#z-test introduction

[littlewonders7]

Arcane isekai ideas for reader pt.3

(Not really a series just rambles of goofy scenarios ideas for mainly gen z reader surviving in the world of arcane and how the characters and world reacts to them)

warning: not good at explaining shit🤡🥲

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- I just think if a gen z reader were to be brought upon to the world of arcane, they would not have a normal conversation or introduction with any of the characters like you would see with x reader posts

- like I understand if the reader is sooo smart and a bad bitch who can anything for the plot and if it’s done right, HOWEVER I’m just saying it be nice to have the arcane characters being intrigued and curious about the reader for their chaotic and other worldly behavior that differs from and piltover and zaun, the reader being just them awkward, cringe, goofy self and the characters wanting to understand more about them because of it!

- like for example, I am a awkward but polite person, who tends to say sorry more times than I really should, I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed and I do enjoy helping people if I can, however I do have that spark were I will not stand injustice and acts of cruelty towards others so I guess I would clash with zaun’s way of surviving, but also piltover’s brutality towards zaunites if that makes sense(not a good example but I hope that makes sense)

- I think it would be nice to have readers outworldy behavior and understanding of the world and their personality have an effect on those in arcane as their presence slowly or unexpectedly give them viewpoints they never realized or understood until they came along and gave the cast an outsider perspective of their lives.

- like I mentioned a little in my first post, I say to keep our reader alive and add some “magical or advance” they will still have excess to our world/reality technology and can get still buy as well as use those items over in arcane, perhaps they have a home just outside of the land of piltover and zaun and customize their base/home like you see in games idk. As for their abilities it’s kind of like that character from that one anime “campfire cooking in another world” but maybe more to it, they still have to buy and pay to get items or get rewards for doing tasks idk though. (I will note that while having access to the “real world” they cannot access or see any arcane related stuff, only maybe one their phone or when they’re asleep)

- I kind of have the reader have that kind of power mainly because I know my dumb sad anxious ass could not handle being throw into a new world without connection back to home in some way, and I definitely know I would be fuck with my terrible communication skills cause I stutter and worry to fuck up my words due to ✨trauma and overall mental health✨

- another reason I would like the reader to have that power is I thought it would bring more chaos if the cast finds out about readers technology advances they have or use, and reader having the time of their life just vibing and not realizing that them just doing that has fucked up the timeline. Like you see them whipping out their phone playing games(I like puzzle-brain test games and rhythm games like piano tile) walking around town wearing headphones listening to music oblivious to the world while some stop and stare at them.

- maybe that’s how you get introduce to sky( cause I kind of want her and other side characters having some spotlight) and sky trying to help you out living the world of arcane, not realizing the shit she just put herself in, as I did mention maybe the reader time travel or like dream travel to arcane past before being isekai so the characters have some sort connection or something like, that’s why the timeline being change and alter without the readers knowing what they did.

- I’m also debating whether or not to have the cast yandere or the very least possessive for reader to give more bs to deal with understand wtf is happening but eh that’s all I got for now

[sinning-23]

Publicity Pt.5

Warnings: smoking, y/n is a fucking throat goat, sexual content, swearing, awkward friends/crush to fuck buddies? Lovers? what the fuck even are we? 2D can't last lol

Heyyyy sooo i know im slackong but its because I'm planning for the next fee moths of my life lol I'm moving and going to japan about 2/3 months apart for I'm trying to save/raise money and get my shit together!

ANYWAY! I hope you all enjoy! You finally get some smut and I get to dip into my specialty...sin >:)

ENJOY!

Link to:

Publicity Introduction

Publicity Pt.1 Publicity Pt.2 Publicity Pt.3 Publicity Pt.4

PUBLICITY PT 6 UP NOW!!!!

Sleep was avoiding you both at this point, faint giggles filling the studio once you two had finished recording. It's like..the tension just melted away. Was there even any to begin with? Perhaps you'd imagined it all.

That was beside the point.

What you wanted more than anything in the whole world right now....

"D, you smoke?" You question, seemingly more of a test than anything.

Yeah, you knew cigarettes were his thing, but was Miss Mary Jane?

He tilts his head, a grin ever present on his face.

"You offerin'?" He asks, an excited glint in those pitch black eyes.

Annnd that's how you two ended up back in his room, something you didn't think would happen again considering the last time but hey!

Guess there were no real hard feelings after all. You're sitting cross-legged, eyes narrow in on the cute little pre-roll between your lips. Your lighter clicks once, twice, three times.

Nothing.

An irritated grunt pushes past your lips as 2D only chuckles at your struggle, sitting the same way in front of you, his back resting against the bedframe though.

"Need a ligh'?" He asks, accent thick as you tilt you head in debate.

*click*

sparks but no flame

*click* *click*

more sparks

*click* *click* *cli-*

"Shit, yes please." You sigh, a slight laugh leaving your lips.

The pre-roll is still sitting between your lips and he leans forward, guiding your chin up with his index finger. You hold back a choked whine, almost reflex to lean into his touch.

His eyes are just as focuses as yours were prior, the flame licking the end of it so gently as smoke begins to rise from the point of contact. You inhale, looking at him from under your lashes.

"Thanks."

Is all you can manage, the smoke you'd just inhaled pouring from your lips like an inscent fountain.

He takes his chance to pluck from your mouth, inhaling where you once had in an indirect kiss. And for some reason it makes your head spin...nah maybe it was just the weed. He inhales through his mouth, exhaling through his nose just before passing it back to you.

That was kinda hot-

The room is getting a bit hazy, with little air circulation his space would be hotboxed in no time. He reaches over, tugging a bin full of DVD cases from under his bed.

"Fancy a film?" He offers, your mind already hazy and overconfident as the reply sens shivers down the blue-ette's spine.

"Watch one or make one?" You tease, inhaling again, leaving back against your palms with a smirk.

"U-Uh- we, well I-" He stutters out, stopping when your outstretched, blunt-clad hand extended towards him.

"I'm teasing, whatcha got?" You chuckle, seeing his face flush red.

Part of you knows you weren't really joking. Just blame it on the weed.

In the bin, which is currently in 2D's grip were dozens of different movies, all of which seemed to be horror slasher thriller flicks. You peruse, grabbing a couple of cases, and reading the titles out loud.

"28 days later, classic. Uhhh-oh! Train to Busan. World War Z...Resident Evil. Nice, a bit of a zombie movie fan?" You grin, seeing the slight embarrassment on his face.

"W-Well yeah I like 'em" He explains, eyeing one cover specifically.

You reach for it, observing the picture with a slight not of approval.

"Evil Dead?"

He nods as you immediately move to insert the disc into the DVD player. What you had somewhat disregarded was the fact that you had to do sort of a bend and arch to even get to the DVD player and 2D just got a face-full of ass.

He clears his throat, trying his best to look away and failing. The TV static comes to life, masking it.

Damn it you had to have been doing that on purpose. He blames the weed for the sudden hard on.

And he was right, it was maybe a little bit on purpose.

You rest your weight on your elbows for a second, the still lit joint smoking away between your manicured fingertips. Did DVD player buttons have to be this damn small?

"D, got a remote?" You ask with a grin, passing it back to him seeing as you were a pinch preoccupied, your tongue slightly poking past your glossy lips.

He takes it, hoping this next hit would calm his nerves. It doesn't.

"Yeah, its ova' ‘ere on the nigh'stand" He mentally curses himself for the way his accent has noticeably thickened and lisp had poked through.

Being high did that to him though, didn't feel like he had to force himself to speak a specific way. Or maybe you did that? You’d never said anything about it. If anything, from what you’d let slip, you thought it was-

"Cute." You hum, sitting back against the pillows with him, not before flicking the lamp off at this nightstand.

It’s dark now, still hazy though as the movie plays and illuminates you both with dark blue light. He passes the dwindling joint back to you, your knees dealing closer to your chest as your inhale again, ghosting it this time with a grin at its success.

“You know how to ghost?” You question, passing it back as he smiles lazily.

“No’ really. I can french pretty damn good” He explains, demonstrating as the smoke glides through the gap in his smile.

“That’s so cool.” You giggle, taking it back from him.

You stretch, head about as foggy and relaxed as the room is. You opt to lay your stomach against the bed, rolling over briefly onto your back to gaze at 2D at the opposite end.

He's locked into the screen, his eyes reflecting the dark lighting of the screen as his lips part slightly, He's reciting each line, and it's adorable. It takes a moment but he eventually moves his gaze to your sprawled-out frame.

His eyes are low, seemingly taking you in, trailing from your eyes, to your lips, down the dip of your neck and collar bone, chest-

"Look like you're gonna eat me." You joke with a slight smirk.

Being high always did make you more bold. Easier to blame it on the substance if anything.

"Like a zombie?" He adds, leaning foreward, expression blank. His arms reach outward and your eyes widen. Before you could move away he's already gripping at your ankles, much like the undead would anyway.

You can't help the giggle that rises past your lips as he groans and squeezes your sides, a yelp leaving your lips in your fit of laughter.

With your thrashing, you manage to grip his shoulders, giggles dying down as you make direct eye contact. The room is still hazy, and so if your head, making your heartbeat sound so much louder in your ears

You swallow hard, your hands moving upwards, one now at the base of his neck while the other cups his cheek. He leans into it.

"Sooo, what is this?" You whisper, his knee parting your legs as his hands find a place on either side of your head.

"Dunno. 'know I've got feelin's for you." He explains, taking a breath to try and explain himself.

"I-I liked you when we was at the airpor'..a-an’ when you smacked your face on the dash. And when you yelled at Murdoc. I've never seen anyone besides Noodle and Russ do tha'."

You let out a faint laugh, fingers twirling his hair into little spirals.

"And when you was in my room.”

You’re back at square one now, staring deeply into one another’s eyes. Fearing you'd drown in the abyss of black you tune your head, nose scrunching as you try to control your heart. You can hear it pounding in your ears and each time it beats against your rib cage you fear it’ll burst.

His knee moves up, the action pulling a strained and faint whimper from your lips.

“Even when you thought’ I didn’t know you was snooping’ around in here.” He huffs with a faint gap-toothed smile.

You return it, your thigh now brushing his, your leg locking around his calf.

"Why'd you really leave tha' first time.?" he asks, almost unsure if he's even allowed to question your motives.

You swallow, embarrassment filling your chest. Sitting up on your elbows, he adjusts, moving back just a pinch so your foreheads from crashing into one another.

"I didn't want to mess anything up. I-I didn't want you to think I was...I don't know. I was scared that if we did...fuck that night things would be awkward and I'd ruin everything."

He's gazing down at you, but you wouldn't have seen it since your trying to avoid eye contact at the moment.

" I..I really like being around you Stu. I know its been awkward but I havent felt this inspired and intrigued in a long time." You explain, struggling to get the words out.

You sigh, looking guage to his reaction only to find two big, black, puppy god eyes staring right back at you.

"Darlin'"

God the way he says it. Yeah, Murdoc had called you that a couple times, mainly condescending and demeaning...but him? Its like it was meant for you and you alone, like he poured all his affection into one form of adoration.

It's in the way he guides you to sit up with him, your bodies fitting together like a puzzle. It's in his slightly cold hands cupping your face, thumb caressing your cheek.

The high had come down. This was nothing but pure intentions uninfluenced but any substance.

"Yes.." You whisper, your palms restign on his thighs.

"Please tell me you won' run away this time...you could never ruin this, I can promise you tha'." He reassures, one hand traveling to your waist, tugging you impossibly closer.

"Promise?" You whisper, mouth meeting halfway as he moves in unison with your body.

The film is long forgotten, whatever background noise it was meant to provide is far too low as your huffs and pants grow louder. It's not so much a competition as to who gets who undressed first but a testy dance.

His fingers glide under your shirt and brush against the skin of your stomach. Your own dip just behind his waistband. It's a familiar feeling, the tension stronger than your first semi-sexual encounter.

In his quest to rid you of your shirt, his mouth manages to work its way to your neck, hot, opened mouth kissed push against your pulse points, the softness suddenly overpowered with a hard suck.

'F-Fuck." You swear, tilting your head back to give him more access.

