#tried using relight can you tell

[loveryss]

~Embracing Erin~

Spooky group date 🎃

Just vibes, amazing costumes & Mara keeping an eye on Erin (being a good sister and all)

[kusin-tisdag]

How to take screenshots and edit (when it's just not your thing)

Alright-y!

So, I have over the years learned how to use reshade and to edit my pictures. I am really not a natural on these things, so this is very much to help others who are as aesthetically challenged as I am. I have to have certain "rules" to follow, because I can rarely just see if a picture will turn out well or not.

We all need to realize where I started. We're talking using FRAPS to take screenshots and then running holy colours batman! to get some sort of effect.

Now, I'm not one to buy fancy stuff and to pirate certain programs isn't really my thing either. So we mend and make do!

Also, I am by far very good at taking screenshots and edit, but I have learned things and hope that it might be useful for someone!

A word on light

One thing I've learned is to work with is light. Where the light is is where the focus will go. This doesn't mean that a person has to be in the spotlight, but if they aren't - try to make that a more conscious choice. I am no pro at this, but I have to say that some of my favorite screenshots are where the light is just good. It focuses the eye or it just give a vibe.

(and yes, for some reason all of my faves are of Agnes, which is a bit annoying since Amanda is my fav-character, lol)

This is also where reLight comes in handy. Yes, it's behind a paywall but there are ways that you will have to figure out yourself.

Great tutorial here on reLight by @pictureamoebae! (if you want to really understand reshade, do check out their tumblr. So many helpful tips and tricks!)

Posing

Posing is fun! I don't fully story-tell with my sims, most of it is gameplay. But I do like to pose for family pictures or to enhance something that is going on.

What you need is Andrew's Pose Player and Teleport Any Sim or Wicked Whims.

Now, I haven't figured out how to use WW for children and younger to pose, so I use both. And I like @ts4-poses to find poses. Eventually, you'll find your favorite creators and can follow them directly.

Angles and vibes

Here's a trick. Work with angles. I am a master of pictures with zero vibe, just a face. Those can be ok, and sometimes that's what you have - but try to angle your shot a little.

Or add clutter, focus on that and let something out of focus happen in the background.

Or just go higher, take the screenshot from above.

Or don't focus on your sim at all, focus on something else that adds to the story/post.

Take the screenshot

The light is good, the angle great, the poses are in place and now, we need to take the actual screenshots.

I am a huge fan of reshade, I use version 4.9.1 because that works for me and the presets I use. No need to update reshade unless it becomes too old.

It can be really difficult to to find a preset that you like. I mostly use birdie by @monasims, tawhay by @windslar and paperbacks by @literalite. But I have tried many.

I like this youtube-tutorial on how to make your own preset, which also helps if you wish to modify one that you've downloaded. I do always recommend learning how to use ADOF and CinematicDOF to help focus the image on what you want to capture. I also strongly recommend @pictureamoebae's Foundation.

To take pictures, use the tab-key to leave the UI behind and use Q and E to go down/up in your game and then the mouse to angle. I use print-screen to take my screenshot, but that's something you set up when installing reshade so that's different for everyone.

And now you have your screenshot and it's time to open an editing program. Cheap as I am, I open GIMP.

Let's edit!

I don't use many steps. Since I can't use fancy photoshop actions I have to make all the steps by myself and well - I am human and therefor lazy.

Resize and start to think of a post

First things first. I cut my pictures to work for the tumblr ratio. I actually don't resize them smaller anymore - because when I change layout on my tumblr I just feel as if it messes it up. Now, I don't have a huge screen and my screenshots aren't massive, so it's not necessary either.

My images will be 1017x1017, 1525 x 1017 or 678 x 1017.

Once this is done, I also try to look at how they will go together. If I want a post of just squares I need to have an even number of images. Sometimes I want a landscape image as a sort of heading, or one in the middle with squares around it. It depends on what I want to convey.

This is by no means something that comes natural to me - I am aesthetically challenged after all. Sometimes, I just have 5 images and have to make do.

Resized

Topaz Clean

Yup, it's awesome. No, it doesn't come with GIMP. Yes, there are ways to work around this. You will have to find those ways on your own.

But I have to say, it does makes wonder for the images. I have completely stolen @sojutrait 's settings because I really like her style and therefor - I copy. I have added a bit more sharpening, but otherwise it's completely hers.

Topaz Clean:ed

Curves

Curves my beloved! I use curves for two things! Take out the yellow (aka increase the blue) and to brighten/darken the image!

I do sometimes matte the image too and here's a good tutorial for GIMP users on how to use curves in GIMP (for a matte look)

Less yellow/more blue

Brighten the brights (but I did not brighten the darker parts)

Layers, curves and increase the light where needed

Now, remember that we need light? Sometimes, a screenshot just doesn't have the right light. So I duplicate the layer, use the free marking tool around what I wish was brighter and put that on a new layer.

Then I use curves to lighten the layer with what I want to brighten and to make darker the layer with what I want to put less focus on (here's an ok youtube video on the subject).

Below, you can see the effect on my images.

Sharpen

Pretty basic. I subtly sharpen the image again. Even if I use the sharpening in topaz clean I do like to add an extra touch before it's time to save and move on.

So sharp!

PSD and UI

I do like to use psd's now and then. I mainly use @windslar's psd-collections and @deathbypufferfish's Build-a-Sim Icon Pack.

It's mostly to help give some info about the post or when my sims age up and I want to show their traits.

I do use the UI-info sometimes. If I do, I go into Game Options in the game > Accessibility > UI-scale and just drag that up a bit. Then I copy/paste that part onto the image I'm using.

Done!

That's pretty much it. Thing is, to post good edits you have to actually take good screenshots. As annoying as it is, it's like cooking: it all comes down to the ingredients. I hate cooking Yes, editing does help but I think my main journey has been to learn to take better screenshots from the start.

The picture below is from resized to done.

Hope this might help someone! I will probably learn more and more as I continue to post, but this is where I am so far in my journey!

[theplottdump]

One Night in Al Simhara || Behind the Scenes & Director's Notes

The World:

Al Simhara was built in Strangerville using Nando's incredibly busted Get to Egypt mod. (which i tossed sunblind into as well and pulled a few ugly skyscrapers out of) My friend OakieDokieSims built the layout for me since he's fantastic with sight lines and scale (he also built the shells for Val's Lair and the UNIT office) and I finished off the set dressing for all the things I needed to be able to see in game.

I also added a lightmap to the pyramids from the mod so they would glow at night!

The Red Jacket™

There's a couple running themes/motifs in this story that I included. One of them is this red Suitcoat that we see Dick put on at the beginning.

When we cut to 35 years ago, Dick is in white and blue and Chet is the one with the Red Jacket. Dick is a more complicated character. He's my bisexual James Bond- (including all the negative connotations that come from being a sex pest) and I wanted to show how Chet really shaped him into who he became later on in his career.

When we see Force Ghost Chet at the end, he's not wearing his jacket anymore because it's been (metaphorically) passed onto Dick. He's now the confident older Agent that he admired so much. This was the original ending I had planned for him, but when i put all my sims on a lot together Carmela and Dick were instantly extremely attracted to each other and I was like hold on now I got brain worms.

So when he makes the conscious decision to retire in the epilogue we see him return to the blue and white and as a bonus I tried to have Carmela match the neutral tones we see her in in the flashback as well.

Little Notes and Nods:

You can tell a lot about a person from their shoes.

Poignant lyrical accompaniment to Dick pouring out one for the dead abusive homie who still lives rent free in his head.

@aheathen-conceivably cameo #1

Dick getting berated by the fruit stall lady cause i needed a quick snappy way to get him and chet in a closet together

Snapping a quick Dick Pic™ of some classified documents

I hastily added some papers flying around and have decided I now need a papers flying around object re: Natalia Auditore cloud of crows

Strategic Mirror Placement for Staking out Secret Handoffs and staring at cute girls

The first real shot of Chet's face is his reflection in a mirror.

I purposely didn't show Professor Ego's full face during most of the story cause I didn't want to deal with all the HE LOOKS LIKE DOCTOR FACILIER comments. I asked shooby to make him for me and yes he absolutely was based off him. 😂 I only refer to him in text since he was apprehended by UNIT right before the gen 6 story starts, so I thought it would be fun to pull him in for this

I don't think I've ever used Miguel for anything but during a weakness spiral I built Ale 2 houses and made him a massive extended family, and Miguel is his great uncle and also the reason Alejandro is part of the lawful good secret Society of Brilliance in the first place.

chet cheekily checking out ass in more mirror shots

Aheathen Cameo #2 - the case of the magical teleporting Alexis

I made the pose and placed the sign separately but it was such a happy accident i had to scoot it into the shot

Instead of her Magnum, I thought Queenie should have some nasty looking knives to play with. So I whipped up some Liujiao Dao or chinese deer horn knives for her.

bisexual lighting orgasm face

i created this effect on accident by selecting a sim with TOOL and sticking a relight ball in their face. I like how ghostly it looks but doesn't lose any detail.

reds, blues, and more mirrors. I wonder if that means anything.

Cheeky painting swatch switch so the closeup of the hands wasn't just a solid block of red which is not the color we're looking for right now. The bits of red and blue on white are more in tune with the mosaic analogy at the end as well. (which is a direct echo of dick's speech to chad from chet's funeral)

And we've come in a full Jo Stafford musical circle. Nice!

