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reids-slut · 27 days

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Your writing is amazing!!!!

Thank you so much! Any feedback on my writing seriously means the world to me. I do hope to write a full romance novel one day, so this entire fanfiction endeavour is largely to improve my writing!

As a thank you to you and to anyone who follows me or has read my last (aka, my first) fic, I'm going to share the first 1,000 or so words of my next fic, which will most likely be relatively long and in multiple parts. Because this piece is unfinished, this content contained in this preview is subject to change.

Preview (unnamed, release date TBD)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!BAU!Reader General synopsis: You and your best friend Penelope Garcia work together as technical analysts for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. You and Spencer Reid have developed a romantic relationship since you've started there, but you both have decided to keep it to yourselves in order to avoid external influence from the team and additional complications at work. Unexpected events threaten the sacred secrecy of your relationship and you fear for the future and for the relationships you and Spencer have with your team. CWs (preview): Reader recalls, on page, being shamed for her creative outfit choices in the past. Words (preview): 956

[This preview is entirely SFW, but the finished work will be 18+ NSFW, so keep that in mind. The CWs listed are for the preview only. CWs and TWs for the final story will be posted whenever that is.]

Penelope Garcia finally shows herself at 10:08 a.m. As usual, she rolls into your shared office with the force of a tornado.

“Alrighty, Miss Y/N, we need to discuss the plans for your birthday party soon. I need a guest list because I need to figure out how much food I’m ordering and where we’re going to have it, since your apartment is pretty small and mine is only marginally bigger. I already asked him, and Rossi did say we could have it at his house, so that’ll probably be the best option.”

Before she takes her seat, she takes notice of your scowl and crossed arms, and her face falls. “Wait, what did I say wrong?”

“First of all, Penn, my birthday isn’t for another two months, and I told you that I’m fine with it just being you, me, and the team. Secondly, where have you been!? I’ve been here since nine, and it’s now…” you check your non-existent watch for dramatic effect, “past ten. You didn’t answer any of my calls or texts. Penelope Garcia, unreachable? I assumed that you were, quite literally, dead.”

“Two months is extremely soon when party-planning, I shall have you know! Wait, did I not tell you about that meeting I had with Hotch this morning?” she asks, genuinely puzzled.

Your curiosity is piqued. “No, but spill! Meeting with Hotch? What about?”

Penelope takes her seat, and you slide your swivel chair over to hers. Elbows on your knees and chin resting on your fists, you await her update like an excited child.

“It’s nothing that exciting, unfortunately, my sexy, salacious sidekick.”

“Don’t make me call HR again, Garcia,” you whisper. You give her a quick peck on the cheek and roll yourself back to your desk, only a few feet away, to resume working.

She drops a bomb as if it’s nothing. “Strauss wanted an update on how the team was doing, having two technical analysts. That’s all it was.”

The FBI hired you to work as a technical analyst with the Behavioral Analysis Unit just shy of your 25th birthday. You and your best friend Penelope Garcia met while she was presenting on behalf of the FBI at your then-school and her alma mater, Caltech. You were just starting your final year of undergrad in computer science, but you were unsure of where you wanted to go after that. The presentation was on the various technology careers within the FBI, of which technical analysts are one. You guessed that it made sense to try to recruit from one of the world’s most prestigious universities. She confidently marched up to the microphone wearing a bright pink pencil skirt, pink tweed jacket, and a cat ear headband, and you immediately knew you had to talk to her after the presentation, regardless of what she said up there.

You were always the one, even in high school, who had to match your outfits and accessories to a specific theme or color. You always dressed a bit more out there, and people have specifically chosen to bring it up to you before. In your first term of university, one professor mentioned your outfit as an example of how not to dress in a professional workplace. She was a woman, too. It probably wouldn't have hurt so badly coming from a male professor, but being shamed by a female professor did a number on your self-esteem.

Thankfully, your mom has always been your number one fan and biggest cheerleader. When you cried to her about your experience in class, she gave you the pep talk of a lifetime about how the world needs more people who are authentically themselves to bring color to the lives of the boring. She said you'd be the best computer scientist and look amazing while doing it. Mom's the oil painter, and your dad is an accountant, so the advice was very on par for her but extremely meaningful as well. Seeing another colorful, authentic woman, let alone one with a job at the FBI—which you had always viewed as a stuck-up, cold, and refined place to work—was immensely inspiring.

In addition to talking about technical analysts, she discussed the careers of digital forensic examiners, IT specialists, and computer scientists. She seemed so normal and down to earth, and you felt so excited by her presentation that you were actually taking notes. After her presentation, you headed over to see if you could speak with her. Before you could even start, she loudly gasped and began complimenting your outfit. You were wearing a lemon print sundress that day (since it was so hot), and you paired that with your lemon wedge purse, lemon slice necklace, and a matching yellow headband. Your gray backpack stood out like a sore thumb, but unfortunately, your laptop didn’t fit in your small citrus purse.

Penelope gave you her card, and you two became fast friends, and later, best friends. She really took you under her wing and literally became the older sister you never had. You knew you wanted to utilize your skill set to help fight crime, and right after you finished your masters, Penelope convinced her boss to hire you to work under her. Her cave was cozy with the amount of equipment she had in there, but being her best friend, she made room for you. Penelope had told you about how amazing her team was, but you had no clue what you were truly in for at the BAU.

“So after being here for two whole years, Strauss wanted to know if I was needed or if I could be cut from the team? That’s your idea of ‘no biggie’?” you ask, exasperated.

AO3 | Tumblr | Masterlist | Add yourself to my tag list

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid x bau!reader #criminal minds fanfic #reids-slut-writes

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keplercryptids · 1 year

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Paizo (the company behind Pathfinder) is collaborating with a bunch of TTRPG publishers to create a new open gaming license!

their site keeps crashing from all the traffic lol so here's the text of their statement:

For the last several weeks, as rumors of Wizards of the Coast’s new version of the Open Game License began circulating among publishers and on social media, gamers across the world have been asking what Paizo plans to do in light of concerns regarding Wizards of the Coast’s rumored plan to de-authorize the existing OGL 1.0(a). We have been awaiting further information, hoping that Wizards would realize that, for more than 20 years, the OGL has been a mutually beneficial license which should not–and cannot–be revoked. While we continue to await an answer from Wizards, we strongly feel that Paizo can no longer delay making our own feelings about the importance of Open Gaming a part of the public discussion.

We believe that any interpretation that the OGL 1.0 or 1.0(a) were intended to be revocable or able to be deauthorized is incorrect, and with good reason.

We were there.

Paizo owner Lisa Stevens and Paizo president Jim Butler were leaders on the Dungeons & Dragons team at Wizards at the time. Brian Lewis, co-founder of Azora Law, the intellectual property law firm that Paizo uses, was the attorney at Wizards who came up with the legal framework for the OGL itself. Paizo has also worked very closely on OGL-related issues with Ryan Dancey, the visionary who conceived the OGL in the first place.

Paizo does not believe that the OGL 1.0a can be “deauthorized,” ever. While we are prepared to argue that point in a court of law if need be, we don’t want to have to do that, and we know that many of our fellow publishers are not in a position to do so.

We have no interest whatsoever in Wizards’ new OGL. Instead, we have a plan that we believe will irrevocably and unquestionably keep alive the spirit of the Open Game License.

As Paizo has evolved, the parts of the OGL that we ourselves value have changed. When we needed to quickly bring out Pathfinder First Edition to continue publishing our popular monthly adventures back in 2008, using Wizards’ language was important and expeditious. But in our non-RPG products, including our Pathfinder Tales novels, the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, and others, we shifted our focus away from D&D tropes to lean harder into ideas from our own writers. By the time we went to work on Pathfinder Second Edition, Wizards of the Coast’s Open Game Content was significantly less important to us, and so our designers and developers wrote the new edition without using Wizards’ copyrighted expressions of any game mechanics. While we still published it under the OGL, the reason was no longer to allow Paizo to use Wizards’ expressions, but to allow other companies to use our expressions.

We believe, as we always have, that open gaming makes games better, improves profitability for all involved, and enriches the community of gamers who participate in this amazing hobby. And so we invite gamers from around the world to join us as we begin the next great chapter of open gaming with the release of a new open, perpetual, and irrevocable Open RPG Creative License (ORC).

The new Open RPG Creative License will be built system agnostic for independent game publishers under the legal guidance of Azora Law, an intellectual property law firm that represents Paizo and several other game publishers. Paizo will pay for this legal work. We invite game publishers worldwide to join us in support of this system-agnostic license that allows all games to provide their own unique open rules reference documents that open up their individual game systems to the world. To join the effort and provide feedback on the drafts of this license, please sign up by using this form.