He hums against your exposed neck, successfully lifting your top up enough for it to rest, rolled up against your collarbone.

"Bite this." He instructs, lifting the bit of fabric to your lips. He's got you essentially holding your shirt between your teeth so we can-

Your nipples harden at his cold touch, the pads of his thumbs pressing deliciously against eh buds before he pops the front clasp, your boobs recoiling at the loss of support.

"Pretty lil' thing you are." He sighs, leaning forward to wrap his lips around one.

The warmth from his mouth shoots shivers down your spine, body arching into each of his touches. His left hand squeezes, tugs, and attends to your left side while his mouth works at the other, then he swaps once he's satisfied. For someone who acted like he had nooo idea how vulgar his lyrics were, he sure isn't as innocent as he'd led on.

He's skilled, pulling you onto his lap with ease, still latched to your chest before he kisses his way back up to your lips. He swallows up your whimpers, caressing the back of your head before rolling his hips up

"Y-You really know what youre doing." You pant, cut up immedetly by a moan when he slips his fingers past your bottoms, middle and ring finger just barely grazing your clit.

"Why woul'nt I?" He teases, voice somehow huskier as he watches you twitch at the slight movement of his fingers.

Your head falls forward when he pushes past your lips, hissing at the wetness

"Oh you need this bad, don' you?" He asks, the hand that was once at your waist coming up to your throat, guiding your jaw to make you look at him.

His face is flushed red in the faint lighting, eyes blown wide.

"How bad you need this love?" He asks, finally pushing two fingers into your heat, your head falling forward, only for him to guide you back to look at him.

"I know you can use your words. How bad?" He hums, his palm just barely smacking against your clit as his fingers curl in, upward, and out. Over and over and over,

"P-Please.' You don't even know what you're begging for at this point.

More friction? More fingers,? To cum? You needed to cum. But he's keeping you on the edge, literally wrapped around his fingers. You roll your hips, trying anything to get more and he knows it.

How he's keeping it together and not tearing his own band off just to fill you up is beyond him. All he knows is that the more noise you make, the more he wants to work your body to make new ones. High pitches, groans, whimpers, yelps, pleads of mercy as you get off on his fingers. He needs to hear it all.

"You close, aren't you?" He hums, seeing you nod, eyebrows knitted together, eyes squeezed as you focus on your orgasm.

Your hands grip his shoulders and he can tell you're close with the way you squeeze his fingers. And just before you can announce your impending orgasm, he pulls away from you. You can't help the desperate whine that leaves you lips and all he does is smirk.

"W-What? No no please." You whimper, eyes screwed shut.

Fine, two could play the edging game if that's what he wanted. You press your lips to his briefly, soon trailing down his throat much like how he had done with you, only this time, you don't bother to tug his shirt off. You're reaching for the prize beneath his waistband.

He doesn't protest, holding his breath almost. You can see the tent that had formed, once again..a fuckin monster under that fabric.

You suck in a breath, palming him for a moment as he lets out a low groan. Anticipation eats away at you as you finally pull it out. There's a moment of silence and your mouth waters at the thought of having it on your tongue. It's firm in your hand, warm, and twitching slightly at the contact.

It's got a bit of an upward curve, not too thick, but what he lacks in girth he definitely makes up for in length. He's tall as fuck so duh? Right? The tip is faintly tinted red, and two to three thick veins run from base to tip. He's leaking precum, giving it a slight glossy shine. Only more spills out when you give a test squeeze.

"E-Everthin' okay?" He asks warily, your silence making him panic.

How long had you been staring and analyzing this man's dick in silence?!

"Huh? O-Oh no everything....just, fuck it's pretty-" You huff, lowering yourself to come face to face with it.

You part your lips, sticking your tongue out to lick from base to tip, taking him into your mouth.

"Fuckkkk me." He whimpers, trying his best to make space for you between his legs.

Yeah, it had been a while but you were sure your throat could remember its previous training. You roll your tongue out your mouth, testing the way he hits the back of your throat, your sloppy and noisy slurping only further fueling your ministrations.

2D is melting under you, sweating, moaning, and whimpering with each bob of your head, his fingers fighting to not thread into your scalp and grip.

"Too much, won' last- wa- oh fuck wait love-" he beggs, your movements slowing, you glance up at him from under thick lashes, grinding sinisterly at his flushed and lust-filled expression.

It's agonizing how slowly you release him, sucking all the way up until you pull away with a sloppy 'pop'.

"Can I?” He glances down with his hands at your hips now. Your body heats almost instantly.

"Shag?" You chuckle, seeing him turn his head in embarrassment at the term.

"Well when you say i' like tha'!" He groans, hardened length poking your thigh.

"Sorry sorry. But seriously, please? I wanna feel you..." You admit, already working on lining him up between your slippery wet folds.

He sighs at the feeling, pulling your hips forward as his tip slides back and forth between you. It's too much and not enough all at once.

And soon, he pushes into you, your bodies impossibly close. All you can do is whine upon entrance, the stretch is so perfect. He freezes up, squeezing your hips tighter now, his fingers almost turning white. You relish in the sting.

"Y-You okay?" You cry, feeling him hit spots you didn't even know were possible.

Guess it pays to have a monster cock-

Something's up though, Stu growing awfully quiet.

"I-I can't move if I do I'll...I'll". He's struggling to explain himself, face beet red as he takes slow steady breaths.

Your eyes widen, involuntarily squeezing down at the confession. That quick? How long had it been for him? Gorilla grip much??

"W-Wait don't squeeze I-" He's really trying now, eyes screwed shut in focus.

"I really wanna do this with you y/n, but if you move I know I'll be done for sure." He explains, your lips pressing sweetly to his temple.

"It's fine, there'll be other times." You encourage, more silently praying that this wouldn't be the first and final time you get to be like this with him.

And his eyes light up, like an eager acceptance of the invitation. You roll your hips down, the feeling pulling noises from each of you as he practically whimpers against your shoulder.

"Stu, baby it's okay. I promise." You encourage, wanting nothing more than to feel him fill you up.

He huffs out a breathy sigh, sliding out halfway out before thrusting back in. He picks up his pace for about 2 seconds and in the 5th thrust, he comes undone, not before completely pulling out of you, and just in the nick of time.

"Fuck fuck fuck I-I'm sorry, you feel so good love," He whines, still riding out his orgasm, the warmth from his load coating your thighs.

He's still apologizing, spurts of hot white leaking from his tip as you run your fingers through his hair with a soft smile.

"You okay?" You ask, seeing him nod faintly, a bit exhausted. The movie is still playing, the credits are rolling now as you search the numbers on his nightstand alarm clock for an indication of how late it is.

He massages the spot he had gripped so viciously before, using a discarded t-shirt of his to wipe your thighs clean. As your positioned atop him, your eyes meet, and just before the night ends,

He kisses you like you're oxygen and he's desperate to breathe.

A?N: GUYSSS You finally got some smut outta mee! I hope you enjoyed this chapter because y/n cant catch a break and Pt.6 is gon get mESSYYYYY! i hope the 5 other 2d fans are enjoying this! See you next chapter :D

ps. sorry for any spelling errors!

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

All Explicit Fic Recs: Alphabetically Sorted M-Z

Note that most summaries in this list are shortened. Each link will lead to the fic's rec page where you can get full details, summaries, and links to read each story.

[Explicit A-L collection] [Teen-Mature A-Z collection]

Man to Man by leukozyna (61k, Explicit) Crowley is the token twink in a corporate office, with a growing fascination with one of his colleagues...There is only one obstacle: based on his past history, the beautiful blond angel is presumed to be straight… or is he?

MatchMade! by amaruuk (37k, Explicit) Crowley tests a new dating app for an online publication. When his match dumps him for another man’s match, he and his fellow dumpee take a chance on each other.

Middle of Nowhere Tennessee by Worrynoodles (17k, Explicit) Thirty years ago, Azalea Easton is on a summer trip with her parents when she meets a freckled redhead named Crowley. They hit it off immediately and are joined at the hip for the rest of the summer. Now. Az has changed a lot. Has been through so much. For one thing, he’s a man. As he finds himself in the middle of nowhere Tennessee, looking to start over, he runs into an old friend. One he may have had much stronger feelings for than he thought.

Mon Horrible Chéri by ghostrat (39k, Explicit) English Teacher Aziraphale gets roped into the sixth form Paris field trip, not realizing his worst enemy Science Teacher Crowley is the accompanying chaperone... How quickly does it take them to fall head over heels for each other?

Not for All My Little Words by mia_ugly, soft_october (8k, Explicit) Aziraphale has read every book in his shop at least once. He has reread some of his favored volumes dozens of times, has memorized whole great swaths of them. If his own words are insufficient to convince Crowley of his sincerity, then perhaps the words of others can! Back on earth, Aziraphale tries to apologize.

Of Fire and Falcons by CemeteryAngel725 (54k, Explicit) A Good Omens Human AU set on the American Renaissance faire circuit.

Of Size and other Matters by LCwrites (28k, Explicit) When Crowley gets a random text from an unknown number, he thinks it must be a joke at first. Turns out it’s by a rather amusing stranger who might have an interesting matter at hand.

Oh, be quiet by Sabotaged_Words (15k, Explicit) It is the happiest of times for Aziraphale: After years of hard work, he finally gets casted for his first major leading role in an elite theatre production. If only he didn’t have to work with Crowley, a notorious West End star, as famous for his arrogance as he is for his magnetic stage presence. (And for looking unfairly good in those indecently tight jeans.)

Oh, Maker by by voluptatiscausa (57k, Explicit) “The humans are strange and graceful as they explore the garden, explore themselves, explore each other. The trouble is, the humans stare back, which makes him uncomfortable; there’s nothing particularly interesting about him. And, though he rarely admits it to himself, the humans make him lonely; he has no Other to explore.”

Old Vines by sevdrag (seventhe) (189k, Explicit) Crowley’s old vines are the heart of his vineyard, and he’s never let anyone in. Crowley finds Aziraphale intriguing; Aziraphale finds Crowley enthralling. Turns out a famous wine expert and an experienced viticulturalist can still learn things from each other.

Pan Metron Ariston by Ginger_Cat (3k, Explicit) Crowley sits between Aziraphale’s knees, a demon at an angel’s mercy.

Pass the Star by mageofthepeople (57k, Explicit) Azalea Fell meets Antoinette Crowley at her first roller derby bout with a new league. After an incident leads to a trip to A&E, the two are drawn to one another but Crowley is reluctant to potentially ruin a great friendship for something more.

Petrichor & Parchment by MrsNoggin (33k, Explicit) “Mr. Crowley, I presume?” Aziraphale asked in lieu of an introduction, which was not forthcoming. The guy hadn’t even removed his sunglasses. Oh God, he had a tattoo on his face. Aziraphale wasn’t one to judge, but… what kind of gardener had a snake tattoo on his face?

picture it soft by perilit (3k, Explicit) Crowley has noticed, certainly, the way that tattered waistcoat puckers a bit around the angel’s sides these days, the way the seat of those trousers fits more snugly than before. He’s had to excuse himself from the room more than once because of it, thoughts reduced to mush at the barest glimpse of the fuller curve of Aziraphale’s arms.

Rearrangements by sheendav (60k, Explicit) Aziraphale, a lonely anxious bookseller from Soho, walks in St. James park every Wednesday and Sunday. For nearly nine months he has had various, wordless, encounters with a very handsome red-haired man with sunglasses. They have never spoken, but a strange and lovely intimacy has slowly grown between them as they share the same space, and feed the ravenous ducks by the pond.It’s all been rather lovely… and then one day… the red-haired man says ‘hello.’

Sauntering through Space and Time by Slurpi13 (8k, Explicit) Aziraphale is intrigued by Crowley’s habit of sleeping. Crowley discovers he can sleep better with the angel near. They tiptoe around asking.

Similarly Occupied by Zin_Lynn (8k, Explicit) Crowley wakes from his nineteenth-century nap to find Aziraphale in a less-than-discreet Gentleman’s Club.