[43501]

How would Near show affection to his lover? Like.. Do you think he’d be the type to cuddle or call them sweet names? Or would he be rather emotionally distant…

One of my favorite subjects! Thanks for the ask!

(Since you're whispering in my ear for Nearposts, I suspect you've already seen these, but if you haven't: Near Romance Headcanons Part 1 // Near Romance Headcanons Part 2)

Need to advise that my answer will be a combination of pointing to things in canon that inform my opinions, and pure headcanon. Death Note's canon and extrinsic materials give us very, very little indication of what any of these people are like in their personal lives (except L, who has an entire DS game where you can romance him, and I am forever jealous).

What kind of person is Near?

Want to start by saying that I think the common fandom perception of him as an emotionless person is wrong. He definitely feels things - very strongly at times, even (speech at the Yellow Box, calling the president a "maggot", that very, very good scene in the Relight where he calls Light after the SPK is killed and just sits there seething in silence while covered in blood) - but he's always in control of himself. That's one of his defining character traits, after all.

I don't know why this omitted from the English translation, but the Japanese text under the "personality" section of his character bio in HT13 describes him as "a dry person". Also worth mentioning that in Japanese, Near is maintaining a super high level of formality in his speech at all times. He's always ending sentences with -masu or -desu, even when he's talking to Mello.

Like, the only really telling thing we get about him as a person is a meta comment (from Ryuk, of all people) in HTR13 suggesting he might be distant from others because he's sensitive. I think we are supposed to infer that he intentionally isolates himself from others to maintain his peace and clarity of mind. By the way, the original Japanese version of this says "due to being too smart and sensitive, they cut off contact with the outside world", so the Viz English translation is faithful.

HTR13 explicitly says he "had no friends at Wammy's House" but this is obviously self-imposed. Linda tries to get him to go outside and play with the other kids and the fact that the other guy on-panel is like "don't bother, Linda" means that this is probably a regular occurrence... plus, we see the panel of everyone crowding around Near to look at his test results. They would probably try to be his friends if he'd allow it, but he seems to hold them at bay.

He values Mello a lot, though. He has zero hesitation about inheriting the title of "L" together with him and working collaboratively (and in the anime adaptations, honestly reads a touch disappointed to me when Mello storms out of Wammy's House). His original line to Mello during the reunion was "welcome home, Mello" (okaerinasai) ... why did they change that? He's quite passionate in his speech to Light at the Yellow Box, giving Mello the credit for solving the case and almost directly saying "he makes up for what I lack". It's implied he recovered Mello's belongings and eats Mello's chocolate in remembrance of him. He keeps Mello's finger puppet and just like... sits around wearing it, years later.

I think this is the in-text proof we get of the "he's actually kind of sensitive" comment from HTR13. Also the C-Kira one-shot where he falters and knocks over a tarot card tower when Halle correctly surmises he's agonizing about what the original L would do in the situation (and then he apologizes and dismisses them, asking to be left alone for the rest of the day). In general, his emotions are displayed through his props. In part because manga is a visual medium, in part because that's actually how he expresses himself... sitting in the shadow of those huge "L" shaped card towers. Taking great care with making Mello's puppet because he "liked him". Breaking his own toys whenever he gets frustrated.

All of that to say that I think, if we're trying to make inferences from canon:

Near is certainly capable of warmth (and I'd even argue genuine attachment and admiration for a person), but his expressions of affection are likely to be low-key.

His social skills are extremely low. At least at first, he's not going to know what he's supposed to do in a relationship. It might even take him a while to realize he has more-than-friendly feelings for a person in the first place.

The suggestion that he has a "sensitive core" somewhere under all of that leaves a lot to the imagination. There's a ton of ways this can be interpreted.

By the way, this didn't fit in with any of the above but I wanted to mention a scene I really like. Only in the TV anime, Near tries to stop the Task Force from pursuing Light when he flees the Yellow Box. When Aizawa tells Near "I'm not going to follow your orders", Near seems genuinely aghast and embarrassed for a moment lol. It's not a strictly necessary scene (it's not in the original manga or the Relight) but it's nice to see Near shocked out of his element for a second, a humanizing moment.

Actually Answering Your Question

Now I'm going to forget about all of that and answer with what is in my heart, as someone who has been unreasonably attached to this character for 17 years.

Most of his expressions of love are indirect. He's the world's greatest detective (implied to still be quasi-FBI in present day) and provides financially for his partner - it's a very practical, down-to-earth show of love and very Near-like. He's very creative and always making stuff. He'll definitely make things in the image of his partner - finger puppets, sculptures, plushies - and keep them nearby. He's a careful study of everyone and everything in his life, so he knows you back-to-front. Gifts relating to your interests/hobbies will show up at your door at random, he definitely expresses affection by way of gift-giving.

Yes, he's very cuddly. Once a trusting relationship has been established and he feels he can open up. In keeping with his tendency to express his bigger, more complicated feelings in ways other than words, he relies on physical affection as a shortcut. It makes him feel at peace. Sometimes it lulls him to sleep. The first times you hold him, it feels like you're touching a thoroughly touch-starved person. Something he does a lot is hide/bury his face in the crook of your neck. He also twirls your hair through this fingers like he does with his own hair, like you might be an extension of him.

Kissing is much the same. For the most part, it's very loving, pure and chaste. Impossibly gentle kisses on the back of your hand, your forehead, your cheeks, your lips. Those hot, open-mouthed kisses, all tongue and teeth, are a more occasional thing. It always makes his head spin a little, lol.

Sex is infrequent but intense (at least emotionally, for him, I think, especially the first few times). He's pretty straightforward about his desires, but a touch awkward about it still. I don't personally view him as asexual (this is a whole essay unto itself so I won't elaborate), but he could easily do without it also. It's low on his list of priorities.

I struggle to see him as someone who uses sweet names on a partner, but I honestly think you'd get a "dear" or maybe even "my dear" once in a while. It fits with him still being a little bit formal, even in his private life, and it's the address he went with for the back of Mello's photograph instead of writing "To Mello" or something more impersonal...

In the case of a long-distance relationship which doesn't have a face-to-face component, I think his letter-writing is thoughtful and surprisingly ardent. He can be more honest (perhaps a touch poetic) when he has distance and time to compose his thoughts and feelings and put them to a page. There's a Near x OC fic I really like that runs on this premise. He doesn't talk like this in person or on the phone, though.

He doesn't distance himself from his partner per se, but there's always a sense that he's holding back a bit or there's something unsaid. Like there's a little tiny part of him always just out of reach. He doesn't say "I love you" unprompted (though he'll say it back if you do first). He's never going to be one for grand gestures. Even if he loves you, he still needs a lot of alone time (both for himself and in service of his work) and appreciates you respecting his space.

[tau1tvec]

Some more shots that have only been cropped and resized.

Now I tried to tone down the saturation, and the yellow tint to give it a bit more of an even toned look, especially for skintones. I tried to aim for a bright, clear, but still soft overall look. Even in unlit rooms, you can still clearly see everything, but this will heavily depend on your lighting mod set up. This preset is also built for ReLight, which is the main reason I made it to begin with, so I encourage its use for a more cinematic look if you're able.

I'd like to work on some other variations tho ( CAS, a moodier version ), so until then consider this a BETA release.

Keybinds have been attached to heavier shaders, and shaders that might mess with the UI.

Ambient Light, and Chromatic Aberration - F6

Cinematic DoF - F7

Please tell me if it doesn't work, lol, it's been a while since I've uploaded a GShade Preset.

DOWNLOAD PLUSH GSHADE | MF

[muwapsturniolo]

✯Somebody Else✯

Black!reader

Inspired by this reel i saw.

Summary: Chris lays in bed with another while thinking of his ex-lover

warnings: hella angst, brief mentions of sex, swearing, Chris being upset. weed.

✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Chris groans as he spills his seed into the condom, pulling out of the girl beneath him and collapsing next to her. Both of them breathing harshly from the intense sexual encounter.

After a few minutes, the girl sits up and tries to leave the bed, but Chris stops her, "Stay for a bit, we can roll up and chill."

She stares in confusion, not use to guys asking her to stay after sex. They are usually the first to throw her clothes in her lap and tell her to hurry up and leave.

It's a nice change of pace.

She nods and grabs her shirt, slipping it on along with her underwear. She settles back into the bed, sitting crisscross on the black sheets. Chris sits up, reaching into his nightstand to grab the items needed to roll a blunt.

As he starts grinding the weed, the girl speaks.

"Who's Dessi?"

Chris stops what he's doing, his heart clenching at the name.

"What?"

"Who's Des-No I heard you. Why are you bringing her up? How do you know her?" His tone holds a bit of malice, clearly frustrated with the name.

"You literally called me her name."

He pushes the paraphernalia to the side and rubs his hands over his face in exhaustion. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. that was probably awkward to hear." He apologizes.

He didn't even know he did it and it has him thinking, has he done this to other women who have laid in his bed? The thought alone makes him want to throw up.

"Wanna talk about her?" The girl offers. Chris slowly turns to her, "Huh?" She rolls her eyes and grabs the grinder from his lap.

"Talk about it. it's clear you still have love for her. Maybe if you talk about her you won't call another girl by her name." She jokes softly.

