#last post for the next 2 weeks as i will be joining the strike in solidarity with palestine

[mulletmitsuya]

i will post a gc tmr bcs it's valentine's day but it has nothing to do with valentine's day

#it's pretty long mb #was gonna do 2 parts but eh #it's mostly everyone in the final timeline #last post for the next 2 weeks as i will be joining the strike in solidarity with palestine #not too late to share and join btw!!! #also i tried to do a valentine's day themed one but it flopped #anyway i hope you enjoy #it'll be around this time tmr

[tatoda]

Truth or Dare || Chris Briney x fem!reader

masterlist

request

summary: you join chis on one of his interviews with the cast and one little detail calls you out

pairing: chris briney x fem!reader

warnings: none! fluff

wc: 300 (not sure)

just a small little thing hope you enjoy. not really edited so sorry

You have always been off the grid as chris’ girlfriend. All your social medias was private other than the fact that chris now had millions of followers digging into your daily lives. You both met back in college in your english class and started off as friends for the 4 years and he finally had the courage to ask you out at graduation. Ever since, y’all have been inseparable. He would bring you up in any conversation, post you on his instagram, being you to set. He was the best person you have ever met.

With chris getting a huge role in the show The Summer I Turned Pretty, you knew people would try and get in between y’all’s relationship. Since the fans couldn’t reach you, they would comment things on chris’ instagram just for you. But it never crossed chris’ mind that he would ever lose you, he would always talk about you no matter what no matter where.

And now season 2 has been filmed and now the first few episodes have been released, it was time for the cast to film some promo videos and production boosts for the fans. Chris brought you along for the day so you sat backstage in almost every video just smiling at the cast but mostly your boyfriend. You watched as they went through the truths and dared having a dance battle to eating horseradish. It was now chris turn to go and he picked out a truth.

“kiss sean kaufman again.” you rolled your eyes playfully

“again.” sean said jokingly “guys who put that one again.” and the whole cast started talking over each other

“nah, it’s what it said.” chris shows the paper around but too fast for anyone to see “look at it. it’s what it said.”

“one day it’s actually going to say kiss sean.” lola said before chris cleared his throat and read the paper

“besides your phone, what is the one item in your house you couldn’t live without.” you knew the answer instantly it was Aquaphor it’s what he cared almost as much as he cared about you, you introduced it to him about a few years ago and he hasn’t stopped using it since

“aquaphor,” gavin said before anyone

“aquaphor.” chris reached into his coat jacket and pulled out the tiny bottle you bought him last week “i’m on it because of my girlfriend.” he glanced at you before looking at the bottle and opened it “it’s the best things that’s ever happened to me… um.. besides.. my girlfriend.” he guested towards you and your cheeks instantly filled with heat as the cast looked at you “her introducing me to aquaphor.” he rubbed some on his lips

“she’s blushing!” lola pointed towards you and you laughed messing with your rings on your finger out of nervousness and chris gave you an apologetic look knowing you don’t like a lot of attention

After the interview was over you went into the back room where the cast was and sat down before their next interview. You sat on the couch drinking a lemonade while the cast talked around you. Sometime you didn’t like being here, you felt out of place sometimes.

“hey girly.” lola sat down next to you. you and lola have became very close friends despite all the rumors saying you hated her for kissing your boyfriend when it was all acting for a tv show

“hey, you ready for the next interview?” you turned towards her slightly

“yeah but my bed is really calling my name right now.” she sighed taking a sip of her water

“chris has mixed feelings about the interviews, he never wants to say anything wrong he really gets into his head about it. plus these are your last interviews before the strike happens so.”

“yeah it honestly sucks that we have to do this but it’s worth it, it’s also stopping us from telling the fans about season 3 too. we can’t promote anything.”

“it will be worth it in the end.” you smiled at her and a body fell next to you, glancing to your side you saw chris sipping on water too “hey you.” he smiled tipping his head to kiss the side of your forehead

“tired.” he whispered

“we’ll go home soon enough.” you leaned into his side and he wrapped an arm around you

“sorry i mentioned you with the aquaphor, it’s just really important to me and you kinda slipped out.”

“shush, it’s okay i want people to know you love the product more than me.” you nudged him with your shoulder

“hey that’s not true!”

“sure sure, anyone on the cast can tell you otherwise baby.” he shook his head playfully at you and brought you in closer to him

He was lucky to have you by his side in this major point in his life. He would never choose anyone other than you to be with him right here right now.

#chris briney imagine #chris briney one shot #chris briney x fem!reader #chris briney #chris briney x reader #chris briney fluff

[cosmicanamnesis]

little self-indulgent fic that I'm posting without proofreading, enjoy

steddie, modern AU, idiots to lovers | read on ao3

"It's not a big deal!"

Eddie's crush on Steve was a secret both short-lived and ill-kept. His first mistake was telling the band. Well, no, his first mistake was forgetting that Gareth and Will were dating and that Gareth had the physical inability to keep his fucking mouth shut. But Eddie telling his closest, most trusted friends about the guy he liked was definitely Up There on the list of mistakes.

Which was how Eddie found himself mildly hungover drinking black coffee in his living room while Dustin paced up and down the length of the trailer, berating him for not confessing his doomed love to his alleged "favorite child" sooner.

"HOW is it not a big deal, Eddie?" Dustin said, just a few notches too loud for Eddie's looming headache.

"Because it's not! He doesn't like me! He's never gonna like me! I'm an adult, dude, I have critical thinking skills. I know how to pick my battles."

"It's not- Eddie," Dustin suddenly went stone faced. "It's not about your chances with him. You're moving in with him. He deserves to know."

Oh yeah. There was that. Robin was starting college and there was no way she wasn't taking her Emotional Support Pretty Boy with her. The only place they could find was a 2-bed just slightly out of their budget, and had asked Eddie if he wanted to join them, finally striking out on their own in the city. The agreement was that Steve and Robin would share the bigger bedroom, and Eddie would get the smaller room to himself. Their move-in date was less than a week out when Eddie made his inebriated love confession at his quote-unquote Going-Away-Party.

"It's not about what he deserves, man!" Eddie said, sinking back into the couch. He rubbed his eyes hard to try and relieve some of the pressure building in his head and sighed. "If I don't say anything to him, nothing changes. If I tell him, everything changes!"

"Oh, please. Steve's an adult too, dude, if we tell him you like him but you're well aware that he doesn't like you, he won't make it weird!"

"Wait wait wait, hold up. Rewind. We? Who is we?"

"You and me!" The boys stared at each other in bewilderment for a moment. "Oh come on, Eddie, we both know that if I don't sit here and watch you do it, you're just gonna lie and say you told him when you actually just hid under a blanket listening to Metallica and wishing you had the balls to-"

"OKAY!" Eddie yelled, loud enough for the very shock of his volume to trigger his headache in full force. "Jesus H., kid, you don't need to call me out like that. Fuck. Fine. I'll do it right now, how about that?"

Eddie pulled his phone out and Dustin dropped down hard on the couch next to him, arms already crossed, smug satisfaction already settled on his face.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Dustin scoffed. "Here's what you should say-"

Eddie held up a hand to cut him off. "I'm not listening to you anymore. You had one long distance girlfriend ONCE, you're not some kind of Cassanova here… oh, son of a bitch."

"Son of a bitch what?" Dustin asked, scooting closer to read over Eddie's shoulder.

"I can't do this right now… The last thing I sent him was asking his opinion on the D&D movie and he hasn't responded yet."

"What the absolute fuck does that have to do with any of this?"

"Well I can't be like hey what's your opinion on this movie you know I love because I'm the one who told you to watch it, also I'm in love with you but it's no big deal. Like, what the fuck is that?"

"Oh… Yeah, you have a point." Dustin shifted back away from Eddie, covering his mouth with one hand in concentration.

"I mean… It can wait-"

"It can, but it shouldn't, dude! Shit… I mean, I could tell him, if you want."

Dustin had expected an outright "no" and was shocked when Eddie paused, apparently seriously considering the option.

"Actually… Yeah, could you?"

"Sure, but I'm not letting you see what I say until after I send it."

"You drive a hard bargain…" Eddie said, drumming his fingers on his knee. "Fine. Go for it."

Eddie stood and grabbed his coffee off the table, wandering slowly towards the kitchen, both to find some ibuprofen and to quell his temptation to watch Dustin quickly type a message to Steve.

"Okay. Sent. Now you can look," Dustin announced, beckoning Eddie back over as he downed the medicine. Eddie felt like he'd never moved so fast in his life. The message read,

Eddie wants you to know, before you move in together, he has a crush on you. he won't make it weird if you dont

As Eddie read, the three dots that meant Steve was typing popped up. Suddenly Eddie regretted ever agreeing to this, and pushed Dustin's hand and phone away so he wouldn't have to see Steve's rejection first-hand.

"He responded… Do you wanna know what he said?" Dustin said. Eddie was leaning hard against the armrest of the couch, staring into nothing, imagination running wild.

"Yeah, hit me," he said.

"Oh, alright. Thank you for telling me," Dustin read. "I don't feel the same way about him. I assume you talked to him about telling me."

"So he gets back to you right away but he won't tell me- oh. Never mind. He just responded to my text." Eddie was doing his best to not feel completely devastated by Steve's frankly predictable response to Dustin's text.

"So… What did he think of the movie?"

—

"Uh… Rob?"

"Yeah?"

"Um… Come here and… Just read this."

Steve and Robin were taking a break from packing up Steve's childhood bedroom in preparation for the move when Dustin's text came through. She quickly chugged the last of her soda and came around to Steve's side to see what he was seeing.

"Oh," she said, not bothering to conceal her surprise. "I mean… We knew this was a possibility."

"Yeah, I guess, but… What do I say? I don't like him like that."

"Then say you don't like him like that, dingus. He's probably breathing down Dustin's neck right now waiting to see what you say."

