blog here, view the forum page here, and play the demo here.

Villain Intern is currently right at the end of Chapter One: Onboarding as of 5/18/25, sitting at just over 58,000 words.

[FAQ Here and character introductions here, for the newer villains!]

Play as an aspiring supervillain interning at UnderHand, a legacy criminal corporation. Start from the bottom and navigate a world where everyone has it out for you, leveraging your strange superhuman abilities and your knack for manipulation. Make a name for yourself as an executive villain (with your own swanky corner office!), or turn against your higher-ups and usurp the company,…or throw away your promising career for the greater good, I guess...

Powers and Customization:

Choose from two different ability trees. Play as either a homemade cyborg with (painful looking) mechanical augmentations of your own design, or a genetically mutated freak with mysterious, bizarre abilities derived from animal genes. Choose 3 of the 9 unique abilities available for each power type, which update (or mutate) to scale as you get stronger. Climb walls, perfectly mimic any voice, rotate your head 360 degrees, talk to the AI assistant in your brain, etc etc! As a rule, you start out villainous, but whether you’re charming or sinister, sniveling or demanding, and backstabbing or frontstabbing is up to you.

______________________________________________________________

Key Characters and Relationships

Relationship progression tracks two major stats- your connection with a character, and your rivalry, which are not mutually exclusive. So you can romance your greatest nemesis, backstab your closest friend, that kind of thing. Or both at once, with the same person, even..

Fellow Interns:

👾 Peter Hyde is your cubicle neighbor, a geeky slackoff who’s fond of novelty ties. Unlike you, Peter doesn’t really want to be here, but he seems for some reason unable to quit. Laid-back, conflict avoidant, and generally easy to manipulate, he’s easy minion material for the MC- but his attitude belies a volatile, monstrous secret. Which can be a great asset or a major risk, depending on if you can maintain your control over him.

🤖 T9-670 is a seven-foot tall ex-war machine. Once a military member conscripted to UnderHand’s private security decal, its contract didn’t end when it died- the soldier’s brain was transplanted into a humanoid steel frame with a dark glass plate for a face. T9 is doing some soul searching- it’s not totally sure if it even has one left, but it would like to have a purpose beyond fixing printers and mowing down UnderHand’s enemies with its plasma gun.

🔬 Dr. Dr. Elaine Foster is an up-and-coming mad scientist, assistant to the esteemed Dr. Shrink. Don’t bring up the fact that she has two doctorates and is still an intern. She’s a genius prodigy, but otherwise has no superhuman abilities, which causes her to be overlooked by your superiors. Passionate and inscrutable, she’s obsessed with making it to the top her own way, and will remain one step ahead of you if you aren’t careful.

🧪 Reid/Reney Sullivan (gender selectable, nb included) is your nemesis, or at least they think so. They’re employed by OverSight, the subsidized hero-corporation that works in tandem with the government. An interning hero with impressive telekinetic powers, they are nonetheless as much of an amateur as you, and so you find yourself on even footing with one of the most promising superheroes in the business. Earnest and witty, they genuinely just want to help people. Eventually, they become fixated on “figuring you out”, which can lead to them getting sucked into your schemes. That, or their meddling could be your downfall. Worst of all, they might even succeed in reforming you.

There’s also 👁️ Blink, a rogue superhuman- some say vigilante, others say independent villain. Completely anonymous, they wear a unique suit of tactical gear that allows them to turn completely invisible, the first of its kind. Quippy, chipper, and sauntering, they tend to use their powers for ridiculous, showy things like popping up behind newscasters on TV. An invisible superhuman that loves the spotlight, Blink is full of contradictions. And secrets, big ones, that pertain to you.

… plus a cast of older, more established villains and heroes- including The Man, UnderHand’s enigmatic CEO. A faceless, hollow man in an empty suit. Actually, nobody’s ever seen anything but the suit, so he might just be the suit.

______________________________________________________________

FURTHER READING: 🌃THE PINTEREST BOARD 🎧THE PLAYLIST

TAG ORGANIZATION: VI Updates - The big stuff, new demo content VI Info - The info posts, development news VI Asks - Anything coming through the inbox VI Characters - Character related info/bonus content VI Sketches - Doodles and concept art Lore - What it says on the tin. Anything worldbuildy The Fridge - The place of honor for fan art! Pinned to my imaginary fridge with a digital magnet

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Since you've discussed your favorite parts of ep. 7, I'd like to know your biggest criticisms of it & how you would've addressed them.

[Referencing this post!]

*raises finger* (my lawyer pulls me away)

Here’s how I would change the ending (while still staying within the Disney + mobile gacha game restraints and sticking with the themes + patterns established by other OBs):

Rework all the dreams. Every single last one. I can’t count the number of issues I have with them. Between the inconsistent pacing (4-35 parts per boy), the lack of urgency, extra fat (irrelevant convos), frequent contradictory explanations of the dreams, and the on-the-nose announcements of how each boy has changed, these are horribly inefficient vehicles for storytelling and need to be significantly tightened. Maybe even consider cutting out all of them except Adeuce and the OB boys; make the rest optional or side missions or something.

Between each dorm’s dreams, cut back to Malleus and Lilia so they at least STAY relevant for a book that is supposedly about Diasomnia. Let us know what Malleus’s current state of mind is, have Lilia reflect on what it’s like to see Malleus twisted into… this. Something, anything.

Make the explanation for the dreams consistent. Instead of changing the explanation or slapping on new details every other update, just claim right from the get-go that dreams tend to pull from a dreamer’s wishes/desires but it’s unknown how the dream worlds will actually be interpreted or how they’ll interact with Malleus’s magic since each person is so different. You can still have the dreams with deeper hidden meanings, but avoid overcomplicating the logic governing dreams in the first place.

Have Lilia join up with us in the dream world. Maybe a scene where Ortho or Idia connects the dots on his identity and contacts Lilia using his Muscle Red gaming ID tag in the dream world. Lilia receives his invite that way and joins us for the battle maps + help Silver and Sebek train with their new equipment. You can also potentially use this section to have Silver and Lilia reconcile over Lilia keeping secrets from him.

Like how Sebek had moments with the first years in their dreams, give Silver moments in which he can reflect on his relationship with + thoughts on the Dawn Knight. It feels a little strange to me that we went from emotional breakdown learning about his lineage to… thanking the Dawn Knight for allowing him to meet Likia at the end??? Like it feels like we missed the middle part of that development. We never got to hear his inner thoughts about the ordeal or how he comes to terms with it. For something so heavy, you’d think there would be more screen time dedicated to that??