He goes back and forth with idea. He could talk about her and risk crying like a little bitch in front of his one-night stand, or he could keep his emotions bottled up like he always does.

"Roll up first, I'll play some music."

The girl nods and proceeds to roll two blunts, figuring they will be here for a while. As she lights the first blunt, the sound of Lil Uzi's The Way Live Goes fills the blue-illuminated room. Chris settles back down, a pair of grey sweatpants adorning his hips.

They sit in silence until Chris finally speaks.

"She was someone I loved...I loved her and she screwed me up big time." The girl hands him the blunt, figuring he needs the drug to continue. He takes a hit, ghosting it before blowing it right back out.

"We met a couple months ago and I fell hard. She was beautiful, a little shorter than me, with beautiful brown skin. She always wore wigs but I loved when she wore her natural hair, even though she said it was too much to keep up with."

The girl mumbles something along the lines of, "She ain't lying."

Chris continues, staring straight ahead, "I met her at a party and we left to get food. She laughed at all my jokes, was super sarcastic and just had an amazing vibe. After that night I felt like I met...My person."

He hands her back the blunt, now fiddling with his phone. "I started taking her out on dates, which was new for me because I'm not good in relationships, but I wanted to be for her. I did everything I thought she would like. I got her the flowers she loved, I would buy the little trinkets that reminded me of her, for fuck sake I even wrote love letters."

"Love letters? That's really cute." She mumbles, a small smile on her face as she relights the blunt. "I thought so but she didn't. This went on for two months... She would tell me all the time that she loved what we had but she didn't want to put a label on it yet." He chuckles as her voice fills his ears.

"let's not label things yet, you're having fun, right? That's all that matters."

He shakes his head, plucking the blunt from the girl's fingers. "My brothers and a few friends would ask me what we were and I couldn't give them an answer. When I explained to my older brother Justin, he gave me this look of sadness, like he knew what she was doing all along. He told me, but I didn't listen. I loved her." The girl nods, choosing to listen instead of speaking.

"Two months ago I started getting fed up with it. I wanted to make her mine. I'm bad at talking about my feelings verbally so I wrote her another love letter. I poured my heart out, telling her how I felt from the first moment I laid eyes on her, to the point where I realized I was in love with her."

She watches as his eyes get glossy. Of course he's high at this point, but this is a different type of glossy, a glossy only made by the salty tears your body produces.

"And you know what she did?" He laughs softly, the vocal expression filled with sadness.

"She called me and told me to stop. She told me she wasn't in love with me, that she wasn't in the right mental state to be in a relationship." He wipes the tears streaming down his face, cursing internally for getting so worked up.

"I was hurt, but who was I to be mad because she wasn't in the right mental state? So I told her I got it, and that she can hit me up whenever she felt better, or comfortable being around me again."

The humming of the 1975 begins to fill the room, the girl identifying the song as "somebody else."

She watches as his breathing gets harsher, a clear indication that he's going to break down any moment now.

"She hit me up a week later...I didn't even get a 'Hey how are you' text. instead, I got a fucking video of her getting her back blown out by some douche bag and her moaning how she loves him."

I don't want your body But I hate to think about you with somebody else

He breaks down, his sobs bouncing off the wall as he puts his head in his hands. The girl quickly ashes out the blunt and wraps her arms around him, holding him close. His whole body shakes in dejection, the tears streaming endlessly.

"A-an hour later she t-texted me and t-told me to f-forget about h-her because sh-es in a relationship."

Our love has gone cold You're intertwining your soul with somebody else

The girl rubs his back in a caring manner. She's only known Chris for about three hours now, and she already hated seeing him like this. She can tell this Dessi girl has truly fucked with his mental, screwing up any interpretation he has of love.

"Shh, it's ok. Everything is ok."

"I-I just don't understand! I did everything right and sh-she just threw me to the side like g-garbage! H-how can you tell me y-you aren't ready for a r-relationship then g-get in one?!"

Her heart aches for the boy. She may not know him that well, but if she ever met Dessi on the street she would dogwalk her for him.

She continues to comfort Chris, rubbing his back and mumbling praises in attempt to calm him down.

After 30 minutes, he stops sobbing and switches to sniffling. "Sorry for that... Must have been a huge turn-off to see a guy crying like that." He sits up and wipes his eyes, reaching for the other blunt. She stops him, slowly pushing his hand down,

"Wasn't a turn-off, if anything I found it attractive...I like guys who can be vulnerable."

And c'mon baby (I know) This ain't the last time that I'll see your face

The two stare at each other, the once blue LEDS now a soft pink, illuminating their faces and bodies in the warm lighting.

Maybe it's the weed, but the longer he stares at her, the more she begins to look like Dessi.

I'm reminded that I should be gettin' over it

He shakes his head. She doesn't look like Dessi, she looks like her own person.

I don't want your body, I don't want your body

Her own beautiful person.

He crashes his lips against hers, pushing her back against the soft pillows.

"I'm done talking about her, I want to focus on you Y/N"

✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

I LOVE THIS SM!!! SM ANGST! DO YALL LIKE HOW Y/N WASNT SAID UNTIL THE END?! IDK WHY BUT THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART!!! ALSO IT'S FUCK THAT BITCH DESSI!!!

TAGLIST🍑

@bernardsgf @bernardsleftbootycheek @blahbel668 @mattfrfr @gdsvhtwa @sturniolo-aali @lily-loves-struniolos @kynda-avery @causeidontlikeagoldrush

@st7rnioioss @carolinalikesthings @mattslolita @suyqa @xxloveralways14 @pepsiimaxx @judespoision

@ivonchetooo1239 @imaslut4kehlani @that-general-simp @m4stermindd @itzdarling @gigisworldsstuff @adoreindie @braindead4l @pettydollie @chrissgirlsstuff @alexis007 @ratatioulle @yamamasjumpercables @luv4kozume @sturnioloslurps @kqyslyho3 @mattslolita

[ehh-is-the-name]

Watching ii-17 right before bed was a mistake

So gang I'm crying.

You know the drill, bad spoilers under the cut.

Im gonna try to go in order..? Maybe I don't know. I'm so serious when I say I've lost the will to live. They pulled the plug and it's all gone. Show's over.

I'll try to relight my inner flame and have more energy as I go through the ep piece by piece, but please understand I am literally crying while I write all this.

Starting strong

Knife just doing what we wish we could </3

This is gonna be Cobs and Mephone centric- ok. You already know I'm a Meeple head and this actually is gonna torment me forever and ever and things are never going to be ok ever again, I can't belive this is actually the end guys I'm spiralling hel-

Did I ever say how much I hate this cob of corn?

I don't even have the energy to explain the parallels here, if you've been watching you get it. You know how this corn shucker is. The "Don't talk to them like that" being a response 'cause that's how he's always been talked down to.... the generational abuse did stop at this ep I guess. Not how we wanted tho.

Actually heartbreaking- like that whole thing. I'm glad he got out of the closet and tried to help but... I'm so sorry y'all all I see is the grass field with him sitting in it and I can;t stop thinking about it. He can't go back. He can't- It's supposed to get better for him. things are supposed ot be ok. they were all supposed to be fine I don't know why it's like this I cna't belive this is how it's ending. I know there might be more but also the possibility there;s not is overwhelming I don't i cant-

IS THE PHENOMES A SLUR FOR THE SHIMMERS???

I got into convo with a friend over this, but think about it. Cobs is literally known as their oppressor, and "the phenomes" is "what he always calls them", even though they so clearly go by the shimmers, and he DEFINITELY knows that by now.

Same friend I was arguing with was telling me that:

The word “phenom” means something/someone with a really talented skill. Perhaps this slur means something like real useful tool or something

Which, if their name to Cobs is specifically about being a tool of his then... idk man. Sounds kinda derogatory to me! Though I think anything this cob of corn says sounds derogatory to me. I keep trying to not just be a cob hater, but guys I think I'm a little justified in blind hatred now. I mean come on-

He litterally does this, and then practically begs Mephone to scream and cry and explode and-

Like is that not evil behaviour? Is that not behaviour justifying this reaction?

When I say this show makes me crazy- AOUGHGh.

On a different note before I get into the ending. I was telling this friend that like... just look at this frame

Like he actually looks insane. Like think about it y'all. Years poured into this and he's laughing to himself as he tries to make two "fake" people fight to the death. His glasses are broken, he's up on some abraham lincoln ass booth watching this all go down with a crazed smile. This man has gone inanimate insane. Inanimate insanity has made this man insane.

.

...

.

I would also like to say before I get into the next part, I have such a visceral reaction to this because mephone is was my hope (cringe and sad I know), but quite literally me but with mephone himself

He gave me hope for a future but I fucking guess not </3

The fear in Mephone's eyes as Cobs just so plainly says to come along, like everything wasn't just shattered.

I've seen people say it's like a kid being told to pack it up and start heading home, but it's more than that. God. Please tell me you see it's more than that. This guy ran away from a terrible situation, tried to cope with the trauma (not in a healthy way but still tried) and his abuser's bringing him right back home.

Just... Just look at him in the gif, that's not just "some kid being sad" there's more to that. This whole interaction solidifies the fact there's nowhere safe for him. Even in the world he made, nothing- Nothing could stop his abuser from reaching him. He couldn't run far enough, he couldn't hide well enough. He just has to accept his fate. He has to go "home", even though his was destroyed.