"Yeah, you're probably right…" Steve said. He typed and backspaced and typed something else until Robin got sick of watching and grabbed the phone out of his hand to answer Dustin's text for him.

"Just trust me!" Robin said, actively walking away from Steve as he sputtered indignances, chasing after her halfheartedly. As soon as she sent the text, she turned and shoved the phone roughly back to Steve's chest.

"Oh… Yeah, okay, that makes more sense than anything I was trying to say…" Steve conceded, reading the text Robin sent on his behalf.

—

Steve, Robin, and Eddie saw each other next when they were loading up the U-Haul. No one said anything, and Steve tried as hard as he could to act like nothing was different. It put Eddie's mind at ease while simultaneously driving Robin nuts.

Since Dustin sent the secondhand confession, the only thing Steve had on his mind was Eddie, and how he definitely didn't reciprocate Eddie's feelings, how he was definitely bisexual but Eddie… Eddie wasn't his type. He was pretty, sure, but he was so… Himself. He was loud and unapologetic and into things Steve had never even heard of. They had nothing in common besides their love for the kids.

But Robin saw it coming a mile away.

"It" finally came to fruition a month after they had all moved in together.

It turned out, Steve and Eddie were practically the same person. Same sense of humor, same taste in TV, they even took their coffee the same way. They really only differed in their music tastes, fashion, and theater snack preferences. 

Robin got the text in the middle of her French class.

shmuck: i think i have a crush on eddie

bobbin: FINALLY. please just kiss him and put me out of my misery

Steve came out of the kitchen, bag of chips in hand, to see Eddie just as he'd left him: cross-legged on the couch, demolishing a bag of Sour Patch Kids to the tune of the Criminal Minds theme music. He tucked his phone into his back pocket and rejoined his maybe-crush to watch trash TV until Robin came home.

He didn't know why he was so nervous. He knew Eddie liked him. There wasn't a chase here, he didn't have to flirt or try to win Eddie over… He just had to say yes and Eddie was his. It was different from any other relationship he'd ever been in. Maybe that was why it was so scary. Because it was new.

They watched the episode and bantered back and forth about it, same as always. But before the next episode could start, Steve hit pause.

"Bathroom break?" Eddie asked, hugging a throw pillow to his chest.

"No, uh…" Steve started, unable to even look Eddie in the face. "No… Can I… Can I kiss you?"

Eddie didn't answer right away, which finally inspired Steve to really look at him. His expression was completely unreadable.

"Uh… Yeah, I mean. Yes, absolutely. Um. But what happened to you don't like me like that?" It was such an Eddie response, Steve could almost laugh.

"I, um… I guess I spoke too soon," Steve laughed, trying to be cool and suave and everything else people thought he was in high school. Eddie brought the pillow up to hide his expression.

"Really?" he asked, muffled behind the pillow so that Steve almost couldn't hear him.

"Yeah, really. Just… Since you told me-"

"Dustin told you," Eddie corrected.

"Whatever… I dunno, I guess it put the idea in my head and now… I haven't been able to stop thinking about it… About you- what?"

Eddie was giggling quietly behind the throw pillow, gently rocking himself back and forth as Steve talked. 

"Nothing," Eddie mumbled into the pillow. "Go on."

"You're such a pain in the ass, y'know that?" Steve laughed again. "Can I kiss you or not?"

Eddie slowly moved the pillow away from his face to set it aside, revealing himself to be smiling like an idiot as he turned slightly to face Steve better.

"You understand I've been uselessly pining after you for like, two months now, right? Please kiss me, oh my god."

—

Dustin's phone lit up with a Snapchat notification; a message from Eddie to the D&D group chat. He expected a meme, or for Eddie to ask Jeff for a ride somewhere because his van broke down again.

Instead, it was a picture of Eddie looking smug, leaning against Steve's chest. Steve, apparently unaware he was having his picture taken, had his fingers tangled up in Eddie's curls. The text overlay simply read "hey guys guess what."

The first reply came from Gareth, a picture of him leaning against Will in the exact same position as Eddie was with Steve. "Gross," it said.

Dustin rolled his eyes. Eddie was about to get so much more insufferable.

#steddie #steddie fic #stranger things #stranger things fic #text

[leafofkudzu]

Greetings and salutations, a fresh month approaches and with it a fresh monthly art party, hosted by [VS] Verdant Shield! But what’s that ominous stomping and grunting I hear? Could it be....the origins of the infamous charr wall???? Let’s find out!

For those not in the loop, art parties are an idea carried over from Final Fantasy XIV and are basically get-togethers for artists/writers/creatives of all kinds to hang out, chat, and create together! Get your most striking look together, find someone that catches your eye, and create! Afterwards, everyone shares their creations using a common party-specific tag (ours is #VSArtParty) so others can see and spread the love via reblogs! The most important thing I always say about these is this: the ‘goal’ of an art party is not to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community!

Check under the cut for location/time/squadjoin info!

Location Details:

We’ve finally made it all the way to the Easternmost of the racial cities, the Black Citadel! I anticipate our charr attendance is about to skyrocket and our shenanigans will reach an all-time high, so prepare yourselves!

The charr home instance Hero’s Canton is very easily accessible nowadays via hopping over the wall on whatever mount suits you best from either Mustering Ground Waypoint (NW) or I believe Factorium Waypoint (SE). Once inside, head to the Southwest corner to find Hero’s Forum, a bar area with tons of space and seating areas!

Time & Squad Details:

Just like before, we’ll be having 2 parties - one for EU and one for NA - with an hour break in between. Of course, if you want to stay at the location and continue socializing after, that’s totally fine too! Fair warning: quite a few of the people who attend the EU party also attend the NA one on alt accounts, so expect the NA party to be much more densely populated!

The first party will be on EU servers and begin at 9pm Central European Summer Time (aka 3pm Eastern Daylight Time or 5 hours before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting on my EU alt account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Stormcaller Nell for an invite.

The second party will be on NA servers and begin at 7pm Eastern Daylight Time (aka 1am Central European Summer Time or 1 hour before in-game reset). This one I’ll be hosting on my main account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Veska Bonefang for an invite. 

IMPORTANT NOTE (mostly for the NA party): If you join and the squad is at or above 45 members, please just taxi into the right map and then hop out of squad to allow others to do the same! Essentially all conversation now happens in saychat so you won’t miss out on anything by being outside of squad!

Closing Words:

This isn’t the last party, but it is the last of the ones structured in this way! Now that we’ve completed our West-to-East sweep, next month I’ll start posting a poll for everyone to vote on the location instead! Since I do these announcements a week in advance, and polls last a week, expect the first one to show up 2 weeks before the next party, or 3 weeks from now! And, if you have suggestions for other potential locations to try out, feel free to send me an ask or DM with it and I’ll check it out!

Thank you so much again to everyone who comes out and makes these parties so fun and memorable, I can’t wait to see you all again next week! ♥

#it's charr time babey i better see some great cats #gw2 #guild wars 2 #obnoxious tourist simulator #vsartparty #📢🎨

[the-pen-pot]

Places To Support Me!

Want to read the next chapter of Hiraeth right now, or investigate the drafts of next five chapters? Want to read Gravity from start to finish, or plumb the depths of numerous other draft projects long before they go up on AO3?

You can either join the community (totally free!) to get access to dozens of short stories and previews, or pledge to my Patreon (FREE TRIALS also available!)

There is also a Merthur fic ideas page that anyone can read over on there: no subscription required. (I'm pretty certain)

My fanfiction will always be free to read over on Ao3.org eventually. This will not change.

Read below the cut for more info on pledges and rewards!

Patreon

Quick note on the free trial: it's one time use and lasts you a week, and you cannot change tier while you are in it. Also you do not get notified when your free trial comes to an end. If you cancel right after signing up, you still have access to the stuff for a week! If you want access to drafts as well as advanced chapters, please make sure you sign up for the free trial in the $5 tier!

Join the community (Free) - get access to fandom stand-alone ficlets one month after they go live on patreon and before they get to AO3, as well as sneak peeks of upcoming projects. Find these posts by going to the "community posts" collection in the collection tab.

$2 a month, get early access to fic chapters, original pieces and immediate access to both stand-alone and multipart ficlets! (Fandoms include BBC Merlin, The Hobbit and more.) FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE

$5 a month, vote in a poll to decide which project I should focus on for the coming month. You also get access to draft chapters of those projects long before they crop up anywhere else online. Examples of projects included in the polls are: King and Court (Merlin), Guard Of Diocletian (Sherlock), Original, and Where The Heart Is (Hobbit) FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE

$10 a month, you can have the opportunity to give me a one word prompt, and your preferred fandom selected from a list, and I’ll write you a ficlet. These are normally about 500 words long, but can sometimes be several thousand. (The longest so far is 15,000 words.)

$13 a month, you get all of the above, as well as an exclusive discount code to use in my online store with 15% off your order. Here you can buy bound copies of my fanfic (produced at cost, so no profit is made).*

*Store reopening Januaray 2024

Patreon Collections

The easiest way to navigate patreon is by the collections tab at the top next to home. Here you can see all the categories I have available. The chapter indexes and first chapters for longer fics are available to followers rather than just patrons, so you can read summaries etc. before pledging!

Any questions, please feel free to ask ♥

#PlacesToSupportMe #Merlin #Sherlock

[davidmariottecomics]

New Job, Boom!

Hey friends, 

Going to be a short one this week, but I definitely didn't want to let it pass without saying a little something. If you haven't heard otherwise yet, I'm now working at BOOM! Studios! Once I can say more, I'm sure I will, but it's early, things aren't really announced beyond that, and there are other matters to turn your attention to. 