Simmer (The Long-Awaited Reply to a Lingering Kiss) by LemonTart (28k, Explicit) Aziraphale Fell is an accomplished food writer and book collector who leads a quiet life. Anthony Crowley owns the Grand Duke Distillery, maker of Wanton Sinner Whisky, and has a reputation for living on the wild side. As former culinary school classmates, they share a love of food and drink — and a long ago kiss that neither one has ever quite forgotten. Are they just too different to ever make it work? (I bet you can guess.)

Small Cock Appreciation Society by cheerios_and_wine (6k, Explicit) Crowley is the founding member. Aziraphale's is the member.

Smoke Gets In by songlin (4k, Explicit) “You’ll have to show me,” Aziraphale said. “I’ve never done it before. I mean—I know the principle, of course, but given the life I lead, it never really comes into—” “Aziraphale,” said Crowley patiently. “It’s very simple. You’ve smoked a cigarette. It’s the exact same process.”

Social organization and adaptability in Xenoerpeton anthropoides: transference of social bonding habits and mate selection by Liquid_Lyrium (106k, Explicit) How budget cuts lead to the discovery of a century—and Aziraphale’s heart. A story about falling in love with the subject of one’s research grant.

Someone is Calling Him Shorewards by harlotofgod (61k, Explicit) “There’s a storm coming.” The stranger’s words are torn neatly away by the wind like India paper from a Bible, but Crowley reads them on his lips. No shit, he thinks. He nods and shoves his freezing hands deeper into his pockets as icy rain stings his cheeks.

Somn by snae_b (44k, Explicit) Aziraphale’s spent the last three months at the bottom of a bottle, heartbroken. Tracy says his heart will mend itself eventually, but every morning when he wakes up it’s like the edges of the piece he ripped out and took with him have gone more ragged. Where he keeps waking up probably isn’t helping matters

Special Delivery by LCwrites (27k, Explicit) Crowley receives a rather interesting parcel which was meant to go to his neighbour. What starts as a chance encounter soon develops into something more.

Spread Your Wings by foolishlovers (10k, Explicit) In the glamorous world of high fashion, Crowley shines as a household name. Unfortunately, so does supermodel Aziraphale, who repeatedly lands bookings for the same jobs. When a photoshoot mishap traps them in a studio overnight, their simmering animosity escalates to its peak. Literally

Submitted for Your Consideration by ZehWulf (19k, Explicit) Crowley’s anxiety is interfering with his kink life so badly that he decides to hire a professional dom to help get him into subspace. It goes horribly until it goes absolutely amazing.

Such Devotion of the Heart by Zin_Lynn (42k, Explicit) After Aziraphale returns from Edinburgh, a mysterious downpour from above sends Crowley back into the shelter of the bookshop, forcing him to look into his angel’s eyes and attempt to admit that they are made for each other.

The 21st Century, In Which They Finally Work It Out by chaya (22k, Explicit) This is light speed in comparison to the last few centuries of their relationship, but Crowley is barely holding on to his patience.

The Devil Came to Soho by Zion (artificialmac) (18k, Explicit) The owner of the shiny new tattoo studio next to A.Z. Fell and Co. is way too handsome for his own good. He also might be plotting to Tempt Aziraphale to damnation.

The End is Where We Start From by tiresius (23k, Explicit) Crowley and Aziraphale meet by chance on the street. They’ve met before, in their youth, in a different life. Some very difficult things have happened since then. Will they be able to find their way back to each other and to themselves?

The Garden of Temptation by tishae (68k, Explicit) Aziraphale Godfrey, a professional antiques dealer, is engaged and he has no reason to be unhappy....When Crowley comes into an inheritance that includes a number of items that he’s pretty sure are junk, he is way out of his depth, and readily calls up a professional to help him work through it. Turns out they both have a lot to unpack.

The Larger Hope by NaroMoreau, summerofspock (8k, Explicit) It’s unfair. A joke of the universe, Crowley thinks, to make him the biggest bottom in the London area with a huge dollop of size queen to boot and then to turn around and give him eight inches of useless dick between his legs.

the last test and proof by lagaudiere (36k, Explicit) Crowley goes on a road trip across America to delay the Second Coming. Aziraphale tries to teach angels about humanity. In between, they talk.

The Shared Desk Dilemma by MissUnderstoodLyrics (32k, Explicit) Crowley can’t stand the pompous, irksome Dr. Eastgate, and the feeling appears to be mutual, yet they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.

Trial & error by fellshish (15k, Explicit) The Metatron brings in the demon Crowley to stand trial in Heaven. For tempting an angel. Uhhhh. Awkward.

Try Me Once More by Mackaley (42K, Explicit) “Actually, can you do me a favor? No tempting. No sins. Just a way for us to spend some time together while I finish what I need to do.” Aziraphale considered it and then nodded. “Well, I don’t see why not.” “Can you pretend to be my wife?”

until you say it out loud by attheborder (6k, Explicit) And Aziraphale is realizing now, to its fullest, something he’s suspected for nearly as long as he’s known Crowley: the demon is no silver-tongued devil. He is no weaver of words, no smooth talker.

Warp and Weft by amaruuk (105k, Explicit) After the failed Apocalypse, Aziraphale and Crowley slowly take their relationship to the next level, including the prospect of marriage and sharing a home. Along the way, they must learn how to open up to each other and reveal centuries-old secrets. Heaven and Hell remain a threat—but what does the Almighty have to say?

Watching You (Watching Me) by MirjamOmens (22k, Explicit) Crowley loves watching Aziraphale. Aziraphale likes being watched. Surely, that won’t lead to any complications. Right? (Or: The five times Crowley wanked while watching Aziraphale have sex with others, and the one time they finally touched each other.)

We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Ginger_Cat (65k, Explicit) Once a year, Aziraphale and Crowley meet on Earth to discuss the development of the reincarnated Christ child. The problem is, they can’t stop having sex instead.

What We Make of It (Shotgun Wedding) by charlottemadison (200k, Explicit) If taking care of Adam means Crowley has to tough it out at a job he can’t stand, so be it. And if Crowley’s job means that Adam’s charming English teacher is NOT a romantic possibility, well, that’s just how things go.

Where We Begin And End by espresso_six_shots (27k, Explicit) When writer and restaurant critic Aziraphale starts chatting with the handsome and captivating Crowley every weekend at the local pub, he thinks may have found the perfect distraction from a rather irritating situation at work, considering work is the one topic neither of them have ever broached.

Wild Hearts by foolishlovers (145k, Explicit) In the idyllic English countryside, far from the hustle and bustle of the big city, two teachers at Willowbrook Hall set out to transform their students’ lives through the world of theatre. But for Mr. Crowley, the challenge of navigating his long hidden feelings and dear friendship with Mr. Fell may prove to be the greatest drama of all.

[Explicit A-L collection] [Teen-Mature A-Z collection]

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

⚕️ Gallifreyan Paediatric Emergencies

Little Gallifreyans are a bit different from their adult counterparts. Here's how to assess them in an emergency using G-PEAS, if you please.

BIGGER - Google Drive: PDF / Image JPG / Image PNG

This guide is for use on Gallifreyans only. Always seek your human advice from human health providers.

📖 Introduction: Why G-PEAS?

Gallifreyan children differ significantly from adults in metabolism, cardiac function, telepathic control, and physical resilience. Their bodies are still developing key biological functions, making standard emergency assessment tools unsuitable. G-PEAS (Gallifreyan Paediatric Emergency Assessment System) provides a structured approach to identifying life-threatening conditions in paediatric Gallifreyans (ages 0-100).

Unlike adults, young Gallifreyans:

✔️ May only have one heart (Oldbloods develop their second heart upon first regeneration).

✔️ Have higher metabolic activity, resulting in higher normal body temperatures.

✔️ Exhibit psionic instability, leading to false positives in standard consciousness tests.

G-PEAS allows quick identification of critical conditions without the need for secondary tests like artron or Z-cell counts.

📊 How to Perform a G-PEAS Assessment

A Gallifreyan paediatric emergency is scored across five categories, each rated from 0-3, with higher scores indicating increased severity. The total score determines clinical urgency and escalation requirements.

1️⃣ Airway & Breathing (RR & Effort)

Assess the child's respiratory status without assuming respiratory bypass ability (which only develops in adulthood).

Normal respiratory rates: 0-16 years: 14-40 breaths per minute 17-100 years: 12-30 breaths per minute

Signs of respiratory distress: Nasal flaring, retractions, abnormal breath sounds, cyanosis.

Key concern: Young Gallifreyans cannot voluntarily regulate oxygen usage—watch for signs of impending failure.

2️⃣ Circulation (HR & BP)

Determine if the child has one or two hearts and evaluate heart rate accordingly.

Normal heart rates & BP: 0-16 years: HR 50-150 bpm, BP 80/40 – 110/60 mmHg 17-100 years: HR 40-120 bpm, BP 90/50 – 120/80 mmHg

Signs of circulatory failure: Cold extremities, weak or absent pulses, severe tachycardia (>200 bpm), hypotension.

Key concern: Children with one heart are naturally tachycardic compared to dual-hearted children.

3️⃣ Temperature & Metabolism

Metabolic instability is a common paediatric emergency due to higher energy demands.

Normal temperatures: 0-16 years: 16.5-20.5°C 17-100 years: 15.8-20.0°C

Signs of distress: Hypothermia <15.5°C or hyperthermia >21.0°C.

Key concern: Hypothermia in Gallifreyan children impairs psionic and neurological function faster than in adults.

4️⃣ Level of Consciousness (AVPTU & Psionics)

Assess using physical response first—psionic misinterpretation is common in young Gallifreyans.

Signs of concern: Psionic leakage, uncontrolled emotional outbursts, delayed response to verbal or pain stimuli.

Key concern: Unresponsive children may be suffering from telepathic overload rather than neurological failure.

5️⃣ Visual & Physical Examination

Look for signs of injury, vascular instability, or metabolic distress.

Signs of concern: Bruising, petechiae, cyanosis, poor muscle tone.

Key concern: Skin integrity is higher in younger Gallifreyans—visible injury suggests significant trauma.

🔢 G-PEAS Scoring & Interpretation

0-4 (🟢 Stable): Monitor, reassess every 30 minutes. No immediate intervention needed. 5-8 (🟠 Concern): Increased monitoring and assessments, prepare for escalation. Consider sepsis. 9+ (🔴 Critical): Immediate intervention required, activate emergency protocols.

🚨 When to Escalate

HR >150 bpm (0-16 years) or >120 bpm (17-100 years)

Temperature <15.5°C or >21.0°C

Severe hypotension (BP <70/30 mmHg)

Unresponsiveness despite physical stimuli

Psionic seizures or uncontrolled telepathic feedback

📌 Key Points to Remember

✔️ G-PEAS is an adapted assessment system for Gallifreyan children.

✔️ Do NOT assume respiratory bypass is present—children lack the control needed.

✔️ One vs. Two Hearts Matters—heart rate and BP should be assessed accordingly.

✔️ Young Gallifreyans have higher metabolic activity—their normal temperature is higher than adults.

✔️ Psionic responses can be unreliable—false positives may occur in younger children.

Medical Guides These are all practical guides to assessing and treating a Gallifreyan in an emergency or medical setting.

⚕️💕Gallifreyan CPR

⚕️👽Gallifreyan Assessment Scoring System (GASS)

⚕️👽ABCDE Assessment

⚕️⚠️Sepsis Emergency Response (SER)

⚕️⚠️Severe Trauma Protocol

⚕️🌡️Gallifreyan Thermoregulation and Emergency Response

⚕️🔮Psionic Emergency Pathways

⚕️✨Post-Regeneration Management

⚕️💤Gallifreyan Healing Coma Management

⚕️🩸Interpreting Gallifreyan Bloodwork

⚕️👶Gallifreyan Paediatric Emergencies

Any orange text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →📢Announcements |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts → Features:⭐Guest Posts | 🍜Chomp Chomp with Myishu →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[justforbooks]

Quincy Jones, dies aged 91

Widely and wildly talented musician and industry mogul worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Will Smith and others

Quincy Jones, a titan of American entertainment who worked with stars from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson and Will Smith, has died aged 91.

Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, said he died on Sunday night at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, surrounded by his family.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Jones was arguably the most versatile pop cultural figure of the 20th century, perhaps best known for producing the albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad for Michael Jackson in the 1980s, which made the singer the biggest pop star of all time. Jones also produced music for Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer and many others.

He was also a successful composer of dozens of film scores, and had numerous chart hits under his own name. Jones was a bandleader in big band jazz, an arranger for jazz stars including Count Basie, and a multi-instrumentalist, most proficiently on trumpet and piano. His TV and film production company, founded in 1990, had major success with the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and other shows, and he continued to innovate well into his 80s, launching Qwest TV in 2017, an on-demand music TV service. Jones is third only to Beyoncé and Jay-Z for having the most Grammy award nominations of all time – 80 to their 88 each – and is the awards’ third most-garlanded winner, with 28.

Among the tributes to Jones was one from actor Michael Caine, who was born on the same day as Jones: 14 March 1933. “My celestial twin Quincy was a titan in the musical world,” Caine wrote. “He was a wonderful and unique human being, lucky to have known him.”

Playwright and actor Jeremy O Harris paid tribute to Jones’s “limitless” contributions to US culture, writing: “What couldn’t he do? Quincy Jones, literally born when the limits on how big a black boy could dream were unfathomably high, taught us that the limit does not exist.”

Jones was born in Chicago. His half-white father had been born to a Welsh slave owner and one of his female slaves, while his mother’s family were also descended from slave owners. His introduction to music came through the walls of his childhood home from a piano played by a neighbour, which he started learning aged seven, and via his mother’s singing.

His parents divorced and he moved with his father to Washington state, where Jones learned drums and a host of brass instruments in his high-school band. At 14, he started playing in a band with a 16-year-old Ray Charles in Seattle clubs, once, in 1948, backing Billie Holiday. He studied music at Seattle University, transferring east to continue in Boston, and then moved to New York after being rehired by the jazz bandleader Lionel Hampton, with whom he had toured as a high-schooler (a band for which Malcolm X was a heroin dealer when they played in Detroit).

In New York, one early gig was playing trumpet in Elvis Presley’s band for his first TV appearances, and he met the stars of the flourishing bebop movement including Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. (Years later, in 1991, Jones conducted Davis’s last performance, two months before he died.)

Jones toured Europe with Hampton, and spent much time there in the 1950s, including a period furthering his studies in Paris, where he met luminaries including Pablo Picasso, James Baldwin and Josephine Baker. At the age of 23, he also toured South America and the Middle East as Dizzy Gillespie’s musical director and arranger. He convened a crack team for his own big band, touring Europe as a way to test Free and Easy, a jazz musical, but the disastrous run left Jones, by his own admission, close to suicide and with $100,000 of debt.

He secured a job at Mercury Records and slowly paid off the debt with plenty of work as a producer and arranger for artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan and Sammy Davis Jr. He also began scoring films, his credits eventually including The Italian Job, In the Heat of the Night, The Getaway and The Color Purple. (He produced the last of these, which was nominated for 11 Oscars, three for Jones himself.) In 1968, he became the first African American to be nominated for best original song at the Oscars, for The Eyes of Love from the film Banning (alongside songwriter Bob Russell); he had seven nominations in total. For TV, he scored programmes such as The Bill Cosby Show, Ironside and Roots.

His work with Sinatra began in 1958 when he was hired to conduct and arrange for Sinatra and his band by Grace Kelly, princess consort of Monaco, for a charity event. Jones and Sinatra continued working on projects until Sinatra’s final album, LA Is My Lady, in 1984. Jones’s solo musical career took off in the late 1950s, recording albums under his own name as bandleader for jazz ensembles that included luminaries such as Charles Mingus, Art Pepper and Freddie Hubbard.

Jones once said of his time in Seattle: “When people write about the music, jazz is in this box, R&B is in this box, pop is in this box, but we did everything,” and his catholic tastes served him well as modern pop mutated out of the swing era. He produced four million-selling hits for the New York singer Lesley Gore in the mid-60s, including the US No 1 It’s My Party, and later embraced funk and disco, producing hit singles including George Benson’s Give Me the Night and Patti Austin and James Ingram’s Baby Come to Me, along with records by the band Rufus and Chaka Khan, and the Brothers Johnson. Jones also released his own funk material, scoring US Top 10 albums with Body Heat (1974) and The Dude (1981).

His biggest success in this style was his work with Michael Jackson: Thriller remains the biggest selling album of all time, while Jones’s versatility between Off the Wall and Bad allowed Jackson to metamorphose from lithe disco to ultra-synthetic funk-rock. He and Jackson (along with Lionel Richie and producer Michael Omartian) also helmed We Are the World, a successful charity single that raised funds for famine relief in Ethiopia in 1985. “I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him,” Jones said when Jackson died in 2009. In 2017, Jones’s legal team successfully argued that he was owed $9.4m in unpaid Jackson royalties, though he lost on appeal in 2020 and had to return $6.8m.

After the success of The Color Purple in 1985, he formed the film and TV production company Quincy Jones Entertainment in 1990. His biggest screen hit was the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran for 148 episodes and launched the career of Will Smith; other shows included the LL Cool J sitcom In the House and the long-running sketch comedy show MadTV.

He also created the media company Qwest Broadcasting and in 1993, the Black music magazine Vibe in partnership with Time Inc. Throughout his career he supported numerous charities and causes, including the , National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Jazz Foundation of America and others, and mentored young musicians including the British multiple Grammy winner Jacob Collier.

Jones’ illustrious career was twice nearly cut short: he narrowly avoided being killed by Charles Manson’s cult in 1969, having planned to go to Sharon Tate’s house on the night of the murders there, but Jones forgot the appointment. He also survived a brain aneurysm in 1974 that prevented him from playing the trumpet again in case the exertion caused further harm.

Jones was married three times, first to his high-school girlfriend Jeri Caldwell, for nine years until 1966, fathering his daughter Jolie. In 1967, he married Ulla Andersson and had a son and daughter, divorcing in 1974 to marry actor Peggy Lipton, best known for roles in The Mod Squad and Twin Peaks. They had two daughters, including the actor Rashida Jones, before divorcing in 1989. He had two further children: Rachel, with a dancer, Carol Reynolds, and Kenya, his daughter with actor Nastassja Kinski.

He never remarried, but continued to date a string of younger women, raising eyebrows with his year-long partnership with 19-year-old Egyptian designer Heba Elawadi when he was 73. He has also claimed to have dated Ivanka Trump and Juliette Gréco. He is survived by his seven children.

Other artists paying tribute included LL Cool J, who wrote: “You were a father and example at a time when I truly needed a father and example. Mentor. Role model. King. You gave me opportunities and shared wisdom. Music would not be music without you.” Femi Koleoso, bandleader with Mercury prize-winning jazz group Ezra Collective, called Jones a “masterful musician and beautiful soul”.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[phantom-frights-sys]

Eat Your Heart Out (A Source Memory Pressure Fanfic)

DISCLAIMER: This fic is highly based on source memories, which shares a resemblance to a certain “Ask Sebastian” series found here. The video was also referenced when memory was spotty. Please don’t compare the two, I know they’re similar, but many source memories seem to be sourced from this video-

It was a long time since the large fish amalgamation was in containment, and it was an absolute fight to get him back. The last-minute change in protocol was a surprise to the task team in charge of dealing with Z-13, which left him rather injured, but the retrieval was a success. For now, he was locked up in his cell with cuffs and the required muzzle, and his wounds mostly tended to before he woke up again. Even with his lure light off, you could see his glowing eyes glaring through the one-way glass.

After giving him a few hours to settle into his new confines, one of the heads of the research division entered the viewing bay. She tapped on the intercom microphone, which seemed to get his attention. Satisfied with that response, she pressed the red button on the tape recorder before speaking.

“This is Dr. A. Monroe, beginning interview log 1-A with Z-13, “The Saboteur”, who-”

“The name’s Sebastian..” The beast’s chilling voice cut her off as the purple light from his lure flickered on, showing just how cramped his current living quarters were. The room was padded to make it harder to harm himself (accidentally or not), and his cuffs chained to the back wall to prevent him from getting too close to the glass. She knew his strength could shatter even the shark-proof glass installed, she just hoped the titanium chains would keep him restrained so they didn’t have to test that theory…

“If you’re going to have this little interview with me, you might as well use my real name.” She sighed as she adjusted the spectacles on her face before continuing her introduction.

“..Z-13, “Sebastian Solace”, has been recently apprehended and returned to containment after recent events regarding our research facility, the Hadal Blacksite. This session is dedicated to questions regarding the lockdown incident at said facility, as well as… Some from the team who managed to survive retrieving the crystal…” She couldn’t help but roll her eyes when she heard an amused chuckle. 

“Perhaps this would be more entertaining than I thought..~ Let’s just get this over with.” Dr. Monroe mumbled something in agreement before glancing down at her clipboard and clicking her pen.

“What did you do during the lockdown?” Sebastian chuckled, shifting his position into something more comfortable.

“Mostly just explored the extent of my new prison, picking up what was left behind during the scramble to escape… You would be surprised just how much was laying around! Light sources, hacking materials, classified documents, first aid kits- Most weren't of use to me, though.”

“Why did you decide to assist the crystal retrieval teams during their expeditions?” Dr. Monroe raised a brow when she caught a brief cackle from the fish, catching a grin from between the slits of the muzzle.

“It was a wonderful benefit to me, you know..~ I get juicy data and research, and in return, they get items that are more useful to them than myself. And then they would live up to their names; they would die and I could sell what wasn’t broken. A glorious cycle, all funded by you~” Her nose crinkled a little as he spoke, unsure if he was just trying to make her uncomfortable or if he was genuine in his tone. There was always the possibility of both…

“..What exactly did you plan to do with all of those Blacksite documents?” His demeanor shifted noticeably, his arms crossing over his chest and his tail bunching up in front of him.

“Wouldn’t you love for me to tell you, hm?”

“Why did you free the other subjects, and how?”

“Why wouldn’t I free them? They served as a wonderful distraction that allowed me to go about my business! …And they deserved freedom as much as I do… You slaughtered the lot of them, didn’t you? I saw all the blood before your team attacked me-” Monroe quietly adjusted her glasses and flipped to the next page before continuing.

“Out of the other subjects within the facility, did you have a favorite?”

“Oh, this is definitely a crystal team question, isn’t it?” He scoffed a little, “But if I have to answer this ridiculous question, yes, I did.. Most were not inclined to chit-chat, after all, most couldn’t speak! But… I came to an.. Understanding… With Eyefestation… She, yes she, went through some of the worst of your ‘experiments’... She deserved a better life…”

“What about your relationship with The P.AI.nter?” A low growl made her blood run cold, looking up from her clipboard to realize he seemed closer than before.

“...Moving on… The mutation's side effects replaced your legs with a large tail. How has this affected your movement capabilities?” Sebastian looked down at his tail and flexed it, fanning out the flukes at the end.

“It’s been.. Interesting.. Getting used to it all. While I find it easier to swim nowadays, by no means am I slow on land, which you could probably guess~ I honestly couldn’t imagine a life with legs again.”

“We are half-way through, Mr. Solace. What abilities did your mutations give you?” She immediately grew tense as Sebastian’s eyes widened, his gaze slowly raising back to the glass as one eye twitched. 

“You. Don’t. KNOW!? You kept absolutely NO RECORD of all my surgeries!?” He lunged forward while baring his teeth through his muzzle, Dr. Monroe immediately slamming her hand on a button on the dashboard. A shrill cry of pain was heard as his body thrashed before collapsing to the ground, heavy breathes can be heard as she gave him some time to recover, ever thankful for the integrated taser in the shackles. She just hoped she could get through these last questions quickly…

“Were the experiments performed on you…Painful?”

“...Painful…?” A soft, strained voice emanated from the large fish as he slowly pulled himself upright, his yellow eyes glowing from behind his hair.

“Were they PAINFUL? You CUT me open, FISHED around inside me with NO ANESTHETICS, and shoved ANIMAL PARTS into my FLESH! WHAT COULD’VE GIVEN YOU THAT IDEA!?” He snarled loudly, Monroe’s hand hovering over the button yet again.