In addition to Paizo, Kobold Press, Chaosium, Green Ronin, Legendary Games, Rogue Genius Games, and a growing list of publishers have already agreed to participate in the Open RPG Creative License, and in the coming days we hope and expect to add substantially to this group.

The ORC will not be owned by Paizo, nor will it be owned by any company who makes money publishing RPGs. Azora Law’s ownership of the process and stewardship should provide a safe harbor against any company being bought, sold, or changing management in the future and attempting to rescind rights or nullify sections of the license. Ultimately, we plan to find a nonprofit with a history of open source values to own this license (such as the Linux Foundation).

Of course, Paizo plans to continue publishing Pathfinder and Starfinder, even as we move away from the Open Gaming License. Since months’ worth of products are still at the printer, you’ll see the familiar OGL 1.0(a) in the back of our products for a while yet. While the Open RPG Creative License is being finalized, we’ll be printing Pathfinder and Starfinder products without any license, and we’ll add the finished license to those products when the new license is complete.

We hope that you will continue to support Paizo and other game publishers in this difficult time for the entire hobby. You can do your part by supporting the many companies that have provided content under the OGL. Support Pathfinder and Starfinder by visiting your local game store, subscribing to Pathfinder and Starfinder, or taking advantage of discount code OpenGaming during checkout for 25% off your purchase of the Core Rulebook, Core Rulebook Pocket Edition, or Pathfinder Beginner Box. Support Kobold Press, Green Ronin, Legendary Games, Roll for Combat, Rogue Genius Games, and other publishers working to preserve a prosperous future for Open Gaming that is both perpetual AND irrevocable.

We’ll be there at your side. You can count on us not to go back on our word.

Forever.

anyway as a personal note, i am in the process of switching to Pathfinder 2e as my main ttrpg system and am really liking it so far! and paizo as a company doesn't make my blood pressure go up the way wotc does.

please support non-d&d game publishers, right now and forever!

#open dnd #opendnd #open d&d #pathfinder 2nd edition #pf2e #ttrpg talk #should i have a wotc tag #pathfinder #paizo #long post

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 9 months

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As multiple work stoppages continued across the United States, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania on Thursday introduced legislation that would enable striking workers to qualify for federal food aid.

Called the Food Secure Strikers Act of 2023, Fetterman's bill would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to ensure that striking workers aren't excluded from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In addition, the bill would preserve food stamp eligibility for public sector workers who are fired for striking and clarify that any income-eligible household is entitled to SNAP benefits even if a member of that household is on strike.

"Every union worker who is walking the picket line this summer needs to know that we have their back here in Washington," Fetterman said in a statement. "The union way of life is sacred. It's what built Pennsylvania and this nation. It is critical for us to protect workers' right to organize, and that includes making sure they and their families have the resources to support themselves while on strike."

"As chair of the Nutrition Subcommittee and an advocate for the union way of life, this bill is just plain common sense," he added. "I'm proud to introduce this bill that will eliminate the need for workers to choose between fighting for fair working conditions and putting food on the table for their families."

Workers typically forgo pay when they exercise their right to walk off the job in pursuit of higher wages and better conditions. Although union strike funds sometimes provide workers on the picket line with a stipend, it is less than their regular income.

Under existing law, striking workers and their households are ineligible to receive SNAP benefits unless they already qualified for food stamps prior to withholding their labor. This gives employers significant leverage over employees who can only endure economic hardship for so long. By repealing the current restriction on striking workers securing SNAP benefits, Fetterman's bill would help restore some balance to the struggle between capital and labor.

"It's good to see lawmakers attempting to correct the wrongs of the past by reinstating a benefit for striking workers that never should have been taken away in the first place," said International Brotherhood of Teamsters president Sean O'Brien. "Congress should never pass laws that punish American workers and hopefully this amendment is a repudiation of that practice."

O'Brien spent the past several weeks preparing 340,000 United Parcel Service (UPS) warehouse workers and delivery drivers for what would have been the second-largest work stoppage at a single employer in U.S. history, trailing only a 1970 strike of 400,000 General Motors workers. Although a UPS strike has likely been averted after the logistics giant and the Teamsters reached a tentative five-year contract agreement on Tuesday, Fetterman's proposal comes amid a nationwide wave of ongoing and potential labor actions.

"The United Auto Workers have mirrored the Teamsters' militant stance, blasting CEOs ahead of their own contract negotiations slated for later this year," The Intercept reported Thursday. "And the truckers union has staged trainings in dozens of cities for a strike that could shut down shipping from coast to coast. In California, meanwhile, thousands of hotel workers organized with Unite Here are already on strike, along with tens of thousands of Hollywood writers and actors belonging to the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA, respectively."

The walkout of 160,000 writers and actors, who are fighting for improved remuneration and attempting to safeguard unionized jobs threatened by artificial intelligence-induced automation, is perhaps the most well-known of the current strikes.

Earlier this month, an anonymous studio executive admitted to Deadline that "the endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses," drawing widespread condemnation, including from star actor Ron Perlman.

The Food Secure Strikers Act is designed to counteract the delay tactics that bosses rely on to crush workers.

"Workers who make the difficult decision to go on strike are coming together to lift the standard of living and gain more respect for all working people," said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association (NEA). "They are prepared to make sacrifices—but going hungry should not be one of them. The Food Secure Strikers Act of 2023 will help ensure that when striking workers stand in solidarity for better working conditions and wages they can receive SNAP benefits so they don't put themselves and their families at risk."

The legislation is co-sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 10 Senate Democrats, including Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Ron Wyden (Ore.). A companion bill was unveiled in the House by Democratic Reps. Alma Adams (N.C.) and Greg Casar (Texas).

It is also endorsed by numerous unions and anti-hunger organizations, including the Teamsters, NEA, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Communications Workers of America, the Food Research Action Center, and Hunger-Free America.

"We need to get rid of the anti-union provisions in our code that starve striking workers," said Casar. "We're seeing workers exercise their rights across the country by going on strike to demand better wages and working conditions. That's why our bill, the Food Secure Strikers Act, is more important now than ever. We need to stop starving strikers, and ensure all working families are able to make ends meet."

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the-rosebush-mag · 1 year

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Welcome to The Rosebush

Welcome! We’re very happy to announce the preliminary launch of The Rosebush, a new online magazine for interactive fiction theory and criticism. The purpose of this preliminary launch is to let the interactive fiction community know that we exist, and to invite submissions. We hope to begin publishing early this summer, perhaps in June.

Learn more below, or you can also read this post on our website.

What is The Rosebush?

The Rosebush will be a free online magazine dedicated to publishing longer form articles about interactive fiction. The interactive fiction community already has well-established channels for reviews of individual games, and several people have well-read blogs, but we’ve been lacking a good platform for in-depth analyses, theory articles, discussions of craft, interviews, historical pieces, and so on. The Rosebush aims to be this platform. It will publish substantial articles that increase our understanding of interactive fiction, from individual works to design patterns, community structures and historical trends. The intended audience consists of both players and authors of IF.

What is the scope of the magazine?

Interactive fiction is a term with many uses. The focus of The Rosebush lies on digital works in which a player interacts with a pre-written story where text is the main medium. In particular, The Rosebush will publish about both parser-based and choice-based interactive fiction. While tabletop role playing games, computer role playing games, visual novels, and choose-your-own-adventure books are also interactive fictions in a sense of that term, they are not our primary topic.

Most of the organisers of The Rosebush come from the communities around the Interactive Fiction Competition, the Spring Thing, the IFDB, and so on; but we explicitly also intend to publish about the works of adjacent communities, such as the ChoiceScript community and the retro text adventure community.

What is the magazine looking for?

Articles! See the submissions page for the detailed call for articles. It is possible to either submit a pitch, which we will check to see whether the topic is suitable for The Rosebush, or an article. Links to submission forms can also be found on the submissions page.

What does The Rosebush offer authors?

Most importantly, a place for disseminating your articles. The Rosebush will maintain its website and ensure that all articles are also stored on the IF Archive, the best guarantee for perpetual availability in the current world of interactive fiction. In addition, the editorial team will work with you on your article, which can range from simple spelling/grammar editing to more substantial ideas and feedback on improving your piece.

The Rosebush is an entirely volunteer effort. There are no plans to offer a monetary compensation to authors of articles.

Who are we?