Announcements: It's the Global General Strike for Palestine! For the next week, people all over the world are striking from all sorts of regular activity to disrupt the economic systems supporting the destruction of Palestine and to put that time and energy into active protest movement. This is a pretty basic explainer of what you can do and know that doing anything is better than doing nothing, right? If you have to go to work, be visible. If you have to shop, be visible and thoughtful. If you have to rest, enjoy the things you already have. If you want to post, make it about what is happening. Current reports are estimating over 25,000 people have been murdered, with the death toll just going to keep rising between continued bombardments and the lack of resources. Over 60,000 people are wounded, 85% of the population has been displaced, and roughly 1 in 4 people is facing extreme hunger. No hospital is fully functional, for the ones that are still left standing. The IOF (Israeli Occupying Force) has admitted to exhuming graves, and have claimed it's to "find the hostages", but in the face of the other war crimes they've committed, it's hard to believe it wasn't vengeful malicious behavior to psychologically wound Palestinians as much as anything else. While we wait--possibly years--to find out if the International Court of Justice rules that Israel is in fact committing a genocide, people are going to continue dying from this. And so, hopefully, with a bit of concentrated disruption and pressure, this destruction that's already lasted 100+ days may finally find an end. 

In terms of using your power and time, I've mentioned it before, but you could call your representatives. Fax their offices. Email them. Contact the White House. Join actions from organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, the Democratic Socialists of America, and be sure to focus your boycotts (during the strike and generally) on the businesses called out by BDS. You can take some time to read through Verso's Solidarity with Palestine reading list. Make signs for if you're going out protesting, to put in your windows, or coordinate outfits in Palestinian flag colors that show your solidarity. Make sure you're keeping an eye out for local events. If you see art installations, share them, and, yeah, that includes graffiti that bears the message. Let Palestinians take the lead in the global conversation on social media and if you see, say, your reps talking about other things, flood them with calls for a ceasefire in the replies. 

If spending money brings you any comfort and you feel a need to put something into good practice, the Cartoonist Cooperative's page still lists a ton of resources for E-Sim cards.Bisan mentioned today that E-Sims are helpful, but their use is becoming more limited as the overall infrastructure has been so damaged that you need to be in a high place to use them. 

Again, do what you can.  

What I enjoyed this week: Nancy (Comic), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video Game), Baldur's Gate III (Video Game), Blank Check (Podcast), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), How to Read Nancy (Book), Ted Lasso (TV show), my new big Taschen Ads of the 80s book, Movie Flick Chick Vol. 1 by BonerBob (Adult Comic), The Traitors Season 2 (TV show), The Floor (TV show), having a new phone and slowly getting back up to speed with it, seeing some stuff I had been working on at the old job get announced.

Pic of the Week: As I've been wont to do recently, I've made a little promo image with my announcement, so that's here, but my real pic of the week is this amazing photo of Nadja. She was in the chair sleeping and I went to move the Hello Kitty and I put it on top of her and she didn't move at all! It was very cute. 

#comics #comics editorial #free gaza #free palestine #ceasefire now #strike for palestine #global strike

[queen-tashie]

Seven Snips, Seven people

I was tagged by @mrbexwrites and you can see her post here.

How-to: Post seven Snippets, from different stories or the same, it's up to you. Tag seven people to play next.

Gently tagging: @sleepyowlwrites, @roselinbooks-official, @merriweather-the-un-merri-writer, @whicheverwarrior, @isabellebissonrouthier, @sky-jump, and @sarahlizziewrites, and an open tag for anyone that wants to join in.

Snips are below the cut. I put a special excerpt for the 7th one :)

Enjoy! :D

Part of the opening scene from The Quiet Forest (cw mild violence):

Runnicka hated this game he played. He always waited for her to strike first. So that’s exactly what she was going to do. She swung her sword wide, baiting him to block it. Before their blades connected, she pulled hers back, letting Zharan overshoot. Thump. Another point for her. Her heart raced as she tied the score again. She exhaled. Now was not the time to lose focus. But something changed as they stepped back from each other. Zharan smirked and his stance deepened, like he was about to launch himself toward her. That smug smile was unnerving, but she had to keep the pressure on. She started forward with the tip of her blade then retreated, hoping to trick him into the offensive again. It worked, but he attacked faster than she anticipated. Runnicka swung her sword, aiming for his chest, but he ducked under the clumsy attack. He stood inches away from Runnicka as her sword passed over him. Her jaw slammed shut and her head snapped back as Zharan hit her with an uppercut on the chin. She hit the ground, clutching her jaw and gasping for air. A leather-guarded sword tip touched her neck.

2. Later scene from The Quiet Forest (cw mild violence):

“Are we safe?” She asked between heaving breaths, slowing her run. “I think we did it, for now.” Xaerena was just as winded. They got low in the grass to conceal themselves, watching behind them as they caught their breath and massaged their calves. They had no weapons, no supplies, and no map. Soon they were moving again, staying low in what little cover they had. Xaerena crept behind her, her footsteps soft but audible. “Wait, did you hear that?” asked Runnicka. She paused and so did Xaerena. The footsteps continued from behind them. Her eyes widened. “Xaerena, run!” Runnicka started forward but was jerked backward when a strong hand grabbed her collar. The fabric of her shirt ripped a little from the force. Two hunters tackled Xaerena to the ground. She went limp on the impact. “Xaerena!” A jolt of fear went through Runnicka. It was the last thing she remembered before being hit over the head.

3. Part of the opening scene from Copper Frames (no cw):

She pulled on the bronze handle of the front door. The satisfying pops and whooshes of letter pods in the pneumatic tubes sounded off around the room as they went to and from their destinations. The glass tubes lined the walls and ceiling of the large open room. In one tube a pod was caught, and a trained rat scurried through the tube to dislodge it while the handler waited at the maintenance hatch. People lined up in the centre of the room following the painted lines on the floor, called over one by one to each open clerk. Amelia shuffled forward after the person in front of her, watching the lightning fast letters fly past.

4. Later scene from Copper Frames (cw kink/bdsm mention):

“I’ve only had this rash for a few weeks,” said Oleksandra, stilling herself. “I knew I shoulda asked that guy if he was clean.” “Clean? As in if he had any STIs?” “Yeah, exactly,” she said. "Said the bruises were from some BDSM party he went to. Bastard."

5. Scene from a portal fantasy flash fiction I wrote three years ago (and have yet to edit). These characters are goblins btw. Kings of Nothing (no cw):

He rolled up his sleeve, uncovering his bracer. The iron ball bearing he touched was warm, ready to release a portal into his world. He moved the gears within the bracer in a specific way. His muscle memory could still recall the movements he’d made when he opened the portal that released the demon. Each portal was a unique sequence of movements. Most of them he’d forgotten, but that was one he would never forget. He tried something similar to what he’d done the night before, but a little different. An orange portal opened before him in the dark of the cave. The light was bright and hurt his eyes when it appeared. He squinted and stepped through. Behind him the sound of feet running on stone approached him. Dega was about to close the portal when his neighbour, Tul, lunged through the portal, reaching for the bracer.

6. Scene from my short story The Diver (on AO3!) (cw blood, thalassophobia, shark attack)

The two divers behind her shrieked, rushing past her on their way out. As Andi turned to see what had made them flee, something cut her arm. She clutched the wound and faced her attacker. She could hardly process what she was looking at. It was a creature the size of one of her chickens. It had human like arms clutching a tiny polearm, the length of a kitchen knife. Its bottom half was dolphin-like, but it was covered in scales. Seaweed-like tendrils floated around its horrible face. It bared its teeth and threatened to cut Andi a second time before she fled the wreck after them. In front of her, the other two divers were leaving thin trails of blood as they made for their diving bells. One of the sharks turned rapidly, aiming towards a bleeding diver. It bit into his side and he thrashed until he went limp. Andi’s eyes went wide.

7. Finally, I've decided to include a very, very rough (outlined, not even really drafted) excerpt from a non-fiction I'm writing, which is an ADHD cookbook! Technically a story if you read between the lines XD (no cw):

Kitchen Cleaning/Organizing Tips Do some dishes in the time between steps Put thing where you’re going to use them (hot plates by the counter, knives by the cutting board, spices by the stove, vegetables in the door of the fridge so they go bad less often) Meal prep doesn’t have to be entire meals. Pick a day you have the energy to make a large batch of something – boiled eggs, grated cheese, cooked chicken, etc. DO NOT substitute wax paper for parchment paper ever. Wax paper is not meant to be heated.

#my writing #excerpts #writing #writeblr #the quiet forest #copper frames #kings of nothing #the diver #adhd cookbook

[megaboy335]

WSJ Serialization Round - September 2023

It's Jump serialization season so I decided to write short reviews of each new title and give final thoughts on the series ending. I'll update the post with my thoughts on the other two new series and whatever ends next week. Discussion about Fabricant 100, Tenmaku Cinema, and the new series MamaYuyu below Edit: Added thoughts for Do Retry and Kagurabachi Edit 2: Added thoughts for Two on Ice and Ayakashi Triangle