“S-Subject seems unstable and agitated, suspending interview until further n-” Dr. Monroe gasped loudly and hit the button as Sebastian lunged towards the window again, barely able to register the click and fizzle before the shattering of glass signaled things have gotten much, much worse. She screamed as she was thrown into the wall, struggling to catch her breath from the wind being knocked out of her, fearful eyes watching the mutated fish man tear off his restraints.

“You know, Doc.. Your little ‘team’ should’ve killed me when they had the chance…~” He picked her up by the neck and slammed her against the wall, leaning in close with that toothy grin of his. She managed to choke out a pained plea, which he just ignored.

“Because now? Now I have alllllll I need to ruin your company, and I can just slither out of here, the rest of this place being none the wiser..~ I really must thank you for that. But this is now farewell, Dr. Monroe..~” Another scream was cut short as he ripped into her, letting all of his rage and anger take over until she was no longer recognizable. Dripping in blood, he dragged himself to the tape recorder, chuckling when he realized it was still recording.

“Eat your heart out, Urbanshade.” He hissed, his words dripping with venom before slamming his fist onto the stop button, accidentally breaking the machine in the process. He then threw it at the camera before tearing it free from the wall.

“...You took your sweet old time-” He grumbled, a computer screen going white with a sketchy face being drawn on it.

“You’re so silly, Sebastian! My USB is in the office, see you soon!”

[paulagnewart]

Trans40mers Pt. 3/12: Freebies Are the Right of All Sentient Beings!

Where did that last month go? Probably the same place this post's initial opening paragraphs centering around themed coincidences and free Hasbro-affiliated goodies ended up.

Ah well. No need for long-winded introductions, let's dive right in.

19th March 2016: Hoping to win back the youth crowd, notoriously conservative-pandering media machine Herald Sun release a free set of Transformers-themed Top Trumps trading cards. They're made available to hundreds of participating newsagents in Victoria (& some for NSW).

-=-=-=-=-=-

For over two centuries Australia has enjoyed mutual cultural ties with the United Kingdom. Many like Cricket, Fish & Chips, Action Man and Gogglebox stood the test of time and became beloved hits. Others not so much. Despite its status as a popular, long-running children's pastime, Aussies were notably late to the Top Trumps party.

Their first 'major' publicity push came in the April 2004 edition of K-Zone magazine, who devoted a half-page "exclusive" article boasting how it "already has a cult following in the UK" and won said Toy Fair's 2002 Game of the Year. Elsewhere this issue featured a splash page promoting various decks including Marvel Comic Heroes, Buffy, Star Wars, Dinosaurs, and The Simpsons.

But 2004 was a tough year for cards. Spurred on by Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z, competition was fierce among companies over who could win the quadrangle. Against new Yu-Gi-Oh!, Duel Masters, Neopets, plus Croftminster's Genio or Myths & Legends cards, Top Trumps faced an uphill struggle living up to its "most addictive card game you're ever likely to play!" claim.

When 2016 rolled along, Transformers scored their first 'retro' deck. Presenting a cutout token earned newspaper readers one of four free packs; Shopkins and Adventure Time over the previous weekend, while Transformers united with My Little Pony. Some 919 newsagents participated in this event, but a paltry 40 were located in New South Wales (6 from Broken Hill alone) and a lone 1 represented Canberra.

Fans already put off supporting Rupert Murdock's racist rag found further disappointment when opening its plastic wrap. The box paraded a mighty montage of Marvel era illustrations, yet each card used reproduced 1984-5 toy packaging art on white backdrops likely sourced, as many did at the time, from Botch the Crab's excellent archive. Tech Specs faced creative liberties, character choices bizarre, plus an overwhelming number of Autobots left budding players bewildered.

"How do you do fellow kids?" indeed.

21st March 2003: Australia scored its first ever official Happy Meal promotion. McDonald's import and repackage all 8 USA Transformers Armada characters slated for sale over 4 weeks, until Megatron and Demolishor are recalled when real-world events label them "war toys".

-=-=-=-=-=-

After the half-hearted, half-a-toyline that was Robots in Disguise, Hasbro Australia were banking on Armada giving the brand a big boost of confidence.

First out the gate were Big W, stocking shelves with the second wave of toys just in time for Christmas 2002. Other retailers joined in by late January, by which point Hasbro went hard with cross-promotions. Those scallywags Jade and Ryan gave a glowing review in Cheez TV's toy testing segment. The 2nd anniversary edition of Mania magazine devoted two pages covering the series' history and introduced fans to new favourites like Alexa, Bureshock and Star Scream. Warner Vision scored the DVD rights, and with a Melbourne-produced video game in the pipeline, 2003 was shaping up to be Year of the Transformers.

But when Dreamwave's spinoff comic was skipped by newsagents, nor space to air the anime on Cartoon Network or Channel Ten until July and August respectively, they needed material to maintain momentum and fast. In stepped McDonald's who, in a first for its time, brought over all 6 toys from their 2002 USA campaign. Swapping out Hello Kitty for Ohio Art's Betty Spaghetty, young fans guzzled cheap fast food, saved their $5 Toys R Us voucher, then logging onto the Happy Meal website for a chance to win over $300 worth of toys.

Wait. All 6?

One day before this promotion began, Australia's Government ordered SAS troops in the Persian Gulf to join a US-led 'Coalition of the Willing' and launch mass strikes on Baghdad. "Countdown to Conflict!" blared across the news. Disney Adventures magazine's feedback column filled with letters from readers who "feel scared and sometimes unsafe". The War in Iraq had begun, and after witnessing mass anti-war protests across our cities, McDonald's ordered Megatron and Demolishor with their controversy-causing tank modes be swiftly scrubbed from stores.

Yet again Transformers were embroiled in real-world conflict, and yet again Australia banned a Megatron toy for being too realistic.

25th March 1996: Speculation mounted among locals at alt.toys.transformers over whether or not Hasbro Australia would import Kenner's brand new Beast Wars toyline. This soon hit a peak when Melbourne fan David Golding logged on to proclaim the series had been discontinued.

-=-=-=-=-=-

"Transformers DISCONTINUED?" may sound like yet another buzzword-boasting, self-aggrandizing social media effluencer's conspiracy theory video, but for fans pondering the fate of Cybertron's finest nearly 30 years ago, a message title like that meant nothing short of serious business.

Better people on better sites have waffled philosophically how The Transformers were in terminal decline. Those glory days of being crowned Toy of the Year had long passed, and not even a nation like Australia who enjoyed ten unbroken years of plastic robot action were immune. They survived He-Man. They survived Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They survived The Simpsons. But stiff competition from superheroes, Matchbox Action System and the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers looked to be their undoing.

Easter and a potential sales spike was two weeks away. If Hasbro hoped Cheez TV's 7am repeat run of Generation Two would elevate interest, they were quashed days later when Power Rangers introduced Australia's own Katherine "Kat" Hillard to the team. Ninjor powered heroes were in, while unsold Laser Rods, Rotor Force and Classics Combiners languished in discount bins.

Speculation on the brand's future flooded from emails over to then-juggernaut watering hole alt.toys.transformers. Eyebrows were raised when one user delivered "bad news for Australian Tf fans, it looks like we AREN'T getting Beast Wars down here. I ran hasbro today and they said they weren't carrying TFs this year.", but Golding's later proclamation drew the most discourse.

"I live in Melbourne, Australia, and at a toyshop recently I was told that the Transformers line had been discontinued. I would like to know if this was errant b******t on the part of the toyshop owner, or if this is really true?"

The comment was evaluated, dissected and criticized by fans both local or overseas. And while Beast Wars did eventually arrive in time for Christmas, those next 9 months would prove an ultimate challenge for diehard Aussie fans.

31st March 2023: Taronga Zoo Sydney and Western Plains Zoo Dubbo culminate their Hasbro partnership with the official Rise of the Beasts Roar & Snore Experience. Over five nights, a select few lucky fans (and celebrities) are treated to a beastly Base Camp under the stars.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Is it truly a Transformers movie without heavy emphasis on promotional contests? Be it humble days of free posters and toys in late-1986, Civic Video's colouring page for free toys come 2007, right up to an Oliver Brown sponsored New York trip complete with… free toys. This may be a series built on change, but as Airazor once proclaimed, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Not since the long-forgotten Transformers stage show at Louisville Zoo had fans witnessed their favourite robots duke it out among nature. Unusual for the time, but after two generations plus a new film built on 90's eco messages and character nostalgia looming over the horizon, promoting the brand at two wildlife sanctuaries were simultaneous strokes of creative and obvious genius.

The contest began on 9th January and focused on zoogoers wandering around to complete their free Beast Power character map. Dubbo's visitors were assigned to locate and decode a message among each Maximals' signature animal; Siamang, Ostrich, White Rhinoceros, Cheetah and African Wild Dog. Sydney on the other hand received their own set of beasts in the forms of Western Lowland Gorilla, Andean Condor, Asian Elephant, Sumatran Tiger and Corroboree Frog. Once complete, the decoded message was submitted online and in with the chance to win.

Quite the generous contest in itself, but Taronga were only getting started. A week later, obnoxious stickers slapped on by underpaid workers littered figures across every Big W. They boasted more prizes; 10 guided zoo tours, 100 free entries, 100 movie tickets plus another round of overnight stays at the newly-branded Beasts Base Camp.

Parents, celebrities and social influenza fans who believe the brand revolved around them flocked at the chance to attend. And thus those nights soon came to pass; drinks, cheese patters, twilight tours, selfies and more free toys awaited them, all under the watchful gazes of life-sized Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal statues.

[nachocheezos21]

[THE DOCUMENT BELOW CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:]

[Cannibalism], [Mentions of Death], [Minor Gore Mentions] // [IF THE AUTHOR HAD MISSED ANYTHING, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT FOR CORRECTION!]

[Z-257-2 — “Guilt-filled Appetite.”]

Description: Previously EXR-P #██████████, real name “Elizah H. Jekyll”, is a current and active member of the aforementioned ‘Yore Expendable’ team alongside others. She is ██ of age, standing 152cm (approximately 5 feet) with medium-length black hair and tan skin, with her most notable facial feature being her unnatural eyes; dark blue eyes surrounded by a neon yellow sclera — often switching depending on the subject’s emotional intensity. While it was easy for staff to recognise her from the rest of the team, many suspected (including Z-257-2 herself) that her unnatural eyes do not have any correlation from the regenerating properties of the team.

During the expedition observed by HQ, Z-257-2 is usually seen and/or heard by the site CCTV to lead the way for the rest of the team to follow. The only instances of Z-257-2 trailing behind are whenever the subject is in search of a hiding place or rummaging through for any files or data left by the staff. Similar to the rest of Z-257, Z-257-2 shares regenerative properties upon death by emitting yellow particles of light to scatter all over the corpse, clumping together to inhabit the heart (and missing limbs, if any). Despite this, the subject’s eyes are still not affected nor changed afterwards.

Prior to her arrest, Z-257-2 had previously worked as a junior researcher in the University of ██████████, Sweden, before being referred to the company by her late-father and one of Mr. Shade’s business partners, Dr. H████ Jekyll. By then, she was hired as one of Urbanshade’s junior researchers within the Botanical Division located in ████, ████████ and had worked for the company for about an approximate of 2 to 3 years — being later promoted as Assistant Senior Researcher.

In mid-2024 to early 2025, Z-257-2 was soon arrested for the murder of Junior Researcher, Dr. Verena Calyx, as the subject was found in her office with blood on the floor, surrounding the victim. The guards had also stated that the subject was also found kneeling next to the deceased victim’s body with chunks of flesh and blood on her hands and lips, signifying that the subject was in the middle of eating the victim due to guilt. A small trial was held and Z-257-2 was soon promptly jailed. It wasn’t until months later that the Hadal Blacksite had initiated lockdown due to the events caused by Z-13, resulting in the “Expendable” protocol taking place. The subject was then offered a second chance by retrieving Z-1, promising cash and a pardon on their criminal sentence, which was enough for her to sign up for the program.