The editorial team currently consists of:

Aster Fialla (se/er)

Benjamin Slade (he/they)

Daniel Stelzer (they/them)

Drew Cook (he/him)

Josh Grams (he/him)

Kiana Lee (she/her)

Lisa Fox (she/her)

Mike Preston (he/him)

Mike Russo (he/him)

Victor Gijsbers (he/him)

Zee (they/them)

#the rosebush #the rosebush mag #interactive fiction #if #call for writers

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spikeinthepunch · 9 months

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thinking real hard about that new content in Painful bc i really love it-- while Painful did work well without more blatant explanations on Marty, Lisa, or Brad's past, it also meant there was some stuff I just never learned if i didnt play First at least (and my second play through of Painful brought even MORE clarity to me), and well honestly I just enjoy the deeper explorations of these characters. I already rambled about this content in a 2am post messily but now I am thinking hard about the cycle of abuse- specific to Brad and the general theme of new content in general being about how deeply rooted abuse is, improvement of yourself, letting go of guilt & anger and the importance of love.

in order to better break down the new content and how it adds things to the story i transcribed the new content-- queen's campfire dialog, mad dog's campfire dialog, and two large pieces of dialog from the nightmare scene. parallels! parallels everywhere! I uploaded it as a text file if you want to read it all yourself :)

also this means this post will be long as fuck. there are so many cool things to connect here.

This new content in Painful does a lot to express the years of shit Brad went through that further fed his issues. And while most of this ends up focusing on Marty (which I do thinks its important to not just throw Lisa on screen, her purpose is still as being 'off screen' for effect) it greatly helps Brad's character and the flashback to Lisa and him playing together or their convo before Brad runs away- fantastic addition alongside Buddy's later instance of putting makeup on Brad (made me extra sad)- and it 'humanizes' Lisa more. She existed- she was a sister with a brother and they hung out and had fun and they talked. etc. They existed in the same house and they endured horrible things.

I feel like this new content kind of hammered in the family like... the affect of abusive families. And what Brad has been missing from a normal upbringing, what he's lost after all this time because of abuse, and what he is desperately trying to get out of Buddy. At the end of the fight with flesh-mound Marty (we will be talking about this A LOT), this part especially feels like it reflects Brad's inability to not see Buddy as the redemption he needs, what he feels is the only thing to save him:

But if you stop. …if you do this. It's over. Dead. You know what happens. We can't let her out. She… She's gonna hurt us so bad.

Which also, I think parallels to Lisa too-- honestly. so much of what alludes to Lisa works well for Buddy and vise versa, for obvious reasons.

But the nightmare really just... you really get the feeling for how fucking exhausting it is. Brad is so tired and he's trying so hard. But the thought that says he will be like his father feels deep rooted- its his blood, Marty lives inside him, he can't fight it hard enough.

this next section of the flesh-mound boss fight ending has a clear conflict in his own thoughts. He recognizes it's all so tiring and it needs to be let go. But then it turns into anger at himself. And more likely recalling the tough words of wisdom his father gave him (or his grandpa too)

I know you're tired. All this anger. These memories. So many scars. So many mistakes. It all stings… So let it all go. You don't deserve it. The guilt is gonna kill you. Why can't you just let go? Be a man. When they hand you their heart. You don't bare yours. You eat it. Consume everything. Puke it up. Then eat it again. Eat like a dog. You know it only takes one taste. You know better than me. It's so fucking easy. And if you never stop… It feels so good.

Fun fact! The "When they hand you their heart. You don't bare yours. You eat it. Consume everything." gets referenced slightly in the new Joyful content, where Brad's friends are trying to recall some words of wisdom which they only recall as "Sometimes you need to just... Eat your heart out. Or something." Which implies Brad likely told them this line to some extent.

Oof. Probably my favorite excerpt from the boss dialog. Consume Everything. Puke it up, eat it again.... You know it only takes one taste. You know better than me... Marty's own behavior comes out here as he encouraged Brad similarly in other scenes. He's the one that's is in fact forcing Brad to get a "taste" of this. (Look back at the 'father' epilogue in Joyful). But he also makes Brad think that this is always all on him- by giving him the responsibility of "this is how men should be", it takes blame off of Marty and puts it on Brad for not "being a man" and thus, repeating these behaviors in a way that is often told to him as justified and as the right way to act.

He is constantly guilted and programed to this behavior in an extreme way by Marty taunting him, belittling and validating his own abusive behavior.

Let me cut over to Mad Dog's campfire scene. Yep! I promise its related (to me).

[cut to here. He is referring to what (seems to be) something his father said.] When I'm ready to die. We fight. You have to beat me. Then you will eat me. A dog in a dog in a dog in a dog. Hellacious. Miserable cycle. Never stop. Make. Us. More. Madness is a small cost. For power greater than love. […] Strength is our family. [Scene pans down the cliffs showing more and more skulls of humans and dogs hiden under ground. the next text appears on screen]: I love you… But I really have to go. [At the bottom of the cliffs, a spider much like the Marty-spiders appears, but with Brad's face instead.]

While this is something Mad Dog is saying as if its something his own father said to him, it seems pretty clear you can see the parallel to Brad. Honestly its way too accurate to ignore lol. the first line is strangely similar to things Marty says in the nightmare fight, and the "Dog in a dog" clearly feels very similar to the "eat like a dog" in that earlier quote i gave. Whats even more weird is the scene is pans through.

(Again not taking away from Mad Dog's own story, just explaining the parallel). The skulls that become more and more in the dirt feel like a metaphor for all the years of abuse, and the cycle of it. Now the Brad-spider? That surprised me.

Taking-

I love you… But I really have to go.

Feels like something related to Buddy. And I think this as well because of the spider at the end. Marty-spiders always felt like they were supposed to show how his effect is always there and you might now know where. His abuse still exists even in the smallest form. For a Brad one to be shown like that- I would read into it as how Brad is still going after Buddy, while his behavior is in fact abusive.

The hardest of it all is the imagery and the use of plural dialog too is that we really get to see how Brad feels like Marty is and always will be a part of him and that's what makes it so hard to change. And considering the above I mentioned, it makes sense.

We can't handle that, Brad. It's too painful. I'm not ready. We'll never be ready! Don't fight blood! Please! I'm fucking scared!

The desperation towards the end fits the idea of letting go of Lisa in the regard that the grief for her is also ruining Brad alongside his need to have Buddy as a way to atone for his behavior towards Dustin in the past, and try to not be like his father. And getting rid of that source is terrifying because it means a lot of scary things to him. The "us" and "we" keeps forcing that feeling that Marty is part of him, and that it really wants Brad to keep holding on because thats who he is. It is what he has been for so so long and he is terrified of letting go of grief because its what remains of Lisa in his head. And that letting go of Buddy would mean he is losing that opportunity to be the father he needs to be in order to prove he isnt like his father. These two reasons to not let go aren't good! They are not ways he should be living and he HAS to let that go.

But hey, thats not all. Let's get through the sad as fuck analysis okay? It'll get better.

As you descend a long rope as child!Brad you start to read a poem of sorts that I can only assume comes from Lisa. This excerpt also pops up in Joyful...

No friends. No brothers. No fathers. No mothers. Just me.

This gets repeated three times. Its weird but it always made me feel uneasy, and I think that is because it kind of focuses on how Lisa ends up being the core. When you apply this to Brad alone, it connects in the way that Lisa is the center of his grief and how that cancels out so much else in his life. Though i want to point out real quick-- it applies to Buddy in an interesting way that fufills their comparisons with the statues you destroy in Joyful. Very cool. And for Lisa it applies very blatantly. (No friends (Berny), No brothers (Brad), No fathers (Marty), No mothers (her own absent mom))

there is a LOT to this poem and you should look at that text post I linked to read it all. So I am just bringing up a one other part.

Deep below. A dark endless sea. A pain slumbers. One we'll never flee. Give me the strength. Let your memories set us free. So that when next we meet. I may grow into a mighty tree. [...] I know this wasn't easy. Thank you. …And Bradley, Good luck.

Oh yes, a step back to the boss dialog here, it's relevant:

I know you're tired. All this anger. These memories. So many scars. So many mistakes. It all stings… So let it all go. You don't deserve it.

This perfectly reflect points I have made up to this point regarding the way Brad holds onto his grief and even the earliest lines of the boss is trying to show him that. It's interesting that as the very start he's being so forgiving to himself then is devolves into more anger-- but here, once Brad has regressed, Lisa is the one to remind him this. I think its important to recognize how Its not about getting rid of Lisa's memory at all and this poem being spoken from Lisa (assumed) fits that. It isn't easy to recognize or to do this, it takes a whole different kind of strength.

In that text file i transcribed the end conversation between Brad & Lise where Brad says he is going to run away, but I won't be referencing it here... Do read it/watch it though.