Ending Series 1. Fabricant 100 - 37 chapters (Score 4/10) The Golden Future Cup winner curse strikes again. Fabricant 100 was the 2021 winner and it comes from an assistant of Yusei Matsui. I saw red flags right away with the concept. Why is the most powerful fabricant paired with the most valuable human? They're basically invincible when combined together. Sure enough the early opponents didn't put up much of a challenge (the later opponents weren't much better either). The main character Ashibi and #100 join an organization and the series is forever locked into the battle manga angle. Shortly afterwards, Fabricant 100 pivots into exploring the meaning of life and questioning how to become the ideal human. These can be deep questions that perhaps could have been explored if the series wasn't so dead set on being a battle manga. These two sides of the series were always at odds with itself. Some of the Fabricants showed they could coexist with humans... until they couldn't due to internal instincts to steal body parts. The powers steadily had to become edgier to make the life commentary look smart. The art was rarely anything worth mentioning. I would say it peaked early and the story meandered around for a majority of its run. Instead of having 100 Fabricants, there should have been 10-20 who each lived with humans under unique circumstances. That could have shaken Ashibi's morale resolve at every turn. In the end, the series gave reasons for how Fabricants came into existence and #100 made a selfish yet selfless choice for the first time ever. I hope the author has a more straightforward vision for their work next time. If only we lived in a timeline where Red Hood survived 36 weeks. 2. Tenmaku Cinema - 21 chapters (Score 7/10) At the end of last year, the duo behind Shokugeki no Souma returned with a new series about film making. It focused on the process, tools, and management of creating an amateur film. The story begins with the main character Shinichi finding himself possessed by the ghost of a screenwriter named Tenmaku. The ghost character sees the talented young actress Hinaki and immediately becomes inspired to draft a film based on his perception of her life titled "The Shore". Hinaki reads the script and wants to help as much as possible. Her decision comes from 1) the relatability of the story to her own life (without ever knowing its technically based on her) and 2) the desire to have fun with her school peers for once. From this point the series remains squarely focused on bringing this film to life. We see the ups and downs to film production such as sound, prop setting, music, and location scouting. I wished the series devoted a chapter to simply showing The Shore, but I also think it ultimately didn't matter because Hinaki is the film's protagonist in the literally sense. Between walking home, going to the beach, school, or accepting her mom, those are all moments she can bring out organically from her own experiences and desires. The art was amazing and well detailed as you would expect from Tosh. I thought giving Shinichi a spirit partner was kind of an old school throwback since that's a common troupe of the late 90s/2000s era. Its shame Tenmaku and Shinichi got very little time to interact outside of film making. The biggest weakness is while the manga comes off fairly complete, its also shallow. They only made a single movie, so not a lot actually happened over the 21 chapter run. I think the reason it failed is simple: Oshi no Ko, Chainsaw Man, and Sakamoto Days easily fill the void of movie inspired series. Unfortunately there was no place for a series like Tenmaku Cinama to explore the creation process at a ground level in the current manga climate. At least Tosh and Tsukada will be back with a one shot next spring. We haven't seen the last of them. 3. Do Retry - 19 Chapters (Score 4/10)

I've had my eye on Jun Kirarazaka since Bone Collection. That was a bad series with the art in particular being its weakest point, but I thought the characters had some charm. It was like a modern day Urusei Yatsura with an exorcist series skin. Afterwards they did assistant work under the famous Yusei Matsui and here they are again with an historical boxing series.

Right away its obvious his artwork had improved substantially. There is more detail, better composition, and it had a good handle on portraying the setting. I was very impressed with the first chapter. However, problems quickly began to crop up. As the popularity tanked and art deteriorated, it looked more and more like a Yusei series. Kirarazaka doesn't have the imagination to make it compliment what he's drawing to convey. This could be seen most in the opponents our main character faced. There was a guy with a big arm and another with super slates eyes. Its exactly like the exaggerated features you would expect in a Matsui series, who is able to normalize those features with unique panel compositions. The designs in Do Retry came off ugly and out of place for this setting.

The story itself was fine with enough runtime to have 3 main opponents. As a cancelled title, Kirarazaka had to rush through the final arc scenario. Its not hard to imagine how a long term plot of slowly piecing together a mystery about the missing father would have unfolded. I liked the overarching theme of pushing forward despite adversity. The final chapter time skipped to present and we got to see the main character through the pov of his grandson. That is one of the more clever cancelled final chapters I've seen in awhile.

Honestly, the final chapter saved the series somewhat for me. Kirarazaka dropped the Matsui-ness and got to be himself again. It was like the return to form that I wanted since the beginning. I still think this mangaka can land a hit someday. He needs to figure out how to balance his character writing with his newly developed art skills. Do Retry is a respectable attempt, but this wasn't it. I hope he can keep improving and find a style that works for him. 4. Ayakashi Triangle (AyaTri) - 144 Chapters (Score 8/10) Kentaro Yabuki is a prolific manga artist whose career dates back to the late 90s with his debut series Yamato Gensouki at age 19. Since then he's become known for pushing the boundaries of shonen ecchi series to their upper extreme limited. In 2020, Yabuki returned to the weekly magazine with a new ecchi battle series titled Ayakashi Triangle. The most apparent thing right away was that it had a heavier emphasis on the characters and less on making ecchi scenes. It eventually became even clearer how this series was a soft reboot/continuation of Yamato Gensouki which was cancelled in 2 volumes. While the original has very little lore impact on Ayatri, the biggest connection is original Ayakashi Medium is the previous protagonist Iyo. In retrospect, when Male Matsuri split off I should have considered that it might kick off the end game scenario. At the time I thought it was just another subplot to mess with Suzu. The series was more daily life centric in the WSJ days, and more plot focused after it transferred to Jump+. The publication didn't come with any substantial change in content. Though Ayatri was already too spicy for Viz. It was a miracle they kept it as long as they did. I think the series landed in a good place. In fact Shirogane and Suzu acknowledged my long held idea that she might be able to control Matsuri's gender at will. The daily lives of the characters will continue onwards with hijinks always happening. Yet, I also feel unsatisfied because the final boss battle was against a remote controlled puppet. It makes sense within the series for the Goyosen to be the manifestation grudges from Iyo's time, but its underwhelming as an action climax sequence. However for completing a few ideas from Yamato Gensouki, I think it worked in that area. Yabuki has always been a creative artist. He specializes in minimal panel layouts with dynamic action that is easy to follow. It's a style he perfected over the years and still be seen all over Ayatri. As a weekly series, I would say his art and color pages weren't as good compared to the monthly Darkness years. The weekly color pages on Jump+ weren't particularly memorable for the most part, but his compositions are still way ahead of his peers. Regardless, its been a treat to experience a Yabuki series on a weekly schedule. I think Ayatri will be remembered as the series that didn't introduce anything ground breaking, and yet connects Yabuki's carrer from the start to present. He's an artist you read because the content is sweet comfort food. Yabuki often doesn't often stay gone for long, so I'm sure he'll back before we know it. I look forward to whatever he cooks up next.

New Series #1 - MamaYuyu Weekly Shonen Jump has been a save heaven from the plague of fantasy isekai that has consumed the industry, so I was worried when the preview material talked about heroes and the demon lord. Thankfully that doesn't appear to be the case. We're introduced to a hero from a different world where the demon lord is far from defeated. The main character Corleo gets to learn what it means to be a hero through watching his actions. However, the hero sacrifices his life to save this town from the demon lord of his world. Chapter 1 was a long winded prologue to our hero's origin story. I think it could have been streamlined to get the point without beating readers over the head with the conflicted thoughts of Corleo. It also went overboard on defining a Hero. The paneling was unusual, but not necessarily off putting. I hope the author can handle it better with shorter chapters. I would say this is a middle of the road chapter 1. It's hard to pinpoint the exact direction of the story at this stage. My guess is what it will become a battle manga and the mom demon and hero will have to travel together. We already know there are other worlds so the framework is there for a long journey. Time will tell how receptive readers are to this concept.

New Series #2 - Kagurabachi I feel like I don't have much to say about this new series. Its a sword themed with sorcery like you would see in Demon Slayer/Jujutsu Kaisen. The first chapter played out a little differently than the usual Ch.1 template. It was a prologue in the first half and then the real chapter in the back half. You can feel the dad's passion for his craft and the child's desire to match that someday. The dialogue was a little dry, but I thought it worked well with the art style. In the back half, the art got shaper to convey the change in tone. Usually a chapter 1 would show a character like the dad getting killed and then the incident would create a lifelong motivation for the protagonist. Choosing to pause that story and leave it a mystery is an interesting approach. Overall, I think the minimal exposition gives it a stronger than usual first chapter. It gives room for the characters to be the center of attention. The time skip leaves you wondering what exactly happened and how far the main character will go in enacting revenge. The strongest point of the debut is easily the art. I'll be going forward to seeing how the story unfolds in the coming weeks. New Series #3 - Two on Ice Two on Ice isn't a bad series, in fact I would say it has some solid potential. The first chapter is a prologue story about how the protagonist meet the main heroine and became inspired to take figure skating seriously. Several years later, they meet up once again and he's given the chance to be her partner on the ice rink. It's a solid start for character writing with clear motivations and paths for the story to take. The weaker aspect is the art work. There are places were I thought its not good enough to convey what the manga artist hopes. I think these are pretty minor nitpicks in the grand scheme because the love for Figure Skating can clearly be felt. I'm not sure if this kind of topic can succeed in Jump, but I wish them the best of luck.

#Weekly Shonen Jump

[paperanddice]

Banshees are heralds of coming death. Or at least, that was their purpose originally. Over the ages, most have been corrupted by the influence of undeath, and now they more often bring death with them directly, their mournful wails driving heroes and monarchs to the grave directly rather than appearing as a warning. The banshee is a complicated monster, intending to be a perpetual thorn in the party's side that is difficult to remove. While I based parts of its stat block off of a version found in the Eyes of the Stone Thief adventure, I wanted to go in a slightly different direction with the banshee and so modified quite a few parts.

A banshee will attempt to spend most of the battle singing its Spiteful Song, imposing penalties on as many creatures as possible through fear. While it's singing this song it can punish creatures that attack it, striking at their weakened defense for damage and risking draining their chances of survival. If forced into direct battle it can strike with its claws as well, but its most dangerous attack is its deadly wail, which strips life and risks killing on its own. A banshee can either accompany a group of undead, which are immune to the effects of its wail, or it can join a battle between multiple living sides, in which case it is an active hindrance to both sides of the battle. Living monsters and NPCs are affected by the banshee's fear aura and wail, though as they're lacking a Constitution score they don't take the death save loss effects of it. No matter what the composition of the battle, the banshee will wail each time a creature falls, ally or foe, potentially hitting characters over and over again. This presents the challenge of either going after the banshee with its counterattack, flight, and damage resistances, or just trying to stay away from it until all the enemies have been wiped out, at which point the banshee will leave as it has heralded plenty of deaths.