Upon reaching the surface with Z-1 in the team’s possession, Urbanshade guards directly confiscated and detained the team of Z-257 before presenting the Crystal to Mr. Shade himself. But after recognising the members of the team from the numerous comments from one of the Headquarters’ Team Overseer, Mr. Shade had immediately requested for all members to be sent to a nearby Site for further testing.

[Notes from the author//artist]: OH MY GOD PRESSURE SONA REVEAL does it even count if it’s you LMAO. uh anyways YEAH !!! BRAINROT !!!!!! you guys would probably see me make more of these with some of my moots and pookies. if it’s not obvious, this is only an additional document detailing a member of z-257 >.:} – my end, at least (no i’m not actually jekyll irl i wish i was/j). also, the reason why this post and the previous were sent back to back for a day was bc this has been sitting on my drafts for so long LMAO i’ve been itching to post this but i wanted a proper introduction to our au/z-entity (in a sense, it is a z-entity; think of smth like the imaginary friend or the mindscape)

credits to @windthescorpionfanatic for the yore expendable concept once again – if they ever decide to share the file, i’ll be reblogging it for further context teehee

[the-oracle-of-versel]

An introduction to writeblr ,  from The Octic Scribe.

Hey all! I am the Octic scribe , or -O/Z for short, pleasure to meet you! Before you begin, im very dyslexic and that may come through, especially if I am writing on my phone. (no muscle memory)

I’m 24 and looking for writing friends , so here’s a little about me-

1- I am a religious studies student who part times as a scary clown in a suit - I’m dead serious right now –

2- I do sumi-e paintings although I seem to be , well, not very good yet.

3-  I am a Buddhist! … that’s not quite right, I’m a perennial omnist who believes there is truth in all religions as they all contain knowledge from successive generations! They are all so cool! You know how cool and beautiful it can all be when not given to institutions? It’s the most heart stopping and enthralling thing to research. – but I mostly practice in the sphere of Buddhism.

4-  And yes, I am a Percy Jackson kid, if that didn’t come through.

5- I have a cat named Cleo! Short for Cleopatra, short for CLEO BABY WHAT ARE YOU EATING!  - Ill post a pic in a sec~

6- Gender- oh boy do I have my thoughts, but in short- I am an eldritch mass and so are you. The human experience cannot be confined to a binary scale, or in truth any taxonomic invention, and therefor-

7- Pronouns are whatever you are most comfortable with. Dead ass. Use what you want- fuck call me comrade I really don’t care.  

8- I’m trans in at least one direction. Shout out to planed parenthood in the south for being here.

9- I’m an ex-Mormon! Yeah! Religious trauma! 10- im very new to tumblr, so yeah!

About my writing-

Introducing The Forgotten Throne, or TFT, a fantasy world with the soul of sci-fi. The premise of the world is that four deities creations are being tested, and the being on ariavita (the world of TFT) who claims all four deities thrones ascends to a deity themselves. However, after the the pact of the octogram the four sentinels burned all writings on the thrones. It is a world made for war that rejects its purpose.  

With a hard magic system and 8 different fantasy races what’s not to love. There are no elves, dwarfs, ect. Instead, there are the formless yet shapeshifting arcana, the moth like Illuet, and many more.

My first novel in this universe is “Those Who Remember Are Lost” and I am 65 thousand words in! it follows a young watcher (winged beings that are related to humans) and his best friend as they leave there library/home to travel across the world for reasons the mysterious ALEA has not seen fit to tell the travelers. I will polish this more when  school and work aren’t biting at me, but I wanted something for you all to know me with, so yeah!

Drink some water!!

[samueldays]

As promised to @brazenautomaton, extended feedback on Princess: The Hopeful - Crystal Edition (PTHCE). This is going to be quite long and probably have more replies, so readmore break early.

This is partly feedback to Brazen and partly review for other people wondering what's going on with it and partly me doing stream of consciousness recapping as I read through it, so it's a little disjointed. Still, better to have it out than not.

Chapter 0: Introduction

When reading the opening of PTHCE about Sincerity and Fear and Darkness, first in the prologue chapter and then in chapter 2 (setting), I was thinking about how much D&D and its descendants 'polluted' the fantasy genre with numbers, game mechanics and LitRPG tropes. Even in works that aren't LitRPG outright, I feel like recent fiction has a lot more level X power, needs Y amount to resist, has Z type element.

Lord of the Rings does not feature the One Ring casting Level 4 Soul-Hook, Will Save DC 18, 2d6 Corruption Damage, or anything even vaguely like that. It simply offers power to the bearer, and eventually Frodo makes the decision that taking power is preferable to getting stung by spiders and beaten by orcs while slogging through the industrial district. (LOTR is of course not alone about this, but it's well known.)

PTHCE is like that too.

People spread fear to others in an attempt to ward it away from themselves, to prevent what causes it or prevent themselves from feeling it. People are afraid of being preyed on, so they must prey on others first. People are afraid of being known, so they can’t let themselves be loved.

So I quite like this opening of PTHCE for not needing another special antagonist or evil force with unique setting adjustments and secret history retcon, especially in the Crossovers of Darkness that arguably has too many of them at odds already.

The Darkness is not invading our world. The foul black ichor of its presence does not surge from outside of reality. It congeals from the world around us like morning dew collects water from the atmosphere. The difference between the power to harvest energy from human beings and the power to abuse humans into compliance is only in degree, not kind.

There are monsters and there is a Darkness antagonist to the RPG, but it's one with less spotlight time and less identity of its own, and more exaggeration of regular forces. From the Glossary:

Ultimatum, The: The extortionate “bargain” offered by the Darkness to all living things who feel its fear: “I will make you suffer, and the only way to make me stop is to inflict me on others.”

(Could use separate scare quotes and speech quotes.)

This also made it feel easier for me to start planning a first test adventure. One of my approaches to a new RPG is to outline a plot for a test adventure early on, mostly from the setting and themes and fluff description, and then see how well the mechanics support it. When the 'antagonist' is a cycle of fear and suffering, I came up with a plot fast.

My outline went like this: The conflict centers on a museum. A pack of Werewolves are subtly fucking with the museum in an attempt to acquire/destroy an artifact there, because they're afraid of trying to approach humans about this openly. This leaves the museum guides afraid too: afraid that they're seeing things, that they're getting old and nutty, that they're going to lose their jobs, so they do foolish things in response. The museum director is influenced by the Ultimatum: afraid that someone is trying to sabotage the museum, he responds by trying to militarize it for security, adding a police presence, locking up exhibits, restricting opening hours, and slightly worsening life for everyone who would like to go to the museum.

I will/did refine this plot while reading through the book and understanding the system, but I think this is a good start for something Magical Girls can resolve with the power of love and hope and friendship. Let's see how it holds up later.

White Wolf fucked around with the term "soul" a lot, this glossary's redefinition tries to band-aid over it, still sucks IMO.

Champion: One of the five Callings.

Currents, Queen of: One of the five Radiant Queens.

Embassy: An optional third type of grouping a Princess can choose to join in addition to Calling and Queen.

Yeah this is White Wolf's Not-A-Class-System of Darkness all right, with the good and bad that comes with it. Those entries are summaries in the glossary in the prologue. The book's numbered chapters start after that with Chapter 1: Calling and Queen, (roughly: character classes and archetypes) and it immediately runs into one of the bad things about the Not-A-Class-System and the White Wolf foundation, the back-and-forth dependencies. From the first Calling, "Champion":

They have a natural affinity for the Kiai Charm to master the chaos of combat, and the Force Charm to exert their will on the world. Like all Princesses, they have an affinity for the Buster Charm, and one additional Charm of their choice.

From the glossary I know a Charm is a superpower. What are these specific Charms? What is an Affinity? There's no page reference. Then it's "Sample Oaths" for a Champion. What's an Oath and why am I swearing one?

It is very much faithful to White Wolf book layout that the book can't be read in order, you have to flip to several later chapters to explain things in the first chapter, with Glossary in the front, Appendix in the back, and several explanatory sidebars through the book, which are not listed in the Appendices.

This is a bad thing, but it's hard to avoid. I have no clever ideas for fixing it. Page references or sidebars might improve it a little.

The not-a-classes are callings of Champion, Grace, Seeker, Mender and Troubadour // Queens of Currents, Flowers, Jewels, Spades, Swords, for 25 combinations.

Chapter 2: Setting.

Once there was a golden age, then the Darkness and its evil minions showed up and ruined things, blah blah.

From there, the history of this world began, the Chronicles of Darkness. If you want the official story you can look at a history book. If you want the true story there’s at least eight types of supernatural creature claiming to offer it and none of them can see all of it.

In spite of what I said above about ordinary darkness, a magical girl supplement can't stick entirely to the regular world or history, so we get the Fearless Kingdoms lost in the Dreamlands, and three other Queens of Capitalized Letters who are different from the Chapter 1 Queens. These 3 are the Twilight Queens who have been fighting the Darkness for ages and gotten fucked up by it.

The 5 reasonable PC-class Queens to follow are the Radiant Queens who were imprisoned until the Moon Landing in 1969, which was such an amazing inspiring feat of hope, it cracked the Darkness's hold on the world and let the Radiant Queens out to start raising protagonists again.

The Radiant Queens still live in the Dreamlands, and they suffer the dream-logic problem of sending unreal people on unreal quests to come back with unreal information. If you, the player character, want your Mentor Queen to give you advice, you need to tell her about your personal real situation. This is both a plot device for keeping the big powers off the board so the PCs can shine, and a clever setup for MLP-style "Dear Princess Celestia, this week I..." letters. I like it!

Also some stuff about how the Darkness spawns monsters and hazards. The secret setting history is decently solid.

Pages 59-60 are blank in the saved PDF version. Reee.

Chapter 3: Character Creation.

Starts with game creation, getting the players on the same page, discussing how the campaign should be designed, this is supposed to be an adaptive character-centric game, unlike D&D mostly-static adventure modules and pick-up games.

Two important elements of character creation are the Calling and Queen that Chapter 1 focused on. White Wolf Editing! *shakes fist*

There's the usual WW 5-dot attribute/skill system, and then the usual new set of special supplement stats, which I'm going to analogize to Vampire as a starting reference.

Humanity stat: "Belief" in magical girl idea(l)s Power stat: "Inner Light" Blood points stat: "Wisps" Disciplines: "Charms"

But instead of the Charms being 5-dot, each has a basic function and several independent upgrades.

Then there's the Magical Girl Transformation, which takes a whopping 30 seconds of shiny transformation sequence, and it comes with super identity protection to allow players to mess around with it safely. Good stuff.

Unless players have been extremely careless, the Storyteller shouldn’t have a supernatural antagonist follow them back to their mundane lives [...] the mundane relationships a Princess has are incredibly important thematically and mechanically and the best course of action should never be “cut off everyone so I don’t put them in danger.” There are things a character could do to make that relationship safer, but they’re tedious and get in the way of playing the actual game, so you don’t want to do those either.

We're still in Chapter Character Creation giving OOC reasons for the IC strength of dual identity protection and the failure of scrying spells, organizing interconnected material in a linear fashion is hard. I don't blame the author, but it annoys me.

In the grand tradition of RPGs borrowing magic words and redefining them, a Princess's transformation catalyst object is "Phylactery". :D

There's an XP cost chart. It is one of the few outright bad things in this version, IMO. Starting with the ambiguity. Cost of Attribute: "4XP/dot". Okay, if I'm raising an attribute from 2 to 3, does that mean a 1-dot raise costing 4XP, or a raise to 3 dots costing 12XP? (Shadowrun got this one right by saying "New Rating x5" as the cost.)

There's a XP cost for "Lost Willpower dot" but not for regular Willpower raises that I can see.

Then we've got explanations of the Belief stat (Integrity, Humanity) and then, at last, explanations of the Oaths that came up two chapters ago, which are not next to explanations of the Callings despite having come up together.

Then, still in Chapter Character Creation of PTHCE, because editing is very hard, we've got a special new mechanic: Flaring Belief. When you fail something or come up against a big threat, you can choose to raise the stakes, giving you a reroll and a power boost, by swearing to achieve some goal that's more difficult or more thorough. If you succeed, the power was free, you rose to the occasion. If you fail at the goal, lose Belief stat! It's great Magical Girl content.