If you read this far, good job! Just one more depressing thing though! The actual last thing said in the nightmare is great actually- for story telling. Because of course if this whole dream was trying to show that Brad has let go... well, it would kind of mess up the ending still carrying out with Brad still seeming unchanged.

Bradley, my boy. It's just not that easy. You can't save her. You can't even save yourself. After all… I'm in your veins..

Yes, thats it- thats the last part in the dream, where Brad sees a small flesh-mound Marty in blood. It doesn't ruin the fact Brad had this long ass dream. Its a great look into his mind. And how it entirely loops back. He really just... he really is stuck. You can see how damn hard he tries. But this theme of it being "in your blood" is SO fucking strong and it hurts. Because I think we all know, its not true. You are not fated to become the abuser. But god you can see how hard it truly is to fight what has been beaten into you for so long.

Right.

So looking at the parts where forgiveness are present... This pops up a bit in the new content- from this, too another campfire scene. I think the forgiveness and love sprinkled in is important to notice. A lot of people in Olathe in general are alone and without family. Brad has already been... alone, however. His family situation left him without affection, and an upbringing that left no proper parent to attach to meant he'd already not receive the affection he needed in order to give that to others properly. He had no one, and when he did finally have someone- Dustin- he still never received the love he didn't know he needed because of what was taught to him. And he did it again to Buddy.

This is obvious when you get to the end of the game. When Brad wants buddy to hold him.

And, Queen's dialog with Brad pulls a lot more of that conversation to the surface.

Being held by someone you love is the best feeling in the entire universe. […] These men out here. All this strength. This power. Your respect… you can't take it with you when you die. It wont save you. It doesn't matter how powerful you are. No ideas matter. No experience matters. None of that shit that's consumed you your whole life matters. You're completely naked in the face of death. Its terrifying. Now, a good hug. That matters. Honestly, it ain't gonna change much… dead is dead. But the way i see it. You can die afraid. Lost in your own mind. Haunted by the guilt of all your mistakes. Tormenting nightmares wondering what comes next. Or… you can be in the moment with someone you love. Someone that makes you feel like nothing else matters. Nothing could be more important than feeling each other's warmth and love. No thinking. Just feeling.

Brad's earlier chat included him bringing up how he didnt let Dustin or Buddy get physical affectionate too- theres some earlier chitchat that you may want to see in a video. But honestly the realization of how little affection Brad has received, due to Marty's influence, makes things even more depressing when you see how hard it is to let go.

Everything, everything is tied together. He can't let go. So he cant end the abuse. So he fails to ever change. So he never receives the love he truly wants and needs. By the end of the game, when you have that option to hold him, that new dialog hits even worse. And I don't think it is even to try and sway people into hugging Brad. if anything it kind of just opened up to me why Buddy shouldnt need to hold him. And how it is honestly something so much deeper. His struggle has infected everything he wants in life that he just keeps failing to have.

It depresses him, it discourages him. I can't even find more words to explain how heavy the weight is on someone like Brad after years and years of horrible abuse and never getting the help he so much needed.

#we have reached um 2.7k words w this one lads #lisa rpg #lisa the painful #lisa

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dailycharacteroption · 6 months

Text

Hack Capacitor Technomancer (Technomancer Alternate Class Feature)

(art by EvgeniaKurai on DeviantArt)

In many ways, the technomancer of Starfinder is something of the distant descendant of the arcanist from First Edition Pathfinder. They get all sorts of ways to fiddle with their spells and technology to make themselves more and more flexible.

One of the ways that the vanilla technomancer does so is their cache capacitor, which allows them to store and perpetuate the energy of a single spell, letting them benefit from it all day. These can be anything from constant buffs, supporting magic, or even the ability to cast certain blasting spells all day.

However, not every technomancer finds that to be useful for them. Some instead use their capacitors to store arcane formulae that are integral to their various hacks. In other words, these mages gain some flexibility with their techniques instead.

I feel like some will have a hard time justifying how this option works depending on how they flavor their magical hacks. If they are just something that the character knows how to do, it might be hard to reconcile having flexible hacks unless they flavor it as improvisations, while others might set up complex mystical theorems in their cache which they can tap into in an emergency.

In any case, these mystics can prove surprisingly versatile, as we shall soon see.

These technomancers select three magical hacks that they don’t already have, which they can change out as they grow stronger. With a bit of effort they can briefly gain one of these hacks as needed. Doing so for the first time is free, but doing so repeatedly throughout the day drains their reserves. As they grow in power, they deepen their pool of potential abilities and are even able to manifest multiple at once for the cost of more resolve.

While it is fairly simple, this ability set is quite useful as you are effectively gaining three, then four and five extra magical hacks, at the cost of draining your resolve points to use them. I would recommend selecting a wide variety of hacks to suit different situations, which may change as you level up, changing up the capacitor hacks or even taking some as permanent additions. Also consider that you could use the capacitor to gain more powerful improvements of hacks you already have, should they exist.

The interesting thing about technomancy is that, despite having heavy roots in the arcane magic of old, the path that an individual technomancer takes to get where they are likely extremely personal and a question of what works for the caster, which I imagine makes viewing someone else’s technomagical devices and spells very much like someone’s homebrew wiring or coding: equal parts horrifying and awe-inspiring in how it all fits together and works. As such, I don’t think most technomancers would even notice a difference between those with a normal cache capacitor and those with a hack capacitor until they see them in action, and even then, it is simply a quirk of their process.

They say that Akvus’s technomagical capacitor, a cybernetic hand with an arcane supercomputer built in, was capable of reshaping magic in incredible ways. As such, many modern technomancers desire the relic, some for the power it could grant, and others simply to study it. Of course, the last time it was seen was plummeting into a rift to some far-off plane.

They say that Binbi Firestep always has a new trick up her sleeve, and the halfling technomancer certainly lends truth to the stories. However, all of those tricks will be put to the test when her many enemies come together to try and bring her down… but perhaps the party can interfere?

Young technomancers are often eager to explore the limits of magic, technology, and the blending of the two. Perhaps that is why so many signed up for the tutoring of Blackmaw, a notorious techno-necromancer. Now, most of these students are reanimated as cybernetic zombies after he was done experimenting on them, while he bears the fruits of their innovations.

#starfinder #alternate class feature #technomancer #hack capacitor technomancer #halfling #cybernetic zombie #Character Operations Manual

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capitalism-and-analytics · 5 months

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The field of economics presupposes finite resources as the basis for its existence and it proclaims itself from a position of that assumption being true and inarguable. And while finite resources has been true for the overwhelming majority of our existence on this planet, since the industrial revolution we have developed means of producing more resources than we need globally and we have the developed the infrastructure to move goods between basically any locations in the world. Essentially, a lot of these technologies and our systems as society was built were designed with the goal of creating a version of our world where we can exist prosperously without having to struggle to survive and we've finally reached that point but by clinging to antiquated ideologies and assuming that their premises are true without challenging them ever we can never actually like deploy on new system to take advantage of the fact that we accomplished our goal. Our society our species accomplished the mission that we set out to do 10,000 years ago and now it's time for a new way of doing things so that we can actually use all of these resources we've figured out how to produce.

The "opportunity cost" of these things is irrelevant. In our current state, we already use systems that produce and deliver the goods needed to the places they need to go. Even with those opportunity costs accounted for

And while finite resources has been true for the overwhelming majority of our existence on this planet

all of our existence*

since the industrial revolution we have developed means of producing more resources than we need globally

Based on what? Your claim assumes a universal understanding and agreement of what we "need" globally, which does not exist. While some regions may have a surplus of certain resources, it doesn't account for variations in the quality of life, access to healthcare, education, and other essential factors that contribute to well-being.

Even if you wanted to narrow your scope and focus to the need of hunger, the amount of resources necessary to fulfill all of the requirements to end hunger have not been determined with any relevant level of certainty. Sure you can do a simple calculation of the amount of food required to feed people, but that does not account for the other necessary resources required to end hunger. For example, in regions affected by violence and instability, it can be extremely challenging and resource intensive to implement effective solutions and ensure consistent access to food.

Essentially, a lot of these technologies and our systems as society was built were designed with the goal of creating a version of our world where we can exist prosperously without having to struggle to survive and we've finally reached that point

Once again, your claim assumes a universal understanding and agreement of this goal, which does not exist. People still struggle to survive today and even if through some theoretical miracle everyone willingly pooled their resources together and worked together, there would still be people who struggled to survive. Additional new resources, improvements, and innovations would still be required.

No, we don't and it's not even close. There are countless shortages throughout the world for numerous reasons. I beg you to please step out of your comfort zone and realize that not everyone lives in a major urban city. I am not talking about the obvious examples like in poor countries, but there are still places in the US, where people die to the weather, lack of food, lack of shelter, lack of clean water, etc.