Big beetles are simple, straightforward enemies. Goliath stag beetles are the size of a small house, but fortunately mostly eat plant matter. While they will eat some meat, most humanoids are smaller prey than interesting to them, making them not very hostile. They may hunt herd animals though, sometimes prompting battles with the massive creatures. Humanoids are simply too small for the stag beetle's massive mandibles to grasp, so they instead stomp and sweep their jaws about, crushing small creatures into paste. Slicer beetles are much smaller than the goliath, around ten feet in length, and are purely carnivorous. Their mandibles are very different from that of the stag beetle, instead scissoring over each other to scythe through flesh with ease, cutting prey into smaller pieces that can be easily eaten. While humanoids aren't their primary prey, they won't turn down the meal ticket if a group stumble into the beetle's path.

Banshees and giant beetles have been in many different TTRPG books, but these particular versions were inspired from the Pathfinder Bestiary 2. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Banshee  9th level caster [undead]  Initiative: +14 Vulnerability: Holy Spectral Claws +14 vs. AC - 40 damage. Natural Even Hit: The target is affected by the banshee’s fear aura until the end of its next turn, even if its hit points are too high to be affected normally. Natural 18+: The banshee may immediately use wail as a free action. [Special Trigger] C: Wail +14 vs. PD (all nearby living creatures) - 20 damage. Natural roll above the target’s Constitution: The target loses a death save for the rest of the battle (it now dies after failing three death saves and the effect is cumulative). A character with no remaining death saves hit by this attack must immediately start making last gasp saves. Spiteful Song: As a standard action when it starts its turn not engaged with any creature, the banshee starts singing. This song lasts until the start of its next turn. While it’s singing this song, all nearby creatures take a -2 penalty to MD and the banshee’s fear aura affects creatures with 72 or fewer hit points instead of normal. If the banshee is hit by an attack before the start of its next turn, it can make a vengeful spite attack against the attacker as an interrupt action. [Special Trigger] C: Vengeful Spite +14 vs. MD - 40 psychic damage. Natural Even Hit: The target is affected by the banshee’s fear aura until the end of its next turn, even if its hit points are too high to be affected normally. Natural roll above the target’s Constitution: The target loses a death save for the rest of the battle (It now dies after failing 3 death saves and the effect is cumulative). Fear Aura: All nearby living creatures with 60 hp or fewer are dazed and do not add the escalation die to their attacks. Flight. Herald of Death, not Bringer: If banshees are the only remaining enemy in a battle, they attempt to retreat, potentially ending the battle. If stopped they can use wail immediately, they fight to the end. Mourn the Fallen: The banshee makes a wail attack whenever a nearby non-mook creature dies, unless the death was due to a wail. Spectral: The banshee has resist damage 16+ to all damage except force, and can move through solid objects but can’t end its movement inside of one. AC 23 PD 19 MD 25 HP 110

Goliath Stag Beetle  Huge 4th level troop [beast]  Initiative: +6 Crushing Mandible +8 vs. AC - 18 damage. Miss: 9 damage. Stomp +8 vs. PD - 20 damage. Natural Even Hit or Miss: The goliath stat beetle can move as a free action, and can make a stomp attack against a different enemy. It provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Clumsy Flight: Any time the goliath stag beetle takes 30 or more damage during a turn while flying, it must immediately make a hard save (16+). On a failure, it loses the ability to fly until its next turn. If flying near the ground, it lands immediately. Otherwise, it falls and takes 40 damage. Mandible Sweep: As a standard action, the goliath stag beetle can make a crushing mandible attack against 1d3 nearby enemies in a group. AC 21 PD 18 MD 13 HP 176

Slicer Beetle  Large 2nd level troop [beast]  Initiative: +6 Slicing Mandible +7 vs. AC - 10 damage. Critical Cut: The slicer beetle’s crit range is extended by 2, and if it lands a critical hit the target also takes 5 ongoing damage. Clumsy Flight: Any time the slicer beetle takes 15 or more damage during a turn while flying, it must immediately make a hard save (16+). On a failure, it loses the ability to fly until its next turn. If flying near the ground, it lands immediately. Otherwise, it falls and takes 20 damage. AC 18 PD 17 MD 12 HP 64

#13th age #homebrew #my homebrew #monster #undead #beast #13th age level 9 #13th age level 4 #13th age level 2 #long post

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Stephen "Dougray" Scott born on November 25th 1965.

In my opinion Dougray is one of the most underrated Scottish  actors, with his broad Scottish brogue he oozes Scottishness whenever he speaks in his native tongue.

After attending Auchmuty High School in Fife trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where he was named most promising drama student and took the his stage name from his grandmother's surname, "Dougray

Scott's early work was in Scottish national theatre and television, first appearing in the series Soldier Soldier as well as on the stage in the Tim Fleming directed production of Wallace. Early television credits to follow included The Rover, Taggart: Nest of Vipers, Lovejoy, and Soldier Soldier. Scott followed this up with impactful turns in the films You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Black Beauty, and Another Nine & a Half Weeks. Shortly thereafter, Scott could be seen opposite Drew Barrymore in the hit film Ever After, opposite Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, and Vanessa Redgrave in the film Deep Impact, as well as the second installment in the hit Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible 2. 

He also starred in a film I mentioned the other day, alongside Dougie Henshall, This Years Love, look out for it, it is very funny and full of Scots, but set in London.

Scott also appeared opposite Kate Winslet in Michael Apted's Enigma as well as the 2002 film Ripley's Game, opposite Ray Winstone. Starring opposite Jennifer Connelly in the 2005 film Dark Water and the 2007 film Hit Man, Scott soon appeared in US television for the first time in the ABC miniseries The Ten Commandments as well the Hallmark TV movie Arabian Nights.

Other film roles have included the hit film Ever After, opposite Drew Barrymore Then with Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, and Vanessa Redgrave in the film Deep Impact, as well as the second instalment in the hit Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission Impossible 2. Scott also appeared opposite Kate Winslet in Michael Apted’s Enigma as well as the 2002 film Ripley’s Game, opposite Ray Winstone. In 2006 Dougray  appeared in US television for the first time in the ABC miniseries The Ten Commandments as well the Hallmark TV movie Arabian Nights. US television audiences next saw Scott in the NBC series Heist as well as the hit series Desperate Housewives. He followed these impressive turns with the BBC miniseries adaptation of the cult classic novel The Day of the Triffids .

He was also been seen in the critically-acclaimed movie My Week With Marilyn, the hit Netflix series Hemlock Grove, and the Cinemax series Strike Back. On this side of the Atlantic, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was great as well as another film was New Town Killers, set in Edinburgh, and in an episode of Dr Who with Matt Smith. He was also in the TV series, Snatch, based on the film of the same name.

During the last few years  playing  Colonel Jacob Kane in the series Batwoman. The series was cancelled after 3 seasons.  He has also appeared in La Cha Chis a dark comedy which also stars the excellent Rhys Ifans, it was written and filmed in South Wales in four weeks over the coronavirus lockdown.

At present you can find Dougray in the Irvine Welsh series Crime, where he platys troubled detective DI Ray Lennox. I’m really looking forward to the second installment, which will see the excellent English actor John Simm join the cast. 

In the second season Ray is ready to return to the fray at Edinburgh Serious Crimes, keen to prove he is fully recovered from his breakdown, I’ll say no more in case you haven’t watched series one, please go do it! Dougray has one a Scottish Bafta for his portrayal and just this weekend in the 50th International Emmy Awards was also awarded Best Performance by an Actor.   Vigil, set in Scotland won the Best Drama Series

In a post on social media, Welsh congratulated the Hollywood star, who he claims “battled for years” to play the lead role in Crime.

Dougray will also be in the Sky series  A Town Called Malice about a  family of petty thieves from South London who decamp to Spain to profit from an unexpected windfall. I’m also looking forward to the film, Irena's Vow telling the true story of Polish nurse Irene Gut Opdyke, who was  awarded the Righteous Among the Nations medal for showing remarkable courage in her attempt to save Polish Jews during World War II. The film is based on the Broadway play of the same name. It is set to premiere next year.

#Scotland #scottish #actor #theatre #television #film #fifer #happy birhtday

[the-one-king-killer]

CREATURES OF THE NIGHT

Pairing: Marc Spector x F!Reader, Steven Grant x F!Reader Wordcount: 3.5k Warnings: Canon-esque violence. Main character be lurking. Summary: As an Avatar of an ancient god, you had seen and done many strange and violent things. However, you had never experienced another Avatar who shared divinity running through their veins. Your god is a protector, and calls you to find the Avatar of Khonshu to join in their mission but one action leads to the next and leaves you with only more questions rather than answers. Author's Notes: This idea have set my brain on fire for weeks and I finally decided to unleash upon the world for all to see. This is also a testimate to the absolute brainrot I have for Moon Knight and Oscar Isaac. This will be a mixture of mostly show canon with some comic canon mixed in, whoops. This takes place shortly before episode one of the show. Also, this shall be a multiple part series! (part 2 is written and shall be posted soonish) But onward y'all, let us descend into the madness.

You remember the first time that you had met one of your own. The one with fury and blood curling through his bones, a rattling force that demanded and commanded. The moon was high in the sky, a crescent that carved itself into the night. It was the only source of light in the darkness, a source for wanderers and creatures of the night. He was one of them; so were you.

You watched from atop a church peak as the white figure pummeled his fist into a man. You didn't know who was being beaten, and you didn't know why he was being beaten. But those details did not matter as you gazed downward, morality a shredded thing inside your mind. The figure was not subtle, clad in white armor and glowing eyes as he tore through flesh and bone. Mortals had trembled at a part of him for centuries, even if it was not in this body. A voice curled in the depths of your mind at the sight. It was something that you could not understand, but you could understand their feelings. It was of recognition as the man let out a shuddering final breath under the strike of a fist. You knew this creature of the night, and you knew the fury lashed in his strikes.