The sword strikes Malleus, which brings him back to his senses but doesn’t break the horn. (This is just a personal dislike thing; it’s uncomfortable for me because it inevitably reminds me of poor injured animals and that’s not exactly… fun 💦)

Lilia still gets in the way of Malleus and Silver’s final stand-off, but rather than dying, he’s in critical condition and is in very real danger of dying.

Have Malleus willingly sacrifice a significant chunk of his magic (since he has all that excess from the senators blessing him + Malleus even canonically says he’ll give up his wings, his lifespan, etc.) to bring back Lilia from the brink. This would serve multiple purposes: 1) permanently power cap Malleus, 2) show him that his previous actions actually hurt Lilia but he also has the power to do good too (so he’s not filled with complete despair at the end), 3) rids him of the excess power he didn’t ask for, so now he’s more “approachable” to people, 4) doesn’t bring up potential issues with reviving the dead, since this could be categorized as ultra powerful healing magic, and 5) parallels the self-sacrifice Lilia had for him, that Silver had for Lilia, etc.

Honestly, I think Lilia should move away to the Land of Crimson Long to retire instead of regaining his magic and returning to NRC as a student. That way, Malleus isn’t the “special” OB boy that doesn’t have to still deal with the thing he OB’d over. Have it end on a hopeful note though, like have Idia or Lilia showing Malleus how to text (which is now more feasible due to Malleus’s reduced power) so he can always reach out to Lilia at a moment’s notice. This also fits in with the theme of keeping connected.

Alternative scenario to the previous point: have Lilia be taken away to urgent care and/or in a coma for a while. Let Malleus stew with the weight of what he did. Then maybe he + Diasomnia are called in when Lilia’s unstable and this might be good-bye 💦 Idk, at least then Lilia wouldn’t be dead for all of 5 seconds and Malleus would actually have a period where he’s forced to sit and reflect on what he did. Worrying and praying that Lilia will be saved, promising to the stars that he’ll never act out again if they just save Lilia. (You can still have your power of love saves him moment here!)

Following the OB, give a more balanced view of the repercussions of Malleus’s OB. Tell us how other nations are reacting, show us that some people are suspicious of him + need extra help recovering after the fact (in addition to people who love his UM and want to stay in there longer), etc. The current version works overtime to reassure us that there are zero negative (or even dubious) consequences when, logically, there would be at least some. This includes the main cast. Realistically speaking, they’d at least have some reservations or complicated feelings revolving around what happened in their dreams and how they feel seeing Malleus return. Ultimately, they’d welcome him back but some of them would still snark a bit while others are more forgiving (depends on the character; not all of them would react the same way).

We can still have the party + knighting ceremony at the end, but include some kind of magical broadcast or something where Malleus apologizes to all of Twisted Wonderland and lets them know what steps he intends to take to make amends moving forward. In the original, he only apologized to NRC, which I feel doesn’t cover the scope of the lives he could have affected. And if you’re going to have the other OB boys recite their flaws + how pathetic they were wallowing in darkness + how they’ve changed/are better than that now, grant Malleus that same opportunity here. It would also be great if he could go around and acknowledge the important people in his life, including classmates, to show us that he truly recognizes the value in these connections. I do, however, want to caution: the speech shouldn’t sound like Malleus speedran a character arc and is now without flaws. Malleus should also have some lines where he admits he’s imperfect and may falter, and if that’s the case, then he trusts us to admonish him and set him on the right path. This would show us that he’s willing to give up control to others and that he’s being more receptive to criticism.

Add a nod to Raverne at the end??? Like maybe Malleus wonders where his father is and we get some explanation as to why he didn’t show up in the Castle Wildrose memories but his mom did.

I don't think I actually made many changes here; most of the plot points remain, just change the execution and what the focus is on.

[codenamethebird]

Honestly, I'm kind of hoping we see Melinoe's relationships fall apart a bit. The Warsong update has given us some new dialouge that's quite interesting in this regard.

We actually have Melinoe questioning things a little bit, mostly in regards to Prometheus having a point. But the moment she admits this to Hecate, she gets swiftly shut down. Hecate tells herself to not even consider it and stay true to her beliefs. Which under different circumstances would be a pep talk, but considering the context of, 'are the gods wrong in their treatment of humanity', has kind of sinister implications.

Like don't get me wrong I don't think Hecate is some secret supervillian, but she's a Titan who is part of the order of the gods. When Mel asks her why she helped Athena punish Arachne, she doesn't really apologize and basically says Arachne deserved it. For all Hecate loves Melinoe, she raised her as living weapon (which oof when Ares calls Mel that, ahhhh). She can't have her weapon against Chronos having doubts about their mission. She can't risk the weapon turning against herself.

In a similar but different path, Odysseus has some new dialogue where he's acting funny and seeming to question things. And when Mel asks him about the whole the whole god mortal thing, he blatantly avoids the question like an extreme sport. It actually made me crack up how blatant he was. And when Mel presses him, he says a very non committal 'both gods and mortals are complicated", which says nothing and everything lol. The conversation ends with him promising that he would tell her if he thought she and Hecate were doing the wrong thing.

Which if we take him at his word, still is sooooo vague. He could very much be in my opinion that Chronos is bad and needs to be defeated, but also the gods suck and he's not lying to Mel.

There's also the other option that he's just lying lol. He is Odysseus. But even beyond that, his boss and literal titan is like 20 feet away. Said Titan, who I mentioned above, shuts down any bit of doubt in Mel. He's just a shade, he has very valid reasons to keep his mouth shut.

But yes, back to my first point of this post, Melinoe's relationships possibly falling apart. In a reversal of Zag's quest bringing him closer to his companions, Mels feels doomed to tear them apart.

The mortal (ish in some cases) characters in this story as possibly being dragged towards Prometheus and his ideology. Arachne and Heracles already have issues with the gods, [Pan]Dora was screwed over by them too + her connection to Prometheus, Odysseus seems to have his doubts, and even Icarus has some dialouge of him expressing confusion at Prometheus being their enemy.

On the other end, it looks like Mel is headed in a direction of also doubting her belief in the gods, which will put her in conflict with them and their allies. I don't know what Hecate will do if Melinoe tries to work with Prometheus.

But yeah, I think it would be very fun to have Melinoe's relationships start falling apart as she grows and changes throughout the story. Lots of angst potential, of course, but interesting story developments as well.

Also in a way to make this sort of plot work within the context of how Hades 2 is played, and a different fun reversal of Hades 1, Melinoe can start keeping secrets from the people in the crossroads. Like how Zag lied to the Olympians about why he was doing his runs (especially in the epilouge), Melinoe might have to start lying to Hecate/Moros/Nemesis/etc about the exact purpose of her runs.

But yeah that might me getting a little too crazy with plot ideas haha.