I don't know how to stay hopeful after this episode, but I'll try to stay alive just for the chance of an act 3 or epilogue or something. It's 4 am as I type this. I started this ep at 12:30 am. This show has proved to be the reigning champion of my mental spiralling. I beg this phone can leave but.... you know how it is-

and ironically enough the ad that I got on this episode...

Anyway,

Closing thoughts: Can't believe Adam, Justin, and Brian are fake, and homophobic for killing off most of the bright light polycule. I mean, that's just classic bury your gays trope right there and smh. Thought they'd do better. Gonna go fall off a waterfall Airy-style since we just can't help having hfjone parallels now. Night, everyone.

[eden-writes-stuff]

Tags: mtf!'harry'; he/him pronuns until the middle, use of deadname until end; teacher!Remus; genderfluid!Sirius; ftm!Regulus; Angst; hints at wolfstar

Wordcount: 1260

The first try failed miserably.

When he returned to himself, Lupin was by his side, helping him up. "It's alright. I didn't expect you to do it the first time. That would have been remarkable." He pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket. "Here, eat this. You'll feel better."

Harry could still feel the cold, the icy grip on his heart, the numbness. "That was one nasty Dementor."

"Oh, no. That was a Boggart, Harry. The real thing would have been a lot worse." 

Lupin started to relight the candles with his fingers while Harry scrambled back to his feet.

"As a matter of interest, what were you thinking?" "The first time I rode a broom."

Lupin turned toward him. "That's not good enough, not nearly." Harry tried not to be disappointed. Deep inside, he knew there was only one right memory. One time he had felt truly comfortable in his own skin. But it was wrong and strange... and yet...

"There's another... It's the happiest I've ever felt. But it's complicated", he explained, not daring to look at the teacher.

"Is it strong?" 

Harry nodded, heart pounding.

"Then let's give it a try. Do you feel ready?" He drew his wand, pointing it at the chest.

"Just do it." This time when Lupin opened the chest, he felt more confident. He remembered what it had been like.

The sudden change of his body. Long black hair, softer curves, wider hips, a different voice... He remembered finally seeing herself in the mirror. The pure euphoria. She remembered people laughing, but it didn't matter because, for the first time in her life, she had felt beautiful.

The stag burst out of the tip of the wand, cornering the Dementor until it was back in its prison. Lupin looked up in wonder.

"Fucking hell! Sorry. You didn't hear that. That was amazing. Truly wonderful, here..." He pulled his chocolate out again, while Harry wiped away a few tears. Why was she- he- she crying? A look of concern crossed the teacher's face. "Let's take a break, shall we."

Without a word, Harry sat on the stairs, staring at the wall.

"Do you want to talk about this memory?" The kid hesitated. She trusted Lupin. Something about his calm, warm way made him seem like he could make the entire world be okay.

"It was a prank Malfoy pulled on me last year... He... turned me into a girl. It's stupid. I don't even know why it affected me that much, but it just felt right. I know it's not. I'm a boy, I always have been, but I... I felt so comfortable for the next few hours."

"Har-" Lupin interrupted himself. "Listen, I'm not pretending to be all-knowing. Only you can know who you are and how you feel, but I would like to tell you about two friends of mine who might have had similar experiences."

The thirteen-year-old looked up. It was obviously not easy for the teacher to talk about this, but he continued anyway. "They were siblings. One was born as a boy, the other as a girl. But it turned out that neither of those terms really fit them. The 'girl' felt more comfortable with short hair and the other sibling's clothes, because they didn't show off as much of the body. Soon this child decided to tell their friends to refer to him with 'he', rather than 'she'. Not long after he changed his name. And the people who truly cared about him accepted it. He was a lot happier that way and felt more like himself. He changed his appearance permanently."

"So he lived as a boy? And people were just fine with that?" "Well, not everyone obviously. But there will always be people who don't agree with who you are or how you present yourself. He just made sure people disliked who he really was." Lupin gave her a small smile.

"What about your other friend?" His gaze grew distant. "He never cared what people thought of him. One of the bravest people I ever knew." Probably without even knowing it his thumb traced one of the scars on his hand. "He would change his appearance and how people referred to her based on her mood. Some days she felt more like a woman, others like a man, others like none. Not caring what anyone had to say about it. Just because he knew he only had limited time on this earth and she wasn't going to waste any of it." He took a deep breath and looked over to her again.

"Do you see yourself in either of them?" "I... I don't know. Can you maybe try it out? Talking about me with she?" the professor nodded. "Of course", he turned toward an imaginary audience. "This is my student. She managed to summon a patronus today, and as her teacher, I am very proud of her. She likes to play Quidditch, but sadly her broom broke a few weeks ago. I hope she finds a new one that will equally serve its purpose." Lupin looked at her again, who couldn't help but smile.

"So you like it?" "Yes. It... I can't even describe it. Just... yes." She grinned widely, but then hesitated. "What about a name?" "Do you want a new one? You don't have to change anything you don't want to change." "I would like a new name, but... Well, my parents gave it to me and- "Your parents were two of the most supportive and accepting people in the world. They would have loved you, regardless of your gender or name; regardless of anything. You don't need to worry about them."

Slowly she nodded. "Can I just pick any name?" "Anyone you like. It doesn't need to be right away either, you can take as much time as you need. You can choose it when you're 70 or 110." "Do you know, if my parents had any ideas if I was.. born a girl?" Lupin thought for a while.

"In general, the Potters have a tradition of naming their kids after themselves. You have your father's first name as your second name, he had his father's name as a second name. So you could use Lily as a second name if you want to keep that going. Other than that your mom was very keen on naming you after one of their friends, but James thought that would get confusing very quickly. Now I don't believe that will be a problem anymore. You almost would have been named... after your godfather. As for female friends; There were Marlene and Mary, who were your mother's best friends. We used to call them the Valkyries. Marlene had a very close friend called Dorcas, also a brilliant woman. And then there was Pandora, who... was also very close to your mother. And of course, your grandmother, Euphemia."

"Pandora Lily Potter... Pandora Potter." She let the name roll off her tongue a few times. "I think I like that one..." Professor Lupin smiled. "Do you think I can tell my friends?" "I don't know. You need to manage that yourself. However, if you are looking for support, I know that Professor McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout will not let anyone treat you badly because of that. And neither will I."

Pandora nodded and rose from the stairs. "Can we maybe continue practice another time? I have a lot to think about." "Of course. Take as much time as you need. You have done amazing today. Much better than I ever anticipated. I'll see you in classes then, Pandora..."

[phoenixx-gone-dark]

For as long as Phoenix could remember, his birthday was never anything special. It was just another day for him to mark off his calendar. Another reminder that he’d survived another year.

When he was younger, he used to wait for his parents to come. “They’ll come, Nora. They’re just a little late,” he’d swear, his voice squeaky and bright with innocence. 

“Okay, sweetheart. I believe you. We can wait a little bit longer,” Nora, his nanny, would respond, sitting down in the chair next to him. 

She would smooth down his hair and let him talk about what he did at school, constantly looking to the clock and watching as the hours ticked by. She always knew that Mr. and Mrs. Spade weren’t coming, but she would never dare tell that to the child who hoped so dearly every year that they would. No, she let him hold onto that hope for as long as she could.

It wasn’t until the sun had long set and Ashton could feel his eyelids growing heavy that he told Nora that she could light the candles. She would oblige, singing to him softly as he watched the wax trickle down the sides of each candle. He always wished for the same thing up until he hit 10.

Please let Mom and Dad remember later.

Sometimes they would. They’d throw any amount of money at him that he asked for just so long as he kept his mouth shut. His grandparents would send him presents, but that stopped after they passed. Ashton never made all that many friends, so parties were out of the question.

It was just him and Nora against the world until he went and screwed that up, too.

One word uttered at the wrong time and Nora was gone, her bag packed up and presence removed from the house entirely within the span of one night. The other staff wouldn’t talk about her outside of hushed whispers. Ashton was supposed to forget her. As far as anyone was aware, Nora never worked at the Spade mansion and never would.

After that, Ashton celebrated alone. He’d sneak into the kitchen late at night and make himself a cupcake, letting it sit on the counter until the clock struck midnight. Then, he’d light the single candle he stuck in the middle before singing to himself.

“Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday, happy birthday. Happy birthday to me.”

The candle would go out, and Ashton would eat his cupcake. He didn’t wish for anything after Nora left. It never did him any good before, and it wouldn’t start doing him good now. He was better than that.

When he had his argument with his parents, Ashton didn’t know what he was going to do for his birthday. He didn’t expect to do anything, really. The recruitment office that he was staying outside of, though, had a convenience store pretty close by, so Ashton grabbed his bag and tugged his mask back up over his face.

He walked back out with a bag hanging off his wrist with a single cupcake and a pack of candles inside, along with a lighter. When Ashton settled back down in his spot in the alley, he pulled out the cupcake and the candles. He cracked open the container and took a red candle out from the pack before sticking it into the smooshed icing.

It took a couple tries to get the flame to stay, but eventually he managed. His singing was slightly faster than usual, mostly because he could feel drops of water starting to fall and he really didn’t want to deal with a soggy cupcake or trying to relight his candle in the rain.

“Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday, happy birthday. Happy birthday to me.”

Ashton blew the candle out, took it out, and shoved the entire cupcake into his mouth just as it started to pour down rain. He chewed as quickly as he could, swallowing and washing it down with the rootbeer that he had stashed away in his bag.

He fell asleep in the alley that night, welcoming the rain that soaked into his clothes and chilled him down to the bone. He was woken up by the recruitment officer, who he then followed inside the building and who helped him sign up for the Marine Corps.

While he served, Ashton never told anyone that it was his birthday. He knew better, not wanting to do push ups or have his fellow soldiers be forced to take the time out of their day to sing to him – probably more than once. No, Ashton didn’t need that. He couldn’t get himself cake or a cupcake, but he could sing to himself quietly in the shower or hum while he tried to fall asleep.

It was the same in Shadow Company. Ashton didn’t tell, and the Shadow’s never asked.

The year that he had the accident, Phoenix hadn’t even realized that his birthday had come. He was too busy staring up at the ceiling of the hospital after another round of surgery to make sure he turned out pretty and could still live comfortably after what had happened.

The nurses that were on shift that day had wished him a happy birthday whenever they visited, but Phoenix would just stare at them. A big part of the surgery was focused on his face and neck, so he was all sorts of wrapped up. He couldn’t talk, even if he wanted to.

One nurse brought him a cupcake, setting it down on his bedside table. It was like a cruel joke, giving him something that he couldn’t eat. The two stared at each other for a long while before she ran off, mumbling something about getting paged for a patient.

For a while, Phoenix just stared at the cupcake. It had obviously come from the cafeteria with its fake icing and too-bright colors. There was no candle, no flame for him to try and blow out.

Tears streamed down Phoenix’s cheeks as he turned his head, trying to ignore the sight of the IV going into his arm and feeding him pain medications that he really didn’t want but didn’t have the heart to reject. He was, in all senses, weak. He didn’t want to deal with the pain, didn’t want to have yet another reminder of all the ways that he failed.

He was nothing like his mother, and yet all he could think of was if he was going to develop her same habits.

The Shadows always asked Phoenix about his birthday, and every time he told them the same thing.

“I ain’t interested in tellin’ you my aging habits, Shadow. Get back to work.”

And every time, they’d slink away or try to pry further. Phoenix never relented. His birthday was, for all intents and purposes, unimportant. Just another trip around the sun. Just another step closer to his imminent death.

The birthday he had after leaving Shadow Company was one he really should have spent around the people that he loved, but old habits would die hard. Phoenix didn’t tell anyone, didn’t make it a big deal. He didn’t want to. Sure, he’d go to the ends of the earth to make sure that those around him got to be appreciated on their birthdays, but he would never expect the same for himself. Never.

All Phoenix did was watch as the clock struck midnight right after he got out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair dripping. He wiped the steam off of the mirror and took a long look at himself.

He looked better. His cheeks were less sunken in, his skin less pale. The bags under his eyes were still there, but they weren’t as prominent. His hair had grown out, the chocolatey brown roots peeking out from the dyed black. He’d have to ask Jeanz if she would touch them up after she got back from her mission.

It was practically tradition at this point, Phoenix thought as he started to sing to himself.

“Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday, happy birthday. Happy birthday to me.”

[deadbydangit]

With a killer from past times discovering new technology

Oni, Deathslinger, Knight

Oni

What is this thing?

It's vibrating and it's so small.

Actually, he's just a big person.

Explain to him what a phone is.

"You can communicate from miles away? Impossible!"

He thinks you're joking with him.

Until he actually tries it.

He's even a little afraid of it at first.

"That isn't possible! It must be some sort of illusion."

He's very set in his ways, so it might take time for him to get over the fear and confusion.

Once he does, he'll start enjoying technology more.

Kazan needs big versions of everything though.

He often crushes things in his hands without trying.

He then doesn't understand why it doesn't work.

"Can you not fix it? You can fix a sword that has broken."

It isn't that simple.

But he really doesn't understand that.

Cut him some slack though.

He's really doing his best.

Whatever you do, do not let him see any modern weapons.

He'll complain about the lack of skill they take, and how a true warrior only needs his wits and swords.

But if he picks up a chainsaw, you're going to have to warn everyone in the general area.

Max and Bubba will be happy with it though.

Kazan loves white noise machines.

Having that on while meditating is a god sent.

Especially since the realm can be so distracting and noisy.

He's so grateful to you.

If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have discovered this whole new world.

Deathslinger

Out of all of them, Caleb is, by far, the most interested.

He's an inventor and has been since a young age.

He knows what lightbulbs are.

But give him a cell phone and he's all over it.

You don't have to tell him how it works.

He's going to figure it out on his own.

And by that I mean he's going to take it apart and put it back together.

He would always do that when he was a child.

So don't be surprised when you come home to your computer in pieces.

Don't worry, he's got this.

But he doesn't.

You're going to have to bribe Adriana to help you fix it.

But while she's doing so, Caleb will want to learn.

The two of them might strike up some odd inventor friendship.

From now on, whenever you come home, you see him working on something.

He refuses to tell you what it is.

It's actually pretty annoying.

Until you come home one day to find that he's not only fixed your computer, but upgraded it too.

He's showing you all the new things you can use it for.

He's super proud of himself.

The enthusiasm in his voice as he introduces you to his newest creation is so cute.

His eyes are almost sparkling in child-like joy.

It makes all the time with computer parts scattered around the room worth it.

Knight

Tarhos doesn't really care.

If it has nothing to do with him, then it doesn't really matter.

Though he does find lightbulbs to be quite nice.

It takes care of the pesky task of lighting and relighting candles.

So if you want to put up some lights he won't stop you.

He'll even help you.

Other than that, don't expect him to be too thrilled.

Until you show him a cell phone.

It takes him and his men a while to understand the concept.

But once they do, it makes trials so much easier.

Proper communication, and anywhere they need to, really proves an advantage for them.

Survivors will start to complain about it.

And the Entity eventually takes away their phones before trials.

Fine, they'll do things the old fashion way.

They're all very smart and as they start to learn of new technology, they pick up on it faster and faster.

Tarhos loves any modern weapon.

Guns and such.

Although he isn't allowed to take those into trials, he still has fun learning about them and how to use them.

Just supervise him when he does.

He'll insist on teaching you how to use some of these weapons.

If he isn't around, he wants to make sure you're safe and have a way to defend yourself.

These training sessions are difficult.

But he's so proud of you.

And very grateful you've introduced him to this new world.

[lichfucker]

Brain damage in D minor?

hmm what can I say about brain damage in d minor that I have not already said

(quick summary in case my other post was too long: black sails au based on the film music and lyrics (2007). flint was in a boyband in the '00s but now is struggling to have any sort of career, and silver, whom flint hires to water his plants, turns out by sheer coincidence to be an excellent songwriter)

flint writes a song about grief and depression and feeling lost/adrift that he thinks is really powerful and moving and like he was truly speaking from his soul. everyone who hears it thinks "that's a very poetic way to say that you tried to jerk off but couldn't get it up because you were too sad"

the chorus of that song goes:

sky just on the edge of rain trying to relight the flame but the heat is doused by bitter cold nothing firm for me to hold

and it is a sign of remarkable restraint on my part that I have not written the entire song

this whole bit is mostly a joke but I think a major theme of the story is going to be identity and persona and the dissonance between how the world sees you and how you want the world to see you. flint has crafted his public persona so deliberately for the past twenty years—using a cool mononym stage name, training himself out of a regional accent, forcing his boyfriend to marry a beard so they could stay closeted and be successful pop stars in an extremely homophobic market—and it hasn't worked. people still see in him things he's trying to conceal, or they misinterpret him, or they can just tell that he's being phony. and then on the other hand we have silver, who's even more phony than flint is, whose persona is even more carefully crafted, and he does it so WELL. everyone thinks they know him, but nobody actually does. and then flint starts to know him, to really know him and see him and understand him, and silver cannot handle it.

[mini-games]

-BEGINNING LORE/SUN SAGA-

In the beginning, most everyone lived in Item’s (@item-shoppe) basement, eventually escaping one way or another to Nefarious’s (@nefarious-exclam) tower or to set up their own place.

I, Mini, came along through anon. An anon (a different one) had supposedly been quoting the lyrics to a song, but none of us knew the song and took it seriously. So we killed the sun. How? Well Nef tried (and failed) to shoot it with a water gun, and one of his gimmick posts was shrinking someone down to the size of an ant. So, if they’re able to do both of those things, I figured “Why can’t he do both on the sun?”

I sent in an ask, on anon (before I had become a gimmick blog. I was wanting to be one at this point but didn’t know what my gimmick would be) telling him to shrink the sun down to the size of an ant and shoot it with a water gun. It worked, the sun was extinguished, and it all went dark in the universe. And cold.

After figuring out what gimmick I wanted to be, I quickly made a profile picture for the blog and made the blog itself, now being able to interact with everything easily. The first interaction I had was with Vance (@advancement-made), and they asked me why I would do that. I didn’t think it would actually work, but it did and I have been advised to not underestimate Nef again. I was also forgiven.

Meanwhile, the Ice People had come out of the ice caves (looking at you, @solidwater05. I know what you did. /silly) and were attacking Nefarious, trying to get him to become an Ice Person as well. Nefarious uses a lot of mana during this period of time, trying to fight them off. Also Vance and Glitches (@glitches-and-bugs) can glow, we found out.