#anon message #lovely anon #anonymous message #anon ask #anonymous

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hxdonist · 4 days

Text

.::. WHAT WAS CONSUMED OF ME? .::. cyberware.txt

Playing too free and loose with the net has its pitfalls, and Ikarus is well aware of them. Given his first neural uplink in a shady operation at little more than fifteen years old, his still-growing body regularly experienced damage from the electrical impulses often deployed against those picking around where they don't belong- and mental strain endured while netrunning, a close call frying the connections between his mind and his own right hand in his late teens- it was on his mother's recommendation that he replaced it, instead of seeking therapy or perhaps retiring for a short time from his dives into the depths of code for a time to let those connections slowly filter back in.

An Ichibangase/Eisher produced implant Ikarus' right arm is top of the line- installed in his teens and upgraded as Ikarus himself grew into a man, it's been largely the same since his youth, with exception of additional, improved weapon suites and stealth modifications made after-market to ensure that he is never left unarmed so to speak. Bearing pointed, razor-sharp claws cleverly hidden in the paneling of his more 'human' hand, the points remain precise and capable, able to manipulate even the smallest computer chips even with them exposed- though given their lack of sensation- Ikarus tends to prefer to use the touch-feedback sensitive fingers of the 'standard' hand. The flowing arcs of red light and electricity that shift like muscles beneath a hard outer shell are the single indication that the implant contains a railgun- grounded through the additional metal implanted within Ikarus' body after years of net diving, it can muster exactly five high powered, nigh-unstoppable by anything short of electromagnetic shielding shots before requiring a relatively lengthy recharge period of 30 minutes for an additional round, unless overclocked to strip power from elsewhere in his body.

His interfaces are more difficult to place, and are only at their most obvious when under the guise of 1NF1N1T3FUN, a helmet aping the image of a fox's head and face with projectors to display eight eyes over its scrawny, seemingly rotting visage, this headware is intended to mitigate and lighten the load he takes on while in the chair, and hide his identity in holos put out with NANO ZILLA's demands, or ransoms over information. lit in a harsh red and machined to match perfectly with his already installed port and the pre-existing damage to his body, it is comfortable enough to remain hidden beneath as long as he might require it- as only those who have earned his trust in his crew have seen him without it.

all internal interfaces, however, are starting to show their age. the operation to install his neural port was botched- 'overclocking' his connections if he's not careful- or mitigating with his helmet when wired in, he risks the loss of more than just his neck-to-right-shoulder connection- that expanse of his upper body- and some of his back and spine- mapped in sprawling carbon, chrome, and dancing red electricity. This too, is a secret, regularly wearing turtlenecks and long-sleeves to hide the bulk of his damage, in an effort to avoid looking weak, or perhaps, worrying his people. His on-board chipset, used for on-the fly hacking, scanning, and day-to-day business a phone might have previously filled the space of is a decidedly early model, jailbroken and regularly updated with the required work-arounds for modern technology- it works slowly, but effectively- many chromed-up cowboys unable to give chase as Ikarus makes a slow, lazy retreat unfettered by smart weapons or speed-enhanced limbs, quieted by anesthesia in code. . .

#ikarus.aes #ikarus.hc #ikarus.info

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pisboy · 6 months

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as a fellow alopecia haver would you mind if i asked a few questions about how you cope with it? like, do you wear hats or wigs or do clever hairstyles to hide it or do you just let it show? ive tried pills and scalp shots and nothing is reversing mine. im only 26 and i feel like this is the worst thing to ever happen to me and i dont know what to do about it. nobody even thinks balding women exist. nobody considers how it is to actually be one. im so scared no one will ever like me or find me cute again. i used to think i was so cute. this sucks so bad.

For me the back of my head around the nape and up to nearly the top of my scalp has never grown hair, not even when I was born. My father also has alopecia areata and he has a few golfball-to-coin sized patches he loses and regrows at a random basis. So I've had my entire life to contend with hair loss and family that was familiar with it, so I sympathize so incredibly hard to women who develop it later in life. It is probably mortifying.

So yeah, shots and pills and balms and oils and etc have never worked for me. I also lose hair at random basis around the rest of my scalp, mainly around the margins of my crown (losing my bangs) and the sides of the back where I already do not grow hair. I also lose half my left eyebrow on a regular basis. If you go far back enough in my #me tag I've posted what it looks like. I also preface some of my advice might not be helpful if you have afro-textured hair, but I will recommend someone who will be extremely helpful in that respect.

Also I hope you don't mind me doing a shotgun blast of advice but maybe my experience will help someone

Things that worked for me:

I've always been flipping my part as my hair cycles in a growth/loss state for my bangs. Low pony tails tend to hold better than high ones in what is essentially a clever combover. Uhhh and always keep a hair tie around in case there is wind lol I always get self conscious when there's a breeze.

This is kind of vague and probably shitty advice but I've noticed over the years I lose hair when I am stressed, so I've had to make the call (in addition to other factors) to quit jobs that really strain me and I've noticed improvement in hair growth. So depending on your circumstances I say make some effort to reduce your other stress factors while you go through figuring it out. This shit is literally traumatizing.

This thing here is basically a pepper shaker for keratin bits that can color-fill in patches of missing (or really tiny short baby) hair. I can only speak as a brunette but it works pretty damn good as some camouflage for your skin poking out where you can't cover it. Do note it kind of has an ashy texture so it's something to wash out at night like makeup. Scalp makeup lol.

Hats are good. I wore trucker hats for most of my teen years, but I don't wear them much anymore, especially being out of the stress of school. However - a piece of advice from a mentor of mine, Jamie Elmore, is to call hats, bands, scarves, wigs, anything under an umbrella term "accessory." It's kind of corny but sometimes conceptualizing these things that way helps coping with the impulse of a world that demands you hide your hair loss and another where you can freely express yourself without fear of judgement. Anyway, I recommend looking her up, she has a magazine and works hard for the alopecia community, particularly for black alopecians.

Oh yeah if you can find those hippy chick silk hair bands that have the elastic around the back, I love those. Regular bandanas are also good.

Uhhh shorter hair also tends to weigh and pull less, which I think everyone has varying sensitivity to, but to anyone considering a bob, why not might help lol. I also lose my hair in the largest amounts in the shower, so like, if you develop a weird complex about showering I know allllllll about it.

I have tried partial wigs, which are custom cut out and adhered to your head, and it's nice if you want to do hairstyles you otherwise could not, but it's high maintenance, very itchy, and gets gummy after about a week.

But yeah it's been a very slow and steady process to get used to going out in public without putting effort in camouflaging my alopecia, and that mostly has to do with tuning people out. The existential stuff gets personal so I save those conversations for a 1-to-1. *Holds you by the shoulder* we are all coping out here.

I look at that sword of Damocles hanging over my head and if my scalp gets wiped out beyond all sidepart repair, I'll go full wig-wearing. I once had a hair stylist who was giddy at the idea of shaving my head when I explained it to her, which was comforting in a silly way.

Anyway, it's been years since I've dipped my toes into the greater Alopecia Community, the ones with all the acronyms, but there are NAAF chapter groups that you can meet and hopefully find people to connect with. I think you need to join an email group though. Anyway. For the longest time the only people I knew with it was just my dad and a cousin who had it for 1 year and never again and seeing a group of people with patchy/full baldness in person for the first time made me cry.

To end on a good note, there have been trials for JAK inhibitors (a treatment for many autoimmune disorders) having really breakthrough success rates at hair regrowth, but I haven't looked into it lately. Seems very promising. A lot better than cortisone shots in the scalp I figure, maybe worth the pain lmao

EDIT: i misremembered it being lupus medication, but it was actually Janus kinase inhibitor trials with success.

#fucking godspeed my friend #alopecia

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someones-thing-is-here · 1 year

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Honestly i need something to give my self a break from the fic I am working on so I'm gonna say something that might be controversial and then try to justify it.

I think that the Parallax retcon is a great retcon. Specifically because I think it improves future stories far more than it detracts from past ones.

Now I feel like I will have to give some context to this belief, I read GL Vol3 knowing that Emerald Twilight was going to happen and while I did see what could in retrospect be good build up (such as the league being terrible co-workers), it felt even more like character assassination to me for one reason the issue right before it now I know of the editorial mandates I know that Emerald Twilight was a last minute thing so of course things wouldn't mesh well but it helped solidify my belief that Emerald Twilight alone wasn't what made Pre-retcon Parallax good change or even interesting but all the work done later.