[emsartwork]

ALL OF DAPHNE'S TRANSFORMATIONS. INCLUDING UPDATED NYMPHIX.

Previously Fairy of the Dragon Flame now Fairy of Embers. She doesn't have any transformations others than these because she was fast tracked into the nymphix path, and unlike the winx the majority of fairies don't pursue additional transformations past enchantix. (i think Daphne would be interested in Dreamix tho, so maybe I'll draw that eventually.

Her major color shifted after dying and being revived, which is shown in her winx and enchantix.

other lore and design notes below!

I changed her major color from orange/yellow to more of a teal/green because. she just doesn't look good in yellow I'm sorry I really tried but it wasn't working. Also little updates to her hair color, nothing huge tho. Daphne's primary motifs are a branching "Y" shape and a double oval/tear drop. She's a pants when possible girlie and a one set winger(yes her nymphix looks like it have multiple wings but they all merge into one stem on each side) . Her scars from her Sirenix being ripped out of her caused her winx/enchantix to change a little to cover them(mostly seen in the arms) due to insecurity. Her Dryadix/nymphix flower is a daffodil! because pun Daph-Daff, and Daffodils symbolize rebirth and new beginnings (also creativity, energy, resilience, forgiveness and vitality). Her Harpix wings aren't super specificly patterned, but she has darting wings common in small song and seed birds (robins, finches, brown birds etc.) the coloring is referential of a Shrike (also called a Butcher Bird), because Daphne was. incredibly dangerous and if she had sided with the ancestral probably would have been given a moniker similar to Butcher of Domino or Daphne the Slaughterer. (some people do call her these but its mostly among people who dislike Domino/The Royal Family.)

Lore! Daphne doesn't have a great sense of self, she was planned as a necessary successor to Marion/the dragon flame in a period as the ancestral witches were escalating their attacks and search for the dragon flame. Bloom was a back up baby in case both Daphne and Marion got dead and basically worked as intended haha. Daphne was also much more publicly involved in the kingdom than many of the other royals in winx (Stella, Aisha, Krystal and even Galatea to an extent all had rather sheltered upbringings) in a way Daphne is much more like Sky and Thoren in the since that none of them really had the space to develop their own personality outside of their familial duty.

Daphne's 1st winx and enchantixes are as direct a copy of her mom's Enchantix as you can get with transformations, right down to the more greenish tint of her major color. Growing up Marion used her fairy form liberally, so that, combined with being the next Dragon Flame holder left a deep impact on Daphne's subconscious. Daphne was also heavily influenced by Faragonda during her Alfea and Nymphix Quest years, but since she was older this isn't as deep an influence. After being revived, Daphne's years of defining herself as her connection to Bloom causes her major color to shift more blue in response to her trauma. Daphne is slowly starting to develop a sense of self outside of her titles/connections but it's unlikely her major color will shift again unless she has another major trauma.

(for the record the Winx do have trauma over the timeline I have laid out that would potentially cause their major colors to shift but I didn't do that for a couple reasons 1, their colors are iconic and make them easily recognizable as characters; 2, I'm a tired bitch. )

[the-sleepy-archivist]

Blocking Ads on Mobile Devices

Blocking ads on our phones is way harder than it should be so I figured I'd make some recommendations. These are not the only options out there, just the ones that I know and have used.

Please note that browser-level and system-level adblocking are complementary; you'll have the best experience if you use both of them together as they each block different things in different places. If you want a basic idea of how effective your combined adblocking setup is, you can visit this website in your mobile browser.

Lastly, there is some additional advice/info under the readmore if you're curious (EDIT: updated March 2025 to add more adblocking options for iOS and to add info about sideloading altered versions of social media apps that don't contain ads on Android and iOS).

Android

Browser-Level

uBlock Origin (for Firefox)

System-Level (works in all apps, not just browsers)

AdGuard

Blokada 5 (completely free version) OR Blokada 6 (has some newer features but they require a subscription)

iPhone/iPad

Browser-Level

AdGuard (Safari extension; free for basic browser-level blocking, requires a subscription or one time purchase of “lifetime” license for custom filters)

1Blocker (Safari extension from an indie developer; can enable one built-in or custom filter list for free, requires a subscription or one time purchase of “lifetime” license for enabling multiple filter lists and updating filter lists to the latest version automatically)

Wipr 2 (one time purchase from indie developer; simplest option to use, but also the least configurable. Best if you are looking for one time set and forget and don’t need any custom filters. Note that it does not have a system-level blocking option)

System-Level (works in all apps, not just browsers)

AdGuard (requires subscription or one time purchase of “lifetime” license for system-level blocking)

1Blocker (can activate without a subscription, but requires subscription or one time purchase of “lifetime” license to enable system-level blocking AND browser-level blocking simultaneously)

AdGuard DNS only (this is free and does not require the AdGuard app, BUT I would only recommend it for advanced users, as you can't easily turn it off like you can with the app. Credit to this Reddit thread for the DNS profile)

Some additional info: browser-level blocking is a browser addon or extension, like you might be used to from a desktop computer. This inspects the HTML code returned by websites and searches for patterns that identify the presence of an ad or other annoyance (popup videos, cookie agreements, etc.). System-level blocking is almost always DNS-based. Basically whenever an app asks your phone's OS to make a connection to a website that is known for serving ads, the system-level blocker replies "sorry, I don't know her 🤷‍♂️💅" and the ad doesn't get downloaded. This works in most places, not just a browser, but be warned that it might make your battery drain a little faster depending on the app/setup.

Each of those types of blocking has strengths and weaknesses. System-level DNS blocking blocks ads in all apps, but companies that own advertising networks AND the websites those ads are served on can combine their services into the same domain to render DNS blocking useless; you can’t block ads served by Facebook/Meta domains without also blocking all of Facebook and Instagram as well because they made sure their ads are served from the same domain as all the user posts you actually want to see. Similarly, browser-level blocking can recognize ads by appearance and content, regardless of what domain they’re served from, so it can block them on Instagram and Facebook. However, it needs to be able to inspect the content being loaded in order to look for ads, and there’s no way to do that in non-browser apps. That’s why using both together will get you the best results.

These limitations do mean that you can’t block ads in the Facebook or Instagram apps, unfortunately, only in the website versions of them visited in your browser. It also means ads served by meta’s/facebook’s ad network in other apps can’t be blocked either (unless you're one of the rare beasts who doesn't use facebook or instagram or threads, in which case feel free to blacklist all Meta/FB domains and watch your ads disappear 😍; I'm jealous and in awe of you lol).