Boss (@bossfight-messages) ends up making a deal with the Ice People, telling them that they’ll be an Ice Person if they are given blankets. This deal was never completed, however, as Boss never turned into an Ice Person. Guess it’s too late for that now, though.

In the meantime, Vance and I forged a plan to relight the sun by making a large bonfire and throwing the sun in it, since Nef still had the sun in their hands. Small fires went out pretty quickly, but we figured a large bonfire would take a while to go out. Vance ended up leaving to get some wood, whilst I left to get something to light the wood with. I found some matches, before the Ice People found me.

The Ice People tried convincing me to join them, eventually telling me about how they are lonely and just want a friend. I ended up breaking, and they infected me, turning me into an Ice Person with them.

Before I could do anything as an Ice Person (infecting others, hiding away in the Ice Caves, etc.), the sun returned to the sky, having been re-lit. Normally, I would’ve melted since I was ice, but it was night-time. So I still had time.

Status (@status-updates) ended up watching as everyone panicked about me being an Ice Person, as he sat on a thawing machine. Nefarious ended up making a bargain with Status for the thawing machine, and when Status agreed on the price, he took 50 extra gold from Nefarious for renting the thawing machine. Nef used the thawing machine on me, thawing away the ice. I was back to normal, and everything was right and good in Exclamania once more. Well, except for Nef. Especially since he was angry at Status for swindling them.

Nef also gave me one of his cloaks, since I was still quite cold after having been frozen for about an hour. They also revealed that he knew the Ice People once. This seems to be a pretty big part of both Nefarious and Select (@character-selecton) lore.

If anyone else has anything to add to the Beginning Lore/Sun Saga lore, feel free to add to it!

If needed, I can also post a plaintext version. If you need a plaintext version, just ask and I can post it!

[ideas-on-paper]

Monster Hunter Tri Diary, Part 9: Stocking up resources & bug hunting

For previous entries, search for #monster hunter tri diary

Disclaimer: Text is paraphrased from my localization and might slightly deviate from the English version.

Moga Woods (night)

And the first thing we do is some grilling in the moonlight to stock up our steak reserves! :-) (I still had some raw meat in stock, I just never have the time and inventory space to do it otherwise.)

Also, I went into the cave of everlasting darkness once again for some ore. I was greeted by a massive swarm of Bnahabra near the entrance, as well as a LOOOT of Giggis. (I suppose they respawn after some time if you run around long enough?) The combination of these two is pretty annoying; since Bnahabra are drawn to torches while the Giggis shy away from it, I constantly had to extinguish and relight my torch.

Woah, there are MANY Jaggis and Jaggia in area 6 if there’s a Jaggi breeding. I suppose it was to be expected, but that would pass for a small army right there. ^^’

Despite being surrounded from all sides, I was bold enough to snatch a Fossil Piece lying around (marked by the unmistakable golden glitter). Wouldn’t want to miss anything I can trade with the Argosy Captain.

Man, fighting so many Jaggis at once with just the Leather armor is really no walk in the park. I would've been dead if I hadn't packed my extra potions. xD

Yay, I killed three Jaggis with one blow! xD

Pheeew... After the last Jaggia is down, I've finally got some time to take a breather. Not for long since the Jaggis/Jaggia keep respawning pretty much infinitely, but it took quite a rough battle to remotely clear the area.

I just tried out the Mega Harpoon for the first time, aaand... It doesn't appear like it does anything special? At least there appears to be no rare/special loot if you use it. (I got a Sharpened Fang from a Sharq just as usual.)

There are Ludroth in the cave of area 12. (I suppose this might be where they sleep/lay eggs?) Well, the Ludroth give quite a lot of points, so I'm not gonna say no to that! :-)

Are you kidding me? The Mega Harpoon broke the third time I used it. If it breaks when you so much as blow at it, why do you even bother attaching the adjective "mega" to it? What kind of joke article is this?

I killed some Epioth on my way back, on one hand for the innards and some extra points, as well as to get back the meat that I cooked (and to compensate for the steaks I already consumed).

In area 5, one of the Jaggia didn't notice me and was sleeping peacefully, until her sister's dead body landed next to her. Talk about a rude awakening. xD

It's kind of sick, but I actually used up all my potions except for one. Proof that even a pack of Jaggi can batter you if you're careless.

To wrap up my free hunt and to squeeze even the last resource points out of it, I gutted 3 Altaroth for Ripened Mushrooms.

I got 476 points, 406 from hunting and 70 from account items. Together with the 13 I still had left over, that makes 489 resource points in total. That should last for a while.

Fun fact, btw: The Jaggia give twice as many points (10p) as the Jaggi (5p). I killed twice as many Jaggi (28) as Jaggia (14), but I got 140p from each.

Moga Village (day)

The Argosy Captain tells us he and the Chief are good friends (using the Japanese word nakama, which can also mean "companion"/"comrade") and that they "did a lot of mischief" when they were younger. Really sounds like they have quite a history together. xD

Fleet Captain: "Did you ever think about how great the ocean is? It gives us food at day and lulls us to sleep at night... Okay, sometimes it gets a little rough and makes your life difficult. Like the Fishmongress..."  AHAHA, oh, this sounds like they're quite used to her tongue-lashings. xD (And honestly, I can imagine why.) Still, hearing the people of Moga have such a close relationship with the ocean is kinda sweet - it makes sense, since it's their livelihood, after all.

The Fishmongress about the Hunting Fleet: "They don't look the part, but they're real men!" LOL - even the Fishmongress admits they behave like weenies all the time! I can't! xD

I sent the fleet out to go treasure hunting for a change, if just to check out what kind of items you get from it.

Gossip-Lady: "A villager told me my puns were incredibly unfunny... But you like them, don't you?" Well, if you mean they're so bad they straight up crash through the bottom of badness and come out at the top of hilarity, then yes, I love them. xD

Item vendor: "My prices beat every competition! If I had any competition." Advantages of being the only general store in the village, I guess.

From what I can tell, the Saturnian Trap does absolutely nothing. I expected I might get some unusual items if I use it as a booster (like bugs or something), but nope - I mean, maybe you don't always get the loot, but at the moment, it looks like it's pretty much useless. (Just what kind of frippery did the Argosy Captain sell me?)

Anyway, I decided to cultivate some Parashrooms (to make tranquilizers later), and I realized the Felynes change positions depending on what you're cultivating. If you grow something on the fields, you can see them hoeing; if you're cultivating mushrooms, they'll be standing at the mushroom box. Neat.

And the Felyne asks me if I want to change his name again?! (I suppose this feature exists in case you want to change their name later from a gameplay POV, but from a lore perspective, I wonder how often employers rename their Felynes?)

Folks, it is time: The canteen is officially OPENED! Let's see what food our certified French cook has in store for us. ;-)

I suppose Moss Pork is from Mosswine? (They were one of the main monsters you could carve meat from during the 1st/2nd gen.)

What the hell is Tater Mud supposed to be? Is it just mashed potatoes? (It counts as a drink though, according to the MH Tri food list.) Well, whatever it is, I gotta say "Tater Mud" doesn't sound too appetizing...

Same with Drybutter - is it just dried butter? How the hell can butter be dry? Would it even be edible in this state?

I suppose Moga Cola is a kind of cola that's produced in Moga? Always nice to see some more competition for Coca-Cola. :-)

The cook actually gives us some lore about the various foods. According to him, the Scalefish is formed like a music note, and even experienced cooks have trouble telling it apart from a tadpole. (I wonder how a fish shaped like a music note moves, though?)

"The Plumpkin is a hardy vegetable that can grow big and plump even in the harshest conditions." I suppose the latter is where the name "Plumpkin" comes from.

According to the cook, there are indeed thorns in Thorny Meat. Apparently, some people even like the thorns the best - well, I don't know if I would be so enthused by the prospect of potentially getting my tongue pierced, but to each their own, I guess.

Guild Sweetheart: "If the hunting environment is marked as "unstable", that means a big monster may drop by for dinner. With you as an appetizer!" Already foreshadowing Deviljho, I see.

"Don't hunt yourself to death, would ya?" I'll try not to. :-)

Quest: Bug Hunt

Ultimately, I decided on a combination of Moss Pork and Bottlebeans (both fresh) as my pre-hunt meal, going for steaming as the cooking method. Apparently, "that tasted boring", so I didn't get any buffs for my health or my stamina. Well, at least Felyne Gatherer got activated. (I actually thought the Bottlebeans counted as a vegetable, and Meat + Vegetable used to be a combination that gave good buffs in Freedom Unite. However, after checking an ingredients list, I realized Bottlebeans actually belong to the grain category. A little confusing since beans are vegetables, and I most likely wouldn't have went with that combination if I had known, but oh well.)

Yet another quest name that's a reference: "Bug Hunt" obviously alludes to Duck Hunt, the classic Nintendo game from 1984 where you shoot ducks (which even got a representation in Super Smash Bros.!). You know, I'm getting the feeling the translators had an absolute field day with this: "A MH game for a Nintendo console? That means we're finally free to make Nintendo references. *enthusiastically rubbing hands*" xD

Failed Biologist: "I should write a book about the Altaroth from around here. Even illiterates like you hunters have already noted the size and peculiar features of these insects." Excuse me? If you want to hire someone to help you with your research, I think it's best not to generally label people in that line of work as uneducated retards. Honestly, I'd have half a mind to just ignore you - well, the things you do for money... (And a tick mark for every quest on the list.)