Now for the good thing about it - It gave use Kyle Rayner who is firmly one of the best set ups for future characters in any store to me but even then I only like Kyle in the more related Green Lantern stories and think he was either wasted or annoying in most of the other stories from that time.

But in the end Kyle has always been a character for me that has always had soring highs and crushing lows that also carry over to read about him though despite any issues I have with Emerald Twilight I wouldn't change it only because of Kyle as he is one of my favourite legacy characters and he is well worth what happened to get him.

Now I will also mention Zero Hour and Final Night to personal favourites of mine and also where I see the idea that the retcon cheapens them which I don't believe.

As for why I think it isn't liked much the stories of Hal as The Spectre now I like Hal as The Spectre but at the same time I'm also frustrated by it because stories like Soul War are really good, but the series I mostly hate, look I understand that Spectre is a really religious character but it was to much and took to much away from any agency for me, and made me feel to much like I was reading two books stitched together so in the end despite losing Helen I think it was for the best to bring Hal back to life.

Now enough explaining my issue of pre-retcon now let's get into why I think the retcon is both good and works.

Hal wasn't made completely blameless by it.

It gave us more lore more aspects of universe to considered

It made the Guardians look even worse (Which is always fun to watch)

Finally Parallax is an interesting type of character (Not including the whole exist to explain away things part of it)

Point one while to a reader the retcon does exist to remove blame from Hal, in universe he isn't trusted right away and most (expect for Guy) do not trust him either at all or very much and also Hal doesn't care I was still him who did it demonic possession or not, and I admit I view most of Hal's behaviour after Green Lantern Rebirth as him obviously putting on an act and feeling like he can't stop and has to keep going to keep trying to redeem himself bit by bit even after Spectre.

Now points two and three go together telling use more about the Guardians mistakes and arrogance, which I have always felt was a big part of them and having something like Parallax just gives another face to it which is always at least interesting if not satisfying to see them be knocked down a few pegs.

Now point four this is entirely self indulgent, as if the rest of this isn't already, but I just really like Parallax I think he's fun to read, has a cool design and all around a really good and a really effective eldritch horror that is still fightable and how he acts towards Hal is what made him fascinating to me a possessive, obsessive in a way that I have always felt is a nice addition to Hal in have he is always unable to keep a relationship and then you have Parallax who wants everything about him and wants to keep him referring to him as his precious and as his, as it has just felt like the thing Hal probably wants more than anything else, someone who wants him for him who doesn't want parts or get mad when he can't live up to the expectations and it is through Parallax an obviously evil and controlling person. This dynamic has always fascinated me.

Now I did use to have criticisms with this retcon as Hal was never scared only angry so why was he possessed by fear? But then I read it again and that Kyle is one to say that. So it hit me as someone who does feel fear and someone whose life has it, this isn't really what happened but how Kyle thinks should be what happened with your home gone and things getting to be too much.

And now the bit that is far more headcannon-ny because there is no true explanation no even a whole he liked the control/chaos that happened and that is the reason that Parallax didn't reveal himself until far later was because he was happy just staying with Hal, like the Guardians were mostly dead and even then he does deal with Ganthet later so any real threat was gone and considering how Parallax speaks to Hal it has always felt to me that Parallax either believes or knows that he and Hal were meant to be together hence why he didn't reveal himself until their merged self was threatened by Spectre because there was some (probably sexual considering the hole gas lighting + wanting his body and soul) happiness that he didn't have before thus having no issue letting Hal do what he thinks was right because he was satisfied just having him.

Ultimately while pre-retcon Parallax is good and does have some very well done emotional moments I much prefer the retcon with one exception convergence Parallax outside of the tie in the possession stuff didn't add anything, I liked there being one version of Hal that just lost it but for the main universe the retcon is just more of everything for me.

Hey if you took time out of your day to read this thanks I know how frustrating it can be to read someone's not super thought out rant so once again thanks.

If you agree with this cool and if you don't also cool it's one of the best things about comics being able to find the characterisation or character that you like and hey if you want to disagree with me cool, I'd love to here why and what you favourite version of Parallax is.

#green lantern #hal jordan #parallax #parallax hal #talks about retcon's is also positive about them if it isn't your thing #Kyle Rayner is present but I don't think I should tag him as a am a bit critical about him so I don't want to ruin the day of anyone #a rant #about comic book retcons #once again thanks for reading

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sojrner-fishsticcc · 1 year

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loona pm - further updates!

lots and lots of updates for this post! been trying to make roughly a post per day to not go overboard but still share what im working on cos MAN ive been absolutely going through this project! this rules!!!

so first off, very minor and later addition i finally gave loona glowing eyes! ive been meaning to do that for a while but i finally figured out how to! so yah, she looks v pretty now.

the major thing was animation. WAYYY more animation. i discovered the cpm modeling discord last night and its helped me get a really good grip on how it works (if you ever use cpm, go there because trust me you are not going to figure this stuff out on your own.) so heres just a big list of poses i animated (still a lot left! ahh!!!)

- walk cycle (improved!) now looking at it after looking away from it for a while it looks a lil goofy so i might rework it at some point but god i cant get over how nice that digitigrade cycle looks.

- run cycle! (omg its so cool im so so happy with how it came out) like seriously. i am so so proud of this. some of the hair bobbing and the chest and head movements are a bit stiff so i will probably improve on them. still, this is absolutely the part im the most proud of.

- jumping (meshes super well with running anim, a bit buggy when falling long distances but thats a bug with cpm itself) i recorded this one in game since AHGHHHH it looks so cool in context. the running-jumps are rad as hell.

- sneaking and sneak walking. like the running, i cant get over how the digitigrade walk cycle here looks. it has a lot of bone clipping that is probably not anatomically correct nor comfortable but whatever. it looks cool and i like it. sneaking is still buggy, so i cant do things like spam the shift key as that little “hello!” thing that some people do, because cpm has some issues switching between poses instantly, so here when crouchign for a split second it displays the default crouch but then corrects itself making it bug out. that sucks but i dont really know if theres much i can do about it.

- punching/swinging with both hands! more of a minor thing, but hey these little details are super important. id love to figure out if i could make a context thing so that it makes a full horizontal swing when holding a sword or weapon. (i didnt feel like recording a gif for this just believe me bro.)

thats about all i have so far. i plan to do much more and fix some minor bugs like symmetry in walk cycles soon but its a bit difficult. also, not only animation got an overhaul- i also finally implemented proper armor mapping that’s compatible with (hopefully!) any armor set! heres a demonstration of that using the minecraft dungeons armor & weapons mods, just bcos they look very cool and they help a lot with details in armor. (oh and btw, i made the hair specifically press down against her head when wearing armor, of you can tell)

as a further plan, i really want to add some extra movement stuff to this. i know that custom player models allows changing the hitbox, health, reach, etc. and i really want to make this loona model run really fast and have a super high jump. like i said in a previous post, im a big fan of the videos \@rohan_furries posts of his mod which adds detailed anthro fox models to mc, and one of the things it does is add a ton more movement so you can absolutely fly around and lunge and stuff. i really want to add that because GOD running around and kicking ass in this model would be i think the coolest thing in the world. i really hope i can add more detail to the animations because i would love to just stack so much detail on this thing until its so so so smooth... but generally i think itll be mostly finished by the end of this upcoming week, including polishing some of the already existing poses. but ill probably still continue working on it beyond then to add some cool movement stuff like i said above, which i dont know if its even possible but GOD if it isnt im going to figure out how to get it working. i also want to get it working with other buggy things, like some modded armor sets arent compatible with the armor mapping ive set up. ill have to ask around on the cpm discord for that because god the people there really seem to know what theyre doing. theyre all rad as hell btw. other ideas ive had include blinking anims, maybe some more polished idle poses, startup and finishing anims that help it transition between poses more smoothly (which i swear to god might be broken but might just be doing it wrong.) and also gestures if i can figure those out. i also might try to change the arms to be made of two segments instead of the current one so i can get a bit more detailed with the posing. im struggling between adding detail and maintaining the minecraft artstyle. im also excited to finish this project so i can do this all over again but better with another model. dont really know what character its going to be, if you have any suggestions send them to me i guess? idk, i might find a cool one or make one of my ocs or make an oc just for this.

when i finish this model i dont really know what to do with it. its mainly a little project for myself, but i really want to share it with people. ideally id want to sell it for like 10-20 dollars because this thing has taken hours of my time but i still want to share it with people, but im 16 and dont have a way to transfer cash :\ might figure something out, whatever. if you’re interested in getting your hands on it once its finished maybe send me a message? i cant guarantee it but i might if you seem cool.

ok, NOW i need to go to bed since its like LATE as HELL right now. good night guys :)

#loona #loona helluva boss #furry #furry art #furry character #minecraft #minecraft mod #modded minecraft #3d model #pixel art #helluva boss #development #gif #player model #showcase

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snow-system-wol · 4 days

Text

Preparing for Ilsabard (reluctantly) -- Part III

The road is harsh and weather unforgiving, but at least G'raha is by his side.