Also appearing in this chapter: Merits.

With that chapter of miscellanea finally done...

Chapter 4: Magic.

Best part of the book, IMO. There's basic effects like super movement, summon object, or magical girl hyper beam, each of which has several upgrades that can be combined to enhance or modify effects. For example, the water-walk movement can be combined with the affects-vehicle movement to drive on water.

It's also the part of the book that looks like the most work, reminding me of the Mutants&Masterminds build-your-own-power pointbuy system. Players will have to figure out how to build the effects they wanted, GM will have to adjudicate, it's quite a loose system.

I'm going to reserve judgment on this until I get a chance to see it in play, but my superficial impression is good.

Then there's options for giving those effects elemental upgrades or elemental restrictions for more themed attacks and character identity and stuff.

Chapter 5: The Forces of Darkness.

While trying to Ctrl-F for this chapter I noticed that funny font symbols have happened, and trying to copy-paste the headline elsewhere yields "Cha???r 5: The For??? Of Dar???s?", possibly ligature bullshit or the result of me saving GDocs file to PDF.

So here we have the monsters, and the monster-associated things like evil places that buff monsters, the ecology of monsters, monster abilities, and a bunch of fiddly little stat modifiers for monsters. Monsters are supposed to embody aspects of the Darkness, which is evil and parasitic and cannot create, monsters have to form around a source of Light and consume Light where it leaks into the Darkness.

First up are the Darkspawn, generic monster-of-the-week gribblies with too many teeth.

Then come the Nightscapes, living location puzzle bosses built around someone's fears that, must be resolved with social and clues while beating up gribblies, which the GM is expected to customize heavily. I like the idea, but as with Magic in the previous chapter, it means this isn't a pick-up-and-play game, this is something where the GM needs to prep.

Nightmares are the minions of Nightspaces, doing specific tasks and inflicting relevant fears for the puzzle bosses. I had a hard time telling the functional difference between Nightmares and Darkspawn at first.

Defilers are where it gets interesting: humans empowered by the Darkness and knowingly choosing to keep doing that, though not necessarily with knowledge of what the Darkness is.

Cataphracts are former humans whose heart and soul has been replaced with Dark Power, sometimes evolving from Defilers.

Enthroned are the campaign bosses: corrupted magical girls, who come with a personalised and controlled Nightscape around them. They are obvious in person for that reason, but harder to spot when posting on the Internet, which is why magical girls should stay off the Internet. :D

--

Now lemme go back to that werewolves-at-the-museum plot from the start and see how I'm going to work it with this game's bestiary and ecology. First question seems to be: Am I going to have a Nightscape or not? Is this adventure important enough, or is someone fucked up enough, to have one?

I learn towards "no". This is a starter adventure I'm planning.

Let's have some Darkspawn. For example, the Ravenous Darkspawn statblock could be used for a book that came to life, grew teeth and started biting people. (The Ravenous entry appears to be missing a Size stat?) "Books don't bite people", say the boring people, nudged along by Insidious Darkspawn telling them "You saw nothing" and looking important with badges. Traitorous Darkspawn might be nudging the museum director into reacting even worse.

The director is militarizing the place even more, which makes life harder for the werewolves trying to get the plot device in the museum, so this situation is not going to fix itself, only escalate with the likely outcome that the museum closes. This I think is stakes of the sort the Storytelling chapter calls for.

[...] it’s important to keep the stakes lower than you might think. The impulse in both anime and roleplaying is a threat of a world-ending, apocalyptic scale, but ironically making the stakes too high means the stakes are nothing. You can’t go through with a consequence of failure that basically makes the setting cease to exist, therefore, it’s not going to happen. The focus of the Chronicles of Darkness is at the local level. Failure on the part of the players should result in terrible things happening, and the world around them being a tangibly worse place to live, but still recognizable enough as the world that they can actually live with the consequences of the failure.

Possibly there's the risk of a Nightscape being created if the party fails, the museum closes, and the museum guides who have worked there all their lives suffer a breaking point.

I think I'd like some more kinds of Darkspawn in my adventure, and at the book level, I think providing some more would be useful to GMs.

Then I need an agentic antagonist to interact with. The werewolf pack might serve this role, but they can be talked to and aren't outright enemies. Since I noped on the Nightscape, the more hostile antagonist should probably be a Defiler somewhere. I'm thinking either the museum director (empowered to call in unreasonable amounts of security, cops, and city budget with OP social influence) or some other dude who also wants the plot device artifact, can't contest for it directly, plots to steal it in the museum shutdown when lots of items will be transferred and it's easy for some to go missing.

To be continued.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26895269.2024.2353224

Effects of puberty suppression on bone, body composition, handgrip strength and glucolipid profile in early-pubertal transgender adolescents

Abstract

Introduction The effects of puberty suppression for more than 2 years before the start of gender-affirming hormones (GAH) on bone mass acquisition and body composition are understudied.

Materials and methods Retrospective study on 46 transgender adolescents (20 trans boys and 26 trans girls) receiving a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) from Tanner stage 2-3, followed by GAH around the age of 16 years. At start of GnRHa and at start of GAH, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN) and total body (TB), handgrip strength test and fasting blood sampling were performed. Z-scores were calculated using reference values for both cis girls and cis boys.

Results GnRHa were administered for a median of 3.2 years (± 0.69) in trans boys and 2.7 years (± 1.05) in trans girls. Bone mineral apparent density (BMAD)-LS Z-scores decreased significantly in both trans boys and trans girls, while BMAD-FN Z-scores decreased only in trans boys. Fat% and Fat Mass Index Z-scores significantly increased in both groups, while Lean Mass Index Z-scores significantly decreased. Handgrip strength Z-scores for the sex registered at birth (SRAB) remained stable in trans boys while they decreased in trans girls. There was no significant influence of the treatment on either insulin sensitivity or lipid profile.

Discussion GnRHa administration for more than two years during the physiological time of puberty decreases bone mass acquisition, mainly at the lumbar spine and induces a general increase in fat mass. Although lean mass acquisition is undermined in both groups, handgrip strength is affected mainly in trans girls compared with age-matched peers for the SRAB.

==

"tHeY'rE sAfE aNd FuLLy ReVeRsIbLe!!1!"

[fastmusclecar123]

New Post has been published on https://fastmusclecar.com/exploring-the-timeless-appeal-of-classic-vintage-muscle-cars/best-muscle-cars/

Exploring the Timeless Appeal of Classic Vintage Muscle Cars

In the fast-paced world of automobiles, where each passing year brings forth innovations and modern designs, a class of vehicles seems to defy the sands of time. With their roaring engines and iconic designs, classic vintage muscle cars maintain an enduring appeal that transcends generations. This article explores the reasons behind the timeless allure of these automotive legends.

The Birth of an Icon

Classic muscle cars arose in the mid-twentieth century, fueled by post-World War II optimism and a thirst for speed. Sensing a demand for excitement on the road, American automakers developed muscle cars. The Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Charger emerged as trailblazers, representing the spirit of defiance and power that defined a period. These brands are characterized by unique engine and body parts that ultimately make the automobile stand out. You can see more info here about various automotive products from these brands.

The allure of classic muscle cars lies in their performance and their symbolism. These vehicles were born when the open road symbolized freedom and driving was not just a means of transportation but an expression of individualism and adventure.

Some of the most iconic classic muscle cars that have left an indelible mark on the industry are:

Ford Mustang

Model Years: 1964-1973

The Ford Mustang is an American icon and one of the pioneers of the muscle car era. Its introduction in 1964 created the “pony car” class, offering a blend of style, performance and affordability. The 1967 Shelby GT500 is particularly revered, featuring a powerful 428 Cobra Jet engine.

Dodge Charger

Model Years: 1966-1974

The Dodge Charger is known for its bold design and powerful engines. The second-generation Charger (1968-1970) is often considered the pinnacle, with the iconic “Bullitt” Charger R/T and the monstrous Charger Daytona, designed for NASCAR dominance. The 1969 Charger, immortalized in movies like “The Dukes of Hazzard,” is particularly iconic.

Chevrolet Camaro

Model Years: 1967-1969

The Chevrolet Camaro is another heavyweight in the muscle car arena. The first-generation Camaro, especially the SS and Z/28 models, is celebrated for its aggressive styling and high-performance options. The 1969 Camaro ZL1 is one of the most sought-after muscle cars, boasting an all-aluminum 427 cubic-inch engine.

Pontiac GTO

Model Years: 1964-1974

Often credited as the first true muscle car, the Pontiac GTO paved the way for the revolution. The early GTOs, especially the 1966 model with the potent Tri-Power carburetion system, are highly coveted. The GTO embodied putting a big engine in a midsize car, creating a formula that defined the muscle car ethos.

Model Years: 1964-1972

Chevrolet Chevelle SS:

The Chevelle SS is a classic example of Chevrolet’s prowess in crafting muscle cars. The SS (Super Sport) package, available on various Chevelle models, turned these midsize cars into high-performance beasts. The 1970 Chevelle SS with the LS6 454 cubic-inch V8 is legendary, boasting one of the highest factory horsepower ratings of the era.

Design Elegance that Stands the Test of Time

The timeless design of classic muscle vehicles is one of their distinguishing features. The sleek forms, forceful poses and eye-catching color palettes distinguish them from their counterparts. The union of form and function in these vehicles reflects a time when style was just as vital as substance. Even in the middle of a sea of modern automobiles, the timeless beauty of their design guarantees that these cars remain head-turners.

Classic muscle cars are not just machines but works of art on wheels. The aesthetic appeal of their design is not subject to the whims of passing trends, making them a testament to the notion that true beauty is eternal.

Nostalgia and Cultural Significance

Beyond their mechanical prowess, classic muscle cars carry a cultural significance that adds layers to their timeless appeal. These vehicles are not just relics of the past; they are living reminders of a bygone era. Nostalgia plays a pivotal role in their enduring popularity, as they evoke memories of when the automobile represented more than just a mode of transportation.

Movies, music and popular culture have all contributed to the mystique surrounding classic muscle cars. From iconic scenes in films to the rock ‘n’ roll tunes that echoed through the radio waves, these cars became intertwined with the cultural fabric of their time. Owning a classic muscle car is not just about having a vehicle; it’s about possessing a piece of history that encapsulates the spirit of an era.

Conclusion

In a world where trends come and go and technology advances relentlessly, classic vintage muscle cars stand as stalwart guardians of a bygone era. The birth of these iconic vehicles marked a turning point in automotive history, and their timeless allure continues to captivate enthusiasts across the globe. From the engine’s roar to the elegance of their design, classic muscle cars are more than just vehicles; they are living legends, embodying the spirit of an age that refuses to be forgotten.

[jojotier]

okay but you can't really expect post-canon to do anything with just text that's comparable to cascade. written text like books and stuff just don't have the versatility of other mediums and it really isn't fair to compare it at all

While you're right that something in text wouldn't be comparable to Cascade- they are entirely different mediums after all- that still doesn't excuse homestuck^2 from dropping the ball.

to say that 'oh but text isn't as versatile-' is a fucking cop out answer. and here's why.

Parabola by Lily Hoang is a coming of age story about an Asian-American girl trying to find her place between holding onto tradition and her own Americanization as told in the format of a parabola.

The chapters are numbered as a parabola's would be, with some chapters being teenage poetry, others being prose, others being in the form of multiple-choice tests, and still others being blocks of text and alliteration broken up across grid-like pages, as though the text itself is being calculated like points in space on a graph.

S by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst is about two college students getting their hands on a novel called Ship of Theseus by VM Straka, a writer that does not exist, as they do academic research on the political underpinnings of the novel. The conceit is that you are reading the copy of Ship of Theseus, which has the students' annotations scribbled in the margins and a host of extra documents they leave for each other.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski needs no introduction. It is a book about a book about an academic dissertation about a documentary that doesn't exist.

The book is a labyrinth. Just look at this fucking thing.

People have been using the medium of text for decades to tell interesting stories and incorporate the metanarrative structure of how a text is presented itself to great effect. there's an entire genre dedicated to this stuff!