The Altaroth in area 2 are apparently too lazy to gather any mushrooms. Well, guess I'll have to look for my Ripened/Choice Mushrooms elsewhere, then...

Okay, I made the big mistake of going into area 3 from the east (right) side, which resulted in absolute chaos as the Melynx went after me while I simultaneously tried to kill the Altaroth and gather the shiny drops from them (not an easy feat with a Great Sword). Despite the hassle, I managed to get the Ripened Mushrooms anyway and safely delivered them (just in case the Melynx get any ideas about snitching them).

I went back to area 3 again, though this time taking a different route through area 1 to avoid being seen by the Melynx. When I still didn't get any Choice Mushroom from killing the Altaroth, I tried my luck picking them myself, promptly getting 3 Choice Mushrooms from the blue gathering spot. Now, to carefully get out of the area without the Melynx spotting me, aaand... that's both subquests in the bag.

I could kill the Altaroth in area 7 now to complete the quest, but I'll first do my usual round for some coral stones and monster innards. (As I say, always make as much profit out of it as possible xD)

Afterwards, I went back to area 7 to slay the remaining Altaroth for the quest. Like other small monsters (e.g. Bnahabra, Kelbi) the Altaroth also have "drome" versions, which are larger than the normal ones and have a bit more health. These "Altadromes" also attack you on sight, while the normal Altaroth are peaceful unless provoked.

And I get a load of Parashrooms from the quest rewards. Well, guess I could've saved myself cultivating those... xD

Moga Village (night)

I love how the Argosy Captain skews words sometimes. Instead of "child's play", he says "play child". xD (At least in my localization.)

The Captain asks if I trust in my swordplay, or "kenjutsu" as he puts it ("kenjutsu" is the term for the traditional way of sword fighting as practiced by the samurai). He tells us that he's also well versed in the art of sword fighting, and had to practice long to master the tactics of "dirty fencing" which was in vogue back in the day. Again, this makes me pretty positive that he was a fighter, maybe even a hunter, before becoming a merchant.

The sailor from the Argosy tells us that traveling with the Argosy is a pretty dangerous job, as a monster attacks them on every journey. (I assume that would be the Lagiacrus?) However, the sailor isn't afraid as long as the Captain's there, since he's a pretty good sword fighter and saved his life many times by now. This hardens my suspicion that the Captain formerly was a hunter even more - fighting a human is one thing, but fending off a monster like the Lagiacrus is a completely different matter. You need skill and experience for that.

Fishmongress: "Do you want to complain about the Hunting Fleet? Go ahead! I probably already know anyway. For example that my boys should shower more often. Well... True that! They smell." Oh my, what a charming mental image. Though I suppose it's not that unusual - in the past, it was pretty common for sailors to reek. xD (Not that they had many opportunities to wash themselves...)

The Hunting Fleet has brought back some Steel Eggs, which are "very valuable and rare, but of no use to a hunter". I was kinda hoping I could exchange them for something with the Argosy Captain, but nope. Pity.

Cook: "Sure, Hopi is popular! Full-flavored, slightly bitter, good aftertaste... But you have to promise to steer no carriages or boats after drinking it!" Sounds like "don't drink and drive" also applies in the MH universe. xD

"Spicy Sausage is made with six spices. It were seven once. Many adventurers wanted to find the seventh spice, but no one returned. A spicy tragedy!" Ah, the "raiders of the lost spice", so to speak... xD

The cook says he can't tell me about the secret of the Bottlebeans, that "wondrous vegetable". So, Bottlebeans are a vegetable - but for some reason, they're classified as a grain product. Hm...

Item vendor: "Perishable stuff that arrives per ship is salty. If only there were refrigerators!" The interesting question is: How would you even know about refrigerators if they don't exist in the MH world? *gasp* Could it be that the item lady is an undercover time traveler?

"No matter how hot you are, never try to cool yourself with a Water shot." Well, since we know that water damage is harmful to the lung, I can imagine that wouldn't make things much better...

"Thank you for your patronage! Does that sound too stilted?" Well, if anything, I'm a regular more accidentally than on purpose, because, like you said, you're the only shop in town. (And, presuming there was competition, I wouldn't put it past her to oust them just to have me for herself...)

The big brother aka the "Future Alpha Male" once again blesses us with his infinite wisdom by telling us about the one time he ran away from a big monster and tried to dodge (barely remembering that "dodging" is the right word xD), "flying through the air like a catapult". This is actually a nice tip about the superman dive - would've loved if someone told me this in MH4U. (Just as a little anecdote: The first time I performed a superman dive - unwittingly, I might add - was during my first Najarala hunt. To put it briefly, it was a small catastrophe, and I wondered "What the heck? Did I just trip?" when I suddenly threw myself flat on the floor. I didn't find out until later that it was a feature rather than a bug. xD)

Village Chief: "A good hunter knows how to use all kinds of weapons. Change the weapon, and you change the entire hunt. An entirely new game!" That is true - in fact, I've heard MH fans say the same. I suppose it might be better to have 3-4 types of weapons you regularly use instead of fixating on a single one (proven by the fact I had to resort to a Great Sword in both MH1 and Tri due to lack of available Long Swords) - I'm just too much of a creature of habit to do it. xD

Now the Guild Sweetheart finally tells us her whole backstory: "I was born here, you know. I went to school in the city, joined the Guild... and came back. As a child, I ran around so much in the Moga Woods..." Sounds like she was a little tomboy. xD Anyway, kudos to her dedication to her hometown - she studied in the big city (Loc Lac, I presume) so she probably knew that she had better opportunities there, but she still came back. I'd say that's quite respectable.

"I'm athletic AND cultured! Why am I still single?" Well, these people have no eye for true beauty, that's what. But take it from me: You're a wonderful, charming girl, and anyone who can't see that doesn't deserve you. :-)

The Guild Sweetheart also says she's such a slouch at cooking she can't even cook eggs. I can relate, darling, I can relate. xD

Anyway, back to business: Since I plan to tackle all quests on the Deserted Island first before venturing out to the Sandy Plains, that means we'll hunt our first big monster next time: the Great Jaggi! Stay tuned! ;-)

To be continued

[dumbbitchfrommars]

its a journey, not a race. i have to feel this way to move on.

what do i want to gain from telling my sisters about this? or my mum? what could they tell me that would help?

all i truly want to hear is that i should listen to my heart and go back to him. that he really was one of a kind, and that i wont find another like him. but the reality is im still 22, and i havent even met anyone besides him, because i wont let go of him. i dont want to let go of him! i want him back. i want what we had back. i want to feel that kind of love and attraction for someone again. because so far, i havent found a single person who can aggravate and excite me all at once the way he did. that could make me genuinely LAUGH the way he did. that made me feel safe and cared for like he did. ugh. is it true that i felt this way? am i making it all up to feed into my delusions? its so tiring being this way. its like the only thing that would make it end is to simply do it. to actually unblock him, add him, send him a dm, and get to the bottom of it myself. to put my pride aside, and risk rejection, all to hear from him again. to relight that connection. to somehow get the answers that i seek. what answers? that he still wants me? but do i still want him? who even is he, now...? is that what it is? the lack of knowing? i want him to still belong to me, even when i dont want to be together. i have the audacity to think he owes that loyalty to me years after i left him.

i want to know if he still has any kind of feelings for me. do you still think about me as often as i do? does it make you sad? does it make you miss me? does it make you nostalgic, or do you want it back? do you wish things went differently...? do you wonder, maybe, things could be different now, if we tried again?

i wish we could get to know eachother all over again without it feeling wrong. i wish we could start again without feeling like its a mistake. i wish that i was right in thinking you were the one for me all along.

i used to think we'd be together forever. that we'd have kids together.

did you secretly expect us to break up too? or did you want us to be together forever? because somehow i wanted both at once.

well. anyway, the point of all this is this. i still cant get you off my mind. so, you did win. if there was anyone who won, it was always you. you got me, you got the experience of a girlfriend, you had the character development of dating a girl like me. we learnt from eachother but you get to take that knowledge and now find a new girl to charm and love better than you ever did for me. and after all my fighting and anger and resentment, now i cant go a day without remembering you and the amazing love we shared and the memories we have together. ugh. ew. im so sappy and pathetic.

i dont know if it would be satisfying or heartbreaking to know that you still think about me to, or miss me. it would be even more heartbreaking to know you didn't.

i know youre happy now and that makes me happy and proud of you. you honestly might be doing a lot better than me mentally now. thats so impressive. you have a good circle of friends, youre living your best life and having fun and you moved forward instead of backward. that change is so heartwarming for me.

it irritates me that youre a tradie now. did you do that on purpose, cause i find them so hot? do you know how bad that makes me crave you? my body hasnt forgotten the things you did to me... lol. thats fucked up and lowkey weird. we broke up a long time ago and we were still very young.

i wonder how much better youd be now. i wonder how many girls youve slept with now? i hope they were good. my body count went up but for no good reason. they were all terrible and never made me cum. what a waste of my body. another massive regret.

anyway. i wonder how you'd react if you actually knew i felt this way about you. if you read everything i just wrote... would you feel bad for me? or would it spark something in you, a memory, and hope, that maybe its worth trying again. or has too much time passed, and too much has happened between us, that it simply wouldnt make sense anymore?

ive tried and tried to reconnect with old friends from the past. even the ones who i left on good terms with, we just cant seem to click anymore. we changed and outgrew eachother. and they remind me too much of the past, and the pain of grieving that time and that old me is too much, and it makes it too hard to see her anymore.

maybe weve changed so much, and the trust has faded so far, that even if we were to reconnect, wed inevitably lose eachother again anyway. would that hurt more? perhaps its best to leave the memory untouched where it is, and not meddle with what we had, by replacing it with newly failed attempts of rekindling things.

ugh.

i always come back to the same conclusion. and thats good! its consistent, and its healthy, and its right, and it helps me to stay on gods path. but its so exhausting going round in this circle so much. when can i be given a break? when can this addiction end? who is holding onto who at this point? is it venus retrograde? this whole time ive been blaming my emotions on venus. but every now and then i wonder if its him manifesting himself into my mind by thinking about me to.