One note: some apps may behave unpredictably when they can't download ads. For example, the Tumblr app has big black spaces where the ads are, and sometimes those spaces collapse as you scroll past them and it messes up scrolling for a few seconds (UPDATE: looks like the scrolling issue may have actually been a Tumblr bug that they have now fixed, at least on iOS). Still way less annoying than getting ads for Draco Malfoy seduction roleplay AI chatbots imo though. And honestly *most* apps handle this fairly gracefully, like a mobile game I play just throws error messages like "ad is not ready" and then continues like normal.

One final note: on Android, you may actually be able to find hacked versions of Meta’s apps that have the ad frameworks removed. In some cases they are a little janky (unsurprisingly, apps don’t always take kindly to having some of their innards ripped out by a third-party), and they are often out of date. BUT in return you get an Instagram app with no ads whatsoever, and some of them even add additional features like buttons for saving IG videos and photos to your phone. However, use these apps at your own risk, as there is functionally no way to validate the code that the third-parties have added or removed from the app. Example altered IG app (I have not vetted this altered app, it's just a popular option): link.

It is technically possible to install altered apps on iOS as well, but Apple makes it much, much harder to do (unless you are jailbroken, which is a whole different ballgame). I'm not going to cover sideloading or jailbreaking here because even I as a very techy person eventually grew tired of messing with it or having to pay for it. If you're interested you can read more about the different ways to do sideloading on iOS here.

[cityof2morrow]

CO2 Skills: Custom Skill Tokens

Published: 7-17-2024 | Updated: 2-1-2025

SUMMARY I use mods to make more diverse sims in terms of personality traits, body types, and lifetime wants. They’ve made my sims more complex and interesting to play overall. Still, the skill-building system feels limited alongside these mods. Being a decent pianist shouldn’t automatically make it easier to paint, spy, DJ, garden, become a career slacker, work as an architect, and play every other instrument in-game. Being clean certainly benefits barbers and pet owners, but shouldn’t they also be good at cutting hair and animal care?

By default, sims can develop at least 40 skills - 4 toddler skills, 7 basic skills, 4 hidden skills, 6 life skills (AL/FT), and 11 talent badges (OFB). This custom skills pack expands the existing skill-hobby system in Sims 2 in the following ways:

60+ new skills taken from other games in the simsverse (Sims 3, Sims 4, console titles, etc.)

100+ new skills related to university majors, career tracks, and popular mods from the simsverse

New skills are linked to certain objects, interactions, and career levels

All TS2 content creators are welcome to link these skills to your creations if they choose. These will be linked to some of my custom careers, majors, and objects in the future.

VERSION 2 UPDATES (REDOWNLOAD RECOMMENDED):

Revised the original post for clarity.

Sorted package files into subfolders based on primary skill group (body, logic, charisma, etc.).

Name Changes (same GUIDs): cosmic cuisine (0x000D324F, cooking) to gastromancy (supernatural/occult foods). country cooking (0x004EDA6E, cooking) to soul food (Afrodiaspora foods). selvadoradian culture (0x0084C734, logic) to memory. simology (0x0084C734, body) to psychology. traditional dance (0X00C87F1F, dance) to ritual dance. vampire lore (0x00680121, supernatural) to mythlore (supernatural history/folklore).

New skills added: animal care (0x00B7128A, cleaning), not to be confused with animal training (0x00002CEF, cleaning) or veterinarian (0x00891E5A, logic), choreography (0x00AD0E5B, dance), formal dance (0x0019579F, dance), and more!

DETAILS Basegame Compatible – but skill-related objects and mods may require expansions.

Skills are invisible tokens activated by certain interactions in-game.

Sims can’t develop the same skill twice and they can’t sell or gift them to others.

Skills do not appear in inventories or the UI.

Some repetitive and animal-specific skills were excluded.

These are TOKENS ONLY - custom objects, mods, majors and career tracks which use these skills will be published on this site under the #co2skills, #co2careers, and/or #co2edu  tags. Modders, feel free to implement these and if you do – please share! DOWNLOAD (choose one) from SFS | from MEGA SKILL GROUPS AT A GLANCE

BODY skill is already linked to tai chi and the restocking badge, but the skill is named differently across games (athleticism, fitness, health/sanity, etc.). Build physical and mental strengths for hunting, surfing, romance, street fighting, ballet, etc.

CHARISMA connects to the sales badge while a range of hobby-related interests fall under film and literature. Branch off and concentrate on related skill areas such as acting, deception, coaching, fame and more.

CLEANING skill is linked to three badges (cosmetology, gardening, and fishing) and enthusiasm for animals and the environment. Specialize in animal training, barbering, skin care, conservation and related skills.

COOKING skills open up new worlds of taste…time to make some magic in the kitchen! Skills include baking, soul food, gastromancy (occult foods!), mixology, alchemy and more.

CREATIVITY makes earning badges in flower arranging, pottery, and sewing easier. New artistic pursuits include advanced painting, jewelry making, storytelling, knitting, and street art.

DANCE skills such as dirty dancing, formal dancing, breakdancing, casual dancing, and more have been moved to their own folder.

LOGIC contributes to the register/cashiering badge and the hidden study/homework skill. Now, sims can master gemology, first aid, history, crypto-zoology and over a dozen other things. Sims will need to learn theory and technical skills to advance in certain majors/careers.

MECHANICAL sims can more easily earn a robotics badge and now, they can also unlock a host of new mechanical/tech-related pursuits – wood working, electrical, photography, fabrication, and so on.

SUPERNATURAL sims and those with supernatural abilities can enhance their craft by building a range of new skills. Try curse magic, reaping, earth bending, or flying! Other sims have limited access to these skill areas.

CREDITS Thanks: Echo, Ch4rmful, Gummi, ChocolateCitySim, Sufficeittisay, WHoward, JellyMeduza and the rest of the Sims 2 modding community. Sources: Beyno (Korn via BBFonts), EA/Maxis, Magic Skill (Echo, 2006), Offuturistic Infographic (Freepik).

[funger-rips]

Inbox Status: OPEN

How to Search Blog For Specific Sprites

This blog is dedicated to exporting the in-game artwork and archiving development updates for Fear and Hunger and it's sequel, Fear and Hunger: Termina. Please see below the cut for details on how I run this account, as well as the tagging system I use to make finding certain images easier.

Pinned last updated on: May 31st, 2025

Reason: Added blog search guide for future reference.

Blog Guidelines:

I post rips/archive works up to once a day, aside from answering asks or blog updates. I run on a queue usually. I may post less frequently depending on how busy I am.

I will not answer requests directly, but I DO read every request and try to get to them in order. It's just me here, a one-man band. So please be patient if I do not get to your ask/request soon.

There is a 30 image limit per post, so I will space out requests and similar content across posts if needed. I will leave links on each post that has another post that directly connects to it.