Your body stood motionless as the figure in white rose to his full height. His form was sweeping, covered with armor and banding lines that were now splattered with blood. The relief after a fight was evident in his body for a brief moment. It was a slight stutter in his chest as a cold breath entered his lungs. The strength of immortality was always a rush, but also came with a heavy fall in the end. This relief for him did not last long as familiar recognition struck him like a bolt. His body twisted to look up at you on the holy peak, perched like a statue. You were a protector, a guardian, that watched and waited as his glowing gaze met yours. His eyes may have blazed wholy white, but you recognized the look in them. You wondered if it was him, or if it was the writhing deity in his mind.

It is both, my girl. He has never seen one of his own before, and the bird has not seen me in many of his moons.

The voice smoothed across your mind, cooling the blood in your veins. She was quiet in moments like this, a strange kind of comfort. She could be like the god inside this man's rib cage, a creature in a too small body and ripping at the seams. But for now she was not. In the stillness you both stared down with glittering eyes. As your thoughts quieted, she acted. She turned your back to the man in white and leapt from the peak as you longed to gaze one more time upon his form. But she did not care, she had her fill of him, of the night. And so you went from one rooftop to the next without a sound, back to mortal coils and away from gods for another day's time. 

The man in white stood as you left his vision with a flash of burnt vermillion. You were a still creature, but fluid and full of grace. He was a landslide in comparison as he simply watched and so did the god, his heart thudding in his chest after the heat of a battle won. He wondered what this meant for him, his god. The god only answered in demands.

-

The deity behind your eyes never let you forget a figure, no matter how shadowed it could be. The shadows made shapes, ones that could be recognized.

Humans are patterns. You think in patterns and can be followed in that way. We gods can think without them. We just understand. But to exist here, we must follow what your brain can comprehend while we inhabit your flesh. The bird in that man's chest will do the same.

She could command you with cruelty. You had felt her voice rattle down your spine many times before, but more often than not she was more subtle. Her demands came from her words of wisdom. She wanted you to find the man in white again, in the next night's time.

And you did, carrying the strength in your muscles to shatter armies but now used to pull yourself across rooftops in the dead of night. Your body sang with the power and you would never deny saying you enjoyed it in times like this. You hunted in the night, following the strokes of the moon in the London landscape. There was the fake light of the human city, but the moon would always show its master and his body. You followed the path of his destruction illuminated in the cold light. One scene it was broken glass and shattered wood, the next it was broken teeth and splattered blood. You would find him in the next scene.

The broken body was forgotten as his armor slipped from his head. His god must have been quiet now. You stared down at him yet again. He lacked the flash of white fury in his eyes, and the form to conceal him from the eyes of the fellow man. He was more a man without the mask on, less of a vessel.

His features were dark, shadowed by the night but blazed into your mind no matter the mission of your own god. Ebony curls fell from his head to messily cover his forehead until a palm came to slick them back. His eyes were near black as he looked away from the body. They were endless at this time of night, but you wondered if there was any glimmer of color within. You wondered if the god had consumed the color from his eyes, the hungering and colorless moon. His jaw was set and his broad stance was one of confidence and strength. His face fit his form and you wouldn't lie and say it didn't fit the armor he wore. The deity had an appreciation of such things and so it has transferred to you. You wondered with your human mind how many hearts he had broken. The deity mused on how many hearts he had stopped.

He spoke something into the damp English air, a phrase that did not catch in your ears. But his unfiltered voice sunk in, an American accent seconded the defiance in his body. The deity would not let you forget this detail as it was memorized inside your skull. He spoke to nothingness, but it must have answered him from his expression that twisted his features. You knew the feeling. 

He did not recognize you this time as he continued moving on until the night began to end. The god in your mind wanted to observe and then strike.

I am a protector. I bathe in blood from wars to protect one's own. The bird is what he calls justice and vengeance, paying a toll for what has already been lost.

The deity explained to you as moved from the sky to the pavement of the earth. She made you as quiet as she wished as you hunted the man in white. You had questions about the other god in him, and she answered in riddles. You wondered why his bloody fists often matched yours. She answered in the gods' words. 

Eventually his armor was stripped away to reveal his mortal body. He was dressed like he was meant to blend into a crowd, neutral colors and layers. The lack of armor signified that his work was over, and that yours had just begun.

The man trudged up steps to an apartment building as you stopped in the shadow of an alley. He was tired, the god faded from the front and had left only a husk behind. It was an empty feeling. He disappeared into the building a few hours before dawn. You remained for a few minutes afterwards, the quiet returning to you as your own god left. Your muscles were strained and your bones groaned as you made your way back home via the streets of London. The human in you and him made its daily appearance in similar circumstances. You would return before he left his home again. Your god was sated with that knowledge.

-

In the morning there was no ceremonial armor for you or for the vessel that you hunted. It was normal dress for the dreary conditions of London, boots to step through puddles and jackets to perhaps shield the water from seeping in. You dressed as dreary as the day, grays and browns to blend in. Perhaps you were an academic to one’s eye, or a businesswoman to the next. It did not matter.

With an umbrella shadowing your face, you watched the vessel leave his home. He seemed scrambled and less put together. His curls were unkempt and fell over his forehead. His shirt was untucked and even his gait was different. He walked like he was a scared animal, hunched over and quick. You could have blamed it on the droplets of rain that he walked like this, but the man the night before would not have shied away from rain, not after what he faced. With the silence from the god in your mind, you imagined she was just as confused as you. The face of this man was the same as the nights before, but everything else was a different piece of a puzzle you could not understand.

With scattered steps, the man hopped onto the red bus of London as did you some moments later. Now you had no shadow to conceal you but it did not matter. The man had a lack of a regard for the people around him, uncaring for those who watched him. Uncaring for the deity that gazed at him from behind your eyes.

“Oh, bullocks, Donna’s gonna kill me.” You heard him mutter as he looked at the clock aboard the vehicle. You squinted at him. There was an accent again, but a British one. It was one of the strangest British accents you had heard. It was another puzzle piece that had no match.

The bird must be hiding. And this must be an illusion. The smooth lint of your goddess’ brain filtered through your senses. Even in her riddles, she was right. You did not feel the recognition you felt two night’s earlier, the solid strike of electricity as two gods faced one another for the first time in centuries.

The man scrambled with something in his pocket before putting it on the shirt beneath his jacket. Your vision caught a glimpse. Steven. The detail was branded into your brain and the goddess rolled the name on her tongue. Another speck of blood the hunter in her found and savored. A name for a man with too many puzzle pieces.

Some time passed until Steven hurried off the bus with many others in front of the monumental building of a museum. You had been here before, before the goddess in your veins when you were young and unknowing. You had delighted in the artifacts then, rattling off the details of each piece and what it meant to the cultures of old. You remembered them all and now with the goddess in your head you knew much more.

Steven must have worked here, you realized as another puzzle piece met another. He practically leapt off the bus, knocking into a young woman with a high apologetic noise in his throat. You took your chance to brush past the commotion as he patted her shoulders and apologized with words. You wanted to watch him as he entered the museum, to see his reaction, to see if the bird would come out to play. With your own fascination with history in mind and Steven working at a museum, it seemed that the gods’ had a type when it came to Avatars. 

The moment your eyes came upon the workers of Egyptian gods and pharaohs, you sighed in relief. It was both you and the god that did so. She sighed as the feeling of home echoed in your mind. You sighed in relief for something you could understand with certainty and feel the embrace of history that you loved. For a moment the two of you forgot what you came here for and just relished the feeling. But it was a fleeting moment as you passed the absent security guard and headed further in to stand in the ruins of a wall painting. You wanted to blend in as he arrived. Would he feel the same relief that you did?

You grabbed a museum pamphlet and pretended to read as he walked in, bumbling and fussing with a bag as he passed the security guard.

“It’s Steven. Steven with a v.” He huffed at the guard and then passed. “I suppose it doesn’t matter now.” He then muttered to himself as he passed and headed further into the museum without paying anyone a glance. He was on a mission it seemed.

Speak with him, my girl. Speak as mortal to mortal. Easier to call upon each other as humans rather than gods in this place.

This part of the mission was not revealed to you with riddles, wisdom, or anything. The goddess was quiet on her purpose with the man. She wanted to get to the god in his bones, but the reasoning for the stealthy hunt was not privy to you. You followed her command. You trusted her. The two of you had been too much for you not too.

The next room was filled with statues of pharaohs from across the eras of the Kingdoms, Hellenistic period, and even to Rome. A few of them you could name just from the style of the human figure, or the imported stone they were made of. For a moment it distracted you and dragged your goddess into memories as you gazed at the stone. While their forms were solid and stiff in posture, there was a life to the pharaoh’s likeness in stone. They wanted to look like rulers that could not be questioned, an unyielding strength. It was a display of power.

You were knocked out of your thoughts as someone knocked into your shoulder as you passed. Your body locked in place as you reacted, reaching out to grab the person who knocked into you so they would not lose balance. Your hand was met with wet fabric as you lightly gripped the person’s shoulder.

“Oh, oh my! I am so sorry! I am just a clumsy fool today. Are you okay?” You felt the surprise rush over your face as you heard the voice. Worried dark eyes met your own and scanned over your features searching for any sign of pain. His face was clearer in this moment as you dropped your hand from his shoulder. His skin was a shade of olive-tan and there were bags under his eyes. There was a shadow of a beard that was unshaven on his cheeks and even though he looked like he could be blown over by a gust of wind, his eyes only searched your own with care. The god in you surged forward as you both gazed.

With a mental push, you came back to the front. She was the one that wanted to speak as mortals, and you would do so. You let a smile stretch across your face.

"Oh, I am fine. Are you okay?" At your words, his face lit up with relief and then turned away to pat himself down with an awkward laugh.