EXCUSE ME! IF YOU ARE HEARING ME RIGHT NOW, WOULD YOU PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK? I DONT WANT TO IMAGINE YOU ALL HOT AND SWEATY IN YOUR WORK UNIFORM AFTER A DAYS WORK. I DONT LIKE IMAGINING YOU LAUGHING AND MESSING AROUND WITH YOUR FRIENDS. I DONT ENJOY MISSING A PERSON WHO DOESNT EXIST. SO PLEASE STOP THINKING ABOUT ME AND MANIFESTING IN MY MIND! ITS EXHAUSTING. I NEED A BREAK TO FIND SOMETHING REAL AND TANGIBLE, THANKS.

i am so fucking delusional and need professional help. thats all

[foone]

The Four Candles

I got kicked out of the SCP foundation after wasting over 80 million dollars to contain an artifact that I genuinely thought was incredibly dangerous. It was a set of candles in a gold frame, which never burnt down and could not be extinguished. Just weird, right?

(reposting of a formerly-twitter thread where I made up an SCP fanfic joke, under the readmore)

That's what we all thought and it was simply kept in a safety glass box in one of the many warehouses of weird things, until The First Event. January, 1981, it's being moved as part of a cleanup and someone notices its changed: one of the candles is out.

We'd previously tried sticking this thing in a vacuum, under water, smothering it in CO2 or in a pile of asbestos… Nothing. You can't snuff out these candles. And one just went off while no one is looking? That can't be good.

So obviously we have to upgrade this thing in severity. Out of the warehouse, into a separate containment area, and we do endless tests. Nope, we can't relight it. We tried.

But now we've got 24/7 redundant monitoring, cameras and guards, we've got water and fire and everything else on hand in case another event happens and we need to try to douse or relight it in a hurry.

And we wait. Endless beta tapes (and later, hard drives) are filled up with footage of these candles burning unchangingly. Guards get assigned to watch it and then retire a decade later, having never seen it change.

But 20 years into observation, a second candle just goes out, without any fuss. We hit every panic button we can find.

Endless studies are done. This thing was found in a ruin in North West England? Send every researcher we can spare there. Are there any legends or folklore or stories or ANYTHING about this?

Because it took 20 years to go from 3 to 2. We can do math. If this thing is counting down at a steady pace, we have only 40 years to get ready for the last candle to go out.

And we don't know what happens then.

Maybe nothing.

Or maybe there will be nothing left.

We work backwards; we only found the candles in the 70s, but if it goes down by a candle every two decades, then maybe it was created in the early 60s? We search for any clues about what might have happened in the 1960s in Manchester and Liverpool.

I'm on the ground with another field researcher when I get a message that we're all being recalled, immediately. No explanation.

I get back to the foundation site and all my researchers are being reassigned. My boss wants to talk to me. I check the candle monitoring site on my phone: we're still on two. I'm confused.

I enter my boss's office. It's uncharacteristically dark. She slides me a printout, on fan fold paper still with the little dot matrix tractor holes along the sides. It's an email.

Another researcher had a random hunch, and looked into the monitoring records, specifically as to when the second candle went out. November 29th, 2001. And the previous one was unknown, but happened sometime between December 1st, 1980 and mid-January 1981.

My boss asks if these dates look familiar to me, and if I listen to much music.

I think I may know. She tells me they were able to confirm the second event happened within 5 minutes of the time of death.

The candles are going back in the warehouse, and only a simple webcam will be used to monitor for the next event, just in case it proves us wrong.

And she gives me a lecture about how the purpose of the SCP Foundation is to secure, contain, and protect... From dangerous anomalous artifacts and people and places. Things that break all our scientific theories and could cause untold devastation if they get loose...

NOT A MAGIC CANDLE THAT TELLS YOU HOW MANY LIVING BEATLES THERE ARE IN THE WORLD AT THE MOMENT.

[juttytaylorsmustache]

𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐 ♫♬ p. 2

Part 2 to the original, part 3 coming soon

Pairing: no pairings

Summary: the new ghouls arrive

A/n: read the first part here

-

the candles all blow out in the gust of cold wind fills the room, the lights flickering and power shuts off the electricity in the summoning room of the ministry.

Before the candles can come aflame again, two low groans come from the center of the red bloody pentagram on the stone floor.

“Ah…” and “ohh.”

Copia smiles, seeing that his first ever chance of summoning a ghoul worked. Not only did it work, it summoned two ghouls the first try instead of one.

Papas white eye is the only thing shinning in the room. Smoke, or the foggy looking air blinds everyone’s eyes.

Copia knows it works, since the candles relight themselves with the ghoul energy.

The other ghouls look at each other, then to the two life forms in the middle.

Aether in particular tries his best to find the body, or more of the bodies.

“Whe- where?” A confused female voice asks.

“I’m, im not sure…” a male one responded

The other ghouls close in, curiosity taking the best of them.

But as the two new ghouls start to find eachother, they also find newer faces In the ashy smoke.

“Aurora?” The male one questions, seeing a lock of long hair.

The nameless ghoul reaches out to it, accidentally tugging it as he falls forward.

“Hey, watch it” sodo yells, feeling pain shoot at his head

“Hm? You’re not aurora!” The ghoul shouts, even more confused now.

“Phantom? Where are you? I can’t see anything…” the female nameless ghoul asks, hands reaching out to the mindless air.

She feels a hand wipe her eyes off, blood making her vision cloudy. Once she blinks she’s met with an unfamiliar face, a little bit of fuzz at the chin and swoopy dark brown hair.

“Huh?!” She also screams.

The two newly released ghouls bump into each others backs, falling back into floor from off their knees.

“Hi!” An excited voice asks, seeming to be sunshine.

“It’s alright! Your ok!” Swiss grabs at the male ghoul searching for anything at all in the low light.

“What, where? Where is aurora?” Phantom squeaked, feeling Swiss’ hands bring him to his feet unexpectedly.

“I’m here, are you alright?” Aurora quickly comes to his arms as soon as she finds his scent.

“Phantom where are we?!” She asks worried

“Shhh, it’s alright. I’m not sure.” He replies

“Eh…uh…welcome to the ministry! I’m papa emeritus the fourth, and I’ve summoned you to complete a task for me.” Copia says awkwardly

The smoke clears out, and the vision of a tall male ghoul holding a smaller female ghoul is noticeable. He has dark ash grey skin, golden horns, gold freckles, and brown hair. The female ghoul has medium length blonde hair, paler skin and stubby black horns.

Phantom holds her head against her chest, protecting her from any threats.

As the smoke vanished, the two ghouls in the center lock furious eyes with copia.

“What do you want with me and my sister?” He asks, seriousness as he sees the religious robes he wears. “We have no part in your faith.”

“It’s alright, I think you have the wrong idea.” Aurora tells him, pointing out the pentagrams and upside down crosses that decorate his blue and back robes

Phantom takes a closer look, loosening his grip as he starts to realize he’s just a little old man.

“But…look.” She points out the 8 ghouls surrounding them two.

His grip around her tightens up again, his ears point down and his claws strike out, fangs bearing as a warning to not approach them.

“It’s ok, they don’t want to hurt us.” She attempts to relax the alarmed ghoul. “Did you not pay attention to anything that just happened?”

“Sorry, it’s just been awhile.” Phantom apologizes

“What do you wish of us?” They both ask at the same time.

“All we ask of you, is to fill in two roles for our project.” Papas voice is soft

“This ministry is in satans name, I have two ghouls who cannot play their role at the moment.” Copia explains

“How do I know I can trust you?” Phantom asks

“Well…it’s up to you if you wish to kill me or not. But look around you, do any of these ghouls seem chained to earth?” Copia looks at the other ghouls, eager to know more about the new addition to the pack.

Phantom and aurora look at the ghouls around them, releasing themselves from their tight hug to turn and see the rest.

All they see are content and non-feral ghouls of each element surrounding them. Some smiling, one a bit bothered looking.

“You, what’s wrong with you?” Phantom points out one ghoul.

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you! You practically pulled a fist full of hair out!” Sodo exclaims, raising his hands in a fit

Aurora laughs, the fire ghoul heating up.

“Tell us more.”

“Well, do you know keyboard and guitar?”