And this isn't to say that text doesn't have some weaknesses when compared to visual mediums or audio mediums, but it's not because the medium of text is inherently inferior. It's because every single medium has its pros and cons; its conventions and tricks for how to make things work. The medium is the vehicle by which a story is told; some stories don't need a specific medium to thrive, but others are so married to their medium that you cannot physically extract it without completely changing the story (hence why myhouse.wad is a great spiritual inheritor of House of Leaves' themes, but a pure House of Leaves game adaptation would be extremely difficult to make work). You can use the text itself as a way to enhance the themes of a story.

So I don't think it's too much to ask that homestuck^2 do something actually interesting with it's prose bits, especially considering how medium-bending the original Homestuck was. Do you?

[sapphirecrook]

[STORY] Call Me Fang - Chapter 3-7: Mall or Bust

TUMBLR TEXT:

Too big. doesn't fit here. Welp.

Download (it looks nicer)

ORIGINAL:

Even as I have an idea where I want things to go, there's a lot of flexibility in mind. Whatever X or Y get together, whatever Z or B have problem A or C, these are in flux as I get close enough.

There may also be some significant changes in writing style. I'm trying things out.Time is another dimension, and my glasses are foggy.

There's been a lot of delay stuff going on, as I've poured energy into the Trico stuff and, well, other things. I might have a test draft soon (aka a rapid introduction and exploration of characters, before I do proper scene drafts.) Trico's characters are refining in terms of design, species, purpose and more. Who knows, maybe I'll have a proper working title, WOULD BE SOMETHING.

[b4kingg]

Examining How Gender Moderates the Relationship Between Exercise Frequency and Stress Levels

Introduction

This project explores statistical interaction (moderation) by examining how gender might moderate the relationship between exercise frequency and stress levels. Specifically, I investigate whether the association between how often someone exercises and their reported stress levels differs between males and females.

Research Question

Does gender moderate the relationship between exercise frequency and stress levels?

Methodology

I used Python with pandas, statsmodels, matplotlib, and seaborn libraries to analyze a simulated dataset containing information about participants' exercise frequency (hours per week), stress levels (scale 1-10), and gender.

Python Code

import pandas as pd import numpy as np import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import seaborn as sns import statsmodels.api as sm from statsmodels.formula.api import ols from scipy import stats

#Set random seed for reproducibility

np.random.seed(42)

#Create simulated dataset

n = 200 # Number of participants

#Generate exercise hours per week (1-10)

exercise_hours = np.random.uniform(1, 10, n)

#Generate gender (0 = male, 1 = female)

gender = np.random.binomial(1, 0.5, n)

#Generate stress levels with interaction effect

#For males: stronger negative relationship between exercise and stress

#For females: weaker negative relationship

base_stress = 7 # Base stress level exercise_effect_male = -0.6 # Each hour of exercise reduces stress more for males exercise_effect_female = -0.3 # Each hour of exercise reduces stress less for females noise = np.random.normal(0, 1, n) # Random noise

#Calculate stress based on gender-specific exercise effects

stress = np.where( gender == 0, # if male base_stress + (exercise_effect_male * exercise_hours) + noise, # male effect base_stress + (exercise_effect_female * exercise_hours) + noise # female effect )

#Ensure stress levels are between 1 and 10

stress = np.clip(stress, 1, 10)

#Create DataFrame

data = { 'ExerciseHours': exercise_hours, 'Gender': gender, 'GenderLabel': ['Male' if g == 0 else 'Female' for g in gender], 'Stress': stress } df = pd.DataFrame(data)

#Display the first few rows of the dataset

print("First 5 rows of the dataset:") print(df.head())

#Descriptive statistics by gender

print("\nDescriptive Statistics by Gender:") print(df.groupby('GenderLabel')[['ExerciseHours', 'Stress']].describe())

#Calculate correlation coefficients for each gender

male_df = df[df['Gender'] == 0] female_df = df[df['Gender'] == 1]

male_corr, male_p = stats.pearsonr(male_df['ExerciseHours'], male_df['Stress']) female_corr, female_p = stats.pearsonr(female_df['ExerciseHours'], female_df['Stress'])

print("\nCorrelation Analysis by Gender:") print(f"Male correlation (r): {male_corr:.4f}, p-value: {male_p:.4f}") print(f"Female correlation (r): {female_corr:.4f}, p-value: {female_p:.4f}")

#Test for moderation using regression analysis

model = ols('Stress ~ ExerciseHours * Gender', data=df).fit() print("\nModeration Analysis (Regression with Interaction):") print(model.summary())

#Visualize the interaction

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 6)) sns.scatterplot(x='ExerciseHours', y='Stress', hue='GenderLabel', data=df, alpha=0.7)

#Add regression lines for each gender

sns.regplot(x='ExerciseHours', y='Stress', data=male_df, scatter=False, line_kws={"color":"blue", "label":f"Male (r={male_corr:.2f})"}) sns.regplot(x='ExerciseHours', y='Stress', data=female_df, scatter=False, line_kws={"color":"red", "label":f"Female (r={female_corr:.2f})"})

plt.title('Relationship Between Exercise Hours and Stress Levels by Gender') plt.xlabel('Exercise Hours per Week') plt.ylabel('Stress Level (1-10)') plt.legend(title='Gender') plt.grid(True, linestyle='--', alpha=0.7) plt.tight_layout()

#Fisher's z-test to compare correlations

import math def fisher_z_test(r1, r2, n1, n2): z1 = 0.5 * np.log((1 + r1) / (1 - r1)) z2 = 0.5 * np.log((1 + r2) / (1 - r2)) se = np.sqrt(1/(n1 - 3) + 1/(n2 - 3)) z = (z1 - z2) / se p = 2 * (1 - stats.norm.cdf(abs(z))) return z, p

z_score, p_value = fisher_z_test(male_corr, female_corr, len(male_df), len(female_df)) print("\nFisher's Z-test for comparing correlations:") print(f"Z-score: {z_score:.4f}") print(f"P-value: {p_value:.4f}")

print("\nInterpretation:") if p_value < 0.05: print("The difference in correlations between males and females is statistically significant.") print("This suggests that gender moderates the relationship between exercise and stress.") else: print("The difference in correlations between males and females is not statistically significant.") print("This suggests that gender may not moderate the relationship between exercise and stress.")

Results

Dataset Overview

Correlation Analysis by Gender

Moderation Analysis (Regression with Interaction)

Fisher's Z-test for comparing correlations

Interpretation

The analysis reveals a significant moderating effect of gender on the relationship between exercise hours and stress levels. For males, there is a strong negative correlation (r = -0.60, p < 0.001) between exercise and stress, indicating that as exercise hours increase, stress levels tend to decrease substantially. For females, while there is still a negative correlation (r = -0.29, p = 0.003), the relationship is notably weaker.

The regression analysis confirms this interaction effect. The significant interaction term (ExerciseHours, p < 0.001) indicates that the slope of the relationship between exercise and stress differs by gender. The positive coefficient (0.30) for this interaction term means that the negative relationship between exercise and stress is less pronounced for females compared to males.

Fisher's Z-test (Z = -2.51, p = 0.012) further confirms that the difference in correlation coefficients between males and females is statistically significant, providing additional evidence of moderation.

The visualization clearly shows the different slopes of the regression lines for males and females, with the male regression line having a steeper negative slope than the female regression line.

These findings suggest that while exercise is associated with lower stress levels for both genders, the stress-reducing benefits of exercise may be stronger for males than for females in this sample. This could have implications for tailoring stress management interventions based on gender, though further research would be needed to understand the mechanisms behind this difference.

Conclusion

This analysis demonstrates a clear moderating effect of gender on the exercise-stress relationship. The results highlight the importance of considering potential moderating variables when examining relationships between variables, as the strength of associations can vary significantly across different subgroups within a population.

[integrating-sphere]

Introduction In the design and manufacturing of modern electronic devices, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing are crucial to ensuring product performance and safety. The Three Loop Antenna is a specialized antenna used for EMI/EMC testing. Due to its unique design and excellent performance, it is widely used for radiation testing of various electronic devices. This paper will explore the working principle, structural characteristics, and application fields of the Three Loop Antenna, with a particular focus on analyzing the technical specifications and advantages of the LISUN VVLA-30M Three Loop Antenna. Working Principle and Structure of the Three Loop Antenna The Three Loop Antenna consists of three mutually perpendicular loop antennas, corresponding to the X, Y, and Z axes. This design allows it to receive and measure the electromagnetic field components in all directions. Each loop antenna converts the detected magnetic field variations into voltage signals through the principle of electromagnetic induction, enabling the detection of electromagnetic radiation. Compared to traditional single-loop antennas, the Three Loop Antenna has higher sensitivity and directionality, allowing it to capture low-frequency electromagnetic radiation signals more accurately. This makes it particularly effective in high-precision EMI/EMC testing. Overview of LISUN VVLA-30M Three Loop Antenna The LISUN VVLA-30M Three Loop Antenna is a standard measuring antenna designed according to CISPR15-2018/GB17743-2007 and EN55015 standards. It is specifically developed for the measurement of radio disturbance characteristics in electrical lighting and similar devices. This antenna can be used in combination with LISUN’s EMI-9KA or EMI-9KB EMI receiver system to measure the magnetic field radiation of the Equipment Under Test (EUT) in the X, Y, and Z planes. VVLA-30M_Three Loop Antenna Key Features： • Frequency Range: 9 kHz to 30 MHz, covering most low-frequency EMI testing needs. • Loop Diameter: 2 meters, ensuring measurement completion without moving the EUT or antenna. • Impedance: 50Ω/BNC interface, ensuring stable and consistent signal transmission. • Sensor Factor: 0 dB for the current probe, providing high-precision measurement capabilities. • Self-Calibration: The antenna includes a built-in calibration device, pre-calibrated at the factory. Users can also recalibrate it to ensure measurement accuracy. Technical Specifications Parameter Specification Frequency Range 9 kHz ~ 30 MHz Loop Diameter 2 meters Impedance 50Ω/BNC Sensor Factor 0 dB Dimensions (L×W×H) 2.4m × 2.4m × 2.5m Self-Calibration Supported Standard Compliance CISPR15-2018/EN55015, GB17743-2007 These technical specifications demonstrate that the VVLA-30M offers wide frequency coverage, high-precision measurement capability, and strong compatibility, making it suitable for various EMI/EMC testing scenarios. Application Fields The Three Loop Antenna, particularly the LISUN VVLA-30M, is widely used in the following areas: • EMI Testing of Electronic Devices: Used for detecting radiated emissions from consumer electronics, automotive electronics, medical devices, and more to ensure compliance with EMC regulations. • EMC Certification Testing: Helps manufacturers evaluate whether their products meet international EMC standards, such as CISPR, IEC, and FCC, providing reliable data for product certification. • Electromagnetic Field Strength Measurement: Assesses electromagnetic field strength in an environment to identify potential sources of interference and ensure proper device operation. • Immunity Testing: Evaluates a device’s performance under external electromagnetic interference, ensuring stable operation in complex electromagnetic environments. Advantages Analysis Compared to other types of antennas, the Three Loop Antenna offers several advantages: • Omnidirectional Measurement: Three loop antennas cover the X, Y, and Z axes, allowing full electromagnetic radiation measurement without moving the EUT, improving testing efficiency. • High Sensitivity: The multi-loop design enhances the antenna’s signal reception capability, enabling detection of weak electromagnetic radiation, making it ideal for high-precision testing. • Robust Structure: The LISUN VVLA-30M features a sturdy structural design, ensuring stable performance across various testing environments. • Self-Calibration Function: The built-in calibration device ensures measurement accuracy before use, reducing maintenance workload for users. Conclusion The Three Loop Antenna plays a critical role in EMI/EMC testing, offering a unique design and excellent performance, making it an ideal choice for electronic device radiation testing. The LISUN VVLA-30M Three Loop Antenna stands out with its wide frequency coverage, high-precision measurement capability, and self-calibration function, providing a reliable and efficient testing solution for users. As the electronics industry continues to evolve, selecting the right Three Loop Antenna will be essential for ensuring EMC compliance and product reliability. Read the full article