"I seem to be! Although I was the one that bumped into you." He sounded so guilty, like you shouldn't have been asking if he was okay. Where was the figure of fury that made bloody punches? This man could not be that man.

"No worries-" you paused to read his name badge again, "Steven."

The beam of a smile that appeared on his face made you smile once again. He practically grew an inch as you mentioned his name. You gestured to the statue next to you,

"Although it is best that you did not bump me into the gneiss made pharoah here. Then we both would have been in trouble." He laughed at your words and nodded.

"Not only me being late to the job but knocking a guest like a fool, and knocking into a precious artifact? My boss would truly kill me there." He looked from you and then to the statue of the seated pharaoh, and back to you again. He raised a finger to point at the statue and then pointed back at you.

"Wait, you know about gneiss stone?" His voice gave away his shock as he marveled at your words. You tore your eyes away from him to look back at the statue. You opened your mouth to respond but he quickly interrupted.

"Also known as diorite, it is a true accomplishment of Egypt art for how hard the stone is. But it was beloved of the pharaohs, if I do say so myself. If I remember correctly, it was mined from the quarry at…." This time you interrupted him.

"Gebel el-Asr. It is interesting to see a gneiss piece that does not appear to be Khafre. Those are always the popular ones." You watched Steven's jaw drop as you spoke, a spark of intellectual respect glittering in his eyes. You let out a small laugh at the sight.

"How do you know that? I don't even think the tour guides know that kind of information." He sounded like he was in a state of reverence, finally enjoying the presence of someone who understood. You waved a hand dismissively.

"I specialize in strange facts and strange things. But if that is the case, you are a tour guide who certainly knows every piece in the museums." You smiled at him again. His enjoyment was nearly tangible and you felt it too. He smiled back to you before a different expression shattered it.

"Wait--no, I am no tour guide. Just a lowly, uh, gift shoptist? Gift shopist?" He rolled the words across his tongue, his face screwing up as he hated the words the moment they left his mouth. You felt the goddess mirror herself behind your eyes as she peered him, inquisitive but also questioning.

Is he….an idiot? 

For a goddess of wisdom, the immortal could be out of touch with social cues sometimes. You ignored her comment with ease.

"Well, I think you should get a swift promotion, if I could say anything about it, Steven." You watched his face lit up again. Human emotions were something you felt, but sometimes they felt so distant after being with the deity for so long. For a moment you enjoyed the raw emotion with him.

There was truly no recognition in his face as he saw you. You made no effort to conceal yourself from the two nights earlier and you were sure he memorized your face like you did his. The puzzle pieces did not fit together again.

"Do I know you? You look familiar, but well, I can't seem to figure it out." He broke the moment with the question and you had to resist raising your eyebrow at him. Was he baiting you? What was his play? It was hard to believe he had any play besides genuine conversation from the expression on his face. You brushed it off.

"I am afraid not. I have been here before, but it has been some years." You didn't miss the small look of disappointment on his face as you spoke, as if he wished to know you. But it faded quickly as he smiled at you and then looked behind you.

"Oh, bloody hell, I am already late, like late late. I am so sorry, but I need to go before I get my head chewed off." You turned and saw he was looking at a clock nearby and when you turned back, he was clutching his bag and walking away but paused to look at you again.

"But I hope that you come back, o' lady of gneiss!"

You lightly shook your head with a smile as he nearly sprinted away to what you assumed was his work shift. You did not see an Avatar in him, and he didn't see the goddess in you.

The goddess echoed your confusion as you walked for some time in the exhibits. The two of you plotted your next moves as statues turned to mummified crocodiles and sarcophagi.

Steven missed the face that glared back at him in the museum glass as he ran to chattering Donna. The face scowled at him and turned away.

#moon knight x reader #moon knight #marc spector #moon knight x you #steven grant x reader #steven grant x you #moon knight imagine #moon knight fic #marc spector imagine #steven grant imagine #moon knight fanfiction #marvel #moon knight tv #thekingkiller writes

[kae-karo]

okay so im always curious about other people's (fic) writing habits and progress so i thought I'd ask how you do it!! like in the sense of outlining, first drafts, editing (or just writing and posting it straight up) but also if you have specific times of the day/week you sit down to write (for how long) or if you just write here and there!! stuff like. do you listen to music, watch movies/shows in the background? or a timer for sprints? it's always so interesting for me to see how others do it!!

awe hi dear this is so much fun!!! ty for asking!! i love talking meta abt writing lmaooooo

tbh the entirety of my 'outlining' or planning in any sense is like. vague idea tossed into the abyss of my personal discord with a general premise and some lines of dialogue/a scene idea (if i came up with any lmao) - i really just cannot outline stuff in too much detail or i lose interest i guess? most of the fun of writing for me is the process of figuring out how the story goes along the way, or like how i get from one major plot beat to the next?

usually writing A Story for me is a 2-stage process - i do my best to complete the story first, with minimal rereading (unless i had to set the story aside for a time and i absolutely need to maintain perfect continuity to proceed with the next part), then let the whole thing sit for at least a week while i work on something else before going in for any editing. it helps me basically act as my own beta lmao cause i just fully forget half the story while i'm working on smth else and then i can come back and edit with a fresh mind lmao

(also generally that bit always surprises ppl - that i finish a fic before i start posting? i really don't like posting a chaptered fic until it's completely finished as i have been known to get distracted while writing and move to other wips and i personally don't want to leave anyone hanging on an unfinished fic)

honestly weirdly enough i write mostly during downtime at work? like, that's often when i have the most inspiration and motivation. weekends are usually like unwind relax do nothing days, so i find it harder to work up motivation for writing unless i'm really inspired by smth lmaoo (this also applies to evenings after work lmao)

ahhhh i am always so impressed and shocked when ppl can do smth in the background while writing?? like even music without lyrics is too distracting for me LMAO i really cannot be doing Anything Else sldkjfkljsdf although i do have a bad habit of checking twt/tumblr when i get to even a brief moment of 'hm, where does this go from here?' while i'm writing but that typically doesn't last long before i run out of new posts and come back to writing lmao

i have done sprints in the past but honestly it works about as well for me as just just being like 'okay i'm gonna write now', unless i'm notably distractable that day and i really need a Reason to not go check twt/tumblr and Do Other Things while trying to write lmao. or if other ppl are doing sprints and invite me to join lmao but that's usually more for the community vibe than to help me get words done

honestly the only other thing i have is that i'm a huge proponent of following inspiration? which basically for me means that i am VERY prone to wip-hopping as inspiration or interest strikes lmao. benefits of course being that writing is almost always an enjoyable thing to do for me, drawbacks being that it can take me a while to finish stuff esp if it's longer lmaoooo. or, in the very extreme (but not uncommon) case, that i set a wip aside and don't really find any motivation to pick it up again (at least, not yet lmao)

ANYWAY thank u anon dear this was a lot of fun!!!! i love questions abt my writing process and other meta writing stuff so i am very thrilled u asked!! <3

#ask #anon #writing

[merrock]

HAPPY FIRST OF MAY!

Good morning, Merrockites! Since it's the first of the month, I just thought I'd get into the habit of doing a post to kick things off and to remind people of things we have going on in town, any changes players should be aware of, and maybe a refresher of some rules that we need to work on all the way around.

HAPPENING IN MAY:

camping weekend (april 28 - may 2) -- wrapping up on Monday, all characters have been invited out to spend the weekend camping at The Glen. Starters can be done until Monday evening if you are interested in getting threads in for this event, and can be continued as long as you and your partner like.

flower festival (may 15 - may 21) -- happening at Lavender Lane, the flower festival will be full of work shops, games and activities, have lots of refreshments and snacks, and you'll be able to make some pretty things, too! not to mention having lots and lots of flowers to choose from to plant at home.

mini events -- on may 5th, cinco de mayo will be observed at paco's! for mother's day, bring your mom out to overlook for some brunch. everyone gets a pizza party sponsored by the benefactor on may 20th. and lastly, on may 30th, join us at cityview for a memorial day picnic! MORE INFO HERE!

EXTRA BIT OF FUN:

Although we've wrapped up our spring task, we've added May's development task to the list! These, as usual, can be done any time, they don't have to be completed by the end of the month, we just try our best to offer you something new to do each month to help you develop your characters and have a little bit of fun along the way. You can also check out February, March and April's prompts on this page, if you're interested!

RULE CHANGES AND REMINDERS:

i'll kick this one off by saying it's always a good idea to read over the rules if you're unsure of something, every group has different rules, so there's nothing wrong with asking questions if you have any.

please remember that while I absolutely don't mind chatting in messages, if you need something from me that requires me to be online, I prefer that you do so through the inbox/ask box. it's easiest for me to keep track of everything that needs done through there!

as mentioned last month, we made some small changes to new character pick-ups. roles 1-4 can be done within one week of each other, but to pick up role 5 and onwards, we're asking you to wait two weeks just to be sure your characters have settled in.

we have finalized our decision on activity checks / requirements! because of some concerns with activity lately, i am making the new requirement 1 week. if you haven't been active at all in one week, you will be placed on check and receive a strike (warnings are still five days). we do not have a requirement as to what is expected in that one week, but please note that if we see you are repeatedly logging in to only do one reply and then dip out, we will reach out to talk to you. it's okay if it happens every now and then! just not with every check. we just want to see everyone doing their part to keep this group active and fun!

THINGS BEHIND THE SCENES:

the residents page is being redone! kinda. and no, you won't see any changes if you go look, it's a secret. i'm just tweaking it aesthetically in my spare time and getting everything a lot more cohesive. once that's done, i promise to share it with you!

fun events are coming up, like a beach party, emergency services carnival, a big ole summer bash, and a very formal gala! i'm also tentatively beginning to plan our summer trip, and figuring out what we'll be doing for that, so stay tuned for more information.

our next kind of "team event" is being worked on, and is in early stages. it probably won't be a sport, but... does require some smarts. so think on that one for a little while!

and lastly, i am going to be working this week on a new promo blog. we've had a lot of writer spots open up over the past few days (it's okay! we're also hopeful to see some of our faces return!), and i want to really get us out there in a way that also isn't going to end in tumblr sniping us. but it's being worked on.