I try to answer and post requests as precisely as possible, but please note that an unclear or overly broad request will have to be taken with a grain of salt. It helps if you specify the game, and request something small or very specific. A general request for more of a certain character is acceptable.

I am open to revisions if I am incorrect about anything I state on this blog. I try my best to research where sprites may or may not be used, but I do not know every little thing about the series. If I make major revisions, I will state it in the post after editing.

I do not require credit. I don't really care, it's not like I made the art. If anything, credit Miro. However, if you wish to credit this blog or link to it, be my guest. No yums shall be yucked.

I am not the original owner of this blog or the idea of archiving in-game content. This blog, "funger-rips", was owned by someone prior before it was deleted. I am only mentioning this because all of the content they ripped was deleted. So if you think, "I swore I saw this ripped before," that's maybe why. I do not know the original owner.

Please no joke asks/requests! Unrelated questions about me, the blog, miscellaneous stuff, etc. are acceptable. Just no joke content that's rhetorical that I can't really give a reply to.

Q&A:

"Who runs this blog?"

Just me, a lone fella, no one in particular ��^. .^₎⟆

"Are DM requests acceptable?"

Yes, though I say that hesitantly- it's harder to keep track of what I need to work on if I have multiple sources of requests to check on. I prefer the inbox.

Blog Tags (I will update as I make new ones):

#sprite rips: The bulk of this blog. I go into the game's files directly and convert the artwork into usable png's.

#devblog content: Archive of any "third party" content Miro posts. Includes dev screenshots, YouTube videos, teasers, old scrapped content, etc. posted on his various socials. Sources will be given. I will NOT archive something unless I have definitive proof Miro posted it.

#mod talks: Blog updates and maintenance content. Mundane stuff that aren't rips or archives.

#askbox: For when I answer asks directly. I only answer asks if they aren't requests, just actual questions about the blog or what have you.

#battle backgrounds: The background art used as set pieces in combat in-game.

#inventory items: Full and mini sprites of any item you will find in your inventory.

#ui and related: Anything constructing the game's UI and menus.

#overworld sprites: Sprites found on the overworld, outside of combat.

#maps and tilesets: Any in-game maps and items that function as the game's overworld.

#battle sprites: Sprites found exclusively in combat. Excludes any battle backgrounds.

#moonscorched: Any moonscorched content.

#unused content: Any content that is found in the files, but not used in-game. Includes things like "beta" versions of designs.

#sprite edits: Whenever I post a sprite that I actively modified outside of cropping. I only modify content for informative reasons- such as comparing canon and non-canon content, or stuff between games.

#videos, #gifs, and the characters' names are all self explanatory.

[replicabetweenblogs]

19/1/25 CHAPTER 9 RELEASE.

5 endings at 3 different locations you can end up as your companions all split into different sides.. getting lost. Metaphorically or quite literally? What decisions have you made in the past to either bring chaos or calm into your so-called hideout..? Who will celebrate to see the long-awaited dawn, who will weep at the rising insanity of the leader carving down a bloody road to victory, and what painful truths will you finally discover?Where will you end up, who will you save, and who will you be in chapter 9?

133 303 words in total for ALL branches!

Between the 18k and 21k for a single playthrough!

Romance lock-in scenes for Ash and Ha!! Although they are locked behind one of the three exploration branches.

Specialize in your essence! If you are strong enough and are within the right branch for it, you can pick one of the few elements to focus on and develop your essence further.

Death

Angst

Depression

Screaming and crying people all around

Lily with a lighter

"Who gave Ha a gun?"

Two new annoying little brats to look after

The chapter is split between three different greater exploration areas, and you can end up depending on various variables and choices. Only one path contains all the companions while the other two may differ depending on decisions made.

~~ Updated dashingdon link (will be removed by the end of the month)

~~ NEW cogdemos.ink link

~~ Discuss the chapter on the forums!

~~ Coffee on Kofi!

~~Help me improve the chapter!!!

That. Was an unbelievably long road. This chapter is easily the most branchy one. A few WIP scenes are locked, but they are nothing big and I may still decide to scrap those before the chapter gets too overwhelmingly brancy. Aside of that, some more balancing I might have to do still regarding personality traits and stats, but I want to delve deeper into that once I've got more results in on my online feedback form, so right now you may not really notice alotta stat changes throughout chapter 9. But yes. Here it is!!

I really hope the returning readers of RBU will enjoy this one. It's an 130k word long apology letter for the hiatus!! Go and give Ha or Ash a kiss or two, play catch with a fireball with Lily, question your entire reality with Amethyst, and connect some dots regarding the final revelation. Again, I thank anyone who has been around here with me since the start and all the new readers I've been able to tell my story to (and who managed to get through the messy first few chapters). I really hope the long wait was worth this all.

Feel free to report bugs in the forum thread c: and I shall try and fix them asap. Also whenever you suspect of the game pushing you into the wrong branch by checking the wrong variables, or if you see any typos and misgendering.

The ASK box is open! For questions, guides, character asks and etc.

Have fun c: I am hoping to keep this flow going for chapter 10 as well, seeing as the end of RBU is nearing and 10 won't be a very long one. Here is hoping I may actually reach the epilogue before I slip back into a 50 year long hiatus <3

[100gayicons]

Rock Hudson was the subject of my first post on this Tumblr five years ago. Since that time, more information has surfaced about his love life, so I thought he deserved an update.

Hudson might be the most famous Old Hollywood movie star who was secretly homosexual. For a gay man of his generation (born in 1925), you didn’t come out of the closet, regardless of your social standing or occupation. But by becoming a major movie star in the 1950s, it put pressure on him to maintain his secret.

Born Roy Scherer, Hudson grew up in Illinois. After his father abandoned the family, his mother got a divorce and remarried, with Roy taking his stepfather’s last name as his own— becoming Roy Fitzgerald.

Roy joined the Navy in 1944 after graduating from high school. His discharge was in 1946, and he made his way to Hollywood. A Navy buddy introduced him to a radio producer, who tried to help him get connections in film. (They lived together and became lovers.)

He eventually came under the wing of talent agent Henry Willson. Willson was famous for helping to make many handsome men become movie stars. But first, he changed their names to something more masculine and rugged. Roy became Rock Hudson.

There were rumors in Hollywood that Henry Willson required his male clients to repay him with something beyond the usual 10% to agents.

After being signed by Universal Studios, Hudson went through its talent development program (acting classes, etc.). By 1952, he became a leading man. I imagine that as his fame grew, the stress of keeping his secret grew geometrically.

In 1955, a scandal magazine threatened to expose Hudson. Henry Willson wasn’t about to lose the biggest star in his stable. So, he negotiated a deal with the magazine ��� he gave them dirt on two other actors in exchange for tossing out the Hudson story.