Ao3

From the moment they'd disembarked to travel by land for the remainder of the journey, S'ria had been doing his best. His tolerance for the cold had not improved since Ishgard, and seemed even worse than usual with the additional stress of knowing where he was and where he was going.

As warmly dressed as S'ria had tried to be, he still was miserable. It took very little time for G'raha to decide to donate his scarf, nudging him and gently draping it around his shoulders (gods forbid, actually putting it properly on S'ria himself was probably a very unnecessary risk, and S'ria was grateful for the good judgement.)

S'ria wrapped the scarf around his neck, loosely, trying to create a warm pocket of air instead of drawing the fabric tight over his skin. It was easier of a balance to strike than he'd hoped and helped immensely, and the moment he buried his face and nose into the scarf and had the sharp bite of ice replaced by the familiar scent of his partner – yes, that was better.

S'ria was never very far from G'raha when possible and he was grateful more than anything for the way he'd keep speaking, talking about whatever struck his fancy (often unrelated to the current settings). It gave S'ria something to latch onto that wasn't his own thoughts. For his own part, S'ria had not spoken much during that day's travels, outside of as necessary to coordinate during combat, but there were no problems with that.

In a way, S'ria was proud of himself, though. He doubted that he could've withstood the distress of this journey a few years ago – even if a few years ago he wouldn't have known why there was a problem, he was certain it would've been handled worse.

S'ria hoped that his other newfound knowledge of his internal support structure might be of some use during this mission as well. (At least, as much knowledge as he currently had, mostly from those he'd actually communicated with – he supposed it would be as simple as trying to ask Menphina or Fray for the names and details of everyone that was known to exist in his head, but that'd seemed… a question he couldn't bring himself to ask.

A part of him still felt hesitant to entertain a concept that at times seemed delusional.) If only it was as simple as requesting someone to take his place when he became overwhelmed, but it didn't seem to work like that at all – he might as well be praying for the weather to change, for how infrequently intentional desire seemed to affect the outcome.

S'ria wondered, not for the first time, if he should've warned Estinien about things that all the other Scions already knew of. In some ways, it was nice to have someone here who did not treat him with that sort of concern that came with knowing how troubled he truly was, on the other – it may well be a luxury they could not afford, keeping secrets that may become mission critical.

It didn't need to be dealt with tonight.

Tonight, he did not yet need to consider that they'd arrive at the outskirts of the capital within the next sun or two at most. Tonight, S'ria could simply go to his tent and try to get warm and deal with this all anew in the morning.

Shelter was not in full supply, things being what they were out on the snow plains, but not everyone needed to share. S'ria would have the privacy of his own tent, and he hated how much a thing that would usually be ideal suddenly seemed completely intolerable in the moment.

He all but begged G'raha to come share his bedroll. G'raha's reaction was…surprised, for certain. While there was some amount of co-napping, the idea of sharing a bed and literally sleeping together had not previously been approached. But S'ria was here now, shivering and looking close to tears, and there was no reason to refuse nor hesitation to voice.

G'raha followed S'ria to his tent, hands clasped together, and it was a blessing that no one said anything.

It was only briefly awkward, the two of them quietly laying back-to-back under what blankets they had been allocated, still partly dressed in their travel gear. With S'ria being so slow to warm up, the idea of being held seemed far more appealing than would be typical and it sounded very cozy to have G'raha wrapped around him – but it seemed best not to tempt fate with any arrangements that could prove…problematic.

Several minutes later, S'ria felt no warmer and decided to take what measures did feel harmless. He unbuttoned his coat and turned onto his other side, wrapping his arms around G'raha's middle and pulling him in. He fit neatly in the curve of S'ria's body and his warmth filtered through the fabric at all of the points they were pressed together. Yes, perhaps he would be warmer if he were in G'raha's position instead – but this suited him just fine.

S'ria was warm enough, they were both as safe as was currently possible, and the morning could be put aside for now, ignored until the sun rose.

G'raha began purring and S'ria could not have possibly said whether it was from G'raha being very happy with where he was, or whether he was trying to soothe some of the lingering stress from S'ria's mind, but it was very effective at lulling him to sleep either way.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️#writings #part III!#now with cuddles

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pr1ncesspopstar · 1 year

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As of tonight I have watched/read/played every piece of media in relation to the base story of Persona 4 and here is just a random grab bag of thoughts from that experience. Spoilers abound, mostly for the animation and manga.

-the best way to experience the story outside of just playing the game, if you want to do what for some reason, is reading the manga then watching the Golden anime. The OG anime is a lot of mediocre to bad with pockmarks of good, not worth a full sit down.

-that said if you want to watch some of the OG anime go with all the episodes up to Yukiko being saved (1-4), mitsuo’s dungeon and the summer vacation duology right after (11-14), the justice and hierophant focused episode (18), and then all of endgame (21-26).

These episodes either do a really good job expanding on what was already there, introduce new ideas and scenarios definitely not possible within the constraints of a video game, do a super solid job covering and even improving upon iconic and memorable moments in ways only the medium of an animation retelling can provide, or just have fun or funny bits. My fave is def episode 13, where Nanako becomes a little detective trying to investigate Yu’s hectic life.

-I really appreciate how each version of Yu is wildly different in these medium’s. P4A Yu is kind of a dick and lame at many points, but has the capacity to be open hearted. Manga Yu starts as cold and distant but eventually becomes an emotional and expressive individual that fights for his feelings. And P4GA Yu feels the ‘manliest’ of the bunch with very strong convictions and a level-head with no fear to speak his mind or thoughts. A lot of tiny differences to enjoy.

-there is the consistent fear of abandonment and loss of friends in Yu’s character each series captures so differently but uses nonetheless. P4A Yu also abandons the truth because of his fear and even develops a shadow that represents that. Manga Yu goes between acting rashly and angrily or withdrawing and hiding his hurt when confronted with the possible loss. P4GA Yu gets emotional and trapped in the idea of what’s the point if he risks using everyone, feeling a burden of needing to protect those bonds at all costs.

-also the fact Yu is 100% ride or die for any wild scheme, even the ones he knows won’t work is a trait I’m glad exists in every version of him. He’s just happy to be involved.

-Also Adachi, the supplementary material really made me finally appreciate Adachi as a character. After interacting with him in the game I was never too sure how to feel about him, but the anime(s)/manga finally helped me grasp his character and how I feel about him. As well as why I see the various interpretations of him that I do.

-Marie being included in more things in the Golden animation was sorely needed and a welcomed addition. When the Investigation Team was saying how Marie is also their friend I could not help but think how the team as a whole had only met Marie around 5-6 times at most through her social link. By putting her in more major scenes this actually made her feel like an unofficial member of the group and I believed they were friends.

-I very much enjoyed the way P4GA handled the unification of Izanami’s two halves. I’m probably just a sap but I very much love concepts of accepting the rage and hate-filled parts of yourself and that binging them joy and peace, quelling that fury. Izanami can be quite the tragic character from interpretation to interpretation, so to see them take a stance where it’s not a fight but a comforting hug given by Marie to Izanami that defeats her, I’m a sucker for it.

-Yu needing to free Marie from a bamboo forest and the ultimate Persona associated with Marie being Kaguya is Good Symbolism and Foreshadowing™.

-while it was definitely only done for cool factor in the manga/anime, but within the context of game mechanics Adachi being able to control and get aid from multiple Reapers in his dungeon is mortifying.

-I have come to the conclusion Yukiko and Rise are mini-gremlins in two different fonts. Yukiko will do and say the silliest to the wildest things because it brings her joy. Rise is attention seeking in a pampered cat kind of way. I cannot expand on this sadly but I hope the vibes can be expressed.

-Naoto being very perceptive but socially oblivious and one track minded is actually quite funny and charming. This is best illustrated in the Christmas episode of which I will say no more, it’s a fun little experience.

-the ‘ame-no-sagiri’ in shadow Teddie’s head’ contributed nothing to the plot/story though. Kinda actually takes away from shadow Teddie tbh but that’s more a nitpick than anything.

-the anime shadow fights are good, but they are GREAT in the manga. They feel so much more personal and productive than ‘beat the thing so it goes back to normal so you can accept it,’ while also carrying they same wonderful flow and dynamics you can see in the animation.