That's about it from May. I mean, oops, me. We're looking forward to a sunshiney, fun month ahead, and hope to see some new, exciting faces on our dash, and watch you guys grow and have fun, too! xx

#merrockadmin

[jcmarchi]

Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering Owner Hasbro Is Laying Off 1100 Employees

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-owner-hasbro-is-laying-off-1100-employees/

Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering Owner Hasbro Is Laying Off 1100 Employees

Hasbro, the parent company behind Wizards of the Coast, which itself is responsible for both Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, is laying off 1100 employees, as reported by Dicebreaker and The Wall Street Journal. The company, which is also behind the Transformers franchise (toys and other media),  announced this decision yesterday, on December 11. 

Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks called the need for layoffs in an email sent to staff a “lever we must pull to keep Hasbro healthy” and “a last resort.” As noted by Dicebreaker, Cocks became CEO of Hasbro in February of last year and earns roughly $1.5 million in salary in the position – his total earnings for 2022 amounted to $9.4 million, however. 

[embedded content]

“While we’re confident in the future of Hasbro, the current environment demands that we do more, even if these choices are some of the hardest we have to make,” Cocks writes in the email, which The Wall Street Journal published. “I know this news is especially difficult during the holiday season. There is no sugar-coating how hard this is, particularly for the employees directly affected.” 

Dicebreaker reports that laid-off employees will be notified sometime over the next six weeks and that Hasbro will vacate a Rhode Island office as a result of cost-cutting measures next month. While Hasbro is laying off 1,100 employees out of its 6,400 employees – it laid off 800 people earlier this year – it’s unclear which of the company’s teams, including Wizards of the Coast, are affected. Last week, Payday 3 developer Starbreeze announced a partnership with Wizards of the Coast to develop a multiplayer co-op title set in the D&D universe. 

[embedded content]

These Hasbro layoffs join an unfortunately ever-growing list of layoffs affecting workers in 2023 in the games industry and games-adjacent industries. Just yesterday, Embracer Group officially shuttered its reformed TimeSplitters team, Free Radical Design. A few weeks ago, 505 Games parent company Digital Bros laid off 30 percent of its staff. 

Last month, Amazon Games laid off 180 staff members. In early November, we learned that Ubisoft laid off more than 100 employees. The week before that, roughly 100 employees were laid off at Destiny 2 developer Bungie. 

In January, Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees amidst its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which it completed last month. 

In August, Striking Distance Studios, the team behind last year’s The Callisto Protocol, laid off more than 30 employees, and that same month, Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare laid off 50 employees, including long-time studio veterans. The following month, in September, Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios laid off roughly 45% of its staff. 

Just last month, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog laid off at least 25 employees, and Telltale Games underwent layoffs as well, although an actual number of laid-off employees has not yet been revealed. And in late October, Dreams developer Media Molecule laid off 20 employees.

The hearts of Game Informer‘s staff are with the people laid off from Hasbro, along with everyone else who has lost a job this year.

[Source: Dicebreaker via The Wall Street Journal]

#000 #2022 #2023 #Activision #Amazon #amp #billion #Blizzard #CEO #cutting #december #Design #Developer #dog #email #employees #Environment #Future #game #games #how #Industries #Industry #it #layoffs #list #mass #media #members #Microsoft

[venus-haze]

hi battie how is your trip going?? any highlights?

I'm going to go ahead and answer this one first, so y'all get a rundown of what I've been up to the past 2 weeks!

To preface, I'm definitely more of an East Coast Beast Coast type of woman, but goddamn those California beaches are breathtaking, especially Santa Monica and Malibu. I might love them the slightest bit more than Miami (and I still dream of South Beach).

We also participated the picket line for the WGA/SAG strike to show solidarity! Non-union members can join the protests outside of the various studios in LA, there's info on the union websites (WGA seems to have a more consistent picketing schedule on their website, but since both unions are striking together, they overlap anyway). They have plenty of signs there to borrow, so you don't have to make your own or anything lol. I highly encourage anyone in the area who feels strongly about workers' rights and wants to raise hell over AI to go!

Back to the touristy, vacation stuff, the Hollywood Walk of Fame is worth going to if you're especially passionate about film or television. I nearly fell over getting a photo of Bela Lugosi's star because it's literally on a corner, so I was getting ready to cross the street when I noticed it beneath my feet as the walk sign changed. The Chinese Theater is also there, and the Hollywood Museum is a fun, kitschy and kind-of low budget attraction that I feel is an essential stop for classic Hollywood fans. Otherwise, it gave major Times Square energy, so if you're not big on tourist traps and crowded sidewalks, you could skip it.

We were in town while John Waters was getting his star on the Walk of Fame, which was so exciting! The Academy Museum also opened an exhibit on John Waters' films that runs through next August and they still had their exhibit on The Godfather's 50th anniversary open. I'm going to post my photos from The Godfather exhibit on my sideblog @lostloveletters (needless to say, between the two exhibits, I spent so much money in that museum's gift shop oh my god).

Also, we went to Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign, though the Observatory felt the most like a pilgrimage of anything we did. Besides the bust of James Dean (a questionable likeness, to be honest) outside the building, there wasn't much acknowledging Rebel Without a Cause since it's a science museum, after all. A lot of Star Trek merch in the gift shop, though.

I'd like to visit LA again! It's such a big city and so spread out, I felt like there was a lot we didn't have time to do despite being there for so long. It's unfortunately near impossible to get around without a car, so we had to take a lot of rideshares when walking wasn't an option. That's something that definitely makes me prefer the East Coast over the West Coast. New York, Boston, and DC just have more expansive public transit systems that's severely lacking in LA, and those are far from perfect, too. The only times I've used rideshares in my many visits to New York were to get to and from the airport, and even then I try to take taxis.

I got in late last night, so there's probably a lot I'm forgetting!

🦇 Battie

#ask tag

[rickjsposts]

NFL Wk 2 contest picks, Westgate top 5 picks, NCAA FB and MLB Season to date all posted

New Post has been published on https://www.rickjshandicappingpicks.com/nfl-wk-2-contest-picks-westgate-top-5-picks-ncaa-fb-and-mlb-season-to-date-all-posted/

NFL Wk 2 contest picks, Westgate top 5 picks, NCAA FB and MLB Season to date all posted

NFL Wk 1 could not have gone any better.  3-0 on the plays I put out. 4-1 on my contest picks and 10-6 on the all spread contest picks. A solid first week!!!

My top 5 contest picks this week are:

Jets +6.5

Dallas +7

Houston +10

Arizona +5.5

Tenn +10

The Westgate top 5 picks went 3-2 the first week. As you know historically these have been a fade during the season.

The Westgate top 5 picks this week are:

New Orleans

New England

Cinci

Green Bay

Jacksonville

I am fading Cinci and not on any of the other top 5. I like my spot although I would prefer fading 1 or 2 more:)

In NCAA FB this season :

2022 Season Sides Wk 1 3-2 +.80 Units Wk 2 1-0 +1.0 Units Wk 3 Sides 1-2  -1.20 Units Totals 1-0 +1.0 Units

Season to date combined

Sides 5-4   +.60 Units Totals 1-0  +1.00 Units

Combined Season to date:  +1.60 Units

ROI:  16%

In MLB this season:

Overnight Sides: 124-127 +21.40 ROI 8.52%

Totals 27-40-1 -15.00

Season to date combined:    +7.54   ROI 2.30%

Overnight Sides line bet to closing line :163-61-13  72.76%

Totals line bet to closing line: 41-13-17  75.9%

I had made the entire MLB season free for everyone this year as I am using an entirely new data base. And the net result heading into the end of regular season is that Overnight sides is a big success.

An ROI of 8.5% on 251 wagers is an incredible number.  I would match that up with any

handicapper around:)

Next season I plan on only putting out the overnight sides for wagering.

As most of you know I have had this site for 20+ years now.

I have had subscribers that have been with me from day 1. Most handicapping sites have a very high turnover but mine has had a consistent subscriber base as I add new value yearly to the service.

The last value I added was the addition of Slack Channels.  Two to be exact that cover all thing sports and the other all things investing. Subscribers get access to both slack channels

The sports speaks for itself, however my investing side has been doing very well considering the beating the markets have been taking.

My investing covers a few different strategies.   Two day short put sales for income, medium term put sales on stock I would not mind owning at a lower price, Income trades on close end funds that are deeply discounted to NAV, and then swing and mean reversion trading.

But far the most profitable has been the 2 day short put sale and the income trades.

The 2 day short put sales are made on Thursday morning with a Friday expiration. They are screened with a nice cushion between the strike price and the market price of the stock. The annualized return on these can range from 50% on up.

The income trades typically bring in on average 8% a year in dividend income. In addition, most typically end up with a nice capital gain when the discount to NAV disappears and I look for other investment in this category.

Subscribers not only have access to my sports plays, but my trades within minutes after I make them.

The cost is only 49.00 a month, and unlike other services that charge a flat yearly fee per sport, you can cancel at the end of any month. That is why my service has been so steady in it subscriber base.

In addition, I am typically online for any questions related to these almost every morning.

To join us, simply go to rickjshandicappingpicks.com. Head to the paypal drop down menu and subscribe.  You have a 3 day free trial period before being charged.

It is by far the best value in sports handicapping services, with by far solid results. And I have 20 years of records to prove it:)

Saying all of this of course is not a guarantee of continued success. It is gambling and as such requires a solid bet sizing method to control risk. Without that do not even think of signing up. I cover that in my Must read section on top of my web site.

Hope to see you join us today!!!

RickJ

RickJ’s Handicapping Picks

rickjshandicappingpicks.com