After that close call, Willson insisted that the bachelor Hudson get married. What woman would agree to a sham marriage? Willson’s secretary, Phyllis Gates. Two years later, the couple divorced, and Hudson had an ex-wife in his past to help quell more rumors. (In 1987, after Hudson died of AIDS, she wrote a book where she claimed she never knew Hudson was gay. Yet other sources say she threatened to expose his secret to get a better divorce settlement.)

Some of Hudson’s most popular films were “Magnificent Obsession” (1954) costarring Jan Wyman; “Giant” (1956) co starring Elizabeth Taylor; “Pillow Talk” (1959) costarring Doris Day; and “Man's Favorite Sport” costarring Paula Prentiss.

In “Pillow Talk,” Hudson played a straight man who is pretending to be gay to lure Doris into his bed. Rock’s head must have been spinning.

As Hudson’s movie career faded in the 1960s, he found new success in TV. But those rumors had a way of persisting... As the story goes, a group of Gay men in Huntington Beach had an annual party. Their 1971 invitation joked “witness the marriage of Rock Hudson and Jim Nabors". Nabors had starred for a 5-year run on the popular comedy “Gomer Pyle – USMC”.

The punchline to the “joke” was that Hudson would take Nabors’ TV character name and become “Rock Pyle”. Somehow this joke became an urban legend and was spread as a rumor across the country. The joke was on Hudson and Nabors. In fact, the two barely knew each other. They met in 1966 when both visited Angela Lansbury at a performance of “Mame”. And in 1970 when Hudson made a guest appearance on Nabors’s short-lived variety series “The Jim Nabors Hour”. (Perhaps that was the inspiration for the marriage joke?)

(Jim Nabors, the most famous Marine in the USA as “Gomer Pyle”, was also gay. He met a fireman in Hawaii and they were together for 42 years.

Despite the Rock Pyle rumor, Hudson had success with the hit TV series “McMillan & Wife” (1971-1977). In 1984, he appeared in a recurring role on the nighttime soap opera “Dynasty”. But Hudson had been diagnosed with AIDS the same year. His gaunt appearance on the show triggered new rumors. His character was quickly written out of the show (killed off-screen).

Shortly after, Hudson appeared at a press conference with his former screen partner Doris Day to announce her new daytime TV show. It alarmed his fans. Hudson looked ill and at times was incoherent.

Within days, Hudson flew to Paris to treat his “liver cancer”. His publicist denied he had AIDS, but a week later, he confirmed it. Hudson never officially admitted he was gay, but the AIDS diagnosis said it for him. By October 1985, Hollywood movie star Rock Hudson died at home at the age of 59.

AIDS until then was just a “GAY” disease, actress Morgan Fairchild said. “Rock Hudson's death gave AIDS a face."

I’ve included more about Rock’s Lovers at this post:

[jsmifty]

ONE MORE NIGHT (FNAF AU/REWRITE TIMELINE)

(This will be updated over time)

This is the general timeline in which my fic that I keep posting art of is in, just so the general idea is out there yknow. At the time of posting this, none of the parts have currently been released at all, this will hopefully change soon, and when it does, this will be updated.

NIGHT ONE (Part 1): (1/?? Released (all chapters planned)) POV: Majority Henry Emily & William Afton (Sometimes Micheal/Charlie) GAMES INCLUDED: FNAF 4

Link: One More Night Part 1

NIGHT TWO (Part 2): (Not in Progress) POV: Majority Micheal Afton & Jeremy Fitzgerald GAMES INCLUDED: FNAF 2 & SISTER LOCATION

NIGHT THREE (Part 3): (Not in Progress) POV: Micheal Afton GAMES INCLUDED: FNAF 1

NIGHT FOUR (Part 4): (Not in Progress) POV: ??? GAMES INCLUDED: FNAF 3

NIGHT FIVE (Part 5): (Not in Progress) POV: ??? GAMES INCLUDED: FNAF 6

Notes:

The different 'parts' will not be different chapters, but different fics entirely. There is so much stuff shoved into each individual part that if I put them all into one singular Ao3 fic it would be like 100 chapters. Sorry if thats annoying, I enjoy my organization. Each part for the most part should be able to be enjoyed separately, however they do all connect together like a big bad spiderweb.. or i guess a cork board with a shit load of red string.

Majority generally just means it'll be mainly part of their POV however in certain chapters it may change for story reasons.

"???" for the character POV's just mean I'm not willing to reveal that yet.

This is a rewrite/AU, its not going to be accurate to canon however I try to be. Most if not all main canonical events will likely happen in some capacity within the AU, generally it may be tweaked as some aspects of the story I do not like/I've changed to have a deeper impact.

(Spoiler Free) "What is this AU even about??" Below the cut

What is the AU even about??

Thought I'd properly go into it.

ONE MORE NIGHT is a Five Night's at Freddy's AU/Rewrite, that generally follows the main events and story of the original GAMES franchise, with some very minor inspirations from the books. The story will be written in third-person, and will occasionally swap point of views (in-between chapters) throughout the fic.

The story itself is more character and relationship focused. Themes i wish to explore include, the destruction of the mind/spiralling, (the stages of) grief, revenge , etc. Since generally, i dont really enjoy the fanon characterization of certain characters, I really want to explore them from my point of view, as well as develop the relationships and motivations of all the characters which I feel are sort of lacking in the main FNAF media? I'm aware its there, its never truly properly explored though.

I really like horror, and this is my first proper opportunity to get a crack at it. I highly doubt its going to be shiver me timbers terrifying, I try my best. If you want a reference for the type of horror I'm into and what I am inspired by, its mainly media such as, The Magnus Archives, as well as a few more gothic works such as Frankenstein (currently reading the book).

Content Warnings:

This story will likely include pretty graphic depictions of violence, ESPECIALLY when in referral to Micheal Afton, Jeremy Fitzgerald and William Afton, you'll never guess why. I will tag these chapters, and if needed, will provide a brief summery at the end if a person is to skip past it but doesnt want to miss what happened. Generally, i will try to avoid describing the children too graphically, since theyre, yknow, kids. But uh, yknow, its FNAF, so be warned.

Other general warnings, outside of the warnings I'll give on individual chapters include, Abusive relationships, (mild) suicidal thoughts, and sensitive topics such as grief and loss. I'm sure theres stuff I'm missing, these will be tagged in specific chapters.

Extra content?

If you want content for this AU, itll be on my page under the hashtag (#OneMoreNightFNAFAU) or (#OMN FNAF AU). Generally I have no idea if anyone ever would read this fic, so if you, specifically, the one guy reading this, IS interested, most of the stuff will be on this page. Tumblr only likes my FNAF stuff so its all i post really on here, and I love FNAF so thats fine with me.