I might post more thoughts if I have any later. I could do an analysis but tbh I would just be repeating what a lot of people have already gone over. I’d rather focus on my own projects because this means now my research is done and I can start writing my fanfiction! I’ll talk about that more later. Can’t wait to share it~

#persona 4 the animation #persona 4 #persona 4 golden #persona 4 golden spoilers #yu narukami #tohru adachi #persona 4 marie #persona 4 manga #persona 4 golden the animation #persona 4 spoilers #Sometimes research for a fanfiction is watching nearly 200 hours of the exact same thing over and over again in slightly different ways

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animehouse-moe · 1 year

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Heavenly Delusion Episode 2: Two Confessions

Where. Where Where Where, where to begin? Maybe explaining some of the foreshadowing? Or what about the incredible choices in direction? What about the incredible additions that IG has added to the series? Whichever it is, Production IG has nailed it and then some. Their know-how, ability, and execution has continued to dazzle and stun with this second episode from opening to ending.

I think the first thing that stands out is the sense of direction within the episode. Right off the bat we're playing into the sense of voyeurism that was established in the first episode. The viewer being hinted at as existing, as Tarao makes a point of pondering what is in the vents.

Hirotaka continues with that stellar sense of direction, with plenty of shots with characters in motion, from behind, partial close ups that hide their face. In a word, it's like a found film anime, it completely avoids the typical sense of exposition and allows the excellent writing and world to truly flourish. It presents something that feels incredibly lived in and something that remains definitively separate from the typical anime. The characters aren't there for the viewer, it simply happens that we come across them. They can end up partially hidden from view, or even completely obstructed, it's such a perfect approach to a post-apocalyptic world steeped in mystery and curiosity.

Alongside what Hirotaka's already established, the main dish from this episode was outstanding. The Hiruko was handled impeccably, continuing to lean into the horror aspects of it. Partial sightings, incredibly fast movement, and inhuman motion. It all slots into place to create a very disturbing picture of the man-eater.

Then add in the intervention of the inn-keeper. From there the Hiruko transitions to natural motion. Acting meek and injured in the face of its protector, behaving like there's some degree of humanity or nature left within its existence.

Once more it changes pace and nature incredibly quick, and presents a prime example of visual storytelling (which I'll dive into later), but the piece that gets me is its death. Pitiful, as it lets out just about the only cry during its existence, as its head/neck cranes towards the moon before giving out. A wonderful piece to neatly tie off its involvement, both in a symbolic sense, but also a stylistic one as this Hiruko has been constantly featured in association to the moon.

So how about that visual storytelling then? Absolutely incredibly work that Production IG leverages thanks to the medium. Visual and auditory cues that feed directly into what the characters are doing, and sometimes even giving implicit information.

Take this two-in-one scene of Maru luring in the Hiruko for Kiruko. Firstly, it didn't exist in the Manga and was an original scene to flesh out the encounter and give it more of a body. But secondly, it shows the depth of their teamwork already. That they're able to work through plans together and trust each other so much. It really adds a great deal to the dynamic.

Especially considering that it piles itself on top of other scenes like Kiruko taking the lead throughout the episode, and even in original scenes like when the pair flee from the Hiruko.

Or maybe even the simple act of having a flashlight dance across a box so that somebody could catch a glimpse of it.

It's also so incredibly well polished and understood. This isn't just a team that's "read" Heavenly Delusion, this is a team that is in love with it. They totally get it and are finding ingenious and incredibly intuitive ways to help improve every facet of it to make an anime for the ages.

Alright, bear with me, two or three more things I want to go over from this episode. I'll start with the lighter one, comedy. They do a really solid job of defusing moments like when Maru falls down while they're searching for the Hiruko, and at the same time even make use of comedy to amp up more dull ones quite well like paddling their raft across the large expanse of river. Both sides of the coin do really well and adding that "lighter" aspect to the episode, and the malleability of the art style in various moments also really helps with that.

The next piece is the expression of sexuality. I think they handled the really sensitive pieces of it quite well today while making it sanitized enough to be broadcast. Overall, similar to the prior episode (and something that ties into it), there's a lot of expression about sexual exploration and interest, both with Kiruko and Maru, and the institution. Though with the former the exploration of sexuality is through the lens of Kiruko, and the latter is (mostly) that of Tokio. With Tokio, it's her curiosity in the fact that there's two people kissing, that there exist romantic interest and interaction, of which Tokio has never seen, between two people.

Following that, we get an answer to a "mystery" from the first episode. Incredibly well done to better express the intent behind it, the scene of Kiruko moving to kiss herself in the mirror now has two purposes in the anime. The first is to liken it to the scene of the two girls kissing in the institution, but the second was to hint at Kiruko's true nature. For those that weren't quite paying enough attention, Production IG changed the nature of the fracture in the mirror during her scene. In the anime, it creates a clear separation between Kiruko's head and her body, to foreshadow her confession from this episode.

It's really great to see how they handle the expression of sexuality, considering how delicate a subject it can be. There's comedic moments within it to lighten the mood, a few scandalous pieces to allow it to keep that edge, and plenty of deeper meaning in regards to exploration and interest.

Phew, alright. Made it to the end. Despite not having "a lot" of content in the episode, there's a mountain of details, information, and interesting pieces to pick up and pick apart (especially including the OP which I might do later). Also, not to mention a world of foreshadowing and hinting at stuff still exists, but I'm not going to ruin the fun of anime onlies. But yeah, if it wasn't clear by the first episode, Heavenly Delusion is going to be the king of this season as Production IG continues to act as its experienced steward, guiding it to victory, whispering secrets to success in its ear.

#heavenly delusion #tengoku daimakyou #天国大魔境 #Production IG #production i.g #Maru #kiruko #anime recommendation #anime review #anime and manga #anime #horror anime

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magickfromscratch · 1 year

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I had two separate thoughts about good and evil while suffering from insomnia last night, and an additional one this morning. CW: Passing mention of the Catholic Church's problem with abusing children.

(1) It has been said that evil is easily defined as a lack of empathy. I'd amend this: it is a lack of compassion. Empathy is visceral. Acting with compassion is a choice. People who call themselves "empaths" are so frequently unable to de-center themselves that they wind up strengthening whatever systems of oppression they have access to participation in. Self-described empaths are so overwhelmed by feeling that they sometimes fail to listen, learn, and improve their treatment of the marginalized. Compassionate people help. Compassionate people do. It is in the doing and the helping --or at least in the refraining from being cruel or supporting cruelty-- where the ethical value lies. Compassion is a choice. Empathy is not. Fear of discomfort is the enemy of compassion.

(2) There was a scientist who said -- and I really need to track down the article -- that the problem of climate change is not really a scientific one. It is a spiritual problem. We already know what we need to do --what corporations need to do-- in order to solve the problem. But there is a cancer in our social discourse. We believe there is a line, demarcated by power (influence, money, whatever), above which we cannot punch. There is a line, and if people who exist above that line want to destroy the world, we have to let them. The attitude seems to be that if Jesus Christ wants to destroy the world, it's a part of his divine plan we can't question. As if we should not fight God Himself to protect the human species.

The problem is, once there's a line, it just keeps getting lower. What about a priest? It's ok, little child, I work for God, now pull down your pants.

What about a God-King? What about Trump? What about people who shit on golden toilets and have their own private armies? What about a parent of a gay or trans kid who's just doing what the Bible said? Having that line, at all, above which evil can be good, or good can be evil, is a corrosive influence to the moral fabric of humanity.

Good is when you help. Bad is when you allow fear to overrule compassion. And it's pretty straightforward that if there's a person, no matter how powerful, who hurts large numbers of people for their own pleasure, or to extend their own power, it is a moral responsibility for humans of conscience to band together to take them out. If God tells you to kill a member of an oppressed minority, or a helpless person, or a person you have a responsibility to nurture and protect? Turn the sword on God.

(3) Evil people thrive on moral ambiguity. If you're not certain that they're evil, you will remain passive and do nothing to stop them. You see them. You see people who are enthusiastically cruel. You see people who are responsible for what is tantamount to chattel slavery, or genocide. But because. Maybe. Possibly. I don't know. There might be. I'm not sure, but maybe I think. Nuances. And. Maybe good and evil don't exist. A large number of people who could act simply do not. Because they think they'll be "just as bad" for killing a single person as that person is for enslaving or murdering thousands.

And watch out for anyone who viciously argues that morality can't be as simple as working for a kinder world, and defeating people, institutions, corporations, politicians, divinities, who want the world to be crueler, harsher, and more oppressive. Those people LIKE THE LINE, because they dream of one day being above it.

You should be afraid of the reasons why.

#morality #ethics #religion #spirituality #philosophy #compassion #empath #empathy

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