If this is the first post you've ever seen of me and like, you dont know what i usually post, I usually post art, specifically of this AU, so if you want to get a general looksie about the vibes of the characters and stuff, its on my page under the hashtag mentioned above.

(Side note: For the record, when i say 'relationships' this mainly refering to platonic relationships within the story. Theres a very minor romance side plot which you can like, easily choose to ignore, but its there, and its horrifically slow slowburn, so its like barely there 90% of the time. If i was to do anything too romance based, it would probably be separate one shots.)

(side note note: if you.. read this far.. once i finally finish this.. my magnum opus... i will probably finally move on to security breach and all that, if youre interested. but to get to that you have to get past my 5 evil fnaf fics first.)

Any support would be deeply appreciated, you have no idea. :) I'd love to know if anyone would be interested.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I think Meghan doesn’t understand that the reason the Wales kids have their own fans and public adoration is that they are royal in practice, not just their titles. We see them at trooping, Christmas, Easter etc. The coronation continues to be an iconic moment for charlotte and Louis especially. Being pictured at these events makes them different from celeb children.

Archie and Lili don’t have that. They are not pictured at any royal event and so they are just like other celeb children. You could argue that being Diana’s grandchildren gives them some advantage but who are people more likely to focus on: Diana’s royal grandkids or non royal ones?

She should pick a lane. I think she would’ve been more successful if she rejected titles for the kids and just became an influencer embracing California life. Instead she tries to be princess, duchess who is above everyone but still lives like an influencer. Not even the kids can help her with that.

You're forgetting that William and Kate have also allowed us to watch the kids grow up. We see them regularly. They share photos. They're now in videos and we can see their personalities. They share updates on their lives. That access, despite being heavily controlled and regulated, has allowed the public to develop an affinity for the Waleses kids in that we think of them as "ours" that fosters loyalty, support, and interest.

Harry and Meghan severed (heh heh see what I did there) any and all chances for the public to develop an affinity for their children. No photos. No appearances. No videos. No personalities. We don't know who they are from Flat Stanley. There's absolutely zero interest in those children because we got our hands smacked 6 years ago and told "no!" But now the

The royal connection and the Diana connection are just small pieces of the puzzle that work in tandem with the parents' invitation of access, which is a significant piece on its own. Probably the largest piece, to be honest.

[ask-tay-relic]

Alive! [Good and Bad Updates!]

Hello!!! I hope you're all doing well!!!

Short hand my silence was due to working full time IRL for the last hoard of months! Which, I'm not anymore [Back to working from home] as surprise surprise! More medical for little'ole me!

Without getting into the nitty gritty details, I'm ahhh losing my eyesight. Blindness etc. It's a 'Weird thing' cause it's supposed to affect BOTH of my eyes, but thus far it's only the left which! Is strangely lucky!! (I'm also not the correct age-range for it but that's what happens when you're born 4months premature hahah) It's been a month or so since that diagnosis, so I've had time to process it, and I'm a-okay! I promise! Can't work in old job thus I'm back to home (I had been having trouble/missing things at work before doctor we just didn't know why and it's such a subtle change in my day to day over the years I just didn't register it's happening) Currently now it's back to the 'waiting' for doctors to call me so I can get eye surgery to help it (It's not fix-able) but thus is life \o/. I'll be doing work on Streams (not like game content, Creative Work) for my work hours here forward so I can function in a 'work time'; Game Development Work, 3D work/Animation, and Commissions (I'll be reopening them with adjustments, I've spent all my offline-down-time studying! I hope you'll be proud of me!!!) TLDR; I'm going blind in my left eye (eventually both) and back to working from home where I can see up-close on the screens! My Colorblindness is perhaps a bit more desaturated due to that and we'll learn if it's connected eventually! I'll be working from home here forward!

That also means I'll probably have time to continue the blog again! I hope you're all well I've missed you! I also voice my deepest appreciations for the messages people have sent me over the months even just small cute things, they've helped more than you know!

[endemise]

long ramble, progress update, & potential release timeframe below:

hii! i got a lot of coding done and i think im finally satisfied with how the game looks (for now…)

here are some screenshots of what some of it will look like on mobile!

the friendship and romance levels shown in the relationship menu are just random as is the blurb for Aesop’s thoughts, they’re just for the example! (also characters thoughts are hidden by default, you click to reveal, then hide, them)

the stat bars were giving me hell but i finally figured them out with the the help of some forums and tumblr posts

i liked how in when twilight strikes by evertidings, the menu buttons (i.e. profile, stats, relationships) are listed at the top of the page so i took inspiration from that! and the many IFs that have a splash (?) screen at the beginning with the title

compared to when i started using twine (i think august 2023 was the first time i gave it a try), i’ve learned so much and there’s still so much to learn as well, i think coding has become my favorite part (making things looks pretty hehe)(with the help of amazing templates & ppl smarter than me, they do the heavy lifting fr)

with all the coding done (appearance wise) it’s lock in time for the revised prologue and chapter 1

the prologue has undergone a fair bit of change with the help of feedback & i’ve (hopefully) better established the setting and story.

some things that have changed besides wording and sentence structure, etc.: being able to choose what you did as a job (ex. working at the family inn) and meeting a new character (more like an old friend?)(no spoilers:))

some things i’ve been considering (SLIGHT SPOILER FOR CH.1 MAYBE): merging the revised prologue and chapter 1 into just the prologue bc chapter 1 differs a bit from the other chapters, but then the prologue would maybe be too strange timeframe wise? it’s a time skip after the events of the prologue (is that considered a spoiler, i don’t think so but???) that connects to the next chapters so maybe it’d just be better as its own chapter? or dropping the revised prologue by itself along with the updated ui/appearance then chapter 1 sometime after, or dropping the revised prologue and chapter 1 together, idk these are all just ideas i’ve been thinking about maybe i’ll do a poll

if you have anything you’d like to see, for example a specific job your MC worked, certain personality traits, or something like that, feel free to let me know & i’ll take them into consideration! i think now is the best time to add things bc it’s early development days & it’ll be easier to do so now than later

i’ve also decided to lean a little more into the supernatural aspect which i’m excited for (one specific thing really, i can’t wait to get to it🤭) the story’s world itself is fairly grounded in reality (as in the supernatural is unknown to most) but i’m looking forward to exploring it more

what you’re probably reading this for: depending on how i end up going about the prologue-chapter 1 merge decision & whether anything is added from requests/feedback, i’m aiming for a june release, july at the latest (fingers crossed). now that the appearance and function coding is complete (besides stat/choice tracking & other story related things), finishing the writing and coding it in is all that’s left

my schedule has done a 180 & some things are less than ideal at moment but it should all (hopefully) go smoothly from here! should anything change, i’ll let you all know

anyways, that’s all i have to say for now! ty for being patient & for reading this mess, i appreciate you all :)

[xelqua-the-jester]

Hi there 👋 I thought the little thing about your Creature Feature Au sounded cool and wanted to know of you had anymore info you wanted to share? I love it when people do messy timeline stuff and traveling between worlds and all that, makes my little lore brain happy (:

WAAA this ask made me smile so wide omg. I'd be more than happy to share more about it!!! (my apologies for the shortage been busy in life lol)

CREATURE FEATURE!

1.) Setting

It takes place in Hermitcraft Season 10 and Evolution, specifically during the midst of Watcher Obelisk trials. This AU does not contain Real Life or Wild Life as a part of its narrative (simply because of continuity / conflicting date reasons lol. Third Life - Secret Life are canon!). When Gem crosses over, it's basically like she's walking straight into a town going mad. The "portal" is actually a Watcher's Update Portal (the ones that the Evolutionists would use in order to jump from version to version). Nobody knows how it got to S10, but it sure isn't going.

2.) "Why Gem?"

Why not! Honestly, she just happened to be the first person I thought of when I was originally thinking about this AU and the pieces sorta started lining up soon thereafter. Considering her performance in Secret Life with raising the Boogeyman Army, her connection with the Watchers seemed like it would be strong enough for her to be the one to find this path.

3.) "Centaur...?"

YES!! I'm a huge fan of Hermit designs with fun and wacky headcanons. This AU is no different and follows a lot of the fanonly accepted tropes (Grian -> Bird/ Harpy Hybrid, Mumbo -> Vampire and/or Robot Hybrid, etc. I'll show off all my designs in due time LOL). That being said, these developments and hybrid changes are not present in the Evolution world. This is because of a few reasons. a.) As stated before, none of the Evolutionists have had these events occur to them yet. (Grian has yet to become a Watcher and gain his Watcher-like abilities, Pearl has yet to become "5 AM Pearl" and gain her moth-like abilities, Jimmy has yet to become "the Canary" and gain his bird-like abilities, (at this point) Martyn (and BigB in this AU) has yet to become Listeners and gain their Listener-like abilities). In Season 10, these events have already happened. b.) Due to being in such an early stage of humanity, Evolutionists haven't had the chance to literally evolve into these hybrid / abnormal beings, hence why they're all so surprised when a centaur shows up!

4.) "EVO!Martyn and EVO!Pearl. What's their deal?"

Well am I GLAD YOU ASKED!

In this AU (and in my own personal view of Evo), EVO!Pearl is a spy sent by the Watchers, specifically to keep EVO!Grian in line. Though not a Watcher, she does derive from the same plane as them, making her highly omniscient in the timeline of her life, including her future. Due to this fact, EVO!Pearl is aware that, at some point after Grian is taken by the Watchers, Grian creates the Life Series.

(Side tangent: In this AU, the Life Series is a seperate universe initially created by Grian, who does indeed have Watcher abilities at the time. After dying at the end of Third Life, however, he is greeted by the Watchers in the afterlife, who basically highjack the Life Series and starts taking control. They manipulate and force Grian to continue the games, even though he knows that it will only result in the cycle of watching his friends kill each other over and over and over again. As a way to try and compromise, Grian asked the Watchers to allow him to "split the universe", AKA live in another universe where his friends don't remember the Life Series (this universe being Hermitcraft) whenever the games weren't in session. The Watchers agreed but reminded Grian that the versions of his friends stuck in the Life Series universe will forever be tortured and exist in a limbo-like state in between the games (Eyes and Ears AU). This haunts Grian in modern day, but he pretends like it doesn't.)

EVO!Pearl resents Grian for the decision of creating the Life Series, considering the fact this means she is aware that he will eventually create a universe where she and all the friends she will make in the future will never escape a cycle of killing each other. This information drove EVO!Pearl basically insane, causing her to lash out towards the Evolutionists (Grian especially who, at the time, didn't even know what she was mad at him for) and distanced herself from them "out of safety". Eventually, EVO!Pearl goes missing entirely (but it doesn't stay that way once Gem starts coming along...)

EVO!Martyn has a similar tale, albeit a bit more complicated. At the end of EVO (which is when I believe Martyn becomes a Listener), he is also gifted with omniscience. It's a bit difficult to explain: Because end-of-EVO-Martyn has this ability, it retroactively makes AU-current-Martyn aware of his eventual fate. Unlike EVO!Pearl, EVO!Martyn is practically unbothered by this knowledge. Knowing that there is a future in which he wins with such glory! (Limited Life) Knowing that, someday, he will fight to bring down the Watchers that currently terrorize his town! It makes him PROUD! There's no shame in what the future holds for him. In fact, he makes jokes with/towards EVO!Grian about murder & betrayal frequently, something that angered EVO!Pearl prior to her disappearance. Simply put: He did not care!

("What about BigB?" because BigB's relationship with the Watchers doesn't start to truly bloom until the Life Series starts up (in a different universe entirely), he does not have the same retroactive powers (in the EVO timeline, at least).)

5.) "...So EVO!Grian and EVO!Jimmy don't know about the Life Series?"

Nope! Not at this point. Though Grian gains omniscience, he does not gain the retroactive abilities of a Listener, like Martyn. In fact, Hermit!Grian struggles to remember much of his time as an Evolutionist at all due to the fact the Watchers screwed him over so bad when they took him. Jimmy's situation matches BigB's, in which his connection with the Watchers started in an alternative universe, so he has no connection to it during his time as an Evolutionist.

6.) "How can Hermit!Pearl remember EVO, but not the Life Series?"

More Watcher manipulation babyeeee. Because Hermit!Pearl lives in a world where she does not remember the Life Series, her "memories" of Evo are warped. Though she knows she was (and still is) a spy for the Watchers, she has no recollection of ever getting "going crazy" (basically, she remembers EVO as how it actually happened OUTSIDE of this AU lol). Hermit!Grian knows that Hermit!Pearl doesn't remember the Life Series and does his best to prevent her from ever figuring it out due to the fact he fears that, if she were to learn about the fate of herself in the next universe over, it would trigger basically a sleeper agent emotion in her and cause her to end up like how EVO!Pearl did. And Grian does not want to see that happen again.

WOW that was a lot. I've been typing for at least an hour now LMAO

I could ramble about Creature Feature forever, honestly. I'm so grateful to hear that other people seem to be interested in it! If there's any more questions or comments on the AU, please don't hesitate to jump into my inbox!! I'm always so happy to answer them!! 💜